Depend on God’s Power – Colossians

Brandon Werner   -   July 19, 2026

Depend on God’s Power

Together Church  |  Pastor Brandon Werner

July 19, 2026  |  Series: Colossians

 

 

Colossians 4:2-6

2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

 

INTRODUCTION

Colossians 4 is the final chapter in this book, and these verses are his final application in his letter.

 

That makes them like a punchline for what he has written.

 

For three chapters, Paul’s been writing to lead the church to believe that God is creating a new humanity through faith in Jesus… and calling them to live like they belong to that new humanity.

 

Now, as Paul’s bringing this home, we must ask…

How is the church going to live like they belong to God’s new humanity? Where’s the power going to come from? Ourselves?

 

Certainly not.

 

To live like the new humanity, we need God’s help.

 

That’s what prayer is… it’s seeking God’s help.

Paul’s saying, “You can’t do this on your own! You must seek God’s help in prayer.”

 

This section of Paul’s letter on prayer has two distinct parts…

 

  1. A call to prayer (v.2)
  2. A specific prayer request (vv.3-4)

 

Each part is distinct, but they share this in common:

God’s Word calls us to depend on God’s power through prayer.

 

That’s the main idea…

Depend on God’s power through prayer!

 

 

With that main idea in mind, let’s consider each part…

  1. The call to prayer:
    Depend on God’s power to live like the new humanity.
  2. The prayer request:
    Depend on God’s power to bring others into the new humanity.

 

 

BODY

  1. Paul calls the church to prayer as they depend on God’s power to live like the new humanity.

 

Here it is in the text:

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

 

This verse comes right before Paul shifts to a prayer request…

3 At the same time, pray also for us…

 

Paul’s about to make a specific prayer request, but he’s not doing that yet. First, he’s calling the whole church to continue in prayer.

 

We need God’s power to live like the new humanity!

 

Think about what Paul said about the new humanity in Colossians 3…

  • You need God’s power to believe you have been raised with Christ! (v.1)
  • You need God’s power to put to death what is earthly in you! (v.5)
  • You need God’s power to put off the old self and to put on the new self! (vv.9-14)
  • And you certainly need God’s power to live like the new humanity in your God-given roles (vv.3:18-4:1)

 

It is impossible for us to live like the new humanity apart from God’s power. That’s exactly why Paul concludes with this application: continue in prayer.

 

Keep asking God for His help.

 

 

In this call to prayer, Paul gives three qualifiers for our prayers.

 

Our prayers are to be…

  • Steadfast
  • Watchful
  • Thankful

 

 

  • Steadfast

 

To be steadfast in something means to be devoted or to stay persistent. It is a form of faithfulness.

 

When you think of steadfastness, think about watering a garden…

You don’t dump a year’s worth of water on it one Saturday and expect tomatoes in August. Healthy gardens are watered faithfully. The gardener continually comes back to water the garden.

 

That’s steadfastness in prayer. This isn’t a call for occasional spiritual downpours, it is a call for steady devotion… consistently coming back to prayer.

 

God’s Word consistently ties “steadfastness” to prayer…

 

Romans 12:12

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

 

Acts 1:14

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer

 

Acts 6:4

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

 

The idea here is to continue in prayer… don’t quit!

Depend on God. Faithfully seek His power in prayer.

 

Jesus set the example; He was steadfast in prayer…

 

Luke 5:16

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

 

The sinless Son of God made it His practice to faithfully depend on His heavenly Father for the power to do God’s will.

 

If Jesus – God in human flesh – made this His practice, how much more do we need to remain steadfast in prayer?

 

 

And then our prayers are to be…

  • Watchful

 

This is the idea of staying alert, staying awake!

 

Think of the night watchman in a city…

He cannot afford to fall asleep on the job. The enemy is lurking. Too much is at stake. He stays alert and awake… he is watchful.

 

Again, the most powerful example is Jesus!

 

When did Jesus say, “Watch and pray?” With His disciples, in the garden, moments before His betrayal and crucifixion…

 

Matthew 26:40-41

And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

Jesus woke them and said, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” He wasn’t merely telling them to keep their eyes open. He was calling them to spiritual alertness.

