Month: April 2015

Power and Authority.

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…that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. – Ephesians 1:20-23 ESV

Ephesians 1:15-23

Paul ends his prayer with a rather strange, but highly appropriate reminder of the source of the hope of our calling, our glorious inheritance and the immeasurable power at our disposal. It is Christ, the resurrected, ruling, righteous, and soon-to-be-returning Son of God and Savior of mankind. It is Jesus Christ who makes it possible for us to have a restored relationship with God. His death satisfied the just demands of a holy God. He died in our place so that the penalty for our sins might be paid in full and our condemnation be removed once and for all. His death made possible our adoption by God and our new status as His children. Our calling, our future inheritance and the power of God available to us are all a result of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The amazing thing is that He willingly left His rightful place at God’s side and came to earth, took on human flesh, and died so that we might live. But Paul reminds us that, after His resurrection, made possible by God’s “great might,” Jesus returned to His Father’s side and was restored to His rightful position with all the power and authority that was His.

As important as it is that we believe Jesus came as a baby and lived His life as a human being, died on a cross and rose again, it is essential that we understand that Jesus is God, with all the “rule and authority and power and dominion” that God possessed. He is “above every name that is named.” God “put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” In other words, Jesus Christ possesses unsurpassed power and authority, and deserves our unwavering allegiance as the King of kings and Lord of lords. We tend to think that when Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is finished!,” He was saying that His work was done. And while His earthly work had come to a point of completion with His death, He is far from finished. He has returned to His Father’s side and He continues to work on our behalf as the head of the church, His body. That means that we, as members of that body, report to Him. And the power and authority that Jesus Christ possesses passes down to us as members of His Kingdom. He has every right to rule and reign over our lives. But we have a responsibility to act as His ambassadors, extending His reign over the earth and living as obedient citizens of His Kingdom as we do so. It is interesting that Paul ends his prayer with a reminder of the power and authority of Christ. In a sense, it is when we come to understand the rightful place of Jesus Christ as our ultimate authority and the unquestioned ruler over our lives, that we really come to know God. Jesus isn’t just a doorway through which we walk to get to God. He is God. He is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. He is a vital part of the Godhead – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Mysterious and inexplicable, but essential to what we believe about Jesus Christ and His subsequent role as our returning King. The apostle John was given a vision of what His future return will look like. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:11-16 ESV).

He is coming again and this time it will be with power and authority. He is coming as the King of kings and Lord of lord. He has no equal. No one will be able to oppose Him. He will bring judgment to the earth. He will destroy the enemies of God. He will establish His Kingdom on the earth and reign in righteousness. But while all of that is somewhere out in the future, we must not forget that Jesus Christ possesses that same power and authority right now. We are to treat Him as our King and Lord each and every day of our lives. It is He who makes it possible for us to pray. Our very ability to come before God is a byproduct of His death on the cross. We enter into God’s presence because of Christ’s blood, not because we somehow deserve to be there. Even in our prayers we should acknowledge the great debt we owe to Jesus for what He has done. We can know God because we know Christ.

Hope, Riches and Power.

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…having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might… – Ephesians 1:18-19 ESV

Ephesians 1:15-22

Paul had been consistently asking that God would give “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” to the believers in Ephesus for whom he prayed. He knew that as they grew to know God better, they would also grow in their understanding of and appreciation for all that He had done for them. It was Paul’s desire that they would know the hope to which God had called them. In the Greek, the word, hope, has to do with “expectation of good.” It is a joyful and confident expectation based on the knowledge that God has called us into a relationship with Him. He has good things in store for us. He loved us enough to save us, but He is also in the process of sanctifying us. We can expect that God will continue His good work of transforming us into the likeness of His Son. We should live with a sense of hope, an expectation of good, even when things appear to be going bad. As we grow in our knowledge of God, we begin to understand just how loving, gracious, merciful and powerful He really is.

