COLOSSIANS 1:9-14 – WHO ME? YES YOU!
CHRIST SUPREME (COLOSSIANS) #3
- Isn’t this nice! Paul prayed for the believers in Colosse often!
- Isn’t it nice that Pastors pray for us!
- That means because the Pastor is probably praying this, I am excused from praying for others this way!
- Is this statement true? NO! Not only was Paul praying for his brothers and Sisters, but he was showing us how to pray for each other, and ourselves!
- In Colossians 4:2 Paul tells us to continue earnestly in prayer and to be diligent in it with thanksgiving. This means to devote ourselves to prayer and be watchful or alert in it with thanksgiving!
- Colossians 4:3-4 – Paul was not beyond requesting prayer for himself!
- The Lord Jesus will answer our prayers, when we pray properly, as much Paul, or any other teacher or preacher you respect. John 14:13-14
- So, let’s use this pattern for prayer this week for ourselves. Here’s how!
PRAY FREQUENTLY AND FONDLY FOR EACH OTHER – Colossians 1:3-6
- Colossians 1:3 – Read the Epistles and discover that Paul prayed often for those he loved. Do we?
- If a person is a believer, that makes him or her automatically a brother or sister in Christ. And Jesus told us to love one another.
- If we love our brothers and sisters we should pray for them, even those we have never met!
- Colossians 1:4-6 shares many reasons we should be thankful for our fellow believers. (Quickly review.)
PRAY THAT WE WILL BE FILLED – Colossians 1:9
When someone is filled, they are just that, full!
- This full knowledge of God’s is to be “in all wisdom and Spiritual understanding.”
- The source of this knowledge is the Word of God under the control and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit Psalm 119:97-102, John 16:12-15
- Being instructed in Word 0f God helps and is Biblical, as long as you can verify what the teaching is in full accordance with God’s Word and the Holy Sprit’s guidance. 1 Corinthians 1:18, 21-24, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:2
- Pray that we will all get into the Word and under the teaching of the Word, and that we will understand the Word. Pray that we all be so filled with the Word that we obey the Word. Pray that we will all “Hunger and thirst after righteous”. Matthew 5:6
PRAY THAT WE WILL BE FAITHFUL – Colossians 1:9-11
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing…and increasing in the knowledge of God;
- The word “walk” in Scripture refers to a continual, or habitual pattern of behavior.
- When a child learns to walk and falls down, what do we do? We put him on his feet and tell him to try again!
- We will be learning to walk all our lives. When we fall, the Lord will set us back on our feet saying “Try again.”
- We need to pray that we all will be faithful in our walk with the goal of increasing in the knowledge of God.
- The knowledge of God is not book knowledge or intellectual knowledge. It is an experiential knowledge of knowing Him intimately. This should be our goal. Philippians 3:10, 2 Peter 1:2-3, 3:18
PRAY THAT WE WILL BE FRUITFUL – Colossians 1:10
…being fruitful in every good work…
- The fruitfulness we should pray for in others is described in Matthew 5:14-16, Ephesians 2:10, and Galatians 6:10.
PRAY THAT WE WILL BE FORTIFIED – Colossians 1:11-14
As God fortifies (strengthens us, we will have the following:
- Colossians 1:11 Patience or endurance – Perseverance in trials.
- Longsuffering or patience with all people
- Joyfulness – Nehemiah 8:10
- Giving Thanks – Colossians 1:12-14
The title of the message is Who me? The answer is “Yes you!”
