God’s Word at Work

Transcript

GRM 882
1/11/2004
God’s Word at Work
Colossians 1:5-8
Gil Rugh

I want to direct your attention back to the book of Colossians chapter 1. The book of Colossians is related to the book of Ephesians, they would be what we might call sister churches. They are located in the same basic area of the world in Asia Minor. While Paul had not been personally to the city of Colossae, and he was not the one who had started the church, he had ministered in the region, having spent an extensive ministry in the city of Ephesus. Evidently while he was in Ephesus fellow workers working with Paul carried the gospel out to the surrounding region. One of those fellow workers was a man named Epaphras mentioned in verse 7, who himself was from Colossae and was used of God to carry the gospel to that city. As a result of his ministry of the Word there the people were saved, and a church was established.

Paul was in prison as he writes to the Colossians, and he had heard a good report from Epaphras. Epaphras has shared how the Word has worked among the believers at Colosse, and how they have come to love the Apostle Paul also. In verse 8, “he informed us of your love in the Spirit.” This is the motivation for the letter that Paul is writing, encourage them, build them up, strengthen them in their new life in Christ. As often is Paul’s practice, he begins by talking about his prayer life for the people he is writing to and he does that with the Colossians. He’s never been there, he’s never met them, but he says I pray diligently for you. You are a regular part of my prayer life. In verse 3 he said “We give thanks to God, praying always for you.” Perhaps better, we always give thanks to God, praying for you. In other words, every time I am praying for you my heart is filled with gratitude to God for you. Now he doesn’t know them personally, he’s not involved with them to know the problems of their lives individually, what particular physical afflictions they might have, what personal difficulties they are struggling with, what family problems there are. But that does not keep him from praying for them, giving thanks to God for them, because he knows something of the work that God has done in their lives. He’s heard something of the testimony concerning them. His prayers for them focus on the graciousness of God working in them, and his desire for their continued growth.

This prayer, really the subject of prayer, comes from verse 3 down through verse 14 and there are two sentences as Paul wrote it in the Greek text. Verses 3-8 form the first sentence, and verses 9-14 form the second sentence. They are long, complicated sentences. I’m reminded as I work through the scripture, how blest we are to have our own Bibles, be able to open our Bible and follow along. You know in the church at Colossae, when this letter from Paul was read to them, they wouldn’t have had their own copies, nor would they have had the nice advanced writing materials to take as copious notes as they could. They’d be sitting there listening and you would have a long sentence beginning as we have it with verse 3 down through verse 8 read. It’s like Paul takes a breath and then he starts another sentence in verse 9 and writes one long sentence down through verse 14. You know when you’re going to teach your children reading, they start out with Spot bit Dick. Dick hit Jane. Nice, simple subject, verb, object, that’s the sentences. Because we say they can’t follow if it gets too complicated. But here are these relatively young believers in Christ and Paul is writing to them of the depths of the theology that they need to understand, and he’s not “dumbing it down.” Because he knows that God is at work in their lives and as the children of God, they have the Spirit of God to take the truth of God, and as they hear it and submit to it, it is built into their lives.

He thanked God for their faith in verse 4, their love in verse 4 and their hope in verse 5. Faith, love and hope. Their hope is focused on the treasure that is laid up for them in heaven. Their hope is what God has promised for them as the culmination and completion of their salvation, the glory of His presence. They heard about this hope, they heard about Jesus Christ in whom they have believed, His love for them and now the love that is produced in them for others. They heard of all of this, at the end of verse 5, in the word of truth, the gospel. They heard the word of truth. The word of truth is the gospel, the gospel is the word of truth. There is absolute truth, that which is true, has been true, will be true, is unchanging. That is the Word of God.

