[Transcript represents full sermon's text]

       Picking up today in Colossians chapter 1, we read, starting in verse 9: “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you” (ESV).

       Our study today begins with the importance of prayer. This is where Paul and Timothy are leading us to—prayer. It seems good for us to spend some time considering what we really, internally, believe about prayer before discussing the laid out prescription as to what is actually to be prayed for. When thinking about the use of prayer, one might ask themselves inside the mind what they truly believe about prayer. And one will likely find that that they do not believe in it as much as they might wish to. Perhaps some noble souls do believe in it, believe that it works. But it seems that many, though they practice the art of prayer, the going through the motions, do not in actuality believe it produces much fruit.

       For one who does not believe prayer works all that much, and that it bears little fruit, it seems that the core of the issue lies in one’s view of God in answering prayer (with a positive answer). By view of God, it is meant how God actually views praying from an individual. And really, down the line, this all ties into one’s view of the future, believe it or not. Without getting into technical terminology, we could note first there are those who view the future in a predetermined way. That is, all events in the future are predetermined. Then, a second view, or middle view, might be held by those who believe some events are predetermined, while others are open to contingencies. And still a third view could be that nothing is predetermined, that everything is open. The last view seems to be the hardest to line up with the Scriptures.

       But for the one who views everything as predetermined, the issue with that view is that prayer then becomes a ritual, a ceremony, that in reality, doesn’t in point of fact produce any real, tangible results. How could it, if everything has already been decided? So, under this model, the one who prays does so because he or she is commanded to do so by the Scriptures. The belief is present, however, that the prayer really, at the end of the day, doesn’t produce any effects on the world because, after all, God has already decided all matters. To provide some specific examples, we could say, “Why pray for the salvation of Joe, if God has already determined whether Joe will be saved or not?” That’s a very common one. Or, we could say, “Why pray for success in dating Sarah, if God has already predetermined if the relationship will lead to marriage or not.” And the common response obviously is, “We pray because we are commanded to pray.”

       For the one who views prayer as effectual, as potentially changing things, the belief (or hope) is real and different. This person prays for the salvation of Joe because he or she believes that the prayers make a real difference on whether or not Joe will end up accepting the Gospel message. The man prays for his current relationship with his girlfriend Sarah because he believes that the prayers could affect the future quality and outcome of the relationship. This person believes that prayer isn’t just merely a command stated at various places in the Scriptures, but that prayer actually does have positive impact on persons and events. This is living prayer versus ceremonial prayer. There are great numbers of Christians on both sides of this, and specifically, in the evangelical world, the first view, the predetermined view, is probably more prevalent.

       It seems befitting to actually present prayer as something that can provide cause for change, though, as just stated, not everyone sees things this way. Many are not comfortable in believing that God is open to the thoughts, ideas, wishes, and desires of humans. They may say, “Humans are too evil to desire anything good” or “God would not be persuaded by humans because humans are often driven by the flesh.” Or, it could be said, “A person really doesn’t know what good they should pray for because they don’t know what they don’t know, but God knows.” Things like these. And all of this brings up debated things about the character of God and people. If God can be persuaded by a human, then how can God be really in control? And if a person can present something to God that is good, then how does that work? Doesn’t God know best in every circumstance so as to make anything that is presented to him to be pointless?

       These are things to think about. Trying not to get too off track with this, the point we want to note is that Paul and Timothy prayed. That’s what the text says. And not only did they pray, but it says they did not cease to pray, as if the quantity also matters. We know the quality matters, as Paul is about to show us in what he prayed for regarding the Colossian believers.

       Paul says, “[W]e 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, 10, ESV).

