WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:01.520 Man, the title of my sermon this morning 00:01.520 --> 00:03.880 is Paul's Prayer for the Colossians. 00:04.020 --> 00:05.340 Paul's Prayer for the Colossians. 00:05.720 --> 00:08.120 In this chapter one, the apostle Paul 00:08.120 --> 00:10.620 is writing this letter to the Colossians 00:10.620 --> 00:12.460 and he's heard about their faith, 00:12.680 --> 00:13.620 he's heard about their church, 00:13.800 --> 00:15.860 he's heard about the things that have gone on there 00:15.860 --> 00:17.740 and he's praying for them 00:17.740 --> 00:19.640 that they would become better Christians, 00:19.860 --> 00:20.660 that they would grow 00:20.660 --> 00:23.300 and obviously we can apply this to ourselves too. 00:23.380 --> 00:25.740 This is how God wants us to grow 00:25.740 --> 00:27.360 and how we can become better Christians 00:27.360 --> 00:29.920 if we look at the prayer that Paul had for them. 00:30.420 --> 00:32.420 Now look at verse number nine, this is where it starts out. 00:32.540 --> 00:33.960 It says, for this cause we also, 00:34.700 --> 00:36.000 since the day we heard it, 00:36.520 --> 00:38.280 do not cease to pray for you 00:38.280 --> 00:40.980 and to desire that you might be filled with, 00:41.260 --> 00:42.160 so here's the prayer, 00:42.760 --> 00:44.180 is that they would be filled with 00:44.180 --> 00:47.440 the knowledge of his will in all wisdom 00:48.060 --> 00:49.860 and spiritual understanding. 00:50.160 --> 00:53.040 So point number one is that God wants us to know 00:53.560 --> 00:55.340 what his will is, right? 00:55.340 --> 00:59.460 And God's will is just a way of saying what God wants 00:59.460 --> 01:01.700 and how do we know what God wants 01:01.700 --> 01:03.900 is that we read it in the Bible, right? 01:04.040 --> 01:07.020 God has given us the written word here, the Bible 01:07.640 --> 01:10.740 and we're all saved and indwelled by the Holy Spirit 01:10.740 --> 01:12.980 so we can understand the Bible 01:12.980 --> 01:16.760 and we can know what God's will is by reading this book. 01:17.100 --> 01:18.840 That's why we need to read the Bible every day, 01:18.860 --> 01:20.200 one reason is so that we will know 01:20.200 --> 01:21.460 what the will of God is. 01:21.960 --> 01:23.040 Now to some people, 01:23.560 --> 01:27.540 the will of God is some kind of an ethereal, mysterious thing 01:27.540 --> 01:29.440 that we have to figure out or something like that. 01:29.700 --> 01:32.000 You know, it's a lot better to approach the will of God 01:32.000 --> 01:33.800 by just going to the Bible and say, 01:33.820 --> 01:35.140 hey, what does God want me to do? 01:35.580 --> 01:37.800 God wants you to do what he's telling you to do. 01:38.140 --> 01:39.620 Let me give you a few verses on this. 01:39.880 --> 01:41.800 First Thessalonians chapter four, verse three says, 01:41.960 --> 01:43.580 for this is the will of God, 01:44.220 --> 01:45.780 even your sanctification 01:46.320 --> 01:48.040 that you should abstain from fornication. 01:48.400 --> 01:50.680 So you wanna know God's will for your life, 01:50.680 --> 01:53.880 it's that you live a holy, clean, separated life. 01:54.100 --> 01:54.900 What does that look like? 01:55.160 --> 01:56.940 That you abstain from fornication. 01:57.260 --> 01:58.720 That means that if you're single, 01:59.280 --> 02:02.180 you abstain from any kind of sex outside of marriage. 02:02.600 --> 02:04.040 You wait until you're married 02:04.040 --> 02:05.680 to indulge in that activity. 02:06.020 --> 02:07.380 Obviously, if you're married, 02:07.460 --> 02:09.340 then you stay faithful to your spouse 02:09.340 --> 02:11.700 and you don't go outside of that relationship 02:11.700 --> 02:13.860 and commit adultery, et cetera. 02:14.280 --> 02:17.240 The Bible also says in 1 Peter chapter two, verse 15, 02:17.700 --> 02:19.440 for so is the will of God 02:19.440 --> 02:21.260 that with well-doing, 02:21.640 --> 02:25.380 you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. 02:25.480 --> 02:28.060 You know, you can shut the mouths of the enemy 02:28.060 --> 02:30.940 by living a good life, well-doing. 02:31.120 --> 02:33.340 Well, how do I know what well-doing looks like? 02:33.440 --> 02:34.700 Well, I read it in the Bible. 02:35.080 --> 02:36.620 The Bible tells me what to do. 02:36.940 --> 02:38.660 The Bible tells me what not to do. 02:38.900 --> 02:40.880 And it's God's will that I follow 02:40.880 --> 02:42.920 those precepts every single day. 02:43.260 --> 02:45.660 So number one, Paul is praying for the Colossians 02:45.660 --> 02:47.100 that they would know God's will. 02:47.380 --> 02:48.780 But secondly, he's also praying 02:48.780 --> 02:50.900 that they would understand God's will, right? 02:51.220 --> 02:53.240 Because he says there in Colossians 1, 9, 02:53.600 --> 02:55.020 that you might be filled with the knowledge 02:55.020 --> 02:56.260 of his will and all wisdom 02:57.580 --> 02:59.380 and spiritual understanding. 03:00.000 --> 03:01.760 Now, if you would flip over to Ephesians 5, 03:01.860 --> 03:04.520 we're gonna come back to Colossians chapter one, 03:04.600 --> 03:06.800 but flip over to Ephesians chapter five. 03:08.680 --> 03:11.080 And let's talk about understanding God's will. 03:11.200 --> 03:13.140 It's one thing to know God's will, right? 03:13.420 --> 03:15.120 Hey, God wants me to do this. 03:15.440 --> 03:17.060 God does not want me to do that. 03:17.060 --> 03:19.260 But it's also good to have an understanding 03:19.780 --> 03:22.720 of why it is that God wants me to do X, 03:22.840 --> 03:25.340 but he does not want me to do Y, right? 03:25.500 --> 03:27.660 And as we grow in grace and in the knowledge 03:27.660 --> 03:29.080 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 03:29.360 --> 03:32.100 we're not just knowing what the right answer is, 03:32.200 --> 03:35.580 but we're understanding why, the rationale behind it. 03:36.040 --> 03:37.840 Now, look, when I was a kid, 03:38.120 --> 03:40.100 there were a lot of rules that I just followed 03:40.100 --> 03:42.840 and I didn't necessarily understand why, right? 03:42.960 --> 03:45.220 Your parents just tell you certain things. 03:45.740 --> 03:48.960 You need to eat this, don't eat that, don't go here. 03:49.020 --> 03:50.320 And you don't necessarily understand why. 03:50.600 --> 03:52.940 You just have to trust that your parents 03:52.940 --> 03:54.860 are looking out for you, they're older than you, 03:54.980 --> 03:56.220 they know things that you don't know. 03:56.460 --> 03:57.660 And it's the same thing with God. 03:58.020 --> 03:59.860 You have to trust God in the beginning 04:00.480 --> 04:02.280 that when God tells you not to do something, 04:02.360 --> 04:03.260 it's for your own good. 04:04.120 --> 04:07.560 Okay, the Bible says that we as physical children 04:07.560 --> 04:10.360 had fathers of our flesh which corrected us 04:10.360 --> 04:12.080 and we gave them reverence. 04:12.340 --> 04:14.540 You know, how much more should we be in subjection 04:14.540 --> 04:16.400 to the father of spirits and live 04:16.400 --> 04:19.060 for they, verily, for a few days 04:19.060 --> 04:20.700 chastened us after their own pleasure, 04:21.100 --> 04:22.840 but he, for our profit, 04:23.220 --> 04:24.840 that we might be partakers of his holiness. 04:25.320 --> 04:27.340 And so what the Bible's saying there is that our parents, 04:27.680 --> 04:30.000 a lot of the rules and a lot of the discipline 04:30.000 --> 04:32.900 is so that we will not be a pain in their neck. 04:33.240 --> 04:35.140 They chastened us after their own pleasure, 04:35.660 --> 04:37.600 he chastens us for our profit. 04:37.980 --> 04:40.000 So our parents, you know, they don't want us 04:40.000 --> 04:42.740 messing up the house, irritating people, 04:42.740 --> 04:45.380 causing damage, causing problems. 04:45.560 --> 04:46.900 Obviously parents are looking out 04:46.900 --> 04:47.880 for their children's own good, 04:48.080 --> 04:49.920 but they're also looking out for their own sanity. 04:50.440 --> 04:51.380 You know, so they're chastening them 04:51.380 --> 04:51.960 after their own pleasure. 04:52.200 --> 04:53.740 Hey, do this, because I said so, 04:53.760 --> 04:54.940 because I don't want you to do it. 04:55.420 --> 04:56.080 I'm the boss. 04:56.440 --> 04:58.220 Okay, but God the Bible says 04:58.220 --> 05:01.720 is actually even more than a physical parent 05:01.720 --> 05:04.900 looking out for the well-being of the child 05:04.900 --> 05:08.440 and he is disciplining us for our profit, 05:08.640 --> 05:10.660 for our benefit, for our own good, 05:10.660 --> 05:12.960 so that we might be partakers of his holiness. 05:13.380 --> 05:16.780 That sounds to me like following God's commands 05:16.780 --> 05:19.600 and doing the will of God is actually for my own good. 05:20.300 --> 05:21.900 Now, sometimes we can't see it. 05:22.200 --> 05:23.700 We look at a commandment and we say, 05:23.920 --> 05:25.500 well, God's just withholding me 05:25.500 --> 05:26.920 from fun that I wanna have. 05:27.040 --> 05:28.660 Or, you know, he's not letting me do something 05:28.660 --> 05:31.600 that I like, but we have to have the faith and trust 05:31.600 --> 05:34.660 that God is actually putting those rules in place 05:34.660 --> 05:36.320 for our own good. 05:36.780 --> 05:38.760 That we're gonna be better off if we don't fornicate. 05:38.760 --> 05:41.300 We're gonna be better off if we don't drink and party 05:41.300 --> 05:42.220 and do all these things. 05:42.400 --> 05:43.900 He'd say, oh, I just really wanna do that stuff. 05:44.120 --> 05:45.460 Yeah, but God's looking out for you. 05:45.980 --> 05:47.320 That's knowing the will of God. 05:47.520 --> 05:49.180 But then understanding the will of God 05:49.180 --> 05:50.680 is when you start to see like, wow, 05:51.060 --> 05:53.640 I really am better off following God's commandment. 05:53.840 --> 05:57.160 I really am happier and here's why it makes sense. 05:57.360 --> 05:58.300 Let's look at an example. 05:58.440 --> 06:00.140 Look at Ephesians chapter five verse 17. 06:00.560 --> 06:03.800 It says, wherefore be ye not unwise 06:04.260 --> 06:08.340 but understanding what the will of the Lord is 06:08.340 --> 06:12.220 and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess 06:12.680 --> 06:14.880 but be filled with the spirit. 06:15.040 --> 06:17.900 Now look, he's telling us here, don't be drunk with wine. 06:18.320 --> 06:19.180 That's God's will. 06:19.620 --> 06:20.440 Don't get drunk. 06:20.940 --> 06:21.560 Pretty simple. 06:22.140 --> 06:26.700 But then he actually explains the why, wherein is excess. 06:27.240 --> 06:29.260 And this is not the only place in the Bible 06:29.260 --> 06:30.700 where the why is explained. 06:30.980 --> 06:32.540 Because if we go to Proverbs 23, 06:32.920 --> 06:35.420 he talks about the fact that if you indulge 06:35.420 --> 06:36.560 in alcoholic beverages, 06:37.000 --> 06:39.400 your eyes are gonna behold strange women, 06:39.780 --> 06:42.200 your mouth is gonna utter perverse things, 06:42.400 --> 06:44.120 you're gonna get wounds without cause. 06:44.220 --> 06:46.860 And he goes on and on about all of these 06:46.860 --> 06:49.440 negative effects of alcohol in our lives. 06:49.900 --> 06:52.700 But here he has this phrase to explain it, 06:53.160 --> 06:54.480 wherein is excess? 06:54.920 --> 06:56.720 Now, what does that mean, wherein is excess? 06:57.100 --> 06:59.800 Well, let's think about some other phrases in the Bible 06:59.800 --> 07:01.740 that use this same kind of grammar. 07:02.000 --> 07:03.200 Like for example, the Bible says, 07:03.200 --> 07:06.080 in all labor there is profit, 07:06.640 --> 07:10.220 but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. 07:10.740 --> 07:11.520 So what's the Bible saying? 07:11.720 --> 07:13.080 In all labor there's profit, 07:13.380 --> 07:18.020 but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. 07:18.080 --> 07:20.640 Meaning that if you actually put in the work, 07:20.980 --> 07:22.500 you're gonna get some kind of a benefit. 07:22.680 --> 07:23.720 In all labor there's profit, 07:23.800 --> 07:24.820 you're accomplishing something. 07:25.140 --> 07:26.680 Whereas just talking about stuff, 07:27.120 --> 07:29.320 if you're just a talk, talk, talker who doesn't work, 07:29.860 --> 07:31.280 you know, that leads you, 07:31.280 --> 07:34.240 it tends to lead you to the poor house, right? 07:34.820 --> 07:36.300 In all labor there's profit, 07:36.380 --> 07:39.860 meaning that labor tends toward profit, 07:40.240 --> 07:43.120 talk of the lips tends toward poverty. 07:43.760 --> 07:44.480 Well, guess what? 07:44.860 --> 07:47.800 Drunkenness with wine tends toward excess. 