A Life Worthy of Jesus - Part 1

Crawl here when you train one pastor and some donor friends are standing by to train a second call 833-443-5467 or go online and train a pastor.com. Every gift counts and now every gift is double training pastor.com hi this Roy Jones with mental radio podcast admissions to break down the walls of Bryson's nomination, your chosen truth radio broadcast will be starting in just a few seconds. Thank you. This is the Truth Network do you feel like you're on a religious treadmill, you feel like Christianity is just a system of rules and regulations, I can do this but I can't do that. Do you feel like your efforts to reach God. Find God, and please God do you feel like your faith is dead or alive today pastor Russ Sanders will walk us through Scripture to answer these questions join us on finding purpose of local tribal ministry glorifying God by helping men find their purpose for living. For more information and to connect with Russ Sanders and finding purpose could visit us online@findingpurpose.net connect with us on Facebook.

Now let's listen to Russ Andrews as he teaches us how to be a Christian without being religious and doing good. I would welcome all of you here in everyone who saw listening via live stream and I really want you guys to think about one thing tonight what you think about all that Jesus is done for you to have you sitting here think about that okay. Too much mess is entitled a life worthy of Jesus will be looking at Colossians chapter 1 should take about an turn to Colossians 1 the last few weeks we've been in Hebrews. Remember a verse specific chapters 11, 12 and 13 of the last three weeks and each of these chapters we found a common theme about the Christian life. Chapter 11 you may remember, was entitled awarding life. Chapter 12 was entitled the greatest race of all time in the last week. Chapter 13 was entitled run to win. As I noted during part everyone of those messages. The apostle Paul compares the Christian life to what a race will counter rice maritime is a long and difficult journey through a very evil dark and dangerous world is full of temptation is a journey that requires courage, endurance and strength. Know what you understand this truth.

Okay this is so important. Believers talk about blue was coming true followers of Jesus Christ are the only ones running this race because they're the only ones who enter through the narrow gate and only a few find it.

We believers are running this race with her eyes fixed upon our commander, our leader, our Lord, whose name is what Jesus this man Jesus has done something incredible for something beyond description something beyond human comprehension. Something that listen if we truly understand it, it should motivate us and inspire us to want to live a life worthy of him. So tonight I'm bored try to answer two questions.

First, what does it mean to live a life worthy of the Lord, and secondly how do we do this house if possible. When you consider all the temptations that we as men face every single day. How can we live a life worthy of Jesus.

That's the real question before us tonight.

That brings us to Colossians chapter 1 the before we read this text to give you a brief introduction glace was one of three cities located about 100 miles east from Ephesus. The other two cities were Laodicea and Herat. The South had the privilege of traveling to southeastern Turkey.

I think three times and I visited those three ancient ruins at least a couple of times to get there in southwestern Turkey, but now they just ruins just a big pile of rocks in Paul's day. This was like the research triangle Park. It was a very cosmopolitan area and it was a fertile place for philosophies and religious ideas to get become mingled together to the point where they became false, but a false theology to life.

What world I world when you left about Chapel Hill.

Although my guess is some funny. I know I know when Kenny Casillas jumped on that front don't understand, don't tell him the Paul listen Paul never visited colossi, but he learned about the fate of these Colossian believers from some other believers.

If you read if you written the book of acts in acts chapter 19 we learned that Paul spent two years in Ephesus preaching the gospel so that everyone in Asia minor heard it in two men who heard it roughly from colossi. They were pepper for us and that's I pronounce it is not easy pepper for us.

I googled it this afternoon but Shawna set up a mountain and Philemon pepper for us after he heard the gospel believed he went back to his hometown and he began to share the gospel with his friends. That's at the church colossi was founded.

