Well, it's good to see all of you this morning.
Open up, if you would, with me please, to Colossians chapter 1.
This is the second week of our series working through this letter to the Colossian church.
If you're using the Pew Bible in front of you, it's on page 983.
Colossians chapter 1.
We're going to begin in verse 9 this morning.
Those of you who've been here for any length of time will know that I tend not to address contemporary things that are happening.
I just want to make it about the Lord and about His Word.
But it's filling up the news cycle.
I'm sure you've been bombarded with it this week.
Wherever you turn on the media and the news and the radio, wherever you go, you're hearing about this.
Maybe there's a response in your own heart to this.
And I just want to address the Charlie Kirk assassination.
And I want to help us to see how the passage this morning that we're going to be dealing with helps to inform our hearts on how we, as believers, should respond.
Those of you who may be like, ah, who is Charlie Kirk?
I don't even know who Charlie Kirk is.
Let me just give you a quick introduction.
Well, he's the founder of ministry called Turning Point USA.
It was his goal to empower young people to be able to think conservatively and understand Christian values.
He had a daily radio show and podcast.
And he was able to deal with contemporary issues from a Christian standpoint.
He would go to often target universities and colleges.
And he would go to those campuses.
And he would have little forums where somebody could come to the mic and either ask a question or debate him on a contemporary issue.
And Charlie Kirk would enter into that and provide some answers from the scripture and even from culture to help address those questions about contemporary issues.
He was, however, a committed Christian.
And I know what the media wants to draw a lot of attention to is that he was a political activist.
And that may be true in some respect.
But he was a committed Christian.
Just a couple of months ago, there was an interview that took place where he answered this question.
The interviewer said, Charlie, how do you want to be remembered?
And Charlie answered that question saying, I want to be remembered for my courage and my faith.
But that would be the most important thing.
The most important thing, he says, and this is in quotes, is my faith.
He said he gave his life to Christ when he was in fifth grade.
He said that while he didn't really understand all that that meant,
that God continued to develop this understanding of the gospel in his own heart.
And he came to a place of recognizing that he was a, and these are his words, quote,
a total, absolute sinner who fell short of God's grace, end quote.
In addressing sin, he said it's actually a great comfort to know in total depravity.
It's a great comfort to me that there is nothing in my heart that is worthy of salvation.
And it's only due, only owing to God's grace in my life.
He believed that Jesus' death on the cross paid the price for his sin.
He believed that it was not about personal merit, these are his words,
but about being rescued by God's grace.
He believed that Jesus Christ was God in human flesh,
who taught us to live and how to offer himself as a gift of salvation.
Those who accept him as Lord and Savior can have eternal life, end quote.
Those are his words.
And by the way, in this moment right now,
if you do not know Jesus as your Savior,
and you have come to a place of recognizing that there are things in your life
that are out of sync, out of step,
that the Bible calls that sin,
and by the way, you're in good company
because everybody in this room has fallen short of the glory of God.
We have all not met God's standard,
but there is a way of salvation,
an offer of salvation that comes through faith in Jesus
in asking forgiveness for our sins,
believing that he is the only way that we can enjoy forgiveness
and cleansing is what we're going to look in our passage today,
that he is the means of redemption,
the forgiveness of sins because of his grace and his grace alone.
That's how salvation happens.
And that's what Charlie wanted the world to know.
Now you can imagine there are a number of responses
that have happened because of the events of this past week.
On one side there is glee.
They're giddy.
You might say they're even dancing in the streets.
A sense of relief that Charlie is dead.
A sense of joy that finally the voice has been silenced.
On the other side there's a range of responses
from those who are simply devastated and confused
to those who are full of rage.
You are seething.
Maybe even some of you in this room,
and by the way, I've had to check my heart this week
because, man, I'm angry.
I want to be angry.
And maybe we feel like in some way
this is the inevitable conclusion
for a society that's moving in the direction of rejecting God.
