Sermon Brief
Date Written: Oct 15, 2014
Date Preached: Oct 19, 2014
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: We Serve the SAME God
Sermon Title: We Serve the SAME Grace!
Sermon Text: Colossians 4:2-18 [ESV]
Introduction:
What is grace? What do we mean when we use the phrase “ the grace of God”? When I say “we serve the same ‘grace’”, what does that mean for US as believers?
Grace is defined by Webster as the unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification. There is a shorter definition… Grace = the unmerited favor of God.
When we receive ‘grace’ from God we are receiving God’s favor we cannot earn on our own, but that He gives willingly & without compulsion...
God’s Mercy is God NOT doing to US what we truly deserve because of our sin!
God’s Grace is God doing FOR us by showing His unwarranted favor in spite of our sin.
Let me put it another way…
God’s Mercy is NOT getting the punishment we deserve…
God’s Grace is getting blessings we don’t deserve…
Now, you may be sitting here thinking, “I don’t ‘deserve’ hell! What did I do to ‘deserve’ hell? I am not a bad person, I have done more good than bad in my life, its not fair if God sends me to hell.”
Well first of all, Heaven and hell are determined based on the standard God has set. Our eternity is not about fairness as we conceive or understand fairness! God’s standard is set by the holiness and justice of God.
Secondly, God says that reaching heaven is NOT about being ‘good’… at least not ‘good’ as the world sees it. To inherit eternal life, Scripture tells us that we must confess Jesus Christ, accept Him as Savior. The Bible tells us that we cannot inherit eternal life with our goodness… our good works…
The blessings of heaven and salvation come about because of the grace of God given to us… they are NOT available to us based on our ‘goodness’. We SHOULD always seek to live ‘good’ and ‘godly’ lives AFTER Christ has saved us, but our own ‘goodness’ will not save us!
So understand that salvation is is not about being good! Salvation is about Jesus – who has shown His grace to us thru His death on the Cross of Calvary for the forgiveness of our sin and the redemption of our soul.
And the grace of God delivers us from our sinful state… Scripture tells us that we are all sinners and sinful at heart. Paul reminds us that we are sinful based on the Fall in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve…
We are cursed today because of what they did… We are born into a sinful world and cursed to a sinful situation. You may not believe you have ‘earned’, but in our lives quickly validate who we are as sinful people. ALL people fall to sin…
Isa 53:6 (ESV) tells us, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way…”
Paul tells us in Rom 3:23 (ESV), “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”
In Jesus, as Savior, we experience God’s grace (his unearned favor) and we forgiven and made clean before God. As believers, we are called to reveal that same grace to the world around us. We are called to live our lives in a such a way that the ‘grace’ of God shines forth to the world around us!
In this final part of his letter to the fellowship in Colossae, Paul gives us 3 categories where we can actively reveal the Grace of God through our lives…
Remember Paul has told the believers in Colossae they must TAKE off (make the willful choice) the old self and put ON (make the willful choice) the new self…
In other words, God changed us & called us to take Him to the world, but we must decide to take Him into the world where we live.
The question this morning is as a believer, how can you show the grace of God in your life? How can you SERVE God by revealing His grace to the world around you?
In looking at Paul’s letter we can find 3 very practical areas where the believer can make God’s grace evident in their lives so that the world can see a great picture of Jesus.
We must Reveal His Grace thru Prayer/Action (v2-6)
Extend Grace thru prayer…v2-4
2Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.
Devoted to prayer – in v2 Paul says to be ‘devoted to prayer’ 2Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
This emphasizes the importance of prayer for the life of the believer. If you want to SHOW the world about God… If you want the world to see “Jesus” in your life, then you must be a person of prayer!
A believer cannot fufill his/her mission in Christ if they are not men and women of prayer. Prayer is essential FOR our walk in Christ and here Paul calls us to DEVOTE ourselves to prayer..
But also Paul emphasizes a focus in that prayer. Just as we have a purpose in the church (to make Christ known to the world) but we cannot do this without the right focus. Likewise, our prayer life cannot succeed without the right/correct focus!
Paul tells the Colossian church that their minds must be alert and that their hearts must be thankful.
Focus on what we are called to do (being alert of mind) is important for the believer because without focus we cannot know God’s plan! When we are focused on Him, our path is more clear.
Paul also states that we must have a thankful heart. A bitter heart’s prayer is NOT heard or received by God. Our hearts must be open & thankful if we expect God to act on our prayer life.
