Are you walking in the Spirit?

Good morning

What a glorious morning it has been already this morning.

I want to thank Juliet for coming and sharing and more importantly for her heart for Jesus and saving the lost and growing the saved especially in Kenya

What a blessing she and her ministry are to those around her and to us as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ

Let’s pray

We continue in our series in Colossians today and we will be looking at Colossians 1:9-17 so please grab your Bible or phone or ipad however you access God’s Word and start turning there now

Last week we looked at how we must be transformed as Christians

Our lives must be different

In fact so different and so loud that everyone knows you are a Christian because of your faith and hope and works

This morning is a continuation of that thought and was actually part of last weeks message but last Sunday morning God said separate them because it was too much for one message

So that is what I did

Colossians 1:9–11

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“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”

Through Jesus things moved from physical to spiritual

He fulfilled the ceremonial law, feasts and food laws in fact He set us free from those

In the New Covenant it is spiritual and about heart relationship because we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us

Look at the compassion and love of Jesus in what Paul prays without ceasing for

1. For them and you to desire that you are filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding

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Do you have that desire

Not in word or thought only but in deeds and fruits

Do you truly desire to be filled with knowledge of God’s will.....not just in your life but the lives of others

Many say yes to this but what does your fruit say

Where will you find this knowledge.....in the Word of God and in prayer being led and taught by the Holy Spirit

You cant say you desire this if you are never in the Word

You cant say you desire this if you are very inconsistent with being in the Word

This is still an area where God is growing me and my flesh is fighting me

I am in the Word a lot but looking for messages or teachings for sermons or Sunday school or jr sr high Bible study....I need to be in the Word for those things but more importantly I need to be in the Word because I have a desire to know God and His Will and in all wisdom and understanding

I need to be in His Word to know HIM

The things you desire you relentlessly chase

2. Paul is praying without ceasing for them to walk worthy of the Lord

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God paid a very deep and severe price for you

Jesus paid with every ounce of his blood for you

God through Jesus saved you from eternal separation from God in Hell

again Jesus is the only way

good works don't save you

church membership doesn't save you

eating kosher and keeping the festivals and feasts doesn't save you

a cross necklace doesn't save you

a pastor doesn't save you

your momma and daddy don't save you

Jesus is the only way.....if you don't have Jesus you will go to hell when you die

If you have Jesus do you pray without ceasing that you walk worthy of the Lord who paid such a high price for you?

Do you pray without ceasing for your brothers and sisters in Christ to walk worthy of the Lord who paid such a high price for them?

Many Christians today don't even know they are to walk worthy of the Lord.....shame on the church and pastors for allowing this to be so

Do you even care if you walk worth of the Lord

Is it important too you

are you asking God how your walk is everyday?

3. Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power

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God is all powerful

does that power fill your life

Jesus said the disciples and you and I would do even greater things than Him

John 14:12–14

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“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

Is that you

If you claim to be Christian then you believe on Jesus

if that is the case then are you doing the works He did

If you are not on fire for God’s Word

If you are not praying God’s Word

If you are not allowing the Holy Spirit to teach and lead and guide you

If you are not living a life of radical obedience then no God’s power is not pulsing through your veins

Is God’s power pulsing through your veins

where is your fruit

God is all powerful

does that power fill your life

are you praying to be strengthened and empowered by Him

4. Result of that strength is all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness

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Wow.......talk about something that takes Jesus and the Holy Spirit

but it is something that you as a Christian must possess

Here is something that I love about Colossians and I pray this series

the gloves are off

I love you

I care so much about where you spend eternity that I could care less if you get offended

I care so much about your relationship with God the Father through Jesus and the Holy Spirit that I could care less if you get offended

I care about you but in this series I will preach the truth because I love you

So many today are in bondage to anxiety and depression and worry and yet claim to be Christians

They are on the milk

Here is meat

Strong meat

God’s strength in you and your life results in all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness

That is not my word that is God’s Word

So how

God gives us the formula

Philippians 4:4–9

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“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

This is how

Rejoice in the Lord always

Understand the Lord is at hand so you live your life accordingly

You worry about nothing......that is what be careful for nothing means

why do you worry about nothing because you take everything to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

is that you

God is serious

take EVERYTHING to Him in prayer so you worry about nothing

When you do that you receive the peace of God that passes all human understanding because you are not depending on you or humans to deliver but you are depending upon God and you have nothing to worry about when He has it

NOTHING

do you get it

It goes further

What do you think about........are you in bondage to worry

anxiety

depression

fear

if you are a Christian and in bondage to those things it is because you are not standing on the Bible and your thought life is not biblical

think on truth...God’s truth

think on things that are honest

think on things that are just

think on things that are pure

think on things that are lovely

think on things that are of good report

think on things that have virtue

think on things that are praiseworthy

Think on them

Do you think on them or do you think about the lies the devil has sold and the world has bought

abortion

sex outside of marriage

families and marriage are not important

gender confusion

lbgtq

politics

worldly entertainment and shows and music

what are you thinking about

what does your fruit say you are thinking about

I have to admit i failed at this this week

Most could tell this past weekend I was not feeling well....you could hear it in the congestion in voice