07:48.780 --> 07:51.300 In the same way that in all labor there's profit, 07:51.600 --> 07:54.260 well, in drunkenness with wine there is excess. 07:54.740 --> 07:56.740 It says wherein is excess. 07:57.040 --> 07:59.900 That is what is grammatically going on in this passage. 07:59.900 --> 08:03.120 Another one is in much wisdom is much grief. 08:03.700 --> 08:07.340 And he that increases knowledge increases sorrow, right? 08:07.800 --> 08:11.380 So again, wisdom and learning and gaining knowledge 08:11.380 --> 08:13.260 can sometimes cause us sadness 08:13.260 --> 08:15.140 just about how messed up the world is, 08:15.260 --> 08:16.660 whereas ignorance is bliss. 08:17.140 --> 08:19.060 That's why a little kid can just be happy. 08:19.340 --> 08:21.280 They don't really know how messed up the world is. 08:21.360 --> 08:24.160 You get older and all of a sudden you start to realize 08:24.160 --> 08:25.860 that things are worse than you think. 08:26.200 --> 08:28.320 So I'm just explaining the grammar here, 08:28.320 --> 08:30.760 because some people will try to twist this and say, 08:30.900 --> 08:33.700 well, God's saying get drunk some of the time 08:34.420 --> 08:35.780 or get drunk a little bit. 08:35.820 --> 08:36.960 Just don't do it in excess. 08:37.140 --> 08:38.140 That's not what this is saying. 08:38.460 --> 08:41.400 It's saying that inherent in the activity 08:41.400 --> 08:43.900 of being drunken with wine is excess 08:43.900 --> 08:47.640 or that drunkenness with wine leads one toward excess. 08:47.940 --> 08:49.080 That is what this is saying. 08:50.480 --> 08:51.620 Now, what do we mean by that? 08:51.720 --> 08:52.660 Well, think about it. 08:52.940 --> 08:54.740 People who drink alcohol, 08:54.740 --> 08:58.720 well, they're gonna end up spending money foolishly 08:58.720 --> 09:00.260 or wastefully, okay? 09:00.440 --> 09:03.180 I mean, when we say that alcohol leads to excess, 09:03.460 --> 09:05.380 it's gonna lead to excess in all areas. 09:05.980 --> 09:07.540 Now stop and think about it, okay? 09:07.820 --> 09:10.380 What is it that alcohol is doing to people more 09:10.380 --> 09:12.560 than anything else is removing boundaries. 09:13.080 --> 09:14.460 It's removing limitations. 09:14.920 --> 09:17.180 And what is it called when you go over boundaries 09:17.180 --> 09:18.940 and go past limitations? 09:19.160 --> 09:22.520 It's called excess, too much, overdoing it. 09:23.060 --> 09:25.100 And so it could lead to overspending. 09:25.860 --> 09:27.660 I mean, look, drinking alcohol is one 09:27.660 --> 09:29.600 of the stupidest ways to spend your money 09:29.600 --> 09:31.740 and people who are under the influence of alcohol 09:31.740 --> 09:33.460 are probably a lot more loose with their money, 09:33.700 --> 09:38.740 which is why casinos love to ply you with free alcohol. 09:39.600 --> 09:43.020 Because every drop of free alcohol that they give you 09:43.020 --> 09:45.020 at the casino, they're gonna make that money back 09:45.020 --> 09:48.620 in your excessive gambling, your profligacy 09:48.620 --> 09:51.780 at the gambling table because you're under the influence. 09:51.780 --> 09:52.940 You're gonna spend more money. 09:52.980 --> 09:56.620 This is why stores that sell expensive merchandise 09:56.620 --> 09:59.480 will be handing you little champagne flutes 09:59.480 --> 10:01.980 and they drink this because you're gonna spend more money 10:02.860 --> 10:05.780 because within drunkenness with wine is excess. 10:06.380 --> 10:09.040 And even just the act of buying an alcoholic beverage 10:09.040 --> 10:12.240 is stupid because alcoholic beverages are expensive. 10:12.740 --> 10:14.200 I mean, I'm always just blown away. 10:14.300 --> 10:15.440 I've never been a drinker. 10:15.480 --> 10:16.660 I grew up in a Christian home 10:16.660 --> 10:17.700 and I've never been a drinker, 10:17.700 --> 10:19.220 but just seeing it on the menu, 10:19.220 --> 10:22.600 I'm always just blown away by the absurd cost 10:22.600 --> 10:23.800 of alcoholic beverages. 10:24.520 --> 10:26.500 And then you go on these Carnival Cruises, 10:26.640 --> 10:28.100 you go on a four, five night cruise 10:28.100 --> 10:33.820 and people are spending $450 for the drink package. 10:34.740 --> 10:36.440 So it's like less than a week 10:36.440 --> 10:40.640 and they're spending $450 just for booze, 10:41.220 --> 10:42.820 just to drink alcohol. 10:42.960 --> 10:44.520 I mean, that's really expensive. 10:45.300 --> 10:47.420 And it's just then you're just gonna waste your money 10:47.420 --> 10:47.800 on other things. 10:47.800 --> 10:50.240 They probably love it when these boomers 10:50.240 --> 10:51.420 buy the drink package 10:51.420 --> 10:52.980 because then they're probably gonna also end up 10:52.980 --> 10:56.560 in the gambling hall wasting money on that stupidity as well. 10:57.000 --> 10:59.400 And so we're in his excess. 10:59.660 --> 11:02.560 Number one, spending money foolishly or wastefully. 11:02.860 --> 11:05.200 Number two, how about just talking too much 11:05.810 --> 11:08.220 or boasting or saying things that you regret 11:08.220 --> 11:09.180 blowing off your mouth. 11:09.240 --> 11:10.300 Isn't this what people do 11:10.300 --> 11:12.100 when they're under the influence of alcohol? 11:13.080 --> 11:15.660 How about this excessive confidence? 11:16.090 --> 11:19.020 Being overconfident and arrogant 11:19.470 --> 11:20.980 and blowing off your mouth, 11:21.300 --> 11:23.240 picking fights with a much bigger guy, 11:23.620 --> 11:24.960 getting beat up or whatever. 11:25.100 --> 11:26.560 These are the things that people do 11:27.090 --> 11:28.540 when they are drinking alcohol, 11:29.700 --> 11:31.940 overconfidence from the impaired judgment. 11:32.440 --> 11:33.300 And then how about this? 11:33.560 --> 11:37.400 Just crossing lines of decency, just going too far. 11:37.740 --> 11:39.800 Excess, how about with women, right? 11:40.000 --> 11:42.040 The Bible said, beholding strange women, 11:42.380 --> 11:43.680 saying perverse things, 11:43.680 --> 11:45.400 crossing those kind of lines. 11:45.960 --> 11:47.580 But ultimately, here's the big one, 11:47.880 --> 11:51.560 losing the ability to stop so that one drink becomes main. 11:51.620 --> 11:52.800 Oh, I'm just gonna have one drink. 11:53.100 --> 11:55.360 But here's the thing inherent in that one drink 11:55.360 --> 11:57.220 is it's leading you into excess. 11:58.240 --> 12:01.220 So you drink one and then eh, might as well have two. 12:01.340 --> 12:02.220 Eh, what about three? 12:02.520 --> 12:04.260 Hey, if I'm already drinking a bunch of alcohol, 12:04.600 --> 12:06.080 why not mix in some pills? 12:06.680 --> 12:08.560 You know, why don't I just wash down a pill 12:08.560 --> 12:10.820 with some alcohol and just really party whatever. 12:10.820 --> 12:13.600 Folks, drinking alcohol is stupid. 12:14.100 --> 12:14.640 It's foolish. 12:15.180 --> 12:16.200 It's gonna waste your money. 12:16.440 --> 12:17.400 It's gonna waste your health. 12:17.540 --> 12:18.620 It's gonna waste your brain. 12:18.840 --> 12:20.280 It's gonna waste your relationships. 12:20.620 --> 12:22.000 It's gonna mess up your marriage. 12:22.180 --> 12:23.140 It's gonna mess up your family. 12:23.520 --> 12:24.840 It will mess you up. 12:24.900 --> 12:26.440 It's gonna mess up your driving record. 12:26.780 --> 12:28.240 It's gonna mess you up with your job. 12:28.720 --> 12:31.780 It is all negative, all bad. 12:31.960 --> 12:33.140 And God is telling you, 12:33.260 --> 12:35.720 look not on the wine when it is red. 12:36.020 --> 12:37.600 When it give it its color in the cup. 12:37.820 --> 12:38.880 When it move it itself right. 12:38.880 --> 12:40.880 At the last, it bite it like a serpent 12:40.880 --> 12:42.400 and sting it like an adder. 12:43.360 --> 12:44.920 Now, knowing the will of God 12:44.920 --> 12:48.340 is knowing that God told you to stay away from alcohol. 12:48.960 --> 12:51.260 And understanding the will of the Lord is understanding. 12:51.640 --> 12:53.800 Hey, alcohol is for dummies 12:53.800 --> 12:56.620 and God is looking out for me by telling me not to drink it. 12:57.980 --> 13:00.120 So we need to, number one, know God's will. 13:00.220 --> 13:01.560 Number two, understand God's will. 13:01.880 --> 13:03.040 Let's go back to Colossians. 13:03.280 --> 13:04.380 The whole basis of the sermon 13:04.380 --> 13:06.080 is this passage in Colossians one. 13:06.620 --> 13:07.700 We saw verse nine. 13:07.700 --> 13:09.460 He said, hey, I'm praying for you guys. 13:09.580 --> 13:10.460 I've heard about you guys. 13:10.600 --> 13:11.420 I've heard about your faith. 13:11.620 --> 13:14.420 I'm praying that you will be filled with knowledge, 13:14.560 --> 13:16.480 that you'll have spiritual understanding. 13:16.880 --> 13:17.760 Look at verse number 10. 13:18.200 --> 13:21.380 He says that you might walk worthy of the Lord 13:21.380 --> 13:23.240 unto all pleasing. 13:23.540 --> 13:25.380 And so, thirdly, I wanna say this. 13:25.780 --> 13:28.560 God wants us to walk worthy 13:29.300 --> 13:31.540 of that calling we're with, we're called. 13:32.600 --> 13:33.900 We need to walk worthy. 13:34.000 --> 13:35.300 Now, what does that mean to walk worthy? 13:36.400 --> 13:37.440 Well, you don't have to turn there, 13:37.440 --> 13:39.420 but in Revelation chapter one, verse five, 13:39.940 --> 13:42.880 it says, from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness 13:43.420 --> 13:44.840 and the first begotten of the dead 13:44.840 --> 13:46.460 and the prince of the kings of the earth, 13:46.780 --> 13:49.960 unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins 13:49.960 --> 13:53.560 in his own blood and have made us kings and priests 13:53.560 --> 13:55.080 unto God and his father, 13:55.660 --> 13:59.020 to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 13:59.220 --> 14:02.700 Now, look, if God has made us into kings and priests, 14:03.280 --> 14:05.520 you know, we need to walk worthy of that calling 14:05.520 --> 14:08.240 because that is a pretty important job, 14:08.440 --> 14:10.060 to be a king or to be a priest 14:10.480 --> 14:12.820 or to be somebody that's that important. 14:12.920 --> 14:15.820 To be an ambassador for Christ is pretty important, right? 14:16.180 --> 14:20.420 And you would expect kings and priests and ambassadors 14:20.420 --> 14:22.100 to carry themselves a certain way 14:22.620 --> 14:24.960 and to be worthy of that calling. 14:25.760 --> 14:26.340 I mean, think about it. 14:26.360 --> 14:28.780 If you got a job that was a really mundane job, 14:29.080 --> 14:31.680 you might not really feel like it's super important 14:31.680 --> 14:33.720 the way that you dress when you go to that job, you know? 14:33.720 --> 14:36.320 You might just kind of throw on some clothes and go do it 14:36.320 --> 14:38.300 because it's just a super unimportant 14:38.300 --> 14:40.000 kind of behind the scenes job. 14:40.160 --> 14:42.680 Maybe you're not dealing with the customer or whatever. 14:42.920 --> 14:44.400 Nobody cares, it's a dirty job. 14:44.520 --> 14:45.260 You're not gonna see anybody. 14:45.640 --> 14:47.740 Right, but let's say you're out front or whatever 14:47.740 --> 14:50.220 and you're greeting people when they walk in the hotel 14:50.660 --> 14:52.800 or you're over here, you know, doing sales 14:52.800 --> 14:53.880 and talking to the customer 14:53.880 --> 14:55.840 or you're the president of the company 14:56.320 --> 14:58.500 or you're on the board and you're going to all these meetings 14:58.500 --> 14:59.600 or what if you're a lawyer? 14:59.960 --> 15:01.660 You know, I would assume that lawyers 15:01.660 --> 15:04.020 are probably expected to dress really nice 15:04.020 --> 15:06.240 because if you're paying somebody hundreds of dollars 15:06.240 --> 15:07.300 an hour to talk to you, 15:07.720 --> 15:09.920 you probably don't expect them to show up 15:09.920 --> 15:12.500 in, you know, socks and their slides or whatever 15:12.500 --> 15:13.740 just kind of hanging out. 15:14.060 --> 15:17.400 You know, you probably expect them to be dressed pretty nice 15:17.400 --> 15:19.780 because that's a pretty important job 15:19.780 --> 15:21.380 and you're being paid the big bucks, 15:21.660 --> 15:23.080 you gotta take it seriously, right? 15:23.380 --> 15:24.660 And so the Bible is saying here 15:24.660 --> 15:27.680 that we need to walk worthy of the Lord. 15:28.160 --> 15:30.660 You know, if we're kings, if we're children of God, 15:30.660 --> 15:32.240 if we're these important people 15:32.240 --> 15:34.640 then we need to carry ourselves 15:34.640 --> 15:37.640 in a respectful, respectable manner. 