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We've been away for a little
while, but we're going to return tonight in our study of the Book
of Colossians. So, if you'll go ahead and turn
to chapter one, Paul's letter to the Colossians. All right, well, for the next
three Wednesdays, Lord willing, we're going to be talking about
prayer. This is where we have arrived in our study in the Book
of Colossians. We've arrived all the way down
to verse three of chapter one. We've spent our time so far just
in the greeting. But of course, it's a very rich
greeting, there's a lot of good things to think about. Tonight,
we're going to talk about I'd like you to consider what it
means to pray with Thanksgiving. I'm going to give you and this
is my intention tonight is to. Look at what Paul says in his
prayer and to give you really just an overview of thankfulness
in prayer. And the next week, what I would
like to look at is verses three through eight, where Paul lists
some very specific things for which he's thankful. And then
nine and nine down. We'll probably go down through
verse 11 and we'll talk about the petitions or these particular
requests that Paul makes. And so that'll be the plan for
the next three Wednesdays. Well, we've been looking so far
at the greeting and after his greeting, Paul begins with a
description of his prayers for the Colossians. Now, what I'd
like to do is to read verse three. And I'd like to read down through
verse twelve. Beginning at verse three, Paul says, We give thanks
to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praying always
for you. Since we heard of your faith
in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the facts. Because of
the hope which is laid up for you in heaven of which you heard
before in the word of the truth of the gospel. Which has come
to you as it has also in all the world and is bringing forth
fruit as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew
the grace of God and truth. As you also learn from a papyrus,
our dear fellow servant who is a fellow who is a faithful minister
of Christ on your behalf, who also declare to us your love
in the spirit. For this reason, we also, since
the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that
you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and
spiritual understanding. That you may walk worthy of the
Lord. fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God. Strengthened with all might,
according to his glorious power for all patients and long suffering
with joy, giving thanks to the father who has qualified us to
be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Paul's
prayer there, as I have just read it, can be divided up into
two main parts. The first part is verses is contained
in verses three through eight. This is Paul's giving of thanks
or the things for which Paul is thankful. In particular, when
he looks at the Colossian congregation, things that he has heard of in
the report. These are things that he's very
thankful to hear of. The second part, roughly nine through 11
or nine through 12. This is a listing of Paul's requests
on their behalf. These are the things that Paul
desires that God will provide for the Colossians. Now, you
may notice that verse 11 doesn't end with a period. I have the
New King James. It ends with a semicolon, looks
like there. It doesn't end with a period.
Well, verses 9 through 20, they break it up in the English, which
is helpful, but in the Greek, 9 through 20 is one unbroken
218 word sentence. So where exactly you end the
prayer, that may be up for a little bit of a debate there. I'm probably
going to end in verse 11 in my own treatment of it. Verse 12,
Paul goes back to mentioning things. So three through eight,
he's thankful for these things. nine through eleven. He's praying
for these things. Then in twelve, he's still praying,
but he goes back to mentioning what he's giving thanks for.
But first of all, not only is it going back to a mentioning
of thanks, it's also a transition where Paul begins to describe
the work of the father. That the work of the father has
done giving thanks to the father who has qualified us to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in the light. And then from then
he goes on to describe that he does this work through the sun.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed
us into the kingdom of the son of his love. And then from then
on, Paul's going to give some very detailed. Instructions on who the son is.
But we're going to look tonight just at verse three. Notice how
Paul begins. This description that he's giving
to them of his prayer for them. We give thanks to the God and
father of our Lord Jesus Christ praying always for you. He says,
we, it's not me or I. I'm giving thanks, but he says
we are giving thanks. Well, who's the we? Well, I think
that includes Timothy. Go back to verse one, Paul, an
apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God and who else? And
Timothy, our brother. Well, I think that Paul includes
the mention of Timothy, because he knows that this will be a
good encouragement to the Colossians. And in a previous sermon, we
spent some time on just Timothy himself and the fact that it
shouldn't just go past us that Timothy is still with Paul after
all of these years. The Colossians is written towards
the end of Paul's ministry. And here is Timothy after all
those long years of laboring, and all the difficulty that it
went through with Paul. Timothy is he still there with him? And
I think Paul knows that to send Timothy's greetings also to the
Colossians. This is going to be a good encouragement to them
to know that Timothy is. He's still with Paul and he's
still faithful in the gospel labor. Paul knows, I believe
that they will be encouraged and strengthened to know that
not only is Timothy still with Paul, not only is Timothy still
faithfully laboring for the gospel, But also this that also, along
with Paul, Timothy is praying for them. We give thanks to the
God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for you always.