In fact, that is part of what Paul prayed for. He wanted the believers in Ephesus to know “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” For far too many of us, the power of God remains an unknown quantity in our lives. It is not that it is absent, but that we fail to see and appreciate it. God is always at work. His power is always available to us. But rather than avail ourselves of that power, we tend to rely on our own. Then we wonder why our spiritual lives seem so weak and powerless. We question why God doesn’t appear to working in our lives like He is in the lives of others. But it goes back to the knowledge of God. It is as we grow to know Him better, that we begin to understand just how powerful He really is and how that power is available to us on a daily basis. The stories we read in the Bible become far more than antiquated antidotes of God’s power in the distant past. They become exciting examples of the kind of power available to us right here, right now. Our God is still a miracle-working God. He is still capable of doing the impossible, conquering the unbeatable, delivering the oppressed, protecting the innocent and revealing His power in a myriad of ways on a daily basis. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have been given access to the same power that raised Him from the dead. But it is one thing to know about that power intellectually, and another thing to know about it experientially. Paul would have us know God’s power in a real and intimate way. He would want us to have the daily experience of the immeasurable greatness of God’s power.

Finally, Paul prayed for a growing awareness of “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” There is a sense in which we must live our lives on this earth with our eyes focused on the reality of our future inheritance. This world is not our home. God has something far greater prepared for us. Any joy we experience in this life is nothing compared with what is to come. This world is marred by sin and, even as believers, our ability to know and experience God is hampered by our own sin natures. But there is a day coming when we will be free from all the restrictions of sin. We will enjoy uninterrupted fellowship with God and all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. No more sin, sorrow, pain, suffering, war, abuse, lying, murder or death. God has promised it. We must believe it. Warren Wiersbe has said, “To know God personally is salvation. To know Him increasingly is sanctification. To know Him perfectly is glorification.” That about covers the contents of Paul’s prayer. He would have us know God better and better. It begins at salvation, but it does not stop there. All the while we live on this earth, we are to grow in our knowledge of God. We are to experience His power and increase in our faith as He reveals Himself to us in real and tangible ways. But ultimately, we will know Him perfectly. That is the ultimate objective. It is why Jesus died. Even He said, “this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3 ESV). Knowing God is what it is all about. We can know Him now because of Jesus’ death on the cross. We can know Him increasingly better because of His Spirit within us and the Word in which He reveals Himself to us. But one day we will know Him perfectly and personally, free from sin, and without interruption or interference of any kind.

The Knowledge of Him.

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For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,  I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him… – Ephesians 1:15-17 ESV

Ephesians 1:15-22

Paul’s prayers were personal and practical, but in a spiritual sort of way. His prayers cut to the chase, aiming straight for the heart of the issue in the lives of those for whom he prayed. The theme of his prayers tended to revolve around their spiritual maturity and the ongoing development of their relationship with God. And Paul was not just content to pray for these things and leave them up to God. He had been willing to play his part, having helped start many of the churches to whom he wrote and writing his letters filled with instruction, encouragement and, at times, admonition and correction. Paul was not a glass-half-empty kind of guy, who always saw the negative side of everything. He was optimistic and always encouraged when he heard good reports regarding the congregations to whom he ministered. In the case of the brothers and sisters at Ephesus, he had received news of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love toward all the saints. This report caused him to thank God. He knew this was evidence of the work of God in their lives. What a much-needed reminder for those of us who tend to see the faults and the failures, while overlooking the obvious activity of God in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul was not afraid to point out spiritual short-comings, but he was always eager to look for God-sightings in the lives of others. Evidence of spiritual transformation did not go unnoticed by Paul and his gratitude to God never went unexpressed.

Paul was not only thankful to God for His work in the lives of the people of God, he was thankful to God for those individuals. He told them, “I do not cease to give thanks for you” (Ephesians 1:16 ESV). He was grateful to God for them. He legitimately loved them and that love flowed out in the form of regular, heart-felt prayer for them. He wanted to see their faith and love increase, and he knew that the key to that happening was for their knowledge of God to increase, which is why he prayed: “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:17 ESV). His request was that God’s Spirit, the Spirit of truth, would provide them with wisdom and revelation when it comes to their knowledge of God. The idea of revelation has to do with disclosing of truth or making the unknown known. Paul knew that those for whom he prayed would need the Spirit’s help in discerning the truth regarding God. In his letter to the Corinthians, he wrote, “For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:10-12 ESV). In a sense, Jesus made God known to man. He made it possible for men to have a right relationship with God and know and experience His love, grace and mercy. The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to know God better and better.

