Evil Is an Interesting and Important Thing, by John.

Evil Is an Interesting and Important Thing.
Mark 1:21-28

1. Have you noticed that most of the programs on TV involve some sort of evil? The most popular shows are about what evil people do to each other. That's especially true since we have been at war with Iraq.
2. Evil is an interesting and important thing.
3. The account we just read is about Jesus going to the temple to teach.
4. As soon as He started teaching, a man with a demon interrupts him, and I want us to learn from that experience. Did you notice…

I. The response of evil to God?

1. First, I think we should notice that this man is a member of the synagogue, a Jew in good standing, even though he had an evil spirit!
2. Second, we should notice evil is interested in what God has to say.
(1) A lot of us who claim to know God don't pay much attention to what God says,
(2) But when God speaks, Satan and his servants pay attention!
3. Third, I think we should realize, evil is guilty, and evil people know they are guilty!
4. In Matthew 8:29, the evil spirits cried out, "What do you want with us, Son of God!"…"Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?"
5. Fourth, evil spirits already know God is going to destroy them! They already know Jesus is the One Who is going to do it, and they are afraid!
6. Fifth, evil lacks proper respect for God. This man interrupted the Lord Jesus at work without any hesitation!
(1) He was not interested in what God had to say to the people.
(2) He was only interested in how God's being there would affect him!
(3) He expected Jesus to do something that he would not like!
7. That's the natural response of evil to Jesus. If you are here, and you are lost, that is the reason you feel like the preacher is aiming his sermons at you? Ill. A woman was trying to get her husband to go to church with her, but he always refused. On a Sunday evening she asked him to go, and he said "No!" She asked why, and he told her that the preacher always preached at him as if nobody else was there. She told him that wasn't true, and she said, "It's hot, and the church door is open. You go up there and stand behind the door, so the preacher won't even know you are there, and you'll see. What's wrong with you is, you know he's telling the truth!"
He hid behind the door, and no one
knew he was there. The preacher started
preaching, and a group of teenagers on the
back row started giggling and disturbing
people. The preacher said, "Hey! You kids
in the back of the church! If you don't
start acting right, that old devil is going
to jump out from behind that door and
get you!"
8. The response of evil to God is misunderstanding, as well as, disrespect and disobedience!

II. V 25, Jesus Has Authority Over Evil.

1. He was not ready for the people to know that He was God's Son. The timing had to be right!
2. Evil is always wrong! Jesus gave that evil spirit two stern commands: "Be quiet!" and "Come out of him!"
3. There was no dilly-dallying around. That evil spirit knew Jesus had the right to command him! And all evil spirits today know that Jesus is in control of everything!
4. Jesus has unlimited power, and He also has unlimited authority over all evil. When you see movies that show the devil pushing Christians around, don't believe it! It does not happen! Jesus is in control!
(1) Satan may push church members around because being a church member is not the same thing as being a Christian!
(2) If you belong to Christ, His authority in on and in you.
(3) You can command Satan to leave, and he has to do it! Colossians 2:10 says, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, Who is the head over every power and authority."
5. Jesus has the authority, and we can use it! James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

III. V. 26, Evil Never Leaves without a Struggle!

1. We wonder how people can do the terrible things they do, but we shouldn't wonder.
2. Violence is the way of evil!
3. Not all violence may be evil, but violence and destruction are the very character of evil.
4. The best way to avoid evil is to draw as near to the Lord as you can get!
Ill. Jesus stood on a hill overlooking Jerusalem, and His heart must have been very heavy with grief over God's chosen people living there. (Mt. 23:37) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."
5. Under the wings of Jesus is where you will find protection from Satan and all evil!

Conclusion:

1. Evil beings are interested in what God has to say. It means life or destruction to them.
2. When they hear it, their guilt becomes unbearable!
3. Satan and his followers already know they are condemned. They know Jesus will destroy them. There's no escape.
4. In Psalm 23, the psalmist said, "I will fear no evil." He was right! We need not fear evil! Jesus has authority over every created thing. He is Almighty God!
5. Evil never leaves without a struggle, and that may cause us pain, but it is worth the pain to be spiritually clean! To have everlasting life! To be a child of the King!
6. And we are spiritually clean when we trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior!
7. Don't be scared of Satan! Jesus said in Mt. 10:28, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
8. Draw near to the Lord! Open your heart to Him! Ask Him to come into your heart!

