Untitled Sermon (5)

PRAY

we will be in colossians 1:9-14

Q. If I were to ask you,

what is eternal life?

what would you say?

I know I would probably say

everlasting living after death with God forever

and in a way I would be right

but I want to share these verses with you

Jesus says this about eternal life

in the high priestly prayer

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

and so eternal life

is living forever with God

but it is also so much more than that

the way this is written in the greek

indicates this knowledge of God

as a growing experience

so eternal life is knowing God the father

and knowing God the Son

by way of God the Holy Spirit

and enjoying this relationship forever

many theologians actually

believe that we will spend eternity

growing in the knowledge of God

and enjoying His presence in unthinkable ways

dear friends

my vision for this church includes

a pursuit,

together

in growing in the knowledge of God

and enjoying Him more fully in our lives here on earth

until the day we die

and then more fully enjoy Him in heaven

and so today

we are going to see Paul pray

for this knowledge to increase in the colossian church

and then what the fruits are

from being filled and increasing in this knowledge

so lets do a quick Recap

Last week we read vs 1-8

and it was the intro to the book

Paul is in jail/house arrest

and one of the leaders/ pastor of the colossian church

Epaphrus

has come to visit paul

during this visit

He is telling paul all about the church in colosse

and Paul writes this letter to address

the church in sound doctine/ teaching about God

and the gospel

He starts of with Grace

and He gives great thanks to God

for the faith they have in Christ

for the Love they have for the saints

for the hope they have in heaven

and for the fruit of the gospel that

is growing throughout the world

in these verses paul had prayed

in giving thanks

for these things that

are evident in the life of the church in colosse

now

he turns in prayer to make a request

and isnt it neat to see these

2 aspects of prayer

and something we want to make sure

we are doing when we go to throne of grace

we pray and give thanks to God

for what he is doing

and

we pray and make requests for God to move

now we do this for our own lives

but we also make requests

on the behalf of others

and as we pick up in verse 9

notice how pauls request is in

harmony with the heart of God

and that is one of the main goals

in prayer

is to allign your being and mind

with that of God

and so we read

Colossians 1:9 “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

again

Paul is fervent in prayer for others

For these people that He has never met

and I want you to notice

how important that is…

Be praying for one another

1 Timothy 2:1 “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,”

and

James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

we see this concept of prayer

for eachother throughout the scripture

and ohhh what an important thing it is

to have even just one saint

praying for you.

I cant help but think of the faithful saints back in Florida

I remember preaching on a sunday morning

and letting

the congregation know

to pray for me that my house would sell

then we could move to plant the church

mind you the market was flooded with houses

and homes were sitting on the market for a very long time

and wouldnt you know

a short time after our house is sold

and we are moving to Kentucky

Just in time for the winter

Me and Jessica still look at eachother

and laugh like really Lord ,

maybe you could have called us to Arizona

but listen

the prayer didnt stop there

I have a thriving church family

back home that is praying for us every day

and my pastors back home

have instilled in us a heart of prayer for the congregation

I dont think many people know

how much pastors are praying for their people

but maybe thats because

of

Matthew 6:6 “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

I dont say this to boast

but to inform you on this spiritual importance

I was praying for you all

and going through the connection cards

and this was a specific prayer for you and your

families

that you would be filled with the knowledge of His will.

I want you to know that I am a pastor who will

be praying for you

and I want you to be a people

who will prayer for eachother,

let us start by lifting up our church

and pray for growth

in the knowledge of His will

and this will transform us

in ways unimaginable

and that is our first point for today

Grow in the knowledge of His will

this is the prayer paul has had

since he heard of the colossian churches faith

They believed on Christ

and now

the prayer is that they be filled with the knowledge of His will

and His will means

His desire and purpouse

but make sure to see the end of that verse

in all spiritual wisdom and understanding

the knowledge of His will can only be

gained through spiritual wisdom

and understanding that comes by the Holy Spirit.

who is God — the 3rd person of the trinity

so at the regeneration of your soul

after you believe in Christ as Lord

you are given the Holy Spirit

He helps you to grow in knowledge

and He gives you spiritual wisdom

which is the ability

to live out the truth of what you know

and it is the Holy Spirit

that grants you understanding

of Gods ways

1 Corinthians 2:12 “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.”

you see we have recieved the spirit of God

to understand the things of God

during our fellowship time

I heard a brother

talk about how we need to go to the word

and trust that the holy spirit will guide us

and teach us

in the knowledge of His will

this is from

John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

now the prayer for all believers

is that after you believe

you would grow in maturity…

imagine if you learned how to ride a bike

but never took off the training wheels

when you repent and believe

you have the basic knowledge

Jesus loves me

He is God in the flesh

He died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin

and by faith in Him and His ressurection

I can be saved and forgiven

amen

I am a believer

but I have no clue about about the

rest of His will

so you need to pursue

Him by the spirit

in His word and in the local church

and in this

you will GROW IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL

q. So How do we grow in the knowledge of His will?