And so, in large degree, you're right.
But it causes us to answer the question,
what are we to do?
How are we to respond?
What is to be the reaction
of those who call themselves followers of Jesus,
who have given their life to God?
What are we to do?
Well, we need to start by remembering five truths, okay?
And this, by the way, is going to be our message in a nutshell,
and then we'll get to the passage, okay?
We'll talk about the passage.
We'll generalize these things,
and then we'll talk about the specifics
as we get into our message this morning.
The first thing that we need to understand
is that as bad as things are,
as hostile as our world seems to be,
as aggressive and as wicked
as our world tends to be,
and we see it, we feel the darkness,
we feel like our world is crashing in on us,
we have to remember,
as bad as it is right now,
it isn't even close,
not even close to as bad as it was
when the Apostle Paul wrote this letter.
Not even close.
You remember where Paul is?
Where is Paul when he writes this letter
to the church of Colossae?
He's in prison.
In Rome.
And wherever the Apostle Paul goes,
he gets run out of town.
He's either beaten with rods,
he's stoned,
and to the point of death,
they think he's dead,
the mobs are riled up,
and injustice is being done,
and we're going to see this in our passage today.
What is the heart of the Apostle Paul?
What do we see?
It's incredible.
His perspective was not anchored to culture.
His perspective was tethered to God.
That gave him stability.
And by the way,
it can give all of us in this room stability.
It's not as bad today as it was then.
But even if it were,
it doesn't matter.
Second truth.
What stabilized Paul
was not winning arguments.
What stabilized Paul
was not winning arguments.
Not fighting for justice.
Not bringing the force
of human power
to bear on the situation.
But in depending on something
much greater,
by the way,
uncontested power.
That's what we're going to see
in our passage today.
Unrivaled,
uncontested,
unstoppable power
of God
that we have access to.
And if you are a believer today,
is living within you
through the Spirit.
Paul says this
in 2 Corinthians 10,
3-4.
He says this,
For though we walk
in the flesh,
we are not waging war
according to the flesh.
Can we show that verse,
please, Larry?
If we walk in the flesh,
we are not waging war
according to the flesh.
For the weapons
of our warfare
are not of the flesh,
but have divine power
to destroy strongholds.
Did you get that?
There is divine power
that you have access to.
So what are we doing?
Chasing the weak,
ineffective
strategies of the world.
Stop playing their games.
Stop dipping in
to fleshly,
carnal weapons
and strategies.
Access divine strength.
Stop using their tactics.
There is no wonder
why we keep losing ground.
Because strength
comes from God.
Not from your ability
to win an argument.
Not in your ability
to be able to put somebody
in their place.
Not in your ability
to outdazzle somebody
with your intellectual capability.
It comes in the power of God
to change a mind
and change a heart.
Stop depending
on human,
carnal tactics.
Number three.
Third.
The opposition that we face
is not primarily physical,
but spiritual.
We're not fighting
against people
or shooters
or assassinators
or people in government
who we don't agree with.
Lawmakers.
You fill in the blank.
That is not our fight.
Our fight is not
in the flesh.
Our fight
is a spiritual one.
That's what Paul says
in Ephesians chapter 6.
He says,
Be strong in the Lord
and in the strength
of his might.
For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers,
against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers
over this present darkness,
against the spiritual forces
of evil
in the heavenly places.
There is no wonder
why we keep losing
because the target
of our battle
tends to be physical
rather than spiritual.
So there's no wonder
why we fight
with physical weapons
because we think
we're fighting
a physical battle.
We are in a war,
but it has nothing
to do with physicality.
It has everything
to do with God.
And so we fight
the spiritual battle
not by doing it
in our own strength,
but by calling attention
to God
and inviting God,
asking God,
pleading with God
to work in a situation.
Fourth,
God's rescue plan
for transforming the world
is not political activism.
It's not winning arguments.
God's plan
for changing the world
is God's church.
