This morning we’re beginning a study of Paul’s letter to the Colossians - a study that we’re going to be in for the next several Sundays.  You’ll notice that our title for our series is “Got Truth?”  Which is the short two word version of Paul’s main point in this letter.  Which - bottom line - is about our worldview and what we base our worldview on.

Most people probably haven’t spent a whole lot of time thinking through a personal systematic theology or trying to articulate some personal philosophy.  But everyone has a worldview.

A worldview - at its basic simple core - a worldview is what allows to think at all.  Our worldview is how we deal with simple things like “Where did I leave my car keys?” to profound things like “Who am I?”  The framework of how we process all that is our worldview.

James Sire - a Christian author - speaker - former editor for InterVarsity Press - James Sire writes that a worldview is essentially “...a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed… in a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) that we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic constitution of reality, and that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being.”  (1)

Are we tracking?  Our worldview is how we view the world and ourselves in the world.  How we make the decisions on how we do life.

Meaning that if our worldview is messed up then how we do life is going to be messed up - epic ongoing failure.  Or - the reverse that - if our worldview is a good worldview then we’re going be living a life that’s purposeful - fulfilling - enviable - everything that life can be.

Which is what’s behind Paul’s theme “Got Truth?”

It is really really... really important that we base our worldview on something that’s worth basing our worldview on.

Verses like Psalm 119:160  “The sum of your word is truth” or Jesus’ declaration about Himself - John 14:6:  “I am the truth” - are God speaking to us that the basis of our worldview - how we do life - must be the truth of His word - both written and in His Son Jesus.  That truth is the foundational truth needed to having a healthy worldview - foundational to doing life the way life was created to be done.

The Bible assumes the existence of the one eternal holy sovereign God - creator of whatever exists and that that one eternal holy sovereign creator God is personal - desires to be known by us - communicates to us what it means to have a relationship with Him and - in fact - He Himself establishes the only basis by which that relationship is possible.  All of which is revealed to us in Jesus Christ - in His taking on being human - His birth into humanity - His life - His death - His resurrection. 

In short:  The truth of the Gospel - what it means to live life God’s way.

Where Paul is coming from - writing to the Colossians - is that they know God’s truth.  But - thinking about where they were living their lives - and the world we live our lives in today - there were and are a ton of competing world views.

Some of those views acknowledge the spiritual - the divine - whether personal or impersonal - one god or many gods - all things are god.  Some deny the spiritual or divine - atheism - secular humanism and only matter exists - post-modernism with Nietzsche: “God is dead” - reality is based on what a human thinks or believes.  There is no universal truth or absolutes.  And people are getting by on some of those.

We’re constantly bombarded with these viewpoints and so called truths - competing and confusing - sometimes subtly - as we go through life that we’re getting saturated with how the world thinks about things.  All that can easily get us off track and really really… really mess us up.

Let’s be clear.  Any other basis for a worldview other than God’s truth is a worldview that’s moving in a totally opposite direction through life than towards God and what God has for us in life.

Paul is writing this letter to the Colossians to encourage them - and us - to encourage them to stay on track.  Over and over - as we go through this letter - over and over Paul is going to give us truth - God’s truth - and then encourage us to stay focused on that truth.  Here’s what God’s truth looks like.  Here’s what living God’s way can look like in the day to day places of where we do life.

That’s Colossians.  God truth?  Do you know the truth?  Are you living by the truth?  This is what God’s truth looks like in the real time of our lives.

Join me:  Colossians 1 - starting at verse 1 - this is Paul’s “Dear Colossians howdy” - Paul’s Greeting.  Let’s read this together:  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

It is about 62 AD.  Paul is in Rome.  He’s a prisoner - under arrest in Rome.  While he’s in prison Paul writes this letter to the church in Colossae - which is a city about 1,200 miles east of Rome in what is now western Turkey.

Colossae is kind of a backwater place located in the Lychus Valley.  It used to be on a major trade route - wealthy with an upwardly mobile population.  But the main road got moved.  So, Colossae took a huge hit economically.  In Paul’s day it was an insignificant market town.  Some of that should sound familiar:  Think central valley ag town struggling economically. 