ECC 12/1/2006

The Call of Jesus: Mark 1:14, by John.

THE CALL OF JESUS
Mark 1:14-20

1. In this text, Jesus called fishermen to be disciples.
2. He carefully selected and called men in a variety of professions.
3. He still calls all kinds of people. Matthew 12:47-50. "Someone told him, 'Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.' He replied to him, 'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?' Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'"
(1) His devotion to His Father's will was absolute.
His earthly family could not be allowed to stand in the way.
(2) At the same time, we need to realize that we become the children of His Father in heaven when we put our trust in Him.
(3) The first call we receive is to become children of God!
4. Those who answer affirmatively are generally not the great ones. I Cor. 1:26-29. "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him."
5. The call to salvation is the call of Jesus, a further call seems to me to be an intensification of that first calling.
6. Every call contains certain elements, provisions and promises.
7. The ancient Jews saw themselves as different from the prophets, but they should have worked at being like them.
8. If you see yourself as different from God’s preachers, you should seek to be like them, at least when they are at their best! Paul, Phil 3:17; "Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you." (4:9) "Whatever you have learned from me, or seen in me, put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

I. THE CALL OF JESUS CONTAINS PROMISE.

1. Accept and you’ll change for the better. (You will become fishers of men).
2. Accept and you have, right now, life everlasting. John 5:24, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." I John 5:12, "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
3. Accept and you have a new home in heaven. (John 14:1-3) and a personal escort there by Jesus! V 3, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms, if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
4. Accept and you have the promise of His presence. John 14:15-21.
5. Accept and you will realize your dreams.
(1) Have authority.
(2) Power.
(3) Holy Spirit
(4) Weaponry (God’s Word, sword)
(5) Open harvest field Jn 4:35; Mt 9:37,38
(6) What is the greatest desire people have? To live eternally, and we hold the key to eternal life! The Gospel of Jesus!

II. THE CALL OF JESUS ASSURES OUR POTENTIAL VALUE.

1. Satan strives to devaluate God’s creation, you and me, to make us feel worthless. When all else fails, remember Jesus called us to give us greatness!
(1) We will do greater works than He did on earth. John 14:12, 13; "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father."
(2) We will judge the world and angels. I Cor 6:2,3, "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge Angels? How much more the things of this life!"
(3 We will bear much fruit! ) John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
2. Every child of God has his own work no one else can do unless he refuses. Ill. Elijah and Elisha are good examples of what happens when we are obedient.

III. THE CALL OF JESUS INCLUDES OUR PREPARATION.

1. On-the-job training! Starts immediately! Jesus had just called the twelve apostles to follow Him.
(1) What was the first thing He did? Mark 1:21 tells us: "They ent to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach."
(2) The very first thing He did was show the disciples what they were going to be doing!
a. He taught the people.
b. He cast out an evil spirit.
c. He healed many.
2. To the disciples, He said, “follow me…”
3. To us, He repeats the call through them. Col 2:6, 7; "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, contiue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."
Ill. Mary and Martha both had specific parts to play in the Kingdom of God. Jesus told Martha she was concerned about many things, but Mary had chosen the better part. She sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to Him teach! That was her preparation!

Conclusion:

1. Promise, value and preparation are all involved in the calling of Jesus.
2. Start now for Jesus is calling you.
(1) Accept His promise of life everlasting!
(2) Realize that the earth holds no value like the value you receive and give in Jesus.
(3) Begin your preparation to serve God with your whole heart!
3. It may mean you will have to leave your family as James and John did, but it will be worth it all to you and to them. It is an exciting challenge and a hope fulfilled.
4. Jesus is calling! Say, “Yes! Dear Jesus! Yes!”


Emmanuel CC, 9/24/2006

The Personality the World Needs to See. by John.

The Personality the World Needs to See!
Colossians 3:15-17.

