1. You may remember the story of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir." It was near the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. A bit puzzled, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I'm sure she had it coming."
The point: Are we listening to God to hear what HE wants or are we just rocking along on our own?
2. [PraYukon and Beyond (blesseveryhome.com)I hope you have been praying for your neighbors and inviting their prayer requests;
3. [2 clicks] Colossians 1:9-14 9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
4. Pray for Neighbors to Know All of What God is Saying:
I. Know the Will of God – Colossians 1:9-10a
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him:
A. SPIRITUAL Wisdom and Understanding
1. Contrast with the Earthly –
Sale of The Donkey: A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.
The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died." Kenny replied, "Well then, just give me my money back." The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already." Kenny said, "OK then, at least give me the donkey." The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?" Kenny, "I'm going to raffle him off ."Farmer, " You can't raffle off a dead donkey!" Kenny, "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he is dead." A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?" Kenny, ”I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898." Farmer, "Didn't anyone complain?" Kenny, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."
a. Wisdom 2 Corinthians 1:12 –
12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.
b. Shrewdness – sons of this world vs. sons of light in Luke 16:8
c. Earthly vs. Spiritual Home 2 Corinthians 5.1
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
B. The Worthy Manner
1. Will of God = His Instructions (Torah)
2. It’s Good to Know God’s Instructions, It’s Better to Do Them (Matthew 5:17-20)
3. In following we bear his image and likeness – Genesis 1:26
a. Image = resemblance; representative figure
b. Likeness = a choice we make [O to Be Like The
II. Know God Himself – Colossians 1:10b-14
Knowing Whom to Trust: Several years ago an eastern paper reported this story: One evening a woman was driving home when she noticed a huge truck behind her that was driving uncomfortably close. She stepped on the gas to gain some distance from the truck, but when she sped up, the truck did too. The faster she drives, the faster the truck did. Now scared, she exited the freeway. But the truck stayed with her. The woman then turned up a main street, hoping to lose her pursuer in traffic. But the truck ran a red light and continued the chase. Reaching the point of panic, the woman whipped her car into a service station and bolted out of her auto screaming for help. The truck driver sprang from his truck and ran toward her car. Yanking the back door open, the driver pulled out a man hidden in the back seat. The woman was running from the wrong person. From his high vantage point, the truck driver had spotted a would-be rapist in the woman's car. The chase was not his effort to harm her but to save her even at the cost of his own safety.
[2 Clicks] Colossians 1:10b-14: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
A. It is One Thing to Know the Instructions, It is Another to Know the Instructor
1. [My Dad’s Letters at sea on FDR
2. Moses knew the instructions/commands and he knew God; as did Jesus
B. The Results of Knowing God:
1. Bear Fruit (Galatians 5)
2. Strengthened in Power by HIS Might – Philippians 3:10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection,
3. Share in Inheritance in light
4. Delivered from the Power of Darkness
5. Brought Forward into the kingdom of Jesus – with redemption and forgiveness
The Australian coat of arms pictures two creatures--the emu, a flightless bird, and the kangaroo. The animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to the Australian citizens. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not back. The emu's three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail. Those who truly choose to follow Jesus become like the emu and kangaroo, moving only forward, never back.
1. Keep praying for your neighbors to know God’s will and, more importantly to know GOD
2. O, and pray that for yourself as well
3. Our intimate knowledge of God is displayed by our actions
