Podcasts about in colossians

In Proverbs chapter 3, King Solomon writes to his children to “bind his Torah around their neck.” What does it mean to bind something around your neck? How do you “write” something on your heart? It seems that Solomon is instructing us to take action, but hasn't it “all been done for us”? What are the three things Torah does for us? Rabbi Steve Berkson begins this final episode of the series by expounding on how pursuing the Torah of Yahweh can bring peace into your life. Then, moving into Jeremiah chapter 23, Rabbi Berkson ties it to Proverbs chapter 3 and discusses the responsibility of being a proper anointed/appointed teacher of the scriptures. How did the teachers of Jeremiah's day scatter the people? For what were they being reprimanded and punished? Is there a Messianic reference in this chapter? How is Yahweh going to fix the problem of inadequate and problematic teachers? Moving on from Jeremiah to Luke chapter 8, we see the event where Yeshua, leaving His disciples in charge of getting them to the other side, took a nap. Then a great storm came upon them, causing the disciples to cry out, “Master, we are perishing!” Rabbi Berkson points out a great deal of insight from the telling of this event in the Gospel of Luke that can be applied to our life today. In Colossians chapter 3, Rabbi Berkson teaches about “the Above,” the world that is Yahweh's, and “the Below,” the world that is not His. He provides clear instruction, stating that if you are of “the Above,” raised with Messiah Yeshua, then you should diminish your passion for or any connection with “the Below.” Subscribe to take advantage of new content every week. To learn more about MTOI, visit our website, https://mtoi.org. https://www.facebook.com/mtoiworldwide https://www.instagram.com/mtoi_worldwide https://www.tiktok.com/@mtoi_worldwide You can contact MTOI by emailing us at admin@mtoi.org or calling 423-250-3020. Join us for Shabbat Services and Torah Study LIVE, streamed on our website, mtoi.org, YouTube, and Rumble every Saturday at 1:15 p.m. and every Friday for Torah Study Live Stream at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.

In Colossians 2:20-3:5, we discover more about what it means to have “Jesus over everything” in our lives. The truth is, legalism is powerless to change us. However, real change happens when we have a resurrection mindset, and we kill the old life in order to live into the new life that Jesus offers us. […]

Deuteronomy 33 records Moses' message and blessings for each of the 12 tribes and contains wise words of instruction and warning. These words speaks of events to be seen in the latter days that are specific for each tribe. Verses 2-5 are prophetic and is in the Hebrew text in the future tense. Compare Habakuk chapter 3. Seir is the territory of Edom and relates to the time described in Isaiah 63:1-6. Mount Paran is in the south, in the Negev, and we are being presented with the March of the rainbowed angel of Revelation 10. Verse 3 prophetically relates to the same events described in Psalm 68. Of Reuben Moses tells of an increasing in numbers for that tribe. Verse 7 speaks of Judah. We know that this tribe was to be the progenitor of our Lord Jesus Christ – as Micah 5:2 declares. An interesting exercise is to compare Jacob's last day prophecies in Genesis 49 with those of Moses in this chapter. Contemplate the description of Judah's king in verses 8-12 of Genesis 49. Verses 8-11 of Deuteronomy 33:8-11 tell of blessings upon Levi for that tribe's faithfulness to their God at the time of the incident of the golden calf. This, too, was a mirror of their zeal for the LORD at the time of Israel's corrupting of themselves at Baal Peor – Phinehas led the tribe by his example then. The Urim and Thummim relate to the righteous divine judgments in which Yahweh aided and directed the outcome. Phinehas put his love of the LORD above natural family ties and as a result he was promised a priesthood in the kingdom age – Malachi 2 verses 4-7. For his and his tribe's faithfulness the Levites were entrusted with the responsibility to teach Israel the testimonies of their Sovereign. Benjamin's blessing relates to the proximity of his tribe's habitat being on the border of Judah and sharing of the metropolis of the kingdom age – Jerusalem. Verses 14-18 contain the longest of the blessings, which were upon Joseph, the head of the one whose life marked him as separate from his brothers. Joseph may well be the greatest type of Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Joseph is blessed with the double inheritance as his father elevated him to the position of the firstborn son. Likewise though Adam was the firstborn son of God, Luke 3:38, our Lord was given the place of the firstborn as Is prophesied in Psalm 89 verses 26-29. Verse 16 describes the blessing of knowing Yahweh our God in the revelation that was made to Moses by the angel who abode in the bush – Exodus 3:13-18 compare with Acts 7:30-34. The reference to the ten thousands from this tribe is an allusion to Psalm 68:13-21. Verses 18-21 speak of Zebulon, meaning dwelling, being blessed with an inheritance by the Mediterranean Sea and the treasures of the sand may relate to the extensive gas fields found adjacent to this region. The worshippers arriving at this haven by ship will come from there to worship the King in Jerusalem – the mountain of the LORD as Psalm 48 reveals. Verses 20-21 tell of Gad's troop being the protectors of the Promised Land. Verse 22 shows Dan to be the vindicator – the exactor of vengeance upon Yahweh's foes. Verse 23 outlines how Naphtali will carry the burdens of the blessings that will be brought to the nation from the abundance of the Gentiles – Isaiah 60 verses 9-11 reveals this. The lake mentioned is the Dead Sea in southern Israel. and this tribe may accompany the worshippers on their way to the house of prayer for all nations. Verses 24-25 speak of Asher, whose name means “blessed”, or “happy” being blessed with abundance. The mineral wealth in this tribal allotment is enormous. The mineral deposits in the Dead Sea region are among the largest know deposits on earth. Verses 26-29 enumerate the boundless blessings to the nation. The greatest of these blessings is to have the the Eternal God as our Father and be supported day by day in His caring, but mighty, arms. With Him we experience incomparable blessings throughout our live. And we live in this blessed assurance. Chapter 34 of Deuteronomy is not written by Moses as it speaks of his death and the physical condition of his body at the time he is laid to sleep. From the top of Mount Pisgah Moses views the Promised Land. He saw it through eyes that were enhanced and allowing him to see the entire land – this was not physically possible from that location. He rests awaiting the time that the angel will raise him from his sleep so that he also inherit the home of his constant yearnings. He dies as a vigorous man of 120 years in age. His natural vitality was strong and his eyesight undimmed. Israel mourned his decease for a month. And Joshua succeeded Moses as leader of the LORD's people – by the Almighty's divine appointment and with the blessing of Moses. No like prophet ever arose Isaiah 6 tells of Isaiah's calling to be a prophet of Yahweh and his being appointed to that role. He is called as a youth and he protests his unsuitability of carrying out a challenging mission to a rebellious and unheeding nation. In fact the message that he is taking to the nation of Judah would produce an increase in their hostility. As well as his claim to be but a youth we have evidences of that work lasting for 89 years. The prophet begins his service in the year of the great earthquake when king Uzziah died – BC 796. That king had usurped the office of the High Priest and the LORD struck him with leprosy as he was attempting to offer the incense. Uzziah is driven from the Temple as one of the region's greatest earthquakes of all time is unleashed. In contrast with that event the prophet beholds Yahweh of armies enthroned in His Temple. This glorious vision of the king-priest Messiah is symbolic of our Lord Jesus Christ's kingdom reign at his second advent. Matthew tells us this in chapter 13 verses 10-17. The purpose of parables, we are told, was to bewilder the shallow and the sceptical; but to enlighten the hearers who are seeking enlightenment. Verses 9-10 of Isaiah's sixth chapter are cited. At the shaking of the Temple from the great earthquake Isaiah himself physically trembled at this display of raw power from the Almighty. The prophet declares his own unworthiness to even behold this vision, let alone be asked to be his representative. The seraphim appear to be a combination of the cherubic figures of Ezekiel and the flashing of burning fire from the symbolic creatures which Isaiah saw. The Hebrew word derives from a word meaning burning ones. A coal of fire from the smoking incense altar is placed on the prophet's tongue and he is told that there is no need for fears as his iniquity is taken away by God whose Word has purged his sins. The necessary preparation for Isaiah to proclaim the LORD's message. Isaiah is thus commissioned as a prophet of Yahweh and on behalf of his Sovereign he would take the message placed into his mouth by divine inspiration to the nation of Israel. Sadly that generation of Israelites was largely uneffected. Likewise Messiah's message failed to effect the majority of people in his age. So our Lord Jesus spoke in parables. The Apostle John speaks of this in John 12verses 32-33 when our Lord Jesus prophesied his own lifting up in crucifixion. Paul tells us that this was a great stumbling stone for the Jews as we read in  1 Corinthians 1:23. In Colossians 3 verses 1-4 tells us that since we have through the act of baptism been raised in him to a new life our thoughts and actions should be in harmony with this. And so from verses 5-9 all those past behaviours are to find no place among believers. Our new self is being renewed every day through our growth in understanding what it means to be “in Christ”. From verses 12-17 the focus of the believer's mind and actions is to centre on living with (and as) Christ. From verses 18 to the chapter's end he addresses the different groups within Christian households and advises on proper behaviour. Chapter 4 continues with instructions for masters and servants – such an important topic as five sixths of the Roman world were slaves. Verses 2-4 is a request to those at Colossae to pray for Paul's preaching. Verse 5 tells that their speech and behaviour must be sincere at all times – “seasoned with salt”. Verses 7-17 conclude with final greetings. Verse 18 tells us that the letter was written by Paul in his own handwriting.

