How encouraging for the Colossians to know they were remembered in Paul’s prayers. He had heard good things about them from Epaphras as seen in verse 7, “7 You so learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ in our stead and as our representative and [f]yours”, and so, whenever he prayed for them, he gave thanks to God for their faith in Christ and their love for all their fellow believers. Know that according to this verse, Epaphras is described as a faithful missionary who brought the gospel to Philemon and others in his city and he brought the news about the Church in Colossae to Paul and you can see that Colossians 4:12 suggests that Epaphras was from Colosae, he was known for his faithful prayers for his fellow Colossians believers, as Paul described him as ‘a servant of Christ Jesus’. These words link two important qualities: faith and love. The New Testament often joins these together words of faith and love; they could be ‘Scripture’s Conjoined Twins’. If you are to have an enduring selfless love for others you must first of all have faith in God because people will nearly want to throw you off balance in your God-man relationship if not for your strong faith in God knowing that it is God you look up to not man. Psychology teaches that love for other people is an integral part of good emotional health, but it has nothing to say on the need for a relationship with God. Without a relationship with God, however, love for others soon runs out of energy and all that initial emotions for the relationship all fades away and hate takes the place of love, which is why faith in God is always the glue that holds love for others firm so that when the realities of the human flaws, weak traits of character and attitude including weak behavioral patterns begins to surface, faith in God will make you to still endure! Some time ago I read about an African government agency which invested a large sum of money in a building programme designed to improve the lifestyle of a certain tribe living in grass huts on a hillside. To replace these flimsy dwellings the government built brick houses at the foot of the hill. The tribes people, however, felt uncomfortable in their new houses and, after they had lived in them for just a few days, they decided to move back into their old huts. An exasperated official said to missionaries who lived among them, ‘These ungrateful people need a lot of loving faith. I’m afraid the best we can do is to lift them; we leave it to you to love them.’ Exasperated is intensely irritated and frustrated impulses. Love that is not linked to God in faith quickly runs out of impetus and endurance, which many people are not aware of in going into relationship and that is why you see certain relationship don’t last because the love is not Conjoined with faith, as in faith and love that should always go together in other for it to last and pass the test of time. Governments can raise people’s standard of living but they can’t love them. Only when we have faith in God can we go on loving the unresponsive. No faith in God, no love like God’s. So people should be trained and taught how to love like God, Lord Jesus Christ with His Agape type of love otherwise all what humans call love is only a misuse of the word in reality! We need to be made whole with body, spirit and soul working perfecting together and hooked up with the Holy Spirit of God to be in harmony.

Now let us read Colossians 1:1-4; Paul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), by the will of God, and Timothy [our] brother, 2 To the saints (the consecrated people of God) and [a]believing and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace (spiritual favor and blessing) to you and [heart] peace from God our Father. 3 We [b]continually give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), as we are praying for you, 4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [[c]the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] and of the love which you [have and show] for all the saints (God’s consecrated ones), 5 Because of the hope [of experiencing what is] laid up ([d]reserved and waiting) for you in heaven. Of this [hope] you heard in the past in the message of the truth of the Gospel, 6 Which has come to you. Indeed, in the whole world [that Gospel] is bearing fruit and still is growing [e][by its own inherent power], even as it has done among yourselves ever since the day you first heard and came to know and understand the grace of God in truth. [You came to know the grace or undeserved favor of God in reality, deeply and clearly and thoroughly, becoming accurately and intimately acquainted with it.] 7 You so learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ in our stead and as our representative and [f]yours. 8 Also he has informed us of your love in the [Holy] Spirit.