I cancelled men’s discipleship group because I didn't feel well and through encouragement of my wife I went to the dr

As I entered the room with the nurse who was feeling bad herself she did all the normal work up, questions, blood pressure, temp, the blood oxygen thing on the finger....she didn’t like my number there....she tested me for the flu and covid....both were negative

Then the dr came in and we began to talk about what was wrong etc....but she put the finger deal back on and told me to take some deep breaths and then we do what we usually do in the dr office started talking about the Bible

As my dr and I were talking about the Bible she left the blood oxygen thing on my finger and it never reached a sufficient level so she ordered chest xrays and blood work

it turns out my cold or whatever was not the problem

that was on Monday afternoon

On Tuesday morning she called and said that it appeared I had early pneumonia so she was calling in antibiotic and steroids to help me feel better but the radiologist also said that there could be early congestive heart failure but she said many times they look the same in the early stages and she wasnt worried about it and since they took blood they could do a test to see

Well as the day went on Tuesday I did what I always tell people not to do.......I googled it

talk about a punch in the face when I saw 51% of people with congestive heart failure make it to the 5 year mark....that means 49% die within 5 years

I was floored......

I was crushed......

i was filled with worry and anxiety and all I could think about was what if I am dying

I am not afraid to die.....

I know I belong to Jesus and heaven is my home

I know that since I would be in heaven I wouldn't miss anything about this world because I would be in paradise with Jesus

but as i thought about my wife and sons and future grandkids and all of you i was heart broken and full of worry and anxiety and it even started toward depression because my lifestyle contributed to this if it was in fact congestive heart failure

my beautiful bride and I were chatting back and forth via gmail chat and she spoke life and power into me when she reminded me who God is and that He isn't surprised by any of this and that He had it no matter what and that got me thanking God and focusing on God and guess what

the fear

the anxiety

the worry

the depression

all fled like cockroaches when you turn on the light

I was free in that moment no matter what the result was

Wednesday I received the call that the blood test showed I did not have congestive heart failure but early pneumonia Praise the Lord

i am still working through the many things He showed me during this time but I am so grateful that God is so good to us

Colossians 1:12–15

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“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”

5. Giving thanks to the Father

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Do you give thanks to God for what He has done?

Do you stop to reflect upon and truly think about what God has done in your life and the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ

Do you think God for the trials and tribulations in your life

I am thankful for Tuesday because in that chaos I was brought closer to God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit

God has done so much more than the things in our personal lives He has

6. Made us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light

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That is why you give thanks....you have an inheritance in the light.....

remember there is no darkness in God at all only light

Your inheritance is in God!!!!!!!!!!

but that is not all God went further

7. Delivered us from the power of darkness

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You are delivered if you are saved

You are delivered from the power of darkness

You are delivered from the satan

You are delivered from the evil

You are delivered from the this world

None of those things

in fact NOTHING can touch you spiritually because you have been delivered from their power by Jesus!

You are free

not free from worldly pain and heartbreak and sorrow but free from their power over you spiritually

they can’t take your salvation

you can walk away and reject salvation but they don’t have the power to take it

so that means you need to live in the light and freedom not darkness and bondage

but again God goes further

8. Translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son

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You no longer belong to the world

this world is no longer your home

you have been translated

what does that mean

translated means brought

God brought you out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of Jesus and therefore Light when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior

you are not who you were before Jesus because in Jesus you are delivered

brought out of this world into Jesus’ kingdom!!!!!

Colossians 1:16–17

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“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

I love this

Look at what Jesus created

all things

all things in heaven

all things in earth

both the visible

and the invisible

get this now because Jesus created all things visible and invisible in earth that includes

thrones

dominions

principalities

powers

all things were created by Him and for Him

not only were all things created by Him and for Him but He is before all things

He not only created them He has power over them

Nothing

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in this world or out of this world can touch you spiritually because of Jesus!!!!!

Church do you believe that this morning

Does that define you this morning

If not shame on you and shame on me and us as a Church because we are missing the entire point

Church that is truth and that is what unlocks that peace that passes all understanding

Do you have the peace that passes all understanding????

Are you truly walking in the Spirit

Are you truly walking in the Lord

you have a choice

freedom in Christ

or

Bondage to the world and sin and satan and evil and death

If you are not walking in the Spirit this morning then run to this altar and get with God and beg Him through repentance and confession to forgive you and change your mind and heart so it honors Him not takes you away from Him

Church are you willing to do what God says

Church are you willing to make repentance a lifestyle

Church are you willing to see the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to apply it to your life and change you and your life and your thoughts and beliefs based upon Truth

Listen this journey will be difficult but it will be worth it

Every journey however always begins with a first step

Is today the day you take the first step

Come

Invitation