15:37.840 --> 15:38.840 And that's what the Bible is saying 15:38.840 --> 15:41.140 about walking worthy of the Lord. 15:41.400 --> 15:43.520 And really, this comes down to a mentality 15:44.020 --> 15:48.180 of just understanding who we are, our position in Christ 15:48.180 --> 15:50.360 and it's not about pride in ourselves 15:50.360 --> 15:52.000 or arrogance because of who we are. 15:52.220 --> 15:53.300 It's more like realizing, 15:53.860 --> 15:56.240 hey, I have an important job in this world. 15:56.580 --> 15:58.380 I'm playing an important role here. 15:58.700 --> 15:59.700 I need to take it seriously. 15:59.700 --> 16:03.400 I need to live up to the trust that has been put in me. 16:03.820 --> 16:06.700 You know, I mean, what if you went to go for a job? 16:06.840 --> 16:08.180 I remember I applied for a job 16:08.680 --> 16:12.280 and I was struggling to find the job that I wanted 16:12.280 --> 16:15.900 when I moved to Indiana for Bible college. 16:16.680 --> 16:17.660 And I remember just, 16:17.880 --> 16:19.960 everybody's just offering these really low wages. 16:20.340 --> 16:21.820 And so I was coming from California 16:21.820 --> 16:24.340 so I was used to more of a California wage 16:24.340 --> 16:26.400 and they're coming at me with these Indiana wages 16:26.400 --> 16:28.020 and I was just like, what the heck? 16:28.020 --> 16:30.420 I couldn't believe these wages. 16:30.900 --> 16:33.140 So then I go to this job interview 16:33.700 --> 16:35.560 and all of a sudden he's just offering me 16:35.560 --> 16:37.780 like more than time and half 16:37.780 --> 16:39.200 what anybody else is offering me. 16:40.120 --> 16:41.860 My first thought was like, 16:42.200 --> 16:45.200 I'm gonna walk worthy of this vocation here 16:45.200 --> 16:47.460 because this guy's paying me way more money 16:47.460 --> 16:48.320 than anybody else. 16:48.760 --> 16:52.120 Man, I have got to really be careful 16:52.120 --> 16:53.400 not to let this guy down. 16:53.520 --> 16:54.520 I'm gonna make this guy happy. 16:54.580 --> 16:55.200 I'm gonna do a good job. 16:55.200 --> 16:56.620 Well, you know what, if we're purchased 16:56.620 --> 16:57.640 with the blood of Christ, 16:58.260 --> 17:00.420 if God has given us all of these honors 17:00.880 --> 17:02.840 and all these things that we don't even deserve 17:02.840 --> 17:04.320 then we should have that, man, 17:04.380 --> 17:05.620 I'm not gonna let you down, God. 17:05.820 --> 17:08.120 I'm gonna walk worthy of the Lord 17:08.120 --> 17:10.640 because of all this privilege that I've been given. 17:11.340 --> 17:13.000 It's the same type of mentality. 17:14.440 --> 17:16.240 You know, in Revelation chapter three, 17:16.360 --> 17:18.360 just a couple chapters later, he says this, 17:18.480 --> 17:20.860 thou hast a few names even in Sardis 17:20.860 --> 17:22.720 which have not defiled their garments 17:22.720 --> 17:24.880 and they shall walk with me in white 17:24.880 --> 17:26.040 for they are worthy. 17:26.740 --> 17:28.720 He's saying, look, these people are walking worthy 17:29.380 --> 17:31.120 of that vocation we're with, they're called 17:31.120 --> 17:32.440 and what does that look like? 17:32.600 --> 17:34.360 Not defiling their garments. 17:34.640 --> 17:37.140 And of course, this is an analogy, 17:37.400 --> 17:38.320 obviously it's not talking about 17:38.320 --> 17:40.020 literally getting your clothes dirty, 17:40.340 --> 17:42.740 but it's the idea of just having the garment 17:42.740 --> 17:44.460 spotted with the flesh, 17:44.720 --> 17:47.180 just indulging in sinful activity. 17:47.620 --> 17:51.480 The ones who are not living sinful, corrupted, 17:51.740 --> 17:52.960 messed up lives, you know, 17:52.980 --> 17:54.300 that's what it looks like to walk worthy. 17:54.300 --> 17:56.240 And obviously look, none of us is perfect. 17:56.620 --> 17:58.740 We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. 17:59.120 --> 18:01.020 There's not a just man upon the earth 18:01.020 --> 18:02.300 that doeth good and sinned not, 18:02.820 --> 18:05.080 but at the same time, you know, there's a difference 18:05.080 --> 18:07.840 between living a Christian life 18:07.840 --> 18:09.720 and doing the best you can 18:09.720 --> 18:11.300 or at least putting forth the effort 18:11.300 --> 18:13.860 versus the person who's just indulging in sin 18:14.600 --> 18:17.720 and just totally soiled their garments, 18:18.020 --> 18:20.180 soiled their testimony, et cetera. 18:20.620 --> 18:23.180 So we wanna walk worthy of the vocation 18:23.180 --> 18:23.620 and we're worth the call. 18:23.700 --> 18:25.920 Take it seriously, hey, I'm a Christian, 18:26.320 --> 18:28.680 I'm important, I'm an important role to fulfill. 18:29.080 --> 18:32.880 And so I want to live a respectable worthy life 18:32.880 --> 18:36.020 that shows my gratitude toward God 18:36.020 --> 18:39.040 and shows my understanding of how important it is 18:39.040 --> 18:42.020 to be a Christian, to be an ambassador for Christ. 18:42.360 --> 18:44.060 And that's why he says in Ephesians 4, 18:44.160 --> 18:45.720 one, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord 18:45.720 --> 18:47.660 beseech you that you walk worthy 18:47.660 --> 18:50.080 of the vocation wherewith you're called. 18:50.180 --> 18:52.220 And again, vocation just means calling. 18:52.840 --> 18:56.700 And we often refer this to a job as being your vocation 18:56.700 --> 18:58.940 because that is your calling in life. 18:59.220 --> 19:02.020 Here we're talking about the calling of serving God 19:02.020 --> 19:03.440 and living as a Christian. 19:04.600 --> 19:06.500 So number four, if you would, 19:06.560 --> 19:08.100 look back at Colossians where we just were 19:08.100 --> 19:09.460 because the whole sermon is just 19:09.460 --> 19:10.800 from this one passage in Colossians. 19:11.080 --> 19:13.300 We said no, God's will, understand God's will, 19:13.620 --> 19:14.760 walk worthy of the Lord. 19:14.980 --> 19:16.620 But then he says this in verse 10, 19:17.060 --> 19:18.860 he says walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, 19:18.860 --> 19:22.960 being fruitful in every good work 19:23.420 --> 19:25.300 and increasing in the knowledge of God. 19:25.640 --> 19:30.120 So next God wants us to be fruitful and to do works 19:30.120 --> 19:32.260 because he says to be fruitful 19:33.060 --> 19:35.440 and he says in every good work. 19:36.240 --> 19:38.380 Now, if you would flip over to Romans 7, 19:38.840 --> 19:40.160 again, we'll be back in Colossians 19:40.160 --> 19:41.620 but go to Romans chapter seven. 19:43.440 --> 19:46.820 What does it mean for the Christian to bring forth fruit? 19:47.340 --> 19:50.900 Well, the main application of this throughout scripture 19:51.120 --> 19:54.020 when it comes to fruit bearing is reproduction. 19:54.880 --> 19:57.040 All the way back to Genesis chapter one, 19:57.640 --> 20:01.000 everything brings forth after its own kind. 20:01.200 --> 20:03.360 Everything has the seed within itself 20:03.620 --> 20:07.240 to bear fruit after its own kind. 20:08.120 --> 20:12.120 And so oranges beget oranges, apples beget apples. 20:12.280 --> 20:13.840 The tree is known by his fruit. 20:13.840 --> 20:16.240 We don't necessarily have the expert, 20:16.960 --> 20:18.840 arborist knowledge to walk up to a tree 20:18.840 --> 20:20.400 and just look at the leaves or the bark 20:20.400 --> 20:22.380 and say, this is a cherry tree, 20:22.520 --> 20:24.320 this is an apple tree, this is an orange tree, 20:24.580 --> 20:25.980 lemon tree, I mean, maybe you do. 20:26.840 --> 20:28.760 But most people would just walk up 20:28.760 --> 20:31.380 and if it's just leaves, they don't really know what it is. 20:32.200 --> 20:34.620 Whereas if there are apples growing all over it, 20:34.840 --> 20:37.500 mystery solved, you don't have to wonder about it. 20:37.620 --> 20:38.860 And that's what the Bible's saying. 20:38.960 --> 20:40.140 And look, not all people 20:40.140 --> 20:42.620 are even producing any fruit whatsoever. 20:43.200 --> 20:45.280 So sometimes we walk up to that person 20:45.280 --> 20:46.900 and they're just the tree that's just leaves 20:46.900 --> 20:49.140 and we don't really know and we can't really tell. 20:49.340 --> 20:52.660 But when you see a tree that's just filled 20:52.660 --> 20:55.200 with hundreds of apples, it's an apple tree. 20:55.620 --> 20:59.900 You see a tree that's covered in thorns 20:59.900 --> 21:02.700 and all kinds of bad things, 21:03.040 --> 21:05.220 then you say, okay, this is a bad tree. 21:05.540 --> 21:08.940 If I see a plant that is just all bad fruit, 21:09.040 --> 21:11.740 it's all poisonous, and when you're out hiking, 21:11.740 --> 21:13.160 there's those little red berries 21:13.160 --> 21:14.300 and you're not supposed to eat them 21:14.300 --> 21:16.200 because they make you sick, right? 21:16.380 --> 21:18.900 You just see a plant covered in those red berries. 21:19.060 --> 21:20.820 You say, okay, this is an evil plant. 21:21.060 --> 21:22.440 It's producing evil fruit. 21:22.860 --> 21:24.500 I should not eat this. 21:24.860 --> 21:27.540 Whereas over here, you got the corrugated berries 21:28.040 --> 21:29.860 and you're like, okay, this is a good plant 21:29.860 --> 21:30.960 producing good fruit. 21:31.040 --> 21:33.180 And that's what the Bible is teaching here. 21:33.620 --> 21:34.600 Okay, throughout scripture. 21:34.780 --> 21:36.960 So look what the Bible says in Romans 7 verse 4. 21:37.040 --> 21:38.240 It says, wherefore my brethren, 21:39.080 --> 21:41.480 obviously this is all metaphorical, symbolic. 21:42.180 --> 21:45.360 He says, ye also are become dead to the law 21:45.360 --> 21:46.460 by the body of Christ, 21:47.040 --> 21:49.400 that you should be married to another, 21:50.060 --> 21:52.380 even to him who is raised from the dead, 21:52.760 --> 21:54.960 that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 21:55.160 --> 21:57.780 So the idea is, you're married to Christ 21:57.780 --> 22:00.320 so that you can bring forth fruit unto God. 22:00.440 --> 22:02.480 Well, what's the fruit of marriage, right? 22:02.780 --> 22:05.100 You get married and then you bring forth fruit. 22:05.100 --> 22:07.980 This is talking about getting married and having children. 22:08.820 --> 22:11.560 Okay, and obviously this is just a symbol or an analogy 22:12.000 --> 22:13.920 where God will use the female 22:14.500 --> 22:15.940 as a representative for the church, 22:16.040 --> 22:18.460 like the church being the bride of Christ. 22:18.640 --> 22:21.480 And so he's saying, you guys are married to Christ 22:21.480 --> 22:24.200 so that you can bring forth fruit unto God. 22:24.300 --> 22:27.020 Well, if a woman gets married so she can bring forth fruit, 22:27.600 --> 22:30.220 married in order that she might bring forth fruit, 22:30.480 --> 22:32.540 it's pretty obvious what the fruit we're talking about is. 22:32.740 --> 22:34.840 We're talking about having children. 22:34.840 --> 22:35.640 Well, guess what? 22:35.820 --> 22:39.520 We as Christians, we bring forth spiritual children. 22:40.100 --> 22:41.440 That's why the apostle Paul said, 22:41.720 --> 22:43.500 I beseech thee for my son, Onesimus, 22:43.680 --> 22:46.580 whom I have begotten in my bonds. 22:46.920 --> 22:49.460 That's why he calls men like Timothy and Titus, 22:49.680 --> 22:51.620 my own son in the faith, 22:51.860 --> 22:55.100 because he's spiritually reproducing himself. 22:55.920 --> 22:59.240 Oranges beget oranges, Christians beget Christians. 22:59.500 --> 23:02.360 This is talking about winning someone to Christ. 23:02.960 --> 23:04.780 That's why the apostle Paul told the Corinthians. 23:04.960 --> 23:07.600 He said, well, you might have 10,000 instructors in Christ, 23:07.980 --> 23:09.380 but you have not many fathers 23:09.800 --> 23:11.880 because I've begotten you in the gospel. 23:12.500 --> 23:15.060 And so you see that bringing forth fruit 23:15.440 --> 23:19.260 is often a reference toward that reproduction spiritually 23:19.260 --> 23:21.480 of Christians producing other Christians. 23:21.880 --> 23:23.740 Look, if you would at Colossians chapter one, 23:23.920 --> 23:26.280 even in the same chapter, you can see this idea 23:26.280 --> 23:28.380 alluded to starting in verse number five. 23:28.380 --> 23:31.700 It says, for the hope, which is laid up for you in heaven, 23:32.520 --> 23:34.240 where have you heard before in the word 23:34.240 --> 23:37.400 of the truth of the gospel, which has come unto you 23:37.400 --> 23:40.660 as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit. 23:40.800 --> 23:41.920 So what is bringing forth fruit? 23:42.240 --> 23:45.800 Well, he said that the word of the truth of the gospel 23:46.340 --> 23:49.780 is bringing forth fruit, as it doth also in you, 23:50.100 --> 23:51.500 since the day you heard of it 23:51.500 --> 23:53.560 and knew the grace of God and truth. 