Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More
Text: Colossians 1:10
Filling affects walking
- Being filled according to verse 9 leads to walking a certain way. Just like being filled with alcohol will change how a person walks. You know alcohol imparts a bad spirit because you lose discernment, judgment, proper inhibitions, and all reasoning ability. And all that shows in how a drunkard walks.
- Your stomach is to your body what your heart is to you as a soul. You fill your stomach with alcohol and your body will stumble. You fill your heart with the will of God and you’ll be able to please God.
- Your heart is capable of being filled just like your stomach. You consume what goes in your belly through your mouth. You consume what goes in your heart through your eyes and ears.
- 2 Peter 2:7-8 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;). So Lot was filled because he subjected himself to their filthy entertainment, filthy music, filthy pictures and his walk is characterized not as a worthy walk, but vexing walk that was a grief to him.
- On the other hand, these are ways you give the Spirit of God a place to fill. This is how you allow the holy Spirit of God to fill your vessel. Ephesians 5:18-21 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 (Music of God, not Sodom) Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 (Gratitude) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 (Service) Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
- Athletes are very particular about what goes into their bodies. If they’re serious about winning or making an impression on the Owners, General Managers, and Coaches. If a Christian is sloppy about what goes in his eyes and ears and filling his heart with, it’s just evidence you aren’t serious about winning the race and pleasing God.
- Sometimes an athlete is going to fill his body with things he has no appetite for to train himself. Eventually, he’ll develop an appetite for those things. Christians are the same way. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. Hunger and thirst after righteousness. You say I don’t have that appetite. If you haven’t developed that appetite at least do what a lost athlete will do to sacrifice himself for his god. He’ll endure some hardness. You won’t hear a winning athlete say, I stopped working out because I just don’t feel like it.
Familiarity with God’s expectation
- Worthy of the Lord
- Worthy means deserving. So you’re supposed to walk as the Lord deserves of you.
- Reasonable service is to offer your body a living sacrifice instead of being conformed to the world according to Romans 12:1
- An athlete will offer his body a living sacrifice for a bigger paycheck. He’ll put his body through all kinds of things to sacrifice to his god.
- Filled through the words of God.
- Exodus 35:35 Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.
- The way God filled their heart was from Exodus 25 to 30 God gave instructions and blueprints on how to make a tabernacle pleasing to God. And so God filled their heart with wisdom so that they could produce something pleasing to God.
- If he is the author and finisher of your faith which means he wrote the book on how to please God in this life.
- Is how I’m going to spend this time worthy of what the Lord has done for me? Or is this a slap in his face after what he’s done for me?
- Is this relationship worthy of what the Lord has done for me? Or is this a mockery of what he’s done for me?
- Is this job worthy what the Lord has done for me? Or is this pursuit of riches going to cause others to blaspheme a God I claim to belong to?
- Is how I conduct my business worthy of the Lord who paid for my sin? Or am I a stumblingblock to the lost souls I come in contact with?
Finish line of your walk
- The goal is pleasing God: walk worthy of the Lord UNTO all pleasing, so that’s the finish line in this life. Where are we going? Unto all pleasing.
- Preaching pleases God
- 1 Corinthians 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
- It’s personal
- 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
- Acts 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
- It’s spiritual
- It will cost the flesh something.
- It is foolishness to the world.
- It reveals the motives of the hearer.
- Pay attention to the finish line. The Lord wants to make you a preacher by filling you. His goal for you is that you’d preach, not that you’d win souls. At the point of preaching you’ve pleased God. Someone says you’re not winning very many souls. Well, God gives the increase and my responsibility to have feet shod with the preparation of the gospel.
- Giving pleases God
- Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
- Communication in this sense is sacrificial giving. Philippians 4:15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. That means supporting the ministry.
- Where your treasure is there will your heart be also, so those two things are in the same place. Your treasure follows right behind your heart. If your heart is on the ministry and work of God, your treasure will follow right behind that.
- Praise pleases God
- Praise – Psalm 69:30-31 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
- Thanksgiving
- Obedience pleases God
- Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