Prayer for other believers/Kingdom work
3Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains.
Paul not only tells these believers to devote themselves TO prayer, he calls on them to pray FOR others in the ministry. Look what he tells them here… “pray for US too…”
Now I can imagine how difficult it was for the Christians in Colossae to hear Paul’s words that told them they had strayed from the message he had preached.
I am sure their pride & feelings were hurt AND they could have been offended. Paul COULD have come across like a obnoxious jerk, painting the picture that he was so holy and they were so sinful… but Paul does NOT do this.
Instead Paul stresses his need for them to pray for him! This sends the signal that Paul that their prayer was critical to God’s work and that he NEEDED their prayers!
Paul understood the overall need for prayer in the life of the believer. He was also emphasizing the need for prayer by believers FOR other believers.
Paul was one of the greatest missionaries ever, but we constantly find him humbling himself by asking OTHERS to pray for him.
My brothers and sisters we are ALL called to pray for & lift up each other in Christ. We are called to be unified IN Christ and we cannot do this if we are not praying for one another!
We are called to devote ourselves to pray for each other, but then Paul sets out a specific prayer request… one I believe ALL churches should perform DAILY!
Pray for God’s message & those who proclaim it…
4Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.
Here Paul wants the believers in Colossae to pray for HIM specifically because He had a message to proclaim to the Gentiles and he desired that the message be clearly proclaimed!
When you enter into a church fellowship, you enter into a corporate setting where there is structure and leadership. The pastors and ministers are appointed by God to lead the fellowship and they NEED your prayers! They need you to pray that the message they proclaim is clear, understandable and TRUE!
They need your prayer so that they do what God has called them to do and that they do it well! Are you praying for your pastor? Are you praying for the ministers who serve here in our fellowship?
This also includes your SS teacher or small group leader… ANYONE who proclaims the message of God before others, needs your prayer! Devote yourself to pray, pray for each other and pray for those who proclaim the message of Christ!
Prayer is crucial for the fellowship of Christ! To reveal God’s grace we should be people of prayer! But Paul then speaks about putting ‘feet’ to those prayers…
Reveal His Grace as the opportunity arises…v5
5Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.
Live Wisely/prudent/godly among the world
Putting feet to our prayer means LIVING out what we believe! Paul instructs the believers in Colossae to ‘live wisely’ which was instruction for them to be prudent in how they lived around those in the world…
What does that mean? It means that we are INTENTIONAL about how we act and what we say. We must guard our hearts and minds to make sure what we do LIFTS up Christ and avoids anything that would bring shame onto the name of Jesus.
This was Paul’s challenge to these believers SPECIFICALLY as they interacted with the lost world around them. When we faithfully and truthfully live out Christ in our lives, we show his grace to the world!
This means that we are NOT judgmental in our attitudes toward sinners. This means that we approach any relationship outside of the fellowship with the SAME grace that God has extended to us!
That means that we don’t give them what they deserve… it means that we go above and beyond and show God’s grace in spite of their actions or attitudes toward us!
Are you showing the grace of God to the world? Are you ‘living wisely’? When you are out in the world … you represent Christ and you MUST live wisely and represent the grace that has saved YOU! How are you living before the world today?
Paul then ends this part of his instruction by teaching these believers to also be prudent in their opportunities! Don’t waste you life with bad behavior… don’t waste opportunities because of bad habits or bad timing…
Don’t waste opportunities ‘make the most’ of each one
This means that when a door of opportunity opens, we have to be ready to step through it. Peter tells us to be ready with the message of Christ ‘in season and out of season’… which is his way of saying, be ready at any time to share the message of your Savior!
We NEVER know when the door of opportunity will open for us as beleivers. It will often happen when we LEAST expect it, so we must be ready when it DOES happen so that we do not waste ANY chance God gives us to share His grace and redemption.
This means that we must be IN Scripture reading and learning what God wants us to know. This means we need to be in prayer for each other, and for ourselves that God would give us the words to say and the opportunity to say it!
This means that we must have an attitude of expectation in our walk with Christ, going out into the world EXPECTING opportunity to share Him, to share His grace, to share His redemption!
Are you making the most of your opportunities to reveal the grace of God to the lost world around you? We are called to pray, to act prudently and then Paul says we are to…
Extend His Grace thru our speech…v6
6Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
What you say reflects WHO you serve…
Do you know that WHAT you say is a direct reflection on Jesus? This means we should NEVER partake in conversations that are unwholesome or unworthy of our Savior. Paul calls our speech to be gracious and attractive…
Let’s look at this from a ‘mans’ point of view… men we want our wives to be attractive for us. We want them to be women of grace and beauty. They are already our wives and they don’t HAVE to impress us any longer, BUT we want them to!