God's church
that takes God's word
to the people
of this world.
And it starts with us,
by the way,
and us being transformed
by that very word
and so that we can begin
to do what Christ
calls us to do
in Matthew chapter 5
when he says this,
you are the salt
of the earth.
But if the salt
of the earth
loses its saltiness,
how can it be made
salty again?
It is no longer
good for anything.
You might say,
it is good for nothing
except to be thrown out
and trampled by men.
You are the light
of the world.
A city on a hill
cannot be hidden.
In the same way,
let your light
shine before men
that they may see
your good deeds
and praise your Father
in heaven.
God has called
the church
to an incredible
mission
of transforming
the world
not with power
of us
but with a message.
A message of the gospel
that has transformed
us first.
Unfortunately,
we tend to be
as much of the problem
as our world is.
Our words
do not reflect
the heart of God
that what we learn
about Jesus,
he was full of truth
and grace
that when people
hear us
and when we speak
there might be
a lot of truth there
but there's not
a whole lot of grace
and so they can't
see Jesus
in our life
because we're not
reflecting Jesus' heart.
And then in our
private lives,
we tend to be
just as bound
by lust,
just as bound
by impurity,
just as bound
by bitterness,
just as bound
by anger
and unforgiveness.
We,
we haven't risen
above the world.
We are living
in it
and there's
almost no difference
except for the fact
that we come to church
on Sunday
and maybe
some of the words
we use
don't use profanity
but
other than that,
our tactics at work
and our lifestyle
and deep down inside,
we have the same,
we're bound
in the same way
our world is bound.
so it essentially
takes away
any opportunity
for us to speak
into a world
when our own lives
are just as broken.
So,
what can we do?
And that's why
we come to this passage today.
We come to this passage
because Paul is offering
to us
a strategy,
a way for us
to begin this process
personally
and corporately
to begin to change
ourselves
or allow change,
I should say,
to be very careful,
to allow God
to change us first
and allow that word
to transform
the people around us
and then
as that word
begins to grow
in us,
then transformation
will begin to happen.
So,
what stabilized
the Apostle Paul?
Well,
let me just read
a couple of these verses
and I want you to see
what seems to stabilize
the Apostle Paul.
What is the mark
of his language
throughout these
first several verses?
Notice,
Colossians 1, 3,
he says,
we always thank God
for you.
God the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ
when we pray
for you.
And then in verse 9
he says,
and so from the day
we heard,
we have not ceased
to pray for you
asking that you may be
filled with the knowledge
of his will
and all spiritual wisdom
and understanding.
Now,
verse 12,
giving thanks
to the Father
who has qualified you
to share
in the inheritance
of the saints
in light.
What do you hear
from him?
What do you hear
coming from the Apostle Paul?
I'll tell you
what you don't hear.
What you don't hear is,
oh,
woe is me.
Huh.
I'm in prison again.
I'm all alone.
I'm just scraping by.
Nobody cares about me.
I can't earn a living.
Nights are cold.
These shackles
keep chafing
at my hands
and feet.
I didn't do anything
to deserve this.
There is no justice
in this world.
If we could just change
the government
then everything
would be fine.
No,
you don't hear that
because that's not
Paul's perspective.
Instead,
you hear this.
We are so grateful
for you.
We're so grateful
for you.
We pray for you
all the time.
I want to commend
your faith
in Christ Jesus.
I want to commend
your love
for all the saints.
I want to commend
that your hope
is not in this world
and the situation,
the circumstances
of this life.
Your hope is in heaven.
It's removed.
It's outside.
And so,
we're asking,
my team,
myself,
we're praying for you.
We're praying
that as the word
of God is spreading
that you would
pay attention
to that.
Let the power
of the ineffectiveness
of the word of God,
the perspective
that God is working,
let that settle
your heart.
That it is bearing fruit.
That it is increasing.
