Sermon on Mark 4:35-41; Colossians 1:1–14 St John's 10am 15 July 2007
By Paul Stone
JESUS CALMS THE STORM
Mark 4:35-41
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" [NRSV]
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" [NRSV]
Colossians 1:1–14
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. [NRSV]
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. [NRSV]
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I ask that you will take what I have prepared and the words of my lips and use them to speak to our minds and our hearts to further the purposes of Your Kingdom in this place. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
This week sees us starting to look at Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Colossae was in a group of three towns together with Laodicea and Hierapolis in the Lycus valley about 100 miles east of Ephesus in what was then known as Asia Minor and what we know today as Turkey. The Christians at Colossae would be from a mixture of Gentile and Jewish backgrounds, and just as Paul found in Galatia, others joining the Church tried to change the gospel message. They were saying things like:
Heavenly Father, I ask that you will take what I have prepared and the words of my lips and use them to speak to our minds and our hearts to further the purposes of Your Kingdom in this place. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
This week sees us starting to look at Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Colossae was in a group of three towns together with Laodicea and Hierapolis in the Lycus valley about 100 miles east of Ephesus in what was then known as Asia Minor and what we know today as Turkey. The Christians at Colossae would be from a mixture of Gentile and Jewish backgrounds, and just as Paul found in Galatia, others joining the Church tried to change the gospel message. They were saying things like:
o Not only do you need faith in Christ alone but you also need to search out special secret knowledge about God.
o You also need to follow various Jewish food laws.
o You need to observe special festivals.
o You need to undertake various acts of self denial.
o You need to go through angelic intermediaries to reach God.
As well as believing in Christ, all these additional elements, add-ons as Jonathan talked about last week, will help you be a better Christian will make you more fit to be the sort of person God will approve of, will make you more acceptable to God. You need faith in Christ and…
So how should the Colossians lead their lives? Well, in this opening chapter of Colossians, Paul prays a prayer of thanksgiving for the Colossian Christians which is a model prayer for Christians anywhere to pray for other Christians that they may “…lead lives worthy of the Lord…”. That is lives which honour, bring respect and credit to the Lord. So what elements should both my individual Christian life as well as our Church life together have that make our lives “worthy of the Lord”? How do we need lives, as Jesus put it in Matthew 5 v 16 that “…let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to Your Father in heaven.” How do people see a true and genuine reflection of God’s character in our lives? I believe this is something that is increasing important in a society today, which just like Colossian society, tolerates a profusion of beliefs and practices, all of which would claim to help you find and come into a relationship with God. How do people see the truth about God?
Let’s turn the Bible and see from verses 9 – 14 of the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians what Paul prays for them.
A LIFE FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WILL
Firstly, in verse 9 Paul prays that the Colossian Christians “…may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…”. If we as individuals or a Church are going to lead lives that are worthy of the Lord, then we need to know what God’s will for us is. It is a vain hope if we think we can lead a life worthy of the Lord if we have no idea what He requires of us. Knowing and following God’s will was a fundamental part of Jesus life. Many times he told disciples and critics alike that He was here to fulfil His Father’s will. In John 5 v 30 we read “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgement is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of Him who sent me”. Being filled with the knowledge of God’s will was fundamental to Paul’s life as well. Paul was able to discern what God wanted him to do. There’s a lovely bit in Acts 16 v 6 ff where Luke talks about the Holy Spirit forbidding them to go into Asia and Bithynia and then while in Troas Paul receiving a vision of a man from Macedonia pleading for them to come. So they went there and as a result founded the church at Philippi. It’s also important that we remember Paul prayed this for all the Colossian Christians. The ability to know God’s will was not limited to a special few. It wasn’t a secret knowledge like some at Colossae were arguing; it was and continues to be available to all Christians through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 2 v 9 – 10 “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him” – these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God”. God has prepared a plan and has a purpose for us as individuals and as a Church. I believe we can discover like Jesus and Paul what God’s will is for us, both as individuals and a Church. That through study of His word, through prayer, through asking God to show us in the daily events of life what His will for us is in each situation we find ourselves in. That’s why Paul also prays the Colossians would also have spiritual wisdom and understanding because we need to discern in life’s events what is of God and what isn’t.