23:53.720 --> 23:57.720 And so you see that the word of God brings forth fruit 23:57.720 --> 24:00.080 because the word of God is the seed 24:00.710 --> 24:02.560 that actually produces that new life. 24:02.700 --> 24:04.480 Just as you have a married couple 24:04.870 --> 24:06.820 and you have the seed from the man 24:06.820 --> 24:09.260 and the egg from the woman, the idea here is 24:09.260 --> 24:14.440 that the seed is the word of God, the sower soweth the word. 24:15.020 --> 24:17.540 And faith coming by hearing and hearing by the word of God. 24:17.940 --> 24:20.860 The word of God produces fruit 24:21.330 --> 24:24.480 because it generates new life in Christ 24:24.480 --> 24:27.620 through that person who hears the gospel and gets saved. 24:27.900 --> 24:31.680 That's why he says the word of the truth of the gospel, 24:32.020 --> 24:35.420 which has come unto you as it is also in all the world 24:35.420 --> 24:38.860 and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, 24:38.980 --> 24:40.760 since the day you heard of it 24:40.760 --> 24:43.000 and knew the grace of God and truth. 24:43.380 --> 24:45.780 So in order for us to be successful Christians, 24:45.920 --> 24:46.820 we gotta know God's will. 24:46.980 --> 24:48.320 We gotta understand God's will, right? 24:48.420 --> 24:50.200 But we also need to bring forth some fruit. 24:51.100 --> 24:53.240 In every good work, we need to do some work. 24:53.620 --> 24:56.720 And one of the best works that we can do as Christians 24:56.720 --> 24:58.660 is what the Bible calls the first works, 24:58.720 --> 25:01.420 which is going out and preaching the gospel to every creature. 25:01.820 --> 25:03.580 I mean, what's the first thing that Jesus said 25:03.580 --> 25:05.800 to the disciples when he picks them to be disciples? 25:06.220 --> 25:07.900 Follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. 25:08.340 --> 25:09.240 It's the first thing. 25:09.640 --> 25:10.980 What's the last thing he says 25:10.980 --> 25:12.800 when he's ascending up to heaven? 25:13.320 --> 25:14.760 Go ye therefore and teach all nations, 25:15.380 --> 25:16.540 baptizing them in the name of the Father, 25:16.540 --> 25:17.220 the Son and the Holy Ghost 25:17.220 --> 25:18.640 and teaching them to observe all things, 25:18.700 --> 25:19.800 whatsoever I've commanded you. 25:20.100 --> 25:20.940 And lo, I'm with you always, 25:21.000 --> 25:22.160 even unto the end of the world, amen. 25:22.760 --> 25:23.860 And then he ascends up into heaven. 25:24.840 --> 25:26.680 He's telling them, get people saved, 25:27.040 --> 25:30.080 get them baptized and then teach them to observe all things, 25:30.240 --> 25:31.380 whatsoever I've commanded you. 25:31.640 --> 25:33.000 But what's the first step of that process 25:33.000 --> 25:33.980 is just getting people saved. 25:34.620 --> 25:35.760 That's the first thing. 25:36.340 --> 25:38.700 You know, we don't, trying to get somebody baptized 25:39.200 --> 25:40.600 or observing Christ's commands 25:40.600 --> 25:42.220 without getting them saved first 25:42.220 --> 25:43.600 doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? 25:43.840 --> 25:45.160 So we gotta get it in the right order. 25:45.240 --> 25:46.880 We preach the gospel to every creature. 25:47.260 --> 25:49.260 Then we try to get those converts baptized 25:49.260 --> 25:50.960 and then we teach them everything. 25:51.550 --> 25:52.900 And that's why we're going to church 25:52.900 --> 25:54.780 on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night 25:54.780 --> 25:57.140 not to just hear the gospel over and over again 25:57.140 --> 26:00.080 but to learn everything that Christ has commanded us 26:00.080 --> 26:03.340 to get the whole package of what God has for our lives. 26:03.660 --> 26:05.740 And then if we're back in Colossians there 26:06.370 --> 26:08.380 at the end of that verse, we see the fifth thing 26:08.980 --> 26:11.200 which is, you know, the fourth thing was 26:11.200 --> 26:13.200 to bring forth fruit and do the works, 26:13.260 --> 26:15.200 to get to work for God, serving God, 26:15.640 --> 26:17.680 preaching the gospel, doing other works for God. 26:18.220 --> 26:19.360 But then also he says, 26:19.700 --> 26:21.380 and increasing in the knowledge of God 26:21.860 --> 26:25.260 is an interesting the emphasis placed upon knowledge. 26:25.760 --> 26:27.920 You know, he already said, hey, you gotta know God's will. 26:28.100 --> 26:28.860 We want you to understand. 26:29.600 --> 26:31.540 But now he's saying, now increase the knowledge. 26:31.880 --> 26:34.120 Step one was to know God's will, 26:34.260 --> 26:36.200 but now in step five he's already telling us 26:36.200 --> 26:37.780 you need to increase that knowledge. 26:38.580 --> 26:40.320 And look, the more you study the Bible 26:40.320 --> 26:42.260 you're gonna see this pop up over and over again. 26:42.700 --> 26:44.440 How he says, you gotta get knowledge, 26:44.600 --> 26:46.020 you gotta get knowledge, you gotta read, 26:46.020 --> 26:47.500 you gotta learn, you gotta grow. 26:47.880 --> 26:48.900 Read the book of Proverbs. 26:49.100 --> 26:50.080 I mean, it's just all telling you, 26:50.260 --> 26:52.520 get wisdom, get knowledge, get understanding, 26:53.340 --> 26:57.460 learn, increase learning, seek out good instruction. 26:58.540 --> 27:00.560 God wants us to learn. 27:00.680 --> 27:02.020 We don't wanna go through life ignorant. 27:02.640 --> 27:04.440 And I'm gonna tell you, as the Bible says, 27:04.620 --> 27:06.180 my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. 27:06.820 --> 27:09.180 One of the biggest problems in Christianity 27:09.880 --> 27:12.260 is a lack of knowledge of what the Bible says. 27:13.420 --> 27:15.720 Why would people who are saved Christians 27:15.720 --> 27:18.460 go to churches that teach all of these 27:18.460 --> 27:20.400 just absurdly wrong things? 27:20.820 --> 27:22.560 It's cause they don't know what the Bible even says. 27:23.280 --> 27:26.520 So they can be easily duped, they can be deceived, 27:27.040 --> 27:29.340 they're like children tossed to and fro 27:29.340 --> 27:30.400 with every wind of doctrine 27:30.400 --> 27:32.540 because they're not rooted and grounded 27:32.540 --> 27:34.340 in the knowledge of what the Bible says. 27:34.620 --> 27:36.380 Hey, one of the best things that you could do 27:36.380 --> 27:39.060 for yourself as a Christian is to get in the habit 27:39.060 --> 27:40.880 of reading the Bible every single day. 27:41.620 --> 27:43.700 And I'm not talking about reading two verses. 27:44.060 --> 27:47.520 You need to build a substantial Bible reading habit 27:48.000 --> 27:50.020 where you're actually putting in some time 27:50.020 --> 27:53.040 and doing some real reading, okay? 27:53.320 --> 27:54.520 And people will sit down 27:54.520 --> 27:56.700 and they'll watch a TV show for hours, 27:57.080 --> 27:58.960 they'll watch a sports game for hours, 27:59.380 --> 28:01.720 they'll read a magazine or a comic book 28:01.720 --> 28:04.380 or a website or a blog for hours. 28:04.800 --> 28:08.180 Get in the habit of doing some serious Bible reading. 28:08.180 --> 28:10.820 And I think a good minimal standard 28:10.820 --> 28:13.480 is to read your Bible cover to cover once a year. 28:13.600 --> 28:16.760 That's a good just minimal baseline standard. 28:17.020 --> 28:18.020 And it's not crazy 28:18.020 --> 28:20.020 cause it's like 15 or 20 minutes a day. 28:20.180 --> 28:22.480 And that's not from some super speed reader. 28:23.060 --> 28:25.120 I consider myself, if anything, 28:25.300 --> 28:26.760 a little bit of a slower reader 28:27.340 --> 28:29.000 and I can easily get it done 28:29.000 --> 28:31.840 in about 20 minutes a day, the one year plan. 28:32.400 --> 28:34.320 So putting in 20 minutes a day, 28:34.900 --> 28:36.620 that's actually a substantial, 28:36.620 --> 28:38.820 you're actually getting some meat on the bone. 28:39.140 --> 28:42.280 You're actually putting in a decent amount of reading 28:42.280 --> 28:44.440 when you read for 20 minutes, okay? 28:44.780 --> 28:45.960 And then that's gonna add up. 28:46.440 --> 28:47.920 You multiply that over a year. 28:48.040 --> 28:51.920 You've read the entire Bible, 31,000 some odd verses, 28:53.400 --> 28:57.000 1189 chapters just by putting in 20 minutes a day. 28:57.340 --> 28:59.440 A year from now, you could have read the Bible cover 28:59.440 --> 29:04.280 to cover which puts you ahead of like 99% of Christians 29:04.280 --> 29:06.980 unfortunately just getting it through it that first time. 29:07.180 --> 29:08.360 Just finishing it the first time. 29:08.460 --> 29:09.820 Sadly, that's true. 29:10.800 --> 29:12.700 And so, you know, reading the Bible every year, 29:12.780 --> 29:13.940 but you know what, there's nothing wrong 29:13.940 --> 29:15.260 with every once in a while, 29:15.540 --> 29:17.060 just binge reading the Bible. 29:17.700 --> 29:19.120 You know, let's say you got that habit 29:19.120 --> 29:21.200 and you're just reading it 15, 20 minutes a day. 29:21.460 --> 29:22.520 But you know what, there's nothing wrong 29:22.520 --> 29:24.100 with just picking a book that you like, 29:24.380 --> 29:26.200 picking a portion of scripture that you like 29:26.200 --> 29:27.680 and just sitting down 29:27.680 --> 29:30.040 and just doing a Bible reading marathon, you know? 29:30.100 --> 29:32.480 And why not sit down and read it for an hour, 29:32.480 --> 29:33.940 two hours, three hours. 29:34.100 --> 29:35.880 Obviously you're not gonna do that every single day, 29:36.500 --> 29:38.000 but you know what, every once in a while, 29:38.340 --> 29:40.460 if you're feeling like you have a lot of willpower 29:40.460 --> 29:42.760 or you're feeling super interested in a certain subject 29:42.760 --> 29:44.660 and you just really wanna read it or whatever, 29:44.900 --> 29:47.940 hey, why don't you do some serious damage 29:47.940 --> 29:49.280 to that Bible reading plan 29:49.280 --> 29:51.880 and make some serious marks to that thing 29:51.880 --> 29:53.760 and actually do some real, why? 29:53.900 --> 29:55.720 Because God wants you to increase in knowledge. 29:56.280 --> 29:57.860 And I think one of the biggest failures 29:57.860 --> 29:59.440 of the previous generation 29:59.440 --> 30:01.520 and the generation that I grew up in 30:01.520 --> 30:03.660 was that we were constantly being told 30:03.660 --> 30:05.500 that knowledge doesn't matter 30:05.500 --> 30:07.060 and that we're reading the Bible 30:07.060 --> 30:09.080 as some kind of like a spiritual thing 30:09.440 --> 30:11.640 to motivate us and get out, you know? 30:11.900 --> 30:13.680 And I believe that, I'm not saying 30:13.680 --> 30:15.720 that we don't read the Bible for motivation. 30:16.260 --> 30:17.900 I'm not saying that we don't read the Bible 30:17.900 --> 30:23.040 for devotional kind of comfort and strength 30:23.040 --> 30:24.800 and amen to all that. 30:25.520 --> 30:27.480 I get it, reading the Bible is a spiritual activity 30:27.480 --> 30:31.020 but they're constantly downplaying the learning aspect 30:31.020 --> 30:32.920 or downplaying the knowledge aspect 30:32.920 --> 30:34.920 and I think the problem with that is 30:34.920 --> 30:37.780 you get this attitude, you could just kind of read one verse 30:37.780 --> 30:40.600 and I feel something after like one verse. 30:41.500 --> 30:44.060 So I grew up reading like one or two verses at a time 30:44.640 --> 30:46.940 because they'd say, hey, read till you get something. 30:48.060 --> 30:48.740 That's easy. 30:49.120 --> 30:50.960 I just turn to proverbs and it's like, 30:51.540 --> 30:53.080 that takes about 20 seconds. 30:53.580 --> 30:55.240 Forget 20 minutes, 20 seconds. 30:55.560 --> 30:56.960 I go to the pastoral epistles, 30:57.360 --> 30:58.880 boom, I got something in 20 seconds. 30:58.880 --> 31:00.780 Oh, just meditate on that, chew on that. 31:01.760 --> 31:02.260 You know what? 31:02.500 --> 31:04.520 What we need is we need the knowledge too though. 31:05.060 --> 31:07.880 I'm for the devotional, I'm for the comfort, 31:08.300 --> 31:10.580 I'm for the motivation, I'm for the strength, 31:10.980 --> 31:12.220 I'm for that but you know what? 31:12.280 --> 31:14.060 I'm also for actually reading enough 31:14.060 --> 31:15.800 to actually know what the whole book says. 31:17.000 --> 31:19.100 You know, treating it also as a repository 31:19.100 --> 31:21.060 of knowledge and learning. 31:21.700 --> 31:23.640 And by the way, I didn't say read about the Bible. 31:24.220 --> 31:25.980 I didn't say read theology books. 31:26.480 --> 31:27.920 I didn't say read devotional books. 