What Paul knew was that every believer needs one thing and one thing only – more knowledge of God. Jesus Christ restored our relationship with God. He made it possible for us to enter into God’s presence. The Holy Spirit now provides us with the ability to grow in our knowledge of God. And that increasing knowledge of Him is what informs us of His will and transforms us into the likeness of His Son as we willingly submit ourselves to that will. It is interesting to think about all the times we have prayed for God to remove someone from a difficult situation or to relieve them of a particular burden. But did we stop to think that God may be trying to reveal Himself to them in the midst of what they are going through? Did we ever consider that God might be wanting to give them His Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him and that is His purpose behind their trial or difficulty? The people to whom Paul wrote in Ephesus were not immune to problems. They were new converts to Christ living in a hostile environment. Christianity was still new and novel and those who professed faith in Christ were often treated with hostility and resentment. Paul knew any hope they had for survival was based on their knowledge of God. Knowledge of God would provide them with knowledge of His will. They would better understand and appreciate His love. They would be better equipped to recognize His power and put their faith in it when times got tough. A growing knowledge of God is the greatest need of every believer. It is the essence of what it means to have eternal life. Jesus put it this way: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3 ESV). So our prayer for one another should be that we grow to know God better and better – experientially, not just academically. Knowing God is more important than trying to please God. Knowing God is better than attempting to serve God. Getting to know God is more vital to our spiritual well-being than getting things from God.

Delivered. Transferred. Redeemed. Forgiven.

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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. – Colossians 1:13-14 ESV

Colossians 1:9-14

Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior can be some of the most ungrateful people on the planet. For all that God has done for us, we can easily find ourselves taking it all for granted. It is so easy to treat our salvation with a certain degree of complacency. If we’re not careful, our status as God’s redeemed ones can lose its wonder. The reality of our forgiveness from sin – all sin – can lose its overwhelming significance. And Paul knew that, which is why he prayed that we would have God’s power in our lives and experience the joy of His presence. He knew that, while our initial salvation was important, our ongoing sanctification was just as crucial to our relationship with God. We are to grow in our knowledge of God. While salvation introduced us to the God from whom we were alienated due to our sin, it was not to stop there. We are to “grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2 ESV). We are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18 ESV). And that happens only as we are “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9 ESV). It is the knowledge of God’s will that allows us to live in such a way that pleases Him. It is what produces fruit in our lives and allows us to know God better and better. And that growing knowledge of God produces joy and an attitude of gratitude for all He has done. For most of us, the length of time between our salvation and our ultimate glorification, when we will see God face to face, is going to be relatively long. It is in the space which some have called the “gospel gap” that we must be careful. We must never lose sight of the fact that God has qualified us “to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:12 ESV). He has literally “rendered us fit” for glory. We have all we need to get into heaven, right now. We have all we need to come into His presence, at any time. We have Christ’s righteousness. There is nothing more we need to do, except grow in our knowledge of God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Here’s the part Paul does not want us to miss: “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.” It’s a done deal. He has delivered us. He has transferred us. He has redeemed and forgiven us. That reality should produce in us an overwhelming sense of gratefulness. He has done for us what we could have never done for ourselves. I think that is what it means to “grow up into salvation.” The longer we spend time on this earth as believers, the greater our appreciation for what God has done for us should grow. As we grow in our knowledge of God, we also grow in the awareness of our own weakness and propensity to sin. We should see our sin in stark contrast to His holiness and be increasingly amazed that He has delivered, transferred, redeemed and forgiven us. We didn’t deserve it. We haven’t earned it. We could never repay Him for it. But we can be thankful and ever mindful of what He has done. We can remember the unbelievable gift He has provided through the death of His Son on our behalf. We can also live our lives with a sense of peace, knowing that our future is secured. We can know beyond a shadow of a doubt “that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NLT).