So here's this picture of Paul. He's sending this letter and
the Colossians, I think, are to rightly get this picture in
their head that it's not just Paul who is thinking about them,
but their dear brother, Timothy, that they know. Timothy has probably
done some work with them. They certainly know Timothy's
reputation, and there's Timothy still right alongside with Paul,
and they're both praying together. Timothy's right there praying
with Paul. I think this is a good encouragement to the Colossians.
Notice what he says. He says, we. I think me and Timothy,
we give thanks. So Paul is joined in this prayer
by Timothy. In other words, Paul and Timothy
are in agreement. When they pray for the Colossians.
They are both moved with thankfulness when they pray for the Colossians,
this had to have been very, very encouraging to the Saints and
Colossi. Both Paul, the apostle and Timothy, his assistant, are
very thankful when they think about the Colossians, they think
about them and they're thankful. This had to have been very encouraging
to them. They are both moved with thankfulness when they think
about the people of that congregation. Now, when Paul prays to the Colossians,
he says this, he prays with thankfulness. This is a heart issue of gratitude. Paul's not putting on this phony
face. It's not just this shallow kind
of an expression. It's not just a smile he puts
on his face. when he's around certain people. OK, this is a
genuine heart issue of true gratitude when Paul considers the Colossians. Now, here's how I would describe
it. It's a heart issue of joy for what God has done. For the Colossians. A heart issue of joy for what
God has done, and it would also include this, I think. A joyful
it's a there's a there's a joy and there's a joyful contentment
in what God is doing, and there is a humble anticipation of further
or more of more goodness of God. If I could probably that came
out bad. Badly, see, I'm just digging
the hole here. It's a hard issue of joy for
what God has done. and joyful contentment in and humble anticipation
of the goodness of God. Take a look at Ephesians, if
you would, Ephesians chapter three and notice how Paul is
describing a prayer for them. Ephesians 314. We know he's praying, he says,
for this reason, I bow my knees to the father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. From whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.
Notice what he says in verse 20. After the prayer here as he's
praying for the Ephesians. Notice what he says now to him
who is able to do exceedingly. Abundantly above all that we
ask or think according to the power that works in us to him
be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever
and ever. Amen. Now this I think is The
way I'm thinking of it is this is the fuel. This is what's fueling
Paul's prayer. That's the the foundation that
Paul is standing upon as he prays. As he says, for this reason,
I bow my knees to the Father, Lord Jesus Christ, and he gives
these requests that he would grant you, according to the riches
of his glory, to be strengthened with might through his spirit
and man. He requests that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love. What is
all of this? What is what moves Paul when
he makes this prayer for the Ephesians? What's his confidence?