1. Last week I finished the first point of my message about what the Colossian Christians needed in Christ. The conclusion was that we need the same virtues.
2. Paul listed seven: They were Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, and love.
3. In passing, I also mentioned the things we are to avoid: There are five of them found in v. 5. They are sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed. These are things we need to get out, and keep out, of our lives.
4. Today, I want us to finish what we started last week, and this part of the message has a new title, "The Personality the World Needs to See!"
5. People have seen most of us at our worst.
(1) It is a thing that makes me sad, but I know my own family has seen me at my worst!
(2) I've shamed myself with people I've worked with.
(3) There have been times that it seemed to me the whole world knew everything bad about me.
(4) Does this sound like something you could say about yourself?
(5) The worst thing about this is that our worldly personality will not lead anyone to Jesus for Salvation!
6. What should a Christian be like?
7. How can we as Christians become the person we ought to be?
8. That's what Paul laid out for the Colossians in these three verses.

I. First, Peace Must Rule Our Lives!
1. When we look at lost people about us, some of them seem to be blissfully peaceful.
(1) They seem to have plenty of money, nice houses, beautiful automobiles, in fact, most of the things that the rest of us would like to have!
(2) They seem to have it easy, while we have to work hard!
(3) But the time comes sooner or later in their lives when they come face to face with God!
a. Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
b. It is a wonderful thing to step into the hands of our Loving Father! And that is what God is to every one of us who have trusted and committed our lives to Jesus!
2. Without Him we cannot have any lasting peace!
3. With Jesus, we can be at peace all of our lives!
(1) The writer of Hebrews a few verses later reminded his readers that they stood up under suffering.
(2) They stood up when they were exposed to insult and persecution!
(3) And they stood side by side with others who were being mistreated for their faith!
4. That would seem like a good time to throw away your faith, but again the Hebrews writer said, (Hebrews10: 35) "Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded."
5. In v. 39, he reminded them, "We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved!"
6. It is hard for many of us to believe, but what Christ said in John 14:27 is absolutely true! "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
7. Now you may not have noticed in our text Paul said, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..."
(1) We don't have to develop peace.
(2) We don't have to work for peace.
(3) We need to trust God, and allow the peace of Christ to fill us! ill. Some place we were, I noticed a sign that that said "Double-rich Chocolate Shake." I knew exactly what that meant, and in the same way, we should allow the peace of Christ to rule us! And to rule in us!

II. Second, We Must Experience the Living Word of God.

1. The Bible is God's written word. Jesus is God's living Word.
2. We may divide them in our thinking, but in reality, the Bible is the Expression of God's Living Word.
3. Jesus is to dwell in us richly, abundantly.
4. In the 23rd Psalm are the words, "my cup overflows." I love that because in my mind that is how the Word of God "dwells in us richly!"
5. As for the written Word of God, there are several things we can do to have it change our lives and to always have it available.
(1) We can hear it preached. (Hebrews 10:25) "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
a. When we hear preaching, we need to depend on God's Holy Spirit to lead us. Some preachers are honestly wrong in their interpretation of the Scripture.
b. Some are just dishonest and are not God's servants at all.
ill. Jeremiah wore a yoke on his neck and prophesied that Judah should surrender to Nebuchanezzar because God's punishment of Judah would be less if they did not resist. Hananiah, the false prophet said that God was going to restore everything Nebuchadnezzar had taken away including King Jehoiachin. He took the yoke Jeremiah had on and broke it saying God would break Nebuchadnezzar the same way.
In Jeremiah 28:16 Jeremiah delivered God's decree to Hananiah. "I am about to remove you from the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord." In the 7th month Hananiah died.
c. Pray for the preachers you listen to! And depend on God's Holy Spirit to give you His message.
(2) Read God's Word for yourself.
a. Read it in prayer! The Psalmist said, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you...Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:11 & 105)
b. Read it with others. ill. Some of my earliest memories are my mother reading the story of David and Goliath to me.
c. If you don't read it for yourself, you are depending on another fault-laden person to tell you what is in that Book!
(3) Study God's Word. Find out what it really says.
a. Ask yourself why what you are reading was written.
b. Ask yourself, what their problems were.
c. Ask God, what do you want me to get from this?
d. II Timothy 2:15 says, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."
(4) Memorize God's Word. In 2 Corinthians 3:3, Paul told the Corinthians, "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Sprit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
a. You don't have to memorize the whole Bible!
b. Memorize the verses that are important to you.
c. Memorize the verses you think will be important to someone else!
d. Let God lead you in your choices!
(5) Spend time meditating on every aspect of what you have heard, read, and memorized.
a. It is in meditation about God's Word that we begin to apply it to our lives, and that's where change begins to come into our personalities.
b. That's when we will begin to be God's Word written in human hearts by God's Spirit!