We need to submit our lives to the Scripture

and dedicate our lives to Knowing God through

the truth found in the bible

Story—-

I remember when I first came to the Lord

I was saved about 6 months

and I remember thinking christian music was lame

and so remember pulling up to a stoplight

bumping eminem

and the words were so foul

and I turn my head

and there is a veryold lady sitting in her car looking

frightened to say the least

now it was florida so the chances of rolling up on an 80 year old are high

but it was a perfect time for the holy spirit to convict me

and then I read

Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

I didnt know it was evil

until I learned it from the scipture

a short time later

I stumbled accross the christian radio station

and started balling when good good father came on

and so there was a transformation going on

consistent with

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

this renewal of the mind happens

when you submit your life to the truth in scripture

there were so many things I didnt have right when I first believed

but I submitted my life to scripture

because in it

we have the revelation of God

and His purpouse to

bring you and all of creation

under the love and kingship of His son Jesus

now so many people struggle with

what is Gods will for my life?

dear friends

start with the revealed will of God

plainly communicated in the scripture.

Q. so How can we know God ?

Q. How can we grow in the knowledge of His will?

We know God

through His Son Jesus

who has been clearly written about

and testified about

in the holy scripture

so dear friends

fight to read your bibles every day

and if you submit your life

to the authority of scripture

I promise that you will grow in the knowledge of His will

and it will absolutely transform your life

this is my prayer for you

that you would grow in the image and likeness of your creator

and as you grow in this knowledge

and apply it in spiritual wisdom

we see the effects in verse 10

Colossians 1:10 “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

the beautiful prayer continues

as paul shifts his focus

to the saints application

growing in the knowledge of God and His will

is going to strengthen you

to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord

and that is our next point

Apply your knowledge to walk in the ways of God

and we can again look to this passage

and pray for eachother to live in a way

that glorifys God

this means you are walking in the good design

that God has made for His creation

we look the God of scripture to

to determine the way we should live

and when we walk in the ways of God

it is pleasing to Him

and dear brothers and sisters

when we love someone

we want nothing more than to please them

story

So me and my wife

we got one of our first official date nights

in a long time

and I made a blunder and

made a reservation for carmellos

too late

so the earliest I could get was

8:30pm

and that is not going to fly with her

so I was forced to audible

and so I had to plan a place for an appatizer

then a different place for a dessert

and then that bought me time for dinner at carmellos

who got us in 30 min early.

I went home on cloud 9

because I was able to make my wife happy

but dear friends

you know what would make her even happier

If I did the household chore she asked me to

and if the garbage was out of the house when it is full

you see walking in a maner worthy of the Lord

doesnt mean you do Big things for God

it means simple obedience to His commands

and we know

1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”

I think we all want to be pleasing to God

and first and foremost way

we become pleasing to God

is by faith in Christ

we are perfectly pleasing to God

through the lens of Jesus

yet, God is still deeply concerned

with the way we live on earth

and when we are obedient to God

and walk in His good design

laid out in scripture

it brings him Joy

so as we walk

in His ways

we will bear fruit

meaning that we

will have good works and

actions that accompany our faith

our good works and effects are the fruit of faith

and our faith in Christ is the root of salvation

Christ is the root, works are the fruit

and then we see at the end of verse 10

and increasing in the knowledge of God

again

dont miss this

the main theme of the prayer

is the knowledge of God and

the knowledge His will

we must see that our knowledge of Him is foundational

to living the christian life

what plauges the Christian world

is a zealous bride

who knows very little about her husband

let us strive to grow in our knowledge of God

so that we may be able to walk worthy of the calling

that is on our life

may I suggest a book

by a w tozer

the attributes of God

this is a must read

he has said

“what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us “

Let us fill our hearts and minds with

the knowledge of Him

so that we can better walk in His ways

be more pleasing in our walk

and more effective in the work

of sharing His love with the world

let us continue in verse 11

Colossians 1:11 “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;”