 

Stay awake to what’s happening around you. Stay awake to temptation. Stay awake to the work of God. Stay awake.

 

Living like the new humanity means being watchful in prayer.

I need God’s help to recognize when I’m not putting off the old self and putting on the new. I need God’s power to put to death what is earthly in me. It is way too easy for me to start living in the flesh.

 

Continuing steadfastly in prayer keeps me watchful in prayer.

 

 

And then, Paul says to pray with…

  • Thanksgiving

 

Thankfulness is a posture that puts things in the right perspective.

 

It’s an attitude that says, “I’ve been here before (in prayer) and good things have happened.”

 

You cannot pray with thanksgiving while also praying in self-pity. Thanksgiving forces our minds to shift from self-centeredness and to focus on the goodness of God.

 

 

So we depend on God’s power to live like the new humanity when we are steadfast, watchful, and thankful in prayer.

 

Have you ever started something healthy and failed to finish it?

  • A workout goal
  • A new diet
  • A Bible reading plan
  • A budget

 

Why’d you stop?

 

Lots of reasons, right?

  • You lost sight of the goal
  • You decided it wasn’t worth it
  • Your flesh got the best of you
  • You didn’t have a good plan to stay on track

 

I get it. We’ve all been there.

 

You know what we can’t afford to do?

Let anything become an obstacle to believing and living like the new humanity God has made us to be.

 

Prayer is the gift that helps us. He gives us His power to live like the new humanity when we turn to Him in prayer.

 

 

 

After calling on the church to pray, Paul makes a specific prayer request…

 

  1. Paul asks the church to pray for open doors to share the Word of God with others.

 

Here’s his request…

3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

 

Paul’s prayer request is for more opportunities to tell others the good news of Jesus!

 

Think about this for a moment…

Here’s Paul, a superstar of the faith. He is arguably the greatest example of a fully mature, fully devoted follower of Jesus of all time.

 

He has supernatural abilities.

For example, there were occasions when Paul’s shadow would fall on people and they would be healed of their infirmities. Another time, Paul was bitten by a deadly serpent and did not die.

 

In addition to supernatural abilities, Paul was also incredibly intelligent.

His logic and teaching in scripture are brilliant. His ability to pull together people from all walks of life and unite them in one purpose was extraordinary. Before he was converted, he was quickly rising as a star in the ranks of the Pharisees. This guy was naturally and supernaturally gifted.

 

And yet, here is Paul, asking the people in this everyday small-town church he had never visited to pray with him that God would open more doors for sharing His Word with others.

 

That speaks volumes about Paul’s worldview and what he believed about prayer.

 

Romans 15:30 reveals more about why engaging others in prayer was so important to Paul…

 

Romans 15:30

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf

 

Paul was literally asking his brothers and sisters in Colossae to “strive together” with him in their prayers.

 

To strive together is like everyone putting their shoulder to the boulder to move what could not be moved alone. It is pushing the same cart together or pushing down a wall.

 

Paul believed that these saints could literally join him in God’s work when they joined him in prayer.

 

Specifically, Paul was asking them to pray that God would open doors for the gospel to be shared. Paul wanted more people to come to faith in Jesus and join God’s new humanity.

 

Paul used “open doors” as a metaphor for his work to take others the gospel. Imagine how easy it would be to enter into cities or houses if the doors were taken right off the hinges!

 

If you’ve ever been involved in sharing the gospel, I’m sure you know what Paul’s talking about.

 

There have been times when I’ve worked tirelessly to share the gospel with someone… but the response came very slowly or not at all.

 

There have been other times that God has dropped me right into the middle of a situation where all I needed to do is share the simple gospel and someone instantly put their faith in Jesus.

 

That’s an open door – and Paul was desirous of those opportunities.

 

In the same breath as his request for open doors, Paul reminds them that he himself is locked behind a closed one… he was writing to them from prison.

 

Think about this…

While locked in prison for sharing the gospel, Paul is writing this letter to the church. As he pens this masterpiece, he decides to make one request. Think of all the requests he could have made!

 

  • “Pray I get out of here soon.”
  • “Pray for provision while I am locked up.”
  • “Pray for my health.”

