Transformative Living: Worship, Relationships, and Work in Christ

Devotional

Day 1: Worship as Spiritual Warfare

Worship is a powerful tool that prepares our hearts to receive God's word and engage in spiritual warfare. It is not merely a prelude to a sermon but a vital practice that breaks up the hardness of our hearts, allowing the seed of God's word to take root and flourish. Worship serves as a form of spiritual warfare, pushing back the forces of darkness and drawing us closer to God. By engaging in worship, we align ourselves with God's presence, creating an atmosphere where His word can transform us from the inside out. [08:30]

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:16, ESV)

Reflection: How can you incorporate worship into your daily routine to prepare your heart for God's word and engage in spiritual warfare today?

Day 2: Mutual Respect in Marriage

Biblical submission within marriage is often misunderstood. It is not about one partner dominating the other but about mutual respect and love. Wives are called to submit to their husbands as unto the Lord, which includes boundaries that align with God's will. Husbands, in turn, are called to love their wives unconditionally, reflecting Christ's love for the church. This mutual respect and love create a harmonious relationship that honors God and strengthens the marriage covenant. [24:54]

"Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior." (Ephesians 5:21-23, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you show mutual respect and love in your marriage or relationships today, reflecting Christ's love for the church?

Day 3: Nurturing Children with Love

Children are encouraged to obey their parents as a form of honoring them, which comes with the promise of a long life. Parents, especially fathers, are cautioned against provoking their children to anger, which can lead to discouragement. Instead, they should nurture their children, breaking rebelliousness without crushing their spirit. This nurturing approach fosters a loving and supportive environment where children can grow in faith and character. [36:15]

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4, ESV)

Reflection: How can you nurture the children in your life today in a way that encourages their growth in faith and character without provoking them to anger?

Day 4: Work as an Act of Worship

Employees are urged to work sincerely as if for the Lord, not merely to please human masters. This perspective transforms work into an act of worship, where the ultimate reward comes from God. Employers, too, are reminded to treat their employees justly, recognizing their own accountability to God. By viewing work as worship, believers can integrate their faith into every aspect of their lives, blurring the lines between the secular and the sacred. [40:41]

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: How can you approach your work today as an act of worship, serving the Lord with sincerity and integrity?

Day 5: Living an Integrated Life of Faith

The sermon challenges the notion of separating secular and sacred aspects of life. As believers, every action should be done in the name of the Lord, reflecting an integrated life of faith. This holistic approach calls us to live out our faith in every area of life, blurring the lines between the secular and the sacred. By doing so, we honor God in all that we do, allowing His presence to permeate every aspect of our lives. [18:05]

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you can more fully integrate your faith, ensuring that every action reflects the name of the Lord?

Sermon Summary

In our journey through Colossians, we delve into the latter part of chapter three, focusing on the transformative power of letting the word of Christ dwell richly within us. This passage emphasizes the importance of internalizing God's word, which in turn shapes our actions and interactions with others. The early church exemplified this by teaching through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, a practice that not only facilitated learning but also fostered a deep sense of community and worship. Worship, as highlighted, is not merely a prelude to the sermon but a vital component of spiritual warfare and personal transformation. It prepares our hearts to receive God's word, much like tilling soil before planting seeds.

The sermon also addresses the often-misunderstood concept of submission within marriage, clarifying that it is not about domination but mutual respect and love. The biblical call for wives to submit to their husbands is contextualized within the marriage covenant, emphasizing that it does not imply a general submission of women to men. Similarly, husbands are called to love their wives with an agape love—unconditional and originating from God. This love is a choice, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and is not based on emotions or physical attraction.

Furthermore, the sermon touches on the roles of children and parents, urging children to obey their parents as a form of honoring them, which comes with the promise of a long life. Parents, particularly fathers, are cautioned against provoking their children to anger, which can lead to discouragement. Instead, they are encouraged to nurture their children in a way that breaks rebelliousness without crushing their spirit.

Finally, the sermon addresses the relationship between employees and employers, urging employees to work sincerely as if for the Lord, and employers to treat their employees justly, recognizing their own accountability to God. This holistic approach to life, where every action is done in the name of the Lord, blurs the line between the secular and the sacred, calling believers to live integrated lives of faith.