III. Another Important Part of Being Filled with God's Word Richly Is in Sharing It with Others.

1. We don't have to be ostentatious, or showy, or show off when we share God's Word.
2. First, we live it, and then when we do speak His Word to people or individuals, they will realize our words are straight from God!
3. In I Corinthians 14:18,19, when Paul said, "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue."
4. The point is that Christians are ordered by Christ to make disciples, and we can't do it unless we share His Word with un-disciple-d people!
5. Our sharing must be authoritative and understandable!
6. When we share, we will also grow in the Lord!

Conclusion:

1. Being a Christian is all about being like Christ, filled with God's Word, and living it out!
2. We can read, hear, study, memorize, and meditate on everything God has said, or may choose to reveal to us.
3. Both are dead now, but I remember well when a deacon said to me, "Hamp and I don't take much preaching you know!"
(1) I feel like too many Christians think they do not need to hear from God at all!
(2) We need to remember what we have received from God, and we need to thank Him for all we have!
4. Then we need to share what we have gained with people around us who need the Lord!
5. I wonder...if Paul were writing to Emmanuel Community Church, would he say, "You show you are a letter from Christ..."
6. Let's pray!

Emmanuel 9/17/2006

The Need of the Colossians in Christ.
Colossians 3:5ff

1. Paul's friends gave him reports of what was going on in the cities of Colosse and Laodicea.
2. He was aware of the false doctrine Christians faced there.
3. They needed everything he told them in this letter to directly combat the insidious dangers already at work in the church!
4. I believe, from what I read between the lines, that the worldly influence of idolatrous, misled people were already in the church.
5. These people claimed to have a higher knowledge than those poor Christians who had no formal education.
4. Too often now we are intimidated by those who purport to be wiser, more intelligent and successful, or better educated than we are.
5. Paul knew the power of their words, and he wanted to help the Colossians stay true to the Lord.
6. I'm sure he remembered Job's friends, and that even Job's wife, because of Job's suffering said, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9)
7. As young as Christianity was, Paul knew, and I'm sure the Holy Spirit revealed it to him, that a godly life is great protection from heretical doctrine.
8. I want to pick out some of the important points in this Scripture using the verses we read as the basis for our thought.

I. He urged them to live a Christ-filled life.

1. In v 12, he used the metaphor of "clothing" themselves with positive things. He listed seven.
(1) The first was compassion.
a. There are three words in Greek translated "compassion" or "pity" or "mercy," and frequently in the King James as "bowels of mercy."
b. The one used here is also used in I John 3:17, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?"
c. Compassion in our own language means, "sorrow for the sufferings or trouble of another or others, accompanied by an urge to help; deep sympathy; pity." (New World Dictionary).
d. Here being as compassionate as Paul is like being clothed with a full-length coat, taking it off and giving it to a person who is shaking from the cold!
(2) The second virtue is kindness. The illustration I just used fits kindness, too. It is sharing with others what they need whether you feel compassionate about it, or not.
(3) The third is humility.
a. Until we begin to see God in His greatness, humility is an impossibility.
b. When we bow to God, we are beginning to be humble.
c. When we see others as equals, and their needs as equal to ours, we are experiencing real humility.
(4) the fourth is gentleness.
a. Most of us are gentle with our touch, but we probably need to work on being gentle with our words!
b. Nurses are famous for their TLC, tender loving care, but many of us have not yet developed that virtue.
(5) The fifth is patience.
a. I think of patience as the ability to wait for God to accomplish His goals in us and in others.
(6) The sixth virtue is in v 13.
a. It is "The golden rule" written with different words. (read it).
b. We need to treat everyone like we want to be treated (whether we are treated that way ourselves, or not). ill. The story of the old black man going to Atlanta on the train that Sandy read to us is a good illustration of this. He gave his ticket to a poor woman who didn't have a ticket. He gave it because she needed it. He didn't expect anyone to do the same for him, and they didn't, but he was okay with that!
(7) The seventh is the crowning virtue, I think. It is love. v. 14 says that love binds all of these virtues together in a Christian's life.
a. You remember that I Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
2. When your life is filled with these Christ-like virtues, it will naturally be filled with peace, too. (v 15), and we will be able to remain at peace no matter what the world and the devil throw at us!
(1) God laid translating the Scriptures into the language of the people on the heart of William Tyndale. He met opposition from church leaders in England and went to Germany, met Luther and completed his work there. In 1535 in Antwerp, he was arrested and imprisoned. He continued writing tracts from prison, one against Henry VIII and his divorce. In 1536, he was put to death near Brussels. His friend John Frith escaped and returned to England where he was burned to death. Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer, and John Hooper all of approximately the same period of history, died by fire! (Walker, A History of the Christian Church, p. 361). These all died peacefully in spite of the inhumanity of the church leaders.
(2) Stephen, Acts 7:54-60, the Jews stoned Stephen, and he became the first Christian martyr. He cried out as he died, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." He had the peace of Christ that passes all understanding!
(3) You remember that the mother of James and John asked Jesus to allow her sons to sit on His right and left hands when He took His throne, don't you? James was killed with a sword at Herod's order, and he never denied Jesus! He was at peace with His Lord. His brother John lived perhaps to more than 100, but he spent time in isolation on the island of Patmos. God blessed him there with the book of Revelation!
3. All of these virtues result in the peace of our Lord resting on us, and altogether, they help us remain true to Jesus.
4. Someone said, "The best defense is a good offense," and that is true for Christians. Developing our Christian lives is a good offense against the attacks of Satan.

