For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you,
that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing,
bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
strengthened with all power, according to the might of His glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy;
giving thanks unto the Father, Who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;
Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love;
in Whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.
Dear Lord, we want to thank Thee for this opportunity to be gathered together at the beginning of the new year.
We believe that Thou hast new grace for us as we gather in Thy presence. We pray that Thou wilt be present with us according to Thy promise.
Thy presence is everything to us. We pray that Thou wilt remove anything here that may prevent the manifestation of Thy own presence.
We pray that we may really see Thy face tonight and be drawn closer to Thyself. We ask, Lord, that Thou wilt breathe upon Thy Word again, that Thy Word may come to us in life and in spirit.
Deliver us from anything that is merely intellectual or mental. Bring us into life with Thy Word, and we will give Thee all the glory. In Thy precious name we pray. Amen.
I do want to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to see you, dear brothers and sisters, again.
As I waited upon the Lord for this time, the burden that the Lord seemed to give me is on this matter of the way to fullness. We will use the letter to the Colossians as our background.
We know that the apostle Paul, when he wrote this letter, was in prison in Rome.
He wrote this letter toward the end of that imprisonment. In this letter, he gives us the impression that he was thinking of seeing them again. Especially in the letter to Philemon, he asked them to prepare a lodging for him.
We find also in the letter to the Philippians that Paul was before the Lord, considering whether it was time for him to leave or whether the Lord wanted him to remain. To depart was a great blessing to him; yet to continue with them was for their good.
Finally, he felt that the Lord’s will was for him to remain. So, by all indications, we know that he wrote this letter to the Colossians toward the end of his first Roman imprisonment.
Paul had never been to Colossae. But from Acts 19, we know that he went to Ephesus. For three months he reasoned and persuaded the Jews in the synagogue concerning the kingdom of God.
Because some of them began to speak evil of the Way, he left them and went to the school of Tyrannus.
There he continued to reason concerning the kingdom of God for about two years. During those two years, all Asia—that is, the Roman province of Asia—heard the word of the Lord, whether Jews or Gentiles.
So, even though Paul had never been to Colossae, Colossae was one of the cities in this Roman province of Asia. In a sense, he was indirectly related to the church in Colossae.
Now, we know that the brother used by the Lord in Colossae was Epaphras. He was a faithful servant of the Lord, and how he prayed for the people.
Most likely, this man Epaphras came to the Lord through the ministry of Paul. So, in a sense, Paul was indirectly related to the church in Colossae.
Furthermore, there was a family in Colossae. The husband was Philemon, the wife was Apphia, and they had a son, Archippus.
Most likely, this family also came to the Lord through the ministry of Paul. Paul said of Philemon that he owed his very life to him. This family, with one heart, served the Lord.
The husband opened his house for the meeting of God’s people. So the church in Colossae met in the house of Philemon.
The wife was in perfect agreement with her husband, and even the son became a servant of the Lord. So you find Epaphras and the family of Philemon associated with the church in Colossae.
They had a very, very good beginning. The apostle Paul, writing to the Colossians, said that he had heard of their faith in Christ Jesus, their love toward all the saints, and their hope in all the promises of God.
We know that these three elements are fundamental elements of Christian life: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, love for all the saints, and hope.
They loved all the saints. They did not select which saints to love and which saints not to love. They really had a full hope to endure.
So this church in Colossae had a very good beginning. These brothers and sisters really loved the Lord, really wanted to go on with the Lord, and had a very strong desire for fullness and perfection.
I think this is something very commendable.
But unfortunately, in their anxiousness to be perfect, somehow they were being misled.
They were not like the Corinthian believers. The Corinthian believers were satisfied with their little knowledge and little experience of our Lord Jesus. They had no desire to really go on into maturity.
They would rather believe in the Lord Jesus and live their own life. That was their problem. I believe even today, among God’s people, you find this problem.
Some are really born again, and even gifted, yet they have no desire to know the Lord in a full way. So they miss entering into the fullness of God’s will.
Yet, on the other hand, you find today people like the people in Colossae. They really have a desire to go into fullness. They want to be mature. They want to be perfect.
When people have such a desire, they are open to certain temptations.
People came into the church in Colossae and offered them a shortcut to fullness. They told them that just believing in Christ Jesus was not enough.