We LOVE it when they go out of their way to make themselves look better and when they go all out to blow us away with what they are wearing… I know I love it when Michelle takes that time to make herself look like a knockout…just for me!
Guys, we don’t want our wives dressing like street walkers or cheap floozies! We want them to carry themselves with dignity and grace…
Well we are the BRIDE of Christ and we are called to carry ourselves with dignity and grace… We are to act in a way that brings honor to our Savior! We are to speak in a way that enhances Christ in our lives and does not tear Him down.
When your life and speech reveals a grace-filled message to the world around you they are going to be more open and responsive to it. Let our words be gentle and true… never harsh and judgmental!
But it not only your words TO people but it is also how you respond TO people…especially how you respond to the negative that WILL come from this world.
How you respond reflects the Spirit that flows out of you…controlled and even tempered not fly off handle
So often when the world attacks, our heart, mind, body and soul simply wants to strike out and strike back and give them a piece of our mind…
We have the information, we have the truth, we are well informed so why can’t we put them in their place… a crafty remark and a clever retort to an attack MAY make YOU feel better, but what sort of witness will that be toward the one you are speaking with OR with those around the conversation?
We are to approach ALL forms of communication with a heart of Christ. We are to speak with grace and shine forth His grace in all we say AND do…
There is really nothing more devastating to an empty argument than a reasoned and well articulated response that does not allow emotion to rule the day.
I want you to know that YOU can respond to criticism, you can respond to attacks… but you must realize there is as much importance placed on HOW you respond as there is for WHAT you say in your response.
We must extend the Grace thru Love/Support (v7-15)
Extend grace to those called to vocational ministry – v7-9
7Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work. 8I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you. 9I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything that’s happening here.
A major road block for believers in reaching this world is the fact that there are MANY believers who are focused on tearing down OTHER believers rather than reaching those who are outside of God’s grace…
The world sees our in-fighting and dismisses us as hypocrites and who could blame them. Paul tells us there that we must reveal the grace of God in how we treat one another…
Tychichus was a believer who Paul used to carry this letter to Colossae. Many times we choose to shoot the messenger… Paul calls on these believers to accept Tychichus and to treat him well as he is a great worker for the Kingdom.
How often do we have trouble getting along with those IN the church? But here was a man who had been called into ministry WITH Paul so he was a called minister of the gospel. Paul is calling these lay Christians to extend God’s grace to this minister of the Gospel.
So often when things are going wrong, or when the leader of the church wants to point out where things are not right… the people respond by attacking the messenger OR attacking the minister.
We are called here by Scripture to love those in the vocational ministry. Their life’s calling is the Gospel and they are constantly doing the work of the Lord…and in fact they are totally reliant on the Lord for provision… We must show HIS grace to these workers within the Kingdom.
But it is not just toward those in vocational ministry as Paul continues here that we must also…
Extend grace to those who serve in lay ministry – v10-14
10Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you his greetings, and so does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin. As you were instructed before, make Mark welcome if he comes your way. 11Jesus (the one we call Justus) also sends his greetings. These are the only Jewish believers among my co-workers; they are working with me here for the Kingdom of God. And what a comfort they have been! 12Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. 13I can assure you that he prays hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings, and so does Demas.
Here Paul lists 6 more co-workers in Christ… of the 6 I believe only one of them would be considered ‘vocational’ in nature, but really we don’t know. These 6 workers are with Paul and traveling with him and have dedicated their life to the work of the Gospel.
Now I have met MANY in the church where they ‘come’ to church, but they dedicate their life to their job or their family or something OTHER than God’s kingdom.
But I have also seen those who are NOT vocational ministers who have dedicated their LIFE to Christ… they have a job and they have a family, but they see their job and family as tools or instruments for glorifying God and growing God’s kingdom.
Did you know that God has given us our jobs…NOT to be the focus of our lives, but to be used as an instrument for His glory! We need to come along side those who work within the church and show the grace of God to them.
Encourage them and thank them for their service. We need to include them in our devoted prayer time… we must remember the dedicated layman who loves the Lord!
But Paul continues here… it is not just the ministers, it is not just those who are really active within the church… it is about the ENTIRE body of Christ!
