Introduction

Welcome, dear friends and family in Christ, to this blessed gathering where we will be opening the Word of God together. We are here in the presence of our Creator, our Redeemer, our Comforter, and our Guide. We are here, not by accident or coincidence, but by divine appointment. God has orchestrated this moment, this time, and this place, for us to come together and learn from His Word, to grow in our understanding, and to be transformed by His truth.

We turn our hearts today to the book of Colossians, specifically to Colossians 2:5. The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Colossae, says, "For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is."

This is a passage that speaks to us about order, about discipline, about faith. It speaks about the design of worship, about discerning order in our lives, and about the dynamics of church order. This is not a message for the faint-hearted. It's a message for those who seek to live by faith, to walk in the Spirit, to be disciplined in their worship and their walk with Christ.

In the words of the great Christian author and theologian, J.I. Packer, "The life of true holiness is rooted in the soil of awed adoration." It's not enough to just 'do' Christian things; our actions, our worship, our very lives should be rooted in awe and adoration of our great God.

As we open our hearts and minds to the Word of God today, let's take a moment to pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you today, humbly and gratefully, to learn from Your Word. We ask that You open our hearts and minds, that You soften any hardness within us, that You clear away any distractions or hindrances. As we study Your Word, may we be like the Bereans, who received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day. May Your Word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Transition. Now, let's turn our attention to God's Word, and see what He has to teach us today.

Divine Design of Worship

When we think about worship, we often think about the songs we sing, the prayers we pray, and the sermons we hear. But worship is so much more than that. It's about recognizing His presence in our lives and responding to it with awe, reverence, and gratitude. It's about aligning our hearts with His, our wills with His, and our lives with His.

Worship is not something we do out of obligation or routine. It's something we do out of love, out of gratitude, out of a deep-seated desire to know God more, to love Him more, and to serve Him more.

In the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul talks about the discipline and the firmness of faith of the Colossian church. This discipline and firmness of faith are not just about personal piety or moral uprightness. They're about the order and structure of their worship, the way they approach God, the way they respond to His Word, and the way they live out their faith in their daily lives.

The first aspect of this divine design of worship is the recognition of God's sovereignty. God is the Creator of the universe, the Sustainer of life, and the Redeemer of mankind. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is holy, righteous, and just. He is love, grace, and mercy. Recognizing God's sovereignty means acknowledging His authority and His lordship in our lives. It means submitting to His will, obeying His commands, and trusting in His promises.

Next is the response to God's presence. God is not a distant deity, indifferent to our struggles and indifferent to our needs. He is a personal God, intimately involved in our lives, deeply concerned about our welfare, and passionately committed to our growth and maturity. Responding to God's presence means being aware of His nearness, being sensitive to His leading, and being open to His transforming power.

The third aspect of this divine design of worship is the alignment with God's heart. God's heart is for us to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him. His heart is for us to grow in our understanding of His Word, to mature in our faith, and to bear fruit in our lives. Aligning with God's heart means sharing His values, embracing His vision, and pursuing His purposes.

Next is the living out of our faith. Faith is not just about believing in God; it's about living for God. It's about letting our faith shape our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Living out our faith means being a light in the world, being a salt in the earth, and being a witness to the truth.

Transition. The divine design of worship is about recognizing God's sovereignty, responding to His presence, aligning with His heart, and living out our faith. It's about being disciplined in our approach to God, being firm in our faith in Christ, and being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. And it's about being in the world, but not of the world, being in Christ, but not of ourselves, and being in the Spirit, but not of the flesh.

Discerning the Order in Our Lives

Amid our daily routines and responsibilities, it can be easy to lose sight of the order that God has established in our lives ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO