Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / Walk Worthy of the Lord

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Walk Worthy of the Lord · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Well, if we could turn back together to a reading in the first chapter of Colossians.
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Colossians chapter 1.
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And we're going to look at in particular verse 9 to verse 12.
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Just read these verses again.
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Colossians chapter 1 at verse 9.
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And so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you,
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asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
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so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him,
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bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
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May you be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might,
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for all endurance and patience with joy,
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giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
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Paul here speaks about living a life pleasing to God,
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being filled in this manner, a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him.
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And it's that I want to focus on for a time this evening.
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It's been a time of firsts over these last few weeks for me and for you as a congregation,
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as it's a privilege to minister to you as a congregation on Sunday morning together,
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to start to see faces and to get to know people.
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And this evening is no less a privilege,
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our first time coming together in prayer in this way,
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we join together in prayer and worship.
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It's a delight always to worship God together.
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And as we seek to serve him together as a people,
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our focus can often be guided towards thinking about those who are outside of the church at the moment,
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those who are strangers to God's grace.
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It's a real burden we should have as a people when we know the great love of God towards us as a people,
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that we would have a longing and a desire that others would come and know that great love for themselves.
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We always pray that the lost will be found, that they will come to be saved.
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But together as a people, that shouldn't be our only desire.
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Of great importance too is that as a people,
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we seek to grow together in our own knowledge and understanding of the Lord,
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to come and understand more of his grace for ourselves,
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to understand more of his love towards us as a people.
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Because the more and the deeper our understanding,
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the more we are able to express that and to share it with others.
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So that is going to be our focus together as a people as well.
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We have a great burden for the lost.
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We will have a great burden for one another to grow in our knowledge and understanding of God
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and his love towards us through his son, Christ Jesus.
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And as we look at this passage this evening, as we look at Paul's letter to the Colossians,
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and indeed as you look at other parts of scripture where Paul writes to the church in different parts,
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whether it's in Ephesus or Philippi, Thessalonica,
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when you read through his letters, they've got a real sense of pastoring care towards his people,
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towards God's people.
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They are rich and deep in theology in so many ways,
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but it's a theology that the people long to grasp and to know more of.
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And so you see there's the two going hand in hand together
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to learn the depths of the riches that we have in Christ,
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but to do it in a way too, as we see with Paul,
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that shows a love and a pastoral care for the people,
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longing to take all along with them.
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And so it's good for us just to look at these letters and to learn of the riches,
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but also to learn the way in which we are to share of these riches together and with those around us.
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And he begins this letter by giving thanks,
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giving thanks for what has already taken place among the people of Colossae,
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how they have already come to faith and come to know the love of God.
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And the love that, as it says in verse four,
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that they have for all the saints as they have this hope laid up in heaven for them.
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He is giving thanks for everything that has happened in the past for them.
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He's giving thanks for what they are.
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And even as we come together here tonight,
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we're so thankful.
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And as the men were praying,
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they're thankful for ministries that have gone on.
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Thankful for everything that has happened here.
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Thankful for everyone here tonight and the work of the grace of God in your lives.
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For the faithfulness you have,
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for the desire that you have to show your love and worship towards the Lord.
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We're always thankful for what God has done.
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And as Paul is saying here,
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he begins with a sense of thanksgiving for what they are,
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what they have come to be through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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But then he goes on to speak about and pray for them in another way.
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And now he's praying more for what they will become.
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Because the Christian life is never one while we are here on earth that has an end point,
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where we say,
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we've made it.
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We've reached our goal.
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I've learned everything that I can possibly learn of the Lord and his love towards me.
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We will never come to that point.
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We will never reach that point in this life,
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where we say,
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that's it.
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I know everything there is to know of God.
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And so Paul is praying here for the people in Colossae,
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just as we should be praying as well,
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for what we will become.
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What has already been done for us in Christ,
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but also this desire to go on,
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to go on individually,
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to go on collectively,
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seeking to know more of this.
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And as he says here,
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it's knowing this in a way where we come to live a life in the manner worthy of the Lord,
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to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
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And perhaps we always,
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well,
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we ask ourselves from time to time,
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am I living a life,
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a walking in a manner worthy of God?
