PAUL’S THANFULNESS COLOSSIANS 1:3-8

1. Paul’ Thankfulness (1:3-8)

Paul gave thanks to God for his readers frequently. He told them so, in order to enable them to appreciate the fact that he knew of their situation, and that he rejoiced in their good testimony. These six verses are all one sentence in the Greek text, indicating the unity of thought in this Bible passage.

 

The Apostle Paul was a great encourager, and this epistle is a good example of the grace of thanksgiving. In this section he gives thanks for what Christ has done in the lives of the Colossian Christians. But he also mentions thanksgiving in five other places in this letter: Colossians 1:12; 2:7; 3:15, 17; and 4:2. When you recall that Paul wrote this letter in prison, his attitude of thanksgiving is even more wonderful.[i]

 

Like Paul, we should be grateful for what God is doing in the lives of others. As Christians, we are all members of one body (1 Cor. 12:12–13). If one member of the body is strengthened, this helps to strengthen the entire body. If one church experiences a revival touch from God, it will help all the churches[ii]

 

Col 1:3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

 

1. He gives thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

 

1:3 God and Father: The terms are used to show Jesus was one in nature with God

• This is a affirmative statement about Christ’s Deity

Col 1:4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints

2. He Thanks God for the Faith they embraced

1:4,5 We see the 3 main graces that God gives us faith, love and hope.

1Co 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 1Th 1:3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,

 1Th 5:8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

          The modern attitude is, “If you believe, you are safe.” But the obvious question is, “Believe in what?” Their answer: “Just believe!”

             Nor are we saved by faith in a set of doctrines. I have often told the story about the famous evangelist, George Whitefield, who was witnessing to a man. “What do you believe?” Whitefield asked. The man replied, “I believe what my church believes.” “And what does your church believe?” asked the evangelist. “What I believe,” replied the man. Undeterred, Whitefield tried again and asked, “And what do you both believe?  ”“Why, we both believe the same thing!” was the man’s evasive reply.

Saving faith involves the mind, the emotions, and the will. With the mind we understand the truth of the Gospel, and with the heart we feel conviction and the need to be saved. But it is only when we exercise the will and commit ourselves to Christ that the process is complete. Faith is not mental assent to a body of doctrines, no matter how true those doctrines may be. Faith is not emotional concern. Faith is commitment to Jesus Christ.[iii]

The evidence of true saving faith is love for fellow believers

3. He Thanks God for The Love they exhibit

and of your love for all the saints

of truth. Any other kind of faith is but superstition—it cannot save.[iv]

4. He Thanks God for The Hope they experienced

v5 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

1:5 The Believers hope is inseparable from his faith.

He has hope in going to heaven and sharing the glory of God

Certainty of going to heaven because God has promised

Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

,

It centers in a Person—Jesus Christ. The theme of this epistle is the preeminence or supremacy of Jesus Christ, and He is certainly preeminent in the Gospel. The false teachers who had invaded the fellowship in Colossae were trying to remove Jesus Christ from His place of preeminence; but to do this was to destroy the Gospel. It is Christ who died for us, and who arose again[v] 2 Corinthians 5:15

It is the “Word of truth” (v. 5) This means that it came from God and can be trusted. “Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17). There are many messages and ideas that can be called true, but only God’s Word can be called truth.[vi]

Everybody has faith in something. But faith is only as good as the object in which a person puts his trust. The jungle pagan worships a god of stone; the educated city pagan worships money or possessions or status. In both cases, faith is empty. The true Christian believer has faith in Jesus Christ, and that faith is based on the Word

 

Jesus secured it. Ephesians 2:11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men) 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

The word Gospel means good news.

The word originally was used to express the good news of victory in battle or birth of a king

It is the good news of Christ’s victory over Satan, sin, and death

5. He Thanks God for the growth they encountered

Col 1:6 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 in truth;

1:6 The Gospel is preached to the whole world and It is for the whole world

It is the message of God’s grace (v. 6b). Two words in the Christian vocabulary are often confused: grace and mercy. God in His grace gives me what I do not deserve. Yet God in His mercy does not give me what I do deserve. Grace is God’s favor shown to undeserving sinners. The reason the Gospel is good news is because of grace: God is willing and able to save all who will trust Jesus Christ.[vii]

             Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

               Paul said that the Gospel was bearing fruit in all the world. The Word of God is the only seed that can be planted anywhere in the world and bear fruit. The Gospel can be preached “to every creature which is under heaven” (Col. 1:23). Paul’s emphasis was on “every man” (Col. 1:28). False teachers do not take their message to all the world. They go where the Gospel has already gone and try to lead believers astray. They have no good news for lost sinners!