31:27.920 --> 31:28.840 I said, read the Bible. 31:29.520 --> 31:30.460 Read it yourself. 31:31.420 --> 31:33.840 Go straight to the source, to the fountain right here 31:34.250 --> 31:35.420 and read the Bible. 31:36.580 --> 31:39.200 And think of it as yes, a devotional 31:39.200 --> 31:41.960 but also think of it as, hey, let's get some knowledge here. 31:42.460 --> 31:43.240 Let's learn stuff. 31:43.780 --> 31:45.080 Let's know what the Bible says. 31:45.620 --> 31:48.100 And you know what, if you've read the Bible a lot 31:48.100 --> 31:50.220 and you wanna get into studying the Bible, 31:50.400 --> 31:52.300 you know what I think is a great exercise 31:52.300 --> 31:56.040 for studying the Bible is to actually think about 31:56.560 --> 31:57.900 what every single chapter 31:57.900 --> 31:59.320 in the entire New Testament is about 31:59.320 --> 32:01.620 because then you'll be able to find stuff when you need it. 32:02.460 --> 32:05.480 So for example, you know, like let's say 32:05.480 --> 32:06.840 we just have the book of First Corinthians. 32:07.640 --> 32:10.200 You know, it's a good thing to be able to know 32:10.200 --> 32:11.820 what is First Corinthians chapter one about? 32:12.100 --> 32:13.320 What is chapter two about? 32:13.700 --> 32:14.640 What is chapter three about? 32:14.920 --> 32:15.780 What is chapter four about? 32:16.000 --> 32:16.780 What is chapter five about? 32:16.980 --> 32:19.760 At least for the New Testament, 260 chapters 32:19.760 --> 32:23.320 to where I can name for you any of the 260 chapters 32:23.320 --> 32:23.860 of the New Testament. 32:23.860 --> 32:26.080 And you can just tell me either a famous verse 32:26.080 --> 32:28.540 from that chapter or what it's vaguely about 32:28.540 --> 32:30.240 or the context of it. 32:30.500 --> 32:32.620 You know, obviously that's maybe a higher level 32:32.620 --> 32:34.180 than when you're just starting out reading the Bible. 32:34.440 --> 32:36.680 But you know what, that's a great goal to have. 32:37.080 --> 32:38.860 And we used to do that in the preaching class. 32:39.260 --> 32:43.920 We would actually require them to, you know, 32:43.940 --> 32:46.040 every week they had to be able to tell us 32:46.040 --> 32:48.200 every chapter of a certain book, 32:48.320 --> 32:50.220 what it's about or quote a verse from it or something 32:50.220 --> 32:51.580 or they weren't allowed to preach that week. 32:52.090 --> 32:54.260 You know, just because I just felt like, 32:54.260 --> 32:55.460 man, these guys don't know the Bible. 32:56.040 --> 32:57.560 So I was kind of like forcing them 32:57.560 --> 32:58.500 to do a little bit of study. 32:58.840 --> 33:00.620 So I was like, okay, this, you know, next week 33:00.620 --> 33:03.020 if you want to preach, you have to be able to tell me 33:03.020 --> 33:04.800 what every chapter of First Corinthians is about. 33:04.920 --> 33:06.940 16 chapters, read the book 33:06.940 --> 33:08.520 and figure out what each chapter is about. 33:09.180 --> 33:10.260 Even if it's just one thing, 33:10.500 --> 33:12.680 even if it's just one verse, one idea, 33:12.960 --> 33:16.300 tell me something accurate about that chapter or whatever. 33:18.160 --> 33:19.520 You know, that's just an idea. 33:20.060 --> 33:22.120 But step one is just read the thing. 33:22.980 --> 33:25.020 Every day, substantial amount. 33:25.420 --> 33:27.320 Hey, I think that we should increase in knowledge. 33:27.600 --> 33:28.120 And you know what? 33:28.360 --> 33:29.880 I'm not up here trying to keep you dumb. 33:30.240 --> 33:30.960 I want you smart. 33:31.680 --> 33:32.080 Why? 33:32.420 --> 33:33.540 Because the smarter you are, 33:33.860 --> 33:34.980 when it comes to the word of God, 33:35.280 --> 33:36.220 the more you know the Bible, 33:36.420 --> 33:37.280 the more you're gonna realize 33:37.280 --> 33:38.480 that the stuff I'm preaching is right. 33:38.760 --> 33:40.440 Because the truth fears no investigation. 33:41.160 --> 33:42.960 Catholic church wants to keep you dumb 33:42.960 --> 33:44.680 because if you get some smarts, 33:44.680 --> 33:46.220 you're gonna realize how they're lying to you 33:46.220 --> 33:46.980 every single day. 33:47.480 --> 33:48.680 I'm not lying to you. 33:48.680 --> 33:50.060 I'm telling you the truth. 33:50.280 --> 33:52.020 My preaching lines up with God's word. 33:52.140 --> 33:54.480 Therefore, I want you to read the Bible as much as possible 33:54.480 --> 33:55.740 because it's only gonna confirm 33:55.740 --> 33:56.880 the things that I'm telling you. 33:57.020 --> 33:58.200 It's not gonna be like, 33:58.360 --> 34:00.480 oh, well, I don't want them to find these verses 34:00.480 --> 34:02.600 that contradict what they're being taught here. 34:02.700 --> 34:03.780 No, no, read the whole thing. 34:04.600 --> 34:07.140 Because we embrace every line of scripture here. 34:07.920 --> 34:08.700 We love it. 34:08.780 --> 34:09.400 We embrace it. 34:09.440 --> 34:10.040 We believe it. 34:10.120 --> 34:10.700 We preach it. 34:10.920 --> 34:11.440 That's what we do. 34:12.560 --> 34:13.980 So we wanna increase in knowledge, 34:14.080 --> 34:15.680 but not only do we wanna increase in knowledge. 34:16.220 --> 34:18.280 Look at verse number 11 of Colossians one. 34:18.700 --> 34:21.780 We also want to grow in strength. 34:22.420 --> 34:24.380 We wanna get stronger too, right? 34:24.520 --> 34:26.340 Because we don't wanna just know more. 34:26.660 --> 34:28.300 We also want to be stronger. 34:29.000 --> 34:30.860 Now this does tie in with knowledge a little bit 34:30.860 --> 34:32.060 because knowledge is power. 34:32.680 --> 34:34.200 Look if you would at Proverbs 24. 34:34.380 --> 34:35.120 And I'm gonna show you 34:35.120 --> 34:37.340 that the concept of knowledge being power 34:37.340 --> 34:38.780 is actually straight out of the Bible. 34:39.220 --> 34:40.780 When we say knowledge is power, 34:41.400 --> 34:44.600 that's actually paraphrasing a biblical concept. 34:44.600 --> 34:46.980 Look if you would at Proverbs chapter 24. 34:47.700 --> 34:49.140 And let's start in verse number three. 34:49.820 --> 34:53.240 Proverbs 24-3, through wisdom is a house-builded 34:53.720 --> 34:55.880 and by understanding it is established 34:56.580 --> 34:59.580 and by knowledge shall the chambers 34:59.580 --> 35:01.680 be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. 35:02.780 --> 35:05.140 A wise man is strong. 35:05.780 --> 35:09.060 A man of knowledge increases strength. 35:09.400 --> 35:10.420 What's the Bible saying here? 35:10.420 --> 35:13.640 It's saying that if you're wise, you're strong. 35:14.340 --> 35:16.900 It's not saying that necessarily you can deadlift 35:16.900 --> 35:19.420 a huge amount of weight or do a giant bench press. 35:19.620 --> 35:21.260 When it says a wise man is strong, 35:21.440 --> 35:24.240 it's saying that by being wise you are strong 35:24.240 --> 35:25.420 because knowledge is power. 35:26.440 --> 35:30.580 He says, yay, a man of knowledge increases strength. 35:31.080 --> 35:33.580 So the more knowledge you get, the stronger you're getting. 35:33.700 --> 35:34.860 Now you could take this very literally 35:34.860 --> 35:37.200 and say, hey smart people are strong. 35:37.520 --> 35:40.220 You know, that's probably true in a sense too 35:40.220 --> 35:43.080 because it's kind of dumb to be sedentary 35:43.520 --> 35:45.580 and never work out, never work physically 35:45.580 --> 35:47.780 and become a blob because it's unhealthy 35:48.460 --> 35:51.820 and being lazy and being foolish or also hand in hand. 35:52.140 --> 35:53.900 But I don't think that's the primary application. 35:54.200 --> 35:55.480 I think that could be a secondary application. 35:55.780 --> 35:57.380 I think the primary application is just saying, 35:57.420 --> 35:59.260 hey, by being smart you are strong 36:00.040 --> 36:01.380 because knowledge is power. 36:01.440 --> 36:02.380 And if you increase knowledge, 36:02.540 --> 36:03.820 you're increasing your strength. 36:04.240 --> 36:05.000 You're getting stronger. 36:05.140 --> 36:05.760 Look at verse six. 36:06.360 --> 36:07.920 Four, and here's why I believe that 36:07.920 --> 36:09.060 because four is a conjunction. 36:10.040 --> 36:13.420 Four by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war. 36:13.520 --> 36:15.520 He's like, here's why a wise man is strong 36:15.520 --> 36:17.880 because he's making war by wise counsel. 36:18.940 --> 36:21.040 You know, even if you thought about hand to hand combat, 36:21.480 --> 36:24.620 you know, technique is often gonna trump just brute force. 36:24.900 --> 36:27.140 The guy with the technique can get in there 36:27.140 --> 36:29.420 and defeat a much stronger bigger opponent. 36:30.460 --> 36:32.760 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war. 36:33.200 --> 36:35.480 And in multitude of counselors, there is safety. 36:35.880 --> 36:37.420 Wisdom is too high for a fool. 36:37.920 --> 36:40.340 He opened it not his mouth in the gate 36:40.340 --> 36:42.240 and then jumped down to verse 10, if you would it says, 36:42.700 --> 36:44.320 if thou faint in the day of adversity, 36:44.480 --> 36:45.420 thy strength is small. 36:46.140 --> 36:48.580 So why does God want us to increase our strength 36:48.580 --> 36:51.240 and get stronger is because he doesn't want us 36:51.240 --> 36:52.700 to faint in the day of adversity 36:53.380 --> 36:55.280 because the day of adversity is coming for sure 36:55.280 --> 36:56.080 in the Christian life. 36:57.080 --> 36:59.740 Would to God we could all just read our Bibles, 36:59.740 --> 37:02.760 pray, go to church and go soul winning with no battles. 37:03.500 --> 37:05.840 We just, we're just gonna just la la la la, 37:06.020 --> 37:08.380 just read my Bible, go to church, 37:08.560 --> 37:11.580 spend time with my family, la la la la la. 37:11.920 --> 37:13.140 That's not the way life works. 37:13.880 --> 37:16.320 No, as soon as you start serving God in a big way, 37:16.720 --> 37:19.920 all of hell breaks loose and engages with you. 37:20.060 --> 37:21.360 And that's why the Bible says, 37:21.480 --> 37:23.540 yeah, and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus 37:23.540 --> 37:25.560 shall suffer persecution. 37:26.240 --> 37:29.480 And so unfortunately, life is not gonna be 37:29.480 --> 37:32.800 just a peaceful building of the kingdom of God. 37:33.220 --> 37:35.860 No, it's gonna be a continual battle as well. 37:36.220 --> 37:38.160 And so when that evil day comes, 37:38.320 --> 37:39.520 when that day of adversity comes, 37:39.920 --> 37:42.420 if we faint, it's because our strength is small. 37:42.840 --> 37:45.400 That's why the Bible says, be strong in the Lord 37:45.400 --> 37:47.320 and in the power of his might, 37:47.500 --> 37:49.140 put on the whole armor of God 37:49.140 --> 37:52.180 that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. 37:52.560 --> 37:55.220 Evil day is another word for the day of adversity. 37:56.000 --> 37:58.260 And if you faint, it's because your strength is small. 37:58.260 --> 38:00.660 That's why he says, be strong in the Lord 38:00.660 --> 38:01.540 in the power of his might. 38:01.780 --> 38:03.380 So we need to build up, yes, knowledge, 38:03.760 --> 38:04.800 and knowledge is power, 38:05.020 --> 38:08.900 but we also just need to build up spiritual fortitude 38:08.900 --> 38:11.760 and just get stronger and armored up 38:11.760 --> 38:13.040 in the armor of the Lord 38:13.040 --> 38:15.620 so that we are able to withstand 38:16.540 --> 38:20.240 major persecution, adversity, problems that we can handle it. 38:20.500 --> 38:23.020 We gotta be pretty strong to handle 38:23.020 --> 38:26.020 all of the garbage that's gonna be thrown at us 38:26.020 --> 38:28.260 by this world when we're serving God. 38:29.320 --> 38:30.220 So we gotta be strong. 38:30.580 --> 38:32.380 And you know, the most important part of that armor 38:32.380 --> 38:33.240 is the shield of faith. 38:34.280 --> 38:35.460 You say, well, who are you to say 38:35.460 --> 38:36.420 that that's the most important? 38:36.600 --> 38:37.580 Well, the Bible says the most important, 38:37.640 --> 38:40.520 it says above all, above all, 38:40.540 --> 38:41.720 sounds like that's the most important part. 38:41.980 --> 38:43.640 Above all, taking the shield of faith, 38:44.100 --> 38:45.260 we're with you shall be able to quench 38:45.260 --> 38:46.660 all the fiery darts of the wicked. 38:47.120 --> 38:48.060 So at the end of the day, 38:48.600 --> 38:50.200 everything that Satan throws at you, 38:50.720 --> 38:52.840 the shield of faith will fix it. 38:53.460 --> 38:54.880 Everything that the devil throws at you, 38:54.880 --> 38:57.500 as long as you can keep believing the promises of God, 38:58.400 --> 39:00.340 you can withstand, you can hang in there. 