We looked at some of the passages in scripture that refer to God’s Word as truth. God’s Word is truth because it partakes of God’s character. Remember Jesus said in John 14, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” He is the truth, He is the God who cannot lie, so everything He says is true, it’s truth. That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 5, “heaven and earth will pass away, my words will not pass away.” The Word of God stands forever. Psalm 119:89, which we read last time, “forever O Lord your word is settled in heaven.” There is finality. People hear this, they can reject it, they can scorn it, they can refuse to believe it, but they cannot alter the fact that it is truth. Every single detail of what is said here will transpire as it is given. You heard of this in the word of truth, the gospel. The gospel is that focus on the message concerning Jesus Christ and the truth concerning Christ which brought salvation to their hearts when they heard and believed. Now they continue to live their life of faith, manifesting the love of God in their relationship with others, living for the hope that is promised to them in the glories of heaven.

Now Paul is in the midst of a sentence, and we broke off in that sentence at the end of verse 5, as he mentioned that they had heard the word of truth, the gospel. That’s how they could be saved, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. This gospel, this word of truth, verse 6, “Which has come to you just as in all the world. Also, it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing.” Came to you the same way it has come to the rest of the world, and it’s doing the same thing in you that it does wherever it is preached. It has come to you just as in all the world also. The gospel, the Word of God, is universal in its character. The gospel which came to Colossae is the same gospel which goes to Rome. It’s the same gospel preached in Palestine. God’s truth is truth wherever it is proclaimed. The message of Christ is the message of salvation for the whole world. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, in order that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Back to the book of Acts chapter 4. We live in a day of pluralism, of tolerance, and the way these things are defined turns everything upside down. I believe in freedom of religion; I think we should be tolerant. In other words, I do not believe we ought to force people to believe or practice what we do, and I accept the fact they are free to practice their religious convictions and beliefs. But we’ve crossed the line. We say to be tolerant means you not only have to accept the fact that they differ from you, but you cannot oppose them, you cannot criticize them, you cannot say they are wrong. All you can say is this is truth for me. No, the Bible says, this is truth. Anyone who disagrees with truth is in error. Anyone who believes anything other than the truth is believing that which is false. People say you’re intolerant. No. If you want to believe something different, that’s your right, that’s your privilege, but you’re wrong. In more recent days that it has come to believe if you’re tolerant that means you say that everything everybody else believes is just as true as what you believe. There is absolute truth, the truth is in the Word of God.

Look at Acts chapter 4 verse 12, see how clearly the Bible states it. “And there is salvation in no one else.” The one he is talking about is Jesus Christ, the Nazarene. Verse 10, “whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.” Verse 11, “He is the stone which was rejected.” Verse 12, “There is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” You’ll note the scope of this, as well as the narrowness. There is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved. There is no one else, and yet it is for people everywhere. Wherever you are under heaven, this is the one who has been provided. That is why it is essential for people in this city to hear the message of Christ, for people across this country to hear the message of Christ, for people around the world to hear the message of Christ. For there is salvation in no one else. Now people have tried to blur the issue and say well that’s true, but you understand those who worship Allah, who call on the name of Allah are really calling on the name of the same God as we are, just using a different title. Wrong. Jesus Christ is the only one, the truth concerning Him, He as the Son of God, God in the flesh, the one who died on the cross is the only savior. Almighty God has declared in Acts 4:12, “There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” So that’s what Paul is reminding the Colossians of. It’s the same message that has come to you as has come to the rest of the world.

Back to Colossians chapter 1. It’s important that we grasp this as God’s people and not be intimidated by the world. We get afraid, oh people are going to say we are too narrow, people are going to say we are intolerant, we’re not loving, we’re unkind. Well people can lie. But we can’t stop telling the truth because other people lie. The truth is, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” John 3:16. He has made provision for you, but no, you cannot do it your own way. It is narrow, but I didn’t make it that narrow. God made it that narrow. But it is broad, and I didn’t make it that broad. God did. It is only through Christ, but it is for everyone anywhere in the world who will place their faith in Christ. The provision is made.