 

Paul doesn’t make any of those.

Instead, he asks, “Pray for open doors to share the gospel.”

 

It just shows that his partnership with the people of God was primary.

 

There’s a deep maturity in the person who asks others to pray they will have open doors to share the gospel with others, especially while they are suffering.

 

It tells us…

  • They are depending on God in the midst of their suffering
  • They are maintaining an eternal perspective despite their difficult immediate situation
  • They are willing to share their faith with others at any moment
  • They even WANT to share their faith with others!
  • They are humble enough to allow God to use them despite their weaknesses and flaws (which, as great of a guy as Paul was, he certainly had)
  • They are devoted to the mission of Jesus (go make disciples)

 

Paul was in prison unjustly!

He was there for his witness for Jesus… that’s it.

 

And yet, his great concern wasn’t getting out… it was open doors to tell others the good news about Jesus.

 

And recently, when we went through Philippians together, we saw that God was answering Paul’s prayer. Remember what he said when he wrote an update from prison to the church at Philippi?

 

Philippians 1:12-14

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

 

The imperial guard are the elite soldiers assigned to protect the Roman empire… Caesar and his household!

 

God was opening doors for some of the highest-ranking military members of that day to come to faith in Jesus through Paul’s imprisonment. Incredible.

 

That reminds us… my physical limitations are not a barrier for how Jesus can use me.

 

 

Paul concluded his prayer request by specifically asking for God’s help to make the gospel clear as he shared it with others.

 

That’s a significant request, especially for Paul.

 

We know from 1 Corinthians that Paul ministered ‘in weakness and in fear and much trembling.’

 

We also know from 2 Corinthians that some even criticized his speaking ability, saying, ‘His speech amounts to nothing.’

 

Yet Paul doesn’t ask the church to pray that he would become more impressive. He asks them to pray that he would be clear.

 

That’s impressive.

It showed where Paul’s confidence truly lied. It wasn’t in his ability to convince people to believe the gospel, it was in the power of the gospel itself and the power of God to save.

 

 

Paul’s prayer request was all about his dependence on God’s power to share the gospel so that more people would become part of the new humanity.

 

And that heart for outsiders to become part of God’s family bled over into his final word of application…

 

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

 

Paul not only wanted them to pray with him for open doors to share the word, but he also wanted them to be ready for the open doors God would give them to help others become part of the new humanity.

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

That’s Paul’s final application, and here’s the big idea…

 

You need God’s power!

  1. To live like the new humanity
  2. To help others join God’s new humanity.

 

Depend on God through prayer.

 

Do we have examples of people experiencing God’s power through prayer? Absolutely.

 

This room is full of examples!

 

  • Some of you are here because someone prayed for you.
  • Some of you would say you are alive and a follower of Jesus because people prayed for you.

 

The Bible, church history, and our own church family are full of examples of people who experienced God’s power through prayer.

 

BIBLE:

  • When Daniel prayed, God closed the mouth of the lions
  • When Elijah prayed, God stopped the rain for three years…
    • He prayed again, and God sent the rain.
  • In Acts 12, Herod killed James (brother of John) with the sword
    • Then put Peter in prison with plans to execute him
    • Earnest prayer was made for him by the church
    • An angel visited him the night before his execution, took off his chains, and walked him out undetected
    • He went to the house where they were praying and was reunited with his brothers and sisters!
  • In Acts 4, the church was experiencing great threats…
    • They gathered and prayed for God’s power…
    • Boldness to continue proclaiming His Word
    • The place where they gathered was shaken
    • And they went out with boldness in God’s power
  • In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were in prison…
    • For their bold witness for the gospel
    • They were singing and praying to the Lord
    • God sent an earthquake and delivered them
    • Why? So that the Philippian jailer and his family could hear the Word of God and join the new humanity through faith in Jesus
  • There are so many examples of Jesus depending on God’s power in prayer…
    • At His baptism, before He began His public ministry
    • Before feeding the 5000
    • At the transfiguration
    • Before raising Lazarus from the dead
    • In the garden before He went to the cross
    • Even on the cross as He finished His work to save us from our sins
  • One of my favorite examples of Jesus depending on God’s power in prayer is when He chose His 12 Apostles…
    • He went up on a mountain all night to pray
    • He came back down with the names of His 12 apostles…
    • The most important decision He made in His entire ministry

 

This sampling of people experiencing God’s power through prayer in scripture is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

 

What about examples today?

