Faith, Love, and Hope

Faith, Love, and Hope. Because of our faith in Christ Jesus, and His love for all mankind, we have hope. Hello and welcome to this study of the Book of Colossians. For those who are following my study of Genesis, sorry I did not post this past Wednesday, we were down state with family for Thanksgiving. 

Verses 3-5 in the first chapter of Paul's letter to the believers in Colosse are a continuation of his greeting. In this greeting we see can be thankful for faith, love, and hope.

Lots of people scorn the church. A noted professor of Islamic law at Al-Imam University in Saudi Arabia gave an interview in which he said that those who worship Christ, Son of Mary, should be hated; and he said that when a Muslim hates a Christian, it is a “positive hatred.” But it’s not just a problem overseas. Our American government is bending over backward to prohibit freedom of speech to Christians in public areas. And the entertainment industry is pushing an increasingly anti-Christian and anti-church agenda. Christ Jesus warned we would be hated by all nations for His name’s sake.

If, then, this world is predisposed to hate the church, what should our attitude be? We know the church better than anybody, and we know that there’s no perfect church. However this is not an excuse to throw in the towel and give up. Remember, no matter how difficult it becomes, your Christian walk – your daily conduct – is just as important, some would say more important; than your Christian talk. It is your Christian walk that authenticates you talk. The world desperately needs to hear the testimony of those who know God. But before you can talk to the world effectively, you must “walk before the Lord” in such a manner as will cause the world to become attracted to the One that makes your life different.

As Christians we have much to be thankful for. Paul in his letter to the Colossians was thankful. In the ordinary structure of a Greek letter it was customary to express a few words of thanksgiving for the welfare of the recipients, and to pray for their continual well-being. This was usually done in a single stereotyped sentence or two. Paul does more: he expresses heartfelt thanks focused on what he knows is going on among the people he is addressing, and he uses the thanksgiving to lead to the theme of his letter. Here is a description of who we are as Christians—at least, who we should be—which we celebrate.

Even with all its flaws and failures, we should be thankful for the presence of the church in this world. Paul begins his letter to the believers in Colosse, not by taking on false teachers and their teachings. Instead he writes how thankful he is about the gospel's positive effects in the church in Colosse.

Faith is not a distant view but a warm embrace of Christ. - John Calvin.

Col 1:3-6

3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

1. I’m Thankful for the Church’s Faith (vs. 3-4)

Regular Jewish prayer times included many blessings, and Paul's prayer time included many thanksgivings to God; so this is not just a customary expression of thanks for the purpose of this letter. It was a heart felt thanksgiving for the church at Colosse.

Paul wasn’t necessarily commending the church for its great faith. In fact, later in the book he admonished them to develop their faith (1:22ff and 2:5ff). Paul was just thankful that in a secular city on the eastern flanks of the Roman Empire, there was a church representing Christ Jesus. It wasn’t the size of their faith, but the very existence of their faith that thrilled him. By complimenting the Colossians on how the gospel had taken root and grown in them, Paul encouraged them to remain faithful to the message of truth that they had heard. He also urged them not to be seduced into error by the alluring lies of the false teachers. 

The gospel should do for you what it did for the Colossians. The gospel of Christ Jesus, like a seed, is a dynamic force that shatters the hard, stony soil of sin and takes root as new life. Sadly this cannot be said of every church or every “Christian” today. Many in America have become so liberal in their beliefs that the historic faith of Christianity has been abandoned. 

But in other parts of the world, Christians are so committed to Christ Jesus and His message they are braving great persecution; and there are more Christians on earth today than ever before. Christianity is spreading more rapidly than ever, despite Islamism, secularism, and liberalism. And I’m thankful for the faith of those who believe in Christ Jesus. Aren't you?

Matthew Henry said, “Faith opens the door of the soul to receive Christ; faith admits him, and submits to him.”

Faith is the door; faith is the hinge on which the door swings; faith is the key that unlocks the door; faith is the impulse to open the door when the knock comes; faith is the willingness to invite the guest in; faith impels surrender which allows the guest to become master of the house. Won't you let Christ Jesus become the master of you life this morning?

Like Paul, I am thankful for the church's faith and I'm thankful for the church's love. 

2. I’m Thankful for the Church’s Love (vs. 4)

There’s a story of a ship that wrecked in the South Pacific. A handful of sailors survived, but they were marooned without weapons in an area infamous for cannibalism. As they crept through the jungle, they suddenly relaxed and smiled. They saw a church building in the clearing. “Come on, boys!” said one of them. “There’s a church here!”