In Colossians 1:24-29, we are reminded that pain isn't pointless when we are in Christ. We suffer with purpose, we steward the mystery of God as Christ is “in us,” and we persevere with the Holy Spirit's power. churchofthelakes.org

In Colossians 3:15-17 we find a trilogy of commands for believers to submit to Christ in specific ways. Join us as we examine these 3, as well as the absolutely necessary heart posture for all believers in these areas.

Men, are you just clocking in, or are you building the Kingdom of God through your work?In this powerful second part of our Daily Grind with God series, we confront the real battle most of us fight every day, the temptation to see our jobs as a burden instead of a mission. Whether at a desk, in the trades, on the road, or at home with the kids, your work matters to God.This is the truth grounded in Scripture and the Catechism. In Colossians 3:23, St. Paul commands us: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." When you live this out, even the most mundane spreadsheet becomes an offering. Even changing diapers becomes an altar.This episode dives into:How your job is part of your divine vocation (CCC 2427)Why St. Joseph, St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. Josemaría Escrivá are your daily companions in the grindHow to turn every workday into a prayer through intention, rededication, and excellenceThe real danger of turning work into your god—or treating it like it's meaninglessAnd most importantly, the spiritual challenge I give every man listening: Offer your work this week as a sacrifice for a specific intentionIt's time to stop coasting. Get intentional. Sanctify your labor. You don't need to change careers—you need to change your heart.3 POWERFUL QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE:“Your desk, your tools, your kitchen—that is your battlefield.”“God doesn't want your sloppy seconds. He wants your best.”“Are you working for God, or are you working for yourself?”KEY TAKEAWAY FOR CATHOLIC MEN:Start offering your work every single day for a specific intention—your spouse, your kids, your priest, the souls in purgatory. Make your labor a prayer. This is your battlefield. Fight with purpose.RESOURCES & REFERENCES MENTIONED:Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 2427Colossians 3:23St. Therese of Lisieux – The Little WaySt. Josemaría Escrivá – Spirituality of WorkSt. Benedict – Ora et Labora (Pray and Work)Book: The Power of Silence by Cardinal Robert SarahEvent: Men's Silent Retreat – June 14, Grand Rapids, MI @ Franciscan Life Center (Link in show notes)SHARE THIS EPISODE Men, we are in a war—and most of us are losing the battle in the workplace by treating our job like it's separate from our faith. Forward this to a brother who's stuck in a rut, burned out, or tempted to check out. We need soldiers—not spectators.Send us a text Support the showPlease prayerfully consider supporting the podcast on our Buy Me A Coffee page. to help grow the show to reach as many men as possible! Thank you for your prayers and support. Be sure to follow us on X for more great content. As always, please pray for us! We are men who strive daily to be holy, to become saints and we cannot do that without the help of the Holy Ghost! Subscribe to our YouTube page to see our manly and holy faces Check out our website Contact us at themanlycatholic@gmail.com

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9You don't have to study Scripture long to realize that God's wisdom differs sharply from what the world considers wise. John Cortines joins us today to talk about the nature of wisdom, and spoiler alert— it's a Person, not a thing.John Cortines is the Director of Grantmaking at The Maclellan Foundation. He is the author of our new study on the book of Ecclesiastes, Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money, as well as the co-author of God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches at Harvard Business School and True Riches: What Jesus Really Said About Money and Your Heart.The True Nature of WisdomIn our modern world, we often equate wisdom with knowledge, education, and the ability to make good decisions. While these aspects are certainly part of it, Ecclesiastes teaches us that wisdom is far more than intellectual mastery or a collection of best practices. In fact, wisdom is not just a set of principles—it is a person. That person is Jesus Christ.Throughout Ecclesiastes, the Preacher (likely King Solomon) wrestles with the big questions of life: What is our purpose? Where can we find joy? How should we handle money? The book explores the various paths people take—seeking pleasure, accumulation, and status—but ultimately concludes that all these pursuits are vanity, or "chasing after the wind."The key takeaway? True wisdom is found in fearing God and keeping His commandments. But it's not merely about following rules—it's about cultivating a relationship with God through Christ.Ecclesiastes isn't just a book about the limitations of human wisdom; it points us to the deeper truth that wisdom is found in a relationship with God. Near the end of Ecclesiastes, we read that "the words of the wise are like goads," and these words come from "one shepherd."Interestingly, this shepherd's identity is made clear in the New Testament, where Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd in the Gospel of John. Not only does Jesus impart wisdom, but He is wisdom. In Colossians, we learn that Jesus is the one who orders and sustains all things—He embodies wisdom.Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:30 that Jesus became "to us wisdom from God, righteousness, and sanctification." This concept shifts our understanding of wisdom from a set of teachings to a relationship with a person.Ecclesiastes and the Limitations of Human WisdomEcclesiastes acknowledges the limits of human wisdom. Even Solomon, renowned for his wisdom, struggled to make sense of life's paradoxes. He sought knowledge, but it never gave him lasting meaning. In fact, knowledge alone cannot answer the deeper questions of life, such as suffering, uncertainty, or death.True wisdom isn't found in education or achievement; it's received from outside ourselves. Proverbs 9:10 states, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and in the knowledge of the Holy One, there is insight. True wisdom is about trusting in Christ, who alone leads us into all truth and understanding.Walking in Wisdom with ChristIf wisdom is a person, the way to grow in wisdom is to walk closely with Jesus. John offers some practical ways to deepen our relationship with Christ and grow in wisdom:Spend time in God's Word: Not just for information but to encounter Christ and be transformed.Pray and seek His guidance: God promises to give wisdom to those who ask for it.Live in obedience: Wisdom isn't just knowing what is right; it's living it out.Surround yourself with wise counsel: Engage with fellow believers who are also walking with Christ.Trust God in times of uncertainty: Lean on Christ in suffering and hardship.Develop a heart of gratitude: Recognize and enjoy the simple gifts God gives us each day.These steps, though simple, shape our lives and our relationship with God. They allow us to grow in wisdom and understanding as we live in step with Christ.The Connection Between Wisdom and FinancesOne area where wisdom plays a critical role is in our financial lives. The way we handle money is closely tied to our spiritual journey, and the book of Ecclesiastes speaks directly to this. Money is often viewed in our culture as a means of fulfillment, but Ecclesiastes teaches us that wealth is a tool, not our source of meaning.In Ecclesiastes 11, we are reminded of the importance of generosity: "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." Giving reflects God's nature and His wisdom, and it produces Kingdom fruit. Generosity is a key part of living for Him.Ecclesiastes teaches us to appreciate the simple gifts God provides, while also reminding us that money and possessions are fleeting. As we apply the wisdom of Christ to our finances, we see the balance between frugality, generosity, and enjoying the blessings God has given us.The Ultimate Wisdom: JesusAt the heart of Ecclesiastes—and of all Scripture—is the call to fear God and keep His commandments. In the New Testament, we understand that this means following Jesus Christ, who is wisdom incarnate. Our pursuit of wisdom isn't about accumulating knowledge or living by a set of moral principles. It's about knowing Jesus personally and living in relationship with Him.If you're seeking wisdom, the answer is not found in more knowledge or better strategies—it's found in Jesus Christ. As we follow Him, we grow in wisdom, and our understanding of life's challenges—including money and possessions—becomes clearer. Wisdom is a person, and that person is Jesus.For those interested in diving deeper into the book of Ecclesiastes, our new study, Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money, offers a comprehensive exploration of this biblical text and its profound teachings on money, work, and contentment. Visit FaithFi.com/shop to get your copy today or to place a bulk order.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I have a son who has separated himself from our family. We haven't spoken in two and a half months. I want to know if there are any biblical references that would support changing my will to take my son out of it, given our current strained relationship.I made an insurance claim for a new roof, which was necessary. Now my insurance company has raised my rates, and my next payment is $163 higher than usual, which I can't afford this month. Do I have any recourse, and what should I do besides looking for another insurance company?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly MagazineTrue Riches: What Jesus Really Said About Money and Your Heart by John Cortines and Gregory BaumerSplitting Heirs: Giving Your Money and Things to Your Children Without Ruining Their Lives by Ron Blue with Jeremy WhiteWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money (Pre-Order)Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

In Colossians 3:12-14, Paul gives us a beautiful picture of what being counter-cultural actually looks like in the life of the church, and challenges us to apply it.

Bert placed his debit card atop the restaurant bill. The waiter scooped it up and then paused to ask, “Wait, who is this guy who says ‘I am the way the truth and life?’ That’s so conceited!” Bert realized the waiter was reacting to the words printed on the card by his Christian financial company—Jesus’ words from John 14:6. Amused at the waiter’s response, Bert explained the identity of “this guy” and His sacrificial offering to bring us to God. When we encounter people who know nothing about our faith, we might respond with ridicule or even judgment. But the apostle Peter challenged us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Then he warned, “Do this with gentleness and respect” (v. 16). In Colossians 4:6, Paul explained the power of such a response, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Just as salt on our food enhances flavor, salty answers invite others closer to faith. Questions may come in surprising settings from those completely unfamiliar with Jesus Christ. When we respond with gentleness and grace, our answers offer a saltiness that entices questioners to yearn for more.

In Colossians 3:1-4 we see that the resurrected life involves reorienting your life around Jesus; letting your future destiny determine your present pursuits.