Key Takeaways

1. The Power of Worship: Worship is not just a preliminary activity but a powerful spiritual practice that prepares our hearts to receive God's word. It breaks up the hardness of our hearts, allowing the seed of God's word to take root and flourish. Worship also serves as a form of spiritual warfare, pushing back the forces of darkness and drawing us closer to God. [08:30]
2. Submission in Marriage: Biblical submission within marriage is often misunderstood. It is not about one partner dominating the other but about mutual respect and love. Wives are called to submit to their husbands as unto the Lord, which includes boundaries that align with God's will. Husbands, in turn, are called to love their wives unconditionally, reflecting Christ's love for the church. [24:54]
3. The Role of Parents and Children: Children are encouraged to obey their parents as a form of honoring them, which comes with the promise of a long life. Parents, especially fathers, are cautioned against provoking their children to anger, which can lead to discouragement. Instead, they should nurture their children, breaking rebelliousness without crushing their spirit. [36:15]
4. Work as Worship: Employees are urged to work sincerely as if for the Lord, not merely to please human masters. This perspective transforms work into an act of worship, where the ultimate reward comes from God. Employers, too, are reminded to treat their employees justly, recognizing their own accountability to God. [40:41]
5. Living an Integrated Life: The sermon challenges the notion of separating secular and sacred aspects of life. As believers, every action should be done in the name of the Lord, reflecting an integrated life of faith. This holistic approach calls us to live out our faith in every area of life, blurring the lines between the secular and the sacred. [18:05]
** [18:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[04:31] - Teaching Through Songs
[08:30] - The Power of Worship
[11:15] - Evolution of Hymns
[14:24] - Worship as Spiritual Warfare
[18:05] - Secular vs. Sacred
[19:02] - Submission in Marriage
[21:25] - Misinterpretations of Submission
[24:54] - Boundaries in Submission
[26:51] - Obedience vs. Submission
[29:46] - Biblical Examples of Submission
[31:39] - Husbands' Role in Marriage
[35:02] - Children and Parents
[36:15] - Provoking Children
[39:29] - Employees and Employers
[42:23] - Accountability and Fairness

Sermon Clips

The early church was defined. They were known for this. Listen to this. This is out of the Daily Bible Study series, Letters to Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians. It says this. Phileo tells us that often they, the first century Christians, would spend the whole night in hymns and songs. One of the earliest descriptions of church service we possess is that Pliny, the Roman governor of, yeah, who sent a report of the activities of the Christians to Trajan, the Roman emperor, in which he said they meet at dawn and sing a hymn to Christ as God. And they were known to do this all day and all night. [00:05:31] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Worship breaks up the ground of your heart. It's like tilling the ground before you sow the seed into it, which is the word of God. This is why you worship before the seed goes into your heart. Does everybody understand what I'm saying? My opinion would be, be a worshiper so that your ground is always tilled up so that God can at any point sow the word into your heart. Amen? Amen. But you got some people who walk in here, and I don't mean any disrespect by what I'm about to say, but you got, you know, 30-year-old mom who just, you know, beat the kids on the way to church, not literally. [00:10:03] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Spiritual warfare. Did you know that worship is a part of spiritual warfare? How many of you know it's hard? for the devil to hang around you if you start worshiping God all the time. I guarantee you this. If we were to poll everybody in this room, those of you in Peru, if we were to poll everybody and say, when have you felt the closest to God? I guarantee you it's a worship experience. Guarantee it. I know for me, I've been in worship experiences where, man, I'm not a crier. I am not a crier. But I've almost. All right? And it's just because God's presence is so heavy in the place. [00:13:29] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Peace occurs when we are fixed on Christ. That's verse 15 from last week. But thanksgiving is the acknowledgement of God's goodness in our lives. Thanksgiving is the unthankful. Thanksgiving is, God, I am so thankful for all that you've done. And it's the acknowledgement of his action in our lives. Amen? And we should live that way for sure. Now, watch this. Next verse. You ready? Here we go. Some of you have been waiting all this series. This whole series. You've been waiting for this verse right here. You ready? Wives, submit to your own husbands as is fitting to the Lord. [00:20:54] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

The misinterpretation of this. It says, wives submit to your own husbands, meaning women must submit to men. That's not what it says. It says, wives submit to your husbands. Here's my point, and here's what I'm trying to say. Listen, Paul was not teaching that women in general are to be submitted to men in general. In other words, let me say it this way. You can't tell my wife what's up, and I don't tell your wife what's up. Come on, amen? Amen. It's not men have authority over women. That's not what that verse says. It says, wives and husbands. The context is the marriage covenant. [00:23:01] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Husbands though, love. The word love is agape. That's a form of agape. All right? It says, your wives. and do not be bitter towards them. And I don't know if you know this, but I think men can get bitter faster than women can. All right? Wow. Some of you online and in Peru, you may have missed that, but I have some people that agree. I got some people that agree. I should go back to that danger side, all right? But seriously, the husband's love. Now, it's important that we understand the word love, though, because I've heard agape in several different forms. [00:31:31] (55 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Children, obey your parents in all things. Now I think we can all say amen to that. Come on, somebody. Obey your parents, all right? For this is well and pleasing to the Lord. And we understand this because the Bible talks about, listen to this. This is in Ephesians. It says, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment, with a promise that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. Now, when I was a kid, I've told you this. I heard that different. [00:35:09] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Fathers, do not provoke your children. Now, I don't... I don't know about you. I've seen this right in front of me happen before. Michelle and I, we were out eating one time, and this was within the last year. And I don't know if it was a dad or a grandpa. I don't really know. I just know that all this little kid wanted was just somebody to look him in the eye and see what he needed. And I'm telling you, that grandpa, dad, whoever he was, did everything he could to agitate that kid, send him over the top, then got mad at the kid, took him out of the restaurant, beat his tail out in the parking lot. [00:36:05] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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