       Presented before us is the primary thing that was prayed for. Actually in examining the text, it will be seen that his primary prayer dominos into a list of positive consequences, which are also carefully spelled out. Let us consider the foundation to this, though. This foundation is found to be that of “knowledge.” That is interesting. That really might not be something that would be easily guessed. What are some things that might be guessed? How about spirituality? Filled with the spirituality… Or, how about love? That’s a good one. Love. Filled with the love… But, it’s neither of these, and it isn’t anything else. It’s knowledge. So, it is important at this point to ask why knowledge is the thing prayed for above all else. Knowledge is important because it provides the foundation, the bedrock, for everything else. Without proper knowledge, anything can be accepted. Or we could say, without the proper foundation, that which is built is subject to problems in the future. The building may lean funny. It may have uneven floors or walls. It may even crumble and fall.

       The knowledge, then, the knowledge, is of God’s will. Indeed, that’s what this letter is setting before us, whether Paul realizes this fact at the time of writing it or not. This letter will work to instruct the Colossians in the knowledge of God’s will. And not just them obviously, but believers for thousands of years afterward in the future, which is an incredible thing to consider. Notice that the knowledge comes “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Therefore, the topic being discussed isn’t earthly knowledge. It’s not self-help knowledge, for better life skills or something like that, though it will provide that. It just simply isn’t that. The actual knowledge being discussed is knowledge of “his will.” That is, God’s will. We know today, as Christians, that God’s will is shown forth in the Bible, and again, ironically (or perhaps not), this is the very thing Paul is pointing out. Without “the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” we wouldn’t know what God wants. What God desires. What God’s actual will is. People would just be making up their own rules, their own ways, in everything. We think Christianity suffers from differences across the board right now, well, what if there was no clearly defined “knowledge of his will” to speak of?

       So, what does this foundation of God’s knowledge provide us with? What are the positive consequences? Paul lists the first one. Verse 10: “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (ESV). The point is simple. We have “the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” so that we can live good, righteous lives in a way that is worthy, acceptable, to God, and in a way that makes God happy fully and completely. And we will realize, if we have relinquished pride to any great degree, that there are, at least in our day and age, multiple, many in fact, walks, or manners (plural), in which this is accomplished in the Christian realm. Not to say there are multiple moralities, or parallel universes (to go scientific and extreme), but only that there are multiple paths within Christianity that God accepts as approved, as worthy. We often call these denominations. Don’t misunderstand this statement to mean that all denominations are equally true in what they say (ah, pride), but just simply that God works with multiple groups thoroughly. We could say, the modern non-denominational, the Baptists, the Lutherans, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Mennonites, and many more.

       The problem becomes, and this has been witnessed in more than one denomination or sect, is when a group, or person for that matter, believes they have discovered the true truth, the true way, the correct denomination or sect, and that everyone else is in the wrong, or at least lacking significantly. This is the prideful stance—the self-righteous stance. In illustration of this point, a book was being read recently in which an Orthodoxy Christian (Eastern Orthodoxy to be specific) was stating how God had led him to the correct-ist, purist way of Christianity (you guessed it, Orthodoxy), and even used an audible voice to do so. It is not doubted that God did in fact use the voice (whether his own or an angel’s) to lead him. It is good that he found a way that satisfies his soul, one in which he can practice his relationship to God in a full, filling way. The problem becomes, when, as a result of the voice, he thinks he has found the correct way (the correct sect), and then turns to persecute (to use a strong word) those who do not follow that way. The voice led him to the false belief that his way is the correct way, and not because the voice was wrong, but because his conclusion about the meaning thereafter of hearing the voice was wrong).

       In contrast, a man was known at one time who had a similar type of encounter with a voice. The voice told him to go and start a church in a certain area, and this was the Church of the Nazarene, a body of believers of that particular denomination let’s call it. So, was this man wrong in hearing the voice? No. Would he be wrong if he said it’s the only true way? Yes. Has he ever said that? There is no recollection of him ever saying that, or even hinting at it. He was just describing what happened to him, and that was all. And that’s the difference to note in this, the former became prideful and persecuted, while that latter didn’t do anything of the such. Perhaps that’s why God is hesitant to verbally speak things anymore (whether through his own voice or that of, say, an angel). And, as an aside, don’t get too excited. It is not being said in any way that Joseph Smith was right. No, he still was wrong. And that’s where the line is drawn. There was to be a line drawn, in what is considered acceptable, “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him.”