Where is it all planted? Well, it's planted in him who
is able to exceedingly abundantly above all that, what all that
we ask, we'll ask where we'll ask in prayer. You see, do you
see Paul's confidence? Why he's so enthusiastic in his
prayer, why he goes to prayer Confidently, there is this there
is this joyful contentment in Paul's praying because of who
God is, not because of anything that the Ephesians are. It's
not because of anything that Paul is. Let me show you another
reference. If you'll go forward just a page
or two to Philippians chapter one. Look at chapter one in verse
three. Again, we find Paul praying for the people and he says this,
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Always in every prayer
of mine, making requests for you all with joy. For your fellowship in the gospel
from the first day until now. Notice what he says, a foundation
statement, being confident of this very thing that he has begun
a good work in you. Will complete it until the day
of Jesus Christ. What's the fuel, what's fueling
Paul in this prayer, where's his confidence as he prays to
the Ephesians, as he prays for the Philippians, for the Ephesians,
as he prays for also the Philippians, because he is able. To grant
what we ask, because he is able to complete the work that he
has started in you. And so what does Paul say? I
pray. with thankfulness and I pray with joy. Thankful praying is
an expression of a heart that's joyful. Now here this is the
connection. I don't know if I've adequately built my case. But
when Paul is talking about joy or when he's talking about thankfulness. I think we need to make this
connection with this this overall perspective that Paul has of
this this This fuel of prayer, if I could use that term, the
foundation, this assurance, this confidence, this contentment. That Paul has in the sovereign
working of God. Thankful praying is an expression
of a heart that's joyful, but it's not the kind of joy that
the world has that's very shallow and very passing happy in this
and then it's happy in that and then it's something else the
next day. Paul's not talking about that kind of joy. This
is a deep-seated joy in the truth of who God is. And I think the
thankfulness with which Paul is praying has to be connected
with this kind of joyful contentment or confidence in who God is.
And we need to work on this kind of genuine thankfulness, not
the phony face that we might put on. Not the kind of face
we put on trying to pretend like things are difficult. Paul's
not doing that. But a genuine from the heart
thankfulness, a genuinely being thankful because there's
this joy that Paul has as he prays. I think that's that's
I think we need to make that connection. If I didn't make
my case, come talk with me. Maybe I can better explain myself. We give thanks. When we think about you, when
we're praying about you, it's an expression of joyful gratitude
when Paul is praying for them. Well, let me give you some observations
or applications, however you want to refer to those. And I'm
going to start each of them with praying with thankfulness. Number
one, praying with thankfulness will help to shape and guard
your request. Praying with thankfulness will
help to shape and guard your requests. Now, observe, if you
will, the two main elements of Paul's prayer. What were the
two main elements? He starts off with thankfulness. And then what was the second
part? Then come his requests, thankfulness and then requests
we read in Philippians four and verse six, Paul says in everything
by prayer and supplication with what? with thanksgiving. Listen to what Paul is saying
to the Philippians in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving. Let your request be made known
to God. Now, how do you think? It's why
would you think it's important? That in a prayer with request
that it needs to also be a prayer of thanksgiving. I think it's
possible that if you approach prayer without any thanksgiving,
without this heart issue of genuine gratitude, do you think if that
is absent from your heart that it might affect the kind it might
shape the kind of request that you make of God? Do you think
it might have a bearing on Your patience as you make requests
of God. Listen to what John Calvin says.
This is like gold on paper. Listen to what he says about
this. This is Calvin's commentary from Philippians 4. He says,
because many often pray to God amiss with complaints or murmuring. As though they had just ground
for accusing him that is God, while others broke delay if he
does not immediately obey their wishes. Paul instead joins Thanksgiving
with prayers. It is as though he had it is
as though he had said that those things which are necessary for
us ought to be desired from the Lord in such a way that we nevertheless
subject our affections to his will. And give thanks while asking. And unquestionably, gratitude
will have the effect upon us that the will of God will be
the chief sum of our desires. Isn't that wonderful? Gratitude,
what is what is going to be flowing from this heart confident in
the working of God, joyful in his purposes and gratefully content
with what his will is. What kind of request will then
flow from a heart that is filled with those kinds of meditations?
