Walk Worthy of the Lord

Col. 1:9-11 – For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.

I. Walking Worthy – what does that look like?

A. “Filled with the knowledge of His will” – seek to do what pleases God!!

1. Knowledge here: epig-nosis – “a distinct perception or impression; precise & correct knowing”

a) Identity correction – Who Christ is - v. 13-20 (READ); Me in Him – v. 21-23 (READ)

b) Walk in who Christ Jesus is – Col. 2:1-3, 6-7 (READ); 3:12-16 (READ)

(1) Life of excellence – Become rooted, built-up in Christ; knitted together with other

Believers

• What is His will? - LOVE God; LOVE others

B. IN all Wisdom and spiritual understanding – Col. 1:9 (re-read)

1. Wisdom - Sophia (practical application of knowledge of the Truth); Look for ways to apply what you’ve begun to understand.

a) Not Philosophia (Col. 2:8) – i.e., love of human wisdom – Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

• Pet doctrines: long prayers = leaven of Pharisees

• Traditions/Methods: Man’s counsel or God’s (David + Nathan, man’s counsel 1st, God’s 2nd);

• Honoring ‘gifts’ above ‘fruit’ of Spirit

• Empty Deceit/Methods – (Ro. 12:9-16 – “do not be wise in your own opinions (or

estimations.)

2. Understanding: flowing together of wisdom and knowledge!

a) God/Christ IS wisdom & knowledge – Col. 2:2b-3 (READ)

(1) Personal: Had it working: PRAYER/PRAISE/WORSHIP/MINSITRY

• Didn’t understand struggle of others – then came marriage (husband to ‘adapt’ to)

• Next came motherhood:

o Before Baby: easy to have one-on-one time w/God; to go places;

o After Baby: pack diaper bag, grab car seat, purse, keys, AND OH, DON’t FORGET THE BABY! Time consumed by end of day.

3. God’s wisdom – shows us how to apply His character in life situations:

• Creation (Pro. 8 tells of the forethought of wisdom in creation, what needed to happen when)

• CarMax / American Women’s Club / Marines – started w/them first or question

• In prayer – car totaled = God’s reference point of protection for Joel to look back on

• Trip from Kuwait to USA w/lay-over: Anxiety; Man’s counsel complicated trip

C. FULLY Pleasing God – Col. 1:10

1. Being FRUITFUL in every good work – overflowing with His divine character – Col. 3:12-17

• Requires a change of behavior – Col. 3:1-10

• Changes the way we speak & act – Col. 4:6 – salt prevents leaven from working in bread;

o Eph. 4:15, 29, 32 – true, kind, necessary

2. Increasing in Knowledge of Him

• Examine ourselves – Gal. 6:4-5, 7-8 – let each examine his own work, so he will have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, he will also reap. If he sows to the flesh; reaps corruption; to the spirit, he reaps everlasting life.

• Compare w/ I Cor. 3:1-3 – I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ…for you are still carnal. Where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

o Striving neg.; selfish ambition = sign of immaturity

o Striving pos.: strife towards unity of the faith = sign of maturity

3. Strengthened w/might/power to be patient and have endurance with JOY

• Enabled by God’s grace and power to imitate Christ Jesus

• Eph. 6:10-11 – Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

• Eph. 4:2-3 – We take on the character of Christ with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. – We walk with the same humble confidence in Father God that Jesus has.

o Gentleness is being even-tempered; balanced in Spirit with our passions under control. We are not presumptuous or assuming.

o Power (Col. 1:11) represents God’s authority manifesting through our lives even to the defeat of powers and principalities of darkness!

o Patient, able to stand and keep on standing in constant trust and confidence in God and His word.

o Longsuffering with JOY – We develop a fortitude that gives us ability to be lenient; to be able to forgive as Jesus does (“Father, forgive, for they know not what they are doing.)

Conclusion: Heb. 6:10-12 – For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward Him name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises [of God.]