If people are to be saved, they must hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And if they are to hear, we who are saved must carry the message. Are you doing your part?[viii]

• 3 kinds of fruit:

1. Spiritual attitudes
2. Righteous actions
3. New Converts

Galatians 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

6. He Thanks God for The Ministry they enjoyed

They Were Discipled (Col. 1:7)[ix]

Col 1:7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,

1:7 Epaphras is most likely the founder of the church in Colosse

• He shared the good news of God’s grace with them

Epaphras did not simply lead the Colossians to Christ and then abandon them. He taught them the Word and sought to establish their faith. The word translated “learned” in Colossians 1:7 is related to the word disciple in the Greek language. It is the same word Jesus used: “Learn of Me” (Matt. 11:29) or, in effect, “Become My disciple.”

These new believers were in danger of turning from the truth and following the false teachers. Paul reminded them that it was Epaphras who led them to Christ, discipled them, and taught them the Word. The word before (Col. 1:5) probably means “before these false teachers appeared on the scene.” Like the Colossians, we should beware of any religious leader who does not seek to win lost souls, but who devotes himself to “stealing sheep” from the flocks of others.

Epaphras was a faithful minister. He not only won people to Christ, but he taught them the Word and helped them to grow.[x]

• He also shared the good news of their faith with Paul

When danger threatened the members of the church, Epaphras went to Rome to get counsel from Paul. He loved his people and wanted to protect them from false doctrines that would destroy the fellowship and hinder their spiritual development.[xi]

In that day, a disciple was not simply a person who sat and listened to a teacher. He was someone who lived with the teacher and who learned by listening, looking, and living. Discipleship involved more than enrolling in a school and attending lectures. It meant total surrender to the teacher. It meant learning by living. Perhaps our modern-day medical students or trade apprentices come close to illustrating the meaning of discipleship.[xii]

Epaphras faithfully taught his people and related them to Jesus Christ, but the false teachers came in and tried to “draw away disciples.” (For Paul’s warning about this problem, see Acts 20:28–30.)[xiii]

They Became Faithful in Christ (Col. 1:6, 8)[xiv]

Col 1:8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

The Word of God is seed (Luke 8:11). This means the Word has life in it (Heb. 4:12). When it is planted in the heart, it can produce fruit. “All over the world this Gospel is producing fruit and growing”

When God’s Word is planted and cultivated, it produces fruit. Faith, hope, and love are among the firstfruits in the spiritual harvest. These spiritual graces are among the evidences that a person has truly been born again (see Rom. 5:1–4; Eph. 1:13–15; 1 Thes. 1:3; Heb. 6:9–12; 1 Peter 1:3–9).[xv]

True Salvation Evidence

Faith comes through the hearing of God’s Word (Rom. 10:17). Our Christian lives start with saving faith; but this is only the beginning. We learn to walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7) and work by faith (1 Thes. 1:3). It is faith that gives power to prayer (Luke 17:5–6). Faith is a shield that protects us from Satan’s fiery darts (Eph. 6:16).[xvi]

Love is another evidence of true salvation, for the unsaved person is wrapped up mainly in himself (Eph. 2:1–3). The fact that these people loved all the saints was proof that God had changed them and given them eternal life. Christian love is not a shallow feeling that we manufacture; it is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (Rom. 5:5; Col. 1:8). It is worth noting that Colossians 1:8 is the only verse in the letter that mentions the Holy Spirit, and it is in connection with love.[xvii]

Hope is also a characteristic of the believer. Unsaved people are without hope because they are without God (Eph. 2:11–12). Those outside of Christ have no hope (1 Thes. 4:13). In the Bible, hope does not mean “hope so.” Our hope in Christ is as definite and assured as our faith in Christ. Because Christ is in us, we have the “hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).[xviii]

Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.[xix]

     Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

             John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.

              “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32

 

          Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten. 

            hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don’t go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F

            The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

[i] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 106). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 106). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[iii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 107). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[iv] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 106). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[v] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 106). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[vi] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 106). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[vii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 106). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[viii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 107). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[ix] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 107). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[x] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 108). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[xi] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 108). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[xii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 108). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[xiii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 108). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[xiv] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 108). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[xv] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 108). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[xvi] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 108). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[xvii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 108–109). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[xviii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 109). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[xix] The New King James Version. (1982). (Heb 6:19–20). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.