Paul introduces himself as “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.”  Which is a pretty impressive top down authoritative - requires gobs of respect - heavy handed title - way to introduce yourself.  “Paul - hand picked by God almighty - creator and sustainer of the everything - author of our salvation - Paul chosen by God - according to His will and eternal purposes - for God’s unique and special ministry as God’s at large ambassador to the world.”  Impressive.

You may remember back a few Sundays - on Christmas - when we looked at Paul’s letter to Philemon - which was written about the same time as Colossians - Paul in prison in Rome - Paul introduces himself way differently.  In Philemon, Paul’s greeting is all about being a prisoner and a fellow servant and a dear brother in Christ - warm fuzzy - we are the family of God -  feelings.

Paul’s greeting sets the tone for the letter.  This is serious.  Powerful.  Life transforming.  Paul is going to lay some deep theology on us.  Lay out some heavy doctrine.  Lay it on the line with some truth that we need to grab onto - to live out in our lives.  And he - Paul - has the authority and background and calling to do all that.

Paul’s greeting is about waking us up to the magnitude of the message.  Paul cutting through the noise of all those competing worldviews to the truth we must hear and live by.  Wake up.  Don’t read this on autopilot.

Going on.  Read with me verses 3 to 8:  We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.  Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.  He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Let’s do some unpacking.  These verses focus on What Paul Heard.

The Colossian church - most probably - was planted by a man named Epaphras - who Paul describes here as “our beloved fellow servant.” 

Epaphras was the man who started it all.  He was a native of Colossae who had been in Ephesus.  Ephesus being a port city about 100 miles west of Colossae.  Epaphras had been to Ephesus and had been taught by Paul himself.

Paul for about two years had been teaching in the school Tyrannus - there in Ephesus.  Epaphras may have been led to Jesus by Paul.  He was discipled by Paul.  Someone who had worked side-by-side with Paul. 

Then Epaphras - and the others who’d been discipled by Paul - they went out from Ephesus and took the Gospel all over Asia.  Epaphras - who was originally from Colossae - came back to Colossae and began to instruct people in the Gospel - began the Colossian church.

Epaphras was someone you wanted on your team - to serve with you.  He was a man who was known for his commitment to Jesus - to the ministry - not only in Colossae - but also in places like Hierapolis and Laodicea - which were cities near Colossae.  He was known as a man of prayer.  He worked hard with those churches - serving - raising support - leading prayer - teaching.      

All of which is part of what Paul means in verse 4 “we heard.” 

Epaphras - beloved fellow servant of Paul and the Colossian Christians - Epaphras went to Rome to be with Paul.  As far as we know Paul never actually went to Colossae.  What he knows he knows because of Epaphras.  Epaphras who is in Rome bragging on the Colossians - cluing Paul in on what’s going on in Colossae.  Paul writes, we thank God when we pray for you because of what we’ve heard from Epaphras. 

Three words that describe what Paul heard - what Paul is thanking God for. 

First word:  Faith.  we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus

Hebrews 11:1 - definition of faith:  “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” 

Faith is trusting God when we have no clue about what comes next.  Faith is about trusting God even if we think we have a clue about what comes next.  Right?

Faith isn’t about our figuring things out and then asking God to join us in the journey.  Faith is about our moment by moment 24/7/365 commitment to trusting God with everything - period.  Because God is the only One worthy of such trust.

Whatever was going on in Colossae - economically if anything - these believers where hanging in there trusting that God had it covered.  The Colossians had faith in God.

Second word:  Love.  the love that you have for all the saints

Remember Philemon and Onesimus who were from… Colossae?  Paul’s letter to Philemon.  Two very different people.  Philemon the master.  Onesimus his run away slave.  Now loving brothers in Christ sitting on the same pew together - singing the same hymns - praising the same Savior - servants of the same Master.

These Colossians had love because of Jesus.  Everybody in the church was loved - not just the attractive people - or their friends or relatives - or the popular people that everybody liked to be around.  All the saints were loved - the shy - the awkward - the backward people - the wounded - the wealthy - the poor - people 1 sandwich shy of a picnic.  Everyone.  There were no outcasts.