Well, they'll probably be those are kind of requests would probably
be a lot better. They're going to be more godly requests. Those
kinds of requests will be more in tune with his will. Therefore,
not asking a miss, as we were told that we often do. Why we
don't receive what we ask for, because we're asking for all
the wrong things. But what if it's with thankfulness that we
ask? So notice, Paul, and he says
he tells the Philippians they need to be doing this. And then
as he talks about his prayer with the Colossians, he gives
a display. He's actually doing that. He is presenting his requests. With a true heart attitude of
thankfulness. Now, I'm not proposing for you
that you have to. Pray your prayers in a certain
order. I know better than to tell you,
and you would know better to believe if I were to tell you
that God is the kind of God where you have to you have to put your
words in a certain order, he's not going to be pleased with
it. All of our prayers are weak. And yet, he's delighted to hear
them by the blood of his son. I'm not proposing that you have
to go in a certain order. I'm not saying that if you make
a request first and then you give things that you're necessarily
sending. I'm not going to say that, but I'm going to say that
in your prayer, in your praying that you need to have both of
these elements. Now, what am I going to do with
myself? I'm probably going to try to have my thanks first because
I know my own weaknesses. I know that it's going to be
better for me to rehearse and to plant my heart on meditations
of thankfulness and of gratitude to make sure that I've got that
in place first before I go to my request. I think because of
my own weakness, that's what I'm going to try to do. You think
about it. However, whatever the order is, I don't think is the
most important thing. The issue is not a necessarily
a physical order of your prayer, it's a heart issue. It's a heart
issue as you pray. Are you praying with thankfulness
as you make your request to the father? Are they are they flowing
from a heart of genuine gratitude, of true contentment for the will
of God for your life so that you could look and or you could
consider what God's will is for your life. which is what you
see that God has done so far and you are you're content with
that in the right kind of way. And then you make your request
to him. So here's the first observation. Praying with thankfulness will
help to shape and guard your requests. And we see Paul doing
that. Secondly, praying with thankfulness
is God centered praying. Praying with thankfulness is
God centered praying. Paul says in verse three, we
give thanks To the God and father. Of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying
always for you, we give thanks to him. The congratulations is
not reserved for the Colossians, if there's any congratulations,
if there's any praise, if there's any center to Paul's prayer,
it's not himself and it's though he is praying and it's not the
Colossians, though he's praying for them. The center of his praying
is God. Praying with thankfulness and
we ought to say, well, yeah, well, of course, we should expect
this if it's with if it's promoted with this heart attitude of genuine
gratitude. Well, yeah, it would have to
be a God centered prayer. Or to put it another way. God
centered praying will be thankful praying. I don't think you can
separate those two. Jeffrey Wilson and his commentary
commentary puts it this way. He says that there was a church
in Colossi was for Paul a cause of profound thanksgiving to God.
The very fact. That Paul could write a letter.
And send it to this town called Colossi. In the first century. And the recipients of this letter
could be addressed as saints. Think about how significant that
is. Did God have to do any kind of work in Colossi? Was God obligated
in any way to save any of those pagans? Not in any way. And yet, observe, here's Paul
writing a letter to saints in Colossi. So Wilson says the very
fact that there is even a church in Colossi was for Paul a cause
of profound thanksgiving to Paul. Wilson goes on to say this. As
he, Paul, knew that none could be saved without the regenerating
grace of God. He never congratulates his readers
on their faith, but always thanks God for it. In other words, praying
with thankfulness is always God centered praying. Paul's prayer
thanks are directed to God. Wilson goes on. If we thus owe
our salvation to God, then clearly all the praise must belong to
him alone. For when all the riches of God's
grace are freely lavished upon us, we are under a permanent
obligation to pay tribute to that grace in the coinage of
our gratitude. Thankful to him. Thankful to
him. Praying with thankfulness is
God centered praying. God centered praying will always
be thankful praying. So here's the there's this connection
between having a God centered perspective. That is, having
this awareness of our dependency upon his mercy and gratitude. Awareness of our constant dependency
upon him. This proper maintenance of amazement
at the mercy of God. And the connection of that with
gratitude, so Paul's praying is a God centered praying, so
Praying with thankfulness will help to shape and guard your
requests. Praying with thankfulness is
God-centered praying. If that's true, then. What can
we say about a lack of thankfulness in your prayers? If there's been
a struggle in your own praying lately with a lack of thankfulness. Well, I would say this, it's
not to be blamed on your circumstances. But rather, let me encourage
you to do this. Think about how you're thinking about God. Think
about how you have been considering lately issues like grace and
mercy and what you deserve and what you don't deserve. If there's
been a trouble or if there's been a problem with thankfulness
in your own prayers has nothing to do with your circumstances.
