Welcome back then to Colossians
chapter 1. We've embarked upon a study of
this epistle. Let me just remind you of the
situation in Colossae. Colossae is a place in inland
but southwestern Turkey. You could go there today, you
could visit it today, no doubt people are there. having their
holidays. It's where Turkey meets up with
the Aegean Sea. It's just inland from the southwest.
And Paul had never been there, and Paul had not planted a church
there, and he was in house arrest in his last two years in Rome,
or so it would seem. But there was one of Paul's Disciples,
if I can put it that way. Epaphras had learned the Gospel,
and he'd gone to Colossae, and a church had been planted, and
he was a faithful minister of Christ there. And so he comes
bringing news, visiting Paul in his house arrest in Rome,
he comes bringing news, and the news prompts Paul, under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to write this epistle, which
here we have. Nearly 2,000 years later, we've
still got it, and as we saw last week, it is the Word of God. Paul wrote the Word of God. It's
to all God's people, including us in these days. He talks about
faith, love, and hope, which identified these Colossian people
as saints, as set apart by God, as believers. For all God's people,
all believers are saints, all of them. They were elect by God
before the beginning of time. They were ordained to eternal
life. Do you know there is a number
of people, a multitude that no man can number, that is ordained
to eternal life? And what it says in Acts 13,
48 is that when the gospel is preached to them, those that
are ordained to eternal life believe that gospel. They're
made alive by the Spirit of God. Still living in sinful flesh,
yet made alive to the things of God by the Spirit of God.
And that's true of all Christians, all true pilgrims in this life. We're on a journey from the power
of darkness to the kingdom of God. The power of darkness is
this world, Satan and his rule over it. A journey from the power
of darkness to the kingdom of God. Whatever fleshly weaknesses
these Colossian saints had, and that we in these days have, these
were the real deal. You know how a jeweller can take
some pretty rough gold or some pretty rough diamonds, and with
skill and the right tools, can make them elegant and make them
beautiful and make them shine. But the best jeweler in the world
cannot make iron pyrites, which is fool's gold. It looks like
gold from a distance. He can't make fool's gold into
the real gold. These were the real deal. These
were real saints, the true people of God. Believers. Believers. As there are believers today,
and I trust in this room and out there on the internet with
us now. So this epistle, this letter, is the Holy Spirit-inspired
Word of God regarding progress towards the Celestial City. We're
on that journey. We're not static here. We're
on that journey to the Celestial City, as in Pilgrim's Progress,
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Have you believed the Gospel?
Have you believed, you know, a preacher has been sent? How
shall they hear without a preacher? A preacher has been sent by God.
put to you the things of the gospel, and you believe that
gospel, you've heard it, you've believed it, you've called on
the name of the Lord, and calling on the name of the Lord, whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And you
possess the faith of God's elect. You know, this is not mental
assent. This is not just agreeing to certain facts and propositions. This is the faith of God's elect.
Because it's not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Faith.
By grace are you saved. Through faith. And that faith,
not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. And so
there are characteristics which are faith, you believe the gospel
that you've heard. There's love for fellow believers. It's not easy for people, unless
it's in their own self-interests, to love one another. But in Christ,
the people of God love one another. the love of the brethren, they
loved one another, they loved each other, and they looked for
Christ's return to take them to that eternal inheritance.
If you believe these things, these words in this epistle are
for you, to advance you on your way. This is what Paul prays
for you and for me to encourage us on our heavenly pilgrimage.
He prays that we be filled with knowledge, that we will, as a
result, bear fruit, strengthened by the strength of God, and that
we'll be thankful to God. That's my main points this morning.
Filled with the knowledge of His will. This is the first point.
Filled with the knowledge of His will. Look at verse 9 of
the first chapter of Colossians. For this cause, we also, what
cause? Well, what Epaphras has told
them. There are true saints in Colossae. Therefore, for that
cause, we also, since the day we heard it, since he told us,
since we heard about you, we do not cease to pray for you. We're constantly before the throne
of God's grace, pleading for you in Colossae. What? Pleading what? Desiring that
you might be filled with the knowledge of his will, of God's
will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. He prays that
God might fill them with the knowledge of his will. You know,
I stress again, the best thing that we can do for one another
As believers, we worry about situations, we worry, we get
anxious about situations. Pray, pray, for God is in control
of all things. And not only is he in control,
he hears the prayers of his people. He hears his people's prayers.