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Am I living a life pleasing to God?
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It's not just at a communion time that we're to ask these questions,
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to examine ourselves,
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but to do it on a regular basis,
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to examine our lives,
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to examine our hearts,
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and to ask ourselves,
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is my life showing that love of Christ?
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Am I living in a manner worthy of the Lord fully?
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He says here,
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fully pleasing him.
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And as soon as we ask that question,
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immediately,
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I'm sure your response is no,
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because that's an automatic reaction.
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When we think of a life worthy of the manner of the Lord,
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or fully pleasing him,
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we often know,
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I cannot.
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I cannot achieve that.
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And never am I living in that way.
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But he's not asking that question to make the people feel guilty.
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He's asking them that question to put a desire in their heart,
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to be a people who seek in all their strength,
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and in all God's strength,
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to live this kind of life.
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There are so many people in this world who would say,
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they're living good lives.
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And the danger with asking that question,
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with the wrong focus,
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when the focus is on self,
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is that we begin to say,
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judge ourselves by our own standards.
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There are things that we say we do,
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or there are things that we say that we don't do,
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and that that is what means that we are living a life pleasing to God.
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The things we do might be to say,
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I go to church.
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I pray.
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I give generously to the church.
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I help people.
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I help in the work on the cause of Christ.
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The things that we don't do,
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we could say,
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well,
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you know,
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I don't swear.
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I don't steal.
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I don't slander people.
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There are standards that we look at and we think,
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well,
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if we don't do this,
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or if we do do that,
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then I must be living a life pleasing to God.
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But the good as these things are,
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they are not in and of themselves what it is to live a life pleasing to God,
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because there is a danger in them.
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And the danger is spelled out for us in scripture,
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where it becomes,
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or it actually can become a bit self-righteous.
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And we become like the Pharisee in Luke's gospel in chapter 18.
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The Pharisee who was praying,
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and you will know about that time when the Pharisee stood up to pray.
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And he said this,
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he said,
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God,
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I thank you that I am not like other men,
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robbers,
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evildoers,
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adulterers,
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or even like this tax collector.
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As he looked beside him,
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he said,
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I fast twice a week.
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And I give a 10th of all that I get.
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And they are all commendable things.
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But what was the outcome of that time when the tax collector and the Pharisee both prayed?
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The tax collector prayed just a short prayer.
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Lord,
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have mercy on me,
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a sinner.
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And who went away right from God?
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I mean,
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people would look at the tax collector and say,
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he's not worthy.
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He's a wicked man.
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He steals.
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He does all of these things.
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This Pharisee is such a good man.
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He's done all of these good things,
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but God sees the heart.
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And who went away right with God?
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It was the tax collector.
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Because he asked mercy of God.
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He was looking away from himself to God,
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instead of looking within himself and saying,
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I have done this,
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but I haven't done that.
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And so we have to ask ourselves,
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as we're living a life pleasing,
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or seeking to live a life pleasing to God,
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are we depending on ourselves,
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or are we depending on God?
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And so Paul outlines for us here,
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in order to live and walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
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fully pleasing to him,
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he gives us an insight as to what it looks like.
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And there are four things,
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briefly,
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we just want to look at here,
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that he says in these verses,
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that show what a life pleasing to God is like.
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And that's what we see,
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as we go on through verse 10,
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down to verse 12.
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So as you look at verse 10,
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he says,
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to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
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fully pleasing to him,
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the first thing he comes to there is,
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bearing fruit in every good work.
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Bearing fruit in every good work.
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The chapter begins by outlining
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how Paul is seeing the people full
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in what they have already become.
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How they've become faithful
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in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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They know the grace and peace
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that comes from God.
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And now he's asking
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that they continue to be filled
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in this way,
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in order that they will live lives
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transformed,
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transformed by this grace,
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an ongoing transformation taking place,
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that they will please God.
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And in highlighting these positives here,
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it's a reminder of how we often think
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of these things in a negative way,
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ourselves as well.
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You just think of the words
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that Paul uses here,
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when he says about walking in a manner
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worthy and fully pleasing him,
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he is saying,
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you can please God.
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We can often get bogged down
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in all that we do wrong.
