March 25, 2012
Recap: The church should be
watchmen: In our community, in Washington, in our homes, in our schools. We
need to stand on the principles of God. Because we are not, sin is running
rampant in the world. We don’t pray the Word of God or our lives are so shabby
we don’t believe God will answer our prayers. So our prayers hit the ceiling and
bounce off.
If you
do not know how to live, how to walk you will be weak. Paul commends the church
in Colossians for their faith but tells then that in order to remain strong you
have to know what God’s Word is and then you have to receive it. Knowing what
it means to live upright before God.
Christ is
in control over the philosophies of the world. Christ has preeminence over the
legalism and rules of the church. It is not about what we do but how we come
before the Lord, with humbled hearts. If
what is said is does not line up with God’s Word it must be disregarded.
If
what you think does not line up with what God says, it is wrong thinking. God
has set the standard of right. It’s not about what we think but about what God
knows. God must have preeminence in our personal lives and in our homes. We
must instill God’s principles in our children. If Christ is not preeminent in our
lives He will not be preeminent in our homes.
We are witnesses for God
Our
lives should show who God is in our lives. We should not need an announcement
that we, the Christian, has arrived. Jesus did not require an introduction yet he
was a King. The testimony of His life was captured in what He did.
V2: It
says to continue earnestly in prayer. We don’t take time to just talk to the
Lord. We give Him the five minute quickie and then we are Gone. Let’s take
prayer seriously. We need to be vigilant; Watchful, always aware and alert. We
know the Lord, what he does and what he can do so we must always be watching.
We are to be vigilant in prayer.
When
we read the newspaper or watch the news we need to be praying, we need to take
it to the Lord in prayer. As we hear things we need to watch and pray. We ask,
what good is it going to do? We don’t know but that is what God tells us to do.
So we need to be obedient and let God worry about the rest.
V2-5:
We need to be praying for persecuted Christians, for injustices. We need our
witness to be a light to others. We need to live a life that is right before
God. It is NOT our place to argue
anyone down to accept God’s Word. We are to share God’s Word; that is ALL. When someone gets belligerent with
you just walk away. No one can change your faith and belief in the Lord Jesus
Christ so you can’t change their mind about what they believe. You can’t beat
people with God’s Word because you don’t want to be beat into believing
something.
V6: Let your speech always be with grace. When you speak be it with
favor that people will want to be in your presence. …seasoned with salt. When we speak what we say should preserve life.
… that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
We don’t always have the answer and we don’t always need to have the answer but we need to be gracious and research and find the answer.
V7-15:
Part of our witness is being able to fellowship with one another, being able to
reconcile with one another, being able to grow with your brethren.
V16-18:
Paul says, make sure this epistle is read. God’s Word is key and it must be
read, it must be heard, it must be spoken. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). We grow no other way. It keeps our faith
growing. Without faith we cannot please God. When persecution come what is
going to keep us? The Word of God. This is what empowers us to live for the
Lord. What is going to keep us when people try to take our freedoms away? The
Word of God.
We
need to be alert because times are changing. This is not to make you afraid but
to be alert, to not be caught off guard. This is so that we as Christian can
sound the alarm. We are the watchmen. If we sleep everyone else will be lost.
Christ MUST be preeminent in our
lives. We are His testimony because we bear His Name.
Pastor Pete
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