[0:00] to note. Now let's pray again. Our Heavenly Father we thank you for this your day and we thank you for the wonder of all that we have been able to sing just in these last moments.
[0:27] We thank you that we come here this morning and we come into your presence. We come into the house of the Lord. We come as your people Lord. One small part of the church of Christ but we come with the assurance that the risen Saviour the Lord Jesus will be with us because we're two or three gather in his name. His assurance is that he will presence himself amongst us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[1:00] So we thank you Lord for that assurance and we pray that we may know and that we may see and feel within ourselves the work of the Holy Spirit.
[1:11] Not by might not by power but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty. And Lord we acknowledge that the work that is done within us is a work of the Holy Spirit.
[1:26] As we see our sin and we feel the weight of our sin we know that this is not something that we have learned in our own strength or our own insight.
[1:37] It's the work of the Holy Spirit. And as our eyes are lifted from the bleakness of our own condition to see Jesus the Saviour we thank you that this is the work of the Holy Spirit.
[1:51] And when we sing with Wesley and can it be that I should gain an interest in the Saviour's blood died he for me that I should gain.
[2:02] Lord God we know that this is a work of the Holy Spirit. So we pray that by your Spirit you would be at work amongst each of us this morning.
[2:14] If there are those here who have not yet had their eyes opened to see the glory of Christ and the desperate need that we have of him we pray that they would see this morning that the Spirit would awaken and give that vision.
[2:30] And Lord for those of us who are in Christ we pray that you would be at work in us Lord that we would be more and more shaped and moulded into the image the character of Christ.
[2:43] Christ. So save Lord the lost we pray and sanctify and work on those whom you have found. We thank you that your promise is that when you begin a work in us you will not give up on us but you see that work through to completion.
[3:01] So work in us and amongst us Lord we pray for your glory and for our salvation. We thank you Lord for the gospel message that we've sung.
[3:12] we thank you for the opportunities that you give us to gather together to meditate upon these things. We thank you for your word and we pray that you would stir our hearts as we read it that we would clearly see Jesus and all that he has done for us.
[3:28] We thank you Lord that we still live in a country where we're able to reach out with the gospel message and we pray that you would help us to do so. We pray for the work of the holiday club this week.
[3:40] we thank you for it and we ask Lord that you would help us in all that we would seek to do in obedience to the commission that you've given us to go out and take this message about Jesus to the whole world.
[3:55] Help us to take this message to the community of North Harris at this time. And Lord we ask that you would draw the children Lord those who are here and their friends those who are visiting Lord as they see the sign that they would come and that there would be a good number of children come to hear the news about Jesus.
[4:18] We ask that you would open their hearts and we pray that you would make it possible for them to come that you would work in the hearts of their parents and grandparents Lord that we would see this church filled with young people and Lord that they would not be hindered but that they would come to Jesus as he desired and he has made clear to us as well.
[4:40] So help us we pray with the holiday club be with all those who will lead help them in the dramas and in the games and in the crafts and in the Bible teaching and in the praises that in everything Jesus would be lifted up and many would be drawn to him.
[4:57] We pray for Brendan we thank you for him and for him sharing that news with us. We pray that you would help him as he goes to Glasgow and as he begins to work for the navigators that you would enable him in your strength to go and to make disciples of Jesus.
[5:16] Lord we pray that you would help him as he reads your word and as he shares it as he prays with people and as people pray with him Lord that you may use him to reach many who are still lost and Lord that you would encourage him and sanctify him be near to him as he ministers in obedience to your call.
[5:37] We pray for the work of the gospel right through the world. We think of the children that Peggy was alongside over these last few days in Romania and we thank you for her being back safe with us today but we pray for the children.
[5:51] We ask Lord that the work that was done within them would continue Lord that they would come to know and to trust in Jesus. And for those that we'll hear of Lord on mission in different countries we ask Father that everyone that we know of that we're connected with that whatever the gospel message is preached Lord that you would add your blessing and that you would build your church.
[6:17] So we pray now that you would hear our prayers. We confess Lord our sin but we thank you that you are a God of mercy as we have sung so often in that hymn. We thank you that you do not give us the punishment that our sin deserves but you show us your amazing grace that was made available to us in and through Christ.
[6:37] So help us we pray to receive that grace. Enable us to be in the spirit to be truly worshipping you as we sin. And Lord we pray that you would open our ears as we read your word just shortly that you would be amongst us we pray.
[6:54] Be with those who like to be here but who are ill and who are housebound and who have different responsibilities that cause them to be away. Lord we ask that you would bless them and minister to them where they are and be with those who have opportunity to be here but have no desire at present.
