Sunday Sermon Colossians 1:9-12 (3)
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome to First Community Church
We are so glad that each on of you are here to worship with us in Spirit and in Truth!
The Lord is so good and as you see the seasons are changing rapidly, let this be a good reminder that the seasons of life are always changing.
Let us remember to keep those who struggle during the winter months in prayer, but not only that church, let us remember those that struggle with the holiday season. ELABORATE
PRAYER
PRAYER
READ COLOSSIANS 1:3-12
READ COLOSSIANS 1:3-12
REVIEW
REVIEW
Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
The church in Colosse was located in the Lycus Valley, in the area we know today as the nation of Turkey. One of the interesting things about this letter is the fact that Paul had never visited Colosse. He is writing to people, that he has never met personally. The church was started by a man named Epaphras who probably came to know the Lord through Paul’s ministry while Paul was staying in Ephesus.
Last week we learned that the Gnostics were attempting to teach the Colossians that Jesus was not enough, that the Word of God was not enough. They were telling them that they needed Jesus plus the special knowledge that they had.
As we go though Colossians over the next several weeks, you will find that the words fullness, filled, full, and knowledge will be used over and over throughout this epistle. Why? it is because these are the buzz words of the false teachers that were attempting to decieve this little flock.
We learned that Paul did not just pray for God to bless the Colossians, but rather that he prayed for they would be filled with knowledge of God’s will for them in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
We also learned that in a few of Paul’s letters that Paul shares with his readers that wee are to pray without ceasing.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Does anyone remember what praying without ceasing looks like?
I struggled with this one for years, because no matter how much I prayed, it never seemed like I was measuring up to this high standard that Paul laid down.
Jesus prayed without ceasing as well church.
What does it mean to pray without ceasing?
Such unceasing or recurring prayer demands first of all an attitude of God-consciousness.
We have to be fixed and focused on Jesus throughout our day.
That does not mean to be constantly in the act of verbal prayer, but to view everything in life in relation to God.
A second aspect of unceasing prayer is people-consciousness. We cannot effectively pray for people unless we are aware of their needs.
The two elements of praying without ceasing came together in Paul’s prayer life.
His love for God led him to seek unbroken communion with Him.
His love for people drove him to unceasing prayer on their behalf.
So, prayer has to do with loving God church with all our heart, mind , soul, and strength, and loving others!
Pop Quiz
Who lead Paul to Christ?
What book in the Bible has the most chapters? Psalms How many chapters? 150
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
The reason Paul is talking about here is the that the Colossians heard the gospel church, and that it was bearing fruit in their lives.
Filled- plēroō- means to be completely filled, or totally controlled.
Church, if we get completely filled by the knowledge of God’s will, then we will be totally controlled by the Spirit.
Much of the time when we are not being controlled by the Holy Spirit is because we are being filled with something else like:
Anger
News
TV
Oprah
Dr Phil
Unforgiveness
Resentment
Discontentment
If we are not filling our hearts and minds with the things of God, guess what? Other things will begin to creep in.
When Paul is speaking about wisdom and understanding, I like what one scholar said:
Wisdom is the ability to accumulate and organize principles from Scripture while understanding is the application of those principles in daily living church.
knowledge – epignosis – precise and correct knowledge; more thorough knowledge; knowledge based on experience.
The root here is gnosis, which means knowledge and this is where the gnostics get there name from
I think it important to take a closer look at what the Bible teaches us about knowledge.
Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst.
Israel went into captivity because they had no knowledge
Is the same true for us today?
The only defense we have is the Word of God church!
Again, we see it repeated here in:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
If we do not saturate our hearts and minds with the Word of God, guess what?
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Pete calls us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord church.
It is a sad thing today that you could ask a Christian who won the Super Bowl in 1986, but yet they would not know where the book of Colossians is located in their Bibles.
The bottom line is that we make time for what is most important to us!
How does a person obtain knowledge?
First, he must desire it. In John 7:17 Jesus says, “If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.” That thought is echoed in Hosea 6:3, “Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.”
Second, he must depend on the Holy Spirit. It is through Him that we know the things God has revealed to us
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
3. Finally, we must study the Scriptures, for they make the believer “adequate, equipped for every good work”
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
So church, Paul prays that they would be filled and controlled by the knowledge of God’s will and he prays for wisdom and spiritual understanding, Why?
The knowledge that controls us church, is the knowledge that we put in the most
See, the gnostics were telling everyone that they had secret knowledge, Paul here is telling them that God’s will is not a secret.
But the real answer to this is what we know or believe, will determine how we behave.
Paul prays for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding first, because this will determine how they walk.
that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Here we see the second thing Paul prays for them for, that you may walk worthy of the Lord.
What does it mean to walk worthy of the Lord?
The knowledge of God’s will leads to a walk that is worthy of the Lord.
The result of all biblical knowledge should be godly conduct.
Church, walking in the Bible simply means our daily conduct and note:
Walking therefore implies steady progress in a deliberate direction.
