Live a life worthy of the Lord

Brunei Sermon Live a life worthy of the Lord
22nd May, 2011

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Colossians 1: 3-14
Main Idea: the process of spiritual growth

Objectives:
a. To teach the congregation of the process of spiritual growth
b. To challenge the church members to be transformed in their lives.
c. To teach them to live a life worthy of the Lord.

A. Introduction
- Those of you who have been baptized in the last 10 years, pls indicate by putting up your hands? 20 years?
- After you are baptized, have you been serving Jesus? What have you done for Jesus?
- May be some of us ask this question in your heart: Why is that after you are baptized; you still need to grow spiritually; serve God; you need to be transformed in your lives; you need to do evangelism and missions both locally and overseas; do social concerns; attend Sunday service; tithing; prayers?
- I am already saved, I just wait to go to heaven. I have my passport to go heaven, why do I still have to go through all those troubles? Have you asked like this? The answer is found in the bible passage today.
- Apostle Paul in this morning’s passage, he said a prayer that showed us how our spiritual life should grow. You must go through that process and there is no short cut.
- Let us read what Apostle Paul exhorted the Colossians in verses 9 and 10 together, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, …”
- Why Apostle Paul prayed like this? This had very much to do with the problems and challenges faced by the Colossian Christians at that time in the first century.

B. Background & Explanation of the Text
- At that time the Colossian Christians faced the heretic Gnosticism teaching. Believers of Gnosticism believed that the material, the body of human beings, and all that could be seen were evil. God who cannot be seen is good and spiritual. Human beings can only be in contact with God using our thinking power.
- This produces 2 kinds of thinking. One thinking is our mind power is more powerful than the body. People who subscribe to this thinking end up practicing self-denial exercises such as withdrawing from sex, not eating, not resting, not enjoying life, and not live a normal life. A believer will isolate himself from others, not married and not even take bath, etc.
- Another thinking is this: Since our body is evil, people will take the liberty to enjoy himself, he takes the liberty to get drunk, overeat, practice free sex, to be greedy, etc, because whatever they do, it will not affect their inner spirit, inner life.
- Apostle Paul knew the Colossian Christians were misled. He addressed Epaphras as dear fellow servant, faithful minister of Christ in verse 7. Epaphras must have shared the problems of the Colossian Christians with Apostle Paul.
- We know they communicated because in verse 8, Paul said, “and who also told us of your love in the spirit.”
- In order to lead the Colossian Christians out of Gnosticism influence, Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians kept emphasizing Jesus is the gospel of word becomes flesh. God is unseen; He becomes a human being in the person of Jesus. Since God lives in a body, so, the body is not evil anymore. Also, Jesus has the power to save us from the power of darkness, leading us to the kingdom of God, saved and our sins are forgiven. This is very much emphasized in verses 13 and 14.
- In order to help the Colossian Christians not to go astray, and they really believed what Jesus had done on His life and on the cross, Apostle Paul taught them how to grow spiritually and correctly.
- Apostle Paul taught the Colossian Christians and all of us a cycle of 5 steps of spiritual growth.