A LIFE THAT IS PLEASING TO GOD AND FRUITFUL
Having prayed that the Colossians will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, Paul goes on to pray for these Colossian Christians that they may “…live lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God”. Let’s go back to that example from Acts 16 where Paul discerned God’s will for him and Silas to go to Macedonia, the result bore fruit. As Paul by faith followed what he understood to be God’s will and went to Macedonia, he met Lydia, whose heart God opened to the gospel and she became a Christian and founded the Philippian church that met in her house. They go on to meet a slave girl with a spirit of divination. Paul casts the evil spirit out. Her owners become upset as their source of income dries up and drag Paul and Silas before the authorities and get them beaten and thrown into prison for disturbing the city and teaching, what the Philippians considered were unlawful customs. But God was working there too and an earthquake frees them and leads to the Philippian jailer and all his household becoming Christians. As Paul followed God’s will, he pleased God, his works bore fruit – people were becoming Christians, Christian communities were being founded and his own knowledge of God was growing as he saw God at work and increasingly understands what God is like, what’s on God’s heart, what matters to God. So Paul prays that it may be the same for the Colossian Christians that as they are filled with the knowledge of God’s will, they too will be able to apply that knowledge in their situation and as they do so, the work they engage in will bear fruit and they will also grow in their knowledge of who God is, what He is like, what matters to Him. Again it is not a secret knowledge granted to the privileged few, but for all Christians. Also, it is not just head knowledge, but a knowledge that transforms our lives to behave in a way that pleases God as we understand who God is, and what He is like. Just like when we get to know someone we love, it affects our behaviour and actions – we want to please them – so as we grow in our knowledge of God and get to know Him better it leads to a transformation of character which desires to please Him.
A LIFE DEPENDANT ON GOD’S STRENGTH AND POWER
So as we know God’s will, we are able to live lives that honour Him and please Him. We grow in our knowledge of God, who He is, what He is like, what matters to Him. But we also need to realise that the strength we need to carry out His will comes from Him. We can’t do it in our own strength and so Paul prays for the Colossian Christians “may you be made strong with all the strength that comes from His glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father”. Paul’s experience of doing God’s will in His life didn’t mean everything went smoothly. There were many times he had to endure suffering or difficult situations with patience. Let’s go back to the situation in Acts 16 at Philippi. Paul and Silas had to endure being accused of being troublemakers, being beaten and thrown into jail and yet what do we find? At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God with all the prisoners listening to them. In that situation Paul and Silas were able to draw on God’s strength and in the midst of their predicament were able to joyfully give thanks to God. How do we gain God’s strength that enables us to endure trials and difficult situations with patience and thankfulness to God as we fulfil His will and purpose in our lives? I believe it is about waiting upon the Lord. It is about finding time to be still before Him and reflect upon Him, His character and what He has done for us through Jesus. Paul summarises what that is in verses 12 -14. In Jesus, God has:
So how should the Colossians lead their lives? Well, in this opening chapter of Colossians, Paul prays a prayer of thanksgiving for the Colossian Christians which is a model prayer for Christians anywhere to pray for other Christians that they may “…lead lives worthy of the Lord…”. That is lives which honour, bring respect and credit to the Lord. So what elements should both my individual Christian life as well as our Church life together have that make our lives “worthy of the Lord”? How do we need lives, as Jesus put it in Matthew 5 v 16 that “…let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to Your Father in heaven.” How do people see a true and genuine reflection of God’s character in our lives? I believe this is something that is increasing important in a society today, which just like Colossian society, tolerates a profusion of beliefs and practices, all of which would claim to help you find and come into a relationship with God. How do people see the truth about God?
Let’s turn the Bible and see from verses 9 – 14 of the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians what Paul prays for them.
A LIFE FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WILL
Firstly, in verse 9 Paul prays that the Colossian Christians “…may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…”. If we as individuals or a Church are going to lead lives that are worthy of the Lord, then we need to know what God’s will for us is. It is a vain hope if we think we can lead a life worthy of the Lord if we have no idea what He requires of us. Knowing and following God’s will was a fundamental part of Jesus life. Many times he told disciples and critics alike that He was here to fulfil His Father’s will. In John 5 v 30 we read “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgement is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of Him who sent me”. Being filled with the knowledge of God’s will was fundamental to Paul’s life as well. Paul was able to discern what God wanted him to do. There’s a lovely bit in Acts 16 v 6 ff where Luke talks about the Holy Spirit forbidding them to go into Asia and Bithynia and then while in Troas Paul receiving a vision of a man from Macedonia pleading for them to come. So they went there and as a result founded the church at Philippi. It’s also important that we remember Paul prayed this for all the Colossian Christians. The ability to know God’s will was not limited to a special few. It wasn’t a secret knowledge like some at Colossae were arguing; it was and continues to be available to all Christians through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 2 v 9 – 10 “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him” – these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God”. God has prepared a plan and has a purpose for us as individuals and as a Church. I believe we can discover like Jesus and Paul what God’s will is for us, both as individuals and a Church. That through study of His word, through prayer, through asking God to show us in the daily events of life what His will for us is in each situation we find ourselves in. That’s why Paul also prays the Colossians would also have spiritual wisdom and understanding because we need to discern in life’s events what is of God and what isn’t.