When you see
what God is doing
in spite of the culture,
Lord,
that that should
lift your spirits
and help you
to grow in faith,
we ask that you
would bear fruit
as well.
That God's power
would capture you
and energize you
and strengthen you.
And that all this
would lead
to your own hearts
being overcome
by God's abundant goodness.
That it would
gush forth
like rivers,
like geysers,
exploding.
This thanksgiving
is erupting
from within you
because you see
what God is doing.
And that gratitude
and joy
and endurance
would mark your life.
Oh,
that you would grow
in knowledge
and intimacy
with the creator
of the universe.
And that the experience
would stabilize you
in this life.
In spite of darkness,
and when you would reflect
your hope in heaven,
in your current position
of having been transferred
into the kingdom
of light.
Oh,
that you would live
in the light,
dear ones.
That's this passage
in my words.
That's his prayer.
That's what we hear.
And that so often
is not reflective
or representative
of what's in our own hearts.
But that's how Paul
inspires faith.
That's how Paul's message
is reinforced
by personal conviction.
What makes his words convincing
is that he's not bogged down.
He's not discouraged.
He's not in despair.
He's not throwing up his arms.
Like,
what in the world
do we do now?
He has come to terms
with the fact
that God is over this,
that God is working
in spite of this,
and God's plan
is going to move forward
regardless of all
of the seeming obstacles
and tragedies
that are taking place
in Paul's life.
Instead of being bogged down
and cranky
and frustrated,
he's free.
Paul is free.
Don't you want to be free?
Don't you want to enjoy
the freedom of faith
and trusting in God?
See,
he's positive
because his outlook
is propelled
by a perspective
that is not anchored
to circumstances.
He's doing what we find
in the middle of this letter
in Colossians chapter 3
where he sets his mind
on things above.
If Christ is above all
and over all,
and in verse 15
through the remainder
of the chapter,
we're going to get there
next week,
Christ is above all.
Whether it's thrones
or dominions
or principalities
or powers,
that God is over it.
He's over the physical.
He's over the spiritual.
He's over heaven.
He's over earth.
He's over it all.
He's in control.
You can trust him.
He's not letting go.
His plans are not failing.
No wonder why
the Apostle Paul
is so free.
And I think
everyone in this room
wants that.
I think you want that.
I sure do.
I want that.
Well, guess what?
You can have it.
It's not elusive.
It's not out of your reach.
And what we're going to see
in this passage this morning
is that God will offer that
to us through his son,
through faith in Jesus.
It's available.
And so I just want to,
I want to pray that God
will do that work for us.
We'll begin our time
in prayer.
It'll be brief.
I want to pray through
this passage for us
so that God will do this
for us too.
and then we'll dig in
and try to bring
these truths out
in a little bit
fuller measure.
Okay?
Let's pray.
Lord, we need you
because
as we evaluate our week,
and I say this personally,
it is so easy
to get bogged down.
It's so easy
to be discouraged.
It's so easy
to allow
the circumstances
of life
to just cloud
my perspective.
Lord, thank you.
It doesn't have to be that way.
And so, Lord,
I pray that you would do
for us a work.
That you would
allow us
to be filled
with the knowledge
of your will.
So that we can walk
in a manner
that's worthy of the Lord.
That we can be
fully pleasing to you.
That we can bear fruit
in every good work.
That we can increase
in our knowledge of you.
Oh, Lord,
would you strengthen us
with that divine power?
That power
that is resident
in the life
of every believer.
May we access that.
May we turn it loose.
May we yield ourselves
to it
and allow it
to have its way
instead of pushing it down
and trying to do things
our own way.
Lord, I pray that our hearts
would be full of thanks.
That gratitude
would erupt from us.
That enduring joy
and patience
in hard things
would mark us
as those
who are people of faith.
And Lord,
I pray that
all of this
would flow
to the glory of God.