Colossians 1:28 talks about teaching AND warning people. In Colossians 3:5-11 we find the warning. The wrath of God is real and it is coming. So what fundamentals do people need to understand about His wrath, and for believers who are no longer under it, how should this essential truth impact our lives and actions?

In Colossians 1:15-23, we're given a breathtaking vision of Jesus Christ—one that lifts our eyes beyond the ordinary and into the Holy of Holies. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, the One by whom and for whom all things were made. In Him, all things hold together. This passage invites us to see Jesus not merely as a teacher or moral example, but as the preeminent Lord of all—supreme over creation, sovereign in redemption, and reconciling all things to Himself through the blood of the cross. It's a vision that anchors faith, inspires worship, and redefines everything.

Bearing the Fruit of Christ (audio) David Eells – 4/23/25 Saints, The Lord told me a few days ago that the Man-child and Bride are not quite ready for all He has planned.  He indicated the time would be soon, but they need to “…Behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord.” This is justification by faith and also is how the power to manifest Christ in us comes. 2Co.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. Today I'm going to talk to you about bearing the fruit of perfection in Christ. We have learned that we were sanctified and perfected. (Heb.10:14) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. We shall be manifested in these things. We receive sanctification and perfection by this position in Christ Jesus. Now we need to cooperate with God to manifest what we've received by faith. (Heb.11:1) Now faith is assurance of [things] hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. We want the evidence to be made manifest in our life so that Christ can live through us in this world. I usually study the Parable of the Sower out of Matthew 13, but I would like us to look at Luke this time. (Luk.8:4) And when a great multitude came together, and they of every city resorted unto him, he spake by a parable: (5) The sower went forth to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden under foot, and the birds of the heaven devoured it. (6) And other fell on the rock; and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. (7) And other fell amidst the thorns; and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. (8) And other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth fruit a hundredfold. As he said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (9) And his disciples asked him what this parable might be. (10) And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to the rest in parables; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.  (11) Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. (12) And those by the way side are they that have heard; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. (13) And those on the rock [are] they who, when they have heard, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. (14) And that which fell among the thorns, these are they that have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of [this] life, and bring no fruit to perfection. So obviously, we're talking about the manifestation of perfection, which is to bring fruit to perfection. Notice, even though they were receiving the seed, they didn't bring the fruit to perfection. (15) And that in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast, and bring forth fruit with patience. These bring forth fruit unto perfection. Glory to God! That's our hope, that the Lord Himself will manifest His fruit in us. It's the seed that brings forth the fruit unto perfection; it's not us. It's the seed, the Word of God in us, that has power. One of the points is that we have to hold it fast, hold fast the seed. We see that the seed is being sown in the heart (verse 11) and the seed is the Word of God. If the heart holds it fast, it will bring forth fruit unto perfection. (12) And those by the way side are they that have heard; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. Here the Word is not held fast so that it bears fruit; this is a miscarrying womb. The heart is the womb that brings forth the fruit, just like the womb of a woman has to hold fast the seed in order for that seed to come to birth. (1Jn.3:9) Whosoever is begotten (the word “begotten” here is the same word for “born”) of God doeth no sin, because his seed abideth in him…. In other words, it stays, it's being held fast, it “abideth in him.” He cannot sin because he is born of God. So, when the seed abides, it can come to birth, it can bring the fruit to perfection. And we know, since the seed is the Word of God, and Jesus is the Word of God, that the fruit that is born in us is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col.1:27); that is, Christ manifested in His people. We know that we were perfected at the cross, that His life was given for ours, and that we don't live anymore – Christ lives in us by faith. But as we hold fast the promise in the midst of the many trials of riches, temptations, and so on, as we hold on to the Word, that Word will bear fruit. Many times in the trial, our mind wants to revert back to the things of the world. Our mind wants to walk by sight instead of by faith, but in the trial, we have opportunity to hold on to the Word and not turn it loose, so that it bears the same fruit of Jesus Christ in us, the same faith, the same miraculous power, the same sanctifying power, manifested through His saints. When we're in the midst of the trials, we have to hold fast to the Word and cast down everything else. (2Co.10:5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. That's the whole point: we are to hold fast to the Word and cast down every other word that empowers the curse. We must cast down the seed of the devil, which is his word and thoughts. Cast it down, cast it out of our mind. We only want the one seed that can bring forth the fruit of Christ. That's the only seed we want to accept and we have to hold fast to it, because the devil is seeking to take away the seed that's been sown in our heart. He desperately has to do that, or we will bear fruit and it will be too late. We have to “hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not.” When you're in the fiery trial and you know what the promise is, remember that promise is the seed that you have to hold to in order to bear the fruit. We don't want to have a spiritually-miscarrying womb. Remember, Jesus said, The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life (Joh.6:63). Any other word besides the Word of God is also spirit and is also life, but not the spirit and life of Christ. We don't want another life. We don't want to have “strange children,” as the prophet spoke: (Hos.5:7) “They have borne strange children”. They have to look like the father. If you have a child who looks strangely different from the father, you wonder, “Now, whose seed is this?” It wasn't the seed of the father. Well, so it is today. We read the Scriptures in order to become familiar with the Father, Jesus said, He that hath seen me hath seen the Father (Joh.14:9). In other words, Jesus manifested His Father. He was a seed which was in line with His Father, and we have to also be such a seed. The fruit in us has to also be a seed, which is in line with our Father's Word. There is an example in Leviticus 19 that points this out pretty well: (Lev.19:19) Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed…. In other words, each seed brings forth after its own kind; you don't want a mixture here. I remember my father-in-law told me one time about how he planted a row of hot peppers too close to a row of bell peppers and his bell peppers became hot. I can imagine, in some cases, hot bell peppers might be pretty handy, but if you want bell peppers, you want bell peppers. What the Father is looking for is Jesus. He's not interested in anything else. He has planted that seed in His field and He wants Christ. (Joh.3:13) … No one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven…. The Lord wants Jesus, so we don't want two kinds of seed sown in our field, because this is going to be a mixture; it's not going to be the fruit of Christ. Any mixture takes away from the fruit of Christ. (Lev.19:19) … Neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together. That's a good example of “putting on the works of Christ” along with putting on our own works. “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]” (Rom.13:14). The problem is making sure that the seed is the true seed of the Father, which is the Word of God, making sure that we hold fast to the seed, and making sure that we don't have a spiritually-miscarrying womb. Leviticus 15 speaks about that in another verse: (Lev.15:19) And if a woman have an issue, [and] her issue in her flesh be blood (notice that it doesn't say “in her body”; it purposely says, “in her flesh”), she shall be in her impurity seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. This is a parable and, therefore, types and shadows. There's nothing unclean about the natural thing that this is speaking about. But the spiritual revelation here is that it's very unclean. (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. So what we see here is something concerning a miscarrying womb, because of the issue of blood, where what's in the blood represents our nature. (Lev.17:11) For the life of the flesh is in the blood…. The life, the nature, the soul (“soul” is sometimes translated in the New Testament as “nature”) has been passed on to a person through the blood of their parents. This nature of the “old man” is our enemy; it's the whole problem we're fighting against. It's struggling with us and there's a war going on, but the Blood of Jesus represents His life, His nature, His soul, and bearing fruit is to bear the fruit of the Spirit and soul of Christ in us. That is what the Word manifesting itself in us is all about. We see here that, if a woman has an issue of blood in her flesh, this is impurity. Why? Because the blood of the old life washes away the seed, and the seed doesn't bear fruit. The woman is not fertile. In fact, it says here that she will be impure for seven days. She's not going to be fertile until the eighth day. The eighth day is a new beginning. So in a spiritual way (the verse is not talking about natural women), the “women” spoken of refers to sects and divisions of God's people, as Scripture speaks about them. (Isa.4:1) And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name…. These “women” are the seven churches doing their own thing. Women can also be local churches. (2Ti.3:5) Holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away. (6) For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, (7) ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. So they're studying, studying, studying. They continue receiving seed, but they're never coming to the knowledge of the truth. It happens all the time. “Silly women,” as the Scripture calls them, these sects of God's people who don't grow up in Him are led captive by these men making disciples of themselves. (Lev.15:19) … She shall be in her impurity seven days…. (Mat.15:6) … Ye have made void (“of no effect”) the word of God because of your tradition. We see from this that the blood of the woman represents her carnal nature, by which she rejects the seed of Christ (the Word of God), the seed that is to bring forth the life and nature and fruit of the Husband. The Jews were doing just that. They were like a menstruating woman, who were not going to bring forth fruit, because their old nature had determined that they were going to walk after their traditions – those things that were pleasing to their natural life and to their flesh. Therefore, when the Word of God comes along, which sometimes is crucifying to the “old man,” they reject it. It gets washed away by their own nature. Jesus rebuked them and He told them, Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man (Mat.15:11). Their thinking was coming out of their mouth. That was what was defiling them because they were rejecting the true Word of God. They were making of no effect the Word of God by their tradition, making the seed ineffectual in bringing forth any fruit. (Lev.15:19) And if a woman have an issue, [and] her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. Note that the word used here for “unclean” is the same word for “defiled.” Remember Revelation 14:4: “the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb.” It says they “were not defiled with women.” This is talking about them not being defiled with those sects of God's people who are rejecting the true Seed of God. If we're not holding fast the Word, then we're washing it away with our own unclean, fallen nature. (Lev.17:11) For the life of the flesh is in the blood…. As we read on down, we see: (Lev.15:24) And if any man lie with her, and her impurity be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days…. Well, we know who it is who “lieth” with these women. It is those who are supposed to be sowing the Seed of the Lord. Paul said, For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet [have ye] not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel (1Co.4:15). In other words, Paul sowed the Seed of the Lord God, and it brought forth the fruit of Jesus in those early disciples, and so on. But we see here that those who lie with the woman who was not willing to give up her old life, to give fertile ground to the seed, then that man is unclean, too. (2Ti.3:6) For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, (7) ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Jesus said the same thing, “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to the rest in parables; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand” (Luk.8:10). Jesus wasn't going to sow the seed in that infertile ground. He wasn't going to give the true Word of God to those people who had no respect for it, and who would just wash it away, like throwing pearls before swine. It's that same way today. The true Word of God will not be received by many apostate Christians, and a person wastes their time trying to give it to them. Those apostate Christians will disrespect God's Word and will cast it to the ground. So the woman with an issue is going to stay in her impurity and the man who sows seed in her is going to stay in his impurity seven days. These people have the unscriptural idea that they're going to escape by flying away and miss the seven days of the Tribulation. They're not going to do it. (Lev.15:28) But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. We're coming to the time when people need to be cleansed so that at the end of the seven days (the seven-year Tribulation), they'll be ready to meet the Lord. (Lev.15:29) And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting. (30) And the priest shall offer the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness. (31) Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness, that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is in the midst of them. Now we see here that we're talking about a defiling of a tabernacle, a body of God's people, a temporary temple of God's people. This tabernacle is being defiled because they've cast the Word of God to the ground. They have been caught up in the traditions of men, so that their own opinions and their own ideas are more important to them than receiving the Seed of the Word. I'm reminded of this: (Isa.32:9) Rise up, ye women that are at ease, [and] hear my voice; ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech. (10) For days beyond a year shall ye be troubled, ye careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come. The ingathering harvest (the Rapture) that they're all expecting to be at the beginning of the seven days won't come until the end of the seven days. Why? Because they're defiled. The vintage did not bear fruit. (11) Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones; strip you, and make you bare (in other words, take off those mixed garments), and gird [sackcloth] upon your loins. And when does He say they are going to bear fruit? (15) Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest. The wilderness is called the Tribulation in Revelation chapters 12 and 17. The “firstfruits” in Revelation 14 “were not defiled with women.”  