A Church to Thank God For

Colossians 1:3-8

After nearly 20 years of ministry preaching the gospel of Christ and planting churches all over the eastern Mediterranean, the apostle Paul sat imprisoned in Rome. From there, he wrote his “prison epistles”. One of these he sent to the church at Colosse—a church he only knew secondhand, and yet, as we will see in our passage today, a church for which Paul was truly grateful to God. But it was also a church that was facing heretical attacks on the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. This type of heresy would later become known as Gnosticism, emphasizing an elite, special knowledge (gnosis), and denying the deity and saving work of Jesus.

Thus, the theme of Colossians is the preeminence and all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Paul’s intention was that by “warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus,” (Col. 1:28). He said wanted them to understand that “Christ is all and in all,” (Col. 3:11) and that “you are complete in Him” (Col. 2:10).

Last time, we saw how Paul opened the letter by greeting the church, emphasizing the authority of his apostleship by the will of God and the identity of the church as saints and faithful brethren in Christ (Col. 1:1-2). Now, in the first part of the body of the letter, Paul begins where he so often begins in his letters—with a word of thanksgiving to God (Col. 1:3-8) and a prayer for their progress in the faith (Col. 1:9-12).

As Paul gives thanks to God for the gospel fruit in the Colossian church, he demonstrates a wonderful example of gratitude to God. Paul gives thanks in his letters—but always to God. Paul appreciated his fellow believers and co-laborers in ministry. He often spoke in very loving and affectionate terms about them. But he never gives thanks to them—only to God. Whatever good and positive has taken place in the lives of the Colossians is a testimony to the work of God’s grace.

Listen to Colossians 1:3, “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.” This attitude of gratitude drives Paul’s prayer, because “give thanks” is the primary verb in the one, long sentence that is Colossians 1:3-8. Paul also closes his prayer asking God that the Colossians would be, “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Col. 1:12).

Paul says their prayers with thanksgiving go “to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In Colossians 1:8 he concludes giving thanks for their “love in the Spirit”. So, you see that His prayer of thanks is directed to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ as enabled by the Spirit. When we pray that way, we are experiencing the very fullness of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Prayer with thanksgiving toward God is always going to be a mark of God’s people. Paul says this is something that he and his fellow-workers “always” do. This was the regular pattern of their prayers. Whenever he prayed for the Colossians, he also thanked God for them. How much of our prayer life is marked by thanking God for other believers and for what God is doing in their lives? And remember, Paul is praying for people he had not personally met. Do you pray with thanksgiving to God for other believers that you have heard about, but not yet met?

When Paul prays and gives thanks in his letters, he is not only expressing his thankful heart and earnest requests to God, he is also teaching the church. Paul is already helping them to reject the false teaching that has threatened them and to continue walking in Christ, rooted and built up in the faith, just as they had been taught (Col 2:6-7). By writing about what he gives thanks for, Paul is instructing the church about the kind of congregation that is a church worth thanking God for. So as we hear what Paul thanks God for in the Colossian church, we could ask ourselves, “Are we the kind of church to whom these thanks to God could apply?”

1. Thank God for His Work in His Church (3-5a)

Paul states very specific reasons why he thanks God for these Colossian believers when he prays for them. Why does Paul give thanks to God for them? Colossians 1:4 says he gives thanks “since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints,” then verse 5 says, “because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.” (Col. 1:4-5).

What was it that moved Paul to give thanks to God in prayer? Had he heard that the saints at Colosse were all healthy? Had he heard that they were wealthy? Had he heard that they were physically safe and free from the trials and afflictions of life? No, Paul was moved to give thanks to God when he heard of the Colossians’ sincere faith in Christ, their genuine love that they had for all the saints, and their unshakable hope in the truth of the gospel. The Colossians were not secret Christians. They had a faith in Christ and love for the brothers that others could see and talk about.

Did you see those three familiar words that are the three great Christian virtues? Faith, love, and hope. We see those words together many times in scripture (Rom. 5:1-5; Eph. 1:15; 1 Thess. 1:3; 3:6; 5:8; 2 Thess. 1:3; Phm. 1:5; 1 Pet. 1:21-22). Some of you may already be thinking about 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Paul also gave thanks for the Thessalonian believers, “remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father” (1 Thess. 1:3). Authentic Christianity is marked by faith, love, and hope.