It has something to do with what you believe to be true about
God. A third general observation, praying with thankfulness is
praying with poverty of spirit. Praying with thankfulness is
praying with poverty of spirit. In other words, it's not just
how you think about God, but it's also how you think about
yourself comes into play with thankful praying. You know, the
Pharisee in Luke 18, do you remember how he prayed the parable of
the Pharisee and the tax collector? Remember what the first four
words are of his prayer. First four words of his prayer.
God, I. Thank you. Very interesting,
isn't it? A lot of what we're talking about.
God, I thank you. But then his prayer goes on.
That I'm not like other men. No poverty of spirit. Extortioners. unjust adulterers or even as
this tax collector. God, I thank you. Now, what comes
next? What comes next in his prayer? Do his petitions come
next? Do his request come next in his prayer? Listen to what
comes next. He makes no requests. He says
this, I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess. There's no request in this prayer.
He says the words, I thank you. He gives the vocabulary of thankfulness,
but you see that this is not a prayer of thankfulness. You
understand why this isn't a prayer of thankfulness like Paul is
Paul's prayers. This is a prayer that's centered
on him and not upon God. It's all about him. It's not
God centered prayer praying and he's not thankful, even though
he uses the word. In fact, when he uses that when he says, God,
I thank you, the only thing that he's indicating is that he's
self-deceived. He thinks he's thankful, but
he's actually not. Not only does he think he's thankful
and he's not, he thinks he's justified when he's not. But
also notice this, secondly, or think about this, he doesn't
make any requests. Well, why is that? Why do you
think he doesn't make any requests? Yeah. Because he doesn't need
anything, that's why he doesn't ask for anything. He doesn't
have he doesn't have any need. So the way he the way he looks
at other people around him, there's no poverty of spirit. Adulterers,
I'm way above that. The unjust, not even close to
me. There's no poverty of spirit.
But also, when in the lack of request, but instead instead
of requests, humbly beseeching the Lord, oh, Lord. Have mercy
upon me. A sinner, there's no request
like that. Instead, it's all about consider,
Lord, my great abilities. Consider, Lord, my superior spirituality. God, I know you must be impressed,
but give me just a moment to go through the list of the top
five things that I'm so good at. There's no poverty of spirit,
none. It's all centered on him. Because
it doesn't need anything. So let me ask you, then, in considering
this point, praying with thankfulness is praying with poverty of spirit. Have you been struggling to muster
thankful prayers? I think that if if you know what
you deserve. And you look around and see what
God has instead given you, I think that your prayers, you'll find
a promotion for thankfulness when you begin to consider poverty
of spirit. Part of poverty of spirit brings a radical change
of perspective. I think I think about Paul. Just just in terms of when after
Paul was converted and he has this he has this tremendous ministry
that God gives to him. And I know that Paul. Demonstrates
great progress in the faith. And I know that Paul himself
preached about laying things laying things aside and pressing
forward. But I just I think to myself,
I wonder if I wonder how often. Even after even long after Paul's
conversion that Paul didn't lay in bed at night. and think about his past and
have to preach. To himself. I wonder if there
weren't nights when Paul would lay in bed. And he would he would
he could still hear the cries of the families that he split
apart before he was converted. I wonder if those kind of things
didn't echo in his head from time to time. And where Paul
didn't have to go back and get back on his knees and pray for
help and to preach to himself the promises that God had given
to him in Christ. And so, Paul, when he looks at
the Colossians, I think Paul has much reason to be thankful,
even for their struggles that they're going through. Paul,
he knows about struggle. He thinks he's thinking about
the sins of the Colossians, but I'm sure Paul knew his own sins. poverty of spirit. I think this
is a very deep well from which Paul is drawing when he says,
I'm thankful. When I think about you, my heart
is filled with gratitude. It must have been that a part
of that is coming from this perspective that Paul would have had of his
own sins. He's thankful. He's not like
the Pharisee who who's going to walk into the Colossian congregation
and say, look at all this stuff going wrong, these weaknesses,
the sins. You've let this person come in.