Note in verse 6, “this word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you just as in all the world also. It is constantly bearing fruit and increasing.” Beautiful thing about the Word of God, it is dynamic, it is alive. The book of Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 says the “Word of God is living and active, alive and powerful.” Matthew chapter 13 and Mark chapter 4, Jesus told the parable of the soils, and the heart of man is pictured as ground and the seed is sown on the ground of the heart. Depending on the condition of the heart, different results happen. The seed is the Word of God, and the Word of God is given forth and is heard. It falls on different kinds of hearts and minds. But there is life and power in the seed, and when there is a receptive soil the Word of God springs up. You go out and put a seed on a stone, nothing happens. But you plant that seed in fertile ground and the seed has life, it germinates, produces. That’s the way the Word of God is. The Word of God is alive and powerful, and it works in mighty ways.

We say this is basic truth. It is. But it’s truth that we are in danger of abandoning as the Church of Jesus Christ today. Come back to Isaiah chapter 55. This is a chapter of God’s grace in salvation. It opens up in verse 1, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. You who have no money, come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money, without cost.” Down in verse 6, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord and He will have compassion on him, and to our God for He will abundantly pardon.” You see there is no charge, it’s free. Come and receive life, come and be forgiven and cleansed. Turn in your unrighteousness for the righteousness of God Himself. He will have compassion, He will pardon. It’s a gracious invitation. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways declares the Lord. For as heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, (now note verse 11), so will my Word be which goes forth from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Tremendous statement of the living God. His Word never fails to accomplish His purposes, because God cannot fail and when He speaks His Word, it goes forth and it always does what He wants it to do. You would say Amen, I believe that. But you know what is happening to the church of Jesus Christ today? I’m talking about the evangelical church; the church generally has abandoned the Word of God and makes no profession. We have a ministerial in this city and it’s comprised of a variety of Protestant churches and Hindus and Bahais and everybody else under the sun. All get together. I’m not talking about those groups who have abandoned the Word of God or never believed in it. I’m talking about evangelicals who claim to believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, that salvation is only by faith in Jesus Christ. But you know we have come to the conclusion that people do not want to hear the Word of God and so we must offer them what they want. We must alter the ministry of the church so people are more comfortable and want to come, and if they don’t want to hear the Word of God, we must make alterations. We’re not going to deny the Word of God, we’re not going to turn our back on the Word of God. We’re just going to minimize it. Do I really believe that the Word of God accomplishes God’s purposes every time I give it forth? Do you really believe that every time you share the message of Jesus Christ God’s purposes are accomplished with that Word? Well, sometimes people get hostile, sometimes people reject it. Well, we are a savor of life to life and death to death, Paul wrote to the Corinthians and that is pleasing to God. So that means it accomplished His purposes. It always accomplishes His purposes. “So will my Word be which goes forth from my mouth. It will not return to Me empty without accomplishing what I desire, without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it,” Isaiah 55:12. We have a Word that is alive and powerful. We talked about in our study of I Timothy that the church is the pillar and support of the truth. One thing people ought to find as they come to the fellowship of the church, is that they are overwhelmed with truth. It oughtn’t to form a little small tidbit of the service. God, we turn loose your truth. Prayer as I prepare to preach is Lord, first use your Word in my heart and life; Lord, I need to be submissive to this Word and have it be part and parcel of my life; and Lord as I give forth this Word only you can make it alive and powerful in the hearts of the hearers. Only you can work your purposes with your Word and turn loose the Word of God for the accomplishing of the purposes of God.

