Transcript
It’s time to start our service, and I am so glad to have you here with us.
I had an opportunity over the past week to speak to some of our friends in Germany and Switzerland, and they asked me to send along their loves and greetings to everyone.
I am also continuing to hear good news from our friends in the Philippines. So let’s make sure we keep them all in prayers. It is a hard path to walk, especially at the first, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Amen.
If this is your first time joining us, and you wonder who we are and what we are up to:
My name is Charles Paisley.
I and most of our listeners here are formerly members of the cult following of William Branham known as The Message.
The Message is a global doomsday cult with millions of members.
The Message started here in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and spread all over the world.
I am formerly associate pastor of the second oldest message church in the world, which was the flagship church of one of the oldest and largest international sects of the message.
And this is a little mission we operate to offer encouragement to those leaving the message and to take a look at the plain reading of scripture.
Last week we started a new series on the book of Colossians, and I am looking forward to picking that back up with you.
Today, we are picking up where we left off in our last lesson, and we will be examining from verses 6 through 11 today. But I will start reading from verse 3.
I invite you to open your Bible and follow along with me.
Paul writes:
Colossians 1:3-11 (English Standard Version)
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we 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, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.
Prayer
Let us pray.
Lord God, thank You for the opportunity we have today to look into the Bible.
Bless our study, we pray.
Help us to see and understand clearly the things we read.
This we ask, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Introduction
As we resume our study of Colossians today, you can see that we are looking at a passage where Paul is sharing his desires with the Colossian church. His desires are expressed through his prayer, regarding how they should conduct themselves, and his hopes that they would grow and mature as a group of believers.
One thing you might notice right away is that Paul, in these verses, is using some of the exact same phrases that he used in the book of Ephesians.
One of those phrases, which I want to point out to you, is in verse 10.
In verse 10, Paul called on the Colossians to walk worthy of their calling – which is the same thing he said in Ephesians chapter 4.
As you read this section, you will notice that Paul is conveying to the Colossians some of the same thoughts which he conveyed in Ephesians in relation to walking worthy of their calling.
As we read through this book of Colossians, you will notice, and I will point this out to you several times in our lessons, that Paul uses some of the exact same phrases and explanations, even in the exact same order that you find in Ephesians. That is something important to notice.
If you read all the way through this book since last week, then when you got to the end of Colossians, you will have discovered that the man who delivered the book of Ephesians to the Ephesians is the same man who is delivering the book of Colossians to the Colossians. His name is Tychicus.
There is very good cause for us to believe that the apostle Paul wrote both the book of Ephesians and the book of Colossians at the exact same time, and this same messenger – Tychicus – delivered both the book of Ephesians and the book of Colossians in the same trip.
The reason I point this out to you is because Ephesians and Colossians are very complementary books of the Bible. Paul almost certainly wrote them back to back. And where one of the books might be a bit vague, you can refer to the other one to maybe help understand.
While Paul is repeating a lot of the same material in these two epistles, Paul has a slightly different ultimate purpose in writing the letter to the Colossians than he did in writing to the Ephesians.
In the book of Ephesians, chapter 3 and 4, Paul told the Ephesians that the first generation of Christian ministers, whom Jesus Christ had personally sent out after His resurrection, had brought a comprehensive set of authoritative teachings that were a solid foundation for the church. Contained in their writings and teachings is everything the church needed to reach maturity. That is Ephesians chapter 4.
You could say that Paul was establishing the bounds of Christian orthodoxy and the bounds of Christian doctrine and teachings and practices.
Paul mentioned there in Ephesians chapter 4 that some people were being tossed to and fro with winds of doctrine. That is the reason he told the Ephesians that the first generation of Christian ministers had already given them everything they needed to reach maturity, so they did not need to keep chasing new teachings and new doctrines.
Paul alluded to the problem of these false teachers in the book of Ephesians.
But here in Colossians, Paul is dealing with those false teachers in a more direct way. He is doing that because it appears the Colossians have been impacted by the false teachers in a worse way than the Ephesians.
With the Ephesians, we could speculate that Paul was heading off the problem before it got started.
But among the Colossians, it is a different story – because there, the problem has already started. The false teachers have already got a foothold.
And what we are going to read about, especially as we get into Colossians chapter 2, almost certainly was part of what Paul had in mind as he wrote Ephesians chapter 4. Just as we see here in chapter 1, Paul is word for word repeating things we saw in Ephesians chapter 4.
