Hail to the brightness of Zion's glad morning
Christ whose glory fills the skies
Praise he the Lord, for it is good
O word of God incarnate
Christ, of all my hopes the ground
Rejoice, ye poor in heart
Thanks we give and adoration
Scripture : Colossians 1:1-8
[2] To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
[3] We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, [4] since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, [5] because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, [6] which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, [7] just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf [8] and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
(Colossians 1:1-8 ESV)
It's akin to those today who say worship God is good but now you need a second blessing.
Paul addresses the church as a group of saints. Paul wants them to know that God's love is for all of them.
Thanking them for their faith in God and the love they show each other. This because of the hope they have. They don't need to do something special to earn it.
The Gospel is bearing fruit. How do we know this?
1.their faith in Christ Jesus. Not just faith for the sake of sake, but of faith IN someone. Their faith was in Jesus. This faith was transformational. The good news of Christ changes us. Our identity gets wrapped up in him.
2.he heard not only of their faith but also of their love for all the saints. It's a love of more than feeling, it's love as a commitment. It's a love of action. A love that works for the good of others.
3. Hope is the cause of their faith and love. This hope in heaven leads us to greater faith and love in action. This hope is an object. It is something stored for us in heaven. It is the thing that is coming, that God is guarding for us. One day no more sorrow or pain or sadness or mourning or sin. This is our hope.
This truth sets us free to love in Christ the way we were meant to. Despite the folks who might take advantage of you. As the Gospel transforms us the world is changed.