Come back to Colossians chapter 1. We need nothing else. The Word of God is sufficient to accomplish the work of God. The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and does the work of God. This Word has come to you as it has in all the world, and it’s constantly bearing fruit and increasing. Note this word has a dynamic about it, the result both in quantitative and qualitative growth. Quantitative in that people come to believe and are saved and so are added to the body of Christ. The Colossians are a testimony of that. They heard the gospel through Epaphras and believed it and have been saved. He’ll refer to the end of verse 6, “since the day you heard the grace of God in truth.” It brings people to salvation, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. It also has a qualitative manner about it. You are bearing fruit and increasing. There is ongoing growth in the lives of those who have believed. “It is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth.” This is the way the gospel has been working in the lives of the Colossians. We understand this. It’s not that the Word of God is alive and powerful, and you present it to a person who is lost, and it impacts them with full force, and they are dramatically saved; and that’s the end of that. No. Remember the analogy Christ used. It’s like a seed planted in the hearts that produces 30-, 60-, 100-fold. The Word of God has an ongoing work that it accomplishes. You know we’ve lost the sense of this. That’s why the evangelical church with the passing of time loses its interest in the Word of God. You know when you’re first saved everything is new, I can’t get enough of it. But with the passing of time, what? I’ve heard that before, I know that already. You know I always have the same thing for breakfast. I have for I don’t know how many years, it’s a boring breakfast, it’s a bland breakfast. I’m reminded of that occasionally. I like oat bran for breakfast, with water on it. Nothing else. Just take the oat bran out of the box, put it in the dish, put water on it and heat it up. That’s it. Don’t ruin it with cinnamon, don’t ruin it with sugar, don’t ruin it with milk. Just oat bran. Every morning, seven days a week, 365 days a year, year after year you will find me at the microwave inserting a bowl of oat bran. Oh, this is good, I can’t wait. You know what I do for a snack at night? I have a second bowl of oat bran. I don’t why, I’m addicted to oat bran. I look forward to my evening snack when I can have a second bowl. I may work it into lunch. I don’t know. You know the fact that I have the same thing every day doesn’t mean well I had that on Monday, I don’t need to have it ever again. I could have something else, some of you like a variety. Ham and eggs one morning, pancakes the next. I’ve tried that with Marilyn, but it doesn’t work. She tells me to go have my oat bran. I do. It’s the only thing I know how to make and it’s the only thing I want.

Some people with the Word of God, though, think well I’ve learned that I’ve studied this passage in the book of Colossians, I don’t need to do it again. In fact, I’ve studied it several times, I don’t need to study it again. We fail to appreciate that the Word of God is our nourishment, it’s our nurture. So, the fact that I read this passage yesterday doesn’t mean I wouldn’t benefit from it today, it’s food.

Turn over to I Peter chapter 1. Talk about the salvation that comes through the Word of God, verse 23 of chapter 1. “For you have been born again, not of seed, which is perishable, but imperishable, that is through the living and enduring Word of God.” “Man in his glory passes away,” that’s verse 24, “all flesh is like grass, all his glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, the flower falls off,” but note the contrast with the Word of God. “But the Word of the Lord endures forever. This is the Word which was preached to you.” You understand every time you share the Word of God, every time you share the message of Jesus Christ you are sharing something that will endure forever.

Then note verse 2 of chapter 2, “Like newborn babies long for the pure milk of the Word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” It’s not only we need to hear the Word for salvation, but we also need to hear the Word for growth in salvation. You don’t have a baby be born and now the parents say well we’re glad we’re done with that. That’s just the beginning, the beginning of turmoil and trouble and struggle and blessing and happiness and everything else that comes. Why? Now growth, we say the birth, that’s the beginning. You feed that baby milk, but you don’t just do it once and say well that did it. We’ve done it two or three times, that will be good enough. No. Why? Because that same milk provides nourishment day after day after day after day. That’s the way the Word of God is. Where we get the idea that we’ve been believers long enough and studied the Word long enough, now we don’t need the Word as much. That’s a trap of the devil. What he wants to do is stunt growth, to keep God’s people from developing healthily as they should. This is the nourishment for our growth, you’ll note in verse 2 of I Peter 2. “That you may grow in respect to salvation.”