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In every way,
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we fail God
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and have a sense of guilt
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about this.
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And there are certain times
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where that is right,
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where that is good for us.
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We know we sin
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and fall short of the glory of God.
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But God never wants us
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to remain in that way,
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where our sins just weigh us down.
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God sent his son into this world
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that our sins might be forgiven,
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that we might be restored,
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that we might walk
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in a manner worthy of the Lord,
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pleasing him.
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He's saying,
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when you come into this relationship,
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you can go on in this strength,
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not weighed down,
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but rejoicing in the forgiveness
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of your sins.
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Paul,
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he does it in such a positive way,
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in a pastoral way.
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He brings his people,
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God's people on.
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He shows them their sin,
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but he doesn't leave them there.
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He lifts them up
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to show them
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what they have in Christ
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and what the works of Christ
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has prepared in advance
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for them to do.
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And so he shows them
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that you can rejoice in God
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and seek to live
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a life pleasing to him.
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And another thing is,
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we can often have a problem
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with the idea of pleasing God
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by bearing fruit,
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that it's more of
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the little that we've achieved
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for God.
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And again,
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you ask yourself
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the question,
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how has my life borne fruit?
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Maybe you say to us,
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I've not brought anyone
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to the Lord.
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My witness has been poor.
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I have failed
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in so many ways.
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I've done nothing.
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But again,
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that's not what Paul
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is getting at here
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when he says,
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bearing fruit
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in every good work.
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Paul is here speaking
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about a transformation
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that comes
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in the heart
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of the believer.
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As we go on
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in the strength
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of God,
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and we see this
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in verse six
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before we came
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to this section,
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he says that the gospel
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is bearing fruit
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and growing.
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And it's doing this
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in the whole world.
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It is bearing fruit
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and growing.
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Now,
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it's not to say
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that God
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is using people
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to convert others
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all the time.
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What he's saying
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in bearing fruit
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is that people
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are growing
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in their knowledge
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of God.
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People are going
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on in the strength
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of God.
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And since the day
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that the gospel
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came to Colossae,
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its ongoing work
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is transforming people.
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It is bearing fruit.
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The Christians
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are not staying still.
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What they understood
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when they were first believed,
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they're not still
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at that same point.
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It's just like
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when you're going
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through school.
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You don't stay
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in primary one forever.
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You learn the basics
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and you're building on it.
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You go through
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to secondary,
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you go to college
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or university.
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It's an ongoing
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learning experience.
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You leave university,
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you go into work,
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you're still learning.
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And that's
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the Christian life.
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We never stood still.
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The work
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of transformation,
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the work
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of God's grace
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in our hearts
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is always
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ongoing.
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We should see
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a transformation.
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We should be
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bearing fruit
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in this way.
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We should change
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and continue
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to change
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over time
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and mature
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as Christian brothers
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and sisters
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in Christ.
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So are we
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bearing fruit?
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Is that our longing
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to bear fruit,
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to go on
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learning
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with a hunger
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and a thirst
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for the things
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of God?
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Paul later on
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in another chapter
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in Galatians,
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he speaks of
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the works
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of the flesh
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and how they are
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evident.
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He speaks about
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sexual immorality,
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impurity,
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sensuality,
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idolatry,
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sorcery,
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enmity,
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strife,
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jealousy,
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fits of anger,
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rivalries,
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dissensions,
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divisions,
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all of these
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things.
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If you remain
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in all of these
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things,
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you're not living
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a life pleasing
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to God.
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You're not
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bearing fruit.
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But he says
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the fruit of the
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Spirit is love,
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joy,
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peace,
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patience,
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kindness,
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goodness,
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faithfulness,
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gentleness,
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self-control.
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is to long
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for these
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things in our
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lives,
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to bear fruit
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in that way
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of the love,
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joy,
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peace,
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patience,
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so on.
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So we want
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to bear fruit,
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not in the sense
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of all the
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works that we
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have done
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or seek to do
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or to help
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save other
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people.
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That's not what
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he's talking
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about.
