Series on Colossians - Filled With The Knowledge of the Will of God

 

Filled With The Knowledge of the Will of God

Col. 1:9-14

Paul begins this letter with a greeting to the church and then a petitionary prayer for the believers in Colossae. So let's read the first portion of the text. “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord”

Paul begins with a focused prayer of petition for a young church who is still striving to grow in the knowledge of Christ and the understanding of God’s will; who are blossoming in growth with the fertilizing presence of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s purpose, and his understanding of the Colossae church was that they need to receive God's knowledge for their growth, and he never ceases praying for them. They are in his heart and mind, for his desire is that they will be filled with the fullness of the knowledge of God’s will and that it will enable them to live lives worthy of God, in faithfulness, and in pleasing God in everything they do. These are lofty goals and are only obtainable through spiritual wisdom and understanding through the scriptures that reveal God and His will and the Holy Spirit that reveals the Son (John 16:13-14) who is one in the Father. 

Paul knows that the will of God is found not only in the general sacrificial acts in a believer’s life, but also in the conduct of the private life of the believers. He wants their lives to be enriched by spiritual wisdom and the understanding of God’s mystery found in Christ. For Paul wants them to grow in true knowledge of God, not in the spectacular and the windy speculations and delusions of a so-called deeper wisdom through man’s plausible arguments and aggrandizements. Paul was struggling in prayer for the believers in Colossae and their surrounding cities. For there were false teachers who were teaching that they had achieved higher wisdom through supernatural beings and encounters of visions and dreams and they claimed higher knowledge than others through these spiritual encounters. 

Paul knew that the true spiritual wisdom and understanding of God came through the treasure of wisdom and knowledge hidden in Christ Jesus and through the Holy Spirit’s revelation of truth from the Holy Scripture. 

Application - This is a tall task for a short blog. Every believer, whether one day old in the Lord or 

40 years old in Him, asks the similar question, “What is God’s will for my life?” First, throughout scripture, God’s perfect will is for mankind. He created all men and women to have fellowship and communion with Him. He loves what He created and desires to be merciful, compassionate, and gracious to all who will believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. Second, God’s perfect will is that all mankind will come to a knowledge of the truth. Truth is the very nature of Jesus Christ. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7) Without truth, the believers will be deceived by the enemy’s ploys and wiles.

Third, God wants all mankind to be transformed in mind, body, soul, and spirit from the darkness of this world of sin, to His kingdom of light and live worthy lives (holy) before Him. Then they can know the perfect will of God. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom. 12:1-2 NIV)

Fourth, is God's desire for us to grow in the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. For it is only through the Holy Spirit, who is God as well, that we can know God.  "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him". “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (Matt. 11:27; 1 Cor. 2:11)

Fifth, God is love and He is united in Him through the Son in love, and unity in Him. "I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me ""...we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (John 17:23; Eph. 4:13)

In a nutshell, this is the perfect will of God, and the only way to know it and live it is through the Father, the Son, Jesus, and the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. This would be my prayer as well for each reader and for myself that we grow in the knowledge of God and in the understanding of His will and the sacrificial living of His will in our lives for this is pleasing to God.

Next, Paul continues in the prayer for every believer to bear good fruit in their spiritual work and in their growth in knowing God. So let’s read the next portion of the text. “and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father…”

Pleasing the Father should have been a natural response for a believer who was abiding in God’s presence and living in the light of God’s Word and in the leading of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus’ life pleased God the Father, Paul tried to emulate this in his own life by imitating Jesus: and before others, “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1 NLT), in love with one another. “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph. 5:1-2)

It was in following the ways of Christ that Paul could say to the church to “imitate me as I imitate Jesus.” For in this the believers would bear the fruit of true repentance (Matt. 3:8) and the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). For Jesus had told the disciples the only way that they could bear good fruit was to remain in Him, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5 NIV)

Second, Paul exhorts the churches that in order to know the will of God they must grow in the knowledge of God. Again, Paul knew that the church needed solid sound teachings of the scripture, not the tickling of itching ears to please the flesh, or the allure of unknown wisdom  and the desires of the world. “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear…having “the appearance of godliness, but [deny] its power” ” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Timothy 3:5 NIV).