He puts in their hearts to pray, as David said. He has put in
his servant's heart to pray for certain things. What we're talking
about here, the knowledge that Paul is praying that they might
be filled with, is not mere theological knowledge which serves only to
puff up with pride. I remember years ago, being in
a church in the 1970s, which was a very intellectual company
of people. And there was a race on, and
obviously the ones with the most money won the race, because the
race was to buy as many theological books as you possibly could.
And to be seen, you know, when others came round to your house
for lunch on Sunday, that your shelves were stacked with the
best, best rack of theological books it could possibly be. It
was puffing up with pride. about how much I know and how
much better I am in my knowledge than everybody else. But that's
not what this is talking about. This is that the people of God
might be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and
spiritual understanding. Well, what is God's will? What
is God's will? Supremely, what is God's will?
I mean, I know there's the issue of God's will in every day-to-day
things, things that come and arise and go and pass, but there's
the overriding will of God. What is that? Jesus told us,
John 6, 39. This is the will of the Father
that sent me, he said. This is God's will. This is God's
will. You believers, you need to know
this. He prays that you be filled with
the knowledge of his will. Well, what is this will? This
is the will of the Father that sent me. that of all he has given
me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last
day. It's talking about the salvation
of the elect of God, the people that were given by the Father
to the Son before the beginning of time, the people that were
put into union with Christ before the beginning of time. His prayer
is that we should know that it's the will of God that every one
of these people is brought safe into the kingdom prepared for
them, brought safe into that eternal kingdom. This knowledge
is founded in Christ and him alone. Christ, would you know
the knowledge of God and the knowledge of his will? Christ
is made unto us, wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption. It's guaranteed by Christ that
his people will know these things. In John 17 and verse 2, the high
priestly prayer, Jesus prays to his Father about himself who
has power over all flesh. The Father has given to the Son
power over all flesh. The Lord Jesus Christ has power
over everyone in this world, power over all flesh. To do what? that He should give eternal life
to as many as the Father has given to the Son. The Father
gave a multitude to the Son. He ordained them to eternal life.
And this is Christ saying that He has power over all flesh to
give, to dispense eternal life to as many as the Father has
given to the Son. God's people need to know that. God's people need to grow in
the knowledge of it. That's what we're exhorted to
do throughout the New Testament, to know it and to grow in the
knowledge of it. Grow in grace, says Peter, the
very last verse of his second epistle, his last epistle, 2
Peter chapter 3 and verse 18. Grow in grace and the knowledge
of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grow in that knowledge. Don't
stay still. Grow in that knowledge. so that we can bear testimony
before this world. We need to know what we have
believed, whom we have believed, what it is about him that we
have believed. We need to know these things. We need to know
to be able, as Peter in his first epistle exhorts believers, be
ready always to give a reason to anyone who asks you about
the hope that is in you. How are you going to be ready?
Study. Study the will of God. Study
the revelation of God. Study the truth of God, so that
you're able to give a reason to anyone that asks you about
the hope that is in you. Because you know you're grounded
in the scriptures. Grow in grace and the knowledge
of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. You know, it applies
to every field of life. I know a bit about electricity.
I know a little bit about electricity. I know about potential difference
that makes current flow through resistance. I know things like
that. I used to teach it. But the more I know about electricity,
the more I know about it, I can understand situations in which
the neutral wire can become live and potentially kill me, because
I assume it's a neutral wire and therefore not live. But there
are situations where that can occur, and the more I know about
it, the better I am prepared for that. Well, so it is with
these things. It's knowing in detail. This
is the theme of the New Testament to believers. It's always go
forward. Go higher. Strive towards the
goal. You probably don't even have
to turn back a page, because it's on the facing page in Philippians
chapter 3 and verse 11. The same man, Paul, writing to
the Philippians, is talking about him pressing forward. He says
in verse 11, He's got a goal in mind, the resurrection of
the dead, the kingdom of God. But he says, I'm not there yet. Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect, but I follow after, that I may
apprehend, apprehend, learn. grasp, take hold of, that for
which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count
not myself to have apprehended, I'm not there yet, but this one
thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching
forth unto those things which are before, listen, I press toward
the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus. I press on. We must grow in knowledge
of God's will to do more in the kingdom of God. For example,
any aspiring to be useful in the church, in the company of
God's people on earth, any men, young men, any other than young,
aspiring to be useful To preach, for example. What to do? Answer? Get knowledge. Get wisdom. The Proverbs say it, don't they?