[7:12] And we ask Lord that you would awaken a soul thirst for Christ and that we would see them back amongst us in the future weeks. So hear our prayers and take away our sin.
[7:24] We ask all this in Jesus name and for his sake. Amen. Boys and girls would you like to come forward please? You can come forward as well.
[7:43] If you want to I won't force you. Over you come. There's some who have just come back to their seats. Do you want to come over Caitlin, Emma, Andrew?
[7:54] Come over. That would be a no. How's everyone today? I can't see.
[8:05] If you come over here this way just so I can see you properly that would be good. Some of you are in your holidays. Are you enjoying your holidays?
[8:16] What have you been doing on your holidays so far? Anything interesting? Yes? Tell me. You what?
[8:27] You went on a mini tour of Europe. I went on a mini tour of Europe. Wheel, wheel, wheel. A mini tour of Europe. And you went in a helicopter. Yes.
[8:37] And went wheel, wheel, wheel. Was it exciting? Yes. That's good. Anything else? Well, something to show you today.
[8:50] I won't put the photograph up yet. For those who know, don't answer in our family. But, does anybody know what this is?
[9:06] What's this? Will I show them as well? See that? You know what that is? Katie, you bring your hand up a wee bit.
[9:25] It's a collar. Yes, it's a collar. What kind of a collar? Pardon? It's a tweed collar. Yes. It's a dog collar.
[9:38] That's right. It's a dog collar. Now, what on earth would I be doing with a dog collar? Some people have been asking, what on earth is he doing without a dog collar?
[9:54] We're not going to have that discussion just now. What on earth am I doing? Do I have a dog? Yes. No. What on earth am I doing with a dog collar?
[10:07] That's the question. So, you've seen the dog collar and now I've got a picture to show you. So, you get back a bit here so you can see the screen.
[10:24] Now, we'll put a bit of pressure on Andrew. Look at that. Who's that? What do you think?
[10:36] Why am I showing you that picture? And why have I got a dog collar in my hand? really? That dog is lost. That dog is lost?
[10:46] No. That dog's not lost. That dog is being looked after just now. It's down between Perth and Dundee actually.
[10:59] What's it got to do with us? No. What do you think? No. No. Are you getting it? Are we getting it? What do you think?
[11:12] We're getting a dog. We're getting a dog. He hasn't got a name yet. You can maybe think about names to cause even more fights in the house.
[11:24] But we're getting a dog, hopefully, in the next two and a half weeks. And I just thought I would tell you that today. Why are we getting a dog?
[11:35] Well, I tell you why we're getting a dog. Well, I tell you why we're getting a dog. Because there's three girls there and there's one girl in particular and every single day for weeks and months and years she kept asking, Dad, can I get a dog?
[12:03] Can I get a dog? Can I get a dog? Can I get a dog? And I would say, no, we can't have a dog. Please, can we get a dog? No, we can't have a dog. Please, can we get a dog?
[12:15] And she kept on going, and she kept on going, and she kept on going. And eventually, when my sister got a dog just the same as that one, and I saw how cute he was, and how he was quite a little thing when you could take him around the house, and he didn't cause too much trouble, you could take him on your holidays with you, all that kind of thing.
[12:39] I thought, I wonder, should I? I started to think, should I? No, no, no, no, no. Dad, can we get a dog? No? No? No? Are you thinking about it?
[12:51] No, I am not. Can we get a dog? Can we get a dog? Can we get a dog? And eventually, it was on Tuesday of this week, I phoned up the lady, and I said, okay, can we have your dog, please?
[13:05] So, in a couple of weeks, I'll go down, and I'll hopefully pick up this dog up. Why am I telling you this? Grace, I'm telling you this because it was actually Grace that asked the most.
[13:20] She asked, and she asked, and she asked, and she asked, and she never, never, never gave up. And that's something that we can kind of learn from.
[13:31] Jesus, listen to this verse in Luke chapter 18. Jesus taught his disciples they should pray always and not give up.
[13:44] Jesus taught us that we should pray, and we should pray, and we should pray, and we should pray, and we shouldn't give up. Sometimes I think we give up far too easily.
[13:58] Sometimes, put your hand up if you've ever been praying for one of your friends. Put your hand up if you pray for some of your friends, adults too, maybe some of your families, and you're praying, Lord, would you please help them to believe, would you help them to see Jesus.
[14:18] Maybe you're asking them to come to church, and you're praying that they're going to come to church, and then you get a chance one day in school, and you say, do you want to come to the holiday club? And they say, no, I'm not going, and it's just silly, don't ask.