Paul wrote this letter and 60 A.D. while he was imprisoned in Rome to refute certain heresies that will begin to infiltrate the church. Certain Jews were beginning to teach that Jesus was neither God nor man, which is why Paul preached the supremacy, the supremacy of Christ. These false teachers also begin to add things to the gospel like you must be circumcised, you must not eat certain foods and you must have certain knowledge a secret knowledge and only certain people possessed. This was known as Gnosticism. By the way, is alive and well in the United States today. Paul wrote this letter to come to the Colossians for two primary reasons men to point them back to the gospel and to warn them about false teachers within the church. Does that sound familiar to nothing the ministry. This been doing that for about 20 years.

Thank you Lily. That was my fourth. This will funny purpose is been doing this since 2003. Pony man to the gospel and warning you, man about the danger of false teaching that is infiltrated all of our churches that brings us to Colossians chapter 1 verse one soldier to truck along with me okay with me okay okay Paul and apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at colossi. Grace and peace to you from God our father. We always thank God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for you as we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love you have for all the saints sinks is just a man who's been set apart under God diminished perfect but in God's eyes is a saint. The faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven, and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, is come to you 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 in all its truth you learned it from pepper for us, our dear fellow servant is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf. You also told us of your love in the spirit apostle just a minute say this about the man say we began the man's study at Eager St., United Methodist Church back in 2006 at the time we had 15 leaders. About 75 men and I've got to give a shout out to my good friend Robert doing is Robert then came to me.

I guess in 2005 is that we want to start a man's study in English right now is not a member of a new string and we want you to be that they trusted that sounds good to me and so I guess that's at began was a really Robert doing his main, we need to give them a clap and he's probably not even listening anyway so I give up. You know shout out tomorrow. Beware of the last 17 years we've grown not by anything we're doing but by God's grace in his power.

We now have about 45 leaders and hopefully next September. We don't have the cyclic full of somewhere between 400 and 500 men with God's help and with your help, you help me draw the men here.

We got some good news to share with them. So here's what the leaders would like to say bring the to all of you tonight. We always from the very beginning. Thank God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for each one of you and by the way, we pray for you every week we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the faithful men the saints who attend this study and we hear of your faith and love that we know springs forth from the hope that is stored up to each one of you in heaven that you've all heard about in the word of truth, the gospel is brought to you from this pulpit every Tuesday night we learned about this-Hebrews did we not Hebrews 619 says we have this hope is an anchor for the sole firm and secure. Think about that we have this hope as an anchor for the sole firm and secure it enters.

That is our hope enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus who went before us has entered on our behalf and so were clinging to that particular the days look as dark as I do right now.

All of the world even right here in Raleigh. This gospel is bearing fruit and growing just as it has been growing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all of its truth and some of you have been weather since 2006 God's grace is so amazing is not this unmerited and undeserved favor from God is available to anyone in need.

You know this to be true. Don't you do you because the spirit is lifting the veil from your eyes and now you see and understand.

For this reason, we will never stop praying for you, asking God to fill you with more and more of himself and on person-to-person encourage each one of you is a city very beginning to reflect tonight on all that Jesus has done for you. We think about what Jesus done for us. This alone should motivate us in this inspire us to want to live a life worthy of him such, our first question, what is it me to live a life worthy of the Lord or some translations ready to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord what to live or to wall refer simply to how we as followers of Jesus live our lives day by day, John McCarthy explains it like this wall is frequently used in the New Testament to refer to daily contact conduct day-to-day living can never follow me here worthy has the root meaning of balancing the scales. What is on one side of the scale should be equally white. What is on the other side a person worthy of his pay is one whose day's work corresponds to his day's wages.

Thus, the believer who walks in a manner worthy of the Lord is one whose daily living corresponds to his composition as a child of God as a son of God as a coup and would Jesus do so. You are if you are in Christ you have this high opposition and so your practical living should match your spiritual position you with me and I'm convicted. I wish this is been pounded into me when I was in college effect. I wish you been pounded into me when I was a senior in high school. I'm sure we all have regrets. We look backwards right. But guess what, we don't look backwards. Christians are forward-looking men.

