Paul had never met the Colossian believers, but he tells us in verses 4, 7, 8 how he had heard of their faith through Epaphras, a beloved fellowservant. This knowledge prompted him to give thanks to God for them and to pray continually for them.

When a seed is planted in the earth and watered, God does a miracle in that seed and it comes to life. It changes from a dry seed into a living plant. That is the same change that always takes place when a person is truly saved by Christ. If there is no change, there is no new life.

Paul was excited to hear how God had changed the lives of the Colossian believers. The changes in their lives were the theme of his thanksgiving and prayers for them.

Transition

In Colossians 1:3-8, Paul identifies four ways that a person’s life will change when he or she trusts Christ.

Every true Christian has a …

Personal Faith in Christ Jesus (v.4)

  1. Faith is an action
    1. Faith is the conviction of the truth of anything.
    2. Faith is trusting or depending on something.
    3. Faith is more than agreeing with a creed. Faith is not just accepting information as true.
    4. Faith is acting upon trusted information.
    5. Saving faith cannot exist without trustworthy information about the need and the provision. (Romans 10:14) “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”
      1. The sinner must be fearfully convicted of his lost condition that will end him in hell. He must see that there is nothing he can do that will ever save his soul.
      2. The sinner must be convinced that his ONLY hope is in Christ’s atonement on the cross.
    6. Faith grows as a person hears the Bible. (Romans 10:17) “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
    7. Saving faith is repenting (a change of mind about one’s sin and the way the heaven) and converting (turning) to Christ as one’s only hope. (Acts 3:19) “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”
  2. Saving faith is in Christ Jesus
    1. Saving faith is not in a creed. It is not in a church. It is not in an act of confirmation. It is not in a prayer. It is not in a Christian upbringing. It is in Jesus Christ alone.
    2. Christ Jesus must be the object of our faith. Our sin condemns us to hell, but Jesus died in our place to pay for our hell. Saving faith is trusting Him and nothing else to rescue our doomed soul.
      Every true Christian has a …

Love for Holy Ones (v.4)

  1. Love is an action verb
    1. Love is not just a feeling or an emotion.
    2. Love is giving of yourself to meet the needs of another expecting nothing in return.
    3. Love reaches out to others that are in need. Love befriends. Love strengthens and encourages.
    4. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) “Charity [love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
  2. True Christians love all saints
    1. Saints are literally holy ones. God declares that every true Christian is a saint or holy one. Positionally he is holy. Practically he is to seek to live holy (1Pe 1:14-16).
    2. A person who claims to be a Christian yet prefers friends that are not, may not truly be saved.
    3. Likewise, a person who claims to be a Christian yet hates other Christians, may not truly be saved. (1 John 4:20) “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
    4. God places in the heart of every true believer a love for other saints. That includes your Christian family members.
      Every true Christian has a …

Hope in Heaven (v.5)

  1. The Bible word “hope” is unique.
    1. Our modern word “hope” is more like a wish. It is a desire.
    2. The Bible word “hope” is a confident expectation that something will take place. It is the assurance of life after death.
    3. Unbelievers have no hope beyond this life. When they die, they think it is the end. Sadly, they are wrong.
  2. The Christian’s hope is in heaven
    1. That hope is laid up or reserved in heaven (v.5; 1Pe 1:5)
    2. We have a hope of resurrection from the dead to eternal life. (Acts 24:15) “And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.”
    3. We have hope of being made completely righteous. (Galatians 5:5) “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”
    4. We have hope of an immortal body like Christ. (1 John 3:2) “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
    5. We have hope of eternal life in heaven. (Titus 3:7) “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
    6. We have hope of an inheritance in heaven. (1 Peter 1:3-4) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,”
      Every true Christian has …

Fruit Evidence in His Life (v.6)

  1. Fruit is evidence of life
    1. The gospel brings forth fruit in the lives of all believers (v.6). That fruitful change begins at the moment of hearing and receiving Christ as Saviour.
    2. Fruit contains the seed of life. Plants produce fruit so that they can reproduce themselves.
    3. In the Bible, fruit is the evidence of life. In Jesus’ parable of the Sower, none of the seed that fell on the road, on the stony ground or on the weedy ground produced fruit. Those seeds produced no true life.
  2. True salvation produces fruit.
    1. Every genuine Christian will produce fruit.
    2. A true Christian will produce many kinds of fruit.
      1. He will have fruit of a new nature that desires to obey the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:17) “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
      2. He will have a hunger for reading the Bible.
      3. He will have a desire to pray often.
      4. He will have a longing to be around Christians.
      5. He will have a passion to be in church where he can learn more of the Bible.
      6. He will have the Holy Spirit living within to convict him of sin and produce character fruits in his life. (Galatians 5:22-23) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
      7. He will receive God’s chastening every time he disobeys (Heb 12:5-8).
    3. Spiritual fruit is an evidence of new life in Christ.

Conclusion

Paul was excited, thankful and prayerful over the change he heard had taken place in the Colosse believer’s lives. They had personal faith in Christ. They had a love for all saints. They had a hope in heaven. They had fruit evidence in their lives. Are these changes evident in your life? If they are, they ought to be an encouragement and assurance that Christ is in you and at work in your life. However, if these changes are not evident in your life, you are in danger. If that is the case, please do not ignore it. Repent and be converted this evening.

Song: Amazing Grace – 236
—
Changed Lives
21 August 2016 PM – Colossians 1:3-8 – Col16 – Scott Childs