Get wisdom, get knowledge. Grow in it. From God. Get that
knowledge from God. Make sure it's from God, not
just from men. If you listen to a man, make
sure that that is the shepherd's voice, the good shepherd's voice.
The under-shepherd is speaking with the good shepherd's voice.
Don't listen to those who put themselves forward as the spokesmen
for God. Test what they say. Test what
they say. John, in his epistle, first epistle,
chapter four, the first few verses, tells us how to test it. It's
about Christ and who he is and what he's accomplished. The object
of it all is Christ. Look what he says again in Philippians
chapter 3 verse 10. Paul says this, this is the objective,
that I may know him, not know about him, not know things about
him, but that I may know him and the power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his
death. Why is he so important? Peter mentioned it in his prayer.
Turn over a page the other way, Colossians 3 verse 11, answer,
Christ is all and in all. Christ is all and in all. He is everything. He is everything. New converts are but babes, like
little babies. And to start with, a baby needs
simple milk, nothing other than its mother's milk. Spiritually
it's the same. Babes in Christ, new converts,
need spiritual milk. But it's imperative that they
don't stay on a diet of spiritual milk. They've got to grow. Grow
in grace and knowledge. Grow in strong meat. Be able to take that which comes
from the Word of God. What makes a preacher? God does,
obviously. God is no point somebody, however
much they know, setting out to preach if they don't have a gift
of communicating truth to others. But God gives that gift to some,
but then, how does that develop? It's by growth in knowledge of
God's will. It's by growth in knowledge of
the gospel, which is God's will. The gospel is God's will, because
the gospel is what accomplishes his kingdom. The will of God
is the accomplishment of his kingdom. That's what it is. By
brethren teaching one another, for example, as we saw in 2 Timothy
2, the things that you have heard of me, says Paul to Timothy,
among many witnesses, others heard me say it to you, the same
things you teach other people. Commit thou to faithful men,
and those faithful men that have heard you, they will be able
to teach others also. It's that passing of the baton
down the line. It's growing in grace and in
the knowledge of God. There was a man who was a great
orator that was greatly used by God. He's in Acts chapter
18 and verse 24. I'll just read it out to you.
A certain Jew named Apollos born at Alexandria in Egypt. An eloquent
man. He was eloquent. He could hold
an audience. He could speak powerfully and
persuasively. And he was mighty in the Scriptures.
He knew a lot of Scripture. And he came to Ephesus. This
man was instructed in the way of the Lord, being fervent in
the Spirit. He spake and taught diligently
the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. Now,
I won't go into details as to what that meant, but his understanding
was flawed in some way. And he began to speak boldly
in the synagogue, whom when there were these two believers there,
Aquila and Priscilla, had heard, they took him unto them, and
expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when
he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exalting
the disciples to receive him, who when he was come, still talking
about Apollos, helped them much, which had believed through grace.
For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing
by the Scriptures, that Jesus was the Christ. Priscilla and
Aquila had heard this man and thought, wow, he knows quite
a bit, but he's not quite right in certain things. And they took
him to one side and they explained to him the way of God more perfectly.
And it made him a powerful preacher. He grew. He grew in knowledge. Paul's praying that they be filled
with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. It comes, says the scripture,
layer upon layer, line by line, precept upon precept, listening
to preachers, listening to preaching, reading the Word for yourself.
