The Dynamics of a Fruitful Christian Life

Colossians 1:9-14

9 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; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

SERMON NOTES:

Paul says that for a Christian to grow and bear fruit, there are forces that will enable him/her to do so. In this passage, I see these 5 divine dynamics.

1. Spiritual ________________ (v.9)

2. Worthy ________________ (v.10a)

3. Good ________________ (v.10b)

4. Powerful ________________ (v.11)

5. Grateful ________________ (v. 12-14)

The Lord's Supper - a Call to Remembrance

Luke 22:13-24

13 So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.
14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 
16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. 21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. 
22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
23 Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.
24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.

SERMON NOTES:

Whatever name we give to this celebration, whether communion, Lord's table, Lord's supper, Eucharist or the breaking of bread, the rite calls the participants to remember. At the very beginning of its institution , the Lord Jesus said, "Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, do so in REMEMBRANCE of Me. "When we come together to partake of the elements, the call to remember has 3 significances namely:

I. ________________ significance
II. _______________ significance
III, ______________ significance

Created with a Purpose

Judges 6:11-22

11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. 18 Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I will wait until you come back.”
19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. 20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.
21 Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.
22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.”

Knowing and Doing God's Will in My Life

Proverbs 3:1-8

1 My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 And so find favor and high esteem
In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.

SERMON NOTES:

Chuck Swindoll, in his book,The Mystery of God's will, writes that one of the most profound subjects n the Christian life is the will of God. When we deeply study the Bible, we realize that God wants us to know His will more than we want to and that He takes personal responsibility to see the we discover it. And never is this truer than at a time when a young person finishes school and thinks of the next step ahead. Our text, on of the most often-quoted verses in Bible, presents some truths that might help us in knowing and doing God's will in our lives.

  I. Trusting ___________________ (v.5)
 II. Total ______________________ (v.6a)
III. Thrilling ____________________ (v.6b)