Colossians - 3:16-17

The BIBLE

Are you affected by it, moved by it, stirred by it? Does it thrill your soul, like when David would be summoned by the King to play the harp strings, bringing out such music that would sooth the soul and rescue from all the chaos, turmoil, and tormenting spirits.

There is no book so fitted or so suited to us as the Bible is.

There is no book that knows us so well.

There is no book that is so much at home with us.

There is no book that has so much power over us.

If we will give ourselves over to it; often…yet for many we only let it look in at our window, or knock at our door, instead of inviting it to enter our very heart and soul, and therefore we miss its power.

Session 13 Colossians

Col 3:16-17; (TPT) 16 Let the word of Christ live (grow) in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom. Apply the Scriptures as you teach and instruct one another with the Psalms, and with festive praises, and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit, so sing to God with all your hearts!

Oh, to have “the word of Christ” always dwelling inside of us;

—in our thoughts, our memory, never forgotten;

—in the heart, always loved;

—in the understanding, really grasped; with all the powers and passions of the mind fully submitted to its leading!

17 Let every activity (commitment) of your lives and every word (oath) that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!

OATH = COVENANT LANGUAGE

Job said,

“He knows where I am going. And when He tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed His ways and not turned aside. I have not departed from His commands, but have treasured His words more than daily food.”

Job 23:10-12;

Jeremiah said,

“When I discovered Your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.”

Jer. 15:16;

Jesus said,

“If you remain in me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!”

Jn. 15:7;

John said,

“I have written to you who are god’s children because you know the Father. I have written to you who are mature in the faith, because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I have written to you who are young in the faith, because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one.”

1 Jn. 2:14;

A pilot was flying his small plane one day, when he heard a noise which he recognized as the gnawing of a rat. Wondering what its sharp teeth were cutting through, he suddenly realized with horror that it might be an electric wire. Then he remembered that rodents can’t survive at high altitudes. Immediately he began climbing until finally he had to put on his oxygen mask. Soon the gnawing sound ceased, and upon landing he found the rat—dead. Do you want to destroy the power of evil in your life? Then read the Bible regularly, meditate upon its truths, and actively do God’s will. Remember the things of this world that are gnawing away at your soul cannot survive in the high places. No wonder the Lord calls us to come up higher!

What is growing, increasing, living on the inside of your life?

What is it that is flooding you or overwhelming you with wisdom? Is it His words?

Paul said,

“Let the word of Christ live (grow) in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom.”

In other words, let every word in this book dominate, saturate and motivate your life.

Let it be at the center of your lives at the center of your everyday living.

The place where you receive direction, correction, protection, wisdom, strength, hope and truth. Let it be the place where you receive answers for your life and the lives of all those around you.

HOW DOES THE WORD OF CHRIST LIVE IN ME?

In order to let the word of Christ live in you richly, you have to stay in the Word, commit to reading and studying His Word daily.

In order that it may dwell in you, it must first enter into you

let it always have the chief place.

It’s been proven that half of the books of the Bible can be read in less than 45 minutes each, and many of them in less than 20 minutes. It also has been demonstrated that the entire Old and New Testaments can be read aloud in less than 71 hours. So that means that in less that fifteen minutes a day you could read the Bible cover to cover in under a year.

And listen because I’ve always been one to say, it really doesn’t matter how much of Gods word you read from day to day, what matters is that it is living in your richly, dwelling within you, and becoming a lamp unto your feet and light unto your path, and more than just reading and hearing the word, you begin applying and allowing every word to leap off the page and into your heart and life and direct your thinking, your talking, your walking, your attitude, your desires, your whole life and everything you do should be guided by His word.

Activation and transformation come to those who let the word of God live within them.

I mean come on, the bible doesn’t teach about forgiveness so we can have all the facts about it and we can talk a really good talk about it . . . it's so we will forgive!

The Bible teaches us about peace so that we can and will experience it for ourselves . . . even in the midst of whatever life throws our way, His words of peace calm us and hold us steady throughout the storms of life.

The Bible teaches us about joy so that we can and will be strengthened when walking through various trials and the testing of our faith which produces patience. And patience so that we may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Proof of the word living and growing in your life is when it is affecting your character and guiding your decisions, actions, and attitude. It’s transforming how you respond to others, and how you react to all that is going on in the world around you.

There will be a difference.

If it dwells within you, let it take such entire possession of your being that it shall fill you. Charles Spurgeon

Are you filled with the WORD?

How do you LET the word live and grow within your own life richly?

Rick Renner said “Throw open the doors, roll out the red carpet, and give it a grand reception! If you'll let the Word dwell in you in this way, it will produce an amazing amount of spiritual wealth in your life… "

You may ask,

"How can the Word make us spiritually rich?"

Paul continues to tell us what the Word can produce in us if we allow it to do so. He says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).

These words describe people so full of the Word of God that their entire being is affected.

Their hearts are full of joy; their minds are flooded with wisdom and understanding; and their mouths are singing songs to the Lord.

I don’t know if your getting this or not…but this is describing people who have struck it rich spiritually!

It is a fact that when the Word of God really comes to feel at home in you, dwelling lavishly inside your heart, it enriches you with the wisdom, the gifts, and the power you need for living today.

Truth is, when you become so filled with the riches of God’s Word that you automatically find yourself admonishing and encouraging other people in their faith, there will always be a song of rejoicing in your heart!

When you are filled with the Word to this extent, those inward spiritual riches will easily flow out of you to bring life to everyone around you.

