July 6, 2003 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church

Colossians 1:9~11

Friends, we're at war, and the enemy has us surrounded. His goal is to turn us away from the truth, to make us miserable, and to steal our inheritance. He's done his homework, he knows us very well, and he uses our weaknesses to his advantage. He tries to diminish the power of our prayer by distracting us. Laziness, indifference, carnality, materialism, and misplaced priorities all take away from the time we have to pray, and to top it off, he makes us so busy dealing with all the things in our lives that either we forget to pray, or we keep putting it off until later. If, even for one second, our eyes were somehow supernaturally opened to the point where we could truly understand the power of our prayers, I believe it would cause us to never cease praying. So, knowing the devil's devices, how can we make more effective use of what time we do have to pray? As President Bush would say, it's time for a little bit of "strategery."

In the first eight verses of this letter, Paul showed his love and appreciation for that little church in Colosse, and he continues that theme in prayer beginning here in verse nine...

Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard [it], do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

Paul is always an excellent example for prayer. His confidence was in God, and his concern was for people, so what did he pray for? That the church be filled with the knowledge of God's divine will, setting aside all inventions of men. Here we find one of those places in the Bible where the translation lets us down a little bit, not through any fault of the translators, but because of the inadequacy of the English language. In the New Testament alone, there are eight different Greek words translated into English simply as "knowledge." Here in this verse, and again in verse ten, the original word was "epignosis," which we've talked about before.

When I was thirteen years old, I hiked to the top of Horn Peak in the Sangre DeCristo range of Colorado with a church group, and I brought back this little rock from the 13,450' summit. If you take a close look at it, you can see the shells of tiny sea creatures. With this piece of evidence, I'd feel safe in making a firm diagnosis (diaginosko), that at one time Horn Peak was the home of sea critters. I can safely say that I know, that I possess gnosis, knowledge based on what I perceive, and based on what science tells me, that indeed the ocean did cover the Rocky Mountains, but what's missing from my gnosis? The Word of God! Gnosis is corruptable knowledge that we gain on our own, or through other sources outside of God's word, and Paul gives us warnings about this type of knowledge and about those who spread it when we get into chapter two.

Paul is praying for us to have epignosis of God's will, the precise and correct knowledge revealed only through His Word. 2 Peter 3:5-7 declare that, "...by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." If I show you this rock, if I tell you where I got it, if I read those verses in second Peter along with you, and then we get our second and third witnesses from Psalm 104 and Genesis chapter 7, then we've invited the Holy Spirit into the equation. Then we receive epignosis, the insight that only our Father can give. Then we possess precise knowledge when we say that Horn Peak was once a swimming hole.

If you pray for your family, your friends, your neighbors, your sisters and brothers in Christ to be filled with precise and correct knowledge of God's will, it's the best thing you can ever do for them. It's a laser guided precision warhead striking the house of Satan, and it took you less than ten seconds to pray it. With the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, your desire becomes one to escape the corruption in this world, to become a partaker in the divine nature, not the worldly nature, and as a result, your life will become a progression of fruitbearing. If ever my eyes became opened that I might fully see God's will for my life, how could I ever step outside of it? Even if you have only one minute of quiet time while driving your car, you have time to pray for someone you love; you have time to pray that they be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Paul goes on to explain in verse ten what happens as a result of receiving this epignosis of God's will...

Colossians 1:10~11 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

Indeed, we are at war, and the most effective "strategery" we can employ in this battle is the "epignosis" of God's will for our lives. We become more effective soldiers when we have full knowledge of the will of our Commander, and so also will those who you keep in your prayers. For those who need healing, for those who are hurting, for those who need any kind of help, what greater comfort is there than knowing the will of God? It strengthens them with all might: in the Greek, "dunamis," where we get the English word "dynamite." It gives those who are hurting, those who are going through difficulties, patience and endurance accompanied by joyfulness!

As we prepare our hearts in respect, to the memory, of Jesus Christ's life, His teaching, and His mission as the ultimate Intercessor, what better way to honor Him than by launching a few cruise missles at the enemy right now. As we get ready to sing our communion hymn, in the quiet of your heart, think of someone to pray for, someone you want to lift up, and in Jesus' name let's pray Colossians 1:9 for them. "For this cause we also, since the day we heard, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;"