II. Christ Saves Us, and His Word Develops Us. v. 16.

1. Paul told the Colossians what they needed, and here, he tells them how to develop the virtues in their lives.
2. First, "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" does not mean just memorize a bunch of Scripture!
(1) It means that we must allow the Word of Christ to change us!
(2) We can't do that unless we know it. There are five things we can do to know it.
a. Hear it preached.
b. Read it for ourselves.
c. Memorize the parts we need to use regularly.
d. Study it carefully.
e. Meditate on the meaning of the Words.
f. Share what we know with others.
g. Every person is different, and when we share God's Word, we learn far more than we will ever learn by ourselves.
3. It is in the "sharing times" that we can teach and admonish one another, v. 16, without making people feel guilty, and without our coming across as people who think they are better than anyone else!
4. When the Word of Christ dwells in us "richly," everything we do and say will be done in the name of the Lord Jesus! And we will be saying "Thank you, Lord!" without even thinking about it! It is a natural response from a Christ-filled person!

III. Our Changed Lives Produce Godly Actions. v 17.

1. We wonder sometimes why some Christians are not like Christ, or maybe we wonder why all Christians are not like Christ.
2. The answer is simple, they have not allowed the Word of Christ to dwell in them richly!
3. When we are filled, Godly actions result in our lives.
4. Family problems fade away for the most part, but we do need to say a home is not a Christian home until all the family members are Christian!
(1) If a father, or a mother, or a child is not a Christian, they are a constant spiritual problem for the family.
(2) We shouldn't shun them, but love them into God's kingdom!
5. Wives and husbands in a Christian home recognize the need for order in the family, and they work it out together.
6. Children are respected by their parents, and children respect their parents in a Christian home.
7. Servants (slaves) fit into the family workings well when Christ is their Lord and Master, but they can sometimes be home-wreckers if they do not know Christ.
8. Sloth, or laziness disappears when we believe we are doing a great work, and what can be greater than serving our Great God?
9. We could talk about this all day, but people, God's Holy Spirit will lead us in the right way when we let Him have the reins of our lives!
10. The only real change happens because we commit our lives to Jesus. He saves us, and we become new creations in Him. Then Godly actions happen every time we do anything at all!

Conclusion:

1. One of the greatest problems facing Christians is our concept of living a Christian life.
2. Many of us think that going to church on Sunday is all we need to do.
3. Being a Christian is a full-time job! And God expects us to be full-time Christians!
4. In order to be a full-time Christian, we need to be God-conscious all the time.
(1) We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
(2) We need to feed on God's Word constantly, and His Word should live in our hearts and minds so that we will not sin against Him.
5. We need to develop the gifts of God's Holy Spirit. They are listed in Galatians 5:22,23; "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. Against such things there is no law."
5. These same gifts of the Spirit are listed as virtues here in Colossians 3:12-15.
6. When our lives are filled with these, we will be mature Christians and our lives will produce good works in the name of Jesus!
7. Look at your own life-history. Where are you right now in your spiritual development? Where do you need to improve?
8. Let's talk to the Lord about our need right now.

