06AM October 1 Colossians 1 9_14
October 1, 2006—Morning Worship
Growing More Godly Every Day – Part 1
Let’s Be Honest
The Four Concerns of Spiritual Maturity
Colossians 1:9-14
Intro: According to a recent report by CNN, Islam is the 2nd largest religion in the world after Christianity. That same report states that Islam is also the fastest growing religion in America. & according to CNN, 80% (or 960) of the 1,200 mosques in America have been built in the past 12 years. That’s 80 new mosques per year in America! Some scholars see an emerging Muslim renaissance as Islam takes root in many traditionally Christian communities.
Now let’s be honest. I definitely don’t believe everything that CNN says. But if this report is true, we must ask ourselves, “Why is this happening in America?” & why is this happening at all?
I believe the answer to those questions is found in (READ) 1st Timothy 4:1-2. People are being led away from the truth of God by those who are themselves deceived by the forces of Hell. One report states that 47% of new converts to Islam come from the Christian faith. & if that’s true, then large numbers of people fall into the category of which Paul wrote in 1st Timothy 4. & that’s why it’s so important for us; here in America, to do all we can to grow more godly, every day!
Matthew Henry, in his unabridged commentary states, “Spiritual growth is the surest way to prevent apostasy from the faith.” IOW, teach the truth & help people grow in their faith & they will not depart from their faith b/c of cleaver tricks or deceptive words from false religions.
We’re going to begin a new series of messages today which I’m calling “Growing More Godly Every Day.” It’s my prayer that these 8 messages over these next weeks will focus our attention on the greatest need of every believer—the need for true spiritual growth; & that as a result of our focus, our faith will increase & that God will use us for His glory.
Evaluating our spiritual maturity can be a humbling experience, but it’s the only place to start if we’re serious about spiritual growth. We’re going to take our text today from Colossians 1:9-14. & as we honestly look at our own spiritual lives in light of this text, we want to find the 4 concerns of spiritual maturity so that we may grow more godly, every day.
READ Colossians 1:9-14
Spiritual maturity is concerned with…
1. Your Discernment of Life (v. 9).
& your discernment of life is…
A. Fueled by prayer (READ v. 9a)
1. This is the prayer of intercession. Paul was praying for these believers (READ) 1:3-5.
2. We know that God hears the prayers of His people & that He acts on those prayers.
3. & Paul is telling the believers at Colosse, “Brothers & sisters, we are praying for you!” What an encouraging word! What a helpful, hopeful truth to know that others are praying for you!
4. Our C.A.R.E. Ministry is such a vehicle for prayer. We can lift up others & help them & encourage them! & if you’re not part of the C.A.R.E. Ministry, come & work for the glory of God!
5. Intercessory prayer is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal
6. Satan & all the forces of Hell tremble when we get on our knees before the throne of God’s grace.
7. & when someone is praying for you; God is listening & God will act & God will accomplish in you what He desires
8. God uses our prayers to increase our faith & the faith of others & to bring glory to Himself.
9. So pray for one another & provide fuel for them to burn as they spiritually discern what takes place around them.
Your discernment of life is fueled by prayer & is…
B. Focused on God (READ v. 9b)
1. Believers should be focused on knowing & doing the will of God
2. When we know His will, we know His mind & when we know His mind we know Him better & better.
3. Our attentions should be focused on God & God alone.
4. Too often we are distracted by the events & pleasures of this world
5. Jesus had such a close relationship w/the Father, He always pleased Him
6. Our hearts’ desire ought to be centered on knowing & doing the will of God
7. “filled” means not in small measure but in abundance/saturated/satiated/full
8. “the knowledge of His will” means to have precise/correct knowledge from practical & personal experience
9. IOW you are so focused on God Himself that you know Him/His will precision
Your discernment of life is fueled by prayer & is to be focused on God & it’s…
C. Founded in grace (READ v. 9c)
1. To obtain all wisdom requires prayer as James 1:5 says
2. & to understand spiritual matters requires the word of God as Eph. 3:3-5 says
3. So, by the grace of God, we may grow in discernment through the essential elements of prayer & Bible study
4. God’s grace granted to us the ability to pray & the availability of the word
5. He encourages us time & again to utilize these essential elements of our relationship w/Him
6. Don’t neglect prayer! Don’t neglect Bible study! b/c these are keys to your time alone w/God!
7. By His grace we may come to His throne & find help only b/c we are His children.
8. God is good & He has already blessed us beyond expectations & He wants to do so much more & will do so much more if we commit to spiritual growth & maturity!