A LIFE THAT IS PLEASING TO GOD AND FRUITFUL
Having prayed that the Colossians will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, Paul goes on to pray for these Colossian Christians that they may “…live lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God”. Let’s go back to that example from Acts 16 where Paul discerned God’s will for him and Silas to go to Macedonia, the result bore fruit. As Paul by faith followed what he understood to be God’s will and went to Macedonia, he met Lydia, whose heart God opened to the gospel and she became a Christian and founded the Philippian church that met in her house. They go on to meet a slave girl with a spirit of divination. Paul casts the evil spirit out. Her owners become upset as their source of income dries up and drag Paul and Silas before the authorities and get them beaten and thrown into prison for disturbing the city and teaching, what the Philippians considered were unlawful customs. But God was working there too and an earthquake frees them and leads to the Philippian jailer and all his household becoming Christians. As Paul followed God’s will, he pleased God, his works bore fruit – people were becoming Christians, Christian communities were being founded and his own knowledge of God was growing as he saw God at work and increasingly understands what God is like, what’s on God’s heart, what matters to God. So Paul prays that it may be the same for the Colossian Christians that as they are filled with the knowledge of God’s will, they too will be able to apply that knowledge in their situation and as they do so, the work they engage in will bear fruit and they will also grow in their knowledge of who God is, what He is like, what matters to Him. Again it is not a secret knowledge granted to the privileged few, but for all Christians. Also, it is not just head knowledge, but a knowledge that transforms our lives to behave in a way that pleases God as we understand who God is, and what He is like. Just like when we get to know someone we love, it affects our behaviour and actions – we want to please them – so as we grow in our knowledge of God and get to know Him better it leads to a transformation of character which desires to please Him.
A LIFE DEPENDANT ON GOD’S STRENGTH AND POWER
So as we know God’s will, we are able to live lives that honour Him and please Him. We grow in our knowledge of God, who He is, what He is like, what matters to Him. But we also need to realise that the strength we need to carry out His will comes from Him. We can’t do it in our own strength and so Paul prays for the Colossian Christians “may you be made strong with all the strength that comes from His glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father”. Paul’s experience of doing God’s will in His life didn’t mean everything went smoothly. There were many times he had to endure suffering or difficult situations with patience. Let’s go back to the situation in Acts 16 at Philippi. Paul and Silas had to endure being accused of being troublemakers, being beaten and thrown into jail and yet what do we find? At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God with all the prisoners listening to them. In that situation Paul and Silas were able to draw on God’s strength and in the midst of their predicament were able to joyfully give thanks to God. How do we gain God’s strength that enables us to endure trials and difficult situations with patience and thankfulness to God as we fulfil His will and purpose in our lives? I believe it is about waiting upon the Lord. It is about finding time to be still before Him and reflect upon Him, His character and what He has done for us through Jesus. Paul summarises what that is in verses 12 -
o Enabled us to share in the inheritance of the saints. We have a hope of an eternal relationship with God
o Rescued us from the power of darkness. From the power of satan and evil.
o Transferred us into the kingdom of His Son
o Redeemed us
o Forgiven us
If you want a practical way to “wait upon the Lord”, I’ve personally found it helpful to meditate upon the psalms and try and follow Billy Graham’s example of reading 5 psalms and a chapter of proverbs a day (I don’t always do very well – it took me 6 months rather than a month to get through both books!!!). However as you read the psalms they speak of God’s character and what He has done. For as we wait upon the Lord there is that wonderful promise in Isaiah Ch 40 v 29 – 31 “He gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and grow weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”. Isn’t that a lovely picture. Just as eagles soar on the energy they find in the thermals, those hot air currents that carry them aloft. So we can gain strength to soar and be carried in the power or “thermals” as it were of God’s Holy Spirit.