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But every one
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of us can
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bear fruit
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in this hunger
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and thirst
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for righteousness
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and seeking
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to bear fruit
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as we grow
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and learn
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and develop
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together and
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mature as
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Christians,
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never reaching
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that point
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where we know
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it all,
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but always
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seeking day
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by day
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to go on
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with him.
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So there's
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bearing fruit,
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then he goes
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on to say
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increasing in
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the knowledge
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of God.
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And you see
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that they're
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very closely
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linked.
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But knowledge
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is often a
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key teaching
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in Paul's
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letters.
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In Romans
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1, he speaks
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about the
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rejection of
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knowledge as
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the root
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of evil.
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In Romans
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chapter 1,
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verse 28,
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he says,
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furthermore,
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since they
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did not
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think it
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worthwhile
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to retain
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the knowledge
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of God,
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he gave
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them over
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to a
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depraved
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mind to
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do what
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ought not
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to be
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done.
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They have
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become filled
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with every
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kind of
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wickedness.
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rejection of
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knowledge is
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not a
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life pleasing
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to God.
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And so a
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life pleasing
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to God is
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to grow in
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the knowledge
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of God,
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increasing in
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the knowledge
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of God.
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And again,
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you see how
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it's just
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closely linked
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to bearing
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fruit.
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The two
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go hand
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in hand.
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The more
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we know
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of God,
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the more
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we will
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bear fruit.
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If you're
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into gardening,
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if you like
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growing fruits
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of different
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kinds,
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you know,
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in order to
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bear fruit,
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you have to
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tend and
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water the
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plant.
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You can't
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just leave
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it to
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develop itself
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without
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tending to
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it.
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And the
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same is
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true for
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the Christian.
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In order
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to grow,
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in order
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to bear
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fruit,
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we have
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to increase
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in our
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knowledge
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of God.
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We have
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to feed
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our souls.
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We have
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to water
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our hearts.
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We need
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the fruit
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of the
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Lord in
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our hearts
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too.
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In a
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similar way
20:48
in
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Philippines,
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Paul writes
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very
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pastorally
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towards them
20:52
as well,
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and he
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says,
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it is my
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prayer that
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your love
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may abound
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more and
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more with
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knowledge
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and all
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discernment,
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so that you
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may approve
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what is
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excellent,
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and so be
21:03
pure and
21:03
blameless
21:04
for the
21:05
day of
21:05
Christ,
21:06
filled with
21:07
the fruit
21:07
of righteousness
21:08
that comes
21:09
through Jesus
21:10
Christ,
21:11
the glory
21:12
and praise
21:13
of God.
21:15
Do you
21:16
crave
21:17
this
21:18
knowledge?
21:20
Is that
21:20
what you
21:20
hunger for
21:21
day after
21:22
day,
21:23
to realize
21:24
this knowledge
21:24
and truly
21:25
be filled
21:26
to satisfaction
21:27
with it?
21:29
A lovely
21:29
story told
21:30
of a
21:31
little girl
21:32
in Wales
21:33
during the
21:33
18th century.
21:34
It was a
21:35
time of
21:35
great revival
21:36
in the
21:37
valleys in
21:37
Wales.
21:38
This
21:38
little girl
21:39
called
21:40
Mary
21:40
Jones.
21:42
She came
21:42
to faith
21:43
at the
21:44
age of
21:44
eight.
21:45
She lived
21:46
with her
21:46
family on
21:48
a farm
21:48
out in
21:49
the valleys
21:49
and in
21:50
order to
21:50
get near
21:51
to anybody
21:51
else,
21:52
she had
21:52
to walk
21:52
very often
21:53
a great
21:53
distance.
21:55
She loved
21:56
to hear
21:56
the word
21:57
of God,
21:58
but she
21:59
didn't have
22:00
a Bible
22:00
and they
22:00
didn't have
22:01
a Bible
22:01
in their
22:02
own home.
22:03
The nearest
22:03
one was
22:04
two miles
22:05
away at
22:06
another
22:06
farmhouse
22:07
and they
22:08
would often
22:08
as a
22:09
family be
22:09
found going
22:10
there just
22:11
to hear
22:11
the word
22:12
of God.
22:13
But even
22:13
as an
22:14
eight-year-old,
22:14
she decided
22:15
to start
22:16
saving to
22:17
buy her
22:18
own Bible.
