Colossians 1:3-14- Pressing into the cross

“Pressing into the cross”

Ephesians 2:1-6

Colossians 1:3-14

There is something magical about a good walk- isn’t there?

We sometimes go on family walks, which are must easier these days, as Kari and I no longer have to carry children after half way in, or sooters or prams, and we no longer have to make several stops for nappy changes.

Family walks are much easier these days.

Recently, we sometimes as a family, take a walk to Wingham heights, and when I say Wingham heights, I mean the posh end of town- the houses on top of the hill by the Tennis club, that overlook the manning river.

As we walk past the big houses with their swimming pools, with no envy in our hearts, we look out over the manning river and look at the green fields.

Sometimes we see people hitting golf balls into the river.

But perhaps one of the best things about these family walks, is that the kids don’t have a mobile device attached to them and so we actually do this thing, called talking and listening- it is a good time of growing as a family as we walk together.

Today, as we look at this passage from Colossians, we are going to look at this question which the apostle Paul answered for us.

What does it mean to walk with the Lord?

What does it look like to walk with Jesus?

This is a really good question, because at the heart of Paul’s prayer for the saints in Colossae, (and remember when Paul called them saints, he was meaning brothers and sisters in Christ), he prayed that they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (as it says in verse 10).

As Paul prayed and gave thanks for the faith of Epaphras, the shepherd at Colossae, and thanks for the faith of the saints in Colossae, a people whom he had never met, he prayed that they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord

And to walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord, is to know that you are walking in the presence of the Lord.

Of course the language of walking with God, doesn’t just mean literally walking with God, but it captures how one lives their whole life before God.

The bible often talks about two paths that we walk along- the righteous path or the wicked path, which is a metaphor for how one lives their life.

For example, look at Proverbs 2:12-13 with me:

delivering you from the way of evil,    from men of perverted speech,13 who forsake the paths of uprightness    to walk in the ways of darkness,

Clearly when the bible often talks about walking along certain paths, it is talking about how we live our lives.

And yet, here is the thing:

To walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, is actually to walk with the Lord, it is to live knowing God’s constant present is with you.

When God commanded Joshua to walk into the promised land, a land that was full of God’s enemies, he made it clear to Joshua that wherever he went, God Himself was with him. It was this promise of God’s presence with him, that gave Joshua strength and courage.

When my kids come with us on our family walks, I hope my very presence with them, Kari and I’s presence with them, would influence how they actually walk.

For example, I know my youngest daughter wouldn’t actually go on that walk, if myself or Kari was not actually there. She would be scared and more than likely she would get lost. I know my older kids may be less tempted to do stupid things on the walk, knowing that we are with them.

Although, Kari and I being imperfect humans, we perhaps encourage them to do stupid things on the walk, which in hindsight, we shouldn’t.

Either way, when we go on our family walks we influence our children, by our very presence.

And so if we are to walk in a manner worthy of Jesus, it is important to remember the reality that Jesus by his Holy Spirit, is always there with us.

Do you remember the wrist bands WWJD?

It stood for What Would Jesus Do?

They would have been a reminder, that as you live, as you walk along the path of righteousness that Jesus is there with us.  

It is clear from Genesis chapter 3, that God created us to walk with him.

He created us to enjoy his presence with him. And yet sadly, we know because of our sin, our walk with God has been tainted, we no longer enjoy that fullness of his presence. Our sin has separated from the fullness of his presence.

It was when God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and he called out to Adam-and yet sadly Adam – our representative, and also Eve, hid from his presence, they were ashamed to walk with God in paradise in the cool of the day. They knew they had disobeyed God and so they tried to hide from his presence.

And yet, Praise God, we are promised in Revelation 21, that one day, we will enjoy his full presence with us again, as he dwells amongst us. This is the glory of heaven that will fill our hearts with Joy, we will be in the full presence of God. Our faith shall be sight!

I am sure you remember the story of the two disciples who were walking on the road to Emmaus (from Luke 24). As these disciples were walking along the road to Emmaus, Jesus rocked up alongside and just started walking with them. He started teaching them about God and his kingdom, about Himself.

I would have loved to have walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus that day.

I am sure I would have been just like those other two disciples, who at the end of the walk, didn’t want Jesus to go. I wouldn’t have wanted Jesus to go either. Tell me more Jesus. They wanted to hear more and more about God and God’s kingdom. I am sure my heart, would have burnt with Joy, as theirs did.

Now the apostle Paul prayed that these saints in Colossae would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, but first, let us look at what he prayed just beforehand,

Look at verse 9 and 10 with me:

9 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, 10 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; 

Paul, first, asked that God would fill them with the knowledge of his will in order that they could walk in a manner worthy of Jesus.