A LIFE THAT IS COMPASSIONATE
In closing, I’d like to turn to our gospel reading from Luke 10 v 25 – 37 because in the story of the Good Samaritan, I believe Jesus gives an illustration of the type of person who was leading a life worthy of the Lord and also the types of people who were not. Jesus tells a story that would have shocked the Jewish lawyer who had asked “And who is my neighbour”? For instead of limiting the definition of neighbour to a list that the Jewish lawyer would have found acceptable, Jesus widened it to a level that no self-respecting Jewish lawyer could ever have imagined. For Jesus’ good neighbour was that disgusting half-caste Samaritan guy that Jews would have nothing to do with. Yet it was this Samaritan who was prepared to cross racial, social and religious barriers, was prepared to be inconvenienced and be out of pocket to help someone in need. The bad neighbours in Jesus book were the lawyer’s fellow religious leaders who were more concerned about their ceremonial and ritual purity than helping someone in need. Just like some at Colossae they believed that having secret head knowledge about obeying rules and rituals would make them better Jews, those who God would prefer. But they didn’t have heart knowledge that applied what they knew in their heads to their hearts and lives. In contrast the Samaritan was leading a life worthy of the Lord, a life that understood what God wants done, a life that had knowledge of God and showed mercy, just like God does, a life that pleased God and was fruitful in that when he saw human need, he responded to bring healing and restoration. You see, Jesus in the story of the Good Samaritan not only gave a picture of a good neighbour, he was giving a picture of what God is like. A God who loves us with a love that is beyond our comprehension and reaches across all barriers to rescue us.
SUMMARY
Sadly today we as individual Christians and often as a Church don’t represent God very well to society. Steve Chalke related the other week at “Praise in the Park” how frequently he is lectured by Government ministers and others about how little, if anything, they believe the Church has to offer in helping to build a cohesive and inclusive society in Britain today. We need to pray Paul’s prayer for the Colossians for ourselves and for our fellow Christians. For the society our nation longs for will only become a reality when others are transferred into God’s kingdom where Jesus reigns and that will largely be determined by what they see of God in us Christians.
So where do we begin? I believe it begins with a response of love, of a thankful heart that realises all that God has done for us in and through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. A response which invites Jesus as Lord into our day to day lives. Because isn’t leading a life worthy of the Lord the least we can do for one who has given all for us.
Let’s pray.
CLOSING PRAYER
Heavenly Father. We pray that we may be open to the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives. May we be filled with the knowledge of Your will. That what we do may bear fruit that is pleasing to You. May we grow in our knowledge of You. That we may understand something of Your character and desires. May we be made strong with Your strength so that we may endure difficulties and suffering, being able to give you thanks for all that You have done for us in and through Jesus and His death on the cross. Amen.
A LIFE THAT IS COMPASSIONATE
In closing, I’d like to turn to our gospel reading from Luke 10 v 25 – 37 because in the story of the Good Samaritan, I believe Jesus gives an illustration of the type of person who was leading a life worthy of the Lord and also the types of people who were not. Jesus tells a story that would have shocked the Jewish lawyer who had asked “And who is my neighbour”? For instead of limiting the definition of neighbour to a list that the Jewish lawyer would have found acceptable, Jesus widened it to a level that no self-
SUMMARY
Sadly today we as individual Christians and often as a Church don’t represent God very well to society. Steve Chalke related the other week at “Praise in the Park” how frequently he is lectured by Government ministers and others about how little, if anything, they believe the Church has to offer in helping to build a cohesive and inclusive society in Britain today. We need to pray Paul’s prayer for the Colossians for ourselves and for our fellow Christians. For the society our nation longs for will only become a reality when others are transferred into God’s kingdom where Jesus reigns and that will largely be determined by what they see of God in us Christians.
So where do we begin? I believe it begins with a response of love, of a thankful heart that realises all that God has done for us in and through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. A response which invites Jesus as Lord into our day to day lives. Because isn’t leading a life worthy of the Lord the least we can do for one who has given all for us.
Let’s pray.
CLOSING PRAYER
Heavenly Father. We pray that we may be open to the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives. May we be filled with the knowledge of Your will. That what we do may bear fruit that is pleasing to You. May we grow in our knowledge of You. That we may understand something of Your character and desires. May we be made strong with Your strength so that we may endure difficulties and suffering, being able to give you thanks for all that You have done for us in and through Jesus and His death on the cross. Amen.
Paul Stone © 2007