22:19
And she
22:20
started just
22:21
collecting the
22:22
little money
22:22
that she
22:23
could day
22:24
after day,
22:25
week after
22:25
week,
22:26
year after
22:27
year.
22:28
She was
22:28
15 before
22:30
she could
22:31
finally afford
22:32
to buy a
22:33
Bible.
22:34
and in
22:35
order to
22:35
get the
22:36
Bible,
22:36
she had
22:36
to walk
22:37
barefoot
22:38
over the
22:39
hills 25
22:40
miles to
22:42
go and
22:42
buy this
22:43
Bible.
22:44
But her
22:45
longing,
22:45
her desire,
22:46
was to have
22:47
her own
22:47
copy of
22:49
the word
22:49
of God
22:50
and so
22:50
she bought
22:51
it.
22:53
Now today,
22:54
you can
22:55
download an
22:57
app on your
22:57
phone for
22:58
free.
22:59
In literally
23:00
seconds,
23:02
you can
23:02
have a
23:02
Bible on
23:03
your phone,
23:04
you can
23:04
have all
23:05
kinds of
23:05
Bible study
23:06
tools on
23:07
your phone,
23:07
your computer
23:08
or whatever.
23:10
We have
23:11
a plethora of
23:12
books we can
23:13
choose from
23:13
to feed our
23:15
souls and to
23:16
grow in
23:16
knowledge.
23:18
But what
23:19
use that if
23:20
we don't have
23:20
the desire of
23:21
Mary Jones,
23:23
a hunger
23:23
for the
23:24
knowledge of
23:26
God.
23:27
So may he
23:28
give us
23:28
that hunger
23:30
to increase
23:31
in the
23:32
knowledge of
23:33
God,
23:34
an appetite
23:35
and a
23:36
desire to
23:37
crave the
23:38
word of
23:38
God,
23:39
just like
23:40
Mary Jones.
23:42
The third
23:43
thing we see
23:44
here is that
23:45
we are being
23:45
strengthened.
23:47
May you be
23:48
strengthened with
23:49
all power
23:49
according to
23:51
his glorious
23:52
might.
23:55
God gives
23:57
us the
23:58
strength to
23:59
go on.
24:00
God gives
24:01
us the
24:02
strength to
24:03
do it.
24:03
God gives
24:04
us the
24:04
strength to
24:05
do it.
24:05
We sometimes
24:05
have to be
24:06
reminded of
24:07
it.
24:08
We don't
24:08
go on in
24:10
our own
24:10
strength.
24:12
To live a
24:12
life pleasing
24:13
to God is a
24:14
realization that
24:15
we are
24:16
dependent on
24:17
him.
24:19
But again,
24:19
Paul is giving
24:20
us a reminder
24:21
here that if
24:22
God asks us
24:23
to do
24:23
something,
24:24
he will give
24:25
us the grace
24:25
to do it.
24:26
He will give
24:27
us the
24:28
strength to
24:29
do it.
24:30
God doesn't
24:30
say I
24:31
will leave
24:31
you weak.
24:33
I won't
24:34
give you
24:34
a hunger.
24:36
He says if
24:37
you will come
24:38
to me, I
24:39
will give you
24:39
the strength.
24:41
I will give
24:42
you the grace.
24:43
I will give
24:44
you the power.
24:46
May you be
24:46
strengthened, he
24:47
says, with
24:48
all power
24:49
according to
24:51
his glorious
24:52
might.
24:54
Not ours,
24:54
but God's.
24:57
That is the
24:58
power that is
24:59
complete.
25:00
It's all
25:01
power.
25:03
And God
25:03
has this
25:04
power to
25:04
give to
25:05
you.
25:06
So that as
25:07
we seek to
25:08
bear fruit,
25:09
as we seek
25:10
to increase
25:10
in the
25:11
knowledge,
25:12
God can
25:12
strengthen and
25:13
does strengthen
25:14
us in this
25:15
way with all
25:17
power.
25:18
Again, just to
25:19
go to another
25:20
letter of
25:20
Paul, a
25:22
pastor letter
25:23
to the
25:23
Ephesians.