Christ is not enough for perfection, they said. You need something added to Christ.
In this case, we find the so-called Colossian heresy. Now, we do not know exactly what that heresy was. We only know that it was a strange combination of two things.
On the one side, there was Jewish ritualism. On the other hand, there was Gentile philosophy: speculation, mystical thinking, and some kind of Gnosticism.
On the one hand, there was an emphasis upon certain physical things: keeping certain days; “Do not touch, do not eat,” and so forth.
On the other hand, there was some so-called wisdom. They needed to be initiated into such philosophical, speculative wisdom.
If they kept certain rituals and were initiated into some mystical, philosophical ideas, then they were perfect. Then they were in fullness.
Not knowing that when they did these things, they were led away from Christ. The result was just the opposite.
Because truth always leads to correct living. When you get into error in teaching, you will be led into corrupted living.
When Paul heard about these things, Epaphras had come to Rome to visit him and told him what had happened in Colossae. Paul was so burdened for these dear brothers and sisters.
Out of that burden, he wrote this letter to the Colossians.
Now, brothers and sisters, this is very important for us. Thank God that He has not only saved us, but He has given us the desire to go on.
We are not content to be merely saved. I think this desire to go on to fullness is from the Lord.
But somehow, because we do not know ourselves and we do not know the Lord enough, we tend to be led to other things than the Lord Himself.
We are led into the world, or even into the thinking of man, and we are not living according to Christ. This is a problem not only in the first century; it is a problem here too.
Thank God for the letter to the Colossians, because this letter shows us the right way to fullness.
Anyone who reads the letter to the Colossians will be impressed by the thought of fullness in this letter.
In Philippians, especially in Philippians 2, you have the so-called kenosis, which means emptying.
Our Lord Jesus was equal with God. He had the very form of God, and that was not something He grasped at.
Yet He emptied Himself and took the form of a bondservant. He had the form of God, and yet He emptied Himself of all the honor and glory related to the Godhead.
Of course, He could not empty Himself of His deity, because that is what He is. Yet everything related to glory, honor, position, and so forth, He emptied Himself of. He took the form of a slave.
That is to say, even in His inward feeling, He stood on the ground of a slave. Being found in fashion as a man, He was obedient to God the Father, even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.
So, in Philippians you see the emptying; but in Colossians you see the fullness. It is pleroma: fullness.
As you read this letter, you find that this word, fullness, is used many, many times, with different variations.
For instance, in Colossians 1:9:
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you,
that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Here you find being filled with the full knowledge of God’s will.
Then, in Colossians 1:19:
For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell.
And then, in Colossians 1:24:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,
and fill up on my part in my flesh that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake, which is the church.
Then, in Colossians 1:25, Paul says that he became a minister of the assembly according to the dispensation of God given to him toward them, “to fulfil the word of God.” The word fulfil also carries the thought of filling full.
In Colossians 2:9:
For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And then, in Colossians 2:10:
And in Him ye are made full.
The word complete is to be filled full in Him.
Again, in Colossians 4:12:
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, saluteth you, always striving for you in his prayers,
that ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
And then, in Colossians 4:17:
Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.
Throughout this short letter, there are many repetitions and variations of the same word. Whenever you find this, it is an indication of what the letter is about.
Of course, you have another word: perfect. For instance, in Colossians 1:28:
Whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom,
that we may present every man perfect in Christ.
Again, in Colossians 4:12, we read, “That ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.”
By the repetition of these words, and other related words, we find that the main thought in this letter concerns this matter of fullness.
In this letter, the apostle Paul is sharing with us the right way to fullness.
In all his prison letters—especially Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians—before Paul was able to share what was upon his heart, you find that he always prayed before the Lord.
I think this is something very special in these prison letters, because he wrote them when his spiritual life had reached maturity.
He knew very well that in spiritual things, just speaking does not do much good. You may share spiritual things with people, and they may even receive some understanding in their minds, yet it may not reach their hearts.
Human words, no matter how complete they are, do not work by themselves. In spiritual things, you have to depend upon the Spirit of God.
Before he tried to share with the people in Colossae, the first thing he did was to pray. This prayer was actually a prayer for fullness.
In his prayer, he asked the Lord to lead the people into fullness. Unless the Lord does something, no matter how you try, it is in vain.