Walk Worthy
And the first of those things I pointed out to you is that Paul is calling on the Colossians to walk worthy of their calling.
And as he writes that statement, Paul follows up on it in exactly the same way he did in Ephesians—by encouraging the Colossians to have the fruit of the Spirit. Because, just like in Ephesians, if you have the fruit of the Spirit, then you are indeed walking worthy.
In our former system of religion, we almost never heard that explanation. Often, preachers would have a sermon about walking worthy, and they would fill in the blank with whatever new rule or pet idea they wanted to insert. And in The Message, the idea of walking worthy of our calling ended up being this really long list of things that was totally disconnected from the fruit of the Spirit.
But as we look over these verses today, just like I explained in Ephesians, I want you to notice that walking worthy is chiefly all about having the fruit of the Spirit in your life.
And what is the fruit of the Spirit?
It is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, patience, kindness, gentleness, humility, self-control, and faithfulness. That is the fruit of the Spirit.
And whether we read what Paul wrote, or John, or Peter, or even James and Jude, they all point us to the fruit of the Spirit as the objective we should seek when it comes to walking worthy. They all point us to the fact that if we have the fruit of the Spirit growing in our lives, then we are pleasing to God. And that is the aspect of these verses I especially want to draw your attention to today.
Now, let’s start examining these verses together. Verse 3.
Paul says:
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel.
So, Epaphras came to Colossae somewhere in the past, and there he preached the gospel message. He taught the Colossians how Christ came to the world and died for the sins of fallen mankind, and that through faith in Christ, their sins would be forgiven.
He explained how Christ rose from the dead and had power over death. And he told them that through Christ, they too could have eternal life. And that hope of life eternal, in glory with Christ, that is the hope Paul is speaking of in verse 5.
That hope was shared with them as part of the gospel message. And that is the hope of the gospel—the hope of glory, the hope of life eternal with Jesus Christ.
And that same hope is available to all believers in Christ. It belongs to you and me and everyone else who has come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. And it is a certain hope—it’s not a wishful hope but a certain hope. It is a hope in something that is a guarantee.
And there is strength in holding onto that hope—the hope of a brighter tomorrow in glory. And when things are bad, or you are feeling down, there is comfort in that hope.
And I want to point out to you that Paul talked about that same hope also in Ephesians chapter 4. Verse 6.
Now, let me read verse 6 to you. Paul says:
6 [The gospel] which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.
This is what the gospel message does. The gospel message bears fruit.
And just think about that for a minute. Think of all the many, many things you have maybe thought you need in order to bear fruit. Think of all the things Message preachers may have told you that you need.
And then compare that to what Paul says right here.
Right here, Paul tells us that the gospel message bears fruit. The gospel message produces. And as we read down through here, we will find the gospel message—all by itself—produces everything these Colossians need to have the hope of glory when people believe it.
All the ingredients you require to make it into glory with Christ are contained in the gospel message.
That premise is baked right into what Paul is telling the Colossians.
And in verse 5, Paul defines a starting point for the growth of this fruit. This fruit started to grow in the Colossians the moment they understood the grace of God.
It was the knowledge of the grace of God—the knowledge that salvation was offered to them as a free gift. That Jesus had died and been punished for their sins in their place, and that through faith in Him, they could go free.
It was the knowledge of the grace of God that began to produce fruit in their lives.
It was not knowledge of the seven seals, or the seven thunders, or the three woes, or the midnight cry, or the shout, or a million other things we have been told in the past. But they became fruitful people merely by hearing and understanding the grace of God.
Make sure you notice that. It is important.
Make sure you notice that Paul here is saying you can be a fruitful Christian and have the hope of glory merely by hearing the gospel message and understanding the grace of God.
There is still room for these Colossians to grow—there sure is. But that is already enough for them to make it.
And that is the very reason Paul is writing this letter to the Colossians. We will see that when we get into chapter 2.
False preachers have come into the Colossian church, and they have tried to convince the Colossians that there are these great deeper things they need. And they had begun to believe there was some advanced Christian level they could reach through these new teachers.
And in chapter 2, Paul is going to denounce that idea.
But here in chapter 1, Paul is laying out the simplicity of the gospel. He is laying out the right way to look at these things. That way, when he tears down the false ideas in chapter 2, the Colossians will already have in their minds the truth.
