What does your fruit say?

Good morning and welcome to CCC

We are so very glad you are here with us this morning both in person and live via our live stream

If you are on the live stream and live in the Nevada area we would love to meet you and worship with you in person.......if you are watching on facebook please leave a comment with where you are watching from.

What a joy last week was.....celebrating Easter......you and I as true Christians celebrate Easter every day of our lives or we should anyway

If Jesus didn't willingly go to the cross and become your sin and my sin and die in our place

and if Jesus didn't walk out of that tomb three days later none of this matters

We must celebrate Easter every day because Jesus did become our sin on the cross

Jesus did die in our place

And Jesus did walk out of that tomb and sits at the right hand of the Father right now

We serve a living Savior and Lord

I also want to take a minute and plug tonight's worship night

not only will we be worshiping our King Jesus

not only will we have a great Mexican themed dinner

but we will hear a powerful testimony from Kizzi Hostetter

Kizzi gets it

Kizzi is all in and I couldn’t think of a better way to kick of a series in Colossians than with a testimony of one who is redeemed and transformed

AMEN????

Let’s pray

This morning we start our journey together through Colossians.

Many in today’s society believe Christians can live how they want

think how they want

believe whatever they want and be a Christian

Maybe that is you

Welcome I am so glad you are here this morning and I pray when you leave you see the Truth......Jesus transforms lives and lifestyles

If you are new here or have only been here a couple of time I pray when you leave you see us as a bunch of redeemed people loving Jesus and loving others with all that they have and all that they are

I felt called to Colossians because we just spent 6 weeks looking at repentance and I pray you are beginning to live a repentant lifestyle as a result

Last Sunday we looked at Easter Sunday Victory being delivered from darkness!!!!

After those 7 weeks my question was

where do we go now?

God said the answer to that question was how to live like a Christian.....a true Christian

That is the heart behind this series

it will be some topical messages

some verse by verse messages but all messages will be driven by the Holy Spirit

I like to give the why behind my thinking

You and I as Christians are called to grow and mature in Christ

We are not called to stay where we were when we found Jesus

In fact the writer of Hebrews talks about this

God expects you to grow and mature in Christ

Hebrews 5:12–14

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“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Milk=salvation

redeemed

saved

but a babe in Christ

one of the problems with the church today is we have 30 or 40 or even 50 year old babies

These people have been saved for 30 or 40 or 50 years yet they are still on the milk

That ought not to be so

God, however, gives you free will you can stay a babe your entire life or you can grow

How do you move from milk to strong meat

use

you put the Word of God into action in your own life

you allow the Word to transform you through the Holy Spirit as you obey the Word

so many Christians struggle with just reading the Word of God let alone using it and therefore their senses are dulled and they are a babe!!!!

I pray if you are a babe here this morning by the time we are finished with this series you are reading the Word of God everyday and you are using it and exercising your senses and moving towards strong meat

This is the why

if you commit to seeking God you will find Him

if you commit to reading and using the Word of God everyday you will grow

you have to decide because again God will not force you......He gives you free will

when you choose to stay a babe in Christ you are saved but you miss out on a deep

intimate

personal relationship with God here on earth

Before we dive into Colossians I want to give you some background details

Colossians was written by Paul to the church at Colosse

Paul did not found the church....in fact many believe Paul had never visited this church prior to writing this letter to them

Colossians 1:7

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“As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;”

Epaphras one of Paul’s disciples founded this church

Colossians was written in Rome where Paul was in prison in 60 AD so about 27 years after Christ ascended into Heaven

Paul was writing to combat heresy that had infiltrated the church

Paul opens with a greeting

Colossians 1:1–2

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“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul states who he is and by what authority he writes......the authority he writes is Jesus Christ

Paul knew he was nothing special on his own and the only good in him was Jesus and Jesus is where the power and authority reside

Paul identifies his audience the saints and faithful brethren in Christ in Colosse

Brothers and sisters in Christ

These were Christians

This book is not written to the lost but the saved

Colossians 1:3

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“We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,”

Paul then moves on to prayer and thanksgiving

Paul and Timothy give thanks to God

they were praying always for the saints and faithful brethren in Colosse

This gives me a couple questions

First do you pray always for the saints and brethren....your brothers and sisters in Christ here at CCC?

Second do you pray always for other churches full of saints and faithful brethren?

What a different world this would be if we prayed always for each other

Why were Paul and Timothy giving thanks and praying

Colossians 1:4

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“Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,”

They heard of their faith in Christ Jesus and how they loved each other

Does that define this body?

Are we known for our faith in Christ Jesus and our love for each other?

If not we need to be praying about what is in the way and pray that God shows us so we can give it to Him in repentance

Another reason Paul and Timothy were giving thanks and praying for the church in Colosse is they heard about their hope

Colossians 1:5

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“For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;”

Why are they known for their faith and love?

because they have hope....the hope which is laid up for them in heaven

Is that your hope?

Is heaven your hope

or is your 401 k your hope

or your bank account your hope

or your parents money that you will one day inherit your hope

what is your hope

If your hope is not for that which is laid up for you in heaven it is no hope at all

If that is your hope it will drive you to faith in Jesus and a true love for others

Is that you?