So we see these women who are defiled, have to go through the Great Tribulation in order to be purified. God's plan is going to be fulfilled. For those of you who are walking undefiled now, that's great, and praise be to God when we come to respect God's Word above our own thinking and the traditions of men. It's going to take a pure Word. Jesus said to these people, “ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world” (Joh.8:23). We can't have the mixture of two seeds in our field. There can only be one seed that is not of this world and brings forth the fruit of Jesus Christ. Remember the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares? The word there for “seed” is the word sperma, letting us know this is not just talking about plants here. The Word, sperma, is what's going to bring forth this wheat. When a person sows good seed in their field, the Lord's sperma is there. Who sowed those tares among the wheat? Jesus said, “an enemy hath done this” (Mat.13:28). There's not supposed to be two seeds sown in the same field. The field, here is in the Kingdom of God on this earth. But in our life, it's up to us to make sure we cast down the bad seed, which is, “imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God” (2Co.10:5). Receive only and hold fast to the good seed because the good seed will bring forth the birth. In Luke 8, we're told, (Luk.8:15) … that in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it fast, and bring forth fruit with patience. I pointed out that in the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the Lord used the word sperma. The sperma only brings forth after the nature of the Father, so that's using a human analogy. Jesus does the same thing again in this chapter: (21) But he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these that hear the word of God, and do it. Jesus also said, (Mat.7:24) Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And He said that the wind and the storm and the rain that comes will not tear down that house because it's built on the Rock (verse 25). So we see that to be Jesus' brother, we must be from the same Father and through the same “mother.” And to be His mother, we must bear the same fruit. We must bear the fruit of Jesus Christ. His fruit must be born in us. We must hold fast to the Seed of the Word of God, so that His fruit will be born in us. When the disciples came to Him and they said, “Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee” (Luk.8:20), He responded, (Mar.3:33) “Who is my mother and my brethren?” He always wanted to bring things to a spiritual level. (34) And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren! (35) For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. We have another example in Luke 11 of a woman on a natural level who came to Jesus: (Luk.11:27) And it came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts which thou didst suck. (28) But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. This woman could have been a Mariolater, of Mariolatry in our day. It was important to her to know who the physical mother of Jesus was, but He said, “No, that's not important,” because God could have picked anybody to do that, in that she was the mother of His flesh, not the mother of His spiritual “man.” The important thing is that this parable is fulfilled in our day. Who should bring forth Christ now? Those who hear the Word of God and keep it. So when we think about the mother of Jesus, Jesus applies this to us. In Isaiah 7, we see this parable: (Isa.7:14) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign (The word “sign” here is owth and it means “omen,” which is a sign of something to come. Now this is the sign of something to come.): behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son…. How is it that Mary was a sign of something to come? Most importantly, she was a virgin. There was no seed of man; it was the seed of God that brought forth the fruit of Jesus Christ in her. In Revelation 12, we see what appears to be a virtuous woman with the 12 stars around her head, standing on the moon (in other words, reflecting the light of the Son), and she's clothed with the sun (she has put on the Lord Jesus Christ), and she's bringing forth, or birthing, the “man-child.” So, that woman must be a virgin. Just to fulfill the type and the shadow, she has to be a group of people who are rejecting the word of man. They're rejecting the seed, or sperma, of man. She must be a virgin. So, therefore, in these end-times, at the time of the birthing of the man-child, there is a group of people who are rejecting the seed of men. There are two things about that little parable in Revelation 12: one, I think, that is individual and the other that is corporate. Each one of us, as the mother of Christ, must be rejecting the seed of man: what man has to say, what man has to think, what this man in whom we walk thinks and believes with his sight and with his feelings, and so on. We're to reject those things in order to believe, to stand on, and to hold fast to only the Word of God, so that it bears fruit. Corporately, there is a body of people who are at this time rejecting the words of man, the seeds of man, and they will bring forth a corporate man-child who is the firstfruits of those who walk in the steps of Jesus Christ in the coming days. We see here that this sign is that they have to be a virgin: (14) … A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us). Jesus wasn't just with them; He's just as much with us. He is still Immanuel, God with us. In fact, every Christian carries Jesus, as God, with them, because they're all pregnant with Jesus. They have all been pregnant with Jesus because of the Word of God, to which they highly respect and hold fast. They're going to bring forth His fruit. In Luke 1, we see the story of Mary, which is that sign. The angel Gabriel came and appeared to Mary, saying to her, (Luk.1:28) … Hail, thou that art highly favored (or, indued with grace), the Lord [is] with thee. This is very similar to what we saw about “Immanuel” or “God with us.” “The Lord” here is the word kurios, which is “lord” or “master,” and is used all through the New Testament. The Will of the Lord (Who is “God with us”) is being fulfilled through the type and shadow of Mary in His church and in His people, because everyone who hears and does the Word of God is like Mary. They are like His mother. Then Gabriel says, (30) … Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor (or grace) with God. Mary wasn't the person that a lot of Mariolatry religions want to make her out to be. She had to have grace; she had to be saved; she had to be filled with the Spirit, and she had other children after Jesus, after she fulfilled this type. It goes on: (31) And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb (this is the Word of the Lord going through the angel Gabriel, God's leading messenger angel), and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS (which originally meant “YHWH is salvation”). He is “Immanuel” – “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14) but the promise to Mary, as the mother of Jesus, was that she would bear the fruit of Jesus. This was the promise, and that's the promise to us, too. The Bible says the same thing about us, that we will bear His fruit: (32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. Once again, a firstfruit is coming forth in this day who will sit in the throne of David. It is Jesus Christ in a body of David, just like it happened in Luke at that time. (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (34) And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? Well, there it is. We see she had not known a man; it was not a man's seed that would bring forth this Son of God, obviously. Each seed brings forth after its own kind. If it's the seed of man, the only thing she could have would be man. Jesus said, “Ye are from beneath; I am from above” (Joh.8:23). He is born from above. No seed of man can bring forth anything from above, and so, she knew not a man. She was a virgin. (Luk.1:35) And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power (dunamis) of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also [it says in the Numerics, “that which is born”] shall be called holy, the Son of God. That's a better translation than in the ASV text, which reads, (35) … wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God. (36) And behold, Elisabeth thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that was called barren. The next verse is very enlightening, especially in the original wording, which says, (37) For no word from God shall be void of power. You see, Mary had a Word from God, a Word that by itself could bring forth in her the Son of God. Now I know some translations say, “Nothing shall be impossible with God,” but the word here is “no word (rhema) from God shall be void of power (paI dunateo).” “Impossible” does not represent the original wording there. Everything that God says has the power; it is the Seed that has the power to bring forth itself in a fertile womb. So the Word of God in our heart has the power to bring forth Jesus Christ in us. It is His sperma. It has the power. All we have to do is give it fertile ground. We are Mary if we give the Word of God, which comes down out of heaven, which is not from man, fertile ground. And what did Mary say? (38) And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word…. In other words, she was in agreement with the Word of God. “Let it be so, Lord.” “Just as You say.” “I agree with that.” “I accept that, Lord.” Many people today are just washing the seed away. They argue with the Word of God, thinking that they have a right to their own opinion. We don't have a right to have our own opinion – we're dead. Dead men don't have their own opinions. We died with Christ and He now lives in us. We have His opinion, so believe what He says. Mary was in agreement with the Word that came from the Lord. Every word from God is powerful. It has the power to bring forth what it says. (38) … And the angel departed from her. She said, “be it unto me according to thy” rhema, and he “departed from her.” (39) And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; (40) and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth. (41) And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; (42) and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. And the same is true today: blessed is the fruit of the womb of this natural life that brings forth the fruit of Christ. (43) And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me? (44) For behold, when the voice of thy salutation came into mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. (45) And blessed [is] she that believed; for there shall be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. The things that were spoken to her from the Lord, the Word of God, shall not be void of power. And, because she believed, there was a fulfillment of the words of God – all the words of God. Many Christians believe that these words of God are just naturally going to be fulfilled. However, they won't be fulfilled if a person doesn't have faith. The Word of God has power, but Mary had to agree with what was promised to her by the Word of the Lord: (45) And blessed [is] she that believed; for there shall be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. Yes, the Lord says, For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (Heb.10:14), but there may never be a fulfillment of that for us, unless we believe, as Mary did. Belief gives fertile ground to the seed, which will bear fruit when a person agrees with it, accepts it and walks in it by faith. We fight a battle with the devil, who has an ally, the old carnal nature, working with him and against us. The devil can steal the seed because he has agreement in the carnal nature, which washes the seed away. The carnal nature won't let that seed be held fast, so that it can bear fruit. We're like Mary only if we hold to the Word of God, as 2 Thessalonians says: (1:10) When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day. Why? “[O]ur testimony unto you was believed.” Jesus is coming to be glorified in His people because that testimony of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” will be believed “in that day.” This is talking about the time immediately before the coming of the Lord; look at the text. So, right before the coming of the Lord, God's people are once again going to believe in the Gospel that has been spoken to the “woman” church. Remember what Jesus said: (Mat.9:29) … According to your faith be it done unto you. (Mat.8:13) … As thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee. Do you believe that the seed of the promise of the Word of God can bring forth Jesus Christ in you? If you do, it will happen. We hear all the time in the churches that we can't be perfect, but there's no such verse in Scripture. We're going to read over and over in the Bible what it has to say about perfection before we're through with this teaching. What we have to agree with is, “Okay, Lord. You said it and I believe it. If, at the cross, You perfected me forever, as Hebrews 10 says, then I accept that Word. Be it unto Thy handmaid, according to the Word of the Lord.” Believe it; receive it. If God says it, it's yours. When you believe it, (Luk.1:45) Blessed [is] she that believed; for there shall be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. We believe it. We receive it. In Colossians, we read, (Col.1:25) Whereof I was made a minister, according to the dispensation (or, the word is actually “stewardship”) of God which was given me to you-ward, to fulfil the word of God. In other words, even though God has made this promise, He sends forth ministers (a messenger) to share the truth of this revelation with us, just like the messenger who came to Mary. And it's the same message of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Now, when we believe that, blessed are we who believe, for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to us from the Lord. Some people say, “Well, I don't believe that. We believe we're sinners saved by grace.” Now that's not in the Bible! That's a tradition. The Bible says, “He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb.10:14). “Sanctified” means “separated from the world.” If we are separated from the world, then we believe what God says: (Col.1:25) … (A stewardship) of God, which was given me to you-ward, to fulfil the word of God, (26) [even] the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations; but now hath it been manifested to his saints. So, in the time of Paul, the wonderful revelation that he was about to share was made known. And, though they lost it shortly after that, in our day, once again, it is being made known. And what is that wonderful revelation? (27) To whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We have no hope of glory outside of Christ in us. The seed brings forth the fruit of Jesus Christ. The part of us that was original, this old man, this old life, is just the dirt in which the seed was sown, but the seed is what brings forth Christ. Each of us must hold fast the seed and not be a miscarrying womb. (27) … Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Col.1:28) whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ. In other words, this is talking about manifestation. We preach the wonderful mystery of “Christ in you,” the holding fast of the seed of the Word, as the mother of the Son of God – being manifested in us and soon to be seen of men. “Present every man perfect in Christ.” Some may say, “But I thought we were already perfect?” Yes, we are by faith, and now Scripture is talking about manifesting that faith. Faith is the substance of the thing hoped for while the evidence is not yet seen, so faith gives us this substance, as a position in Christ, until the manifestation comes. It's like believing for a healing – it's a whole lot better to get one. The faith is just a meantime substance. God wants us to manifest that healing, that deliverance, that provision to us, and that is Christ in us! That is what we hold fast, what we're not shaken away from. We're not going to let the devil steal it from us. It's our right in Jesus Christ. Amen! Paul goes on to say, (29) whereunto I labor also, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. The Lord is working in us to bring this to pass, as the Lord was working through Paul, His minister, to share this wonderful mystery, this revelation with the disciples in those days. Now we're entering into a time when God is going to share this wonderful revelation in these days with His people. He's going to work mightily through His ministers and He's going to work mightily through His people to manifest Christ in them. It's a wonderful revelation and it's a wonderful fulfillment! Christ is once again going to walk in this earth because God's people are going to believe. (2Th.1:10) When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day. Paul was saying that he didn't think it was completely believed in his day: “Our testimony unto you was believed … in that day.” In other words, God is going to share special grace with His people to believe once again this mystery of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Glory to God! We are the mother of Christ! We hear and do the Word of God. We're not hearers deluding ourselves, beholding our natural face in the mirror: (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. We accept from the beginning that Christ now lives in us, that we no longer live. We accept it by faith, and because we accept it by faith, God says it is going to be manifested. So glory be to God! This is the perfection that we have in Christ and it will be manifested through us as we abide in Christ. This is “that perfection.” Also, we have this word: (Luk.8:14) And that which fell among the thorns, these are they that have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of [this] life, and bring no fruit to perfection. The word “perfection” here is a strange word not used anywhere else in the Bible. It's the word telesphoreo. There's a common word for “perfection” – teleios – but this word is telesphoreo and it means “to bring to perfection” or “end in view.” In other words, we have to see the end from the beginning. We have to call these things that be not as though they were. We're “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord” (to look in the mirror and see Jesus; that's having farsightedness) and “are transformed into” that “same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.” And Paul prefaces that with, “But we all, with unveiled face,” so this telesphoreo we see from the beginning. We're seeing it, accepting it and we're walking toward it, and we're going to receive it by faith. Isn't it awesome? This is God's promise to us! Oh, praise be to God! Listen, saints, get into the Word of God. It's the only thing that brings forth Jesus. Love the Lord. Don't be distracted. Cast down the words of man.