And Paul, here in these verses we are looking at today, is bringing home the point that the gospel message and the understanding of grace were enough to bring them into union with Christ. It was enough to make them fruitful. And it was enough to give them the exact same one hope of glory which all Christians have.
Let me read verse 6 to you again:
6 [The gospel] which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
Now, Epaphras has been a witness to Paul. Paul has never met the Colossians, but Epaphras has. And Epaphras confirmed to Paul that the Colossians have love in the Spirit.
And what is that?
What is love in the Spirit?
That is the fruit of the Spirit. That is proof that the Holy Spirit abides within. And the Colossians had that proof. They had a godly love in their hearts.
And when Paul found out that the Colossians believed in Christ and that they had this fruit of the Spirit in their hearts, what did he do? Verse 9
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you.
So, once Paul heard that the Colossians had come to saving faith and that they had the love of God in their hearts, he started to pray for them.
And you can compare this prayer to the one that he prayed for the Ephesians in Ephesians chapter 3. There are important similarities.
In both prayers, Paul is praying for them to have the fruit of the Spirit in their lives in abundance. And as we read these verses here, we will see Paul prays very similarly for the Colossians.
Let me read it all to you. Verse 9.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we 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, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.
That is Paul’s wish and desire for the Colossian church. That is what he has been praying for. This is the ideal he hopes and prays they can receive.
Let’s just go down this together and examine each item Paul is praying for the Colossians to have.
The first is knowledge of the will of God in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. By itself, that might seem really big, really vague, but verse 10 defines it clearly. He wants them to know the will of God and have spiritual wisdom for the purpose of knowing how to walk worthy, how to live in a way that pleases God.
Then he actually tells them directly just what that is: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. The knowledge and wisdom he wants them to have is ultimately so that they will be fruitful and increase in the knowledge of God.
It is not random, esoteric, mystical wisdom and understanding, but it is specific, and it is practical—for the purposes of being fruitful and knowing God.
The most important thing I hope you notice in the lesson today is that Paul says a Christian who has these things is fully pleasing to God.
In fact, that is what I have titled the lesson today: Fully Pleasing to God.
As we look at these verses and just read them in a plain, simple way, it is obvious that Paul is saying that someone who is fruitful—with love, joy, peace, and all the fruit of the Spirit—someone who is growing in the knowledge of God, that is a person who is fully pleasing to God.
They are not perfect. They don’t know everything. But they are fruitful, they are showing the character of God, and they are growing. That person is fully pleasing unto God.
That is a very simple, small thing compared to the mountain of things the Message told us we needed to have to be pleasing unto God.
If we think about that just a little bit, we will realize that is the same thing we are told throughout the New Testament.
Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you, so shall all men know you are my disciples.” (John 13:34)
Love, which is the fruit of the Spirit, is the mark of a disciple. That is what Jesus told the disciples—love is the great command, and having it is evidence we are Christ’s followers.
It is the will of God for the Christian to love one another as Christ loved us.
Jesus also said, “My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)
Jesus was explicit and clear about what he wanted his followers to do—it was his will for us to be fruitful, to love one another as he loved us.
Being fruitful means having a character that is Christ-like: love, joy, peace, kindness, humility, self-control, faithfulness.
Those are the marks of someone who is living a life that is fully pleasing unto God.
That is precisely what Paul is saying in these verses. Paul is not saying he wants the Colossians to know the will of God and then leaving them hanging without an explanation of what the will of God is. Paul is also telling them the will of God.
That is what we are going to read in verses 10 and 11.
Read the first word in verse 10.
It says “so.”
SO.
Paul wants the Colossians to know the will of God SO they can do verses 10 and 11.
Verses 10 and 11 show where knowing the will of God will lead the Colossians.
If it sounds like I am talking in a really elementary way, I want you to know that I am. I am talking in an elementary way on purpose.
Message preachers don’t speak this way. They use these sorts of verses to jump out into left field. They have to find ways to insert the Message, and William Branham, and knowing the special last-day revelations into these verses.
They can’t just read these verses in the plain way they are written on the page. They have to read between the lines and insert things. That is the only way they can make these verses compatible with the Message.
What is funny is that the same things they will tell you are between the lines here—the things they insert—are the exact same sort of things Paul is going to utterly condemn in chapter 2.