We have been delivered, transferred, redeemed and forgiven. God has done all that for us. Jesus Christ made it possible for us. And the reality of it should never be taken for granted by us. Every time we struggle with sin, we must remind ourselves that we have been delivered from the domain of darkness. We are no longer slaves to sin. Every time we feel like this world is our home, we must remind ourselves that we have been transferred into the Kingdom of His Son. We are citizens of another realm. Every time we feel the need to earn favor with God and pay Him back for our sins, we must remind ourselves that He has already redeemed us with the blood of His own Son. Each and every time we sin we must remind ourselves that we are already forgiven. That sin has been paid for. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. All we have to do is confess it and enjoy the forgiveness that has already been made available to us. Confession doesn’t earn us forgiveness, it simply allows us to take advantage of the it. All of this should amaze us. It should constantly astound us. It should never be treated complacently by us. “Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault” (Colossians 1:22 NLT).

Power To Spare.

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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. – Colossians 1:11-12 ESV

Colossians 1:9-14

As Paul continues his prayer, he uses two Greek words, dynamoō and dynamis, which both have to do with power. You can see the similarity they have with our English word, dynamite. He asks God to fill those he is praying for with power, but not just any kind of power – Paul is specifically referring to God’s power. He uses a different Greek word when speaking of God’s power – kratos – and it means “power, might: mighty with great power.” Knowing God’s will requires that we choose to obey it rather than our own. In the same way, having God’s power available to us requires that we depend on it rather than our own. God’s power is glorious. It stands alone and is unequaled and non-replicatable. We can’t manufacture the kind of power God provides. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. It is the same power that created the universes and all it contains. Our petty power pales in comparison. Why would we ever choose to live in our own strength when we have the power of God at our disposal? Sounds ludicrous, doesn’t it? Yet we do it all the time. As children of God, we have his power at our disposal, but we continually attempt to live this life in our own strength, relying on our own limited resources.

It is interesting to note that Paul first prays for a filling of God’s will. Then he asks for power from on high. Why? Because knowing God’s will and obeying it will require God’s power. His power will give us the strength we need to patiently endure as we do His will. His will for us may not be easy. It was God’s will that Jesus die on the cross. And Jesus faithfully fulfilled the will of His Father, in spite of the pain, suffering, humility and shame. Unlike the Law, which required human effort to keep God’s holy requirements, God’s will for believers is made possible by God’s power. He has placed His Holy Spirit within us to give us the strength we need to do all that He has called us to do. But we must avail ourselves of that strength. We must recognize our own weakness and turn to Him for “power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Paul reminds us that it was God who “has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” It was His power that redeemed us. It was His power that justified us. His power raised Jesus from the dead and proved that His sacrifice was acceptable as the payment for our sins. When Paul said that God has “qualified” us, he used the Greek word, hikanoō, and it literally means, “to equip one with adequate power to perform duties of one.” Even now, while we live on this earth, we share in the inheritance of the saints. We are saints. And we have the power to perform the duties of one. It is at our disposal, but we must avail ourselves of it. We must learn to rely on it. We must also learn to thank Him for it. He has made it fully possible for us 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” (Colossians 1:10 ESV). That is something for which we should be truly grateful. God didn’t just save us and then leave us on our own. He saved us, then empowered us. “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3 NLT). Living this life is not easy. Living a godly life in the midst of ungodliness is difficult. But we have power available to us that is unmatched and immeasurable. The problem is that we need to learn to rely on it rather than turning to our own limited strength. God will bring us to points of weakness in order to show us our insufficiency and encourage us to tap into His all-powerful, all-glorious power. When we do, we will learn to say with Paul, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 ESV).

A Worthy Walk.

