May 10, 2023
Author: Pastor Bernard Ibrahim
May 10, 2023
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you,
asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all
spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of
the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all
power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience
with joy, giving thanks to the father, who has qualified you to share in
the inheritance of the Saints in light. He has delivered us from the
domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of
the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For by him all
things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were
created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him
all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in everything he
might be preeminent. For him all the fullness of God was pleased to
dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on
earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who
once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now
reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you
wholly and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you
continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope
of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation
under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Colossians 1:9-23
We looked at a few verses in this chapter a while ago and we’re
going to look further starting in verse nine. You may remember we don’t
know a lot about the church in Colosee, it’s located in modern day
Turkey, it was nearby Ephesus. From all appearances it doesn’t appear
that Paul was really there or many of the church had ever met Paul but
he in this letter desires to make sure they know he’s praying for them
and giving thanks to God for them in his prayers. Starting in verse nine
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you,
asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all
spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of
the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all
power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience
with joy, giving thanks to the father, who has qualified you to share in
the inheritance of the Saints in light.”
This is what he
prayed for them. And then notice now in verse 13 he turns his attention
and he presents the preeminence of Christ to them. In just a few verses
he shows them the character of Christ, but most importantly how Christ
is first in everything, Christ is first. So he presents who Christ is
and his preeminence and then finishes off this section with what
Christ has done for them as believers. Starting in verse 13, who Christ
is “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us
to the Kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins.” And now he begins to describe Christ “He is the
image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation. For by him
all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were
created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him
all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in everything he
might be preeminent. For him all the fullness of God was pleased to
dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on
earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
And
now he goes on to what Christ has done for them, “And you, who once
were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now
reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy
and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in
the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the
gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under
heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
As I reflected
on this passage thinking to myself, what is a good way for us to prepare
our minds when we’re praying to the father? And this came up in Paul’s
prayers, thanksgiving to the father for the church in Colosse and in
telling them that he’s praying for them, for them to be steadfast to
have spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthy of a manner, all
these the things he’s praying for them that they would be and that they
would have. And then he presents Christ to them, Christ is preeminent.
He puts Christ in their view early in the book, early in his letter.
Then he reminds them the most important thing Christ did for them, which
is reconcile them through his blood by the death of his body, that we
would be reconciled to God. Notice the same language as in Ephesians 5,
“So that he in order to present you holy and blameless and above
reproach.” The work of Christ in us to make us perfect so that he would
have us without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that we would be holy
and without blemish. In Ephesians 5, it’s the same picture the Lord
wants us to himself his bride his body in a perfect state with him in
heaven.
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