Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Paul wrote to the Colossians to strengthen them against false teachings.

Three such teachings that threatened the believers at the time of the writing of the letter were:

a. Gnosticism: “The Gnostics prided themselves on their knowledge (Gk., gnōsis).

They claimed to have information superior to that of the apostles and tried to create the impression that a person could not be truly happy unless he had been initiated into the deepest secrets of their cult.

Some of the Gnostics denied the true humanity of Christ.

They taught that “the Christ” was a divine influence that came out from God and rested on the Man, Jesus, at His baptism.”(MacDonald,

W. (1995))

b.

Antinomianism: proposes that when someone is under grace the practice of self-control is not necessary and you are at liberty to explore all your “bodily appetites and passions.”

c.

Judaism: did not resemble what was practiced in the Old Testament but had become a set of rites and ceremonies that men considered necessary to obtain salvation.

Therefore Paul in his prayer and thanksgiving for the believers prayed that they will have the knowledge of God’s will “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (vs.

9).

Such a knowledge of God’s will Paul concludes will help believers to:

a. walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (pleasing him)

b. bear fruit in every good work

c. increase in the knowledge of God.

The “knowledge” in your theme is not intended for you to know about God; but that you might know God; its intention is not to educate, but to help believers imitate (God); Paul’s intent is not educational but transformational.

In Colossians 1:10-11

Paul prayed for a worthy walk, a fruitful life, a knowledge of God (growth), strength, endurance, inheritance, deliverance, and transference.

Walk in a Manner Worthy of the Lord

The Christian controlled by God’s will walks in a manner worthy of the Lord and pleases him in every way.

Lets talk for a few minutes about what it means to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.

Walk: the Gr.

“peripateo,” which means to walk around; to live.

It refers to our lifestyle.

Walking in Christ was important to Paul and it should be to every believer:

In Col 2:6 Paul indicates:

To walk in Christ is to live a life patterned after His and empowered by His Spirit.

In Col 3:5-7

The Apostle describes the transformational power of walking in Christ.

Paul gives an imperative (Command) conduct yourself that glorifies God in the presence of the non believer.

Give them a good impression of your God.

A Worthy walk

Paul uses the word “axios” in describing the worthy walk.

It means having the weight of another thing and so being of like value or worth as much.

In other words axios has the root meaning of balancing the scales—what is on one side of the scale should be equal in weight to what is on the other side.

By extension, axios came to be applied to anything that was expected to correspond to something else.

A person worthy of his pay was one whose day’s work corresponded to his day’s wages.

A walk worthy of the Lord means that if my lifestyle is placed on a scale with that of Christ it will balance.

My lifestyle will measure up to that of Christ (it will weigh the same)

The invisible God will become visible through my conduct

A worthy walk does two things

Produces a Fruitful Life

a.

If our life patterns that of Christ or weighs the same then in the same way Christ produces good fruit we will also do the same.

b. we will demonstrate a new way of living that corresponds to the life of Christ because of the same weight

c.

We know that good fruit is being produced when:

pride is replaced by humility

divisions by unity

the old man is replaced by the new

lust is replaced by love

darkness is replaced by the light of Christ

selfishness is replaced by selflessness

there is mutual submission instead of self serving independence

gossiping is replaced by the preaching of the gospel.

d.

The Greek word used her for fruit bearing may mean good fruit or rotten fruit depending on the context.

While some of us may be barren too many of us produce rotten fruits: discontent, covetousness, hate, evil, conniving, etc.

e.

We cannot bear good fruit without connecting to Christ.

Increases a knowledge of God.

Guy king suggests that to truly know someone involves three stages:

Introduction:- meeting the person for the first time

Increase:- the growth of the relationship through constant communication and contact

Intimacy:- development of a strong relationship.

Our worthy walk will help to build the intimacy that is necessary for our growth in a knowledge of Christ.

Today I propose three entities that can help us in this growth:

The Home: (Parents Responsibility)

God considers each dimension of the curriculum:

Social: writing upon the gates

Physical: sign upon the hand

Intellectual: Frontier between the eyes

Spiritual: Writing upon the doorpost.

a.

The parents must serve as the channel through whom the child would come to understand the divine will.

The Church

The second entity God designed for the increasing of the knowledge of God is the church.

Here what Paul says,

The School

a.

A Christian school seeks to build on what’s taught at church and in the home.

Building a faith that exists outside of the church and home is essential to establishing a deep and mature spiritual foundation later on in life.

(Christian Central Academy)

b.

A Seventh-day Adventist Christian education therefore fortifies the values and teachings of the home and church giving your child an advantage for stronger spiritual development later in life.

c.

The School is an extension of the home and church

“Further provision was made for the instruction of the young, by the establishment of the schools of the prophets.

If a youth desired to search deeper into the truths of the word of God, and to seek wisdom from above, that he might become a teacher in Israel, these schools were open to him.

The schools of the prophets were founded by Samuel, to serve as a barrier against the wide-spread corruption, to provide for the moral and spiritual welfare of the youth, and to promote the future prosperity of the nation by furnishing it with men qualified to act in the fear of God as leaders and counselors.

In the accomplishment of this object, Samuel gathered companies of young men who were pious, intelligent, and studious.

These were called the sons of the prophets.

As they communed with God, and studied his word and his works, wisdom from above was added to their natural endowments.

The instructors were men not only well versed in divine truth, but those who had themselves enjoyed communion with God, and had received the special endowment of his Spirit.

They enjoyed the respect and confidence of the people, both for learning and for piety.”

(Christian Education Page 51)

d.

When choosing schools for our children we need to consider the impact that school will have on our child’s worldview.