That as you work
this change in us
and you work
this change
in our church
and you work
this change
in our families
and in our communities,
wherever that change
will happen,
Lord, may you get
the glory for it.
And we praise you
in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So here we are again.
Here we are again.
We're looking at Paul's prayer.
Look at this.
Verse 9.
And so,
from the day we heard,
we have not ceased
to pray for you,
asking that you may be filled
with the knowledge
of his will
and all spiritual wisdom
and understanding,
so as to walk
in a manner
worthy of the Lord,
fully pleasing
to him,
bearing fruit
in every good work
and increasing
in the knowledge
of God,
being strengthened
with all might
according to his
glorious might
for all endurance
and patience
with joy.
Here Paul is again
praying for the church.
Remember,
he did that in verse 3.
He says,
we pray for you.
We thank God,
the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when we pray for you.
This prayer
permeated his life.
It was a consistent theme
of what the Apostle Paul
believed
would change the situation.
He says,
from the day we heard
of your faith in Christ,
your love for the saints,
your hope in heaven,
he kind of pushes back
to verses 3 to 5.
Those things
that we've seen in you,
that evidence,
by the way,
not of you pulling yourself
up by the bootstraps
and putting on
this gospel life.
This is a work
of the Word.
It's the Word
that's bearing fruit.
It's the Word
that's increasing.
You have opened
your heart
and your life
to what the Word says
and you've followed it
and you've let it lead you
and that's why
you're experiencing
the evidence
of a gospel life.
So from the day
we heard
of this,
we have not stopped
praying for you.
Now,
Paul's ministry
in Ephesus
took about three years.
It began
probably in A.D. 52,
went to A.D. 55 or so
and the Apostle Paul
would go to Macedonia
and then he would make
his way back
to Jerusalem
and sometime
in that period,
Epaphras likely
was in Ephesus
with the Apostle Paul,
learned at the
school of Tyrannus,
which happened
for three years
and then Epaphras
went to Colossae,
his hometown.
He shared the Word.
People responded.
A church was born.
And then Paul
made his way
from Jerusalem.
Then he was put
into captivity
with Felix.
Remember that?
That was a two-year process.
And then he was
transferred to Rome.
And there's somewhere
between five,
six,
seven years
that have kind of
gone by,
that have transpired
and the Apostle Paul
was like,
I want you to know
from the day
that I heard
that you had a
sincere
and authentic
love for Jesus
and faith in Him,
I've started praying
for you
and I've kept praying
for you
until this day.
Five,
six,
seven years.
This consistent
life of prayer.
The Apostle Paul
in his life
of prayer.
This consistency
of Paul's prayer.
We see this.
And notice that
it's not just
the Apostle Paul
who's praying.
What does it say?
It says,
we pray for you.
We pray.
It's part of
the understanding
of our entire team.
We know as a team
we can't be effective.
We can't have
any vitality.
We can't help you
have any endurance
or strength
or joy.
We can't do that.
But God can.
So we're praying
that He will do that
for you.
It wasn't something
that Paul could do.
It wasn't something
he could offer.
He was in a prison.
And even if he was
with the people,
it was something
that comes from God,
not from Paul.
He knew that God
could provide.
And this is why
the Apostle Paul
is so dependent
on God.
Pray.
And Paul's dependence
on prayer is clear.
We see that twice
in the last several verses.
We see that in almost
every single letter
the Apostle Paul writes,
prayer is the stuff
that makes Paul effective.
It's the stuff.
And we know
that it's the stuff.
And we believe
that God answers prayer.
We believe
that God works
through prayer.
We believe
that God
is listening
to prayer.
So why don't we pray?
Why don't we pray
like this?
What's the problem?
What seems to be
the disconnect
in our hearts?
We know the truth.
And by the way,
I'm just
as guilty
as the rest of you.
Okay?
And this is
one of those areas.
By God's grace,
He will help me
do better in.
We,
we can't
do it.
But God can.
So we need to pray.
And Paul is,
is driven.