[14:33] And that kind of hurts us. And sometimes that kind of thing, it stops us from praying. We give up, we think, oh, what's the use? We might have a brother, or a sister, or a mum, or a dad, or a shenna, or a granny, and they don't seem to believe, and we want them to believe.
[14:54] And so we pray for them. And they don't seem to show any signs that they're going to believe. But Jesus says, don't give up. Keep praying, keep praying, keep praying.
[15:07] God loves us. Do you believe that? God loves us. How do we know he loves us? What did he do to show us how much he loved us?
[15:20] What did he do to show us how much he loved us? He died on the cross for us. That's how much he wants us to come to him, and to know him, and to believe in him, and to be with him.
[15:33] And he wants us to take the people that we love to him in prayer, day after day, after day, after day, and never, ever give up.
[15:46] You know, there's some people in this church today, and they had parents who prayed for them day after day, after day, after day. They never gave up.
[15:59] And some of these parents are now in heaven, and they never saw their little boy, or their older boy, or girl, come to Jesus. And yet, after they died, their little boy came to Jesus.
[16:16] So even after some people who've been praying all their lives have gone to heaven, the prayers that they've prayed in their lives are still working. And God has sent to the people who've been prayed for, come to me, come to me, come to me.
[16:31] So never give up. Grace never gave up asking for a dog. And eventually, Mary and I said, okay, we'll get a dog. God is much kinder and more loving than me.
[16:43] He loves to hear our prayers, and he loves to bring our friends to himself. So let's keep praying, and we'll pray just now.
[16:53] Lord God, we thank you for the boys and girls who are here today. We thank you that you love them, and that you're calling them to come close to you, and to trust you, and we pray that each one of them would.
[17:09] We pray for some of their friends who the boys and girls want to see coming to church, and they might even have asked to come to church, and they might even have been laughed at for asking.
[17:21] But Lord, we pray that you'd help us not to give up asking our friends, and not to give up asking you to work in the hearts of our friends. So we pray for our friends, we pray for some of our family, those who haven't yet trusted you, those who don't look like they're going to trust you anytime soon, and yet you can change all that in a single second.
[17:44] So we pray, and we pray, and we pray, Lord, and we ask that you would help us never to stop praying. And so that more and more people would come to know you.
[17:56] And we ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen. We're going to sing now from Psalm 51. Psalm 51, and from verses 1 to verse 4.
[18:11] You know one of the prayers that Jesus taught before we sing this? You might say, I don't know how to pray, I don't know words to say, I don't know what to pray. You know one of the prayers that Jesus taught us to pray is a prayer that a man prayed who was so sad about how much of a mess he was making of his life.
[18:31] And he prayed just this, he said, have mercy on me, a sinner. And if we want to become Christians, that's what we pray. Lord, have mercy on me.
[18:44] Save me from my sin. And David in this psalm, that's what he's praying. He's asking for forgiveness. Psalm 51, verses 1 to 4. After thy loving kindness, Lord, have mercy upon me, for thy compassion is great.
[18:59] Blot out, wash all my iniquity. Me cleanse from sin and thoroughly wash from all my iniquity. That's sin. For my transgressions, my sin I confess, my sin I ever see.
[19:12] And as David prays this, we know that God hears and he forgets. And we pray this as well as we sing together. Let's stand to sing. Psalm 51, verses 1 to 4.
[19:23] Amen. After thy loving kindness, Lord, have mercy upon me.
[19:39] For thy compassion take blood out all mine iniquity.
[19:57] We cleanse from sin and holy wash from mine iniquity.
[20:11] For my conscience I confess my sin I ever see.
[20:29] Against thee only have sin in thy sight unlessed ill.
[20:44] Not when thou speech thou mayst be just and clear in judging still.
[20:59] Okay, boys and girls, if you head through to Sandy Scroaches now, please. We have a character.
[21:13] And we love characters. We're going to read now from God's Word, Colossians chapter 1. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[21:23] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Colossians chapter 1, and we read through from verse 1 to verse 14.
[21:39] This is God's Word. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother, to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae, grace and peace to you from God, our Father, we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we pray for you because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints, the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you've already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.
[22:21] All over the world, this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace and all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf and who also told us of your love in the spirit.
[22:42] For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
[23:19] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
[23:34] Amen. And may God bless that reading of his word to us. I think Neil Cameron is coming now to lead us in prayer and gather. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[23:44] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[23:54] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[24:05] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[24:15] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.то sun sap sub in our devices then by yaşarlment on our not only liveughir us음 in our sin is gone in our place that is set, and in our Canaan my HIS is to claim that the Daily tip is has meant for him sing and my fingers through my mouth again so the other jams and you~!