You're not dealing with this. You have this ridiculous tendency.
Boy, I'm glad I'm not like that. Instead, Paul says when he when
he thinks about them, despite all that's going on in the congregation,
despite their struggles, it's he has he has what really is
a very humble declaration of thankfulness. I'm so thankful
for you as he's praying, praying with thankfulness is praying
with poverty of spirit. The opposite of that is Luke
18 in the Pharisee there. And another general observation
that I'd like for you to consider. Praying with thankfulness is
an outworking or a fruit of love. Praying with thankfulness is
an outworking or a fruit of love now. Do you find it surprising
that Paul says this, we give thanks. Given the fact, I mean,
step, step away from verse three for a little bit and consider
the overall book. Consider some of the things that
Paul has to tell them to quit doing. And Paul says he's thankful. The Saints and Colossi, they
weren't perfect. And Paul says, I give thanks
for when I think about you, the church and Colossi was not a
perfect church, and Paul says, when I think about you, thankful
when I'm praying for you, my prayers are prayers of thankfulness.
For example, look in chapter two. Look in verse four. Look at the kinds of things that
Paul is going to go on to deal with now this, I say, lest anyone
should deceive you with persuasive words. Well. Some of the congregation have
this propensity to go to gullibility. So Paul is having to tell them,
don't be deceived, don't be drawn into this false teaching. Think
about what the truth is. Down in verse 8, beware lest
anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit. Why is he having
to tell them this? Well, because I think this was
happening with some of them. They were allowing themselves
to be cheated through vain and false teaching. Look down in verse 16, let no
one judge you in food or drink or regarding a festival or a
new moon or Sabbaths. They were allowing this to go
on. Verse 20, therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic
principles of the world, why is the living in the world, do
you subject yourselves to regulations? Don't touch, don't taste. And Paul says, I'm thankful when
I think about you. When I pray for you, I'm thankful. As if it couldn't get any worse,
he says in chapter three and verse five, therefore, put to
death, he remembers what you're on the earth. Fornication, uncleanness,
passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry. Verse eight, put off all of these
things, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out
of your mouth. They weren't perfect. They were
not a perfect church. And yet, Paul says, I wonder
if it's I wonder if this is surprising to us. To this group of people, Paul
says, I'm thankful. Hendrickson Hendrickson says
this. He says there were dangers threatening the church. Certain
weaknesses, moreover, are clearly implied, but before Paul even
begins to refer to these things. He, first of all, assures those
to whom this letter is sent that he is convinced that the works
of God's grace is the work of God's grace is evident in their
lives. Do you see the perspective that Paul has? Paul is making
a deliberate choice. Not to ignore the evidences of
God's grace, despite all of the weaknesses. Despite all of the
weaknesses, he's making a choice. to see the evidences that God
is working with this group of people. He's not so easily put
off. Because they're not perfect.
Now, think about this in his letter to in his first letter
to the Thessalonians, think about I'll just read this to you. This
is from chapter one of First Thessalonians. Paul says this,
and as he describes a prayer, he says, we give thanks to God
always for you all make a mention of you in our prayers. Remembering
without ceasing, here's what he's thankful for. For the Thessalonians,
remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love
and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ must have been a
must have been just a perfect faith, right? But he'll go on
to say in chapter three of that same letter, verse nine, for
what thanks can we render to God for you for all the joy with
which we rejoice? For your sake before our God,
night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and
perfect what is lacking in your faith. That wasn't a perfect
faith. But Paul could see that what
faith there was as lacking as it was, as weak as it was, Paul
could see there was genuine faith there. Perfect? No. All that
it should have been? No. But Paul's thankful. I think
this this praying with thankfulness is an outworking or a fruit of
love. Now, we all could learn a lesson
from the perspective that Paul has in his thankfulness. The
circumstances in which Paul dares to express thankfulness. Paul
is not ignoring the sin. You see that in the whole rest
of the letter, Paul is going to jump right in the middle of
it. And he is going to speak very plainly and he's going to
speak very specifically. He is going to confront them
on the issues going on in their congregation. He's not ignoring
sin, but it's as if he looks through that cloud of all of
the sins and all of their weak tendencies to see the grace of
God at work. Paul isn't ignoring the problems.
