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PRAYER AND THE AVERAGE CHRISTIAN
COLOSSIANS 1:9-14
 
Pastor Stephen Muncherian
February 14, 1999

Years ago I worked in an American church as an interim choir director. At each rehearsal we would spend time in prayer together. As the choir members shared, the prayer requests usually fell into four basic categories: 1) Salvation for a lost person; 2) Restoration of someone who had turned away from the faith; 3) Some health need; and 4) Some crisis situation - usually involving someone else.

At Bible studies - prayer meetings - whenever there is a request for prayer - usually those 4 basic categories of requests remain constant. So, how are we suppose to pray for the average Christian who’s not sick and is spiritually growing?

Each week we have a list on the back page of our bulletin - the Prayer and Renewal page. Listed on that page are our families of the week. Each week I call these families - and more times than not - those I’m talking to seem confused.

They say, “Pastor, thank you very much for praying for us. But I can’t think of anything to pray for. We’re all fine.” As if there has to be some major crisis so that its okay to pray for them.

This morning I invite you to turn with me to Colossians 1:9-14 - and we’re going to look together at what the Apostle Paul says about prayer and the average Christian.

Colossians 1:9-14:  And so, from the day we heard of it - it meaning the exemplary life in Jesus that the Colossian church was living - And so, since the day we heard of it, 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, to lead a life 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 us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.  He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Paul focuses his prayer in four areas. First, that the Colossians would grow in:

1. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WILL - verse 9

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.

Understanding God’s will doesn’t work that way. Understanding God’s will comes through a deepening relationship with God. As we seek God He reveals His will to us.

What Paul is praying for is not just that we intellectually understand God’s will for our lives - a head knowledge of God - but a heart knowledge.

There are a tremendous number of theologians who know all about God - they write treatises and papers and books and dissertations and give lectures and have a wonderful intellectual understanding about God. But they don’t know God and His will for them.

There are people sitting in churches each week - they listen to the message and get something to think about and to keep them going through the next week - they observe the service and are moved by the music - they think about the sanctuary and the aesthetics of worship - its an intellectual experience - even moving the heart. They can tell you all about God and how to know Him. But, they don’t know God and His will for their lives. Because, they’ve never given their heart to God by trusting in Jesus as their Savior - they don’t have a personal - deepening - heart - relationship with God.

An intellectual understanding of God is important - the study of His word - doctrine and theology. But Paul’s prayer goes beyond this - to the heart. His prayer is that the Colossian believers would grow in their heart knowledge of God - to deepen their personal relationship with Him.

Paul prays that the Colossians would have the right kind of knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That only comes when we have a growing - deepening - relationship with God.

Secondly, Paul prays that the Colossian believers would:

2. LEAD A LIFE PLEASING TO GOD - verse 10

Knowledge is exploding at a rate of more than 2,000 pages a minute. If you could read 24 hours a day - from age 21 to 70 - and retain all you read - you’d be 1½ million years behind when you finished.

We live in the information age - where knowledge is king. About 10 years ago I bought a computer with a 90 megabyte hard drive. Back then that was a lot. Now computers store gigabytes of information. It’s amazing how much information can be stored on these little disks. But what’s the point?

If all this knowledge and information never gives us insight into our lives or does anybody else any good - what’s the point of have the capacity? Without a willingness to be touched personally by what we learn - it profits us nothing.

For the Christian, the purpose of knowledge is to live a life pleasing to God. In verse 10, Paul tells us that when we are filled with the knowledge of God’s will we must then “lead a life worthy of the Lord - fully pleasing to Him.”

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. We are called to excellence and holiness and righteousness and the giving of everything that we are in service to God.

Knowledge - what we learn from God - tells us how to please God - God’s expectations of us. Paul prays that the Colossians would “bear fruit” - the good works that we do - through the conversations we have - the thoughts we think - the simple kindness we show in His name - sharing His Gospel - the Godly character and quality of our lives. And Paul prays that they will “increase in the knowledge of God” - learning what pleases God so we can do it.

We need to pray for each other in this. And ask ourselves, “Am I settling for second best? Or, am I learning how to please God? Is my life fruitful for Him?”

Thirdly, Paul prays that the Colossians would:

3. LIVE LIFE IN GOD’S STRENGTH - verse 11

Verse 11:  May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,

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.

Joseph De Veuster arrived in Honolulu Hawaii on March 19, 1864. On May 31st He was ordained in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu and became known as Father Damien.

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 can pray for each other - to rely on God’s strength - that He would give us the patience and endurance - to joyfully do what He has called us to do for Him.

Fourthly, Paul prays that the Colossians would:

4. LIVE WITH GRATITUDE FOR THEIR SALVATION - verses 12-14

Years ago the citizens of Feldkirch, Austria were in real trouble. Napoleon's massive army was preparing to attack and the people didn’t know what to do. Soldiers had been spotted on the heights above the little town - situated on the Austrian border. A council of citizens was quickly put together to decide whether they should try to defend themselves or display the white flag of surrender. It happened to be Easter Sunday, and the people had gathered in the local church.

The pastor rose and said, "Friends, we have been counting on our own strength, and apparently that has failed. As this is the day of our Lord's resurrection, let us just ring the bells, have our services as usual, and leave the matter in His hands. We know only our weakness, and not the power of God to defend us." In other words - let’s go on praising and worshipping God.

The council accepted his plan and the church bells rang. Napoleon’s army - hearing the bells - concluded that the Austrian army had arrived during the night to defend the town. Before the service ended, the enemy broke camp and left.

In verses 12-14 Paul lists 3 things to praise God for: 1) He has made us fit to be inheritors of His kingdom; 2) He has delivered us from bondage to the darkness and evil of this world and transferred us into His Kingdom; and 3) He has forgiven us.

Satan hates it when we praise God. We testify of God when we praise Him. Praise changes us - changes our circumstances - focuses our hearts on God. No matter what our circumstances - no matter the enemy we face - we can praise God - and be reminded of His work in our lives.

We can pray for each other that we will be people of praise - boasting in the salvation and life that is our in Jesus.

Prayer and the average Christian. Paul prayed that the Colossians would know God’s will so that they could walk with Him - within His will and strength - living lives pleasing to Him - living lives of praise. That’s a prayer that we can pray for each other.