That’s what Paul is talking about, now come back to Colossians, when he says “that the Word is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth. This Word has been working mightily and powerfully in you from the day of your salvation, the day you heard and understood, the day you believed.” That was the beginning of the working of the Word of God in power in your life, but it didn’t stop working that day. It didn’t slow down. This is God’s Word. You know if I study Colossians chapter 1 for 1,000 times, there will be nurture and nourishment for my soul on the 1,001th time, because it is God’s truth, it’s alive, it’s the food for me. We get caught up with novelty and newness and everything has to move quickly and be new and changing and exciting. If I say well I knew that already well, take it in again. Meditate on it, absorb it into your soul, apply it to your life. It’s endless, unending, the work of God with His Word. This is the work it’s been doing since the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth. That’s its work from day one. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Or as Peter put it, you’ve been born again by the living and abiding Word of God. Now have that insatiable appetite for God’s Word that you might continue to grow with respect to salvation. New believers ought to see in us older believers an insatiable appetite for the Word of God. It oughtn’t to be the new believers filling the Bible studies, attending the extra studies, Sunday night, Sunday School, whatever. It ought to be the old believers. We ought to be telling the young believers oh your appetite will get stronger, you’re going to want more of it, you’re going to desire more. Isn’t that what the psalmist wrote about his insatiable appetite for God with his different analogies of deer and so on? We just can’t get enough. How sad it is, we say oh I don’t think I’ll go today; I’ll wait. No. I can’t wait to get there.

That’s what Paul is talking about. He’s thrilled with the Colossians because the Word of God is working and they’re growing and it’s evident and their testimony is multiplying. You’ll note the end of verse 6, “since the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth.” That’s the same thing as the Word of truth, the gospel at the end of verse 5. We’re talking about the truth. When you talk about the truth, which is God’s Word, you’re talking about the message concerning Christ, you’re talking about the grace of God provided and manifested for us as God’s people.

Colossians chapter 1. You know the Word of God does not work in a vacuum. God is please to use human messengers to accomplish His work in the world and so it was in Colossae. Verse 7, just as you learned it from an angel, you learned it as God spoke to you in a dream. No, you know what? “You learned it from Epaphras”. Epaphras, one of your own number; Epaphras, just another human being. “You learned the word of truth, the gospel, the grace of God in truth, you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond servant who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf.” God is pleased to use human instruments to give forth His Word which is alive and powerful.

Turn back to Romans chapter 10. We referred to a verse in this passage, I want to see it in the broader context. In verse 8 he talks about the word of faith which we are preaching, at the end of verse 8. That means that you must believe in Christ to be saved. It’s a message of faith that we preach, not a message of works; you’re saved by grace through faith, you’re not saved by your works or your religious action. You confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. In verse 12, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is the message for all people everywhere. What if you got a call from the President of the United States and he says I want you to come and have lunch with me and share with me the deepest conviction of your heart. You say oh I couldn’t do that; I’ll be so nervous I won’t know what to say. Why? What did Paul say when he stood before kings and those in authority? He gave them the gospel. What did he share when he was in prison with the low lifes? The Word of Christ, the gospel. You know what happens? We turn our attention to ourselves, take our attention off our God. The power is in His Word, you’re right, you’re a bumbling idiot. You would fail and so would I, but God hasn’t asked us to go and present ourselves. He’s commanded us to go and present His truth.