I have been around church enough to know misunderstandings arise, people come and go, feelings get hurt, opinions differ. But by and large every church I’ve ever known has been characterized by loving people who really cared for each other, and I’m thankful.

Paul is thankful for the Colossians because he has heard of their “love for all the saints” (v. 4). This is something to celebrate.

The Indian philosopher, Bara Dala, brother of the great poet Rabindranath Tagore, once said: “Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians—you are not like Him.” He did not say it bitterly but sadly. 

 

How different it should be—when the Christian knows who they are and whose they are. Kagawa of Japan is one of the clearest signs of this style in the twentieth century, demonstrating always a passionate devotion to Christ which expresses itself in selfless love for all the saints—and for those who are not saints. In Kagawa’s home town there once toiled a missionary named Logan. Someone asked Kagawa if he knew Dr. Logan. A radiant smile spread over Kagawa’s face as he responded, “He was the first one who showed me the blueprint of love.”

 

Oh would that Tagore’s brother Bara Dala had known Logan rather than the Christians he knew! Just as a harvest of ripe apples or an abundant corn harvest is evidence of life in the seeds from which they sprang, so the seed of the gospel bears fruit – a field of virtues – that proves there is spiritual life. When someone looks at your field, your life; what crop do they see? One that has grown from the seeds of this world or one sown in the virtues of God?

Three fundamental traits of Christian character ought to be evident in the life of every believer. Three fundamental traits should manifest themselves in every life that the gospel seed has taken root, in your life if you call yourself a Christian. What are these three fundamental traits? Faith, love, and hope.

3. I’m Thankful for the Church’s Hope (vs. 5)

When we become a part of God’s family, our sense of “home” and of “citizenship” changes. We start looking for a heavenly home, and we are citizens of a new kingdom. 

 

In Ichabod Spencer’s book, A Pastor’s Sketches, he told of being called to the bedside of a dying woman. Her bedroom filled with friends who had gathered to see her die. Making his way through the crowd, he could see she was in the last agonies of death. She was bolstered up in her bed, gasping for breath, almost suffocated by asthma. 

 

Rev. Spencer said, “You seem to be very sick.” “Yes,” she said, “I am dying.” “And are you ready to die?” he asked. She lifted her eyes to him and said very earnestly, “God knows … I have taken Him at His Word … and … I am not afraid to die.” 

 

Rev. Spencer quoted Scriptures to her and prayed for several minutes; and then he turned to leave, but she reached out and caught his hand. Gasping for breath, she said, “I wanted to tell you … that I can … trust … in God … while I am dying. You have often told me … He would not forsake me.… And now I find it is true. I am at peace. I die willingly and happily.” 
 

In a few minutes, Spencer left the solemn room. However, the woman did not die. She recovered and lived for many more years. But no one ever forgot the dying testimony of the woman who didn’t die. She said, “I have taken the Lord at His Word. I can trust God while I’m living and while I’m dying. He will never leave me or forsake me.”

The Colossians had love and Paul was thankful. Hope was the final characteristic Paul named: “because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven “ (v. 5). Here is the great triad of Christian virtues, describing the Christian style: faith, hope, and love. These abide though all else may perish (1 Cor. 13). 

 

This passage is a unique expression of the three elements and defines what Paul means by them. Faith is directed to Christ Jesus and is in Christ; love is to and for the brethren; hope is for the coming of full salvation. 

 

Let me say again hope is not “wishing for something you know wont happen.” Biblical hope, like biblical faith, is a strong word. Hope is looking forward with eager anticipation and strong confidence to the sure promises of God. Your hope is safe and secure, locked away in heaven far above anything that threatens its integrity. This confident expectation is what motivates you to be able to love inclusively and nonselectively. 

 

There is also a unique expression of the connection of faith and love with hope. Interestingly, the “hope which is laid up for you in heaven “ is not a reward for your faith and love. Rather, the hope that is yours is the source of faith and love. This truth is good news. The good news, that Christ Jesus died, was buried, and rose again is a simple message. Why make it harder than it has to be? This message of truth and good news bears fruits in the lives of believers and should not be abandoned for alluring lies and false teachings.

Conclusion: The Colossian church wasn’t perfect and neither is this one or any other one; but Paul was thankful for their faith, love, and hope. Down through the chronicles of the history of the church, there have been problems—but the church has always been characterized by faith, love, and hope. And I’m thankful for that. Do you have faith in Christ Jesus? Is your life characterized by His love? Do you have His hope? If not then do something about that right now. Come and invite Christ Jesus into your life now.