Welcome back to In the Word with Malcolm Webber!In Colossians 1 verses 24-28, Paul reveals to the Colossians the “mystery” of God — that the Gentiles would one day enter God's covenant, and be united with Christ Himself. Find out more in the first part of Malcolm's message on Colossians 1:24-28, “Christ in You, the Hope of Glory.”In the Word with Malcolm Webber is a weekly podcast featuring selected teachings from Dr. Webber's over 40 years of ministry. Find more teachings, along with books, courses, tools, and other resources from Dr. Webber at our website.Related Resources from LeaderSource* Book: The Preeminence and All-Sufficiency of Jesus Christ* Book: The Glorious Bride of Christ: An Exposition of Ephesians* For More Teaching on Common Errors: Malcolm's Musings* Email Course: Who Jesus Christ IsNew to the series? Start here:More messages from Malcolm: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leadersource.substack.com

In Colossians 3:1-4 we find the call to set our minds on the things above, but what are those things? How do we set our minds on them?

In Colossians 2:16-23, Pastor Abraham walks through the passage where Paul describes how Christ is the fulfillment of the traditions practiced in the Old Testament. How Christ is the substance that the shadows preceded. Find related discussion questions here: cbcnyc.org/sermon-discussion-questions

Do we give God the Father enough credit for spiritual success in our lives and the lives of others? In Colossians 1:3-8, the Apostle Paul writes about giving thanks to God the Father for the spiritual fruit reported among the Colossian believers.Main Passages: Colossians 1:3-8; John 13:34-35; Isaiah 55:10-11East Memorial Student Ministry | Pastor Mathew Wronski | March 19th, 2025

In Colossians 2:9-15 we find the full umbrella of atonement described; a debt needed to be paid and our Savior condescended in His great love to take on the penalty and payment of that debt.

Colossians 3:1-5, 8-13 One of the most insidious vices, that we easily fall into is that of anger or wrath. Often disguised in pseudo-righteousness, anger quickly morphs into wrath and a litany of other manifestations as human nature takes over, and we seek justice on our own terms. In Colossians, Paul reminds his audience that we are new a new creation because of the Gospel, that believers are “in Christ” and as such are called to put off worldly practices and put on the virtue of godliness. Patience, the willingness to suffer long even in the face of provocation, is both a fruit of faithfulness and the antidote to wrath.