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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 in 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. – Colossians 1:9-10 ESV

Colossians 1:9-14

What does Paul mean when he says, “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord?” He uses the Greek word, peripateō, which can literally mean, “to live your life.” It can also mean, “to make one’s way, progress; to make due use of opportunities.” So, in essence, Paul is telling his readers to conduct their lives in a manner that is worthy of the Lord. But what does that mean? What does a “worthy” life look like? This seems to be a favorite topic of Paul’s. In Philippians 1:27, we read a very similar statement: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ…” He had the same thought in mind when he wrote to the believers in Ephesus. “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God” (Ephesians 4:1 NLT). But Paul went on to explain what he meant. “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3 NLT). There is a sense in which our lives are to reflect who we are in Christ. God saved us in order to transform us into the likeness of His Son. He adopted us into His spiritual family and made us His sons and daughters. As such, we are heirs to His Kingdom. We are joint-heirs with Christ. God placed His Holy Spirit within us in order that we might have the power we need to live the life He has called us to live. We are His ambassadors and we represent Him on this earth. So the manner in which we conduct ourselves on a daily basis is to reflect favorably on the One who saved us and has sent us into the world as His emissaries.

Which brings us back to Paul’s prayer. How are we to know what a life worthy of our calling looks like? In Ephesians, Paul describes it as one marked by humility, gentleness, patience, unity and love. But before we think we can pull off this kind of life on our own, he tells us that it is only possible as we are filled with a knowledge of God’s will. It is as we understand His will and receive His divine knowledge and understanding that we will know what it is He would have us do on a day-by-day basis. An awareness of God’s will is what provides us with direction for life. But that awareness must be followed by obedience. Knowing what to do and actually doing it are two separate things. I can know God’s will and choose to ignore it. I can decide that His will is not what I want to do. But each time I make that decision, I am choosing to live a life that is NOT worthy of the Lord. That is a serious and sobering thought. Disobeying God dishonors Him. It robs His of glory. it is no different than a disobedient child who chooses to throw a temper-tantrum in the middle of the grocery store aisle. His behavior reflects poorly on his parents. How much more so does my willful decision to disobey the will of God for my life by demanding my way instead? A life that is lived worthy of the Lord has certain visible characteristics about it. It is marked by behavior that is Spirit-driven and, therefore, not normal or natural. It will be a life that pleases God and produces the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22). That kind of life honors God because it is made possible by God. We can’t pull it off on our own. Paul reminds us, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 ESV). But it all begins with a knowledge of God’s will. His will makes possible a worthy walk. His will makes possible a fruitful, God-pleasing life.

Imagine what might happen if we all began to pray for one another, asking that God would fill us with a knowledge of His will with all the spiritual wisdom and understanding that comes with it? And what might happen if we each began to willingly obey that will as it was revealed to us? Paul tells us we would be fruitful. He reminds us that we would be pleasing to God. And he lets us know that we would grow in our knowledge of God. That means far more than just an intellectual understanding of God. We would know His heart and learn to trust His word. We would discover just how much He loves us and has His best in mind for us. We would learn to obey more quickly and willingly. We would seek His will gladly and readily. And our lives would become glowing testimonies to the life-transforming truth of the gospel and the power of God.

God’s Will. Your Walk.

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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 in 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. – Colossians 1:9-10 ESV