All the saints were welcomed and loved.  Something that the Colossian church was known by and appreciated for.  What Creekside is known for - being a family of Christians that genuinely care about each other.

Third word:  Hope.  because of the hope laid up for you in heaven

Jesus said - Matthew 28:20:  “I am with you always [even] to the end of the age.”  In John 14, Jesus tells his disciples. “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.”  (John 14:1)

Hope is all through the Bible.  Hope is the good news that right now - whatever we might be facing - in a moment of weakness - danger - or hopelessness - if we’re feeling defeated - alone - betrayed - tempted to immorality and sin - Jesus makes Himself available to us.  His strength - His wisdom - His grace and forgiveness - to strengthen us and to help us to go on.  Its the hope - found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ - which sustains us today and for eternity.

Whatever was going on in Colossae they had hope.  Hope for today and hope for what God had in store for them - laid up for them - in eternity.

That’s how they’re living in Colossae - Faith, love, hope.  That’s a worldview in real time - a commitment to way of doing life.

Do you see the basis of that?  Verse 5?  Its what they’ve heard in the word of truth - the gospel.

Then Paul writes - verse 6 - you heard it and understood the grace of God in that truth.  Verse 7 - you learned it from Epaphras. 

Heard - in Greek - the word has the idea of… hearing something.  Understanding takes that hearing to the next level.  Understanding - the word in Greek - has the idea of knowing something because we’ve experienced it.  Learning also has that idea.  Learning by doing.

Parents and teachers - anyone interested in mentoring generation next - will get this.  Teaching - on one level - is about learning how to cut and paste and taking in knowledge.  But teaching goes way beyond the gathering of empirical knowledge and basic skills.

As a teacher - as a parent - as a discipler - there’s a relationship you have with your students that’s more than a teacher - student relationship.  Your students respond to you and respect your guidance because they know that you care about them - who they are as a person.  In a very real sense - any good teacher cares about their students learning to do life.  Right?

When Paul writes about hearing and understanding and learning God’s truth - he means more than just intellectually knowing about God - “The Man upstairs” - that He exists.  Paul is saying that these Colossians have grown to deeply know God - not as some wise being out there someplace - but to deeply know God who genuinely - graciously - lovingly - cares about them - about us.

That’s what they’ve been learning from Epaphras.  Learning what the truth of the gospel can mean for them in the day-to-day of life.  Because they’ve seen it in his life and relationship with God and in his love and concern for them.  Epaphras learning to live by faith and with love and in hope.

That doesn’t mean that Epaphras is the perfect Christian.  I’m sure he had his moments like the rest of us.  None of us is perfect.  Amen?  But, learning has to do with life to life transference - understanding at the heart level what it means to live by the truth of Gospel.

Are we grabbing that?  The more deeply we know God - the more we will see life as He sees it.  Our relationship with God is going to determine how we view ourselves and the world we live in and if we’re going to approach situations with His wisdom and understanding - to respond with faith and love and hope.

The evidence - Paul writes - that all that has taken root in the Colossians - their worldview - is in how they’re doing life.  The evidence is in the fruit - what’s being produced by the Holy Spirit.  The testimony of the Gospel is being seen being lived in and through them.  People are coming to Jesus.  Lives are being transformed.  The Kingdom of God is moving forward in Colossae.  They are an integral part of what God is doing all over the world.

Bottom line:  Paul writes - when I hear about what’s going on there - while I’m praying for you - I’m continually thanking God - praising God.  I am excited to hear of what God is doing in you and through you to His glory.  You Got Truth!  Praise God!

May the same be said of us.  Amen?

Let’s go on.  Verses 9 to 14 are What Paul Prayed for the Colossians.

Which kinda raises the curiosity level a tad.  Doesn’t it?  What could a prisoner in Rome - chained to a Roman guard - God’s super spiritual apostle at large to the world - possibly continually pray for a church that’s totally on fire for God - seemingly doing everything right?