Reading books, yes, by all means, if they're good books. But the
key thing is this, who you listen to, it must be that Christ is
all. Christ is all. Christ is all
and Christ is in all. I remember Back in the 1980s,
when I first came across what I believe is the true gospel,
and it's stuck with me ever since, listening to cassette tapes of
Henry Mahan and Don Faulkner and Scott Richardson and Maurice
Montgomery and all of those men, and there was one thing that
bound them together, and it was this. They all agreed with Paul. 1 Corinthians chapter 2. 1 Corinthians
chapter 2 and verse 2. I was determined, says Paul,
to know nothing else among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I get reports from sermon audio,
and we make use of sermon audio, and that's a very good thing,
but the report I got the other day was that there was a sermon
that I really must listen to. and it was about somebody in
Northern Ireland and this sermon was highly recommended, teaching
us that we are under a legal moral obligation to keep Sunday
as the Sabbath day. Sorry, use some discernment and
say, is that what the scriptures say? Is that what they do? No,
no, Christ is all and in all. That was my Bible school, listening
to people who were determined to know nothing other than Jesus
Christ and him crucified. For with increasing knowledge
of the Scriptures, God gives facility, gives ease, gives ability
to his servants to readily find little gems in the corners of
their mind to illustrate the point. Yes, be filled, it says,
be filled is a passive thing, that you might be filled, that
God might fill you, something that God does to fill his people
with knowledge. But is it not just as Peter exhorts
believers, who is the one responsible for the election of his people?
It's God. God elects his people. But it
doesn't stop Peter from saying, in the Word of God, inspired
by the Spirit of God, to exhort those he was writing to, to give
diligence, to make your calling and election sure. And so, Paul
writes to Timothy, again, 2 Timothy 2, verse 15. He tells him this,
don't just sit back. Don't sit on your hands and do
nothing, waiting to be filled. No, study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth. Study, study, study. That's one thing we can say about
our departed brother Don Faulkner, that Where did he spend the vast
majority of his time? In his study. Studying. What
was the thing that he did for his people to pastor them and
pastor people all around the world? Study, study, study. Build upon that truth, that knowledge
of God. So then, It's not just aspiring
preachers that this exhortation comes to, to study and grow,
but it's Christians in general in the body. He's writing to
all of the saints at Colossae. I pray that you might be filled
with the knowledge of his will, that all of us, all believers,
might be filled with knowledge. For what purpose? Because of
the discernment of error and falsehood. You know, we're told
that we're so prone in the flesh to spiritual error and spiritual
falsehood that will take us away from the truth. And there are
many examples in the New Testament of the Galatians going after
that which was not the gospel. And many professing Christians
remain weak and they remain vulnerable to error and they're easily seduced
by fleshly appeal. You know, they claim to be Christians
And they look around and they see not a lot happening, and
they think, gosh, this is a lonely life, this is a lonely road,
and they see a lively church down the road, and they hear
of many conversions there. They hear of activity going on,
and there's attractive music, and they're seduced by it, and
they go, and oh, they're so friendly, and they're so warm and encouraging
to one another. But they haven't tested. what
they're being told. They haven't tested the message
that is proclaimed. They haven't tested it against
the word of God. Is the pastor determined to know
nothing other than Jesus Christ and him crucified? Is that what
it is? Because they're ignorant, they don't know the knowledge
of his will regarding salvation. So then, that's his prayer. First,
that the people be filled with the knowledge of the will of
God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that ye might
walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful
in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Walk
worthy, being fruitful. Religion seeks to turn your eyes
to your efforts to produce good works. It seeks to make you responsible
for your personal holiness and for what it calls your progressive
sanctification, the things of righteousness that we do, and
it forgets what the Word of God tells us, that all our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags in the eyes of God. Produce something of
value to God, they say. Well, it can't be your works,
because your works can never be of value to God. The only
one who does anything, has done anything that is of value to
God in the completion of his kingdom is what Christ has done,
what Christ is and what he has done. It's him that is the the
author of all of these things. They miss the word, that, at
the start of verse 10. He prays, and to desire that
ye might be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and
spiritual understanding, that ye might be worthy of the Lord
unto all pleasing. The filling with knowledge of
God's will has an outcome, that ye might walk worthy of the Lord,
and to all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work. Being filled
with God's knowledge, that is what promotes a walk worthy of
the Lord. That is what produces spiritual
fruit in good works and increased knowledge. True faith produces,
true faith which is the gift of the Spirit of God, true faith
produces the fruit of the Spirit of God. Can you, believer, look
at Christ as you see Him in this Word set before you, lifted up
before you, having done all to save you? Can you look at Him
and what He did for you? He who was in the form of God
and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but yet came
down and humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even
unto the death of the cross. Can you look at him, having done
all of that to save you and equip you and fit you for eternal glory,
can you then be mean-spirited to others? Can you then be miserly
towards others in need? Can you then be spiteful towards
others? Can you be unloving to your brethren? Can you be hard-hearted not if
you esteem others better than yourself. In Philippians chapter
2 and verse 3, where he says, let this mind be in you, he says
in verse 3, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory,
but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than
himself. Where does the strength come
from? Where does the strength to do that come from? Because
it isn't in our flesh as it stands. Where does it come from? In verse
11 it says, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious
power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.