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[26:30] And I took my own my own buries and were으 Come on, Lord of times.
[26:54] Come back, répond from us.
[27:09] Advoz iz...! scenes cu ensures unчас assist ams varsic as Hello obviously, marshmallow, goodwill.
[27:54] Sorry about it foreigners.
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[29:01] God! God! God!
[29:12] I went to Jerusalem. God! God! Ete-toome. ...
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[30:49] Amen. We sing again to God's praise. We sing again to Psalm 51.
[31:02] And we sing two verses, two stanzas of that Psalm in Gaelic. Verses 9 to 12 as it's marked in the hymn book here. All my iniquities blot out thy face high from my sin.
[31:15] Create a clean heart, Lord, in your thy spirit me within. Cast me not from thy sight, nor take thy Holy Spirit away. Restore me thy salvation's joy with thy free spirit me.
[31:27] These verses in Gaelic, to God's praise. We remain seated to sin in Gaelic. This book has been referred to by Veroos. Amen.
[31:37] It is written to me and센 which saw babies from her eyes on him. pf O, Gryuša, Jemoj, jak renišmu, Lihka dvojčmu, O, jak renišmu, Lihka odkla njšnvek,
[32:38] Vyjekla njšnvek, Vyjeklujčana, Mekljeklujana, Jej, klujčana, Vyjeklujčana, Vyjeklujčana, Vyjeklujčana, Vyjeklujčana, Vyjeklujčana, Vyjeklujčana, ciao ?
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[34:25] If you could turn on your Bibles please to Colossians chapter 1. Let's pray for a moment as we go there.
[34:36] Lord God we pray that as we read your word and as we take a few moments to meditate upon it. That you would restore to us the joy of your salvation of us in Christ.
[34:49] We pray that each one of us would know that we are saved in Christ. And if there's anyone here who has not yet put their faith in Jesus as the Colossians did.
[35:03] We ask that even during this short time there would be those who would pray as we've prayed. Lord have mercy upon me sinner. So Lord work by your spirit we pray.
[35:16] Do a mighty work within us for your glory. And we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. It was a Monday night of last week.
[35:31] We had visitors staying with us. A couple of visitors. And they arrived when Mary and I were out. I was out at Deacon's Court here on Monday evening.
[35:44] And Mary was out at the ladies Bible study. And the girls because we were both out had to come to the church. And they sat somewhere through the back there watching DVD.
[35:54] But they always kind of had one eye and ear on what was going on in the rest of the place. And when we got home one of the gentlemen that was with us said, You know what was it you were doing?
[36:08] I said I was at Deacon's Court. He knew about that. Deacon's Court. I know what that is. Mary. She was at a ladies Bible study. And he says, oh right. He says, what exactly do you do at the ladies Bible study?
[36:21] And quinks a flash. Grace answered. And she said, they eat cake, drink tea and laugh. What do you do at ladies Bible study?
[36:32] Eat cake, drink tea and laugh. Grace said it. Not me. But there's a plug for your ladies Bible study. You want to eat cake, drink tea and laugh. Bible study is the place for you.
[36:43] You know you're disqualified. But I know that that's not all they do. And this is a group of ladies that have met for many, many years now.
[36:54] I don't know how many years you've been meeting for. But I know that over the years, as they've met to open God's word and study together, they've also met to pray.
[37:07] And they have a book at the ladies Bible study that I've never seen. And in that book, they have the names of people that they have been praying for.
[37:18] And there's some who they began to pray for years ago. And at the time they began to pray, they were people who were miles away from God. Living a life which was very different to the life of a believer.
[37:31] And yet this morning, some of them are sitting here. As those who are saved. Those who are Christians.
[37:42] Those who are believers. And the point is, God hears prayer. He seeks and he saves many of the people who are on our prayer lists.
[37:56] But once they're saved, we shouldn't stop praying for them. I don't know what the ladies Bible study book looks like.
[38:09] But I hope when someone comes to faith, they don't get struck off the list. I hope you keep on praying for them. We shouldn't stop praying for each other.
[38:20] We should keep each other on our prayer lists and pray on. And that's the first point from this passage this morning. The first point is, Paul teaches us through this section that we're looking at, to pray on.
[38:37] To pray on. That's what Paul and Timothy were doing here. We're looking really at verses 9 through to verse 14 this morning. They were praying on and assuring the Colossians of their ongoing prayers in this letter.