Paul gave thanks because he heard that the Colossians had received salvation and it was demonstrated in their church by faith, love, and hope. This is the work of God in the hearts and lives of His people. Let’s reflect on each of them. What does Paul mean by these terms and how are they related?

Paul gives thanks for their faith because …

A. Authentic Christians have faith in Christ Jesus.

Essentially, faith is the act of placing one’s confidence in something. Faith is like an anchor on boat, See, it’s not the anchor itself that holds the boat steady, it’s what the anchor is hooked up to that holds it fast. Faith has no merit in itself, but rather it is only as valid as its object. What is the object of our faith? It is faith “in Christ Jesus.” “With Christ as its object, our faith is as secure as a house on a solid foundation, or a boat safely at anchor.”[1]

Faith in Christ Jesus is a faith that is focused on a living Person, God’s eternal Son who became a Man, lived a sinless life, was rejected by men and crucified, dead, and buried. Raised to life the third day He is Lord over all and saves everyone who comes to Him by faith. True faith looks to the righteousness of Jesus Christ in fulfilling the law, the satisfaction of Jesus Christ bearing the judgment of God at the cross, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to atone for sins, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ to impart life to spiritually dead men. This is saving faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul thanked God because the Christians in Colossae had placed their complete confidence in Jesus Christ alone. Next, he gives thanks for their love because …

B. Authentic Christians have love for the all the saints.

Look again at Colossians 1:4, Paul gives thanks always, “since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints.” Saving faith in Christ Jesus will always result in “love for all the saints.” One of the marks of being born again is love for our fellow believers. 1 John 3:14 says, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.” In Galatians 5:6 Paul writes that the evidence of our justification by faith is not observing rituals like circumcision or following regulations from the law of Moses, but “faith working through love.” Down in Colossians 1:8 Paul says he heard of their “love in the Spirit.” In other words, this is a Spirit enabled, Spirit empowered love.

Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). What should make us identifiable as Christians is not just our Bible knowledge, moral standards, ministry participation, good works, or spiritual gifts. We are identified as saints in Christ by our love for other saints in Christ.

A church to give thanks for is a church where we love all the saints regardless of age, race, gender, status, location, or temperament. Christ died for all believers, and so we love all believers. If Christ died for all, how can you possibly choose to love some and not others?

Paul gave thanks because the Colossians exhibited the fruit of genuine salvation—faith in Christ Jesus and love for all the saints. Then, in Colossians 1:5, Paul states the reason why this church possessed faith in Christ and love for the saints, because …

C. Authentic Christians have their hope in heaven

They have this faith and love, “because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,” (Col. 1:5). Another translation says, “the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven” (NIV). Notice that this hope is “laid up for you in heaven.” This hope is not some ethereal wish. Hope is the absolute assurance that God will do good to us in the future. Peter writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). It is a living hope because we have a living Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our future inheritance is secure and kept for us in heaven by the power of God Himself.

Hope is a powerful motivator. Author and pastor John Piper wrote an entire book arguing that hope in God’s future grace is a stronger motivation for godly living than simply gratitude for His blessings in the past (Future Grace, by John Piper). Yes, the Christian life always looks back to the cross of Christ, but it also looks forward. Today, when we observe the Lord’s Supper, we will both look back at the cross and forward to Christ’s return.

Someone has said, “When there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present.”[2] This is why in Colossians 3 Paul instructs the church:

¹ If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Col. 3:1-4)

Piper comments, “It is not heavenly-mindedness that hinders love. It is worldly-mindedness that hinders love”[3] The foundation for faith and love is our hope laid up in heaven. Again Piper says, “Only one thing satisfies the heart whose treasure is in heaven: doing the works of heaven. And heaven is a world of love!”[4]

This is a church to give thanks for, one that is marked by faith, love, and hope. Next, we ought to …

2. Thank God for the Truth of the Gospel (5b-6)

Look at Colossians 1:5 again. “because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,” and then verse 6, “which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth” (Col. 1:6).

This hope that Paul writes about was not a new teaching for the Colossians. They already heard about it when the gospel was first shared with them. The “gospel” means good news or good tidings. It is the good news of the message of salvation through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And notice that Paul calls it “the word of the truth of the gospel” and “the grace of God in truth.” Paul is laying the foundation of the truth which will refute the errors of the false teachers who sought to draw the saints away from their confidence in the sufficiency of Christ.

