The Believer's Gratitude toward God

Jim ButlerColossians 1:12–20

Colossians 1:12–20 presents the believer's gratitude as an essential component of a walk worthy of the Lord — not a sentimental add-on but a theological necessity rooted in what God has actually done. Paul prays that the Colossians would be fruitful, growing, strengthened, and thankful, with gratitude serving as the lens through which sovereign grace becomes visible. This exposition works through two grounds for thanksgiving — inheritance and deliverance — before tracing the movement of Paul's prayer into the great Christological hymn of verses 15–20, where Christ as Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer becomes the ultimate reason for the believer's praise. The sermon applies throughout with the exhortation to rehearse these redeemed blessings, particularly in the context of the Lord's Supper.