Verse 14, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher?” You see the line of thought. “And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things. However, they did not all heed the good news, for Isaiah says Lord who has believed our report? So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.” Keep it in line, it starts with God who gives His Word and selects a messenger to communicate and convey His Word and people hear His Word. Now when they hear and believe that Word they are saved. But it’s true, and Isaiah experienced it. Isaiah wondered if anybody believed what he said. Lord, I’m taking your Word and giving it forth. Lord, who has believed our report? Doesn’t change the truth. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. We are determined today in the evangelical world that we’re going to help God out in a tight spot. We’ve come to believe that His Word is not effective today; and so without denying His Word we’re going to develop plans and programs that will more effectively draw people. That’s why you find places even like Harvard Business School that would be looking at a church as an example of how you develop a business. You know what they ought to see when they look at a church? They ought to be saying, you know there is nothing there that’s usable for us. There is something going on there that defies everything else. God has spoken and a messenger has taken His Word and is passing it on to others and that Word is alive and powerful. I know but I’ve shared with so many people and they haven’t been saved. I would back up, I would want to make sure I am sharing the truth accurately and correctly, but my life is a testimony to the work of God, so that my life is not working against the Word that I am preaching. Then Lord it’s in your hands. I cannot change hearts, I cannot change lives, I cannot make people get saved, I cannot make people who are saved submit to truth. Only God can use His word and it always accomplishes His purposes. At discouraging times, I have to stop and say Lord, it’s your Word. If I’ve not been faithful with it, Lord forgive me. Make me faithful. Lord, open my darkened eyes to see more clearly. But I will not take responsibility for people who do not heed the Word of God. I am not God; I cannot change a heart and mind. Only God can do that, but I am responsible to give the Word. You cannot make a person get saved, but you do know unless a person hears the gospel they will never be saved. All you can do is share the truth with them. That’s why everywhere we go the Word of God needs to be going forth. People need to hear the truth that they might be saved.

Turn over to I Corinthians chapter 3. We get so caught up with the instruments. It is beautiful that Epaphras is mentioned here. If I were to ask you to tell me everything you know about Epaphras it would probably be nothing. If you knew everything that the New Testament tells you about Epaphras it would be just about nothing. A man from Colossae, he was used of God to bring the message of God to the Colossians. You know I think sometimes, I hope we’ll have these kinds of opportunities, I don’t know. But I wonder, you know, I think of it like a screening room in heaven. You know maybe at times they’ll be able to go and they’ll be saying we’re going to be showing the video on how the church at Colossae was started. I think oh yeah, I want to go see that, I wonder what it would be like to sit and watch Epaphras bringing the message of Christ to his hometown, and sharing the gospel. What happened there, all the details. What did his family and friends say? What kind of mixed response did he get? Were there dozens of people who responded, were there hundreds of people who responded, were there 2-3 families that God graciously drew to Christ and became the nucleus of a church formed in a home? We don’t know the details. We’re told the one thing of substance we have to know; they heard the Word of truth and by God’s grace they believed it. People were saved and the church was established.

Look in I Corinthians chapter 3. The Corinthian church had a problem of getting occupied with physical instruments. You know they liked celebrities; they liked the people. Verse 4, “one says I am of Paul; another says I am of Apollos. Are you not mere men?” They’re thinking just like mere men, you’re divided among people. Verse 5, “What then is Apollos, what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each one.” Why would you be all taken up with a servant? I’m a servant, Apollos is a servant. You know what did a mighty work in your heart? Not Paul, not Apollos. God using His Word. That’s where the power is, that’s where the might is. God using His Word in a life transforms a life and makes it new. That’s why chapter 4 he says, “I want to be counted faithful. I’ve been entrusted with the Word of God. Let a man regard us in this manner as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” In this case all that is required of stewards is that a man be found faithful, that all that matters to me is God’s evaluation of me as a faithful servant and steward. We didn’t receive the Word of God directly, but we have had it passed down to us by faithful men. Now this has been entrusted to our care. What’s required of us? To get as big a crowd as we can? No. To be faithful. What does that mean? To give forth the message of Christ. That’s what we are about, that’s what this church is. It’s the pillar and support of the truth. You say I don’t want to go there; they take an hour and do nothing but study the Bible. We could do two hours if it would make you happier. I mean what are they looking for in a church? They’ve come to think a church ought to be someplace where it’s fun, where we do fun things, where I enjoyed it, it was entertaining, it moved along. But you know, study of the Bible, there’s a limit to that. Three hours of football, that’s one thing. One hour of Bible study, that’s more than I can take. I realize only God can draw people to hear the truth. Why would an unregenerate person with a heart closed to the Word of God want to come and sit and listen to the Word of God? The very fact that anyone comes is an indication at least of God’s grace to that point in their life. Why would anybody let you present the gospel to them? That’s an indication of God’s grace, that they would be privileged to hear the truth.

