Col.1:1-12, Vision Prayer of Year 2023 <Scripture and Sermon summar…

Col.1:1-12, Vision Prayer of Year 2023    <Scripture and Sermon summary>

1:1-12,
1.Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters* in Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—
5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel
6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.
7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our§ behalf,
8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,
10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you†† to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

    The new year, 2023 has begun. I’m going to preach the word of God to Colossians for several months. Colossians is a letter sent by Paul in prison in Rome to the model church, the Colossian Church. This church was founded by his disciple Epaphras (7-8), but at that time they were struggling with various heretical ideologies. They are encouraged to know and live the essence of the gospel, Jesus Christ. Let's listen to the New Year's vision prayer in the text and pray. What kind of vision would we pray for?

1. Let us look to the hope God have stored up in heaven (3-8)
  Paul prays with thanksgiving to God for the Colossian saints (3). They are 'saints' and faithful brothers(2). We are sinners full of transgressions and sins, but we are saints (holy people) because we believe in Jesus Christ. Since we are God's family in Jesus, we are faithful brothers to one another. This is our sinful identity.
  They received the evangelism of the faithful worker Epaphras & had faith (7-8), and love among the saints overflowed (4). The fruit of this faith and love is because they lived with hope in heaven (5-6). What kind of hope? They have the hope that God has stored up in heaven. The hope we have by believing in Jesus is an eternal and perfect hope. It is because it is a hope which God laid up in heaven. So, they set the truth of the gospel (Jesus Christ, God Immanuel) as the standard of life and lived with the hope of eternal heaven. I wish all of us a New Year to set Jesus Christ, the true word of the gospel, as the standard of our lives and live with the eternal hope of heaven.

2. Let us know (know) God's will and do it (life) (9-10)
  Paul prays for the Colossian saints to know (‘knowing’) God and His will and to do (‘living’) (9-10). Knowing God and knowing His will are the right faith. Because faith is believing as much as knowing. It pleases God as much as we know. So it gives glory to God. Paul prays for this. How do we pray? Here we see a good model of prayer. Paul prays. 1) 'since the day we heard about you', that is, he prayed urgently. 2) 'do not cease to pray', that is, he prayed incessantly. 3) ‘ask’, that is, he prayed earnestly. 4) 'We also...for you', that is, we prayed together for communication. Let us also earnestly and ceaselessly unite in prayer in the new year. Jesus tells us to pray together. Mt.18:19,20, “19.Again, truly I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20.Where two or three gather in my name, there am I among them.”
  Paul prays so that they 'may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God’(10). We all diligently seek God and what His will is through His Word and prayer, and I wish you a year of living according to His will.

3. May we be filled with gratitude (10-12)
  Even if we live with hope in heaven, we will suffer in this world. At this time, let us endure with joy and pray for long patience (11). It is the pinnacle of prayer. But I can't stand it and can't endure it. But it is possible with the power of Jesus, the power of glory. The Lord says, 'He who endures to the end will be saved'(Mt.24:13). Paul is also thankful for living like this in prison (1:3,12, 2:7, 3:15-17). Gratitude is the touchstone that confirms whether our faith is true faith. It is like a litmus paper that examines whether we are true Christians or not. Therefore, do not look to the problem, but look to God and give thanks to Him as the true saints. Paul emphasizes giving thanks in every verse in 3:15-17. “15. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Be thankful also. 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another in all wisdom, psalms and psalms. Sing hymns and spiritual songs, praising God with a grateful heart. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Those who live with the hope of heaven do not despair or get frustrated. Longing for heaven and eternal inheritance (Jesus Christ) (12). Prayer and gratitude always go together. There is a meditation article called <Praying>.
  When I look back, I am alone, but when I pray, God accompanies me.
  I don't have anything, but I pray and heaven is mine.
  Even though I am weak, when I pray I am God's children.
  Everywhere is blocked, but if I pray, the heaven's gate will open.
  The world is desolate, but when I pray I have eternal life and peace.
  I think I did it, but it turned out that God, who works together for good, did it.
  It was 2022 that ran hard, but Lord, thank you and thank you. Amen.

    Paul gives thanks to the Colossian saints for their work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in Jesus (Cf, the triple virtue of Christianity=1Thes.1:3, “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”). The seed of the gospel(Jesus) planted in the church in Colossae bore the fruit of faith, love, and hope.
  Let us all pray the prayer of Paul's vision for the Colosse church in Jesus who is the new year's life. 1) Let us look to the hope of heaven. 2) Let us know and do God and His will, 3) Let us be filled with gratitude. Amen.