the prayer continues

to be strengthened with power from on High

this is a work of God in you

so do not pursue

Growing in the knowledge of God by your strength

lean on the Spirit to teach you,

Grow you ,

and to walk in His ways

and His spirit will

bless us as christians with endurance

and patience

as we live the christian life

for dear friends

this walk with Christ

is not for the faint of heart

it is hard to be a christian

we live in a sinful word

with a devil that hates your soul

and an enemy that is after us

but take heart christian

Christ lives in you

and He has overcome the world

let me show you How the knowledge of His will

can possitively affect your life

When I know That the enemy is after me

and I know that God is for me

Q. how do I know that ? THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

then when I face the trials that acccompany

every christian that is in here

I know that God is with me

and I can walk in a manner worthy of Him

because I know Him

which if you break this down

your walk with Christ

is based off of a faith in what you KNOW

about Him

its a walk of faith above all else

2 Corinthians 5:7 “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

and this is a good segway to our last point

because I need you to know

that walking worthy of Him

is not about who can obey the best

let me put it like this

the one who sins and immediately turns to Christ

and knows of the rich mercy that is in Him

and repents

is walking more worthily

than the man who doesnt commit a sin

and casts judgment on the one who sinned

read luke 18 for the parrable of the pharisee and the tax collector

this sermon culiminates in the most

important aspect

of the knowledge of His will

and that is bringing us to our last point

Rest in the one you know

Colossians 1:12–14 “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

His prayer started with thanks

and ends with thanks

to the father

who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light

Q. now how did you get qualified?

tell me

was it by your ability to walk worthily

heaven forbid

not by works lest any man should boast

no dear christian

you were not qualified

by your ability to be good

you have been qualified

by faith in Christ alone

to recieve the inheritance of eternal life

in the presance of God almighty for all of eternity.

now an inheritance is something that is

freely given to you

this salvation is a free gift

think of it like this

Why do you get your mothers

possessions after she dies

because you her child

dont outsmart the room

the knowledge of Him can be very simple at times

Romans 8:17 “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

we recieve the inheritance

of God because we are His

not because we earned it

because we are His

its almost like that wild guy in the family,

why do we love him

because he is ours

and this thought rocked me

because I have questioned in the past

why would God love a sinner like me

and its because I am His

and I am His child through Faith in Christ

so I ask you

q. Do you know that you are a child of God

Q. Do you know about this heavenly inheritance

Q. Do you know you didnt do anything to earn it

and that by faith in Christ , He has

delivered you from your life of sin

and from the kingdom of the enemy.

do you know that He has

transfered you into

the kingdom of His beloved son

dear Christian rejoice in this knowledge

rejoice that we are saved by grace through faith

rejoice and rest

in the person of this Wonderful promise

all knowledge must produce in you

a more robust faith

otherwise it is empty knoweldge

but allow the knowledge of this God

and the knowledge of this gospel to transform

every aspect of your life

My Job as a pastor

is to preach you these truths

until you know

without a shadow of a doubt

That Jesus is who He says He is

and when you rest in these truths

you will increase in the knowledge of God

and His will for your life

this week will you

study the word

with the intention of

resting in Christ

and study to know Him

as a way of building relationship

instead of just knowing about Him

I want to close with this verse

John 15:7–8 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

dear friends abide in Christ

this week

abide in His word

and abide in His truth

and little by little

day by day

you will continue to grow in the knowledge of His will

and day by day

this knowledge will be applied through spiritual wisdom

and then day by day

you will grow in the ability to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord

and then day by day

you will learn to rest in the finished work of the cross

and this rest will free you from trying to be

someone great

and it will help you to learn how to simply

be loved by God

and to grow in the knowledge

of beauties and glories

that are found in Christ Jesus

for He wants us to rest in His Son

in whom we have this inheritance

and in whom

we have redemption, the forgivness of sins

lets pray

with your eyes closed and heads bowed

is there anyone here that wants to recieve Jesus Christ

as Lord and savior,

for the forgivness of their sin

please raise your hand

if thats you raise your hand

and we will pray together

this prayer does not save you

but understanding the gospel

and believing it is what saves you

it is by the grace of God

through faith in Christ that you are saved

this is an opportunity to acknowledge your need for Jesus

and an opportunity for you to ask him to save you

God I aknowledge that I have sinned against you

I believe that you sent your son Jesus

to pay the penalty for my sins on the cross

I believe that He rose from the dead 3 days later

and I believe that you will raise me to eternal life as well

Today help me to turn from my sin

and to trust in the truth of the gospel

In Jesus Name Amen

now if you prayed that prayer

please come talk to me or fill out a conection card

so that we can better help you to understand

salvation by grace through faith

Praise God !

I will be here for questions and prayer

please go get some food in the Narnia room

at the end of the hall

Walk with the King and be a blessing