You will not get there by a dramatic spiritual experience or a quick fix, but rather by steady, deliberate, day by day growth in understanding through God’s Word
Note: It’s also a walk that is “worthy of the Lord.”
Dr. Carson explains that this had a more profound meaning in the first century, where most cultures were shame-based. In America we don’t usually think this way, but in shame-based cultures, to dishonor your father is a really big deal. So here Paul is urging these new believers to live in a way that would bring honor to the Lord, who gave Himself on the cross to rescue them from Satan’s domain of darkness (Col. 1:13–14).
So in every situation, we should ask, “What sort of speech or conduct would honor or glorify the name of the Lord? What would please Him the most?”
How can I honor a glorify God best in this situation?
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Circumspectly- akri-bos- adv. mindfully in a careful and deliberate manner. Accurately, carefully, precisely.
There are four things that will please God is we are walking out our faith:
that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
We please the Lord when we are being fruitful in every good work, church.
Fruit is what God accomplishes through us as we depend on Him.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Fruit takes time, so do not be hard on yourself.
However, if there is no fruit it would be good for you to take a look to see if you are in the faith or not.
I thought I was saved for many years, but there was no proof, there was no clear sign of repentance . Which is a turning away from my sinful lifestyle.
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
2. Church, we please the Lord when increase in the knowledge of Him.
that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
This phrase may mean that we are growing to know God better. Or, it could mean that we are growing by knowing God better.
Either way, there is the idea that we must know God Himself.
Since God is an infinite being, to know Him is an infinite process.
As a parent, it always pleases me when my children want to spend time with me so that they can know me better. In the same way, we please God when we desire to spend time with Him in His Word so that we can know Him better.
Colossians Lesson 3: What Spiritual Growth Looks Like (Colossians 1:9–12)
The knowledge of God (vs. 10) is inseparably connected with the knowledge of His will (vs. 9) and with obedience to that will (walking worthily, pleasing Him, bearing fruit, v. 10).
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Church, this is a hard saying of Jesus.
It says that Jesus will manifest himself to us if we obey, if we keep his commandments.
Church, remember that love is the fulfillment of the Law. Therefore, Jesus simplified things for us. He said for us to Love him with all our hearts, souls, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
If you want to get to know Jesus better, then obey Him. He only reveals Himself to those who obey Him.
If you want to get to know Jesus better, then obey Him. He only reveals Himself to those who obey Him.
You can see this principle in human relationships. You don’t disclose yourself to those who are not worthy of your trust. You won’t share your heart with just anyone, but only with those who care enough about you to keep your trust. In the same way, when the Lord sees that we love Him and are trustworthy because we obey Him, He will reveal Himself to us. It pleases God when we bear fruit and grow to know Him better through His Word.
3. We please the Lord when we are strengthened with his power. For it is in his power that we become patience, longsuffering, and have joy church!
This is certainly a mark of maturity here.
“Strengthened” is a present participle, indicating our need for a continual infusion of God’s power.
We need longsuffering (endurance in trials) and patience (bearing with difficult people) The word “joy” can either go with “longsuffering and patience” or with “giving thanks in verse 12.
Either way, Paul is saying that when we bear up in difficult circumstances or with difficult people with joy in the Lord because of His great salvation, we are experiencing God’s mighty power in our lives
giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
4. We please the Lord when we give thanks to Him, with joy church!
the point is that when we go through trials, we please God if we don’t grumble, but rather are filled with joyous thanksgiving to Him.
We live in a world of grumblers. If we are joyously thankful people, we’ll stand out as lights in the darkness !
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
How do you develop this joyous, thankful attitude in the midst of difficult problems or difficult people?
Paul’s answer is to set your mind of the fact that the Father has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. The picture in Paul’s mind is the division of the land of Canaan in the Old Testament. After Israel conquered Canaan, they divided up the land by lot. Each tribe received a portion of the land to live on and pass on to their descendants after them.
How can you tell if you’re growing spiritually?
Paul shows us that we are growing if we are learning more and more through God’s Word how He wants you to live..
Paul prayed for them to grow in knowledge church, because it is what we know or believe that will determine how we behave or walk.
Pray for that you will be filled with the knowledge of God. This means that you will be controlled by it.
Pray that you will walk worthy, grow in knowledge, longsuffering, patience, joy, and thanksgiving.
Paul always teaches doctrine before duty.
Prayer
Prayer
Announcements
Announcements
Are there any announcements?
Operation Christmas Child is a global outreach where we buy simple gifts for kids over seas and fill up a shoe box. the gifts that we but are inexpensive and thing s that we take for granted. Like a calculator. See Kathy
2. Angel Tree is a local outreach where we but gifts for children whose parent are in prison in the state of Oregon or Washington. See Me
4. Pre-Thanksgiving Service on Next Sunday evening November 22, 2020 from 5-7pm at the Drive In. This is put on by the MFMA and it will be Covid compliant.
Benediction
Benediction
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
The Lord Bless you!
Your Mission Starts Now!