Paul’s prayer was very specific. He did not pray merely a general prayer. You find that his prayer was always focused upon the particular need of those who received the letter.
This evening, we would like to fellowship together on this prayer of Paul.
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you,
that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Paul prays that they may be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will.
Here we find the full knowledge of God’s will. The word will is singular in number.
Oftentimes, when we talk about the will of God, we think in terms of many particular problems: What is the will of God for me—to do this or to do that? What is the will of God concerning whether I should go there? How do I know the will of God concerning whether I should take up this job or not?
Our idea of God’s will is often plural, relating to details and individual decisions. But in the Word of God, there is a will that is singular in number.
For instance, in Romans 12:2, we are told to prove “what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
If we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, then the Holy Spirit will renew our mind. With this renewed mind, we will know the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.
We know that this good and acceptable will of God is singular in number. We may say that this will of God controls all the particular wills of God.
If we know the will of God, it will be easier for us to know the particular wills of God. The reason we find it so difficult to know the individual wills of God is because we do not know the will of God.
Once you know the will of God, we may say that knowing the particular wills of God is already half solved.
Now, what is the will of God? We need to have the knowledge of the will of God.
I believe, brothers and sisters, that you who have been gathering together for years know that this is an open secret. Even though the Bible says it is a mystery hidden throughout the ages and generations, now it has been revealed.
In other words, we know what this will of God is. We know that in the will of God there is a Person, and that Person is His beloved Son.
Even before the foundation of the world, God had already willed this in Himself according to His good pleasure, because this is something with which He is pleased.
Before He did anything, in eternity past, He was all by Himself. He purposed a purpose in Himself. This was what pleased Him.
It is about His Son. He wants His Son to be everything.
Whatever He was going to create was for His Son. All things are to manifest the glory of His Son. All things are to please His beloved Son.
He wants His Son to have the preeminence in all things. He wants His Son to have the first place in all things.
Now, first place according to our idea is merely number one. But I may be number two. Yet first place in the scriptural concept means that He has the first place because He has every place.
He is all and in all. God has made Him the heir of all things, the Head of all things, and the sum of all things. Everything will manifest His glory.
This is the perfect will of God.
Dear brothers and sisters, we know the perfect will of God. But the Bible speaks of the full knowledge of God’s will.
In the original language, the word is epignosis: full knowledge. It is not merely knowing something; it is knowing it in a full way.
Our problem is that somehow we all know the will of God. We all know that God’s will is His Son. Mentally, we all know that.
But we do not have the full knowledge. Full knowledge means experiential knowledge. It is not merely objective knowledge; it is subjective knowledge. It is a working knowledge of God.
In other words, it works. It operates. Not only do you understand it mentally, but it has become your life. It affects your life, and you begin to experience this knowledge in a practical way.
Not only must we have some experiential knowledge of God’s will, but we are to be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will.
In other words, that knowledge of God has taken you over. Whatever happens will not shake your whole being.
This is the way to fullness. In order to really enter into fullness, first of all, we need to be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will.
In Paul’s prayer, he added, “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
Sometimes we make a distinction between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is something that you have learned. Wisdom is being able to use what you have learned.
Wisdom is working knowledge. Some people have great knowledge, but they do not know how to utilize the knowledge they have.
What the Bible says is that we need wisdom. It is working knowledge, working in our whole life and leading us to fullness.
Of course, we know from the Word of God that there are two kinds of wisdom.
One wisdom is earthly, sensual, and devilish. The more you have that kind of wisdom, the more emulation and strife you have.
But there is a wisdom from above. First, it is pure; then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy.
Brothers and sisters, what we need is this wisdom from above. In that wisdom, we are filled with the full knowledge of God’s will.
Some people think that they have wisdom and knowledge of God, but what happens? You find strife and emulation. We know that this is not wisdom from above, and it is not a full knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom.
If you really have the full knowledge of God’s will in that wisdom from above, you find that it is peaceable, gentle, meek, and yielding. There is a difference here. You find this in James 3.
Then there is spiritual understanding. What do we mean by spiritual understanding? Spiritual understanding is very important.
In 1 Kings 4, you remember how Solomon asked God for wisdom. Actually, he asked God for understanding—a heart that understands.