Colossians 1:9-14

Sometimes my prayers can lack focus. Not only does my mind wander when I pray, but even in those moments when I successfully manage to give God my undivided attention, the content of my prayers can be all over the map. It can be hard to know what to pray. If I’m not careful, I can find my prayers becoming somewhat robotic and rote, making the same requests for the same individuals day after day. One of the things I like about the prayers of Paul found in his letters, is that they were focused prayers. He wasn’t distracted by external issues, but seemed to go straight to the heart of what was really necessary and needed. His prayers always seemed to be spiritually-focused, not materially-minded. In his own life he had learned the secret of contentment. “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:12-13 ESV). He had learned to be content with Christ. Everything else that had at one time been so important to him – his career, his reputation, his financial status – had taken a backseat to his relationship with Christ. He wrote, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8 NLT).
So when Paul prayed for others., he focused his prayers on their spiritual condition. He prayed that the believers in Colossae would be filled with a knowledge of God’s will. that would be the source of the spiritual wisdom and understanding they would need in their daily lives. And he knew that knowing God’s will was the key to their ability to live spiritually healthy lives. Knowing God’s will was going to be essential if they were going to live lives that were worthy of their calling as God’s children. We all know what we want to do. Our will is no secret to us. But God’s will can sometimes be difficult to discern. So Paul asked God to make His will known to those for whom he prayed. Why? Because Paul wanted them to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him.” He knew that their knowledge of God’s will and their willful obedience to it would produce fruitfulness. Jesus called it abiding. He told His disciples, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 ESV). To abide is to remain, to rest in and depend on, just like a branch does with the vine. It submits its will to the vine and allows the vine to produce fruit through it. Knowing God’s will and submitting to it is what makes us fruitful. It produces a life that is pleasing to God. A branch that refused to abide is useless. It loses its capacity for fruit-bearing. Failure to abide is when I determine to do my will instead of God’s. It’s when my agenda takes the place of His. Paul knew that was a danger for every believer. So he prayed that they would know the will of God and live according to it, so that they could bear fruit in every good work. Jesus said bearing fruit brings glory to God. “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8 ESV). But it requires abiding in Christ and a submissive obedience to the will of God.

And Paul prayed this prayer because he knew that, ultimately, knowledge of and obedience to the will of God produces a growing awareness of who God is. If we know God’s will and obey it, we will develop a deeper intimacy with Him. Not only will we grow in our knowledge of His will, we will grow in our knowledge of Him. “All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better” (Colossians 1:10 NLT). Knowing God is the objective. He wants us to know Him better. He wants to reveal Himself to us. He wants to deepen the relationship between He and us. That is the essence of what it means to have eternal life. Jesus Himself said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:5 ESV). The apostle john wrote, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20 ESV). Jesus Christ has made God known to us. He has made it possible for us to know God, the one true god. But that knowledge is to increase daily. As we learn His will, we get exposed to His heart, His nature, and His incredible love for man. As we live within His will, we discover just how faithful, true, trustworthy, loving, wise, and powerful He really is. And like Paul, we learn to say, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

What to pray.

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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 in all spiritual wisdom and understanding… – Colossians 1:9 ESV

Colossians 1:9-14

I love the prayers of Paul. You’ll find them in just about every one of his letters. They give a glimpse into the heart of this great 1st-Century apostle, missionary and church planter. Paul had a passion for the gospel and a love for people that revealed itself in how he prayed for them. While I am sure Paul received many personal requests from Christians he met along the way during his many journeys, and there is little doubt that he faithfully lifted these petitions up to the Lord in prayer, his recorded prayers give us a glimpse into his heart. Paul’s real passion for people went way beyond the surface needs, wants and desires that they may have had. While he took their physical needs seriously and cared deeply about their health and well-being, his real concern was for their spiritual lives and their relationship with God.

In the opening lines of his letter to the Colossian believers, Paul encourages them by informing them that they have been in his prayers – constantly. He tells them that he has not ceased to pray for them. What a blessing it is to hear that someone has been praying for you. What an encouragement to know that someone cares enough for you to lift you up before the throne of God. And then Paul tells them exactly what he has been praying. This is where it gets interesting and revealing. Paul says that his request to God for them was that they would have a knowledge of His will. Paul is asking God to give them a knowledge or awareness of His will. But he is doing much more than just asking. Paul is begging. The Greek word carries much more force behind it. Paul is coming to God with a strong desire that He give these people a knowledge of His will. Not only that, he wants God to fill them with that knowledge. Once again, the original Greek is much more rich and forceful in its meaning. When Paul asks God to fill them, he means “to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim.” In other words, he is asking God to fill them so fully that there isn’t room for anything else – including their own wills. For the believer, knowing the will of God is essential. It is what directs our actions and influences our attitudes. It is what gives us direction for our lives. As we live life in this world, we will be constantly influenced by our own sin nature and the world around us. Our wills will attempt to control our lives. Paul elsewhere warns us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT). So there is a sense in which we have to turn our attention from the things of this world and concentrate on God’s will as revealed in His Word. God is out to transform us by influencing our thinking and altering our behavior – from the inside out.