He's driven
by this life
of prayer.
I love how
Charles Spurgeon says,
he says this,
I would rather teach
one man to pray
than ten men
to preach.
The reason for that
is because God
works through prayer.
And everybody
in this room
who has a relationship
with Jesus
can pray.
You can do it.
So why don't we pray?
And there are
at least three reasons
I see in this passage.
And so I'm gonna,
I'm gonna bend
this a bit,
so forgive me.
But I wanna apply
this specifically
to what is our problem?
What's going on?
And so,
boy,
I've got ten minutes
to try to do this quick.
Okay?
Have I gotten through
one point yet?
I think I have.
Phew.
Here we go.
What,
what propelled
the Apostle Paul
for his
love for this church
is he was driven
by the knowledge
of God's will.
He was driven
by the knowledge
of God's will.
So what's our problem?
Well,
our problem is
rather than praying
like Jesus
and the model
that we see
from Jesus
to his disciples,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done.
Instead,
we say,
our kingdom come,
our will be done.
We don't wanna know
God's will,
really.
We just want God
to bend himself
to our will.
We approach prayer
and I know
that we've all done this
and it's a tendency
for every single one of us.
Our tendency
is to say,
Lord,
here's what's happening today,
please help me.
Lord,
here's my problem today,
please fix it.
Lord,
here's an issue
in my life,
resolve it.
Lord,
here's a person
in my life
I don't really like,
please get them
out of the way.
And so we're praying
that God's will,
excuse me,
we're praying
our will
is gonna be done
and that God
will do our business
for us.
That's not how it works.
It's just not how it works.
That his will
would be done.
And by the way,
here's the beauty.
That Paul,
in praying
that God's will
would be known
means that God's will
is accessible to you.
God's will
is absolute.
God's will
is revealed.
God's will
is available.
We don't have to
wonder
what his will is
because he's
carried it.
He's shared it
to us
in his word.
And I love
the superlatives
in this passage.
Just look
at them
with me briefly.
Look,
verse 9,
filled,
filled
with the knowledge
of his will.
And that's a word
that is to
is to fill it up
so much
we're bursting.
Like if he gives us
any more,
there's going to be
an explosion
that takes place.
That's the kind
of filling
that God wants to do.
Filled with the knowledge
of his will.
He's done that
through his word.
He's given us
access to his will
through his word.
And notice
verse 9.
All
spiritual
wisdom
and understanding.
That God
will give us
his will.
He's not
going to hold it back.
All of it
is there.
Every
single bit.
Not just
a minuscule
measure.
And it reminds us
of what we know
from James chapter 1.
That if we lack
wisdom,
we ask from God.
It says,
and he gives to us
in super abundance
without holding back.
He just kind of
boom!
Lays it on us.
His will.
All the will
that we need to know
in God's word.
We can find it
through his
power and help.
Notice verse 10.
Fully
pleasing to him.
This is another
superlative.
This is another
one of those
words that
Paul is trying
to describe
the breadth
of what God
will do
through prayer.
He's going to
allow us
and help us
to be fully
pleasing to him.
Notice verse 10.
Bearing fruit
in how many
good works?
Every good work.
Notice verse 11.
Strengthen with
how much power?
All power.
Notice verse 11.
According to his
glorious might.
Uncontested
present power
that God allows
every believer
to have.
And so
we
don't enjoy
the blessing
of this
because we
really don't
care about
God's will.
We want ours.
we have
so many
inferior
loves.
We call
them by the
way
distractions.
We call
them
things we
got to
do.
We call
them
you know
I'm
busy.
I've got
stuff to
do.
And the
truth is
that what
that means
is those
things are
more important
than God.
And when
I do
that
and
I do
that more
than I'd
like to
admit.
When I
talk about
distractions
or I say
I'm way
too busy
what I'm
saying is
God is
not as
important
as my
things.
So no
wonder why
God won't
answer
prayer.