Colossians 3:1-5, 8-13 One of the most insidious vices, that we easily fall into is that of anger or wrath. Often disguised in pseudo-righteousness, anger quickly morphs into wrath and a litany of other manifestations as human nature takes over, and we seek justice on our own terms. In Colossians, Paul reminds his audience that we are new a new creation because of the Gospel, that believers are “in Christ” and as such are called to put off worldly practices and put on the virtue of godliness. Patience, the willingness to suffer long even in the face of provocation, is both a fruit of faithfulness and the antidote to wrath.

In Colossians 2 we find a macro-perspective on recognizing false teachers/teaching, as well as several micro-level identifiers. Join us as we examine these timeless warnings for the Church.

As a Jesus Follower, the Greatest Witness for the Gospel that You Can Give Is for Others to See Jesus IN You MESSAGE SUMMARY: We live in a hurting world, but God wants more for you. You need to live as a Jesus Follower in whatever you do – at home; in your job; in the way that you drive; and in the way that you treat your friends. To achieve God's desire for your life, you must stay in fellowship and communion with God; and you must let God work in your life. In Colossians 3:17, Paul challenges us: “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.”. If you live your life, in all places and situations, in the name of Jesus, you will live a better life in our hurting world. As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.". Remember, the greatest witness for the Gospel, as a follower of Jesus, that you can give is for others to see Jesus in you.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Colossians 3:16-17; Matthew 21:21-22; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalms 43:1-5. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Essentials Part 2 – More than Just a Man” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

In Colossians 2:2 we find an absolutely incredible word in the original Greek that should deepen our understanding of, appreciation for, and zeal for the church. All of which must lead us in praise of God. Join us as we study Scripture.

In this week's message, we focused on the idea that the journey, or "the means," is just as important as the outcome. Transformation in Christ is a process that requires setting our minds on things above, letting go of earthly desires, and actively renewing our character. In Colossians 3:1-15, Paul urges believers to put to death sinful behaviors and instead clothe themselves with virtues like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Growth occurs during the process of following Christ, not only in reaching an end goal.

This episode includes me testifying of my fruitless search for love in drugs, sex and the flesh. Today, I have "put off" those vices and have "put on" the love of Christ. The apostle Paul wrote: "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things [the flesh] put on charity [agape love], which is the bond of perfectness" (Colossians 3:12-14, KJV, emphasis added). These verses, and those preceding them, say we are to "put on" these things as Christians. In verse 10, it says we ". . . have put on the new man," since the old man has been done away with in Christ. This new man has been regenerated in the image of God. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17, KJV). In Colossians 3:12, quoted above, Paul says that we are to "Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved . . ." We are the elect of God, holy and beloved; separated from the world. When we experience this, we begin to act differently. We become humble, patient, merciful, kind and forgiving; when we weren't before. Paul goes on to say, "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness" (v. 14). "Bond" is the Greek word for "ligament." Our born-again Spirit has been made perfect in Christ, and our soul [mind, choices and emotions] is the "ligament" to our bodily actions. We are to "put on charity," which is the Greek word "agape", unconditional, sacrificial love. The ancient Greek word translated "put on" in these verses is used elsewhere in Scripture to mean the putting on of garments. In other words, we are to wear God's love like clothing; as a covering for everyone to see and experience. As the chorus goes, "They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love; yes, they will know we are Christians by our love." Our love defines us and shows we are perfect in Christ. Selah! [See my article and brochure, "God's Divine Flow" at aboundinglove.org/outreach/gospel]. Let me hear from you - Charles https://www.aboundinglove.org/ Subscribe and share with someone you love.

In Colossians 3, we are instructed on the qualities that believers should embody as members of the body of Christ. We are called to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, treating one another with love and grace. Through forgiveness and understanding, we can foster unity among fellow believers and reflect the character of Christ in our relationships.

In Colossians 2:14 NLT it says "He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross". In today's episode, Pastor Dom goes solo as he gives an update about his life and shares on the power of redemption.For more info about Pastor Dom and the current church he is pastoring use the link below.Desert Sky Baptist!!!Street Talk Theology has a new sponsor!!!Logos Christian Academy is the proud new sponsor of Street Talk Theology. As Casa Grande's premier classical education school, Logos Christian Academy teaches from a biblical worldview, equipping students both academically and spiritually.They are passionate about teaching students HOW to think, instead of what to think. To find out how to enroll, or to simply learn more, visit logosclassical.org

In Colossians 2:14 NLT it says "He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross". In today's episode, Pastor Dom goes solo as he gives an update about his life and shares on the power of redemption.For more info about Pastor Dom and the current church he is pastoring use the link below.Desert Sky Baptist!!!Street Talk Theology has a new sponsor!!!Logos Christian Academy is the proud new sponsor of Street Talk Theology. As Casa Grande's premier classical education school, Logos Christian Academy teaches from a biblical worldview, equipping students both academically and spiritually.They are passionate about teaching students HOW to think, instead of what to think. To find out how to enroll, or to simply learn more, visit logosclassical.org

     Believers are called to engage in various mental activities that align our thoughts with God's will and deepen our spiritual lives. These activities are essential for spiritual growth, discernment, and maintaining a Christ-centered mindset. One key mental activity is the renewing of the mind, where we are instructed to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). This involves rejecting worldly patterns of thought and embracing God's perspectives. Additionally, we are encouraged to meditate on Scripture, allowing it to permeate our minds and influence our words and actions. God's Word describes the righteous person, whose “delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psa 1:2). Here is a function of the mind, one that is in constant need of recalibration that adjusts to the perfect standard of God's Word.      Believers are also called to take every thought captive to obey Christ, ensuring that our mental life is disciplined and aligned with God's truth. Paul wrote, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). This requires vigilance in guarding against thoughts that are contrary to God's will. God's Word reveals that spiritual warfare begins in the mind, and that the “speculations” and “every lofty thing” refer to human philosophies, false ideologies, and Satanic deceptions that challenge biblical truth. The discipline of “taking every thought captive” means actively using the mind, strengthened by Bible doctrine, to imprison false ideas that undermine divine viewpoint thinking. This verse highlights our responsibility to protect our mental framework from worldly thinking and to consistently apply doctrinal truth, making each thought obedient to the Word of God. The “obedience of Christ” signifies the application of Bible doctrine, bringing our thoughts into harmony with divine revelation as obedient-to-the-Word believers.      Furthermore, we are instructed to focus our minds on heavenly things rather than earthly concerns. Paul wrote, “Since you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col 3:1-2). This mental activity involves prioritizing eternal values over temporary, worldly matters. Paul wrote, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Phi 4:8). To “dwell on these things” means we intentionally focus our thoughts in a particular direction; namely, on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, of excellence, and worthy of praise. Peter tell Christians to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). This is a mental function of giving our concerns to God and letting Him deal with those things that are beyond our capability.      In addition, we are called to guard our hearts and minds. Solomon wrote, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov 4:23). Other translations read: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Prov 4:23 NIV), and “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Prov 4:23 NLT). The Hebrew concept of the heart (לֵב leb) is the total inner person; which includes the mind and will. It is the base of operations which determines the course of life. We are also commanded to maintain a mindset of joy, regardless of circumstances, as Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). Filling the mind with God's Word is another essential activity, as Paul said, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Col 3:16a). This means implanting Scripture so that it permeates all our thoughts. And we are encouraged to seek wisdom from God, asking Him to guide our thoughts and decisions. James wrote, “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (Jam 1:5). This involves a humble reliance on God for insight and understanding. Altogether, these mental activities are vital for spiritual maturity, helping us align our thoughts with God's truth, develop a Christ-centered mindset, and live out our faith in practical ways. Faith to Say      When God's Word controls our thinking, our speech will reveal it, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Matt 12:34). Scripture emphasizes the power of words, both for good and for harm, as Solomon wrote, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21a). Sometimes God's people are to say nothing, for “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Prov 10:19), and “Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent” (Prov 17:28). Solomon said there is “a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Eccl 3:7b). Sometimes, this act of faith means refraining from speaking altogether, especially when emotions are high or when silence is more in line with godly wisdom (Jam 1:19).      The wise believer thinks before speaking, for “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer” (Prov 15:28a). John Kitchen states, “The idea here is that a righteous man does not respond quickly to a question or a rebuff. Rather, he takes the comment or question in. He considers it. He weighs his answer. He responds from the strength of contemplation, rather than from the weakness of immediate emotion.”[1] In all situations, “The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition” (2 Tim 2:24-25a).      When it's time to speak, Scripture should guide our words so that we speak truthfully, lovingly, and wisely. When we are walking by faith, our speech will be governed by divine viewpoint rather than human viewpoint or flaring emotions. Paul wrote, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:29). Here, the call to action is in our speech, ensuring that our words build others up and reflect God's love and truth. Thomas Constable said, “Christians should use words to build up people (‘for edification') rather than to tear them down. Words can give grace (help) in the sense that they can communicate encouragement and direction and thus enable the hearer to do right.”[2] Paul wrote, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Col 4:6). Osborne notes, “In Colossians 4:6 Paul's reference is to a life that makes an impact on the world, to speech that draws people to God…Our discussions and even our small talk with ‘outsiders' ought to be carefully crafted to draw people to ourselves—and through us to the God who has saved us and wants to save them too.”[3] In this, Christians are to be “ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet 3:15). These are actions of speech that benefit others, and they are executed by faith and not feelings.      Encouraging speech is vital for uplifting others and promoting unity within the body of Christ (Heb 10:24-25). Additionally, grateful speech reflects a heart that recognizes God's blessings, as Paul wrote, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Col 3:17). Paul also wrote, “Do all things without complaining or arguing” (Phil 2:14) and “Be hospitable to one another without complaint” (1 Pet 4:9). Instead, by faith, we “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; and in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Th 5:16-18). The mind that is soaked with God's Word will manifest itself “with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3:16b). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] John A. Kitchen, Proverbs: A Mentor Commentary, Mentor Commentaries (Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor, 2006), 342. [2] Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Eph 4:29. [3] Grant R. Osborne, Colossians & Philemon: Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 134–135.