But Paul goes on to qualify his request. He says that he is asking that they be filled with a knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. In other words, God’s will is spiritually discerned. It is not of this world. In fact, the wisdom of God will often, if not always, stand in conflict with the ways of this world. It will make no sense from a human perspective. It will appear as illogical. To know God’s will requires spiritual wisdom and understanding, which can only be provided by the Spirit of God. Paul told the believers in Corinth, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV). Then he reminded them, “But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16 ESV). We have the mind of Christ because we have the Spirit living within us. We are spiritual creatures with a God-given capacity to understand and know His will. And Paul’s prayer was that his brothers and sisters in Christ be filled to overflowing with that knowledge.

So what are we to pray? It would seem that this prayer of Paul is a great example of how we should be praying for one another. There is nothing wrong with praying for someone’s physical healing, for their marriage, their financial needs or any other concern they may have. But how much more important to desire for them a knowledge of God’s will. One of the problems we face as believers is understanding what it is we are supposed to do in life. We need to know how we are to use our time, talents and resources. We need to know what it is that God is trying to teach us through the trials and troubles we face in life. We need to know how God would have us respond to the situations and circumstances in which we find ourselves. It is not difficult to discern our will. That comes easy. But knowing the will of God takes intention. It requires listening to the Spirit of God and patiently waiting to hear God speak. But what greater prayer could anyone pray for a friend or family member than that they be filled with a knowledge of the will of God – his good, pleasing and perfect will?

Do As I Pray.

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Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” – Matthew 6:9-13

The Bible has a lot to say about the topic of prayer.

“…pray without ceasing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV

“Yet Jesus himself frequently withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.” – Luke 5:16 NET

“…pray for those who abuse you.” – Luke 6:28 ESV

“…pray at all times in the Spirit.” – Ephesians 6:18 NASB

“When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard.” – Matthew 6:7 NET

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” – James 5:13 ESV

“Continue steadfastly in prayer…” – Colossians 4:2 ESV

But while there is no shortage of advice and admonitions regarding prayer in the Scriptures, it’s far easier to read about than actually put into practice. And even when we do actually pray, we can find ourselves doing it for the wrong reasons. James rather bluntly reminds us, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3 ESV). For many, prayer is nothing more than an attempt to get from God what we want or desire. But Jesus would have us remember that prayer is not about us. It is, first and foremost, about God and our relationship with Him as child to Father. We are more than free to come to God with our needs, wants, and even our desires. But we must attempt to bring those needs, wants and desires within His will. Which is why Jesus placed early within His model prayer the words, “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” The goal of our relationship with God should be a growing sense of intimacy and familiarity. We should desire to know Him better and better. But if God becomes little more than a source for seeking our self-prescribed satisfaction and comfort, we miss the whole point. God really does want to give us what we desire, but He prefers that He be what we desire. More than money. More than popularity. More than a trouble-free life. More than pleasure. More than health. More than anything or anyone else. When writing to the believers in Ephesus, John wrapped up his letter with these words: “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20 ESV). John is telling his readers that, because of their belief in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they have been given a relationship with God. He is the true God and eternal life. Jesus Himself declared, “this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3 ESV). To know Jesus is to know God. Jesus knew God well. He knew His Father intimately and with the loving familiarity of a son toward a dad. He loved talking with His Father. He prayed regularly to His Father. The gospel of Luke tells us, “Jesus himself frequently withdrew to the wilderness and prayed” (Luke 5:16 NET). He longed to hear from His Father. He shared His heart with His Father.

