Joyful Thanksgiving

Joyful Thanksgiving

(Colossians 1:3-14)

Yearly Theme:  “Kindness is… Appreciative”

Series Title:  “Thankful Kindness”

November 26^th, 2023

Something to think about:

For some, joy doesn’t come easy; expressions of joy even less.  But for the believer in Christ, joy is non-negotiable.  So why is that?  Well, joy is non-negotiable for the believer for the sheer fact that it is rooted, not in life’s circumstances, but in the promises of GOD.

As we explore another one of the Apostle Paul’s letters in the New Testament this morning, we find – yet again – Him praying for knowledge and spiritual wisdom, but this time, for the Church at Colossae, he also prays that they will be filled with joy, always thanking the Father in Heaven.

Let’s take a closer look:

Colossians 1:3-14 (NLT)

³ We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ⁴ For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, ⁵ which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven.  You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

⁶ This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world.  It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

⁷ You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker.  He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf.  ⁸ He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.

⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.  We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.  ¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.  All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

¹¹ We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.  May you be filled with joy, ¹² always thanking the Father.  He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.  ¹³ For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴ who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Sheldon Vanauken is quoted in Chuck Colson’s book, The Body, as having said:

"The best argument for Christianity is Christians:  Their joy, their certainty, their completeness.  But the strongest argument AGAINST Christianity is also Christians--when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.”[1]

Here’s the point…

Key Point:  “We can express thanksgiving to GOD with joy knowing that our living for Him is not in vain.”

So, what does Paul pray for the Colossian Church?  He prays for… 

•  knowledge of GOD’s  .

Colossians 1:9b (NLT),  We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will…

• Spiritual  and  .

Colossians 1:9c (NLT),  …to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.

• Strengthening with GOD’s glorious  to have all  and  

Colossians 1:11a (NLT),  We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.

• Being  with  , always  the Father.

Colossians 1:11b-14 (NLT),  May you be filled with joy, ¹² always thanking the Father.  He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.  ¹³ For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴ who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Something to take home:

For Paul, speaking about and praying for the joy-filling of believers in the early church was more than just a nice gesture or cliché, it was rooted in a deep sense of awe as rooted in a relationship with the Almighty GOD through Christ Jesus.  It’s this type of expressive joy that causes the believer to remember the inheritance that comes with surrendering his/her life to Christ.  It’s this kind of purposeful joy that keeps a person walking in the light of life which is Christ.  And, it’s this manner of joy that rejoices in the fact that GOD has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, Jesus, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Key Point:  “We can express thanksgiving to GOD with joy knowing that our living for Him is not in vain.”

[1] Chuck Colson, The Body, pp. 320-321.