Never in my life have I ever heard a Message preacher read chapter 1 and chapter 2 of Colossians in order. Because to read them in order tears the Message apart.
They have to approach these sorts of verses in a way that prevents their listeners from detecting the context. That way, they can twist the verses and abuse the Bible.
Now let’s read verses 10 and 11.
Let’s finish up this list of things Paul desires for the Colossians to have—the things which will result in them being fully pleasing to God. Verse 10.
10 … walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.
Every stitch of that is the fruit of the Spirit.
Paul calls out the fruit of the Spirit directly in verse 10. In verse 11, Paul calls out multiple attributes of the fruit of the Spirit: endurance (which is longsuffering), patience, and joy. Fruit of the Spirit.
Now, you also notice there in verse 11 that Paul says he wants them to be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might. That is another section where someone could take and go crazy with it.
Paul is not leaving that statement open-ended. He is not saying he wants them to be strengthened with all power in an open-ended, universal sense. He is not praying for them to have this unlimited sort of power.
But notice how this is written—it is specific.
He wants them to have all power, according to His glorious might, for the purposes of endurance, patience, and joy.
Paul targets this power toward specific things.
And once again, what are those specific things?
They are the fruit of the Spirit.
And I point that out again because it’s important to not stretch what Paul is saying beyond what he is actually saying.
If you have power from God to be patient, to be joyful, and to endure, then you have the power Paul is talking about here.
If you are fruitful in your endeavors, showing forth godliness in the way you go about your life, and if you are growing to know God more and more as the years progress, then you are fully pleasing to God.
Full stop.
If you have those things, you are FULLY pleasing unto God—without anything else added.
As we get to chapter 2, you will understand why I have labored here to point that out to you. That is the truth that underlines very much of what Paul is going to say in chapter 2 when he condemns these false preachers who are coming up with all this extra stuff—convincing the Colossians they need extra rules, extra revelations, special experiences, and things like that.
Knowing God
Before we end this lesson today, I have one final point I would like to make to you, and it comes from verse 10.
There are really two items on Paul’s list there as it relates to being fully pleasing unto God. The first item is to be fruitful in all your endeavors—to show God’s character in your day-to-day life. The second item is to be growing in the knowledge of God.
I want to talk about that second item just a bit more—growing in the knowledge of God.
I want to focus there because that is another phrase that false Message preachers may use to try and hijack these verses and insert the Message. They will tell you that the Message of the last days is the knowledge of God that you need, and they will go down that line of thought.
But we can be sure that is not what Paul means here because, once again, that would directly contradict what Paul is going to say in chapter 2. Instead of looking at how Paul defines these terms, Message preachers will invent their own explanations and their own definitions.
The knowledge of God—there is an aspect of that which does include reading your Bible and learning more about Scripture. That is absolutely an aspect of it.
But perhaps more key, it is about knowing God in a personal sense.
The knowledge of God is, most importantly, about us knowing the person of God in a relational way—that we know who He is, that we know what His nature is.
That nature and character of God is the exact same nature and character that is reflected in our lives as the fruit of the Spirit.
In that way, the knowledge of God and the fruit of the Spirit are really two sides of the same coin.
The more we know God, the more we know His nature, His character, His attributes. The more we are capable of reflecting those attributes in our own lives.
And it’s not the sort of thing where we learn about God and then try really, really hard to be like Him.
It’s something far more natural than that.
There is something about truly knowing the personality, the nature, and the character of God—something about us experiencing that and understanding that in a personal way—that naturally produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
There is something about the process of obtaining that sort of knowledge of God that naturally leads us to become more Christlike.
When we read what Paul is saying here in that manner, we can see that what he is describing is something like a feedback loop—where we become more fruitful and we know God better as a result, which leads us to become more fruitful, which leads us to know God better as a result, which leads us to be more fruitful.
And it is a cycle.
A loop.
Where we just grow more and more.
And that is what Paul is describing here.
That entire cycle is both started and kept going by the knowledge of God—the very knowledge Paul was talking about in verse 6, when Paul explained that the process started when they understood the grace of God.
They understood the love and compassion and mercy of God.
That started the process.
And the understanding of God—knowing more about God in that same sense—is what keeps the cycle moving, with more and more fruitful growth.
Amen.
I appreciate all of you.
I am so thankful for each and every one.
Come back next week, and we will pick up where we left off.
God bless you all.