Being alive today is hard

Being alive today and being a true Christian is even harder

You see being a true Christian is being an action filled disciple of Christ and that is very difficult in a world that no longer hides its hate of Christ

It is so difficult that many quit

many walk away

many cower in fear

many hide

many stay on the milk because it costs too much to move to the strong meat

I have had a few times in my life where I have had the opportunity to stand up for a friend or a brother or sister in Christ

Someone was talking bad about them

someone was spreading lies about them

someone was attacking them on facebook

i had an opportunity to jump in and say something but I didn’t

I failed them

The shame and embarrassment I felt from that failure was horrible

I am sure you can relate because we all have been there and sadly will be there again

Here is the issue with many who claim to be Christians.....

they do that to Jesus every single day

they fail to stand up for Him and fail to live for Him

yet they feel no shame and no embarrassment because Jesus is not truly their Lord and Savior

Colossians 1:6–8

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Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.”

Paul describes how he knows they are saved

they heard the Gospel and the Gospel is bearing fruit in their lives

Their lives proved it

Their lives and fruit in their lives proved their faith and hope

in fact their lives proved it to a man they had never met and who was in prison in Rome

it was about 1300 miles from the prison in Rome to Colosse

That is how loud lives transformed by Jesus and the Gospel are

Is that you

How loud is your fruit and life?

Las Vegas is about 1300 miles from Nevada mo

Do people in Las Vegas Nevada hear about your faith and love and hope because of your transformed life?

Now hear me clearly this is not a works saves you message

you are not saved by your works......no sir your works are a result of your salvation

The moment you truly made Jesus your Lord and Savior and were saved you received the Holy Spirit who indwells you

The Holy Spirit produces fruit so if you are saved you have the Holy Spirit and you must see fruit in your life not because of you but because of Him

You will be known by your fruit

The more fruit in your life the louder it is

but this goes both ways

Are you known by worldly fruit or spiritual fruit?

Galatians 5:19–21

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“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

These are the fruits of the flesh

If you see these in your life you are walking in the flesh

you are fulfilling fleshly desires

you are living of the world not in the world

Church you must get serious about your fruit

the world says you can live however you want as long as you can lie and justify it to benefit you

it used to be the world was okay with you living however you wanted as long as it didn’t hurt anyone else

that has changed this world has become so evil that no one cares about hurting anyone else as long as you are doing you

as long as you are living your best life

as long as you change the truth to fit your lifestyle

if anyone disagrees with that they then are your enemy and anything that happens to them is justified and deserved

Spiritual fruit is also defined by God

Galatians 5:22–23

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

This is the singular fruit of the Spirit

notice that

It doesn’t say fruits of the spirit but singular fruit

as a Christian you should see all of these in your life because it is what the Holy Spirit produces

do you see them

are they their

what do others see and think

Your fruit speaks loudly

how you live your screams who you live your life from and for

Jesus or the world and satan and evil and sin

God tells us this in

Galatians 5:24–26

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“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Are you walking in the Spirit

If you have never crucified your flesh with its affections and lusts no you are not

if your life is dominated by fruits of the flesh no you are not

it takes work

you must labor

you must be intentional about your life and being in the Word of God and allowing the Word of God through the Holy Spirit and obedience change you....transform you!

Church it is time we start being intentional in asking God to show us our fruit

Is this your heart

Psalm 139:23–24

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“Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”

Are you truly asking God this everyday and truly looking for His conviction in the answer??????

Are you asking other Christians in your life what they see as your fruit?

Church if we don’t ask we will lie to ourselves

What does your fruit scream to the world?

Here is something I pray becomes regular here at CCC

We are intentional about seeking our own fruit and having conversations with others about that fruit

We are intentional about seeking and seeing the fruit in our brothers and sisters lives and telling them what you see

encouraging them

edifying them

cheering them on loudly with thanksgiving and praise to Jesus!!!!!

We are also intentional about seeing fruit in our brothers and sisters lives and we come to a point where we love them enough to have tough conversations when there is no spiritual fruit

I pray we come to a point where that is a conversation that takes place all the time and the one rebuking and the one being rebuked leave the conversation with their bond stronger and their love deeper because they acted on the Word

Are you willing to die to you so you can love each other well, especially when that love demands uncomfortable conversations about Truth?

This altar and cross are here for just that

Asking God to search your heart

maybe during worship or the message this morning God showed you your heart and you have repenting and confessing and asking for forgiveness to do

this altar and cross are here for that as well

again the altar and cross in and of themselves are not important or special but the One who you meet here is

Jesus

Maybe you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior or maybe you realized in the past 7 or 8 weeks you thought you were saved but were not

come

we will pray together and you can put God’s Word into action by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead therefore becoming saved!

Whatever it is come

I am glad to meet you here or just as happy and glad to pray over you

If you want to talk to me come to me

if you want me to pray over you as you talk to God go to the altar

This time is not about me but all about you getting real with God!

Invitation

broken and beautiful video