We are pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which Christ is called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. That's what we're running to win the prize. We want to run victoriously. Don't we see here is the million-dollar question. How we do this. How do we run this race in a manner that is worthy of the standard that is been set by Jesus as our leader, what to answer this question literally the next few verses. Look at verse nine. For this reason since the day we heard about you. We have not stop praying for you and asking God to look For us to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and we pray this in all that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God been strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, that you may have great endurance and patience and joyfully given thanks to the father who is qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

I love this 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 and the forgiveness of sins.

As I've said many times before, and I've said again tonight. In spite of what you hear but is probably what you hear from his prosperity preachers the Christian life is not easy.

In fact, it is very difficult. One the reasons it is so difficult is because we have an enemy man is out to destroy us.

He wants to ruin our witness first Peter 586. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring what lion looking for someone to devour.

If you're following Jesus. And guess what you own.

Satan's radar is coming after you and he's like this and he's like traps out there for you and me. He knows exactly where were vulnerable. He knows exactly man what we attempted to given the sin in lesson he is sly and he is patient and he's extremely deceptive and he can wait you out and he will wait to you. Let your guard down and then he pounces.

It happens all the time to man of God who are in high positions.

Just look at Ravi Zacharias if here's the deal. If you truly live a Christian of a victorious life of war, the life of the Lord in this will give you this tonight for steps that you must take.

And here's the first one. First, ready, you must know God's will for your life but it was not again. For this reason since the day we heard about you. We have not stop praying for you and ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his what will help through all spiritual wisdom and understanding what is God given us. He's given us the Bible, which is the very word of God is his word in a letter to believers herein. In this bottle right here put it right here in this book right here lastly complete will for our lives.

We have everything we need in this Bible to understand our purpose in this life.

While we hear what we supposedly doing these are the million-dollar questions as if you want to know the purpose for your life to pick up this book and ready to listen if you don't read any of the book, the rest of your life and you read this book. Day after day week after week, month after month, year after year. You will person be a very wise man. You see the Bible this bottle right here contains the mind of God. To think of a funnel on top of your head when you begin to read the Bible you're pouring God's thoughts, which are true knowledge and wisdom. You just pour this into your mind to the port man where some point you begin to think like God thinks you begin to see things as God sees them. You look, you begin to look at everything from a heavenly perspective. An otherworldly perspective, you come to understand not only why you're here but what you do with your life when you come to a fork in the road. Guess what, you know which way to go as your 3021 says what you turn to the right to the left you with her voice behind you say this is the way Russ this is the way spec this is the way Hank walk-in. It sound minds need to be renewed ready to be transformed into a new way of thinking. Apollo writes about this in Romans chapter 12 verses one into what he says therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy is even merciful to you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. You would have to worship God. The site is is this our spiritual act of worship. We offer our bodies as your mind, your heart she hears her figure hands everything you offer them to God. If he says do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then guess what happens then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is is good, pleasing and perfect will.

And when you walk in the light of God's will you express peace and joy that the world knows nothing about, under, I've tried it both ways. This a covenant God's will for your life. You begin what with him by faith, praying and spending time in his word and the more you do this, the more your mind is transformed as it absorbs the wisdom of God. Paul writes about the wisdom of God with everything about the wisdom of God.

Think of first Corinthian's chapters 1 and two, but specifically think about first British ever to verses 10 through 16, read all of it was for Steve limit just read verse 12 Paul says in verse 12 we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God that we may understand what God is fully given as was he freely given us the word and my cost $75 but you get some I didn't want. We got right back there you'll have one just grab one is free when a man who's indwelt with the Holy Spirit, sits down on the some you guys are doing that be and get some ways rising that I have in the morning and spent another 30 minutes to an hour with the Lord because he wants to live his life in a manner worthy of God. But what sort of man like Ben and hope all of you sit down and you got the Holy Spirit in you and you begin to read the Bible. This is what happens the spirit of God takes the word of God is to transform your mind and over the course of time after spending years in God's word. You actually come to possess the very mind of God and that amazing but it takes endurance, discipline, and time that happened overnight if you haven't known anything that's really valuable that you can get overnight if you can't in a very valuable first credits 216 says, but who is known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ living a life worthy of the Lord begins with the word of God, which leads to a renewed or transform mine but there's more. Not only must we know God's word but we number two, we must obey God's word. Look at verse 10 we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord MA please him in every way bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. This is where the rubber meets the road. This is where from the is been very difficult to see.