Would you read with me verses 9 to 14:  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, 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.  May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The words “and so” have the idea “because of.”  Because of what we’ve heard.  Paul writes that since the day we heard about what was going on with the Colossians “we have not ceased to pray” for the Colossians.  There is a sense of ongoing urgency in that:  crucial - immediate - ongoing - concern.

It would be so easy for the Colossians - and us - Got Truth - with everything going good - to settle for status quo and worldview that is far less than what God has for us as His children.  Point being that as good as things may be its always easy for us to get off track.

Thinking that through - is there anything in what Paul prays that we can learn from as we pray for each other here at Creekside?  Are crucial issues that we should be constantly praying for each other.

Paul focuses on four major areas of concern:

First, that God would fill the Colossians with the knowledge of His will.

How many of you remember the Groucho Marx program “You Bet Your Life”?  That’s really dating a few people.  When was that around?  In the 50’s?  The whole premise was that Groucho Marx would interview a couple and during the conversation if they said the secret word then a duck would come down holding the word and the couple would win a prize.

There are a lot of times I’ve wished that understanding the will of God was like that.  Say the right word - pray the right prayer - and an angel drops down from heaven with the will of God for my life written on a 3x5 card.  Knowledge of God’s will doesn’t work that way.  At least not for most of us.

We need to be clear.  Knowledge of God’s will is not some kind of bucket list of things that God wills for us to do.  A lot of our prayers are like that.  What should I do today?  Where should I go?  Should I buy the Prius or the used Chevy Vega?  Cart before the horse type of praying. 

Let’s be clear - when we’re coming to God with our bucket list of how we want God to perform for us then the focus on our prayer is on us.  What we’re after is a vending machine God - where we put in a prayer and out comes and answer.  All that is succumbing to the world’s view of what God is not God’s view of who we are and how God desires for us to live in His creation.

Paul gives us two ways to come to a knowledge of God’s will.

Paul writes about spiritual wisdom.  Spiritual wisdom comes from the Spirit.  Its a God thing.  Not something that comes from the natural mind of man.  Spiritual wisdom is God’s insight into human life.  In a sense - God’s worldview.

That’s not intellectual knowledge.  That God inspired spiritual wisdom comes to a heart longing to go deeper with God.  That’s job one.  First we need to seek God - to pursue understanding ourselves and our world and how the world functions from the worldview of God.  What does God think about life?

Then Paul writes about “understanding” - which is the application of the wisdom we’re learning from God - the application of that spiritual wisdom to the specific circumstances we’re going through. 

Its crucial that we understand that.  Going on in Paul’s prayer - as we move through this prayer - being filled with the knowledge of his will with spiritual wisdom and understanding is foundational to the rest of what Paul prays.  You’ll notice that that order is reflected in the way the Message Notes are laid out.

Meaning having - and maintaining - a based on God’s truth worldview means that priority one - our chief aim - our ongoing desire - is not to first pursue a bucket list - our self-focused worldview - but to relentlessly pursue God.  Doing that is foundational to staying on track with God - doing life God’s way.

Second - Paul prays that the Colossian believers would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.

Lately I’ve been watching a lot of Junior High girl’s basketball.  Go Huskies!  Maybe you’re ahead of me on this - but have you noticed that  there are a lot of similarities between Junior High girl’s basketball and the NBA.

Seriously - what a person needs to know - their knowledge of the game - is basically the same.  Basic offense means the ball goes through the hoop and you win.  Basic defense is about keeping the other team from executing basic offense.  (We’ll hope the Niners can do both of those today.)

The difference - of course - is experience.  What goes way beyond reading a book about basketball - or watching other people play the game - intellectually knowing about basketball.  The difference is what comes from the experience of actually playing basketball.  And there is a tad of difference of experience between Junior High girl’s basketball and the NBA.

In verse 10, Paul tells us that when we’re filled with the knowledge of God’s will then we are to “lead a life worthy of the Lord - fully pleasing to Him.”  God gives us knowledge about Himself and His will so that we can live in obedience to Him - to do those things that please Him - and honor Him - to live in a manner worthy of our Lord. 

