Colossians 1:3-14, "Kingdom Intercession"

Ken MacLeod

Prayer • Sermon • Submitted 8 months ago • Presented 8 months ago

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Who do you pray for, and what do you pray for them? Today we’ll talk about intercessory prayer. Intercede means to ask on behalf of someone else. This is praying for others. What are my hopes for people? What do I pray for them?

Do I pray that they would do what pleases me, see things my way, and make my life easier? Or do I pray that they would truly experience God and live their most fruitful life as a disciple of Jesus?

Jesus taught us to pray to our Father who is in heaven, for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is not a prayer just for ourselves. We pray this for others too. Paul’s prayer for the Colossian church is a good example for us. He prays that God’s kingdom would come and His will would be done in the lives of others.

Give Thanks for Gospel Fruit

Paul begins in verses 3-8 with encouragement. Great way to start a conversation.

Colossians 1:3 (ESV)

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

He thanks God for them for a specific reason,

Colossians 1:6 (ESV)

[the gospel] has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it 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,

He thanks God that the gospel is bearing fruit in their lives and increasing in the whole world. The gospel is the good news that the grace of God is demonstrated to us in Jesus Christ, and all can enter the kingdom of God.

When the kingdom comes in someone’s life, the gospel bears which Paul spells out in verses 4 and 5. The fruit of faith in Christ Jesus, love for our brothers and sisters, and hope of an eternal future with God. Paul talks about these three qualities in almost every letter he writes to the churches. We could make the case that every other fruit God desires in our lives flows out of these three: faith, love, and hope. These are the mark of someone who has surrendered to God’s rule and reign, His kingdom.

What about my own relationships? Is my greatest hope for others that the gospel would bear fruit in their lives? Am I seeking to make disciples of Jesus Christ in my relationships? With whom am I sharing the gospel of the grace of God in truth? Am I praying that the gospel bears fruit in them?

And for the people in our lives that are bearing the gospel fruit of faith, love, and hope, do I give thanks for them? How would it change my relationships if my prayer for people was focused on what God is doing in their lives? Do I ask for God’s kingdom to come in their life? Do I follow that up by building people up in their faith in Jesus, their love for others, and their hope of an eternal future with God?

Paul then moves on to pray “God’s will be done”.

Ask for Knowledge of God’s Will

For God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done in someone’s life, it’s important they know what His will is. We’re living in a time when there are a lot of preachers telling people what God’s will is for their lives and some of these preachers lead a lot of people astray. Paul’s prayer is not that they would listen to him about God’s will for their life, but that God Himself would teach them.

Colossians 1:9 (ESV)

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

People who are filled with knowledge of God’s will are confident, at peace. They live with purpose. They are fruitful. We’ll see the fruit in a minute, but first Paul explains how God will fill them with this knowledge.

Colossians 1:9 (ESV)

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,

Knowledge of God’s will comes in spiritual wisdom and understanding. You won’t get it from more academic study. People with degrees might still be empty of knowledge of God’s will. You won’t get it from keeping up with the latest trends or reading the news. You won’t get it from reading history or philosophy or political science or economics. It is spiritual wisdom. The Holy Spirit instructs us.

As we learned last week, the Holy Spirit knows the will of God the Father perfectly, and is seeking it for us when He prays for us. So, as we pray for others to know God’s will, we can ask that their fellowship with the Holy Spirit would deepen, which will deepen their understanding of God. Their spiritual wisdom will grow as they listen and learn from the Holy Spirit, guided by the word of the truth. We are really praying that they would experience God.

God has plans for their life. As you and I make disciples of others, are we trying to convince them to follow our plans for their life, or do we pray and seek that God will reveal His plans and fill them with knowledge of His will. He has plans for their lives. Not just to have more knowledge.

What will they do with this knowledge of God’s will? Win arguments, make better investments, get a better job, pick the right college or the right spouse? Paul lays out God’s five-fold purpose for filling people with a knowledge of His will.

Colossians 1:10 (ESV)

so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him

The first purpose God fills people with the knowledge of His will is,

Purpose 1: Live Pleasing to Jesus

Our walk is our lifestyle. Is my lifestyle and the lifestyle of the person I’m praying for worthy of the name of Jesus Christ? Do I pray they would surrender to His kingdom and do His will? We aren’t just praying that they would know more about God’s will, but that His will would be done in their life.