39:00.380 --> 39:01.260 But you gotta get stronger, 39:01.400 --> 39:02.580 you gotta know what the Bible says, 39:03.000 --> 39:04.680 you gotta arm up in the armor of the Lord, 39:05.020 --> 39:06.380 you gotta be strong in the Lord 39:06.380 --> 39:07.540 and in the power of his might. 39:07.840 --> 39:08.580 And so here's the thing, 39:08.840 --> 39:11.380 as we read our Bibles, pray, sing hymns, 39:11.440 --> 39:12.600 go soul winning, go to church, 39:12.880 --> 39:14.460 we're building up our strength. 39:14.680 --> 39:17.700 You know, we're gaining HP as it were 39:17.700 --> 39:20.340 and getting stronger so that we will be able 39:20.340 --> 39:23.520 to withstand those attacks of the devil in the evil day. 39:24.580 --> 39:25.980 So get stronger. 39:26.800 --> 39:29.120 And then the next thing in first Corinthians, 39:29.360 --> 39:30.860 or excuse me, in Colossians chapter one, 39:30.960 --> 39:32.760 because we're just going through this passage point by point, 39:33.160 --> 39:35.100 what is Paul praying for the Colossians? 39:35.620 --> 39:37.560 Because I guarantee you it's the same stuff 39:37.560 --> 39:39.560 that God wants us to have in our lives, right? 39:40.080 --> 39:41.980 Knowing God's will, understanding God's will, 39:42.360 --> 39:45.240 walking worthy of the Lord, bringing forth fruit, 39:45.620 --> 39:47.580 doing works, increasing in knowledge, 39:47.880 --> 39:48.640 growing in strength. 39:48.740 --> 39:50.620 But then the next thing we see in verse 11 there, 39:51.200 --> 39:52.880 he says, strengthen with all might, 39:52.880 --> 39:55.140 according to the glorious, excuse me, 39:55.200 --> 39:56.520 according to his glorious power, 39:57.360 --> 40:01.400 unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness. 40:01.540 --> 40:03.920 So the next thing is that we need patience. 40:04.680 --> 40:07.440 We need to get patience and long suffering. 40:08.660 --> 40:10.140 What does that mean, patience? 40:10.260 --> 40:12.480 Well, flip over to Romans chapter five. 40:13.220 --> 40:17.560 Romans chapter five, what does he mean by patience? 40:18.900 --> 40:20.400 Well, while you're turning there, 40:20.400 --> 40:23.360 Hebrews 10, 36 says, for you have need of patience, 40:23.800 --> 40:25.260 that after you've done the will of God, 40:25.400 --> 40:26.440 you might receive the promise. 40:27.260 --> 40:30.340 So part of patience is just waiting 40:31.160 --> 40:33.880 to get the reward later for what you're doing now. 40:34.520 --> 40:36.500 Waiting to see God work later 40:36.960 --> 40:38.760 for what you're trusting him now, right? 40:38.900 --> 40:41.080 Because it's not all gonna happen for you overnight. 40:41.640 --> 40:43.160 You're not just gonna start serving God 40:43.160 --> 40:44.940 and everything about your life is fixed overnight. 40:45.600 --> 40:47.360 You know, you gotta be in it for a long haul. 40:47.600 --> 40:49.340 It's measured in decades, not in years. 40:49.340 --> 40:50.980 So you need that patience. 40:51.600 --> 40:53.380 But look at Romans chapter five verse three. 40:53.460 --> 40:57.800 It says, not only so, but we glory in tribulations also 40:58.500 --> 41:01.960 knowing that tribulation worketh patience, right? 41:02.080 --> 41:06.260 So patience also in the Bible has an idea of endurance. 41:07.360 --> 41:09.240 So sometimes it's waiting for something, 41:09.600 --> 41:11.600 but other times it's just endurance. 41:11.760 --> 41:14.020 That's why it's patience and long suffering, 41:14.640 --> 41:16.880 putting up with something for an extended period, 41:16.880 --> 41:19.880 enduring something over an extended period. 41:20.400 --> 41:23.600 So the Bible says here that tribulation worketh patience 41:23.600 --> 41:26.460 because the more troubles we go through, 41:26.700 --> 41:29.640 because trouble and tribulation are very similar words. 41:29.720 --> 41:32.440 You can notice the T-R-B-L in common 41:32.440 --> 41:33.440 between these two words. 41:33.600 --> 41:34.980 It's just one is a variation of the other. 41:35.500 --> 41:37.640 That's why the Bible will use them interchangeably, 41:37.700 --> 41:40.140 a time of tribulation, time of trouble, okay? 41:40.540 --> 41:43.860 And so yeah, when we go through troubles, trials, 41:44.320 --> 41:46.240 tribulations, it works patience 41:46.740 --> 41:49.780 because obviously there could be a progressive overload. 41:50.120 --> 41:53.800 We go through the first trouble and we get through it, 41:53.840 --> 41:55.460 then God hits us with something a little worse 41:55.860 --> 41:57.220 and then we can get through that. 41:57.540 --> 41:59.280 He hits us with something worse, we get stronger. 41:59.620 --> 42:00.420 If we went to the gym 42:00.420 --> 42:02.140 and lift the exact same weight every day, 42:02.680 --> 42:04.300 we're gonna stop after a few weeks, 42:04.380 --> 42:05.680 we're not gonna be building any more muscle. 42:06.300 --> 42:07.480 The only way to build muscle 42:07.480 --> 42:08.860 is you have to increase the weight, 42:09.060 --> 42:11.280 increase the repetitions, increase the difficulty. 42:11.620 --> 42:14.160 There must be some kind of progressive overload. 42:14.680 --> 42:16.740 Well, a lot of times God is gonna hit us 42:16.740 --> 42:19.120 in our Christian lives with a progressive overload 42:19.520 --> 42:25.360 of going through increasingly difficult trials and tribulations 42:26.180 --> 42:29.400 and those tribulations build patience. 42:29.960 --> 42:32.840 And in this case, patience is referring more to endurance, 42:33.140 --> 42:35.140 like patiently getting through something, 42:35.400 --> 42:37.000 patiently enduring something. 42:37.620 --> 42:40.180 And so the Bible is saying tribulation works patience, 42:40.900 --> 42:43.040 patience, experience, right? 42:43.180 --> 42:44.700 Because once we've done this a few times, 42:44.820 --> 42:47.100 we have experience and it's not our first rodeo 42:47.740 --> 42:50.160 and then it's easier the third time, fourth time 42:50.160 --> 42:51.700 because we've already been there and done that. 42:52.940 --> 42:55.320 So patience, experience, experience, hope. 42:56.200 --> 42:58.380 The fact that we've experienced this repeatedly 42:59.000 --> 43:01.960 gives us hope, God got me through it last time 43:01.960 --> 43:04.080 so God's gonna get me through it this time too. 43:04.440 --> 43:06.340 There's hope in tribulation 43:07.000 --> 43:08.400 and hope make it not a shame. 43:08.400 --> 43:10.140 If you're saying, look, God's not gonna let you down. 43:10.480 --> 43:11.540 You're not gonna be ashamed. 43:11.900 --> 43:13.440 You're not gonna be left at the altar. 43:13.740 --> 43:15.440 You're not gonna be left holding the bag. 43:15.680 --> 43:17.660 You're not gonna be left high and dry. 43:18.420 --> 43:20.500 Hope make it not a shame because the love of God 43:20.500 --> 43:22.800 is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost 43:22.800 --> 43:24.260 which is given unto us. 43:24.620 --> 43:27.100 So we gotta learn patience and long suffering, 43:27.360 --> 43:29.160 meaning that we gotta go through those trials. 43:29.260 --> 43:31.160 We gotta get strong and then we gotta go through 43:31.160 --> 43:34.240 hard times, push through, come out the other side 43:34.240 --> 43:36.400 and be stronger with more patience 43:36.400 --> 43:38.800 and more long suffering, more endurance. 43:39.600 --> 43:42.280 Okay, the next thing we see in Colossians 1 there 43:42.880 --> 43:47.260 is that we need to find joy in the Christian life as well. 43:47.580 --> 43:50.000 Joy, because he said in verse 11, 43:50.580 --> 43:53.840 strengthen with all might according to his glorious power 43:53.840 --> 43:55.720 unto all patience and long suffering 43:56.900 --> 43:58.260 with joyfulness, right? 43:58.360 --> 43:59.840 Because it's one thing to be able 43:59.840 --> 44:01.140 to just push through the trials. 44:01.460 --> 44:03.800 It's one thing to be able to endure tribulations 44:04.360 --> 44:06.860 and have the patience and have the endurance 44:06.860 --> 44:08.760 and just be strong in the Lord 44:08.760 --> 44:10.220 and we got the shield of faith 44:10.220 --> 44:12.180 and we're getting through it and we're grinding it out. 44:12.400 --> 44:14.180 You know, it's another thing to actually enjoy it. 44:15.340 --> 44:17.380 That's another level and what does the Bible say? 44:17.880 --> 44:21.100 Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. 44:21.360 --> 44:22.300 What does the Bible say? 44:22.740 --> 44:24.420 When you are persecuted and hated 44:24.420 --> 44:26.480 and people say all manner of evil 44:26.480 --> 44:27.860 against you falsely for my sake, 44:28.040 --> 44:30.740 he says rejoice and leap for joy 44:30.740 --> 44:33.200 just in case you think it's some kind of figurative speech. 44:33.200 --> 44:35.680 He says leap for joy, right? 44:36.000 --> 44:37.480 And whenever I hear that leap for joy, 44:37.600 --> 44:40.320 I think of the old 80s Toyota commercial, right? 44:40.660 --> 44:44.040 I love what you do for me Toyota, right? 44:44.600 --> 44:46.900 And that's what I think of leaping for joy like, woo! 44:48.640 --> 44:50.980 Now that's obviously pretty extreme 44:50.980 --> 44:55.340 when you're being lied about, trashed, hated, persecuted, 44:55.640 --> 44:57.060 maybe even beaten and imprisoned 44:57.640 --> 44:59.980 and you're just like, I love what you do 44:59.980 --> 45:02.180 for me persecution, you know, whatever. 45:02.180 --> 45:03.340 And you just love it. 45:03.520 --> 45:06.360 But that's what the Bible says, leap for joy. 45:08.020 --> 45:09.820 And so, you know, the Bible's saying, you know, 45:09.900 --> 45:11.360 we gotta find joy in the Christian life. 45:12.200 --> 45:15.420 What did the Bible say in 2 Corinthians chapter seven, 45:15.500 --> 45:16.500 verse four, you don't have to turn there, 45:16.560 --> 45:19.100 but it says, great is my boldness of speech toward you. 45:19.560 --> 45:20.880 Great is my glorying of you. 45:21.320 --> 45:22.680 I am filled with comfort. 45:23.140 --> 45:27.380 I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. 45:28.000 --> 45:31.220 He said, I'm exceeding joyful in tribulation. 45:32.100 --> 45:34.660 Wow, you know, the Bible says we rejoice ever more. 45:35.580 --> 45:37.780 Pray without ceasing in everything give thanks 45:37.780 --> 45:41.280 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 45:41.960 --> 45:45.800 And that rolls directly into the next and final point 45:46.490 --> 45:50.020 in Colossians one, verse 12, we gotta give thanks unto God. 45:50.220 --> 45:52.980 He says, giving thanks unto the Father, verse 12, 45:53.540 --> 45:55.920 which hath made us meet to be partakers 45:55.920 --> 45:57.800 of the inheritance of the saints in light, 45:58.100 --> 46:00.540 who hath delivered us from the power of darkness 46:00.540 --> 46:04.560 and that translated us into the kingdom of his dear son 46:04.560 --> 46:07.360 in whom we have redemption through his blood, 46:07.580 --> 46:08.720 even the forgiveness of sins. 46:08.900 --> 46:10.600 I mean, look, we're in pretty good shape. 46:10.720 --> 46:12.040 There's a lot to be thankful for. 46:12.460 --> 46:14.860 We can whine about all the problems 46:14.860 --> 46:16.280 and all the trials and tribulations, 46:16.280 --> 46:18.720 but you know what God wants us to do is just rejoice 46:18.720 --> 46:21.020 and be thankful for the things that are going right. 46:21.820 --> 46:23.920 And here's the one thing we all have going for us 46:23.920 --> 46:25.840 is that we have redemption through his blood, 46:26.120 --> 46:27.280 even the forgiveness of sins, 46:27.380 --> 46:29.020 no matter how screwed up things are on this earth. 46:29.240 --> 46:30.240 Hey, at least we're saved. 46:30.740 --> 46:33.280 At least we've been delivered from the power of darkness. 46:33.720 --> 46:35.340 At least we've been translated into the kingdom 46:35.340 --> 46:36.000 of his dear son. 46:36.380 --> 46:38.020 And look, I encourage you to listen to my sermon 46:38.020 --> 46:41.060 that I preached in Los Angeles a couple of days ago 46:41.060 --> 46:44.160 where I preached about the devil and his angels. 46:44.960 --> 46:46.400 And in that sermon, you know, 46:46.420 --> 46:48.740 I talked about the fact, the biblical fact 46:48.740 --> 46:50.440 that, you know, unsaved people 46:50.440 --> 46:52.020 are often manipulated by the devil 46:52.540 --> 46:55.400 and they walk according to the course of this world. 46:55.720 --> 46:58.480 They walk according to the prince of the power of the air, 46:58.740 --> 47:01.700 the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. 