Class Notes: 3/9/2008

Col 1:11 Paul's prayer for believers to have patience and endurance with the happiness of God


We are continuing in our study of prayer as part of the PPOG or Predestination Eph 1:3-5; Rom 8:29; for the purpose of determining just how and what we should pray for. At the moment we are examining Paul's prayers and we have seen in that the major focus in his prayers has been for them to appropriate by Grace the spiritual resources that God has provided and advance in God's plan for their lives.
In this segment, we are examining Paul and Timothy's prayer in Col 1:9-12; where Paul is praying for the believer's spiritual growth.
9- Because of this, since the day we heard Epaphras' report we have not stopped praying for you asking that you would be completely filled up with the knowledge of God the Father's intent in the sphere of wisdom and spiritual understanding.

10- to the end that you would conduct yourselves with conduct becoming the Lord to please Him completely while being prolific by divinely good activities and growing in
the knowledge of God,

11- because of the omnipotence empowering you in accordance with the power of God's glory for maximum perseverance and patience, accompanied by joy

12- Constantly being thankful to the Father, who has qualified us for a share of the assigned inheritance of the saints by means of the light.

This Divine enablement that Paul is praying for believer's to receive provides the power or capacity or enablement for "steadfastness" or endurance and "patience" with "joy" or the happiness of God in any and all situations.
The word translated "joy" is the Greek word "Chara" which brings to a brief recap of of the doctrine of happiness so we are looking at some principles regarding God's enablement and his mandate for believers happiness.
The Kosmic system deceives mankind into false ideas about what happiness is.
Pseudo-happiness can be stimulation, fun, entertainment, or something that is enjoyable, but it is always momentary and transient.

It is called pseudo-happiness because, the good time or entertainment itself is the source of the "happiness", consequently pseudo-happiness results in an endless pursuit of good times and entertainment and when faced with boredom or a serious problem, the pseudo happiness that one has enjoyed does not sustain,
Happiness is not sustained by good times. Job 20:5,

Perfect happiness is not only a problem-solving device, but it is a basis for capacity for life. Once one has capacity for happiness in their soul, then it is possible for believers to have happiness in whatever circumstances life has to offer.

True happiness is related to functioning in one's personal sense of destiny inside the PPOG for their life as is demonstrated by TLJC in Heb 12:2;

Some principles regarding happiness:

Happiness is the result of living inside God's plan for one's life and is mandated Phil 4:4; Both words translated "rejoice" are "chairete" which is the present plural active imperative of "chara" which is a mandate for the church age believer.

The verse could be translated "Keep on being happy in the Lord always, again I say, keep on being happy.

Unhappiness therefore is a sin for the church age believer and is to be acknowledged to God as a sin. 1John 1:9;

Israel came under divine discipline for not serving God with happiness. Deut 28:47;

Happiness cannot be built on the details of life: money, success, pleasure, social life, friends, relatives, health, sex, or status symbols.

Happiness cannot be built on pleasant or improved environment.

Happiness cannot be built on people, romance, marriage, friendship, children, or social activity.

Happiness cannot be built by changing the Devil's world through reform crusades, social engineering, violence, civil disobedience, or revolution.

Happiness cannot be built on someone else's unhappiness.

The perfect happiness of God is based on rejection of human viewpoint and acceptance of divine viewpoint (Psa 1:1). YLT

The Hebrew word "esher" is translated as "blessed" 27 times and "happy" 18 times in the KJV. In the LXX it is translated as " makarios" which is the Greek word for the "happiness of the gods"

The perfect happiness of God depends on respect for the Lord and Bible doctrine (Psa 112:1). YLT

The perfect happiness of God can only be attained when the believer seeks God with all his right lobe (Psa 119:2). YLT

The perfect happiness of God depends upon the believer executing the PPOG for their life by "walking in his ways" (Psa 128:1). YLT

The perfect happiness of God is related to the daily intake of Bible Doctrine (Prov 8:34).YLT The word translated "watch" is the Hebrew word "shaqad" which in the LXX is translated as the Greek word "phylasso" which came to mean costly guard or keep.

The perfect happiness of God lives in your doctrinal convictions (Rom 14:22).

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