25:25
In chapter
25:26
one, he
25:26
says in
25:27
verse 18,
25:28
having the
25:28
eyes of
25:29
your hearts
25:30
enlightened,
25:31
that you
25:31
may know
25:32
what is the
25:32
hope to
25:33
which he
25:33
has called
25:34
you, what
25:34
are the
25:35
riches of
25:35
his glorious
25:36
inheritance in
25:37
the saints,
25:38
and what is
25:39
the immeasurable
25:40
greatness of
25:41
his power
25:41
toward us
25:42
who believe.
25:45
God gives
25:46
power and
25:48
grace to
25:49
his people
25:49
as they
25:50
have need.
25:52
So that
25:52
unlike the
25:53
Pharisee who
25:55
prayed in
25:56
his own
25:56
strength,
25:57
who felt
25:58
he was
25:58
strong,
26:00
but was
26:00
so weak,
26:01
that's not
26:02
the strength
26:03
that he
26:03
gives,
26:04
it's the
26:05
strength that
26:05
he gave to
26:06
the tax
26:06
collector,
26:08
the sinner,
26:09
to go away
26:09
justified and
26:10
right before
26:11
God.
26:12
As we come
26:13
weak before
26:14
him, he
26:15
gives us his
26:16
perfect strength
26:18
to go on.
26:20
This is a
26:21
young church,
26:22
the church
26:22
at Colossae,
26:23
the God's
26:24
people, young
26:25
in the faith
26:25
and facing
26:26
many trials
26:27
and temptations,
26:29
but he is
26:30
saying, Paul
26:31
is saying
26:31
through God,
26:32
God through
26:33
Paul saying
26:33
to them,
26:34
the Lord
26:35
will give
26:35
you strength.
26:38
You may
26:38
know his
26:39
power according
26:40
to his
26:41
glorious might
26:42
for all
26:43
endurance and
26:45
patience.
26:45
he will
26:47
give as
26:48
you have
26:49
need.
26:50
And so
26:50
that is
26:51
true for
26:52
ourselves as
26:52
we go
26:53
forward to
26:54
know his
26:56
glorious
26:56
strength and
26:58
the hope
26:58
that he
26:59
gives to
26:59
his people.
27:01
Living a
27:02
life pleasing
27:03
to God is
27:04
being in
27:05
Christ, as
27:07
Paul wrote
27:09
at the start
27:09
of this
27:10
letter in
27:12
verse 2,
27:13
to the saints
27:14
and faithful
27:14
brothers,
27:15
in Christ
27:17
at Colossae.
27:19
That is the
27:20
kind of people
27:21
we are to
27:21
be rooted
27:23
in Christ,
27:25
in the
27:26
vine, as
27:27
John in
27:28
his gospel
27:28
describes,
27:29
there bearing
27:30
fruit through
27:32
him.
27:33
So we are
27:34
to know
27:35
and seek
27:36
the power
27:37
of his
27:38
glorious
27:39
might for
27:39
all patience
27:41
and endurance.
27:43
Finally,
27:44
and just very
27:44
briefly here,
27:45
the fourth
27:45
thing he
27:46
says is,
27:47
with joy
27:49
and giving
27:50
thanks to
27:51
the Father
27:52
who has
27:53
qualified you
27:54
to share
27:54
in the
27:55
inheritance of
27:56
the saints
27:56
in light.
27:59
How often
28:00
are we full
28:01
of thanks
28:02
to God?
28:03
God, how
28:05
easy it is
28:06
for us to
28:06
go and
28:07
complain about
28:08
things.
28:09
It's easy.
28:11
It's second
28:11
nature to
28:12
us sometimes
28:13
just to
28:14
complain and
28:15
to grumble
28:15
about things
28:16
in this
28:17
life.
28:18
But if that's
28:19
all we do,
28:20
we lose
28:21
our joy.
28:22
We lose
28:23
our joy and
28:24
we lose it
28:25
very quickly.
28:26
God, how
28:27
do we
28:27
do?
28:28
He's telling
28:28
us that
28:29
we're to
28:29
go on,
28:31
trusting as
28:31
we're looking
28:32
at on Sunday
28:32
morning,
28:33
trusting the
28:34
Lord, delighting
28:35
in the Lord,
28:36
and all of
28:36
these things.