Colossians chapter 1 is mostly focused on describing Christ as supreme. Lord Jesus is not only the God of creation; He is the ultimate authority over all created things. The penalty for sin has been completely removed because of His perfect sacrifice. Let us know that the heart, driven by emotions, instincts, and desires, often pulls us in one direction, while the mind, guided by logic, reasoning, and analysis, urges us to follow a different path! There is always a war between the two, Heart and Mind of man but in Christ we are trained to balance the two to work in harmony so that man will be in health and happiness. Health and Happiness: Health and happiness begin in the mind, enter the heart, and come through in our habits. Sounds Easy, Right? Not quite! We will see in this study of Colossians that there is something which precedes and exceeds our use of sheer willpower, namely, the reconciling ministry of Lord Jesus Christ. Unless we are reconciled to God through Christ, there is no hope for health or happiness. But through Christ we have the power of the Holy Spirit impressed upon our mind, will, and actions so that we may experience wholeness. In today’s passage we learn that healthy people are thankful people. If you want to experience more peace, a greater sense of the presence of God in the world, better relationships with people around you, and overall better health, learn to be thankful—genuinely appreciative of God’s work in the world. Healthy people are thankful people. People who know how to appreciate, knowing that everything they are and have is not by their power but by God’s grace! When I read the short letter of Paul to the Colossians, I’m amazed at how upbeat Paul is given his circumstances. It tells me that gratitude—responding with appreciation—can make a bad situation better, happier, and even holier. In this sermon series, we will find that wholeness, health, peace of mind, steadfastness, and confidence comes from fullness, beginning with being filled with thanksgiving. Fullness: The Message of Colossians: Throughout this series we will focus on Paul’s theology of being “filled” in the sense of being full or whole, that is, healthy and happy in Christ. This is the big idea of this series: Health and happiness come only in Lord Jesus Christ. Only with that in mind will the big idea of this sermon be understood as anything more than a motivational speech: healthy and happy people are thankful people. Unfortunately, everyone who claims to be in Christ is not healthy or happy, and one big reason is because they are not thankful enough. Through Paul’s witness we will see that one must be in Christ in order to be healthy and happy, but it takes intentionality, walking in truth, and learning to love others more than our own selves. The year was about 55 A.D, and the Apostle Paul had repeatedly stirred up trouble against himself in the bustling city of Ephesus—population: 200,000 (N.T. Wright, NTIW, 455). Paul had caused quite a stir in the empire’s third largest city (only Rome and Alexandria were larger). According to Luke in Acts 19, three years of Paul’s preaching brought an economic depression in the local idol market that was bustling before. The silversmiths, magicians, and other craftsmen of local superstition who were the main stay of this idol market were threatened by the mass conversions in Ephesus from atheism and other religion to Christianity and these classes of people were not happy with Apostle Paul and his followers. Consequently, Paul and his companions are bound in chains and hauled off to jail. Imprisonment was not an unfamiliar experience to Paul though. Luke records at least three instances in which Paul was locked up. Paul himself testifies in 2 Corinthians 11:23 to having been imprisoned numerous times. There are three known imprisonments of Paul: 1. Overnight in Philippi (Acts 16:19-34) 2. Two years in Caesarea (Acts 23:23-26:32) 3. Two years in Rome (Acts 28:11-31) today how many people are suffering because of Christ or for Christ sake? During this imprisonment in Ephesus, Paul wrote four letters. The first letter was written to the Philippians. He then wrote three letters to be carried by his friend Tychicus: one to the Colossians, a personal letter to Philemon (a citizen of Colossae), and a final letter called “Ephesians” that was to be circulated to all the Churches in the region. Remember that this is a man supposed to be in prison, but instead of being depressed, demoralized and extremely angry as some of us will be if we were to be, Paul continued his preaching in another form by writing letters and sending them out, thus the spreading of the gospel could not be stopped as is was intended. We know Paul is in prison with Timothy, Aristarchus, Mark, Demas, Luke and Epaphras at the time of his writing because he tells us: “Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison” (Col. 4:3; 4:10; Philemon 23-24). Where was Paul when he wrote the letter to the Colossians? Arguments for location: • Caesarea: Luke was with Paul during his imprisonment in Caesarea (Acts 27:1). • Rome: The freedom with which Paul seems to have to interact with many people is fitting for Rome. “Rome” appears on the subscriptions of some early manuscripts. • Ephesus: Onesimus and Epaphras are more likely to have visited Paul here and to be sent back to Colossae by Paul. Remember that Onesimus was a slave to Philemon of Colossae, a man of Christian faith who was regarded a useless runaway slave who had offended his master because it is written that slaves should obey their master, and Paul returned Onesimus to his master as somebody whose sins have been forgiven and who has become useful. A few other interesting facts about Colossians: • Colossians has no quotations from the Old Testament. • The “law” is never mentioned in the letter. • There are 32 words used in Colossians that are not found elsewhere in the Bible. • A major earthquake shook the area c.62, and afterwards Colossae was eventually abandoned. • Colossae has never been excavated. Paul writes about a lot of things in this short letter: the supremacy of Christ, principles of Christian liberty, Christian ethics, family life, the Church, and preparation for eternity. But the central idea, indeed, the key concept is “fullness” and fulfillment. The central message of the letter, I believe, is found in Col. 2:10: “You have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” The idea behind fullness is the sufficiency