There’s an important point here.  A parent will sometimes be pleased with their child even when - objectively speaking - the child hasn’t done anything to be pleased about.  Have you heard this?  “That’s my boy!” they’ll say.  He’s playing the saxiphone and he can’t get one note out of ten right.  But when he gets the eleventh note right they say, “That’s my boy.  He’s great!  He ought to be in the band!”  What they’re doing is being sentimental.  They’re pleased with their child because they have so much love in their heart for him.

Sometimes we think God is like that.  He’s loving and merciful and He’ll be pleased with anything.  After all God sent Jesus - knowing the worst about us.  Our lives may be a waste but God loves us anyway.  We can pick and choose our level of commitment and dedication to God and He’ll be just as pleased with us.

But the Bible doesn’t say that.  It says that when we live a life worthy of Him, He’s pleased with it.  Anything doesn’t go.

Life is about… God.  Not us.  We need to grab God’s worldview of life.  We are called to excellence and holiness and righteousness and the giving of everything that we are in service to God.

Third - Paul prays that - as we come to spiritually understand God’s will so as to pursue what pleases God - that God will lead us in bearing fruit in every good work.

“Fruit” - is the good works that we do - through the conversations we have - the thoughts we think - the simple kindness we show others - sharing His Gospel - the Godly character and quality of our lives coming out it the things we do.

Let’s be careful.  Notice in verse 10 that Paul ties together bearing good fruit and increasing in the knowledge of God.  The fruit is good - not because of us - but because of God - Who is good - producing His fruit in our lives.

Grab the process:  Pursue God - learn about God - know what pleases God - produce good fruit - increasing in knowledge of God means increasing in our production of good fruit - fruit that’s according to God’s will - God’s purposes.  Fruit that’s God inspired - God pleasing - God glorifying.

Here’s the point:  We’re not end users of what God blesses us with.  As we pursue God - and as God blesses us with an ever deepening experiencing God relationship with Him - all that is for His glory not ours.  Life is about… God.  Worldview.

Fruit - good fruit - is about serving God so that others will come to know Him through Jesus and grow in their relationship with Him.

Fourth Paul prays:  May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,

Someone here - I will not say who - gave me a book written by Willie and Korie Robertson:  The Duck Commander Family.

The power of God produces endurance and patience with joy.  In other words - as we walk before Him - and with Him - and rely on Him - He gives us the power and the strength to be patient and endure - to do what He has called us to do - and to do it with joy.

Joy comes from realizing that God is with us - our sustainer - our redeemer - our Savior.  God is the One who’s delivered us - from bondage to our sins and Satan’s world of darkness and a worldview of hopelessness and despair.  God who’s taken us from all that and transferred us in to the kingdom of His beloved Son.  Given us life - now and forever with Him - a totally different truth to base our lives upon.

God is the One who makes life work - who has and will supply all that we need for life.  Not us - Him.

In 1873 - at his request - at the age of 33 - Father Damien was sent to the leper colony on Molokai.  At the time there were 600 lepers in the colony.  Living without hope they were corrupt, debased, immoral and filthy.

For a long time Father Damien was the only one to help them.  He dressed their ulcers - cleaned and bandaged their rotting flesh - helped them build their homes - even dug their graves and made their coffins.  During this time he endured the persecution of his peers who couldn’t understand his selfless and devoted nature.

Father Damien built a church on Molokai and conducted services of hope for the residents.  He began each service with the words, “My fellow brethren.”

In 1885, he began his service with the words, “My fellow lepers.”  Father Damien died on April 15, 1889 of leprosy - after 15 years of service in the name of Jesus to the lepers on Molokai.

We’ve got truth.  That’s good.  May we learn to live by God’s truth.  We need to pray for each other - to pursue God - to know Him more deeply - to live pleasing to Him - for Him to produce His fruit in us - to learn to rely on His strength - that He would give us the patience and endurance - to joyfully do what He has called us to do for Him.

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1. James Sire:  The Universe Next Door, InterVarsity Press, 5th Edition

2. Willie & Korie Robertson, The Duck Commander Family, Howard Books, 2012