28:38
It's a very
28:38
similar reminder
28:39
that we are
28:41
giving thanks
28:42
to the
28:42
Father, that
28:44
everything that
28:44
we do,
28:46
everything that
28:46
we do, we
28:47
recognize it's
28:48
from God,
28:49
and that we
28:49
remember to
28:50
come back and
28:51
give thanks
28:52
to God.
28:56
It will
28:57
affect us in
28:58
how we bear
28:58
fruit, it'll
29:00
affect our
29:01
growth and
29:01
knowledge, it'll
29:03
affect our
29:04
strength in the
29:04
Lord if we do
29:05
everything with
29:06
a grumbling
29:07
spirit.
29:09
But if we
29:10
seek to do
29:10
everything,
29:12
joyfully giving
29:13
thanks to the
29:14
Lord, I know
29:15
so good and
29:15
refreshing as we
29:16
hear, praying
29:18
together and
29:19
just being
29:19
reminded of
29:20
all that we
29:21
have together.
29:22
thanks for.
29:24
Every blessing
29:25
that we have
29:26
from the hand
29:27
of God who
29:28
has blessed
29:29
us so much,
29:32
and above
29:33
all, how we
29:34
are blessed
29:35
through his
29:36
beloved Son,
29:38
who has
29:39
brought us
29:40
from darkness
29:41
into his
29:43
glorious light.
29:46
Again, it
29:47
just comes
29:47
back to
29:48
fixing our
29:49
eyes on
29:50
Jesus.
29:52
making sure
29:53
that we
29:54
are doing
29:54
everything in
29:55
his will
29:56
and by
29:57
his strength.
30:00
God is a
30:02
God who
30:03
has richly
30:04
blessed, and
30:06
so may we
30:06
joy and
30:08
delight in
30:09
him.
30:10
There was a
30:11
book I once
30:11
read on the
30:12
study of the
30:13
gospel of
30:14
Luke, and
30:16
there was a
30:16
quote in that
30:17
book that said
30:18
this, when
30:19
we locate our
30:20
joy in our
30:22
holy and
30:23
loving God,
30:24
our joy can
30:25
always be out
30:27
of reach of
30:27
anything that
30:29
would seek to
30:30
harm us.
30:32
Locating our
30:33
joy in our
30:35
holy and
30:35
loving God
30:36
can take us
30:38
to be out of
30:38
reach of
30:39
anything that
30:40
would seek to
30:41
harm us.
30:42
love us.
30:43
Now, that's
30:44
not to say
30:44
that there's
30:46
nothing that
30:47
ever goes
30:48
wrong in
30:48
our life, but
30:50
we know that
30:52
whatever comes
30:53
our way, that
30:54
we have our
30:56
joy in the
30:57
Lord who
30:58
always sustains
31:00
us.
31:01
As Paul said
31:02
to the
31:02
Philippians,
31:03
rejoice in
31:04
the Lord
31:05
always.
31:06
Again, I
31:07
will say,
31:09
rejoice.
31:09
Keep your
31:11
joy in
31:13
the Lord.
31:13
Let us
31:14
rejoice
31:14
together in
31:16
our loving
31:16
Saviour and
31:18
seek to
31:18
live a
31:19
life pleasing
31:20
to him as
31:22
we endeavour
31:23
to grow in
31:24
our knowledge
31:25
and our
31:26
understanding
31:28
of him.
31:30
That together
31:31
we would
31:31
grow and
31:33
the more we
31:33
grow, that
31:34
we would share
31:35
with one
31:36
another and
31:37
then share
31:38
with those
31:39
who have
31:40
nothing of
31:41
this knowledge
31:41
and understanding
31:42
of him.
31:44
The two
31:45
again go
31:46
hand in
31:47
hand, a
31:48
longing to
31:49
know God
31:50
and a
31:51
longing for
31:52
others to
31:53
know God.
31:55
So may God
31:55
bless us and
31:57
help us to
31:58
that end.
32:00
We're going
32:02
to
32:02
do
32:03
your
32:14
to
32:14
to
32:15
to
32:16
you