Sunday, October 31, 2004

Sermon Notes, October 31, 2004

This weeks sermon notes are dedicated to John, a commenter in the post directly below this one who says this:
Wow, how can someone who is supposedly so "Christian" be so filled with hate?

Sheesh.
If anyone happens to agree with John please do a better job pointing out the hate. The type of comment John left is not very convincing. Maybe he's eluding to these posts, here and here. Or maybe John's taking me a little too seriously, or taking himself a little too seriously. In any event, If you have comments regarding "hate" on this site and Christianity, please feel free to leave them.

Today's sermon notes were taken from a recorded sermon originally given 4-25-2004.

Crossroads Bible Church, Bellevue, Washington
Rev. Jayson Turner (filling in for Dr. Jerry Mitchell)
"A Timeless Prayer"
Colossians 1:9-14
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

Hand written notes taken while listening to sermon:
  • It would be absurd to run our lives based on false information
  • Paul focuses his prayer for the Colossians on a strategic goal - that they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will in order to maintain spiritual fitness.
  • The role of the Spirit is to magnify Christ
  • Paul prayed the Colossians would be controlled by correct knowledge/sound doctrine
  • Paul understood he wasn't always going to around to show the Church how to properly live their lives or how to maintain their strength; his reasoning this prayer was focused on a strategy and not needs or wants
  • The Colossians were already in jeopardy of wandering; the deity of Christ was being questioned within the Colossian church
  • Materialism is not determined by what you have; you could have nothing and still be controlled by the doctrine of materialism; having "stuff" does not suggest you are driven by the desire to have "stuff".
  • Paul said he wanted the Colossians to focus on correct doctrine
  • There is a needed balance in the Church between Truth & Love
  • The center piece of sound doctrine is Jesus
  • We have been brought from a kingdom of death to a kingdom of life by the ransom of Christ's blood
  • Who do you pay a ransom for? A hostage - in our case, a hostage to sin
  • Abba, Father, rescued us through his son, Jesus.
  • To be controlled by correct knowledge you first have to ingest it.
  • Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone; the Bible alone
  • Meditate on God's word; ingest it so we may be controlled by it
  • Right thinking is the precursor to right behavior.
  • 4 examples of a life pleasing to the Lord: 1) Bearing fruit in every good deed 2) Strength in Spirit 3) Spiritual growth 4) Giving thanks to the Father... These will naturally follow as the Spirit applies the word to our hearts
  • Be steadfast & patient to maintain an ability to endure this life
  • Do we believe that God could and would minister through his word to our ache?
Jayson ended with a story from Corrie Ten Boom regarding her smuggling of four gospels into Ravenbruk concentration camp.

Referenced passages:

posted by Editor at 4:16 PM