Emmanuel 9/10/2006 This message is much too long to be preached in one service. I finished only the first point today.

Work Out Your Salvation by John.

Work Out Your Salvation
Colossians 03:1-17

1. The title for this message comes from another Pauline passage, Philippians 2:12,13, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."
2. These verses are not saying that we have to work to gain salvation.
3. They do say that we need to work at making our lives match the salvation our Lord has given us. The Philippians were already doing that.
(1) The word translated "work" signifies "accomplish by toil."
(2) We will be mature Christians when our lives begin to match the Salvation God has given us!
4. You and I, having placed our lives in the hands of the Lord, are in the same position the Philippians were.
(1) We are saved, but our lives do not match the salvation that God has given us in Jesus!
(2) We are children of God right now whether we look to the world like we are, or not! ill. Bert Grimm appeared at our door shortly after we moved to Wellington, KS many years ago. He introduced himself and told me he was looking for the new Baptist preacher. I admitted that I was the one he was looking for. He looked me up and down and said, "If I was shooting preachers, I sure wouldn't have shot you!"
(3) We are Children of God, but our lives usually don't give us away! (If somebody was shooting Christians, they probably would not take aim at us!)
5. This passage in Colossians gives us instructions on how we must go about working out our salvation!

I. First, Exchange your goals for heavenly ones. 3:1

1. We start out in life just living from one meal to the next, one surprise to the next, with no goal at all.
2. As we grow, people start asking, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
(1) The usual answer used to be. "A fireman!" Or "A policeman!" Or "President!"
(2) The answer now may be movie star, or rock star, or another Michael Jackson! I don't think many, if any, would say they want to be President! The job is too tough.
3. As we continue to age, we begin to seriously consider what our aptitudes are, what we can conceivably accomplish to make money, but in all of this, God is seldom mentioned, or even thought about! Right?
4. We make our plans, we get through high school, some of us get through college, maybe even get a Master's, or a doctor's degree, and we still have not considered what God expects of us!
5. We need to change our life-goals!
(1) We should have started early, but how many of us ever had anyone ask us, "What does God want you to do with your life?... Are you going to ask God what He wants you to do?"
(2) I was raised in church. I thought about becoming a minister.
a. A pastor we had at that time hunted and fished almost every day of the week except Sunday, and I thought that was great!
b. God did not enter into my thinking at all.
aa. I never thought of the needs of people.
bb. It never occurred to me that pastors were "called" to preach and serve!
6. If you've never given any thought to what God wants you to do, Colossians 3:1 says, you are saved! Set your life-goals on things above!
(1) That means you belong to God, so expect your life to be directed by God!
(2) Don't make any goal without considering God's will, and without asking for God's approval on what you want to do! ill. In II Chronicles 18:3, Ahab, king of Israel, asked Jehoshaphat join him in war against Ramoth Gilead. Jehoshaphat told Ahab he would, but in v 4, he said, "First seek the counsel of the Lord." Ahab called in all of his false prophets, and said, "Go for God will give it into the king's hand." That did not satisfy Jehoshaphat. He said, "Is there not one prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?"
(4) God's prophet, Micaiah, told them they would lose the battle and Ahab would die. It happened just that way!
7. The Lord will keep us from making great mistakes when we seek Him.
(1) Jehoshaphat decided to help Ahab before he sought the Lord.
(2) That was a big mistake, and he paid for it! They lost the war and Ahab was killed
(3) When Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem, the prophet Jehu met him and asked, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?" (II Chronicles 19:2) Jehu told Jehoshaphat God's wrath was on him.
8. God does not violate the freedom He has given us!
(1) We are free to make decisions without Him, but we must take face the consequence of our actions!
(2) It's much better to go with God, but we won't unless we make going with God the primary goal of our lives!
9. Let's do that, people! And assuming that we will brings us to another point...

