Colossians Devotional | Day 1: How Great Is This God!
Colossians: Christ Above and at the Center
The Glory of God Revealed in Jesus
A Long-term Plan, Day 1
“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.” - (Colossians 1:9-14)
Each year, as I pray over and prepare the upcoming year’s sermon calendar, I’m looking for one, on-going idea that every sermon, regardless of topic or book, will point to. Back in November of 2019, what I felt like the Lord gave me was: How great is this God? Come and see, then go and tell.
So, with Exodus, and now with Colossians, I want us to answer that question: how great is this God? And, as we answer it, I want us to obey that command: to come and see--to enjoy and be amazed and encouraged...then go and tell others.
I’m about to preach (and you’re about to study!) the book of Colossians, one of the most clearly and stridently Christo-centric books of the Bible. While the entire Bible is about Jesus, ultimately, few other books so specifically and plainly drill down to the deity of Jesus, the value of Jesus, the first-ness of Jesus, and what life looks like when we behold those truths and believe them.
The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in a city named Colossae. Though he’d never met them, he loved them. My goal in preaching this letter aligns with Paul’s goal in writing it: so that you would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding--that you’d learn, believe, and trust the gospel of God in Jesus. So that, in believing, you are equipped to do the good work God has assigned to you and that you’d have all the spiritual power of God that you need to do it. So that you’d have the endurance to follow Jesus all your life because you know you have an eternal inheritance of approval and joy in Heaven...all because Jesus has transferred you from the “domain of darkness” into his Kingdom.
How great is this God? isn’t so much a question as an exclamation! How great is it that we have a God who draws near to us, becomes one of us, lives perfectly on our behalf, and dies in our place. Who gives us what we need and guarantees a life after this one. That the heaviest of the lifting is done by Jesus and through Jesus. That we have forgiveness of our sins and full admission before God the Father. How great!
One of the best things I’ve ever heard taught about the gospel: Christians aren’t meant to graduate from the gospel to deeper, more interesting Bible truths; we’re mean to continually graduate deeper into the gospel. As you read Colossians chapter 1 this week, pray and ask the Lord to make the gospel more deeply beautiful and powerful in your life.
Do you know the gospel? Like--can you say it? The gospel is the most fundamental and glorious truth in the universe, and we can see it laid out in chapter one. Take some time to read and then try to write down in a sentence or two what the gospel is.