Spiritual maturity is also concerned with…
2. Your Design for Life (v. 10).
IOW intentionally building your life on God’s principles, such as…
A. The principle of Example (READ v. 10a)
1. Paul prayed what he prayed in v. 9 so that the example of the Colossian believers would bring glory to God
2. He prayed what he prayed so that the believers at Colosse would live the truths they said they believed
3. Ladies & gentlemen, we need to live out in our lives the basic Bible truths that we say be believe
4. Your example is being scrutinized; your life is being inspected; your behavior is being examined
5. You know why you hear so much about religious leaders who fail? b/c the world wants to discredit their lives—to discredit their examples—to hold them up as failures & frauds
6. Paul prayed that these believers would be “fully pleasing” to the Lord
7. IOW their lives would follow His example so that others could follow theirs
8. If other people were to follow your example, where would it lead them?
Your design for life is built upon the principles of God’s word; the principle of example &…
B. The principle of Experience (READ v. 10b)
1. That’s written in the present tense & you’ve heard me say many times that means it represents continuous action
2. The experience of your life is to be one of fruitfulness for the Lord
3. But some may ask, “What is this fruit we are to bear?”
4. Simply put, it’s the evidence of good works; it’s the evidence of obedience
5. No one is able to be fully pleasing to the Lord while living life however they see fit! You are only fully pleasing to Him as you live for Him & by His word!
6. Don’t be fooled into believing that it doesn’t matter how anyone who claims to be a believer lives! It matters tremendously to God!
7. You are not to be fruitful in what you do best—you are to be fruitful in every good work—a believer is not exempt from anything just b/c they may not be gifted in it
8. IOW there are no elite specialists in God’s army—only experienced soldiers!
But not only the principle of experience but also…
C. The principle of Extension (READ v. 10c)
1. Here Paul is talking about the extension of the mind as it grows in knowledge of God Himself, not just in knowledge of His will
2. The Bible says men can know God is real & exists b/c of Creation
3. It says that men can know God through the revelation of His word
4. But we are to increase in the knowledge of God through His Son Jesus Christ
5. Jesus is the one who reveals God to men – w/o Him we could not know God
6. He personally opens our understanding to the truth of God through the gospel
7. & since Paul says here that everything we do & all we are comes from Him, we have no reason to boast about our knowledge of Him b/c He gave it to us
8. IOW God is the one who grows us but the soil of our lives must be fertile by a complete surrender to Him
Spiritual maturity is also concerned with…
3. Your Development in Life (v. 11).
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “How well do I imitate Jesus? Do others see me & think of Him? & how do we imitate Jesus anyway?”
We imitate Him…
A. By an evident Strength (READ v. 11a).
1. This is the conscious yielding to the power of God at work in you
2. This is Paul praying that believers would put into practice that which they gained through increased knowledge
3. This is the power that can only come from God Himself
4. The words ‘strengthened’ & ‘might’ have the same root word in Greek
5. Its a play on words that could read, “powered w/all power” or “mighty in all might”
6. The force of the verse is that as we walk w/God, He will strengthen us & He does so according to the glorious, miracle working power that only He possesses.
7. If we surrender our lives to the holy God, He will work through us & His power will be an evident strength as we develop toward spiritual maturity.