By using the word "richly" in this verse, Paul is painting a picture of what the Word of God will produce for you if you allow it to take up residency in you and become a vital part of your life.

So if you're tired of striving with no results—if you're tired of feeling spiritually weak and worn out with nothing to offer—feeling empty and void of anything good…stop right where you are.

Don't take another step without deciding to let God's Word play a more important role in your life. As you do, I promise you…the Word of God will enrich you with spiritual wisdom and insight.

— It will put victory in your heart and a song in your mouth!

— It will turn you into a spiritual billionaire!

— It will enrich your life so much that you'll always have something spiritual to add to the mix, to deposit, to release, or to freely share with someone else!…

Who is ready to roll out the red carpet and give God's Word a grand reception into our hearts and lives everyday!

Do you want the wisdom, gifts, and power of God to be more active in and through your life so you can minister more effectively to all those around you?

_____________________________________________

Then you have to get into it…open it up and be willing to interact with it.

Ask it questions, highlight it, underline it, memorize it, talk about it with others, pray it, align yourself to it no matter how difficult it may seem.

Meditate on it, write it down, and when you come across a story from Gods word, look at it from all the different angles and perspectives and imagine yourself in each person’s shoes. Asking the Holy Spirit to give you insight and help you understand the who, what, why, how, when, and where of the text.

“Apply the Scriptures as you teach and instruct one another with the Psalms”

How many of you understand that personal application is important? And what this is saying is not only should we have the ability to teach, but also the ability to be taught.

Have you noticed that God designed the church so that we are INTER-dependent. In fact, he uses the analogy of a human body. He says the Christian community is like a body: the body has different parts and different functions but must work together in order to be effective. Paul tells us that God has given us various gifts for the works of the ministry, and we must work together!

Why then do we so many trying to function as an isolated Christian? Perhaps you bought into the lie that you can worship God just as effectively at home as in a church. And you may be able to worship well in isolation but you cannot grow! In order to grow you need to "be connected".

The Christian life is a matter of giving and receiving.

There will be times when we will need others to minister to us . . . and then times we will be the ones doing the ministering.

And so it is in the church. It was never meant to be one-man operation. God has called us to all be involved in ministry. For some it is helping in areas such as: Sunday School, the Nursery, Knect Kids, Excel Youth, Royal Rangers, M-Pact Girls, Focus mens ministry, Flourish women’s ministry... For others it is: serving on the worship team, leading a small group, greeting at the front door, serving in The Well. Looking for ways to be involved in Loving Lebanon evangelism teams.

Some are called to work behind the scenes, cleaning, organizing, planning, praying, managing the aspects of church life. In case your not aware, there are many ways for you to serve and be involved right here @LFA, and it’s all for the purpose of helping you to become more like Jesus.

If you want further information of the many ways you can serve and minister right here @LFA, go to the GET CONNECTED table…

with the Psalms, and with festive praises, and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit, so sing to God with all your hearts!

With the inflow of the word comes the outflow of worship!

A great deal has been said of trying to distinguish between Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual songs.

But nevertheless, our expressions of worship have taken on a variety of forms and styles. And then there are those who endlessly (and foolishly) debate what kinds of music are appropriate for worship. And the truth is when you go down that road, aren’t you making worship become more about you than God?

I mean when we choose to enter into such foolish debates over style and personal preferences, all we are really doing is making it all about us. And worship is not something we are to consume, but rather it is something we are to lavish on the Father.

(women with the alabaster box of anointing oil)

Her worship cost her something…it filled the house with a sweet smelling fragrance unto God…and Jesus said, she did what she could with what she had…and what she did will be talked about wherever this Gospel is preached.

I loved it the other night in the gathering when sister Elaine did what I’m trying to convey to you…right out of the Bible together she led us in praise to Jehovah.

How many times have you just had a spiritual song rising up from within your own heart and life? How many times in the midst of worship have you just been lost in His presence and you know that you know that your life will never be the same again.

Paul goes on and says,

Let every activity (commitment) of your lives and every word(oath) that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!

Did you know when “the word of Christ,” dwells in us, it is to profit us in our relation to God himself; for, after all, the main object of our singing—the principal purpose of our teaching and admonishing—must be the glory of God: “singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Oh, may “the word of Christ dwell in you” so richly that you shall bless God from morning to night!

May you so overflow with holy thought and sacred knowledge that your whole being shall be a hymn of praise to the Most High, and your entire existence shall be a glorious hallelujah!

When the Word of God takes full possession of your soul, only then will you truly value every opportunity to praise.

(interaction transforms your inner-action)

So, here's the thing:

Do you want wisdom and knowledge to lead yourself and others?

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”

Do you need joy in the midst of pain?

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”

Do you battle with anger and a temper that seems impossible to overcome?

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”

Are you in a over your head, tempted and longing to know how to be kept from falling into sin?

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”

Is the battle real and your struggle overwhelming? Are you engaged in relationships that need to be cut off?

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”

Are you expecting to have a time of intense strain and trial such as you have never experienced before? Prepare yourself for it by letting …

Are the words of Christ living and (growing) in you richly?

Are you flooded with wisdom?

Are you applying the Scriptures?

Who are you teaching and instructing with the Psalms, and with praises, and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit…Where are you serving in the church?

When was the last time you just sang to God with all your heart?

Let every activity (commitment)(what needs to change in your commitment to the Word?) of your lives and every word(oath) that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!