He isn't pretending that there aren't problems there. You know
what Paul's doing? He's loving his neighbor as himself.
Don't you appreciate it when people are patient with you?
Aren't you thankful that there are people in your life when
you mess up and you say the wrong thing and you do the wrong thing?
Aren't you thankful that there are people in your life who don't
just go, I'm going to move on. I'm tired
of this. You're not perfect. I'm off to find somebody who's
perfect. I'm going to be friends with perfect people. You bother
me. Aren't you glad that you're not
treated like that? Aren't you glad Paul is loving
his neighbor as himself? Instead of seeing the sin and
the weakness and the struggle. Saying, I've had it, I don't
have anything to do with you. Instead, Paul chooses, he makes the deliberate
choice to love them. To love them. Now, what is love?
In 1 Corinthians 13, what is the start of that list of what
love is? Love does what? Love suffers
long. Love suffers long. Praying with thankfulness is
a fruit of love. It's an outworking of love. Love
suffers long. Look at how Paul is praying for
them. He's so patient. As he would want people to be
patient with him. As God has been patient with Paul. Love
suffers long and is kind, love does not envy, love does not
parade itself, is not puffed up. Does not behave rudely, does
not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice
in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Bears all things. Bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things. These are a group
of people who have a credible profession of faith. And however
weak it may seem, Paul can see the fruits of their faith and
he sees that they may be small. But he sees fruits of their repentance,
he says in verse four, since we heard of what? In Colossians,
back in Colossians one, since we heard of your faith in Christ
Jesus. He's thankful it's not perfect,
but he still loves them. And he's still thankful he's
heard of their love and verse six, this gospel that the gospel
has come to them is bringing forth fruit in their lives. Are you are you choosing to do
this in your relationships with people? You have to be very aware of
the tendency to be thankful for someone, but just so long as
they don't disappoint you too badly. You have that tendency, you see
that welling up within your own heart. Be aware of the tendency
to be thankful for someone just so long as they meet your expectations.
I'm not asking whether or not you approve. Of a total person,
I'm asking, are you thankful for them? Even when they disappoint,
even though they're not perfect. Can you still express thankfulness?
Might be a poverty of spirit issue. Might be a God centeredness
issue. Are you thankful? I guess I've seen this in relationships,
a person to a person. I've seen this in the way people
approach church. Somebody will come in. And they'll
attend just so long until they figure out it's not a perfect
church. I'm hitting the road. And you
end up seeing these people that are church hoppers. And they'll
be here for a little bit until they discover, well, not a perfect
church. That pastor let me down, this
person said that, I'm hitting the road. And you end up seeing
these people that are never really settled in any place, never commit
themselves to a body of Christ because, well, nobody meets their
expectations. They look at churches, wherever
they go, there's no thankfulness at all. Look at people, there's
no thankfulness. But look at Paul. And look at
look at who Paul's looking at. With their weaknesses and struggles.
And tendencies, the things that the things that they are tolerating.
The Paul is able to look through that in love, not ignoring the
sin, he's going to deal with the sin. But in love, he begins
his letter by expressing that he can he can see through that
and he can see that there are evidences of God at work. He
can see fruit that the gospel is bring forth in their life.
They're not where they will be ultimately. They're not where
Paul is going to request that God will bring them to. They're
not to that strength yet. Paul will pray for them. But
he's still thankful. He's still thankful for them.
And then finally, this last observation, then praying with thankfulness
is an act of repentance. Praying with thankfulness is
an act of repentance. What do you think Paul might
be repenting of here? If you're going to be praying
in this manner, as Paul, I think, has given us a good example to
follow. Thankful praying. It's not based on our circumstances.