It is a fairly obvious point, but one which needs to be made.

We cannot walk in a manner worthy of Jesus, if we don’t know who Jesus is and what he expects from us.

How many times have people walked down a path without knowing anything about the person who sent them down the path, or without knowing the final destination. Or

worse, how many people have travelled the roads without knowing the rules of the road- it often ends in disaster.

I hope you can trust me when I tell you who Jesus is and what he expects from us, but I also want to encourage you to know more of Jesus for yourself- it is all right there in the scriptures.

Now here is the interesting thing about Paul’s prayer for the saints in Colossae to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will- just look at what he prayed in verse 5 for them.

Look at verses 5 and 6 with me:

Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which 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

Paul had just prayed in verses 5 and 6, that through their shepherd – Epaphras, they had already heard the truth of the gospel and they had already understood it.  And since the saints at Colossae had heard and understood the gospel and clearly believed the gospel as it was shown in their love for one another and their good works……. they knew everything they needed to know about Jesus for their salvation-and yet Paul prays in verse 9 that they would filled more with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

In chapter 2 verses 2 and 3, Paul clearly tells us that this spiritual wisdom and knowledge is found IN CHRIST. 

And so Paul was essentially praying this for the saints- I thank God that you know Jesus, and that is great, you are saved, you are one of his- done!...... and yet I don’t want you to just leave it there- I want you to press more and more into Jesus.

I want you to know Jesus more and more.

Remember God is infinite and so we will be getting to know Jesus- the God-man, more and more throughout eternity and so Paul is praying that all the saints would press into Jesus more.

And just like knowing Jesus is a spiritual gift from God, as he opens our eyes to Jesus, just as he did for those disciples on the road to Emmaus, knowing Jesus more is also a spiritual gift from God.  Yes, we press into Jesus more, we read the word, we pray and yet, we only do that, we only press, because God’s spirit enables us to press.

The biggest danger for the early church and still the biggest danger for our church today, is to believe the lie, that Jesus is simply not enough. To believe the lie, that the cross is not enough! In the apostle Paul’s day, people were falsely claiming that in order to be fully spiritually satisfied, you had to add things on to Jesus- you had to follow certain rules, perform certain rituals or worship other so called Gods.

Paul was wanting the saints in Colossae to know and also us here, the saints here, that Jesus is enough, the cross is enough.

Look at what Paul tells us what we already have in the risen Christ!

Look at verses 12-14 with me, and as I read this take note of all the past tenses that Paul used.

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Paul tells us

1.        We have already qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints

Because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven- Jesus has already prepared a place for us, for all his saints- together- with him.

2.        We have already been delivered from darkness

We no longer walk according to the darkness of this world (as Paul wrote in Ephesians 2), but we walk in the light. We no longer are cast into eternal darkness, but through Jesus we have been set free.

3.        We have been redeemed

Through the blood of Jesus- God has bought us from the slavery of sin, so that sin and death are no longer our master but Jesus is. A slave would often pay his debt in full in order to be freed from his master.

I recall one scene in the movie, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe.

The witch who represents the devil captured Edmund, a son of Adam- one of the children and she was going to kill him because he was a traitor- Edmund had sold his soul to the witch and all it took was a few Turkish delights.- Oh the trappings of this world!

When Aslan- the lion, who represented Jesus went to rescue Edmund, this is what the witch said:

"Tell you what is written on that very Table of Stone which stands beside us? Tell you what is written in letters deep as a spear is long on the fire-stones on the Secret Hill? Tell you what is engraved on the scepter of the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea? You at least know the Magic which the Emperor put into Narnia at the very beginning.

You know that every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every treachery I have a right to kill.... And so that human creature is mine.

His life is forfeit to me. His blood is my property... unless I have blood as the Law says, all Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water."

"It is very true," said Aslan, "I do not deny it."

Friends, when we sinned, we broke that relationship, when our representative- Adam sinned, we broke that walk with God- and God in his justice deserved to punish us forever, and yet instead of us being condemned by our own sin, Jesus shed his blood for us, he paid the price, he died the death that was due to for us.

This is what it means to be redeemed- bought back from the slavery of sin.

Instead of walking the dark path to death, Jesus rescued us and brought us on the path of light.

Friends, my prayer for us, is that we may continue to press more into Jesus.

I pray that the gospel will never become boring of benevolent to us, but I pray that we may desire to know more and more of who Jesus is and what he had done, and as we do our Joy will increase and our Joy for Jesus will be shown in how we live our lives.

As Paul continues to show us in this letter to the church at Colossae, we will always be knowing something more of Jesus, we will always be looking afresh at him, we will always be wowed by Him- if we have lost that wow, let us pray that he may ignite that in our hearts again.

Let us pray.