Colossians 1:9-12 / David VanAcker

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; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 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.

In this passage, Paul let the Colossians know that he was praying for them, asking God (among other things) to cause them to be ever “increasing in the knowledge of God” (v.10). In that way, he introduced the doctrine of God. What he did not do, however, is unpack that doctrine in any significant way. Most of the knowledge of God he has in mind is merely assumed and asserted. This Sunday, I mean to make explicit what Paul implies by taking a closer look at Paul's God.

The big ideas of this sermon are that (1) God is who He is, (2) Who God is, is woven through every line of this letter, and (3) The nature and purpose of everything is rooted in who God is. The main takeaways are to (1) Prayerfully and carefully learn who God really is and (2) Order everything according to that.

Service Order

Welcome
Exhortation
Assurance of Pardon
    Holy Holy Holy
Reading – Psalm 105
    Grace Greater Than Our Sin
    Sovereign Over Us
Offering
Sermon
    I Am Not My Own
    This Is My Father’s World
Benediction

Memory Verse

Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Service Times

Prayer
8:30-8:45am
Sunday School
9:00am-10:00am
Worship Service
10:30am-Noon

Berea

In Berea, we will be back in our study through the whole Bible, this week we will look at the book of 1 Thessalonians. Sunday School (kids ages 2-12) and Berea (kids 12+ and adults) take place at 9am on Sunday.