In Colossians 4:2, Paul, ordained by the Spirit, wrote to the Church: "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." We've learned a lot through the past 7 weeks of Breakthrough Prayer. Many of us have seen it with our own eyes! Many of us are still waiting. Regardless, we must be watchful with thanksgiving. Why is that important? Primarily because God deserves it - and he is still overseeing the direction and answers to those prayers. But gratitude is key because, as Brother David Steindl-Rast notes, “The root of joy is gratefulness…. It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” It pleases God when we serve him with obedience and joy! Listen in to this great conversation - and a clue to the next series!. ▶️ Nate's Message on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@roswellgrace8562/videos

Sometimes, we miss out on some of the best blessings God has for us with our own sense of obligation. In Colossians 2:6, Paul reminded us what Jesus provides is so good, so you don't need anything else else to enjoy an unbroken, thriving relationship with God. Paul goes on to share another hollow and deceptive practice that religious people can fall into: legalism.

Settling for good things when you can have great things is a common exchange that produces regret. In Colossians 2, the apostle Paul says believers shouldn't settle for anything less than Christ. Salvation is a "Jesus + nothing" kind of deal, not Jesus + something else.

**Message: God is the Head of All Principalities and Powers** --- Today, I want to remind you of the almighty power of our God. He is the head of all principalities and powers, and there is none like Him. The Bible clearly declares His supremacy and authority over all creation. In Colossians 1:16-17, it is written, "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." This passage reminds us that God is the creator and sustainer of everything. His authority is unmatched, and everything exists by His will and for His purpose. In Ephesians 1:21, Paul speaks of Christ's exalted position: "Far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." Jesus Christ, our Savior, is above all powers and authorities, both now and forever. His name is above every name, and His power is beyond compare. Furthermore, in Philippians 2:9-11, we read, "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." This passage emphasizes the ultimate authority of Jesus Christ and the submission of all creation to His lordship. As believers, we can take great comfort in knowing that our God reigns supreme over all principalities and powers. No force, no power, no authority can stand against Him. He is our refuge and strength, our ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). --- **Prayer:** Heavenly Father, we come before You today with hearts full of gratitude and praise. We acknowledge Your supreme authority over all principalities and powers. We thank You for Your creation and sustenance of all things. Lord, we declare that You are above every name, and we bow our hearts in worship to You. Strengthen our faith and help us to trust in Your power and sovereignty. Guide us, protect us, and let Your presence be our comfort and strength. We place our lives, our families, and our futures in Your hands, knowing that You are in control. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Pst Leke Toba www.hallelujaheveryday.org +2348023319436 +2348067013664

In Colossians 3:12-13, the Apostle Paul lists three characteristics of every believer's new identity in Christ: chosen, holy, and beloved. Once we realize the true identity of our “new self,” we are ready to put off the “old self” and, by God's grace, become more and more who we truly are in Him.

Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Jeremiah 6:16, Matthew 11:28-30, Mark 2:27-28, Colossians 2:16-17, Romans 14:5, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Colossians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Exodus 20:8. Is going to church what this commandment is about? Or is there something deeper than simple church attendance? Is this command requesting Compliance with an order without the Comprehension of who God is? How do we “remember” the Sabbath Day? By worshiping and praising and acknowledging God as our Lord, King and Savior. However, some have a false understanding of worship. In the Old Testament they see worship as attending Saturday Synagogue and in the New Testament they see it as attending Sunday Church.  The Sabbath is all about RESTING - let's take a dig into what resting means and is. Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Stand at the crossroads and look: ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Rest for one's soul is found in God, in His truth, in who He is, in what He has done. Jesus says the same things in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” True rest is not found in a building - it is found in Him - in a relationship with the Living God.  Digging deeper into the command, “Remember the Sabbath Day.” The Resurrection of Jesus was on a Sunday. While many in Jesus' day went daily to the temple to Praise God for what Jesus had accomplished in the resurrection, Sundays became their sabbath and each Sunday was a mini Resurrection Day celebration in honor of Christ's victory of the grave. In Colossians 2:16-17 we read: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” This verse tells us it's not about worshiping God on a specific day or way. This verse tells us that  Jesus is the genuine Sabbath!  Rest is found in Christ! He is rest. In Him is rest.  Rest is a precious gift found in Christ. Mark 2:27-28 tells us, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.'” Even though the New Testament day of worship became a Sunday for believers in Jesus, Romans 14:5 tells us that God does not command us to set aside one particular day - though we are free to do that - like we continue today to gather together on Sunday's in memory of Jesus' resurrection. But that doesn't mean we all have to do that - in fact the New Testament doesn't say to worship on any specific day of the week.  What we are told is to worship God ALL the time; worshiping Him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind and worshiping, praising and thanking Him in all situations  Jesus tells us that He is the one who is rest and who brings rest. How do we practice the command to “remember,” how do we do what we are called by God to do? Here are some New Testament Essentials:     ⁃    We are called to worship - worship is to be a life-style, it's the way we live. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 Daily worship is the heart of our lives - relationship with Him brings forth worship.     ⁃    We are to be in God's Word - allowing it to transform us - to be made new in Christ. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  We are to allow the Word of God to be part of our lives and to allow His Word to change our lives.     ⁃    We are to practice godly Wisdom. Colossians 3:16 “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”  We also worship God when we wisely take care of our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” God calls us to rest - Jesus is Rest - Resting in Him is something that is good for our souls, our hearts, our bodies and our minds.  We aren't to go through the motions of rest one day a week - that's RITUAL. We are to live in Him and for Him daily - as a RESPONSE to who He is: Our place of rest because He is our gift of salvation. St. Augustine said it well: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.” Now What? Learn about God at  https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. Check out the video from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/ten-words Check out the video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AwakeUsNow/streams Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

Paul understood that he could not do the work of the ministry alone.  In Colossians 4, he mentions the names of several fellow laborers who helped him to shoulder the load.  God is still calling for fellow laborers today, and He's given us the opportunity of a lifetime to step up to the plate and respond to the call to spread the good news: the gospel of our salvation through Jesus Christ! VF-2321 Colossians 4:2-11 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Faith Center in Glendale. Call 1-800-338-3030 24x7 to leave a message for Pastor Scott. You may make reservations to attend a live service, leave a prayer request or make a commitment. Pastor Scott appreciates messages and reads them often during live broadcasts. Follow @Pastor_Scott on Twitter and visit her official Facebook page @Pastor.M.Scott. Download Pastor Scott's "Understand the Bible" app for iPhone, iPad and iPod at the Apple App Store and for Android devices in the Google Store. Pastor Scott can also be seen 24x7 on Roku and Amazon Fire on the "Understand the Bible?" channel. ©2025 Pastor Melissa Scott, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved

Main point: In Colossians 2:8-10, Paul warns believers not to be lured away from the Gospel by worldly philosophies and traditions, because Jesus is fully God, and in Him we have everything we need.

In Colossians 1:5 we find Paul commend the people for their faith and love, because of their hope. As the Church, do we fully understand hope and its impact on our lives? Join us as we examine the beautiful truth of hope.