II. Conquer your fleshly nature. 3: 5

1. Even if you have decided to follow Jesus all the way, Satan sees to it that there are many temptations just waiting for us.
2. We should not have to struggle with temptation, I Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
(1) Temptations do "seize" us, don't they?
(2) We should take comfort from the simple fact that there are no new temptations.
a. Everything that tempts us has tempted others, too.
b. My mother used to talk about her "besetting sin."
c. Most of the temptations Satan brings to us are fairly constant. They come again and again.
d. If you have failed once, you missed the "way to escape," but it doesn't mean you have to miss it the next time it strikes you!
3. We should pattern our response to temptation after Jesus.
(1) The first attempt I made at preaching a sermon 53 years ago was on the text, (KJ), Matthew 26:39, "And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed saying, 'O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt'"
(2) The first part of that prayer lets us know Jesus struggled with temptation, specifically, the thought of His death.
(3) The second part tells us He avoided temptation by dedicating Himself completely to His Father's will!
(4) Hebrews 5:7,8 illuminate that. "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered."
(5) We need to be aware that we do not have to fall into temptation! God will provide an escape for us, but we probably won't ever discover it unless we submit ourselves to our Father's will!
3. Dale Buchman was President of the Kansas-Nebraska Baptist Convention some years ago. He was asked what he did to be successful in the Lord's work. He thought for a minute, and he said, "I determine to do one thing every day that I don't want to do." We can't be obedient to the Lord unless we are willing to do for Him the things we really do not want to do!
4. There are things that the Scripture tells us do not help us avoid temptation. We saw some of those things in the last part of Chapter 2.
(1) The rules of the world, such as the "do nots," "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!" (2:21). (If something is really sinful, breaks a commandment, that's a different thing).
(2) Religious observances such as "holy days," "New- moon celebrations, Sabbath days." (2:16)
(3) Fasting and prayers can be included here if they are merely rituals. The fasts and prayers that count are those that occur because we are so involved with the Lord that we don't even think about being hungry, and we pour out our hearts to the Lord.
5. There are other things that the general public does, and many church members, I am afraid. They are listed in 3:4-

III. Live a Christ-filled life. 3:12

1. Fill your life with positive things, compassion for other people, kindness to everyone, real humility, gentleness and patience. (v 12).
2. No two people can get along well all the time, so we need to adjust to that. (v 13)
(1) When, not if, someone hurts you, forgive them.
(2) When someone constantly bugs you, don't take offence!
a. If you do take offence, don't let it build up!
b. Face the person, and nicely work out whatever is causing the problem, and that does not mean to run from it!
c. If you leave the irritation there, it will still be there years into the future!
d. If you do all you can, and the other person is unwilling to settle the issue, you are free of responsibility!
3. V 13 says it well, just as the Lord's Prayer does, "Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
4. People, you cannot live a Christ-filled life and harbor grudges against other people!
5. I think v 16 is underlined in every Bible I own or have ever owned, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
6. All Christians desire to be filled with the Spirit, and we will be when we open all the doors in our lives to Him.

Conclusion:

1. We may never have set down on paper goals for our lives, but we have them. We may think of them as "hopes," or some such thing, but they are there.
2. We need to give those to the Lord in exchange for some heavenly goals. ill. Like Paul when Jesus struck him blind, we need to say, what do you want me to do? When the Lord reveals that to us, that should become the principal goal in our lives.
3. As long as we are in these bodies, we are going to have fleshly temptations, but we can conquer them.
(1) First, look for the escape route the Lord has already prepared for you. When you find it, use it!
(2) Second, fill your life with God's Word, with all of the good characteristics of Jesus. If we do a good job at this point, there won't be a lot of room for evil!
(3) Learn to get along with others.
a. Work out your problems quickly. Don't let them fester and grow!
b. In the final analysis of the situation, forgive others just as God has forgiven you!
4. That may not make you popular with someone who is at odds with you, but it will make you right with God!
5. Being like our Lord Jesus Christ starts with coming to know Him as Lord and Savior.
6. If you haven't done that, we invite you to put your trust in Him right now while we pray. In a moment or two, we will invite you to make your decision public by stepping out from where you are and coming to the front. We will meet you and help you from that point on.

Emmanuel Community Church 9/6/2006