       What then are some results Paul hopes to beget from he and Timothy’s prayer? He talks about the church “bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

       It is interesting to note that Paul doesn’t talk about the church actually doing good works. What is meant is that he doesn’t list that the church should be doing good works, as if they had to be instructed in that. Rather, he prays that he hopes these good works will bear fruit. That seems to imply that works could be done by the church which do not bear fruit. And let us consider some reasons as to why this may be the case. The most obvious one, first and foremost, would be due to a lack of prayer. Since we are discussing prayer as the subject, that comes to mind. And if it is believed that prayer actually does make a difference, then it’s a no brainer that a lack of prayer would yield negative consequences in the church’s “good works” by them not “bearing fruit.” And, another reason a good work by the church would not bear fruit could be what Paul mentioned in the previous verse, that the people conducting the work are not walking in a good manner. This could be on a collective, church level, or this could be on an individual’s level.

       A vast variety of reasons could be listed as examples of good works not bearing fruit as the result of a church not walking in a manner that is worthy of the Lord. Rather than focus on specific actions, let us zoom out a bit and consider a bigger view of the matter. We know that God looks on the heart, and therefore, we could contend that works done without the proper heart attitude may not bear good fruit. This being the case whatever the works are. So, anything done because one believes he or she has to do it, and let’s assume for a moment the person isn’t gifted to do it (by the Holy Spirit), then that is a work done through the flesh—from a command—and not from the heart. It’s not coming from a person’s heart welling up inside themselves with the desire bursting forth in wanting to accomplish whatever it is for the kingdom. And sometimes this has to be tested. What is meant is that there could be an initial dread present in doing something beforehand. But if a person tries it, getting past that dread, they should then evaluate how they feel once they are into it or afterward. If God is leading the person do it, at some point the desire should spark up and lead the way.

       It seems contradicting, however, that Paul again brings up “increasing in the knowledge of God.” This is because he just began this whole section talking about the knowledge of God. Remember, he prayed that the Colossians would be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” So, in this second mention, it seems to be that the desire behind Paul’s prayer is that this “knowledge” would in fact “increase.” So, when he first mentions knowledge at the beginning, he is talking about having knowledge in the first place. Now he is talking about have this knowledge “increase.” And it is interesting that the increasing of the knowledge is coupled with what was just examined regarding good works. It’s almost as if the good works create an ‘experiential’ knowledge. Working things for the kingdom then creates an experience with God that then increases our knowledge about God. That is, knowledge about how God works in our lives—how he accomplishes things, takes care of us, relates to us, etc.

       In the experience with God, what is needed for that experience also becomes manifest. Paul prays that the Colossians, in verse 11, are “being strengthened with all power, according to his [God’s] glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (ESV). Along the whole life journey, whatever that life journey may be, is needed power. That’s obvious. To have spiritual wisdom, to have understanding, to have every good work, and to increase in knowledge—with all of these things, power is a must have. Power is simply our ability to accomplish what God desires for us to accomplish in these areas. If they could be done by simply human means, there would be no need for a conversation process and Christian experience of life to begin with. In this imaginary case, it would simply be that anyone could be a Christian by simply walking a path following certain principles. Though, we know that’s not the case—but the case is that a conversion experience is necessary. And that’s not to say this ‘experience’ happens at one, singular moment (though most often it seems to), but sometimes it can happen over a period in one’s life.