It's based upon the foundation of God's goodness, it's based
upon the foundation of his promises. Well, I read to you earlier from
Philippians four verse six, but I intentionally did not read
the first part of verse six. And I said, but in everything
by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your request
be made known to God. How does that verse begin? Be anxious for nothing. Be anxious for nothing. Praying
with thankfulness is an act of repentance from anxiousness.
Now, once you think about What might have been a temptation
for Paul? Do you think Paul might have
been tempted to anxiousness when he got a report back from Colossae? He gets this report. And this
report begins to tell him of. Maybe the report included some
of the things, some of the fruit of the gospel. The faith weak,
but there were some there was this display of faith in Christ.
But then the report went on to talk about this, subjecting themselves
again to man-made regulations and these false views of spirituality. And neglecting proper meditation
on who Christ is, failing to consider the completeness that
they enjoyed in him. You think Paul might have had
a temptation to anxiousness. I don't know if it's just because
I'm a pastor, but. I think that would have been
a temptation for me. A temptation of anxiousness, wanting the best
for these people, you know, Paul's been praying for them. He's getting
he has sent off reports and he gets this news that's less than
desirable in some ways. And Paul doesn't give in to anxiousness,
he doesn't give in to worry. Instead, he does, as he has instructed
the Philippines, be anxious for nothing. He's not going to he's
not going to give in to sinful, sinful kind of concern. But what
is he going to do instead? In prayer and supplication with
Thanksgiving, he's making his request known to God. Let me
end with this with this reminder from, if you will, from Matthew,
Chapter six. Where our Lord talks about worry. If thankfulness has been a struggle
for you. It's hard for you to be thankful
in your prayers. Then I would ask that you consider
this possibility. It might be an anxiousness problem.
If you are in a very difficult situation and you struggle with
bitterness. Or worry. Well, consider the words of your
Lord to you, Matthew six and verse twenty four. Jesus says
this. No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one
and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and
despise the other, you cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore,
I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat
or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put
on. Is not life more than food in the body, more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap
or gather into barns. Your heavenly father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they? Which of you, by worrying,
can add one cubit to his stature or one cubit to his lifespan? So why do you worry about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil
nor spin, and yet I say to you that even Solomon and all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now, if God so clothes
the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown
into the oven. Will he not much more clothe
you? Oh, you have little faith. Therefore, do not worry, saying,
what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear?
For after all these things, the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly
father knows that you need all these things, but seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And all these things shall be
added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow
will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its
own trouble. Praying with thankfulness. Is a choice that you make. To
be repenting of anxiousness. To be praying with thankfulness.
It's where you have decided that you will seek the kingdom of
God and his righteousness. And you will not allow all of
these other concerns to turn into anxiousness. Well, what's
going to happen in Colossae? Well, what's going to happen?
This infection of fat teaching is horrible. Well, what's going
to happen to them? Is how is God going to take care
of them? What if he doesn't take care of them? What's going to
happen? There's none of that. There's none of that anxiousness
in Paul's expressions to them. Yes, Paul is going to work with
him. Paul's not a fatalist. He is going to use the means
that God has given to him to work with them and to help them
and to give them the help. But there's no anxiousness with
Paul. Instead, Paul's not worried in full confidence. that God
is going to take care of everything. God takes care of the grass.
He takes care of the flowers. You know what? I can rest myself
in God. And I can flee from all worry.
I can flee and repent and lay aside all anxiousness. And I
can begin my letter to the Colossians by saying, I'm thankful. I'm thankful when I pray for
you. I'm thankful when I hear about these reports of your faith.
I am thankful when I hear about the fruit that the gospel is
working in your life. I'm thankful. May God strengthen
us in these things also.
Praying with Thankfulness
Series Colossians
| Sermon ID | 726101031242 |
| Duration | 53:19 |
| Date | |
| Category | Midweek Service |
| Bible Text | Colossians 1:3 |
| Language | English |
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