C. Application and Actions
- Firstly, you need to ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will as Apostle said in verse 9b. You must know the word of God for you, His will for you. You must read the word of God for it tells you His will for you. Can you give me a few examples of God’s will for you according to the bible?
- Secondly, God fills you with knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding in verse 9c. Now, yes, God fills you with His will but according to verse 9c today, He also gives you spiritual wisdom and understanding. It means through the help of the Holy Spirit God helps you to understand His word. It means God, through the Spirit of Jesus helps you to understand a word, a phrase, a sentence or a passage of he bible. This year, as I read Exodus 36 to 38, I was amazed by the promises that God made to Hebrew people in providing the expertise and all the metal and material needed to make the tabernacle, the ark, the lamp stand, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering, etc. God spoke to me powerfully and I understood His message even though these technical chapters are on how to make those instruments of worship. I received the powerful message that if I am doing God’s will, God will provide all the manpower and resources needed to do His will.
- I also read from Leviticus chapters 1 to 5 recently, God is very particular about every sin you committed. For the Hebrew people, for every sin committed, they need to do a sacrifice of an animal or birds or flour.
- Can you give me some examples of the word of God which you understand and remember? Only when you know, understand, then, you can use it, apply in your life. I understand the concepts of making of disciples of all nations. So, I reach out to people regardless of races, skin colors, languages and religions. I reach out to Ibans in Bahasa Malaysia. Last Sunday I preached in BM to Tudan Methodist Church members who are Ibans. I prayed and counseled for 15 of them one by one for about 2 hours. On Thursday, I joined Rev Chan Jing Mei, the lady pastor in charge of the Church in visiting 5 Ibans. It is all because the bible says nations, not nation, not just the Chinese. I understand and remember, and so I can do it. Do you know your bible well? Do you have the discipline to read it? Do you attend seminars to equip yourself with the word of God to serve Him?
- As you read the bible, you need to ask yourself these questions: what has the word of God to do with my life? I can apply to which area of my life? Finance? Family? Work and career? Nurturing children? Ministry in Church? Missions and evangelism? Social concerns?
- I believe that every passage that you read in the bible, there is God’s message for you. I always write down the message after I got it. I have a spiritual journal to do it. You can read a passage and write down the verse, or word or phrase which God speaks to you. Write a sentence or two to say how you apply it in your life.
- Thirdly, the next step of the spiritual cycle is to live a life worthy of the Lord (verse 10). The sermon title is taken from this verse. Why this verse? This is because in our spiritual growth journey/ process, ultimately, it requires you, believers and all of us as Disciples of Christ, to be transformed in our lives. This is very much related to actions. Apostle Paul taught in this prayer for the Colossian Christians that after you know the word of God, understand it, you need to apply it. You need to apply it in your life. There must be actions in your life based on the word of God. Therefore, he said in verse 10, “…live a life worthy of the Lord…” God’s word is so good, so meaningful, so full of inspirations, but if you do not have any action to practice it, everything still remain zero. Especially your life transformation will remain zero.
- Furthermore, your actions must be worthy of Christ. How? When you made a decision, is it according to your conscience? What about others? A lot of Christians when they made a decision they never ask Jesus whether He is Okay with it or not. We Christians, when we make a decision, or take an action, we must get Yes from 3 persons (your conscience, others who are affected or not affected and most important of all, Jesus). Do that you will become a strong and matured Disciple of Jesus.
- In the name of Jesus I tell you, in your daily life, when you are full of care and love towards others, you are full of Christ’s testimonies in your life, you do what you promise, you are consistent in your word and action, when you invite people to come to attend church special program, they will come.
- A lot of Christians or disciples of Jesus do not grow because they cannot breach the gap between step 2 and step 3. That is after they understood the word, they never apply it. Are you one of those? After today, which part of God’s word are you applying? No application of God’s word, no life transformation, no life testimonies to show to people. As a result, people cannot see how good Christianity or Jesus is to their life.
- Fourthly, our spiritual life must reach a stage or step where we can do what Apostle says in 10b and c, “ …may please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, …” This is very much related to step 3 where we need to live a life worthy of Jesus. After you apply what you learn about God’s word, your life is worthy of Christ, you will surely bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness goodness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5: 22, 23). You will surely make disciples of all nations. You will surely do mission in the name of Jesus.
- Fifthly, we will reach a stage like what Apostle Paul said in verse 10 d, “… growing in the knowledge of God.” Our spiritual growth will reach a stage or step, where we will know, understand and experience God in a deeper manner. We will have an intimate relationship with Jesus. We can experience God because He is the Holy Spirit, He lives in our hearts, and He empowers us to overcome our flesh and lusts. Otherwise, Apostle Paul will not be able to say in verses 11, 12 “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
- With all humility and I want to boast about what Jesus has done in life, I want to say to you how I experience Jesus and God, almighty. When I am able to love my wife, my 4 children, I experience Jesus in a personal manner. When I am able to forgive someone like a church leader, my wife, someone I do not like, I experience Jesus in my life. When I am able to care for an Iban like lay my hands on him or her, I experience Jesus and I find Him so real in my life.
- So, what is the secret of experiencing God? Can you tell me? It can happen to all Christians, provide you …. You obey Jesus; you practice the word of God. Is it a secret to know? I hope it is not a secret to you.

D. Conclusion
- There is life in God’s word. Applying God’s word in your life is the right thing to do; it is the right attitude towards God’s word.
- Otherwise, no matter how much bible reading, prayer, Sunday Schools, bible studies, seminars, fellowships, church activities, will be just social activities.