47:02.100 --> 47:03.580 Now, obviously in extreme cases, 47:03.860 --> 47:05.960 unsaved people can even become demon possessed. 47:06.800 --> 47:09.580 But even if they're not flat out demon possessed, 47:10.040 --> 47:13.400 they are still fulfilling the will of Satan. 47:13.620 --> 47:16.500 They're often manipulated by him to do strange things 47:17.040 --> 47:18.080 and to do wicked things. 47:18.400 --> 47:19.620 Now, isn't it a blessing? 47:19.620 --> 47:21.940 Isn't it great that we are Christians 47:21.940 --> 47:23.120 we've been delivered from that? 47:23.260 --> 47:24.240 Meaning that number one, 47:24.380 --> 47:26.640 it's impossible for us to ever be demon possessed. 47:27.780 --> 47:29.700 Okay, because greater is he that is in us 47:29.700 --> 47:31.320 than he is in the world. 47:31.600 --> 47:34.380 And there's no way that Satan can come in 47:34.380 --> 47:37.080 and possess the body of a saved Christian. 47:37.440 --> 47:39.340 Okay, and again, I preached that in more detail 47:39.340 --> 47:41.120 in my sermon two days ago. 47:41.780 --> 47:43.740 But not only that, you know, 47:43.820 --> 47:45.600 I don't even want to be a part of his plan 47:45.600 --> 47:46.900 in any way, shape, or form. 47:47.620 --> 47:49.820 I don't want to just be this useful idiot 47:49.820 --> 47:52.680 for the devil, just doing things 47:52.680 --> 47:54.440 to fulfill the will of Satan. 47:54.660 --> 47:58.320 You know, I'm glad to be a net positive in this world 47:58.320 --> 47:59.820 and not a net negative in this world. 48:01.340 --> 48:02.480 And do you think about it? 48:02.820 --> 48:05.280 You know, especially when it comes to false prophets, 48:06.020 --> 48:07.740 imagine the damage that they're doing 48:08.320 --> 48:09.220 to the cause of Christ. 48:09.860 --> 48:11.180 And by the way, when I see, 48:11.260 --> 48:12.520 even if a pastor calls himself 48:12.520 --> 48:13.900 an independent fundamental Baptist, 48:13.900 --> 48:16.520 when I see him just being evil 48:16.920 --> 48:18.880 and just constantly promoting evil 48:18.880 --> 48:20.160 and not promoting good 48:20.560 --> 48:22.280 and just constantly doing evil 48:22.280 --> 48:23.780 and harm to the cause of Christ 48:23.780 --> 48:24.780 and not doing any good, 48:24.840 --> 48:26.900 do you start to wonder which team is this guy on? 48:28.640 --> 48:31.900 Which is endless promotion of damnable heresy. 48:32.360 --> 48:33.760 Endless promotion of that, 48:33.860 --> 48:37.320 which way endless attacks on actual good men of God 48:37.320 --> 48:39.140 and people of God and churches of God, 48:39.580 --> 48:40.480 just all trash, 48:40.480 --> 48:43.920 no clear, godly, righteous message coming forth, 48:44.240 --> 48:46.160 no clear salvation message 48:46.160 --> 48:48.540 and clear preaching and clear doctrine 48:48.540 --> 48:50.980 and clear call to arms and great. 48:51.100 --> 48:52.800 No, no, no, it's just all confusion 48:53.390 --> 48:55.040 and promoting lies. 48:55.780 --> 49:00.200 And you know, it's easy to wonder what team somebody's on, 49:00.260 --> 49:01.300 even if they call themselves 49:01.300 --> 49:03.000 independent fundamental Baptist 49:03.000 --> 49:04.900 or call themselves Christians 49:05.350 --> 49:07.920 and then they're just constantly promoting trash 49:08.440 --> 49:10.820 and teaching lies and preaching garbage. 49:11.180 --> 49:13.500 Look, that's because unsaved people 49:13.500 --> 49:15.560 and there are unsaved people who masquerade 49:15.560 --> 49:16.580 as preachers of the gospel, 49:17.100 --> 49:18.680 they privilege creep in unawares, 49:19.020 --> 49:20.640 they bring in damnable heresies 49:20.640 --> 49:21.420 and you know what, 49:21.620 --> 49:24.080 it is because they are ultimately fulfilling 49:24.080 --> 49:25.200 the will of Satan, 49:25.820 --> 49:27.040 even if they don't want to, 49:27.180 --> 49:28.460 even if they don't know that, 49:28.780 --> 49:30.760 but you know, thank God that we, 49:30.960 --> 49:32.080 as the Bible says here, 49:32.360 --> 49:34.660 have been delivered from the power of darkness 49:34.660 --> 49:36.380 and we've been translated 49:36.380 --> 49:38.140 into the kingdom of his dear son. 49:38.520 --> 49:40.660 You know, we're no longer on team darkness, 49:41.140 --> 49:43.180 we're no longer children of wrath, 49:43.600 --> 49:45.480 we are no longer walking according 49:45.480 --> 49:47.420 to the prince of the power of the air, 49:47.700 --> 49:49.780 the spirit that now worketh in who? 49:50.020 --> 49:51.320 The children of disobedience. 49:51.480 --> 49:52.320 No, it's not us anymore. 49:53.140 --> 49:54.740 We can't be demon possessed 49:54.740 --> 49:57.060 because we've been translated from 49:57.460 --> 49:59.760 the power of darkness to the kingdom of his dear son. 49:59.920 --> 50:01.460 We don't walk after the course 50:01.460 --> 50:02.760 of the prince of the power there 50:02.760 --> 50:03.800 because that's the spirit that works 50:03.800 --> 50:05.540 in the children of disobedience 50:05.540 --> 50:07.800 talking about disobedience to the gospel. 50:08.540 --> 50:10.360 And by the way, what does it mean to obey the gospel? 50:10.460 --> 50:12.760 It means to believe the gospel, right? 50:12.840 --> 50:14.380 Because the gospel is commanding you 50:14.380 --> 50:16.800 to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 50:17.210 --> 50:19.740 and thou shalt be saved, right? 50:19.880 --> 50:21.300 And at Ephesians chapter two 50:21.890 --> 50:23.360 is where we get our famous verse, 50:23.820 --> 50:25.820 for by grace are you saved through faith 50:25.820 --> 50:27.440 and that not of yourselves, 50:27.680 --> 50:28.960 it is the gift of God, 50:29.340 --> 50:30.960 not of work, so Cindy mentioned both, 50:31.260 --> 50:33.640 but right before that he goes on to explain, 50:33.640 --> 50:34.760 hey, you know what? 50:34.820 --> 50:36.660 We were dead in trespasses and sins 50:36.660 --> 50:40.280 and we were just fulfilling the will of the devil. 50:41.320 --> 50:45.320 And now that we believed in Christ, now we're saved. 50:46.680 --> 50:47.560 And so what a blessing. 50:47.720 --> 50:48.380 I mean, there's always something 50:48.380 --> 50:49.420 to be thankful for, right? 50:50.420 --> 50:52.940 So number one, what does God want for us? 50:53.000 --> 50:55.040 Because this is what Paul is praying for the Colossians. 50:55.780 --> 50:57.380 He's like, look, I've heard about you guys, 50:57.660 --> 50:58.660 I've heard about your faith, 50:58.880 --> 50:59.740 I've heard about your church, 50:59.940 --> 51:00.840 I've heard what you guys are doing 51:00.840 --> 51:02.760 and you know what, I'm praying for you guys 51:02.760 --> 51:05.120 and here's what I'm praying for you. 51:05.700 --> 51:07.040 And I guarantee you that if Paul 51:07.040 --> 51:08.480 is praying this for the Colossians, 51:08.800 --> 51:10.640 this is the same thing that God wants 51:11.120 --> 51:13.500 for us as Christians too, right? 51:13.740 --> 51:15.220 God desires this same thing 51:15.220 --> 51:17.000 because Paul's praying in the Holy Spirit here 51:17.000 --> 51:19.900 and he says, hey, I want you guys to know God's will. 51:20.800 --> 51:23.200 You know, you guys need to know what is right, 51:23.360 --> 51:25.440 what is wrong, what God even wants you to do, 51:25.500 --> 51:26.320 what are we even here for? 51:26.420 --> 51:27.020 What are we even doing? 51:27.940 --> 51:30.840 Now that you're saved, okay, great, you're saved. 51:30.840 --> 51:32.900 Now it's time for you to start doing the will of God. 51:33.900 --> 51:35.200 Well, you can't do the will of God 51:35.200 --> 51:36.180 if you don't know the will of God. 51:36.620 --> 51:37.580 So he says, number one, 51:37.660 --> 51:38.700 let's get you to know the will of God. 51:38.820 --> 51:40.980 Number two, let's get you to understand the will of God. 51:41.420 --> 51:44.260 That way you're not just mindlessly following rules 51:44.260 --> 51:45.940 but that you're actually understanding, 51:46.500 --> 51:47.940 okay, where is that in the Bible? 51:48.300 --> 51:49.680 Where is that derived from Scripture? 51:50.260 --> 51:52.200 Why is that rule the way it is? 51:52.460 --> 51:55.220 I mean, look, I saw some idiot asking the other day 51:55.220 --> 51:56.680 like, hey, where does the Bible say 51:56.680 --> 51:57.940 that sex before marriage is wrong? 51:58.300 --> 52:00.320 Now look, people ask this kind of a question. 52:00.320 --> 52:01.640 This is a stupid question 52:02.140 --> 52:04.540 because once you understand the will of God, 52:04.680 --> 52:10.100 you realize how absurd and how bizarre and how wrong it would be 52:10.100 --> 52:12.820 if Christians just had sex before marriage willy-nilly. 52:13.140 --> 52:16.240 It would destroy everything about our society and our lives. 52:17.520 --> 52:19.760 Now when I was a teenager, I didn't understand that. 52:20.300 --> 52:23.620 When I was a teenager, I was told don't fornicate. 52:24.060 --> 52:24.620 And you know what? 52:24.700 --> 52:26.320 I didn't fornicate and I'll tell you why 52:26.780 --> 52:28.420 because I was scared because they said, 52:28.420 --> 52:30.460 hey, God killed 23,000 people in one day 52:30.460 --> 52:31.200 because of fornication. 52:31.400 --> 52:33.160 So I was just like, wow, this is a big sin. 52:33.600 --> 52:34.880 I need to abstain from this 52:34.880 --> 52:37.140 because I don't wanna deal with God's punishments. 52:37.320 --> 52:38.440 But then every once in a while, 52:39.060 --> 52:40.860 they would try to explain the why 52:40.860 --> 52:42.860 and it was just like whoop right over my head 52:42.860 --> 52:45.580 because I was too young and too stupid to understand the why. 52:46.780 --> 52:48.560 But here's the thing, when you get older, 52:48.920 --> 52:54.360 you understand that fornication has all kinds of grievous 52:54.360 --> 52:58.180 unintended consequences, damaging horrible things, 52:58.520 --> 53:00.480 that it is not worth it, it is wrong. 53:00.700 --> 53:03.200 But let me tell you, if you don't know what I'm talking about, 53:03.480 --> 53:05.580 then why don't you be like the teenage Stephen Anderson 53:05.580 --> 53:07.580 who just said, well, I don't really understand 53:07.580 --> 53:08.980 what the big deal is about fornication 53:08.980 --> 53:10.280 but I'm not gonna do it because I'm scared. 53:11.780 --> 53:13.180 Hey, I don't care why you don't do it, 53:13.220 --> 53:13.940 just don't do it. 53:15.480 --> 53:17.480 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. 53:17.940 --> 53:19.600 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 53:19.740 --> 53:20.620 The fear of the Lord is the beginning 53:20.620 --> 53:22.840 of understanding at least just have a fear of God 53:22.840 --> 53:25.020 that says, hey, this is a major sin. 53:25.440 --> 53:27.500 God says to throw people out of the church 53:27.500 --> 53:30.460 if they're in unrepentant fornication, don't do it. 53:30.860 --> 53:32.720 Right, that should be a starting point. 53:32.940 --> 53:35.220 But you know what, now that I'm 45 years old, 53:35.740 --> 53:38.220 to me, the thought of someone thinking 53:38.220 --> 53:41.000 that it's not a sin to fornicate is absurd. 53:41.720 --> 53:45.420 It's outrageous because there are just so many reasons. 53:46.460 --> 53:49.320 But again, that's understanding God's will 53:49.320 --> 53:50.560 versus just knowing God's will. 53:50.560 --> 53:53.060 So yeah, let's know it, let's understand it, 53:53.280 --> 53:54.680 let's walk worthy of the Lord. 53:55.220 --> 53:56.940 Let's understand how important we are, 53:57.180 --> 53:58.500 not because we're anything, 53:58.840 --> 54:00.400 but because of the team that we're on. 54:01.020 --> 54:03.920 Because of the job that we have, we're super important. 54:04.600 --> 54:06.260 And that's why, by the way, I don't like this preaching 54:06.260 --> 54:07.840 that says, hey, we're all expendable 54:07.840 --> 54:10.280 and we don't matter and God's gonna do it with 54:10.280 --> 54:10.860 or without us. 54:11.200 --> 54:14.720 Bologna, if less people show up for soul winning, 54:14.860 --> 54:15.880 less people get saved. 54:16.480 --> 54:19.360 Fact, otherwise, why even show up? 54:19.840 --> 54:21.540 And by the way, I forgot during the announcements, 54:21.720 --> 54:24.120 there's a day trip to Flagstaff this Saturday, 54:24.680 --> 54:25.720 and I just reminded myself. 54:26.200 --> 54:28.740 So it's not in the bulletin, day trip, 54:29.140 --> 54:32.460 see Brother Fidel, right, is this your brainchild? 54:32.960 --> 54:35.880 So Brother Fidel is leading a crew to Flagstaff 54:35.880 --> 54:37.760 this Saturday and now back to our 54:37.760 --> 54:39.240 regularly scheduled sermon. 