Knowledge
of his
will.
God wants
to unleash
that knowledge
to us.
Second
the apostle
Paul
he wants
that knowledge
to be
applied
to the
way in
which we
live.
That's
the goal.
So knowledge
that relates
to life.
And that's
my second
problem
by the
way.
So often
my knowledge
makes me
feel better
about myself
and what I
know and
what I can
defend and
how I can
articulate
truth but
that knowledge
at times
has little
compatibility
with my
life.
I'm not
walking
worthy
of the
gospel.
That's the
point here
so as
to walk
in a
manner
worthy.
That's the
point of
having
knowledge.
Knowledge
that helps
us to
walk.
Walk in a
way that
pleases the
Lord.
And that
knowledge of
God's will
is meant to
produce
something.
It's meant
to produce
in my
heart and
life
something
tangible.
You see
so often
when we
might know
God's will
but our
problem is
this.
We might
know what
God says
but we
don't do
anything about
it.
How many
of us feel
very comfortable
with the
sin in our
life?
How many
of us
have been
struggling
with certain
besetting
sins
for weeks
months
years?
Those
besetting
sins
they're
private
they're
inside
no one
knows
about
them
but
in your
heart
it's
just
okay
because
God
will
forgive
me.
And so
the
knowledge
of
God's
will
not
applied
is
not
going
to
do
anything
for
you.
And
by
the
way
God
cares
about
you
enough
he's
gracious
enough
to
you
that
he's
not
going
to
reveal
more
knowledge
until
you
act
on
the
knowledge
you
have.
And so
we
give
ourselves
a pass
we say
it's
okay
it's
okay
for me
to have
besetting
sins
it's
okay
for me
to
be
angry
anger
is
justified
it's
okay
for me
not
to
forgive
have
you
seen
what
they
did
to
me
it's
okay
for
me
to
be
angry
with
somebody
for
an
injustice
it's
okay
for
me
to
tell
somebody
off
well
you
fill
in
the
blank
!
And so
there's
no wonder
why
God
doesn't
answer
our
prayer
it's
not
having
the
work
that
it's
meant
to
do
and
finally
here
Paul
wants
this
church
to
experience
God's
presence
in
everyday
life
he
wants
them
to
experience
God's
presence
in
everyday
life
and
he
uses
four
participles
and
a
participle
is
just
something
that
is
an
action
that
continues
and
normally
in
the
English
language
you
can
identify
it
with
the
ending
ing
okay
so
let me
just
read
this
what
is
it
meant
to
produce
notice
we're
in
verse
10
so
as
to
walk
in
a
manner
worthy
of
Lord
fully
pleasing
to
him
and
here's
the
first
one
bearing
fruit
in
every
good
work
and
second
one
is
increasing
in
the
knowledge
of
God
the
next
one
is
being
strengthened
with
all
joy
the
next
one
last
one
here
giving
thanks
to
the
father
who
has
qualified
you
to
share
in
the
inheritance
!