of Christ: Lord Jesus is enough. The idea behind fullness is the sufficiency of Christ: Lord Jesus is enough. In fact, Lord Jesus is everything; without Him we are dead in trespasses (2:13); without Him life is an empty shell (2:16-17). Whatever it was the Colossians were experiencing, Paul found it necessary to remind them that Christ is everything. He puts it this way in Colossians 3:11: “Christ is all.” Colossians 1:1–8: Fullness in Thanksgiving: This spring we planted a few dozen plant seeds. On sunny days we put them outside our window and let them take in the sun; on cool or rainy days, we bring them inside so they don’t freeze or get too much moisture. They are young plants, only about two or three inches out of the soil. They require frequent attention. That is precisely what Paul is doing in writing this letter to the Colossians. They are a Church young in the faith that requires a lot of attention. It must have been quite a surprise for the Colossians to receive a letter from the famous Apostle Paul. Sometimes as a procedure in form filling, people received a letter from the President. It was a form letter that millions of people probably received. It had his signature, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t sit down and write it out personally. But this is not so with this letter to Colossae. Saints and Siblings: “Paul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), by the will of God, and Timothy [our] brother, 2 To the saints (the consecrated people of God) and [a]believing and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace (spiritual favor and blessing) to you and [heart] peace from God our Father.”(Col. 1:1–2). He closes the letter with Colossians 4:18: “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.” Ancient letters have a feature that we don’t use in modern letter-writing. Ancient letters have the sender’s name at the beginning. Instead of, “Dear Colossians,” the letter begins with “This is the Apostle Paul writing.” Remember that the title “apostle” was given to those who were eyewitnesses of Lord Jesus’ ministry. The Apostles were an exclusive group of people who had the unique status of knowing and receiving instruction directly from Lord Jesus first-hand. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:20 that “[the Church is] built on the foundation of [the teachings of] the apostles and prophets.” This is what we mean when we confess that we believe “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church”—the Church is apostolic in the sense that we follow in the teachings of Christ as handed down through the apostles. Paul tells us about his encounter with Christ in Galatians 1:11–2:10. Paul’s point of introducing himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” is not of self-conceit; rather, it is an appeal to the fact that he is speaking as a student of the Messiah Himself. So know it that Paul is ascribed/ranked an Apostle because/on grounds of his direct life encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ on his way…which changed him from an enemy of Christ to a defender of Christ! He adds that his own student, Timothy, is with him and is probably assisting in writing the letter because in verse 3 Paul uses the pronoun “we.” This follows with an address to the recipients who are “saints and faithful brothers.” This is not referring to two groups of people—as in super-spiritual saints and lesser holy believers, No! All of the believers—from young to old—are called saints and faithful brothers and sisters. These are not incidental titles. “Saints” harkens back to Daniel 7:18—the only place where “saints” appears in the Old Testament—and refers to those who inherit the kingdom of God. It is a heavenly reference. “Brothers” is obviously a familial reference. In other words, since we are saints and siblings together, inheriting the kingdom of God is a family affair. Paul notes that the believers are “in Colossae”—their earthly community—and also “in Christ”—their heavenly family. Christians have dual citizenship and will someday see heaven and earth become one (cf. Beale, Colossians, 28). Remember ‘Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven…’ Finally, Paul issues a greeting: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” This is not only a greeting but also the whole point of the letter: to wish grace and peace—or we may say, health and happiness—to this young Church plant. The phrase “and the Lord Jesus Christ,” included in the King James Version, can be found in many good manuscripts but is also absent in equally reliable manuscripts. Greg Beale concludes, “It is harder to explain why a scribe would intentionally or accidentally omit the added phrase rather than why a copyist would add the clause to an original shorter text. In the latter case, it would be irresistible for a scribe to add ‘and [the] Lord Jesus Christ’ in the light of the fact that the introduction of almost every other epistle includes the phrase” (Beale, Colossians, 30). That was why Paul told Timothy to study and approve himself a servant worthy of dividing the word of truth! The Super-Sentence: The beginning of the main body of Paul’s letter contains a typical sentence by Paul: 102 words in the Greek text. In short, this single sentence (in the original text) from verse 4 to verse 8 is an expression of thanks for the Colossians and a commendation of their faith in Christ. But that’s an oversimplification. Paul packs this opening with memories, reports, prayers, and commendations to guide their young faith in the right direction. Obviously our young faith needs to be guided! As a hint for how to break down such a complex sentence, I recommend that you draw a block around each conjunction and circle each preposition. Then take each clause and ask how it relates to the clause(s) before it. For instance, “when” and “since” show time references, and “because” shows causation or purpose. Conjunctions usually answer questions such as how, when, why, where, and what. This is an essential guide for those who wants to know the Bible. “We [b]continually give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), as we are praying for you,” (Col. 1:3). Here is the main thought of the passage: thanksgiving; particularly, thanksgiving for the continued spread of the Gospel through the young Church at Colossae, although Paul himself and Epaphras, the founder of the Church at Colossae, are presently in jail. Do you see that there