       All this power bestowed into the Christian’s life is according to God’s “glorious might.” Paul would say the familiar verse elsewhere, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13, ESV). It isn’t that all this working power is directed toward actions within the boundaries of ministry, but it is also, and probably more so, in the development of our individual characters. That’s why on other occasions, and coming to mind specifically is Galatians 5, Paul lists what should be done in contrast to what should not be done. It is spelled out simply. And because we know that a person who is not enlightened, who has not tasted of the heavenly gift, that is, of salvation, has no real power over sin or the ability to carry out even the good character traits across the board, we know that the conversion experience is necessary. This is how a person then has new life, a born again is-ness, by which the person can then live out the Christian character, which, in reality, is how all people are really supposed to live in character. It is as Paul said in Galatians 5, that against such character traits there is no law.

       And these righteous characteristics are needed so that we can live, continuing along in verse 11, “for all endurance and patience with joy.” Why is endurance needed? Endurance from what? Well, basically, this verse tells us if we weren’t aware of this fact already that not everything is going to go our way in life. That’s what endurance is for. Now, if we were to listen to some Bible teachers exclusively, that might not become so obvious. That’s why it’s always important to be realistic—to not get too dreamy in what we are hoping in or hoping for. For basic understanding, then, what are the things in the world that stop things from going the way we want them to (or on a deeper level even, the way God wants them to go)? Let’s pick the most obvious one first. You guessed it, it’s Satan. Satan and his demons. That one seems obvious. He was the angel who rebelled against God (of which it appears that betrayal occurred right after God created the world) and he took one-third of the angelic hosts with him. We generally call them the demons, though some think that demons are different evil spirits from the rebellious fallen angels that followed Satan. Whatever the case, for our purposes, we note that they work against God, which means they also work against us.

       But there is more. It isn’t just Satan and the demons who are responsible for the need “for all endurance and patience with joy” on our parts. What else could we cite? Sticking with persons, let’s consider the fact that humans, individuals (and even sometimes us), screw things up. Things get messed up when we either don’t follow God’s will for our lives by acting in sinful ways, or when we make unwise choices, say out of ignorance (which aren’t necessarily sin, just unwise), and then things get messed up. So, since we are beings too, and have a part to play in the grand scheme of things, in God’s world, we also can make choices that affect the world negatively. For now, for the negative conditions, we have first listed Satan and his demons, and now second we have listed us. But, there’s more. It simply isn’t these two things that can cause issues. There is a third area.

       The third area may not be as obvious, or it may be. Really, it depends on how a person views things. What we are talking about now is chance—the randomness or arbitrary-ness that comes with the natural world. For the person who believes everything, and literally everything, is predetermined, then this third area might fall on deaf ears. For the person, however, who doesn’t feel everything is predetermined, then this point seems helpful. What is a basic example of randomness? Well, I wish this specific example didn’t have to be brought up, but recently, in driving home late one night from the workplace, out the left-side of the window, in a flash of the moment, was seen a rabbit running across the road. Unfortunately, it was too late for this little fellow. He transcended. Now, taking a pause, and a breather, for it did bother the mind, it could be said that God preordained this event of the rabbit’s leaving the world Or would it be better said that this event took place as a result of the randomness that is often present in the world? And what factors are behind this randomness seems to be incredibly complex.

       So, now, we have three causes for the negative things in our world. One, Satan. Two, ourselves. Three, randomness. All these things cause for negativity in the world that has to be endured, and often with trusting patience. But before we move away from discussing this, there are still yet two more areas, but actually one more area, one casual agent, we can discuss. Yes indeed. That’s God, and also his angels. They too can bring negative things on the world in the form of judgment. We need no explanation about God doing this, as that’s obvious from reading the Old Testament. Even in the New Testament we see it during the church age with the negative example of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 (as as an aside, notice there’s goodness behind this negativity). But it would also seem that God’s angels, acting of their own will and by their own choice, can make negative decisions (and, of course, their choices always align with God’s will). This is hinted at in Acts 12, for instance, when it says “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck [Herod] down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last” (Acts 12:23, ESV). There is no mention in the text of God ordering this, but it would seem that the nearby angel made this choice out of his on volition (see also Luke 1:19, 20 for another example; note “my words” (ESV)). You can look that one up on your own time).

- Daniel Litton