It's his glorious power. Look again in Philippians chapter
2 and verses 12 and 13. How is it that it's going to
work itself out? Wherefore, my beloved, as ye
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, I'm writing to you, I'm not with you, work
out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Oh, that puts
the responsibility on me, doesn't it? Well, yes, it does, but look
at this. For it is God which worketh in you, both to will
and to do of his good pleasure. Work out, for God works in. Not looking to self that constrains
our walk. What is it that constrains the
believer's walk? What is it? Is it the law? Is
it threats of reward? Threats of punishment? The promise
of rewards? No, it's the love of Christ that
constrains his people. So then, the final point. Giving
thanks, verse 12. Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. made us meet, made us fitted,
made us suitable, made us appropriate. For what? To be partakers of
an inheritance. to be those who share in an inheritance,
and it's the inheritance of the saints in light. Paul's prayer
for them, and consequently it must be for us today, is that
being filled with the knowledge of God's eternal will of salvation
and of his kingdom, triumphant and accomplished, strengthened
with his divine power, living fruitfully and giving thanks
that we might then be fitted for this eternal inheritance.
and giving thanks for it. In Romans chapter 1 and verse
21, the accusation there, again it's Paul writing, The accusation
against the world in general, against sinful man in general,
is this. Neither were they thankful. This
is an accusation of the Word of God against the human race
in general. They're not thankful to God.
Not thankful. What is there to be thankful
for? Answer. That you're fitted. If you're
a child of God, it's that you're fitted, you who are most unfit
for an internal inheritance, you're made fitted for that eternal
inheritance. How? Because He, by taking our
sin, He who knew no sin, taking our sin, and being made sin for
us, and paying its penalty, and putting the record straight,
and balancing the books of divine justice, that He has made His
people the righteousness of God in Him. And how righteous do
you need to be to get into heaven? You need to be as righteous as
God is. For God will not have anything
that defiles. And he has made us the righteousness
of God in Christ. This is the gospel. That which... religion puts forward as the
gospel, I hear it, and there's no gospel in it, there's no good
news in it. He has made his people the righteousness
of God in Christ. He has paid our sin debt. Look at verse 14, in whom, in
this one, in his dear son, the son of his love, in whom we have
redemption, The buying back, the purchase of liberty. And
what's bought it? His blood. And what has it accomplished? Even the forgiveness of sins.
Even the cancelling of the debt of sins. We've been released
from Satan's dark kingdom. We've been put into the kingdom
of the son of his love. That's the translation I think
I prefer there. It's in the margin as well. The son of his love. His dear
son. The son of his love. The son of his love. For he,
Christ, the son of God, is the representative of his people.
He's the substitute for his people. And he is the depository, if
I can use that word. The one in whom everything is
given from the Father, in terms of His love to His elect multitude,
is all in Christ. Christ is the representative
and depository of the Father's everlasting love to His elect
multitude. That's why it's called, translated
as, into the kingdom of the Son of His love. That's what He's
done. What to be thankful for? He's translated us into the kingdom
of the son of his love. It's totally undeserved in us,
but it's totally deserved in Christ. For Christ has done everything
to accomplish it. Christ has done everything to
pay for it. Christ has done everything to
guarantee it. God would be unjust if he didn't
reward Christ with everything for his people. He would be unjust
if he did that, because Christ has accomplished everything.