But I find it interesting that right after John reminded his readers of their relationship with the one true God, he warned them, “keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21 ESV). That is the last line of his entire letter. But why did he choose to end his letter that way? I think it was because he knew that men will always struggle with replacing the one true God with false gods. Timothy Keller describes idols in these sobering and somewhat convicting terms: “What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living“ (Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods). Prayer should be seen as an ongoing, unhindered opportunity to spend time and get to know better the one true God. Yes, we can bring Him our needs. We can even share with Him our desires. But as we grow to know Him better and better, we will see that much of what we wanted was outside of His will – not necessarily wrong or sinful – but simply not what He had in mind for us. In His prayer, Jesus keeps the content short and simple. It has just the right blend of adoration, submission, intimacy, awe, dependency, and responsibility for maintaining relationships with others. It acknowledges our need for God. It provides expression of our love for and adoration of God. The whole prayer is really about God. And at the end of the day, that is what the focus of our lives as believers should be about. Again, as Jesus said, “this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3 ESV). Knowing God because we know Jesus. Having an intimate and familiar relationship with the Father because we have believed in His Son. That is the essence of eternal life. The goal of salvation is not heaven – it’s God. Eternal life is not about a destination – it’s about a relationship with God. Getting saved isn’t to stay out of hell – it’s about knowing God.

Divine Dependence.

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And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. – Matthew 6:13 ESV

Matthew 6:9-13

As Jesus wraps up His model prayer, He closes with what appears to be a somewhat strange petition. At first glance, it would appear that He is suggesting that we ask God not to tempt us. But that would be a direct contradiction of the assertion of James: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:13 ESV). But then Paul seems to muddy the waters when he writes, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV). In all three of these passages, the Greek word used for temptation is peirasmos and it means “trial” or “testing.” It can refer to an internal temptation to sin or to trials that test the character. So what exactly is Jesus suggesting we pray? It would seem, based on the context of the whole prayer, that Jesus is promoting the idea that the believer recognize his or her complete dependence upon God. We live in a world that is hostile to us as His followers. Jesus told His disciples, “you will be hated by all for my name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22 ESV). He also warned them, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19 ESV). Not only do we have a hostile world to contend with, we have the prince of this world, Satan, as our mortal enemy. On top of that, we have to deal with our own sin natures. But Jesus seems to be indicating that a believer is one who acknowledges that his life is ultimately in the hands of God. It is God who leads, guides and protects His children. But that does not mean that all of life will be trouble-free and devoid of difficulty. Jesus Himself has warned us, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 ESV).

Life on this earth can be harsh and extremely difficult at times, especially for followers of Christ. This world is not user-friendly for those who are members of the family of God. But as God leads us, we must realize that He loves us and will not lead us so that we might sin. Yes, we may end up sinning, but that will be as a result of an internal, heart issue, not God. All of this reminds me of the well-known 23rd Psalm. In it, David speaks of God, comparing Him to a loving shepherd. “He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:2-4 ESV). Notice that David acknowledges the leadership of God in his life. He speaks of God leading him beside still waters and into paths of righteousness. But also notice that David describes himself walking through the valley of the shadow of death. In other words, being lead by God is not always a walk in the park. Yet, we can walk without fear, because we know He is with us, guiding us, protecting us and providing comfort along the way.

In a way, Jesus seems to be trying to get us to recognize that God is always with us. He wants us to know that our lives are in His hands. And to pray, “lead us not into temptation” is to ask God to protect us from falling into sin along the way. As we walk through life, we must remain dependent upon Him for every step we take. We must rely on Him to “deliver us from evil,” which is why Paul said that God is the one who “will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” The apostle John gives us these encouraging words: “We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them” (1 John 5:18 NLT). As believers, we must realize that we are dependent upon God for everything. We need Him to guide and direct us. We need Him to protect us. We need His help to keep us from allowing the tests and trials of life to result in sin rather than our sanctification. Because we know that God loves us, we can rest assured that He will give us more than we can handle. We never walk alone. He is always there. Whatever we face, we do so with Him at our side and completely on our side. So with the psalmist we can say, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6 ESV).