ALWAYS THANK GOD FOR THE GOSPEL’S GROWING SEASON (Outline)
July 26, 2009 --
PENTECOST 8 --
Colossians 1:1-14
INTRO: Scripture often uses extreme adjectives. The Lord requests believers to live the Christian life “always”, “continually”, “without ceasing”. These are only a few of the extreme adjectives that our gra-cious God uses to encourage faithfulness. We may wonder to ourselves how it is possible to “be joyful always”? On our own we cannot come close to doing what the Lord desires. By our own strength we will always fail. It is the powerful word of God, specifically the Gospel that gives us the motivation to walk in the ways of the Lord. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (ROMANS 1:16). God’s powerful, saving gospel is planted in each one of our hearts and overflows into our lives.
ALWAYS THANK GOD FOR THE GOSPEL’S GROWING SEASON.
I. God’s gospel takes root in our hearts.
II. God’s gospel bears fruit in our lives.
I. GOD’S GOSPEL TAKES ROOT IN OUR LIVES
A. Verses 1,2. God called Paul to service. With Timothy Paul blesses them with God’s grace and peace.
1. Verse 3. Paul “always” thanks God in prayer for these believers.
2. Verse 4. Even in prison in Rome Paul has heard about the faith of this congregation.
3. Verse 5. Paul uses the triple blessing of being a believer: faith, hope, and love.
B. Verses 7,8. Epaphras traveled to Rome to share the faithful love of this church, 1,300 miles one way!
C. Verses 13,14. Paul clearly defines God’s saving, powerful gospel: salvation, redemption, forgiveness.
1. Verse 9. In prison Paul has lots of time to pray for the believers in Colosse and elsewhere.
2. Paul’s prayer is for God’s gospel, planted in their hearts, would now take root in their hearts.
D. By God’s grace his word has been planted in our hearts. For many, if not all of us, God’s word was planted in our hearts because of faithful parents and/or grandparents. Once planted in our hearts there were many faithful believers praying for that word of God to continue to take root in our hearts. What a beautiful description to describe the faith of believers. A seed is planted and it miraculously grows. God’s divine plan causes the plant to grow for his purpose. "He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field’" (MATTHEW 13:31). The mustard plant provides shade and shelter for the birds of the air. The gospel planted in our hearts takes root and grows. This “faith-plant” provides eternal shelter for us and others around us.
E. At times we may not feel that our faith is very great or strong. We may feel totally inadequate con-cerning our own Christianity. We come back to the simple fact that God’s gospel is the only nourishment that can and does feed the seed of faith planted in our hearts. The strength of God’s gospel is guaranteed by the Lord God Almighty himself. "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness" (2 CORIN-THIANS 9:10). Righteousness cannot be measured with earthly standards. The harvest of righteousness is faith, hope, and love. The Lord provides us with this harvest far exceeding what we can ask or imagine.
F. How shall we remind ourselves of the great power of God’s gospel? How shall we always give thanks for God’s growing season? Those extreme adjectives used by God can seem all too difficult to do. Paul reminds us of the divine power always at our disposal. Prayer is that power which God also gives to every believer to use constantly. "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ" (EPHESIANS 3:17b, 18). Pray for yourself and for others to better understand God’s great love.
THANK GOD FOR THE GOSPEL’S GROWING SEASON.
God’s gospel takes root in our hearts.
II. GOD’S GOSPEL BEARS FRUIT IN OUR LIVES
A. The gospel of God came to the Apostle Paul. God’s gospel came to these believers. All by grace.
1. The great effect of God’s gospel for Paul, these believers, and all believers was great change.
2. Verse 6. The gospel was also working powerfully in all of creation. It is God’s word of truth.
B. Verse 9. Thus Paul prays for these believers to continue to grow in God’s wisdom and understanding.
1. Only when believers grow in God’s grace and knowledge will their lives produce fruit.
2. Verse 10. Please in “every way”, “every good work”. Thank God for such gospel growth.
C. Paul describes the result of “growing in the knowledge of God” in verse 11.
1. God’s gospel would strengthen these believers with endurance, patience and joy.
2. Verse 12. All of these gifts (fruits of faith planted and rooted in hearts) produce thankfulness.
3. This very powerful gospel of God was producing much fruit among faithful believers.
D. We always thank God for the gospel’s growing season. The gospel’s growing season is the time of grace we have in this world. God’s time of grace is the earthly lives that we live in the knowledge and wisdom of God. Our life of faith that we enjoy we enjoy because of God’s undeserved love. "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other" (JOHN 15:16,17). God found Paul when he sought him not. God chose us in spite our wickedness, rebellion, and sin.
E. The word of God is planted in our hearts as a small seed. It is planted there from the very first time we heard God’s word. It takes root in our hearts whenever we hear, read, or study God’s holy word. God’s gospel eventually springs forth and bears abundant fruit. The fruits of faith are those fruits that are important to God. Here is one list. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law"(GALATIANS 5:22,23). This is an excellent list that we will not find in many or any news stories. This fruitful list comes out of the lives of thankful believers. We may want to practice improving on one fruit one day at a time in our own lives. Finishing the list we are moved to repeat it again and again.
F. When we plant seeds we expect an abundant harvest. In the end, we realize that it is the Lord God Almighty who causes the harvest to be what it is – great or small. This is the fruitful faith. The word of God is planted. God’s gospel takes root in our hearts. God’s word feeds that growing seed. With thankfulness our lives produce fruits of faith (as listed above). "Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown" (MARK 4:20).Note the amounts of fruitfulness: “thirty, sixty or even a hundred times”. These are within normal harvest yields that we can expect today. These yields are not extraordinary. Consider the time when Jesus spoke these words. These yields would almost seem beyond comprehension. God’s word is indeed living and active, and very fitting for our lives today. Our fruitfulness is to be seen as a normal yield of faith.
CONC.: God’s extreme adjectives remind us that it is only by God’s gospel are we moved to live thankful, fruitful Christian lives. On our own we are completely lost and condemned creatures. By God’s grace his word means absolutely everything for and in our daily living. Here are a few more of God’s exciting, extreme adjectives. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 THESS. 5:16-18). ALWAYS THANK GOD FOR THE GOSPEL’S GROWING SEASON. It is God’s gospel that is planted and takes root in our hearts. It is God’s gospel that bears thankful fruit in our lives of faithful Christian living. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
SERVICES: 1:00pm @ NCF Min. (Sat) / 12:00pm @ NCF Medium (Sun) / 9:30am @ Redeemer (Sun)
BIBLE STUDIES: TUES. -- 6:00pm (Min) + 7:30pm (Med) @ NCF / 10:55am @ Redeemer (Sun)
/ Sunday radio broadcast @ 9:05am on KQNK 106.7FM or 1530AM
PENTECOST 8 readings:
AMOS 7:10-15;
EPHESIANS 1:3-14;
MARK 6:7-13;
(PSALM 78)