We think that understanding is a matter of the mind. But true understanding is related to the heart.
Solomon asked for an understanding heart, and God was pleased with it. God gave him that understanding heart.
Understanding simply means a heart that hears—a heart that can hear God. Now, this is understanding.
In that understanding, you are filled with the full knowledge of God. This is something that Paul wanted the Colossian believers to enter into.
The reason they were being led astray was because they did not have this full knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
In a very real sense, I believe that this is our lack today. A little knowledge is dangerous. We need the full knowledge of God’s will. We need to pursue this.
If we really let the full knowledge of God fill us in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, then, in a sense, we are on solid ground.
Some people have the idea that knowing the eternal purpose of God is something mysterious—almost like speculative knowledge, something that you just grasp in an abstract way.
Some people think spiritual things are very impractical. They think that the more spiritual you are, the less human you become.
But I remember our dear brother Watchman Nee said, “Unless you know how to be a man, you cannot be a spiritual man.”
The more spiritual you are, the more practical you become.
Here you find that Paul’s prayer for the Colossian believers is followed by the consequences of this knowledge.
To walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing.
How can we walk worthy of the Lord? How can we please the Lord in our life if we do not know His will?
We may try to please Him, but we may do the very opposite.
We remember Saul the Pharisee before his conversion. He wanted to serve God, and he served God, yet he did not know God’s will. He did God a great disservice.
But thank God, God knew his heart. God met him and revealed His mind to him.
Knowing the will of God, Paul could walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing. This knowledge affects our life. It gives us direction and gives us the possibility of pleasing God.
Then Paul says, “bearing fruit in every good work.”
What is good work? Good work is actually doing God’s will. In the Bible, whenever God says something is good, it means it is according to God’s will.
No matter how good something may appear to people, it is not necessarily good in God’s sight.
People may say, “Lord, Lord, in Thy name I have preached the Word. In Thy name I have cast out demons. In Thy name I have done wonders.” But the Lord says, “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.”
Good works are possible only when we know God’s will and do it.
God’s good works are not merely something that comes out of our own striving. In the Bible, good work is fruit-bearing. Bearing fruit is something that comes from within.
It is not by human effort alone. It is the outflow of life.
Unless we really know Him, and unless we allow the life of Christ to take over, how can we bear fruit in good works?
Then Paul says, “increasing in the knowledge of God.” That is the way we really grow in the Lord.
Furthermore, we are to be “strengthened with all power, according to the might of His glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy.”
When we enter into fullness, we begin to experience strength within us. Actually, it is the strength that comes out from the life of the Lord.
We have the power to endure and to suffer long.
Patience in the Bible is related to enduring our environment. Longsuffering is also endurance and patience, but it is related to people.
We know the patience of Job. That is the endurance of his circumstances. He was able to endure all those environments.
We know that in 1 Corinthians 13, love suffers long. That concerns people.
So whether it is toward things or toward people, the life within us has the strength to endure—not only to endure and suffer long, but to do so with joy.
These are the expressions of fullness of life.
Then Paul says, “giving thanks unto the Father, Who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.”
In other words, we realize that it is all from God. It is not that we are able to endure, or able to suffer long, or able to bear fruit in good works, or able to please God.
We acknowledge that it is all from God. We thank Him for making us fit to share with the saints in our inheritance.
This is the prayer of Paul for the Colossian believers. In other words, he is pointing out to them the right way.
If they see this, they will be delivered from all distractions, and they will really grow into perfection.
Dear brothers and sisters, as we come together at this time, we really need to pray, asking the Lord to give us vision.
We must ask the Lord to open our inner understanding, that we may really be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
May the Lord help us. Let us pray.
Dear Lord, we acknowledge that in spiritual things we are absolutely helpless.
When we try by ourselves, how often we are led astray.
Dear Lord, we want to come to Thee with humility, acknowledging that in ourselves we cannot do it. We look to Thee.
We ask Thee to open our understanding, as Thou didst open the understanding of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus.
When Thy Word comes, may our hearts become warm. More than that, we ask that Thou wilt break the bread to us, that we may see Thyself.
Lord, do fill us with Thyself. Fill us with the full knowledge of God, that we may be delivered from all distractions and grow into fullness.
In Thy precious name, Amen.