Obedience is the evidence of a changed life. Let me ask you this question will people look at your life to this, you change life really speak be honest to thank you you're different than the man when used in a filter change life as a big red flag. No one ever encountered Jesus in the New Testament and went away unchanged.

The wall radically changed Jesus in John 1415 if you love me you will what a babe. Yeah, keep my commandments about my commandments. So here's the question do we really love Jesus. I'm convicted. I look back at my life in the semi times, when I clearly did not love Jesus I love some other things. First, we take when temptation presents itself to obey or not becomes the test as to where I love truly resides who love more. Jesus ourselves, Nathaniel Emmons, a minister who lived in the late 18th century said obedience to God is the most infallible evidence of sincere and supreme love to him. Matthew Henry, the great commentator of the late 17th century, said the surest evidence of our love for Christ is obedience to the laws of Christ.

Love is the root obedience is the fruit love is that taproot goes down to the ground of God's work and obedience is the product. Let's be honest if I take a look at my life backwards and you take a look at your life backwards after I find it sometimes I get downright dejected. Do you if you're like me you disobeyed the Lord so many times you've lost count on. Though I have Soren Kierkegaard at the Danish philosopher and theologian from the early 19th century said is so hard to believe because it is hard to obey it. Yes, I don't know about you but I want to live this. This is my desire more, solicit more so in the last year, I'll be 67 and Ching June 19 he wants and birthday gifts under a look 50 but II can't help out. I was born that way. Seriously, the last year. I have really in my heart resolved and I mean this that I want to live the rest of my life more obedient than the last 65 years.

I want to finish strong and I believe I have 2030 more years were growing more than that subtle desk for long time talk a lot more years to live, and I won't hit the tape running at full sprint when I hit it just like my friend JR Williams did when he died just a few years ago he hit the tape running. He was still serving God at full speed ahead with finish strong. Number three. We have to rely on who the Holy Spirit verse 11 been strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might suit you may have great endurance and patience. The only possible way to live an obedient life is by the power available to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit now will take a big risk here.

I'm going to try to read one phrase of this verse in Greek with a Bethel accent is.

It is important that you hear this okay so this verse right here. The only possible to live in a be loved by the power available to us about doing Holy Spirit begins like this in Greek on pase do Nevaeh do movement Neu Qatar crop tossed taste docs I set out to hear that again that's prosperous. Let got a pretty good practice all day on pase do them away it do Nevaeh do movement I she's redid a minimum of Blewett due to mood may know that's a hard one due to mood may Neu cotton crop tossed taste docs that your docs ice glory doxology out to. Here's a little this will get this.

Here's a little ward for translation of that phrase would list with all power being empowered according to the might of the glory of him and what English word comes to mind when you hear due Monday and due to movement Neu dynamite is in verse 11 we see that God's double dynamite power is available to us.

The moment a man puts his trust in Jesus because your drug fellows Holy Spirit. It was by the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was raised from the dead. And that's the power man this in us is taking about six years to learn that I got this power in me actually live a more holy life. Second Peter 13 says his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Being a Christian is not about being religious but about having a dynamic and alive relationship with Jesus Christ you been listening to finding purpose with pastor Russ Sanders, a local triangle ministry glorifying God by helping men and their purpose for living. You can discover more about finding your purpose in life by checking out the resources finding purpose.net connect to finding purpose on Facebook pastor Russ would also like to extend a special invitation for you to join him in over 300 other local tribal men study God's word together every Tuesday night at 7 PM in downtown Raleigh. Find out more finding purpose.net. This is the Truth Network