[38:52] Now the Colossians, as we began to think about last Sunday, they were a good news story. There was much to be encouraged by about the church in Colossae. They were people, verse 4, who had come to faith in Christ Jesus.
[39:05] They were those, verse 4, who by reputation had a love for all the saints. They were bright. They were lovely, loving people. They were those, verse 5, who had the hope of heaven.
[39:20] And when we have the hope of heaven, that changes the way that we live on earth. They were showing all the bright signs of being an authentic church of Jesus Christ.
[39:32] And Paul had heard all this through Epaphras, who had made that long 1,300-mile journey to see Paul in Rome, to tell him the news of this church.
[39:45] So when Paul heard all these encouragements, what did he say? How did he respond to that? Did he say to Timothy, well, Timothy, we can knock the church of Colossae off our prayer lists, because they're doing absolutely fine.
[40:00] There's so much to be thankful for, but we don't need to focus on them and pray anymore. No, Paul says in verse 9, after hearing all the encouragements of the opening verses, he says in verse 9, Paul was praying on for the Colossians.
[40:27] Matthew Henry says he heard that they were good, and he prayed that they might be better. When someone comes to faith in Christ, we must pray on for them.
[40:42] We have the example here of Paul and Timothy to pray on for those who have come to faith in Christ. Of course we pray for those who are not yet saved.
[40:54] We must pray for those who are not yet saved. We must keep on praying for those who are not yet saved. But when people are saved, when they come to faith in Christ, pray on for them.
[41:07] John MacArthur says knowledge that others are progressing in the faith should never lead us to stop praying for them. Rather, it should encourage prayer for greater progress.
[41:21] So that's the first point. Simple, it's easy for us to remember. But we need to not just remember it, but to take hold of it. And to obey this.
[41:35] We need to pray on. And we can think about that, not just about in terms of the individuals. That's a lesson I think we have to take really seriously as a church.
[41:46] Paul was praying for the church in Colossae. Now I've been so conscious of how prayerful so many have been over recent years here. You have been through, we have been through together some difficult times.
[42:04] Times of separation. There have been times where we have been hugely uncertain about the future. There have been some weeks where we didn't know that we have a place to meet the following week.
[42:14] There has been much in the way of uncertainty and anxious moments. And that stirs us to pray.
[42:27] And so I've been so conscious of how much people have been praying that God would help us and protect us and provide for us. And he has. For which we're so thankful.
[42:42] But now is not the time to neglect prayer. Now is the time to pray on. To be encouraged.
[42:55] To pray on. What does Paul pray for the Colossians? It's easy to say to someone, I'm praying for you.
[43:05] Paul, he tells the Colossians that he's praying for them. But he also gives them an insight into what he's praying for them. How he's praying for them. And so we're given a guide as to how we are to pray through this letter.
[43:19] So what does he pray for? He prays first of all for wisdom. Verse 9. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.
[43:33] And asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. How can we be wise and have understanding?
[43:51] How can we know God's will? Well, it's through his word. The Bible. This is how God reveals his will to us.
[44:02] This is how we are given spiritual knowledge. It's not something that stirs up within our hearts. It's not something that we can learn through academic exercises in our heads.
[44:14] To have wisdom and to have understanding, we must be in God's word. Let's use the word, the Bible. I remember being in an assembly debate in years gone by.
[44:31] The point that was being debated, whatever it was. The biblical position had been put over by someone in the court of the church.
[44:43] There was one old elder. I'll never forget him. So picture him. And he had a ferocious objection to what was clearly the biblical position.
[44:53] And he was off his feet. He was at the microphone. And he had his papers and he was shaking them furiously as he said it. And he kept saying, yes, we know what the Bible says about this.
[45:05] We know what the Bible says about that. But we know better. So let's have the courage to say, we know better. Let's be wise in our modern day, he was saying.
[45:21] Let's move on from these oversimplistic truths of another era. Let's say we know better. Let's show that we have understanding. Now, in Colossae, the same thing was happening.
[45:35] It was a bit more subtle. There weren't people standing up furiously saying, we know better. But there were people who were in the church and they were saying, we know more.
[45:49] Yes, you think you have the truth that Paul's been preaching. That the path of this has passed on to us. Yes, we're not disagreeing with this, but we know more.
[46:01] That's what they were saying. We have some top-up teaching. You need to take hold of this. Yes, we think Jesus is important. But they were saying, we live in a pluralistic place.
[46:17] There's many religions, many spiritual gurus. Let's import some of these into the church. Let's not disqualify Christ, but let's set some other spiritual giants alongside Christ.