54:41.240 --> 54:44.300 Walk worthy of the Lord, our job's super important. 54:44.620 --> 54:46.500 If you don't show up, the work doesn't get done. 54:46.800 --> 54:48.340 God doesn't just magically get it done 54:48.340 --> 54:49.140 with or without us. 54:49.480 --> 54:51.460 The Calvinist Presbyterian first church 54:51.460 --> 54:52.880 of the deep freezes down the street. 54:54.640 --> 54:56.440 Number four, we gotta bring forth fruit. 54:57.120 --> 54:58.740 We gotta do works, right? 54:58.880 --> 55:00.620 Get out there and win some souls to Christ, 55:00.820 --> 55:02.560 do something for God, get some work done. 55:03.080 --> 55:05.080 Number five, oh, let's circle back 55:05.080 --> 55:07.500 and increase in even more knowledge, right? 55:07.600 --> 55:08.800 We got knowledge, we got understanding. 55:08.980 --> 55:10.160 Okay, now get more knowledge. 55:10.560 --> 55:13.840 Keep growing in grace and in the knowledge 55:13.840 --> 55:15.800 of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 55:16.320 --> 55:18.120 Number six, let's not just grow in knowledge, 55:18.120 --> 55:20.360 let's grow in strength, let's get stronger. 55:20.740 --> 55:22.840 Let's be able to endure persecution 55:22.840 --> 55:24.800 and not faint in the evil day. 55:25.520 --> 55:27.960 Then let's learn patience and long suffering. 55:28.140 --> 55:29.700 And by the way, we talked about patience 55:29.700 --> 55:31.440 and long suffering in the sense of 55:31.440 --> 55:32.940 enduring trials and tribulations. 55:33.360 --> 55:34.280 You know, we could also talk about 55:34.280 --> 55:36.020 patience and long suffering with other people. 55:36.500 --> 55:37.700 How about loving people? 55:38.480 --> 55:41.240 Having charity for others, having love for others 55:41.240 --> 55:42.660 is gonna allow us to put up with them. 55:43.440 --> 55:46.640 You know, if you have a super short fuse 55:46.640 --> 55:49.980 and your wife does the littlest thing 55:49.980 --> 55:51.660 and it just sets you off 55:51.660 --> 55:53.720 or your husband does the littlest thing 55:53.720 --> 55:55.800 it just sets you off, you know what? 55:55.880 --> 55:57.120 You need more love there 55:57.120 --> 55:59.260 because if you love someone, 55:59.700 --> 56:03.080 you're patient with them as they screw up, right? 56:03.880 --> 56:05.800 If you really love someone, they're making mistakes, 56:06.180 --> 56:08.220 they're screwing up, maybe they're rude to you, 56:08.500 --> 56:09.400 maybe they're unkind to you, 56:09.540 --> 56:11.040 you're gonna give a lot of grace 56:11.040 --> 56:13.400 to those that you love, right? 56:13.920 --> 56:15.680 And so part of patience and long suffering 56:15.680 --> 56:19.100 is having a proper love for your neighbor as yourself. 56:19.760 --> 56:21.440 Loving your brothers and sisters in Christ, 56:21.920 --> 56:23.320 that's gonna also give you patience 56:23.320 --> 56:25.040 and long suffering for others. 56:25.440 --> 56:26.580 And then we said, number eight, 56:26.840 --> 56:28.480 find joy in the Christian life, right? 56:29.240 --> 56:31.180 You gotta find a way to enjoy it. 56:31.600 --> 56:33.460 You know what I find is that when it comes to, 56:33.640 --> 56:34.520 and again, you know, back, 56:34.760 --> 56:36.200 sorry about the workout illustrations 56:36.200 --> 56:38.100 for all of you sedentary people out there. 56:38.400 --> 56:40.520 But you know, when it comes to like a workout, 56:41.200 --> 56:42.660 people will sometimes come at me like, 56:42.960 --> 56:44.640 oh man, this is the best workout ever. 56:44.640 --> 56:46.720 And I'm just thinking like, man, that sounds too painful. 56:47.500 --> 56:48.820 I don't think that sounds fun. 56:49.440 --> 56:51.740 I'm sure it's effective, but it sounds like it's gonna hurt. 56:52.540 --> 56:55.140 And here's what I found is that the only workout 56:55.140 --> 56:56.900 that I'm gonna stick with is the one that I enjoy. 56:57.660 --> 56:59.640 And you wanna know the one that works the best, 56:59.780 --> 57:01.520 the best workout ever is the one that you actually do. 57:02.640 --> 57:04.520 Because a workout could be the most amazing workout 57:04.520 --> 57:07.080 and if you barely ever do it, what's the point? 57:07.340 --> 57:09.380 Or you could have a crappy, ineffective workout, 57:09.440 --> 57:10.560 but if you're doing it consistently, 57:11.200 --> 57:12.700 hey, you're probably gonna burn some calories, 57:12.700 --> 57:13.840 you're probably gonna build some muscles 57:14.380 --> 57:15.880 just by sticking with it or whatever. 57:16.260 --> 57:18.780 So obviously, yeah, I wanna find an effective program, 57:18.820 --> 57:20.260 but I also wanna find one that I like. 57:20.520 --> 57:21.600 Because if I don't like it, 57:22.360 --> 57:23.540 probably not gonna stick with it. 57:24.600 --> 57:25.340 Well, guess what? 57:25.620 --> 57:27.520 That's the way a lot of things are in life. 57:27.960 --> 57:28.460 And you know what? 57:28.500 --> 57:31.940 It's gonna be a lot easier to stick with the Christian life 57:31.940 --> 57:35.580 if you can find a way to like the Christian life 57:35.580 --> 57:37.280 and enjoy the Christian life, amen? 57:38.400 --> 57:40.740 I mean, who do you think is more likely to stay married? 57:40.740 --> 57:42.860 I mean, look, we're all commanded to stay married. 57:43.160 --> 57:44.640 We have to stay married no matter what, 57:44.840 --> 57:46.500 but who do you think is more likely to stay married? 57:46.760 --> 57:48.120 The person who's enjoying their marriage 57:48.120 --> 57:49.580 or the person who's not enjoying their marriage? 57:50.540 --> 57:51.420 Think about it. 57:52.000 --> 57:55.440 And so what we should strive to do is enjoy church, 57:56.820 --> 57:59.740 enjoy your marriage, enjoy your Bible reading, 58:00.640 --> 58:03.440 and try to find a way to enjoy going soul winning. 58:04.080 --> 58:05.560 And maybe for you, it's like, 58:05.680 --> 58:07.340 I just have to go to Flagstaff 58:07.340 --> 58:09.380 or the White Mountains every single week to enjoy it. 58:09.380 --> 58:10.560 Okay, well then let's go. 58:12.420 --> 58:13.220 Because you know what? 58:13.300 --> 58:15.840 You wanna find a way to enjoy the Christian life, 58:15.980 --> 58:17.440 find a way to enjoy serving God. 58:17.700 --> 58:19.340 You're gonna be more likely to stick with it 58:19.340 --> 58:22.800 than if it's just all character, all endurance, 58:23.640 --> 58:25.120 all willpower, all, and I look, 58:25.260 --> 58:26.800 I'm for you doing things out of duty, 58:27.400 --> 58:29.020 willpower, endurance, grinding it out, 58:29.320 --> 58:30.160 but isn't it easier 58:30.160 --> 58:31.740 when you can start to actually have a good time? 58:33.280 --> 58:34.520 You know, it's gonna make it better. 58:34.640 --> 58:35.040 And you know what? 58:35.260 --> 58:37.700 That's why we strive at Faithful Word Baptist Church. 58:37.700 --> 58:38.280 You know what? 58:38.440 --> 58:41.040 We strive to make it fun to serve God as much as we can. 58:41.820 --> 58:44.620 You know, I try to make the sermons as entertaining as I can 58:44.620 --> 58:46.300 without just being a bunch of fluff. 58:46.760 --> 58:48.280 I'm trying to give you real knowledge 58:48.280 --> 58:51.000 and real education here and real inspiration, 58:51.240 --> 58:53.020 but at the same time I'm trying to make it entertaining 58:53.020 --> 58:55.780 to make a spoonful of sugar, make the medicine go down. 58:56.440 --> 58:59.140 You know, and we try to have different fun activities. 58:59.420 --> 59:00.000 Some people are like, 59:00.180 --> 59:02.200 well what's the point of the cruise missions trips? 59:02.860 --> 59:04.640 Why don't you just do a standard missions trip? 59:04.940 --> 59:05.780 Because here's the thing, 59:05.780 --> 59:08.980 some people are gonna enjoy the cruise missions trip more 59:08.980 --> 59:10.340 and if they're gonna enjoy it more, 59:10.440 --> 59:11.500 they're gonna come back and do it again. 59:12.600 --> 59:13.260 What's the point? 59:13.460 --> 59:14.780 Well, why drive to Flagstaff? 59:14.880 --> 59:15.820 We can go soul-winning right here. 59:16.040 --> 59:17.120 Why drive to the White Mountains? 59:17.240 --> 59:17.660 We can go right here. 59:17.860 --> 59:19.580 Yeah, but some people are gonna enjoy it more 59:19.940 --> 59:21.580 if we drive to those fun places 59:21.580 --> 59:22.780 and do the soul-winning. 59:23.140 --> 59:23.960 So hey, let's go! 59:24.700 --> 59:26.820 There's nothing wrong with making it fun. 59:28.080 --> 59:29.120 Having a good time. 59:29.740 --> 59:30.600 You know, and here's the thing. 59:30.920 --> 59:32.280 If you show up to church 59:32.280 --> 59:33.920 and you have friends that you hang out with, 59:34.760 --> 59:36.060 you're probably gonna like it more 59:36.060 --> 59:37.400 than if you don't have any friends. 59:37.520 --> 59:37.880 So you know what? 59:37.980 --> 59:38.780 Try to make some friends. 59:39.500 --> 59:41.180 How do you make friends at Faithful Word? 59:41.560 --> 59:43.220 Well, one of the best ways to make friends 59:43.220 --> 59:46.240 is show up to soul-winning, show up to events, 59:46.700 --> 59:49.920 go to conferences, go to the White Mountains, 59:50.120 --> 59:51.480 go to Flagstaff, go on these trips 59:51.480 --> 59:52.860 because you get to know some people 59:54.540 --> 59:56.320 or just the good old-fashioned way 59:56.320 --> 59:58.240 of just walking around and walking up to people 59:58.240 --> 59:59.160 and introducing yourself 59:59.160 --> 01:00:01.840 and eventually you're gonna find people 01:00:01.840 --> 01:00:02.540 that you click with. 01:00:02.600 --> 01:00:03.540 You're not gonna click with everybody 01:00:03.540 --> 01:00:05.980 but you just walk around, talk to people, 01:00:06.140 --> 01:00:07.920 meet some people, eventually you're gonna hit it off 01:00:07.920 --> 01:00:09.420 with some people and have some friends 01:00:09.420 --> 01:00:10.960 and then you look forward to going to church 01:00:10.960 --> 01:00:13.440 to see your friends and then when you're like, 01:00:13.480 --> 01:00:14.680 oh, I'm kinda burned out on church, 01:00:14.840 --> 01:00:16.100 yeah, but at least my buddy's there. 01:00:17.460 --> 01:00:19.420 This is especially big with kids and teenagers. 01:00:20.280 --> 01:00:21.840 You know, they're coming to see their buddies. 01:00:22.460 --> 01:00:23.500 They're coming to see their friends. 01:00:24.080 --> 01:00:25.300 Hey, you know what? 01:00:25.400 --> 01:00:26.360 I don't care why they're coming. 01:00:26.540 --> 01:00:29.120 I'm just glad that they're excited to come to church 01:00:29.120 --> 01:00:30.440 even if it's for social reasons. 01:00:30.440 --> 01:00:34.160 You know, there's a lot worse things out there 01:00:34.160 --> 01:00:36.560 than getting excited about church to see your friends 01:00:37.100 --> 01:00:38.160 and have a social life. 01:00:39.340 --> 01:00:41.480 Find joy in the Christian life. 01:00:42.380 --> 01:00:44.240 Find a way to make the Christian life 01:00:44.240 --> 01:00:46.080 sustainable over the decades 01:00:46.700 --> 01:00:49.160 to where you don't just hate your life every day. 01:00:49.580 --> 01:00:53.160 Try to find some joy, some peace, some equilibrium 01:00:53.880 --> 01:00:56.620 and try to find, because the trials are gonna come, 01:00:56.720 --> 01:00:58.320 they're gonna drain your HP. 01:00:58.320 --> 01:01:00.780 You need a little refreshment, okay? 01:01:01.660 --> 01:01:03.460 And then lastly, give thanks unto God 01:01:03.460 --> 01:01:05.340 because there's a lot to be thankful for. 01:01:05.700 --> 01:01:06.680 We need to be thankful. 01:01:06.880 --> 01:01:09.840 We need to have a gratitude attitude 01:01:09.840 --> 01:01:12.660 as we go through life so that we can also 01:01:12.660 --> 01:01:14.520 be more joyful and happy. 01:01:14.640 --> 01:01:15.480 Let's bards and have a word of prayer. 01:01:15.600 --> 01:01:17.380 Father, we thank you so much for your word. 01:01:17.500 --> 01:01:18.580 Thank you for this great prayer 01:01:19.020 --> 01:01:20.700 from Colossians chapter one, Lord. 01:01:21.240 --> 01:01:23.960 I just pray this prayer for our entire church, Lord. 01:01:24.420 --> 01:01:26.160 And even for those that are listening at home 01:01:26.640 --> 01:01:28.640 that we would get these attributes in our lives 01:01:28.640 --> 01:01:29.980 that we would work down this checklist 01:01:29.980 --> 01:01:31.680 and figure out what's missing in our life, 01:01:31.820 --> 01:01:34.240 figure out what's lacking and try to plug those holes 01:01:34.240 --> 01:01:36.640 and fill that in so that we can serve you effectively 01:01:36.640 --> 01:01:38.360 and serve you in the long run. 01:01:38.660 --> 01:01:39.940 And in Jesus' name we pray, amen.