Turn over to II Corinthians chapter 4. Paul has received a ministry of giving forth the message of Christ. That’s what chapter 3 is about. The end of chapter 2 he talked about what I have referred to already in verse 14, “But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests to us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. We are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one an aroma from death to death, the other an aroma from life to life. Who is adequate for these things?” All this overwhelmed when you think every time you share the gospel you would have either given off an aroma of life or an aroma of death. It’s the same message that in those who harden their heart and reject it, it further confirms them in their lost condition. Those who respond and believe, they’ve come to salvation. But you know what? I have never failed when I have given off the gospel because this has been a fragrance of Christ to God, verse 15. At the end of verse 14, “it’s been a sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him.” It’s a fragrance that rises to God and it pleases Him. I have never shared the gospel with one person where it has been a failure. I have shared the gospel with people who have gotten hostile, who have gotten angry, but I’ve never shared the gospel where it has failed. Neither have you. Every time you do it God is pleased; and if that’s the case no wonder Paul says we do this in every place, because his life was about pleasing God. So everywhere he went people learned about Christ. When Paul left, they knew about Christ. Sometimes the city was in turmoil, sometimes there were riots, sometimes people were beaten and thrown in prison. They knew about Christ, God was pleased, His work was done.

Come down to chapter 4. Our adequacy in this ministry is from God Himself and in chapter 4 verse 3, “And even if our gospel is veiled it is veiled. And it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who was in the image of God.” There’s a spiritual war going on as we give off the fragrance and knowledge of Christ. The devil is waging war against us. He’s came and pulled a hood over the head of these people we’re talking to so they won’t see. We sometimes go away saying why didn’t they see. Because the devil is working to blind their eyes. The beautiful thing that I want to draw to your attention is verse 7, “But we have this treasure.” The treasure is the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ, the message of Christ. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” Understand that. You know what the picture is here? We have this treasure of the truth of God, the message of Christ in this lump of dirt. It’s just a clay pot, there’s no real value in it. But we have a treasure in it. It’s like you had a clay pot that someone made, but you know there’s a priceless diamond in it. The value is not in the pot. So, it is. The value is not in us as the servants, we’re just clay, we’re just a pile of dirt redeemed by God’s grace. We’re servants. But we have the treasure of the gospel. We don’t say who are you to tell me this? You’re right, I’m nobody. I don’t want there to be any confusion of that. But the message I have is from God, and that can save your soul. We get caught up with ourselves and say oh I can’t do it. I can’t talk about it; I can’t do it. Why? You don’t think the Word of God is alive and powerful? Well yes, but I’m not one who can tell others. Why? You don’t know what the gospel is? Let me tell you. You are a sinner. Your sin has separated you from God and put you on the road to hell. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He came to this earth to suffer and die on a cross to pay the penalty for your sin. There is no hope for you except that you believe that you are a sinner and that Christ died for you and was raised from the dead and you place your faith in Him alone. That’s it, now just what don’t you know? What don’t I know that I can’t share? Well, what will they think of me? How will they respond? You see what happened? I’ve taken my eyes off what? The God that I serve and the Word that He has given me and now I’m concerned with what people think of me and I become speechless. I don’t know what to say. Isn’t it amazing how fluid we can be on certain subjects? I mean it makes the front page of the newspaper on what’s going on in the athletic realm these days in our city, and most of us can speak much of it. But somehow when it comes to open my mouth about the gospel it’s like it’s filled with cotton. Won’t come out, I just couldn’t get it out. But ask who you think ought to be the next coach and it pours out like buckets. This is even among believers. We need to back up and say I have a treasure. Could I share this treasure with you? It is something so precious to me, I would like you to hear it. It has changed my life, made me something different. Could I tell you what has happened to me? A message that was so powerful it made me a new person. Why would I be embarrassed to tell people that? We have this treasure in earthen vessels.