This gospel truth came to them. They heard it and understood it. And the result of their hearing and receiving the grace of God in the truth of the gospel is that it “is bringing forth fruit.” Most modern translations say, “bearing fruit and increasing” (ESV, NASB). The gospel message bears the fruit of faith, love, and hope as we just saw in the previous verses. It also increases, grows, and spreads all over the world. Warren Wiersbe says about the gospel: “The Word of God is the only seed that can be planted anywhere in the world and bear fruit.”[5]

This is a church to give thanks for because they heard and understood the gospel of truth so that it bore fruit just as it does everywhere it goes.

Finally, we should …

3. Thank God for His Servants in the Church (7-8)

Paul says to the Colossians that they heard and understood the grace of God in truth, “⁷ as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁸ who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.” (Col. 1:7-8). Everyone learns the gospel from someone. The Colossians learned it from Epaphras. “The most significant day in the history of Colosse was the day Epaphras came to town and planted the seed of the gospel.”[6] This is discipleship. Epaphras went to the Colossians and made disciples, learners of the gospel truth. As we saw in the Great Commission in Matthew, that includes baptizing and teaching them. The church at Colosse was a church to give thanks for because it was learning church, a church of disciples who made disciples.

Paul calls Epaphras “our dear fellow servant.” Why? Because Epaphras shared with Paul in his work of the gospel. Paul had a strong sense of partnership with those who ministered together with him for the gospel. Paul also says that Epaphras is “a faithful minister of Christ.” The word minister here does not indicate that Epaphras was some kind of clergyman. No, it simply means one who serves. We get the word “deacon” from this word. It’s the same word that Jesus used when He said, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Jesus used the verb form of this word when He said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). This was a church to give thanks for because it had faithful ministers, faithful servants of Christ.

Are you thankful to God for those who brought you the gospel and taught you? Everyone here learned the gospel from someone. Which leads naturally to the question: who will learn the gospel from you? Someone shared the gospel with you. Someone taught you. With whom will you share the gospel? Who will you disciple?

Finally, Paul said that Epaphras “also declared to us your love in the Spirit.” (Col. 1:8). This is the only direct reference to the Holy Spirit in the book of Colossians. But with it now, we have seen the work of each member of the Godhead in this prayer of thanksgiving.

Here, we see the source of their love for all the saints. “Love is not merely a private and secret affair. It always involves other people and so it becomes public. It is a public fruit.”[7] It is “love in the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is the source of Christian love. This is a supernatural love produced by the Holy Spirit, a true genuine, self-sacrificing love, a fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and a mark of genuine faith (Gal. 5:22).

Is New Covenant Baptist Church a church to give thanks to God for? What about you? What if we were to measure the fruit of our church by your faith, love, and hope? Have you truly heard, understood, and learned the gospel so that it is bearing fruit and growing? Is your Christianity authentic, or are you faking it?

Listen, you don’t have to fake it. You can have the real thing! Repent today of your sinful, self-centered life. Recognize that by your sin you have rebelled against the one, true, holy, and loving God. Your sin is an abomination to Him. But God in Christ Jesus our Lord has made a way for your sins to be forgiven and for you to be welcomed into the presence of our Heavenly Father. Jesus died on the cross to pay for your debt of sin. He bore the wrath of God against your sin. He rose the third day as the living Lord over all. And everyone who hears this gospel, who repents and believes, trusting in Christ alone, will be saved. As Paul writes in Colossians 1:13 you will be “delivered … from the power of darkness and conveyed … into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”

You will become a member of the body of Christ, His church—a church to give thanks for!

[1] John MacArthur, New Testament Commentary-Colossians, quoted at https://www.preceptaustin.org/colossians_14_commentary.

[2] Story by John Maxwell, quoted by H.B. Charles, https://hbcharlesjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Thank-God-for-the-Church.pdf.

[3] John Piper, The Fruit of Hope: Love, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-fruit-of-hope-love.

[4] Piper, ibid.

[5] Quoted by Ray Fowler, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/colossians/thank-god-for-the-gospel/.

[6] Max Anders, Commentary on Colossians, quoted by Ray Fowler, ibid.

[7] Piper, ibid.