Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We are diving in together looking at the book of Colossians.

A quick recap from last week, we have to keep in mind that Colossians is a letter written for a purpose.

The purpose that this letter was written is that there was a “philosophy” that was threatening the Colossian congregation to the point that the concern had reached Paul.

That philosophy was likely influence from Jewish synagogues trying to convince the Colossian Christians that they were not doing the correct thing.

Last week we looked at the beginning portion of Paul and Timothy’s prayer of thanksgiving.

We saw how they prayed and thanked God for the Colossians because of their love.

We saw how the gospel was taught them by Epaphras and how the gospel has power and is increasing and bearing fruit throughout the world.

Today we will continue in the prayer of thanksgiving.

Through Paul and Timothy’s prayer of thanksgiving we will see a prayer for growth that provides us examples of how we should pray and live.

What is the purpose of prayer?

Prayer is modeled for us in multiple places throughout the Bible.

In Luke we see the prophetess Anna, serving the Lord

She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.

She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

:37-38

We are given a command to pray in

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

We also see prayer modeled for us by Jesus and the disciples.

There are multiple times in the gospels where Jesus leaves to spend time in prayer.

After Jesus ascended we see an example 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. .

Prayer most importantly builds our relationship with Jesus.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), .

Who here as hear of Dietrich Bonhoeffer?

I have been listening to his biography.

Describe a little about Bonhoeffer.

Bonhoeffer describes the need for morning prayer specifically and the difference that doing it or neglecting prayer makes.

The morning prayer determines the day.

Squandered time of which we are ashamed, temptations to which we succumb, weaknesses and lack of discipline our thoughts and in our conversations with other men, all have their origin most often in the neglect of morning prayer.

Order and distribution of your time becomes more firm where they originate in prayer.

Temptations which accompany the working day will be conquered on the basis of morning breakthrough to God.

Decisions demanded by work become easier and simpler where they are made not in fear of men but only in the sight of God.

Bonhoeffer quotes “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men”.

Even mechanical work is done in a more patient way if it arises from the recognition of God and His command.

The powers to work take hold, therefore, at the place where we have prayed to God.

He wants to give us today the power which we need for our work.

Bonhoeffer in his illegal seminaries set aside a time when all of the students would be in prayer, not necessarily together but at the same time.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), .

In one of

Prayer was extremely important to Bonhoeffer and one of the things I am sure that helped him in the end of his life in a concentration camp.

This passage today shows us another example of prayer.

That is specifically intercessory prayer.

Paul and Timothy are praying for the Colossians.

We see them praying that the Colossians be filled, that they take action, and that they give thanks for what God has done.

Paul and Timothy are not praying out of the Colossians need.

They didn’t wait for them to be in trouble, but were praying for them before the news of trouble had reached them.

As I stated earlier Paul and Timothy’s prayer here gives us examples of how we should pray and live.

Read

Prayer

Pray to be filled with the knowledge of His will.

Verse 9

Verse 9 continues to show for us the hearts of Paul and Timothy.

Early we saw them thanking God for the Colossians from the time they heard of their conversion.

It was also at that time, we now see that they began to pray specifically for them as believers.

Paul and Timothy began asking in their prayers that the Colossians be filled with the knowledge of God’s will.

Why would they seek to pray for the knowledge of God’s will?

For someone who believes in God, a person that “believes that God’s active purpose determines the ordering of the world, lies behind events on earth, and shapes their consequences, one of the most desirable objectives must be to know God’s will.”

NIGTC

The idea that “the rich get richer is particularly true in the spiritual sphere: Knowledge of God’s will brings even more knowledge and spiritual growth.

Sin becomes a vicious cycle as it plunges us deeper and deeper into degradation.

Knowledge of God becomes a virtuous cycle as it leads us deeper and deeper into fulfilling God’s sovereign purposes.

As N.T. Wright puts it, “Understanding will fuel holiness; holiness will deepen understanding.”

NIVAC

To receive the gospel is to come to know God.

To know God is to do his will.

To do his will is to know more and more of God.

James D. G. Dunn, The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: William B. Eerdmans Publishing; Paternoster Press, 1996), 69.

The goal of being filled with the knowledge of God is to become more like Christ.

This is present in Paul’s other writings as well, especially the book of Romans wit verses like

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. .

, .

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), .

Also in the imagers of where Paul speaks of believers being baptized into the death of Christ Jesus.

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

There is a catchy book by the title All I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

Unfortunately many Christians share this attitude in regard to their faith.

Some Christians think they learned all they need to know in the early days of their faith or church schooling perhaps and become ignorant to moving beyond their basic knowledge.

Many would prefer to leave faith and doctrine to others, who dictate to them what they need to believe.

This results in a group of people who are ignorant about what they believe and only have a dim awareness of God.

Growing in the knowledge of God.

The catchy title of the book All I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten unfortunately reflects the attitudes of some Christians toward growing in knowledge in their Christian faith.

They think they learned all they needed to know in the early days of their church schooling and are complacently apathetic about progressing beyond their elementary knowledge.

Many would just as soon leave faith and doctrine to others, who then dictate to them what they need to believe.

The result is that they remain woefully ignorant about what they believe and why and have only a dim awareness of God.

Calvin wrote: “Faith rests not on ignorance, but on knowledge.

And this is, indeed, knowledge not only of God but of the divine will.”

It is important for us to grow in the knowledge of God for a couple of reasons.

unfortunately reflects the attitudes of some Christians toward growing in knowledge in their Christian faith.

They think they learned all they needed to know in the early days of their church schooling and are complacently apathetic about progressing beyond their elementary knowledge.

Many would just as soon leave faith and doctrine to others, who then dictate to them what they need to believe.

The result is that they remain woefully ignorant about what they believe and why and have only a dim awareness of God.

Calvin wrote: “Faith rests not on ignorance, but on knowledge.

And this is, indeed, knowledge not only of God but of the divine will.”

Knowledge of God is essential for proper living.

One reason being that

The knowledge of God is essential for proper living.

We live in the information age, many of you older than I, I am sure remember a time when you had to buy a newspaper to see what was happening in the world.