In him, it's totally deserved. In us, in our flesh, totally
undeserved. But if we're in him, it's totally
deserved. Jesus said this to his disciples
in Luke chapter 22. Have I got that somewhere down
here? Hold on a minute. Luke chapter
22 and verse 29. eventually. He said this to the disciples.
He said, I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my father hath appointed unto
me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and
sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. What are we
to be thankful for? I appoint unto you a kingdom,
as my Father hath appointed unto me. Christ has appointed unto
his people a kingdom. What a glorious inheritance we
have. What spiritual riches in heavenly
places. When you see these terms in the
epistles, all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,
what spiritual riches the people of God have. This is promised
by the Father to the Son in that Wonderful Psalm 2, in which there
is so much, but in verse 8, the Father says to the Son, back
there in the Old Testament, Psalm 2, verse 8, the Father says to
the Son, ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Ask of me, says God the Father
to God the Son, and I'll give you the heathen, the unbelievers,
for your inheritance, because I'll make them in you what you
do. I'll make them fitted for the
kingdom of God. Ask of me and I'll give you these
things." This is his kingdom. He says in Matthew 25, Jesus
teaching the disciples about the end of things, and he says
about the division of the sheep from the goats on that final
day of judgment, and I know I've quoted a lot. but he shall set
the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then
shall the king say unto them on his right hand, to the sheep,
come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. God's people are the
children of God's eternal household, of the household of God. God's
people are his children in his household. And therefore, as
Romans 8 says, Romans 8 verse 17, If children, then heirs. Heirs of the household. Heirs
of the household. Heirs of God. If it's God's household,
we're heirs of God. And we're joint heirs with Christ.
Everything that he inherits, we inherit with him. What makes
believers thankful to God? Answer, the knowledge of his
will. If he has willed it, it will be accomplished. But many,
including many professing Christians, seek after the tangible, the
things you can touch of this world first before all else. They seek after riches, they
seek after happiness, they seek after comfort, they seek after
health, the experiences of this world. And not a few gain all
of those things in abundance. But you know what Jesus said
in Matthew 16 and verse 26? He said this, What is a man profited
if he shall gain the whole world? and lose his own soul? Or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul? We're talking about
you cannot serve God and mammon, you cannot have both. What shall
a man give in exchange for his eternal soul? What is a man profited
if he gain the whole wide world and then lose his soul? How short-sighted
to do that when you know the things of the gospel of grace.
We need to remember always, 2 Corinthians 4.18, the things of this world
which are seen are temporal. They're but for a while. But
the things which are not seen, the things of the Spirit of God
and of the kingdom of God, they're the things that are eternal.
Will you gain what you can now rather than an eternal inheritance? Not if you're Christ's. Growing
in the knowledge of the redemption accomplished by his blood, the
inheritance of the saints in light, who Christ hath delivered
us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the
kingdom of the Son of his love. Am I saying that Christians can't
have anything in this world? No. Abraham was rich. Look what
Paul said in chapter four and verse 12 of Philippians. He said,
I know both how to be abased, how to have nothing, and how
to abound, how to have plenty. Everywhere and in all things,
I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound
and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ,
which strengtheneth me. So in Christ, in Christ, believing
in him, this is what the scriptures say to us. In Ecclesiastes 9,
verse 7, he says this, trusting in Christ and living your life
in this world, go your way, eat your bread with joy, drink your
wine with a merry heart, for God now accepteth thy works. It's all in Christ. In this life,
it's all in Christ. So as Paul prayed for these Colossians,
so we ought to pray for one another and mutually encourage one another. This is what it's about. It's
not just growing in knowledge in isolation, but that we might
encourage one another on this road to the kingdom of God. Anyway, we'll end it there and
next time we'll move on to the glory of our God in Christ, by
whom the Father's will is accomplished. Amen.