[46:28] What's the harm in that? And Paul sees all the harm that is in that. And Paul is praying in this prayer that the Colossians will see through this false teaching, that this false teaching will have no traction in this young new church that God was blessing.
[46:49] He prays that they'll be wise. He prays that they'll stick to God's word, that they will not drift from the gospel of Jesus.
[47:00] He prays for wisdom. And this is not hard for us to apply to ourselves.
[47:11] Who are we to be? We're to be Bible people. We're not to neglect the Bible. I think we know better in any area of life.
[47:24] We're not to drift from the Bible. We're not to lose confidence in the Bible when the Bible is so much under attack today. Some of you might have read in the newspapers last week, I think, that there's a campaign to have the Bible and to have the symbol of the cross removed from some chapels where there are funerals because it's deemed to be in breach of equality legislation, some are arguing.
[47:51] It's deemed to be an offence to some who are atheistic. Why should they have to come in to a funeral service to pay their respects and see a Bible? Why should they be directed to a cross?
[48:04] And Paul's prayer is that the Colossians would not drift from the Bible. They would not lose confidence in the Bible. They would not lose courage to stand firm.
[48:18] And that's the challenge for us. In an ever-increasingly hostile day to the gospel, to the Bible, to the message of the cross, if we are going to be wise, then we need to stick to God's word.
[48:36] The word in verse 9, Paul prays there that they will be filled with the knowledge of his will. The Greek word there is the word pleiro, which means completely filled or totally controlled.
[48:52] That's Paul's prayer for them. Not that they'll just have a wee nip of God's word day by day with a cup of coffee in the morning, but that they will be completely filled with God's word.
[49:09] Romans 12.2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will.
[49:26] Our minds are renewed. Our lives are transformed by knowing and living by God's will. He has revealed that to us, not in the stars of the sky, not in the movements of our stomach, but in the clear instruction of scripture.
[49:48] So Paul encourages the Colossians, as he says he's praying on for them. He's praying for wisdom for them. The third thing we note here is he's praying for worthy lives.
[50:04] Verse 10. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way.
[50:16] I want to pause for a minute here. And maybe not address this point directly. We may address this point more so in the next point, which will become clear in a moment, hopefully. So, Paul prays for worthy lives.
[50:29] I intimated a few minutes ago that we're looking forward to the communion season. And what I fear is that some people may take a verse like this and misunderstand it, and it becomes a roadblock for some.
[50:47] This is the kind of verse that gets pulled out of the hat at communion season, as people say, well, I'm not worthy to go to the Lord's table. Yes, I hear the call.
[50:58] Yes, I hear the invitation. Yes, I see the cross. I understand what Jesus did. Yes, I believe that he died for me. Yes, I've asked for forgiveness of my sin. Yes, I've trusted Christ as Savior.
[51:11] But I can't go to the table because I'm not worthy to go to the table. Now, is Paul in this section here giving them a tick list of behaviour patterns that they have to follow, and if they follow them well enough, they then become somehow worthy?
[51:29] No, he's not. Paul is writing, verse 2, to those who are already in Christ. They're Christians. He's writing to those who, verse 4, have put their faith in Christ Jesus.
[51:45] He's writing to the saints. He's writing to those who are already at the Lord's table. He's writing to those who have been made worthy in Christ.
[51:58] And that's something that we have to keep on coming back to. Time and time and time again, our salvation is not by good works.
[52:12] It's not by what we do. It's not by our activities. It's not by our religious practices. It's not by our attendance in these services.
[52:25] That's not what makes us worthy. It's being in Christ. What makes us worthy. It's everything that Jesus has already done for us on the cross, as he shed his blood for us.
[52:47] That's what makes us worthy. Ephesians 2, for it's by grace you've been saved, through faith. And it's not from yourselves. It's the gift of God.
[53:01] Not by works. So that no one can boast. We don't make ourselves worthy. Jesus makes us worthy.
[53:13] When we confess our sin. When we say, have mercy on me, a sinner. And we look in faith to him.
[53:27] And the Colossians had done that. So they were worthy in Christ. And for your encouragement and mine, if you have confessed your sin, if you have come in prayer, in faith to Jesus, and said, Lord Jesus, take my sin away and come into my life.
[53:52] If you've done that, you're worthy. You're made worthy. You're made worthy. You're made worthy. In him.
[54:03] Not in yourself, but in him. His righteousness. Clothes you. And your sin on the cross was transferred to him.
[54:17] And we can sing that first time with gusto. And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Saviour's blood? Died he for me? Who caused his pain for me?