We are called to reveal God’s grace to ALL within the fellowship… and that extends to people of other fellowships as well. Remember we are ALL on the same team!
Extend grace to ALL those of the fellowship – v15
15Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.
Tychichus carried this letter TO Colossae and it is believed that he also carried a letter to Laodicea and their fellowship as well. Paul speaks of his letter to the church in Laodicea but we have no record of that letter…
Thychichus also had a letter or a message from Paul to the house church meeting at Nympha’s house.
The purpose here was that Paul wanted instruction and godly teaching to reach all in the church, not just those of one fellowship. We are called to reach out to all the body of Christ…not just those we agree with or those we find pleasant to be around.
We are called to show God’s grace and extend His grace to ALL the church members of our fellowship. That means we should be reaching out to them and folding them into the social fabric of our church. We cannot be cliquish or territorial in our approach to serving God… but we must show grace to all in the body of Christ!
This inclusive attitude extends all through the body of Christ within each fellowship… but it should and it MUST extend OUTWARD to other fellowships…
Paul also calls us to…
Extend His Grace thru Cooperation/Multiplication (v15-17)
A Baptist Distinctive – Cooperation with other churches – v1515Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.
One of the key components to the success of the Southern Baptist Convention over the past 150 years has been their willingness to cooperate and work WITH one another to reach the world FOR Christ!
The Cooperative program is the backbone to ALL mission efforts by the Southern Baptist Convention. The Cooperative Program is where the churches come together to provide resources for the spreading of the gospel…
We have long been a denomination that bands together. We have formed Baptist Associations for over 300 yrs and still to this day the local association is one of the most effective ways to band churches together for a focused effort in the Gospel.
For over 150 yrs we Baptists have been cooperating with fellow churches, and as wonderful as that has been and as much as we have seen accomplished from the Cooperative Program… we have also fallen short in other areas.
A Baptist Deficiency – A LACK of partnership w/other denominations – v16
16After you have read this letter, pass it on to the church at Laodicea so they can read it, too. And you should read the letter I wrote to them.
Southern Baptists are skittish when it comes to banding together with those of faith who are a little different from them. They do not mind being at meetings with those of another denomination.
They don’t mind those of another denomination to come and study at the Baptist Seminaries… BUT it has long been known that Southern Baptists don’t play well with others.
This does not mean we don’t love others, but what it means is that we have become so focused on keeping things out… that we find ourselves in the position of NOT seeing what God has for us, even though it is not where we thought it should be…
My illustration would be if we were to partner with the local Presbyterian church to evangelize or do a program or start a children’s ministry.
Why is it we find ourselves being more and more competitive with each other rather than coming along side of each other and lending the hand that is needed instead of slapping down each and everything that we don’t agree with or are simply not comfortable with…
Now I want us to understand that I know we have doctrinal differences with other denominations. I am NOT saying that we throw those to the side… but we should embrace what we have in common instead of focusing on what the differences are between us…
So often we make small, minute situations into tremendous obstacles because we are not willing to accept differences in areas that are not set in doctrinal stone.
We must learn to show grace and work with those around us… Jesus’ disciples saw some other men preaching and teaching and they turned to Jesus with an attitude and said, “Lord we tried to stop them, because they do not follow with us.” But Jesus told them… who is not against us is with us…
People we need to show God’s grace and work WITH those who are in Christ! But finally Paul speaks about the most important ‘grace’ we are to show as believers and it is ensuring God’s work IS done!
A Baptist Declaration – A belief in giving birth (new churches) 17And say to Archippus, “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.”
There is NO greater ‘grace’ we can show to the world around us than revealing God’s grace through a new fellowship of beleivers. Planting churches is what God wants us to do… when he said to go and make disciples he followed that up with teaching them to do what I have taught…
This is gathering believers together into a fellowship and teaching them to BE the church… to reveal God’s grace to the world!
Conclusion:
God’s grace was revealed IN CHRIST thru His life, thru His death and ultimately through His resurrection that provided redemption for humanity.
We are saved because of God’s grace and we are called to REVEAL that grace through our lives and to the world around us… how are you revealing His grace in your life this morning.
This morning we have seen how we are called to reveal God’s grace in our life thru Prayer, action and cooperation… how are you doing? Do you need to be more prayerful?
Do you need to ‘get in the game’ more? Do you need to work WITH your fellow believer? Do you need to work WITH that church next door?
How are you revealing the Grace of God to the world around you?
Give Believer invitation…
Give Evangelistic Invitation…
