Intro: As the pastor’s wife lets out the dog: “Remember, Beauregard, you’re the pastor’s dog; all the other dogs will be watching you.”
—Cartoonist Rob Suggs
The pastor’s dog will impact the way people see the pastor today and relate to him tomorrow.
God’s church will impact the way people see Him today and relate to Him tomorrow.
Are we a Church of Today that will impact tomorrow? I mean impact tomorrow for the Glory of God.
How can we do that church? We can impact tomorrow for the glory of God if we live Life Unlimited. You are thinking in your mind, what!!?? How on earth can I and this church do that??
We can do that if we will see the Pattern of Unlimited life in Paul’s prayer for the Colossians. We can’t stop at seeing the pattern. We must make the pattern a practical part of our daily life.
We have already discussed the potential of an unlimited life. It is a gift of God, His grace, it comes from the presence of God, His peace, and it comes only from our position with God, our place.
Paul in his prayer gives the Colossians and us a practical powerful Pattern for Unlimited Life.
Paul’s prayer was a request for the continued growth of the Colossians in spite of the heresies of the false teachers.
The pattern begins with filling.
I. Filled Living
Colossians 1.9 “we have not ceased to pray for you that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
Filled is the same Greek word used in Ephesians 5.18 “but be filled with the spirit”
A) Filled with His Spirit
The word means to fill up, to be liberally supplied.
1) Salvation brings the gift of the spirit
Acts 2.38 “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
When we turn to God accepting Jesus finished work He gives us a gift. The HS.
Acts 5.32 “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Obey by believing, accepting, and confessing Chirst!!!
2) Sanctification the ongoing work of the spirit
a) Continues to separate us from the pattern of the world
Oswald Chambers
Are we prepared for what sanctification will do? It will cost an intense narrowing of all our interests on earth and an immense broadening of our interest in God.
b) Continues to seal us to the pattern of Unlimited Living
Ephesians 1.13 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”
We are sealed for God and from the world!!!
Unlimited Living is Spirit filled living. God liberally supplies our every need.
B) Filled with His Will
1) Spiritual Understanding (Have you ever had a tough time knowing God’s will?)
Knowing God’s will for your life. (Word)
2) Spiritual Wisdom
Webster’s dictionary: Good practical judgment; common sense
(Book of Good practical judgments is the Bible)
Spiritual wisdom is Attaining and Appling practical principles from God’s word to our lives.
Doing God’s will for your life.
Filled with His spirit and full of His word!!!
Transition: Spirit filled living will lead us to faithful living.
II. Faithful Living
Colossians 1.10 “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.”
Faithful living is the application of spiritual wisdom and understanding.
John 8.12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
The word walk here carries the idea of regulating or conducting ones life.
He who follows me will not regulate or conduct His life in the darkness!!!!
Colossians 1.13 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved son.”
A) If we are faithful our character is regulated by Christ!!!
Why did the apostle Paul want us to be filled?
1) So that we would have character that exalts Christ (walk worthy)
Our character is slowly chiseled out moment by moment as we either submit to the world or to Jesus. Paul called forging our character a marathon, a spiritual war. These do not end in moments but will take a life time to cultivate. Sadly what takes a lifetime to form can be fractured in an instant.
CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
Character is always lost when a high ideal is sacrificed on the altar of conformity and popularity.
We must guard our character because in our character people either see Christ High and lifted up or low and of little use!!!
I believe that Will Rogers got it!!
So live that you would not mind selling your pet parrot to the town gossip.
2) So that we would have character that pleases God the father
Hebrews chapter 11 is the roll call or the hall of fame of the faithful
What you find in these stories are every day people laying hold of the promises of God and building a life and character that would outlast them and please God.
From our Christ-like character should spring Christ-like Conduct
B) If we are faithful our conduct is regulated by Christ!!!
1) The best way to serve Jesus
2) The best way to way to speak to the world
3) The best way to share Jesus w/ the world
Erwin W. Lutzer God has a program of character development for each one of us. He wants others
To look at our lives and say, “He walks with God, for he lives like Christ.”
Transition: Faithful living is essential to fruitful living.
III. Fruitful Living
Colossians 1.10 “bearing fruit in every good work.”
A) Fruit comes from a branch attached to a vine
B) Fruit comes from a branch that has adequate food and water
1) Jesus is the Bread of Life
2) Jesus is the Water of Life
Adequate fruit comes from adequate nutrition and proper pruning.
C) Fruit carries a double meaning
1) Offspring
Evangelism – Sharing the story of how Jesus saved and is transforming you life leads to others becoming your spiritual children.
2) Outgrowth
The fruit of the spirit is evidence that you are surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit.
Those that are filled, faithful, and fruitful will also live fearful.
IV. Fearful Living
“growing in the knowledge of God”
Proverbs 1.7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;”
The Hebrew word for fear in relationship to God means to respect and reverence.
A) Respect and Reverence for God
1) Keeps us from the trap of sin
2) Leads us to the way of life
Proverbs 19.23 “The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one my sleep satisfied untouched by evil.”
B) Replaced in today’s “tolerant” culture
Psalm 36 “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes.”
1) There is an absence of respect for the God, His ways, His people, and His works.
2) There is an absence of respect for
1) life 2) moral living 3) holy living
3) It is up to the church to reclaim fearful living!!
If we are truly following the pattern this far we will live a forceful life.
V. Forceful Living
A force for God and a force for good!!!
1.11 “strengthened with all power according to His glorious might”
Preachers commentary “Joy is both the result of our obedient living and the witness that we are Saints of the Light.”
A) A forceful life will be evident by these strengths
1) Joyful steadfastness (endure) (patience KJV)
G B Caird “Patience is the “refusal to be upset by perverse people”
2) Joyful Patience (longsuffering KJV)
GB Caird “Longsuffering is the “refusal to be daunted by hard times.”
Our joy isn’t supposed to be demolished by either difficult circumstances or difficult people. The source of our joy is God. It is a limitless source. A source that never runs dry. Dry Christians have moved away from the well, not the well from the Christians.
Joy is the inner calm assurance that Jesus is mine.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
(Refrain)
Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.
(Refrain)
A definition of Joy is contentment and satisfaction. “I in my Savior am happy and blest.”
If we are in Christ we can joyfully endure all patiently.
Is it your story, is it your song, watching and waiting and looking for the return of our blessed Lord Jesus?!
B) A forceful life will be evidence of God’s strength
When I am weak He is strong
A person who lives right, and is right, has more power in his silence than another has by words.
PHILLIPS BROOKS
Conclusion: Why should we live by this pattern?
Colossians 1.12 “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the Saints in Light.”
Jesus has rescued us from the powerless pattern of the world. He rescued us so that we would live by His pattern. That our lives would be powerful testimonies of the work of Almighty God!!
Ever wonder why Jesus was a carpenter. Because all of us are rescued from destruction and need to be remodeled and remade in God’s image!!! Have you allowed Jesus to put His pattern in your life?
Through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection He freed us from the lifeless, powerless, limited pattern of the world.
If you will live by the Pattern found in Paul’s prayer the potential will become the reality of Unlimited Life!!!