is a special blessing for those who help to keep Church on during a trial period/time? Sometimes we fail to find something to be grateful for because we are only thinking about ourselves. Paul, Timothy, and their companions are not having a prison pity party. Quite the opposite: they are rejoicing with their brother, Epaphras, for the success of the Gospel through him. This brings us to a critical point about our thanksgiving habits: sometimes we fail to find something to be grateful for because we are only thinking about ourselves rather than looking at the issue holistically. If we—like these incarcerated Christians—stretched our care capacity we would learn that rejoicing at another believer’s successes is a great way of maintaining a grateful attitude (1 Cor. 12:26). “4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [[c]the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] and of the love which you [have and show] for all the saints (God’s consecrated ones),” (Col. 1:4). Here we see that the Colossians are loving God and loving their neighbor. Paul’s comment that the Colossians love “all the saints” is not meant to be taken extensively—all Christians everywhere—but intensively—every Christian that comes across their path (Moo, Colossians, 85). Otherwise, Paul’s use of love would be rather abstract. Notice that Paul is essentially speaking about the Christian love that characterizes the Church. Paul is happy that the Colossians have faith in Christ and are loving one another the way God designed the Church to do. The reason for Paul’s celebration of the Colossians is “5 Because of the hope [of experiencing what is] laid up ([d]reserved and waiting) for you in heaven.” (Col. 5a). The Colossians’ love springs up from their hope (Beale, Colossians, 37). The “hope” that is laid up is not an abstract idea here, but a person—Lord Jesus—and His accomplishment—resurrection. What is stored up for us in the control center of the universe (“heaven”) is eternal life in Christ. Perhaps you are like me when you sit at your computer and wait for something to load. When the little circle appears that shows the progress of a download, I watch it intently and as the dark line moves further along the circle. I imagine what it will be like when it’s complete. In a similar sense, we are awaiting the final “download” of eternal life. It’s happening, but it’s not fully realized yet, and our ‘Hope’ is that assuredly someday this long awaited final eternal life will be realized because He Lord Jesus that gave the Assurance tells no lie! The Colossians are aware of this undisputable fact as Paul says, “Of this [hope] you heard in the past in the message of the truth of the Gospel, 6 Which has come to you. Indeed, in the whole world [that Gospel] is bearing fruit and still is growing [e][by its own inherent power], even as it has done among yourselves ever since the day you first heard and came to know and understand the grace of God in truth. [You came to know the grace or undeserved favor of God in reality, deeply and clearly and thoroughly, becoming accurately and intimately acquainted with it.]” (Col. 5b–6). The Gospel is the word of truth. Paul puts it this way: the Gospel is the central truth of all truth. That is, in the whole realm of facts and reality, at the core is the Gospel. If we have all knowledge but don’t get the Gospel, it profits nothing. One of the skills I have had to develop as a husband and parent is the skill of reading between the lines. When a child comes to me and says, “He hit me,” I know there are several possible intentions: (A) Please get my brother in trouble; (B) I want some attention; (C) When my brother comes and tell you what I did, you’ll understand why; or, likely, (D) all of the above. But I have to tell you: sometimes I don’t get it. In these several verses, Paul is making a single point: Thank God, you guys get it! The Colossians get the whole point of the Gospel, the hope that comes from it, and the love that it motivates in us. Not only that, but “as indeed, in the whole world it [the Gospel] 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” (Col. 1:6). Clearly the Gospel is spreading quickly. The notion of the Gospel bearing fruit and increasing takes us back to Genesis 1 when God gave this mission to mankind—to multiply and fill the earth. Now, the new Adam, Lord Jesus Christ, is doing just that through the spread of the Gospel by the Church. Adam’s children were supposed to fill the earth with the image and glory of God; since they failed at that task, now those who are in the second Adam are called to complete the task. Paul concludes the passage with a commendation of Epaphras. “7 You so learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ in our stead and as our representative and [f]yours.” (Col. 1:7). Epaphras was saved under Paul’s ministry in the Ephesian revival and went back to his hometown of Colossae and planted a Church. How’s that for fruitfulness? No wonder Paul and Timothy were thanking God even from a jail cell! Not only that, but now Epaphras has returned to Ephesus to see his spiritual father, Paul, and was thrown in jail with Paul. “8 Also he has informed us of your love in the [Holy] Spirit.” (Col. 1:8). Undoubtedly, Epaphras was able to share lots of information about the believers in Colossae with Paul during their incarceration. Since Paul didn’t know the Colossians personally, the stories Epaphras told led Paul to believe they were very loving people. This is exactly what we are to be doing facing the challenges head on!

In summary, let’s review the significance of this passage for us today. A healthy/happy person is a thankful person. May God stretch our care capacity so that rejoicing with others becomes a regular part of our Christian experience. Remember, Paul was in jail, yet he found it possible to rejoice because he was genuinely happy about someone else’s success and that even though he is in jail, others are doing the gospel spreading. Although Epaphras was likely saved under Paul’s ministry, and although Paul could have claimed some measure of personal success for the Church at Colossae, Paul mentions nothing about himself in regard to the success of the young Church. As he wrote to the Corinthians (12:26): “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one is honored, all rejoice together.” May God stretch our care capacity so that rejoicing with others becomes a regular part of our Christian experience and work.