God
wants
us
to
be
people
who
demonstrate
and
illustrate
this
work
of
the
gospel
in
living
color
you
might
say
HD
high
definition
color
contrast
your
life
on
display
not
because
of
the
way
you're
living
because
what
Paul
will
say
Christ
who
lives
in
you
he
says
that
in
Galatians
chapter
2
20
he
says
I
am
crucified
with
Christ
it
is
not
I
who
live
it
is
not
me
but
Christ
who
lives
in
me
in
the
life
which
I
live
in
the
flesh
I
live
by
faith
in
the
Son
of
God
who
loves
me
and
gave
himself
for
me
and
so
when
your
life
shows
these
qualities
people
will
say
ha
God
is
at
work
God
is
doing
something
in
that
and
our
problem
our
problem
is
often
how do
I put
this
as
great
as
that
sounds
it's
too
much
work
you
know
what I'm
saying
like
I'm
feeling
okay
life
is
good
I
got
what
I
need
you
know
things
are
generally
working
for
my
favor
and
so
yeah
I
can
see
that
bearing
fruit
and
increasing
in
knowledge
and
all
of
these
things
and
giving
thanks
that's
important
but
but you
know
my
life
is
kind
of
okay
there's
no
wonder
then
why
we
as
a
person
and
we
as
a
church
will
never
change
this
world
because
it's
about
us
and
not
about
God
it's
about
our
glory
and
our
will
and
our
comforts
and
not
about
God's
glory
and
God's
kingdom
and
God's
purpose
and
God's
good
name
in
this
world
and
I
think
a good
starting
place
and
there's
so much
more
to say
by the
way
we're
going to
come back
to this
tonight
in our
time of
communion
we're
going to
talk
about
why
give
thanks
and
there's
three
things
that
have
been
done
for
you
you've
been
qualified
we see
that
in
verse
13
12
13
you've
been
qualified
by
him
you
have
been
delivered
by
him
you've
been
transferred
by
him
these
are
all
in
the
past
tense
there
are
things
that
have
already
happened
for
those
who
are
in
faith
and
so
there's
no
wonder
why
we should
be
thankful
because
of
the
work
of
God
on
our
behalf
oh
may
God
help
us
to
be
a
thankful
people
oh
may
God
help
us
to
be
a
praying
people
will
you
join
me
in
the
next
three
months
of
committing
ourselves
to
faith
in
God
through
prayer
and
thanks
will
you
just
experiment
with
me
see
what
God
might
do
as
we
set
aside
time
the
best
time
I
would
say
if
that's
for
you
in
the
morning
if
that's
for
you
in
the
afternoon
if
that's
for
you
in
the
I
don't
know
when
that's
going
to
be
but
it's
got
to
be
a
time
that's
free
of
distraction
it's
got
to be
time
you
push
things
away
it's
got
to
be
time
that
you
are
able
to
focus
and
concentrate
your
heart
for
any
length
of
time
without
interruptions
so you
can
devote
your
heart
to
him
and
plead
for
his
help
the
knowledge
of
his
will
that
you're
bearing
fruit
and
having
a
worthy
walk
and
that
God
is
pleased
through
our
lives
oh
what
might
God
do
with
a
heart
that
is
yielded
to
him
in
this
way
walk
this
journey
with
me
and
we'll
see
oh
father
thank
you
for
your
patience
with
us
thank
you
for
your
work
of
salvation
we
can
think
about
the
last
verse
of
this
passage
which
talks
about
the
fact
that
we
have
been
redeemed
through
him
we
have
redemption
the
forgiveness
of
sins
and
that
is
only
possible
because
of
Jesus
God
we
praise
you
for
that
and
we
ask
that
our
lives
would
be
marked
with
thanksgiving
for
what
you
have
done
in
Jesus
name
amen
will
you
stand
with
me
and
we're
just
going
to
end
up
just
end
with
this
thanking
Jesus
with
every
breath
sing
together
with
every
breath
I
long
to
follow
Jesus
for
he
has
said
that
he
will
bring
me
home
and
day
by
day
I
know
he
will
renew
me
until
I
stand
with
joy
before
the
throne
to
this
I
hold
my
hope
is
only
Jesus
all
glory
evermore
to
him
with
the
races
complete
still
my
lips
shall
repeat
yet
not
I
but
through
Christ
in
me
yet
not
I
yet
not
I
but
through
Christ
in
me
prayer
and
thanks
that
will
not
only
be
the
anthem
of
our
hearts
but
it
will
be
the
invitation
really
of
those
around
us
to
know
hey
there's
not
only
something
quite
profound
and
powerful
but
it's
something
maybe
that
I
can
have
too
may
our
lives
reflect
the
wonder
of
God
this
week
thanks
!
for
coming
God
bless
!
you
I
hope
to
see
!
night
come
tonight