 

Throughout this room are people who could list dozens of stories of experiencing God’s power to be like Jesus and to lead others to Jesus as they walked in prayer

 

Let me give you a couple from my life that the Holy Spirit reminded me about as I was reflecting and giving thanks while preparing for this message…

 

PERSONAL:

  • A really cool one was back in 2009…
    • Our church was serving a single mom in our community, Maria Ninamingo
    • We had take the shingles off her roof to replace them
    • A big storm was coming into the metro… 100% chance of rain
    • We all prayed that God would hold back the rain at her house (located just a few blocks from our campus here)
    • Look at this snapshot of the radar… God split the rain
  • Then, He reminded me of His faithfulness when life challenged us. He told us that He would be with us in this season where…
    • Graduating with masters
    • Welcoming three children
    • Becoming Senior Pastor…
    • All within THREE MONTHS!
  • He has come through time and time again
    • I can’t begin to tell you all the stories of God’s power and provision as we turned to Him in prayer
  • ONE EXAMPLE…
    • First time we went to court ($300)
  • Another example… Jeremy Dukes
    • Wanted freedom from Tabacco and smoking
    • “Insufferable”
    • Moved to faith in a small group meeting
    • WE PRAYED
    • God delivered Him – not a smoke since
  • Another example… Bryan Hunt (at the time, my next-door neighbor)
    • He and I talked in the driveway one evening
    • I walked away praying for opportunities
    • God was already working in Bryan’s heart
    • The Holy Spirit led me to an open door
    • Not long after, Bryan was a church with his family being baptized
    • We started a discipleship relationship
    • This fall, he is serving as my apprentice in our group planning to train to lead a group!
  • I could share so many more… here’s just one more…
    • Recently, Kaden (Liz’s fiancé) asked our elders to gather to pray for his health (James 5)
    • Battling chronic issues
      • No appetite
      • Low energy
      • Treatment not really helping
    • We gathered to pray
    • God worked in Kaden’s heart (but not immediately in health)
    • Shortly after, God told him to fast 10 days… he did
    • After 10 days, his health changed drastically…
      • Appetite returned
      • Put back on weight
      • Energy up
    • He’s gone back and fourth in health since then (not a complete healing yet)
    • That experience changed his posture and his trusting in God through prayer

 

When you start depending on God’s power through prayer, it changes you… you start living with this faith that God is working.

 

It’s so cool when I get to see it (like the stories I just told you). But the truth is, God’s working even when I don’t see the connection or the final outcome of the story.

 

When you start making prayer a practice and learning to depend on God’s power, it fuels your desire for God and your contentment with whatever God is doing.

 

“God is at work… I just want to partner with Him.”

 

We don’t pray so we will have stories like these to share.

We pray because we KNOW we NEED God’s help! We need His power! And the stories come as we focus on His goal…

 

Becoming more like Jesus and helping others become more like Him.

 

 

INVITATION

I want to invite you to respond to this message on prayer.

 

 

OPEN DOORS

First, Paul prayed for open doors to share the Word. I’m talking to someone right now… you’re here because God is opening a door in your life.

 

He is opening the door for you to hear about Jesus right now so that you can join His new humanity through faith in Jesus.

 

You’re like my neighbor, Bryan.

Someone has been praying for you… maybe they even invited you.

 

SHARE THE GOSPEL

INVITATION TO BAPTISM

 

 

CALL TO PRAYER

Invitation: you want to experience God’s power through prayer.

 

Not just to get something you want.

  • You want His power to live like the new humanity.
  • You want His power working in you as you share His Word and invite others to put their faith in Jesus.

 

This is not a time to pray for material life improvement. This is a time to take on Paul’s mindset… of all the things he could have requested prayer for while in prison, he asked for open doors.

 

Who wants prayer like that?

Not, “God make my life easier”

But, “God, use this for your glory! Make me like Jesus. Give me open doors. I will go.”