We imitate Jesus by an evident strength &…
B. By an excellent Patience (READ v. 11b).
1. Our strengthening is for the purpose of doing the work & will of God
2. He gives us strength; He gives us power to stand; patience in times of trouble
3. The world sees patience as weakness; the Lord sees it as power under control
4. When Jesus was arrested & tried & convicted on false evidence, He could have put up a defense
5. He could have resisted; He could have objected; He could have reacted much differently than He did
6. But if He had, He would have been just like us; He would have relied on His own human strength & not on the Father’s will
7. Patience is a virtue & hard to practice; but patience demonstrates you are developing the character of Christ in your life
8. Patience literally means steadfast endurance; it’s the ability to bear up under the weight & load of a burden
9. There are burdens in this life under which we must be able to stand & that ability only comes through the patience we receive from Jesus Christ.
& we imitate Him by strength & patience &…
C. With an exceeding Joy (READ v. 11c).
1. Joy is the overflow of happiness you experience as Jesus works in you
2. Joy is the reaction the Holy Spirit produces in the lives of true believers
3. Joy is the gift of God to His children even when everything seems unbearable
4. Joy is the inner assurance of God’s grace & peace that surpasses knowledge
5. Its God’s purpose to fill you w/joy in the midst of patient suffering for His sake
6. All of v. 11 is written in the present tense which means that God continuously strengthens you in harmony w/His continuous strength—for the purpose of your patient endurance of whatever circumstance He brings your way—that you might respond w/joy—for the purpose of witnessing the blessing of His strength in you!
7. So allow the joy of the Lord to be your strength & see you through this life
Spiritual maturity is also concerned with…
4. Your Devotion throughout Life (vv. 12-14).
& that’s the measure of your continuous allegiance…
A. To the God who Transformed you (READ v. 12).
1. You were once unworthy; but God transformed you
2. You were once unfit; but God made you fit for the kingdom & His work
3. You were once alienated from God & His kingdom; but He qualified you
4. You owe your life; your very existence to God who made you sufficient
5. God’s all sufficient grace took you from being unfit & made you His child
6. The Great Potter took the unfashioned lump of clay & made you His trophy
7. & Paul says we ought to continually offer the sacrifice of praise & thanksgiving
Your devotion throughout life to the God who transformed you is the measure of your continuous allegiance…
B. To the God who Transferred you (READ vv. 13-14).
1. He has delivered us from the power of darkness
2. He has conveyed us or transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love
3. He has redeemed us through the shed blood of Jesus’ sacrificial death
4. He has forgiven our sins by His grace, mercy & love.
5. Yes, Oh, Yes, I’m a child of King & throughout eternity I’ll sing His praises
6. He saved me; changed me; equipped me; sent me; & expects me to walk worthy of Him
7. & that is a life-long expectation; & your devotion to Him proves your change
Conclusion: In the end, when all things are said & done, there really are only 2 ways open to us. We will either honestly & honorably make an admission of how far we are from the Christianity of the NT, or we will perform skillful tricks to conceal our true situation.
Where are you today? Are you ready to admit your true distance from what the Bible describes as NT Christianity? Or are you in the process of doing tricks to cover up your true spiritual condition? I have news for you today; God already knows your true spiritual condition, so you aren’t fooling anyone—except, maybe yourself.
So, could we be honest today & answer just one question? Based on what you’ve heard today, where do you most need to experience spiritual growth?
Is it in the area of discernment—knowing & doing the will of God?
Is it in the area of design—living by intention a life worthy of Christ’s call?
Is it in the area of development—cultivating the character of Christ in your life?
Is it in the area of devotion—fanning & tending to the flame of your faith in God?
Or could it be that you have need to grow in all these areas?
Invitation: If you’ll be honest w/yourself & w/God today, He will be honest w/you. Are there areas of your life that are not fully pleasing to Him? If so, would you come & repent & be made right w/God today?
Perhaps God has spoken to your heart about the destiny of your eternal soul & you realize for the 1st time your desperate need for Jesus to be your Lord & Savior. Would you come in repentance of your sin & place your faith in Jesus Christ?
Perhaps you are struggling over other matters in life or other issues of faith. Would you come & pour out your heart to the God who always hears?
Will you respond today as God is calling you?
Hymn 502 Open My Eyes, That I May See