Come back to Colossians chapter 1. Where was Epaphras? You know we sometimes think I couldn’t be Paul; he was an apostle; he was an exception. Could you be Epaphras? You see it’s the Word of God that does the work. Paul didn’t go to Colossae, but Epaphras did. You know what happened? There is a church at Colossae. Paul’s writing in verse 2 of Colossians 1, “to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae.” Because there was an Epaphras who went to Colossae. What is Epaphras? He is a beloved fellow bond servant who is a faithful servant, a messenger, a clay vessel, a servant. That’s all he is. A fellow bond servant, a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, because he went in place of Paul. Paul didn’t go, but he went with the same message Paul had and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit. You know what? The Colossians had fallen in love with the Apostle Paul. They didn’t even know Paul; they could pray for him. He could pray for them because they loved him. Why? They learned from him. Epaphras went and told them the message that Paul had. Remember the gospel had been entrusted in its fullness to Paul. Paul had passed it on to Epaphras and others, and oh they had a love for Paul. But keep in mind Paul’s talking about why he prays for them and what he prays for them. Here he is involved in this great theological sentence.

Then you come to verse 9 and it will say “For this reason also since the day we heard of it we have not ceased to pray for you.” He’s still talking about prayer. Paul is overwhelmed. You know what happens, our prayer life mires down in a puddle. I think we ought to pray about physical needs and physical afflictions. I’m sure Epaphras had his physical problems, Paul had his. I’m sure the Colossians had them. But you know what Paul is all absorbed with? The mighty work of God in their lives. It’s overwhelming. I thank God for you always. Every time I pray for you look at what He’s done. He knows the power of God. He doesn’t have to know much to be thrilled in his heart because he knows what God does in a life. That’s his prayer life. I’ll say more to you about prayer in our next study. Because in verse 9 he says “for this reason since the day we heard of it we have not ceased to pray for you.” I mean I regularly include you in my prayer and I’ve never met you. It needs to become the way our prayer lives are ordered and structured, that we’re praying for one another. We have a large church. We should be praying for people in this church we don’t even know. I’ll say more about this in the future. We’ll close with this. I want to encourage you, get the directory, the new directory, take it out, make it part of your prayer life. Want you to start. There are about 600 families in there I roughly guesstimate. Could be 500, could be 800, I don’t know, I’m saying 600. But you pray for about three families a day, you know do that five days a week and by the end of the year you’ll have prayed for every family in this church. Start. Where do you start? I’d say well just start at the beginning. Well, my last name begins with R, nobody will be praying for me until September. I have a better idea. Whatever your last name begins with, if it begins with R, start with the Rs and go to the end and then circle around to the beginning. If your last name starts with C start with the Cs. Select three families, say Lord I don’t know them, but you’ve brought them to be part of the church that I’m part of. I pray that you will continue to work in their lives. They’ve made a testimony that they belong to you by virtue of the fact they claim they belong here. Lord, I know you are working in their life, I have to meet them. They have three children, precious children. Lord, I see their names here, I want to mention by name. I want your work to…………. Pray for them. I want your faith to be growing in them, your love to be growing in them, your hope to be growing and sharpened in them. I can pray for them even if I’ve not met them, even if I don’t know them personally and Paul will go on from here.

We serve a mighty God. We’ve been entrusted with His mighty Word, and we are privileged to fellowship with Him in communion, praying for one another that God’s work would continue to grow and abound in our lives. May that be the testimony of our church.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the greatness of your work. Lord, there is no other explanation for this church, but you have done a supernatural work. You have used your Word in mighty and powerful ways in lives. Not because of the instruments who give forth the Word, but because your Word is alive and powerful, your Word is truth because you are truth. Thank you, Lord, for our salvation. Thank you for the privilege we have to grow. Thank you for the privilege of being part of a faithful fellowship of believers where we are encouraged, strengthened, helped, nurtured and taught. We continue to grow quantitatively and qualitatively. May we grow numerically as you by grace add to our number those who hear and believe the gospel. May we grow personally as we continue to take in your truth, submit to it and obey it and live it out and the privilege of knowing you more intimately. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.