[54:30] Who him to death pursued? Amazing love. How can it be? That thou, my God, shouldst die for me? And yet he did. And if we've trusted him.
[54:44] If we've asked for forgiveness. We can sing that final verse. No condemnation. Now I dread. Jesus and all in him is mine.
[54:58] Alive in him. My living head. And clothed in righteousness divine. Bold I approach the eternal throne. And claim the crown.
[55:10] Through Christ. My own. Is Christ your own? That hill of Calvary.
[55:23] That sacrifice where he died. Is that some distant historic event that you look at and survey? Or is that the place that you've been?
[55:38] You bowed at that cross. And said, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. Take away my sin. Wash me in your blood.
[55:51] Receive me in Christ. Why would you not do that? Why would we continue to persevere on the road to hell?
[56:04] Facing condemnation. Justly. When Jesus died. So that we could be saved.
[56:18] We were made worthy in him. And Paul's prayer of thankfulness for the Colossians was that they had been made worthy in Christ. The next thing he prays is for those who have been made worthy.
[56:33] That they will have winsome lives. That they will live winsome lives. We had a head teacher in school in Sky back in the day. And we used to be allowed to go down the village.
[56:48] That's probably bad news to the school pupils here. But we used to be allowed to go down the village and go to the bakery and go to the shops and buy our stuff. That's what I learned to be fat initially.
[56:59] And when we were going down to the village, the head teacher used to say, you know, when you put that blazer on, we all had these horrible, ugly, maroon, woolen blazers that smelled like a little cheap when it rained.
[57:14] And she would say, when you put that blazer on and you go down the village, you're wearing the school colours. And what you say and what you do, you're representing the school. Remember that?
[57:25] You see policemen on the street and women and the police officer, when they put their uniform on, they're no longer representing themselves.
[57:37] They're representing the force. And the Colossians, they were in Christ, but they were still in Colossae. And so Paul's prayer is that their lives will show Christ to the people of Colossae.
[57:48] That their lives will be attractive and winsome. They won't drive people away from Jesus. So he's praying for that. That the worthiness that they have within will be shown through the lives that they live out.
[58:02] So what kind of lives will that be specifically? Well, he's praying that there'll be people who will work hard and who will walk close and who will walk steady.
[58:13] They'll work hard for the Lord. Not because they think that will save them, but because they're saved people. And they'll walk close with the Lord.
[58:24] They won't drift from him. And they'll walk steady. Look at that in verse 10 and 11. He's praying there'll be people who will work hard. There'll be those who are bearing fruit in every good work.
[58:36] He's praying, verse 10 again, that they'll walk close with the Lord. That they'll be growing in the knowledge of God. They won't be saved by the skin of their teeth and stay spiritual babies forever.
[58:48] But they'll develop and mature and get strong as Christians. And he's praying, verse 11, that they'll walk steady, that they'll be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.
[59:08] The German philosopher Nietzsche said to Christians, show me that you are redeemed and I will believe in your Redeemer.
[59:22] Show me by your lives that you are redeemed and I will believe in your Redeemer. And Paul is saying to us here, if you want to show the world that you are redeemed, you work hard in good works to please Jesus.
[59:46] Not because you think that will save you, but because he has saved you and you want to show your love for him. You want to show the world you are redeemed. You walk close.
[59:57] You grow ever closer to God. Day by day, you're in his word. Learning more of who he is and what he's saying to you. Day by day, you and I are on our knees in prayer. Coming to him and communing with him.
[60:09] Walking close with him and remaining in him. When that heart level relationship is right, that spills out into our attitudes and our words and our actions.
[60:23] If you want to show the world that we are redeemed, then we'll walk steady. How many of us as Christians, we run like a hundred meter sprint.
[60:35] We're all guns blazing. We're doing everything. And then we crash. We're doing nothing. We're going backwards. We're turning to the right.
[60:46] We're turning to the left. And we're drifting this way and drifting that way. That's not how to show that we're redeemed. If we're wanting to show the world that we're redeemed, we stay close to God and we walk steady.
[60:59] We walk with integrity. We walk with consistency. We walk with endurance and patience. And that's Paul's prayer for the Colossians.
[61:11] Dale Ralph Davis, in commenting on this passage, he says, you know, we Christians, our prayers are not big enough. When one of us gets a cold, we pray that we'll get better.
[61:22] When we're anxious about this thing and that thing, we're praying that we won't be worried anymore. But Ralph Davis says, when did you last pray this prayer for each other? When did you last pray for those in your fellowship that we will be people who are bearing fruit in every good work, every day?
