February 3, 2008
Evening Worship
Text: Colossians 1:9-14
Subject: The Fullness of Christ
Title: Living Like You Mean It
When our girls were little and played softball I used to help with their teams a little. I never wanted to be one of those coaches who insisted that their kid pitch or play an important position even though they weren’t really capable of it. I just wanted our girls to do the best they could wherever they played. I did my best to encourage all the kids. I tried to applaud them when they did something right and instruct them when there was a way to do something better and even correct them when they made mistakes.
The apostle Paul would have made a great softball coach because that is exactly how he pursued his pastoral and apostolic ministry. As he wrote this letter to the Colossians he was in prison. The city of Colosse had once been an important city in the Greek/Roman culture, but when the road system was changed the city was bypassed and it lost its importance. It had become a second-class city. It is in fact the most insignificant city to which Paul had addressed a letter. And there was a reason for it. They were doing some things well that deserved praise. They were doing some things, which could be done better, and they were doing some things that needed to be corrected – NOW! Two specific things that had crept in were Gnosticism and Legalism. Gnosticism taught that salvation came from knowledge – and not just intellectual knowledge but knowledge of spiritual experience that was derived from spiritual experiences based in the occult. The legalism that they were practicing was not Judaic legalism but a form of it also stemming form occultic practices. In each case they were trying to add to the grace of God by adding to the simplicity of the gospel. That is the purpose of the letter – to correct false teaching that had come forth in the church.
In verses 3-8 Paul reminds them of the gospel that they had accepted and how their love and faith has been told him by Epaphras. He tells them that the gospel they accepted has reserved a place for them in heaven. That same gospel is changing the world (6).
In verse 9 Paul says that he has not stopped praying for them and that takes us to where we want to be tonight. God has a wonderful plan for your life and He has revealed it to us through the words of Paul.
Let’s look at how Paul prayed for that church to see what we can expect from our Christian experience.
I. FILL YOU WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL… (9) God wants us to know what His will for our lives is. Are we able to do that? I know we are supposed to. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” If we can’t know God’s will for us how can we know how to do it? Jesus said that it is the same on earth as it is in heaven. So every description of heaven we have we concerning life in heaven God’s desire is that it be that way on earth too. How do you do that? You won’t find God’s will by looking at things of the world. Romans 12, 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. God doesn’t want us to just have head knowledge of His will for our lives. It is spiritual understanding… through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” - 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.£ 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
II. PLEASING GOD BY LIVING A LIFE WORTHY OF THE CALL… Paul gives four ways to do just that.
1) Bearing fruit in every good work. There are many people who believe that the fruit Paul speaks of hear is simply the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23, 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law… But I am going to tell you tonight brothers and sisters in Christ that if the only fruit that we produce is within ourselves this church and all other churches will die. Paul specifically connects fruit with good works – He is talking about not just spiritual fruit but apples producing apples and oranges, oranges and sheep producing sheep. He is talking about the gospel that has already changed the world and that is a life that pleases God.
2) Growing in the knowledge of God… God has given us three things by which we can come to know Him in a deeper way. First, the Word - His Son Jesus Christ. Verses 14-20, 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Second, His written word. Hebrews 4, 12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Joshua 1:8, Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Third, the Rhema – the revealed Word of God spoken by the Spirit to individuals. Revelation 2, 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 1 Corinthians 2, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” - 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
3) 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might… Why does God want you to be strengthened? Is it just so you can be better than everybody in the world? No, it is so that you may have great endurance and patience… The power that God wants you to have is Holy Spirit power – the baptism in the Spirit. But it is power for your life. Without it we just muddle along at our own pace in our own strength and wonder why we aren’t being effective for God. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…
4) joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father… Why? Because He is God. Psalm 145:7, They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
III. REMEMBER WHO YOU BELONG TO… It is God who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 3But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you£ to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9, 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9not by works, so that no one can boast… We often quote those verses as though they stand by themselves but let’s go ahead and add verse 10 to them, 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
IV. REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM. I will not dwell on my past, but I have to tell you I will never forget who I was and what I was delivered from. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He set me free, Yes He set me free. He broke the bonds of prison for me… I’m glory bound my Jesus to see for glory to God He set me free…Ephesians 2, 1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
I don’t know about you but what ever I do I just want to get better at it. It was that way when I taught myself how to platy the guitar. I’m the same way with other musical instruments as well. I was that way as a carpenter – I wanted to be the best I could be. It’s the same with my preaching – I just want it to get better and better – I work hard at it.
But more than anything else I want my relationship with God to be everything He wants it to be – not what I want it to be. I know that if it is what He wants it will be good. If it is what I want it may fall short. God help me!