Purpose 2: Bear Fruit in Every Good Work

Colossians 1:10 (ESV)

so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work

When we are filled with knowledge of God’s will we live fruitful lives. God the Father is a master gardener who will care for us and prune us into beautiful masterpieces of His grace. He has prepared good works for each of us to do. When we are filled with knowledge of God’s will, He will direct us into every one of them. When you pray for others, do you ask God to direct them into a fruitful life of good works done in Jesus’ name? That they would be a sweet aroma of loving service to others? That people would taste and see that God is good through them?

Purpose 3: Increasing in the Knowledge of God

Colossians 1:10 (ESV)

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;

Just when we could start getting caught up in thinking about all the things we will do for God, Paul reminds us He wants us to know Him. Listening to God’s word for the good works He has planned and increasing in knowing God go hand in hand.

And as we pray for others, we should be patient with them. They won’t know everything at once. We pray for an increase in their knowledge of God.

(In what ways do you pray for others that they would experience God? It is difficult to ask anything for someone else you haven’t experienced for yourself. But you can start with those. We can pray for others that they would know God in His love that adopts them as a child. We can pray they would know God in His grace for sinners. We can pray that they would know God in His infinite wisdom. We can pray that they would increase in knowing God’s justice, and His mercy, and His healing power, and His endless compassion, and on and on and on. Knowing God in all of these ways and so many more is God’s will.)

Purpose 4: Strengthened to Endure Patiently with Joy

Colossians 1:11 (ESV)

being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

Some of us endure life without patience. We become irritating to others. Some of us are patient but without joy in the process. We become depressing to be around. When you think about the people in your life who have a lot to endure, how do you pray for them?

Paul doesn’t pray that they would become less irritating or more fun. He prays that they would experience the power of God. God is strong when we are not. When His glorious might strengthens us, we have all the power we need for the fullness of endurance and patience with joy, all three at once.

The Christian life is hard. None of us is strong enough. We had better pray for one another that God’s strength would empower us to continue to seek God’s will when someone might want to give up.

Purpose 5: Give Thanks to Our Father

Paul ends where He began, with thanks to God. He prays that when these believers are filled with a knowledge of God’s will, they will realize how much we have to thank God for. His will for them, for us, includes a glorious inheritance as children of the Kingdom of Christ.

Colossians 1:12 (ESV)

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

We don’t have to walk around in the dark any more.

Colossians 1:13–14 (ESV)

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.

We belong to the kingdom of the beloved Son of God, the light of the world. In Him we have redemption, forgiveness of sins. We have peace with God and light for our path. None of us deserves this, but the Father qualifies believers in Jesus to share in His inheritance. This is the gospel of the kingdom of God.

When we pray for other people, there are so many things we pray for. We pray God would heal the sick. We pray for relationships to be restored. We pray for God’s protection and mercy on people in their work, study, and travel. But I hope this passage shows you the richness of what intercessory prayer can be. And I hope we can see that Paul’s prayer was not that people would follow him or become easier to deal with. He prayed that they would become more rooted in God. That they would really experience God. Who are the people you are praying for like that?

When we pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are seeking for the gospel to bear fruit in people’s lives. We are praying and seeking that people would put their faith in Jesus and grow in love and hope. This is His kingdom come. And we ask God to fill them with a knowledge of His will through spiritual wisdom so that they live fruitful lives pleasing Jesus and doing good work in His name, strong in the power God supplies to endure everything with joy and thanksgiving.

Questions for Discussion

What are you thankful for this week?

Who are the people you pray for most often? What are some of your prayers for them?

How does thanking God for the people in your life impact your relationships?

Who are the people you see bearing the fruit of the gospel right now? What does that look like?

Who are the people in whom you would like to see the fruit of the gospel? How does this passage guide us to pray for them?

What is Paul’s main prayer request for the Colossian believers, from Colossians 1:9? What are the implications of this request?

Who are some people that come to mind as you read this prayer? Are there people who exemplify these qualities? Are there people you intercede for in this way?

What do we learn about God in this passage?

What has God done for believers in Jesus Christ? How does this impact your life right now?