[61:41] When did we last pray that we'll be those who are growing in our knowledge of God? Look around you. Are we praying for each other that we will grow closer and closer and closer to Jesus? When did we last pray that we will be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that we'll walk with great endurance and patience?
[62:04] One of the common papers, Arthur, says in Paul's prayer, spiritual concerns are always to the fore. This is not always true of our prayers for other people.
[62:15] We become easily absorbed with lesser things, physical health, career prospects, and so on. It's true, isn't it? And yet we have this corrective from Paul.
[62:29] He prays for the heart. He prays for the spiritual health of the churches that he was connected with. Not just for their physical health.
[62:40] Not just for their material needs. He gets to the heart of the matter. So pray on, says Paul. Pray for those who are made worthy in Christ.
[62:53] Pray that those who are made worthy in Christ will live lives that are winsome. And finally, and we have no time to go into this, but I want to just finish with this point.
[63:04] Pray for worshipful lives. The point that we're in danger of missing here is the point that we are to be those, verse 11, who are joyfully giving thanks to the Father.
[63:24] And this is such an important point, not to overlook. Christians are to be joyful. Christians are to be thankful.
[63:37] Christians are to be constantly worshipful. A miserable Christian is a misnomer. It just shouldn't be.
[63:51] And yet, how often it is the case. So let me ask you, as I've had to ask myself that hard question over this week, are you joyful?
[64:04] Do you have a spiritual spring in your step this morning? Do you have a spiritual twinkle in your eye? Because that's what Paul prayed for the Colossian Christians, and that's God's will for us.
[64:18] If we have no joy, if we have no thankfulness, if we have no sense of worship within us and permeating out from our lives, our lives may be religious, our lives may be doctrinally sound, they may be morally upright, but they'll be in no way attractive, and no way winsome.
[64:40] So what do we do if we've lost our joy? Well, Psalm 51, I think, gives us the first hint.
[64:51] David lends joy with salvation. Restore unto me, we sang, the joy of your salvation. What David begins in Psalm 51, Paul develops in this passage, and he gives the Colossians reason after reason for them to be joyful and worshipful.
[65:15] So this morning, why should you and I, if we are in Christ, be joyfully given thanks to the Father? Well, here's why.
[65:28] Verse 12, because he has qualified you. Listen to this. I know time is gone, but don't lose this. Why should you be joyful?
[65:41] Because he has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Because, verse 13, he has rescued us in the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption.
[66:04] The forgiveness of sins. This morning, you might have left the house having burnt the toast and fallen out with the family and stubbed your toe in the corner of the fridge.
[66:15] You might have left the house with a face like thunder and arrived here like a bear with a sore head. You might have worries. You might have battles.
[66:26] You might have struggles. You may have serious issues going on with your life. Many of us do. But if you're in Christ, as you reflect on that, you and I have so many reasons to be thankful and joyful.
[66:48] We have so many reasons to worship God. We have qualified for heaven. Verse 12. Not that we might qualify.
[66:59] This is not like Scotland in the World Cup. We have qualified for heaven. Because of all that Jesus has already done.
[67:11] Past tense. Qualified. We have been rescued from darkness. The darkness of sin and Satan and death and hell.
[67:22] And we have been brought into the light of the kingdom of Christ. Have been. No questions. We are loved.
[67:33] No one else in the world might love us. But we are loved by the Father. We are loved by the Son. We are loved by the Holy Spirit. With an unconditional, constant, deep love.
[67:46] We are loved by the Son. And we are loved by the Son. We are loved by the Holy Spirit. We are loved by the Son. We are loved by the Holy Spirit. We are loved by the Son. Bought out of the slavery of sin. And brought into the freedom of Christ.
[67:57] We have been brought back into God's family. We have been purchased by the blood of Christ. We are forgiven. We are safe. We are secure. If we are in Him.
[68:12] So are we in Him. Lord God we pray that you would help us to know this morning that we are truly in Christ we see that everything that we have to be thankful for hinges not on what we do but on what he has already done we see that our eternal security our forgiveness of sin our status of being not condemned hinges on our faith in Christ Jesus so we pray that each one of us Lord would be in Christ Jesus strip away the pride that holds us back but we say that we want to do it ourselves strip away the absolute foolishness of saying that we believe in our heads and yet we don't give our hearts to you help us each one we pray to confess our sin and to come to Jesus and to know that we are safe that we are secure that we are redeemed in and through him and Lord if we are redeemed people we pray that we would show that with the joyful lives that we live the consistent lives that we live with your help and for your glory we ask this in Jesus name
[69:55] Amen the same you you