Last, Paul knows the church needs the true power of God, not a man-manufactured or manipulated form of supernatural power without godliness. Paul had taught that Jesus was faithful to strengthen all believers and to protect them from the false, evil and demonic world, “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thes. 3:3 NIV) For the glorious power of God comes through the Holy Spirit. Paul had endured much persecution and had demonstrated godly patience and endurance throughout his walk in Christ. He knew the great value of God’s hands of might and protection. He could say, “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Phil. 4:4-7; Rom. 5:3-5)

Application - What pleases God? First and foremost is faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Faith in our God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is paramount to pleasing God. Second, is obedience to God, whether directly (actively) or indirectly (passively). Jesus had shown us both in His life. Jesus directly obeyed God in only speaking the words of the Father, ”The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” (John 14:10 ESV) and in fully submitting to the will of the Father in the Garden. “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Second, we are to bear good fruit in our service and work for God. It begins in us. The mind, “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires… the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Heb. 11:6; Rom. 8:5b-6) then in the heart, “ …the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matt. 13:23)

These two areas, faith and obedience really summed up pleasing God “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.” (Matt. 6:33)

Next, bearing the fruit of the Spirit and of true salvation evidenced by regeneration by the Holy Spirit. The fruit of your work for God is manifested in the growing in the knowledge of God, for the motivation for your work will align with His will and purpose. For it is abiding in Him that we can grow and bear good fruit at all. And it is in the strength of God that the branch grows strong enabling it to bear abundant fruit. And in this growing knowledge of God and in His will and purpose, He will strengthen us with His power, the Holy Spirit so that we may endure and have forbearance in growing through trials and testings. “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Rom. 5:3-5)

And we will stand rejoicing in God because of His marvelous faithful strength that protects us from the Evil one and His minions. (2 Thes. 3:3)

Last, Paul leads the church in the understanding of the glorious inheritance all true believers have in Christ Jesus. So let’s read the last portion of the text. “...who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

The kingdom of God, Paul knew that there wasn’t a terrestrial kingdom of God to be built on this earth by men, for Jesus had plainly said, “My kingdom is not of this world [nor does it have its origin in this world].” (John 18:36a AMP) and in His promise to all believers Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3)  

Paul was building the church on the foundation and cornerstone of Jesus, the prophets and the apostles, “Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. (Eph. 2:20-22)

Paul also knew that the spiritual kingdom was not the church. For Jesus is called the head of the church not the king of the church. For His kingdom is in heaven. The spiritual kingdom of God is in the heavenly ethereal kingdom of light where the Father and the Son dwell on their thrones with the myriad of angels, “Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]”.(Col. 3:1-2 AMP)

The inheritance of the believer is found in their eternal life through salvation in Christ. And this inheritance is a gift from God to all who believe in the Son (John 3:16) and it is God’s promise: a life fulfilled by living and communing with God in His heaven, the place of eternal living and dwelling in new bodies with the triune God.  Paul also stipulates that we are to share in the inheritance with God’s holy people, the Jewish believers. (Rom. 9-11) This inheritance  began (Eph.1:4-12) before creation, through salvation in Christ and continues throughout eternity. This is the promise of God, the inheritance promised by Jesus, and proclaimed by Paul. Paul went on to describe the wonder of this eternal inheritance in a kingdom of magnificent light. For God is light, and in His kingdom light symbolizes the holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, hope, grace, and full revelation of God’s being.

Whereas, Paul knew the darkness of this world’s kingdom of the evil one. For it was a kingdom of evil, sin, deception, lawlessness, and despair. For Paul had written to the other churches, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.” (Eph.5:3-13; Rom. 6:12-13)

Jesus rescued believers from the kingdom of darkness and its dominion over the earth. He brought them into God’s majestic light to live in perfect peace, and in communion with the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and all those who believed and received redemption and forgiveness of their sins. 

Application - Oh what a marvelous promise and gift we have received from our loving heavenly Father. He has restored us unto Himself through redemption of our souls and spirits. He has created a place perfectly made for those who have believed, and he has given us access to Him for eternity. Now that is an inheritance! No longer will we fear, hunger, thirst, experience pain or injury. There will be no more loneliness, deception or acts of evil perpetrated in His kingdom, for we will live in perfect light. 

We will live, laugh, work, and play in the Kingdom of the Son that He loves. Oh what a blessed inheritance!

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ for salvation. For Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I have revised my webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. Thank you. http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com