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Donald J. Trump will begin his term as president at noon, January 20th. Have you been planning for what will happen January 21st? Have you been making lists, getting everything ready, rehearsing what you will do for the day after the inauguration? Probably not. I haven't either. I don't think a lot will change with our new president. It isn't really about him. I'm cynical about what elected officials can do in general. The people who hold the reins of power—the people who are massively wealthy, who can write the checks—won't let too much change, unless it is to their own benefit. Things will probably keep going on like they have for a long time. I am not expecting any massive changes. What about Christ's kingdom? Is our attitude the same there as well? Our festival today is somewhat like Jesus's inauguration as the Christ. Jesus's baptism marks the beginning of his great words and deeds that are recorded in the Gospels. Immediately after his baptism Jesus was very busy. He was tempted by the devil, swamped by sick and demon possessed people, teaching in the synagogues, doing one miracle after another. Things looked like they were changing for the better, but then Jesus was arrested, crucified and died. That was when the cynicism began in earnest. Folks had wondered whether Jesus might have been the Christ, but he couldn't have been since he died. That was the end of the road for the vast number of people who had once believed in Jesus. At one point there had been many thousands who were interested in Jesus being made king by force, but any hope of that was gone when everyone could see him hanging dead on the cross. Even after Easter the picture didn't improve very much as far as the disciples were concerned. John chapter 21 seems to indicate that the disciples went back to their old livelihood of fishing. Acts chapter 1 tells us that the number of believers in Jerusalem was only about 120. That is a far cry from many thousands. Even with the great day of Pentecost, when 3,000 repented and were baptized—that was less than the feeding of the 5,000, or the feeding of the 4,000. Cynicism is a way to protect yourself from being disappointed. Cynicism is when you don't get your hopes up. Having your hopes dashed is painful. The higher the hopes, the more intense the desire, the worse the pain. To prevent getting hurt you can check yourself out. Things will stay the same. Why bother? Just go gentle into that good night. This is a way to insulate yourself from pain. Disappointments will not hit you as sharply. But there is a terrible cost. With cynicism things will, at best, stay the same, but more likely get worse. If you won't get involved, if you won't change your ways, if you won't hope for change, then nothing is going to change. It is forfeiting to the powers that be. This defeatist attitude is disastrous in all areas of life, but it is especially devastating for faith in Christ's kingdom. If we would not have hope in Christ, then we are left with how things are. Paul calls these the elementary principles of this world, to which we are enslaved. We are enslaved to the devil. We are enslaved to our desires. We are enslaved to pursuing mere self-interest. Our chains have been put on by ourselves, which are our fears and insecurities, our dread of pain and suffering. How differently the bible speaks about Christ's kingdom! Paul says: “For freedom Christ has set you free!” The Gospels speak of Christ “proclaiming liberty to the prisoners!” And indeed, Jesus set people free from all kinds of disabilities and ailments in the Gospels. The people loved that! We slaves love to get a little taste of freedom. But a lot of people thought that that kind of thing was over and done with when Jesus died, and even when he rose. The risen and ascended Christ remains at work in his kingdom, but a lot of people would like it better if he would do those old sorts of things that helped people along in their pursuit of their own self-interest. But here is what we should realize: the work of Christ in his kingdom is not less after his death and resurrection, it is more. The work of Christ with his death and his resurrection, the baptism with which he baptizes, and the body and blood that he distributes is more. It's deeper. It gets to the root. The root is evil itself, and Jesus reverses it. The seemingly invincible powers of sin, death, profit, power, and all the rest are not invincible. Jesus promises a reckoning for the powers that be who so often oppress and steal and murder and seemingly get away with it. They will be burned with an unquenchable fire. Everything will be turned upside down. The first will be last and the last will be first. John baptized with water; Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Whatever hopes we might have about Christ's kingdom, they are inevitably inadequate. You want to be healed of an ailment, a defect, old age, and son. You want to be the man that you should be. You want to be the woman that you should be. “For freedom Christ has set you free!” These things and more are yours. If they are not already fixed somewhat in this life by the healing work of the Holy Spirit, then they will be completely fixed by the resurrection. The goodness of the resurrection is more than we can imagine. Paul says, “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the imagination of the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love him.” Even if you try to imagine what Jesus's kingdom will be like, you're going to fall short. What comes to pass will be greater. Cynicism, therefore, is incompatible with Christianity. Cynicism is managing your hopes so that you won't get hurt when they inevitably don't come to pass. If you are managing your hopes for Christ's kingdom, you are simply being an unbeliever. If you believe that Jesus can't or won't help you, then you are an unbeliever. Unbelief is by no means uncommon, even among those who would like to consider themselves to be Jesus's disciples. We see that all the time in the Bible. We see that in particular with the Gospels' accounts of the resurrection. Even the closest of Jesus's disciples lost their faith when Jesus died, and they were slow to believe after the resurrection. They were flesh and blood, just like us, with all our hiccups and insecurities. However, we cannot let our doubts and insecurities interfere with what is plainly testified. Jesus's kingdom is glorious, even if we lack the faith to believe. Jesus's kingdom is glorious among us. Let us not doubt that either. Whenever anyone comes to believe that the seemingly invincible powers are not invincible because Jesus is greater—that is a miracle worked by the Holy Spirit. Whenever anyone remains in the faith—that is an ongoing miracle of the Holy Spirit. These believers will one day be caught up together with the Lord in the clouds for an adventure that is too great for words to describe. It does not please me, therefore, when I hear something that is quite common among us. It is quite common for people to comment on how large or small a gathering is—and usually it is how much smaller the gathering is these days. This strikes me as largely missing the point. It would like the people in Jesus's day who could have scoffed at the smaller number who gathered after the resurrection. I could imagine that some of them must have said: “Do you remember how many people there were at the feeding of the five thousand or the four thousand? The attendance these days is greatly reduced.” Christ's kingdom is not about crowds or impressing those who have the ability to count. Christ's kingdom is about setting people free and changing hearts and minds. This is always an individual affair. Each individual either remains enslaved in their unbelief or they are set free through faith in Jesus. Whenever a sinner repents, the angels rejoice, and we should too. The kingdom of God remains at work. It is glorious, but the glory is only apparent to those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. So as we consider the inauguration, so to speak, of Christ's kingdom with Jesus's baptism, we should cast away cynical thoughts. Cynicism is not very attractive or useful in general, but it is particularly inappropriate when it comes to Christ's kingdom. Our problem is not that we have too low of thoughts and hopes and dreams. Our problem is that we do not think as grandly as we must if we are beginning to understand Christ's kingdom. We are too earthly minded. Therefore, I'd like to close with a passage that speaks to this. In Colossians chapter three Paul says: “If you have been raised with Christ, then seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” When Christ appears, you will appear with him in glory. That is more than enough for anyone who is hungry for that which is good.

At the New Year, we often make resolutions or at least consider new ideas or new goals for our lives. One thing that we don't typically consider is our thought life. In Colossians 3.14, Paul addressed a Christian mindset fixed on Christ and eternity. We hope this sermon encourages a thought life that is centered on Christ for your spiritual growth.

In this sermon, we looked at the secrets to setting and achieving goals in our lives. The challenge in reaching our goals doesn't lie solely in our work ethic and determination, but in the way we handle failure. Many of us take an "all-or-nothing" approach to growth, either giving up entirely when we fall short or, even worse, letting the fear of failure prevent us from trying at all. However, the Gospel invites us to a different approach. In Colossians 3:23, we're reminded to work hard, not for human approval, but for the Lord. The secret to meaningful resolutions is rooted in grace: working diligently for the approval of Jesus—approval we already have—and waking up each day to His mercies that are new every morning. Like farmers, we must till the soil, plant the seeds, and pull the weeds—doing what we can with diligence, while trusting God to bring about the growth in His perfect timing. As Christians, we know the Holy Spirit is at work, transforming us in ways we cannot. Transformation happens when we continue to show up with whatever effort we have, trusting God to bring about the change.

In Colossians 3:1, Paul urges believers to embrace their new identity in Christ by focusing on heavenly realities rather than earthly concerns. This transformation invites a lifestyle that reflects Jesus' character and values. By prioritizing spiritual matters, Christians cultivate a deeper relationship with God, impacting their daily decisions and interactions. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dailyrowe/support

Hebrews 11:9-10 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. The previous verse testified of Abraham's obedience to the call of God, which showed the faith God gave him and the righteousness of God given to him. Verses 9-10 reveal how faith sustained him throughout the rest of his life. In 1 Peter 1:5, Peter wrote that we are “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” These verses in Heb. 11 indicate the reality of God's protecting faith in Abraham's life. Like Abraham, we have the promise and hope of a new city, a new country, a new kingdom, a new world where Jesus Christ reigns in righteousness. To get there, we must endure to the end of our lives, living as aliens or foreigners in this world. We are not alone. We have brothers and sisters with whom we live and journey who have the same promises we have. Abraham lived by faith, looking to God to work out His will and promises. In Colossians 3:1-4, the apostle Paul also echoed the reality of Abraham's faith as Peter did. Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. May this encourage us to live by faith all the days of our lives, looking to God to work out His will and promises. I'm moved by this to keep my eyes fixed on things above rather than things on the earth as I live to love with Jesus. He is my life, and in Him I find everything I need for each day. These Scriptures are a wonderful encouragement to walk by faith in love with Jesus as we live to love with Him.

Send me a Text Message!This episode on gratitude is going to take us back to the book of Colossians, to ponder the possibility that thanksgiving is not just a day, it's a way of life. It's not just the words we say, it's the way we live…thanks-giving-living. In Colossians 3, we'll hear Paul say, "Whatever you do, no matter what it is, or when you do it, or who sees you do it, whether it's something you say or a deed, do everything, whatever you do or say, do it all in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."Thanksgiving is not so much a holiday, as it's meant to be a way of life. So today, how about if we all practice gratitude!

New King's first and second values are Jesus and Hospitality. Because Jesus is the highly exalted King, he naturally is first in all things, including everything we do at New King. In Colossians, Paul points us to the grandeur and glory of Jesus in both his person and in his work. He then exhorts us to live as God's chosen ones in the same way that Jesus lived as he came to rescue us. 

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann Get Rid of Conformity and Cling to Christ, Part 2 Series: Colossians Scripture: Col. 2:16-23 Episode: 1356 In Colossians 2:16-23, Paul cautions believers against legalistic practices and judgment over dietary laws, festivals, and Sabbaths, which are merely shadows of what is to come—the reality found in Christ. He warns them not to be led astray by those who take pride in false humility and worship of angels, stressing that these practices lack true value. Paul emphasizes that believers have died with Christ to the world's principles and should not be burdened by human rulesthat appear wise but are powerless against fleshly desires. Key themes include freedom from legalism, Christ as the true substance, and rejecting empty rituals.

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann Get Rid of Conformity and Cling to Christ, Part 1, Series: Colossians Scripture: Col. 2:16-23 Episode: 1355 In Colossians 2:16-23, Paul cautions believers against legalistic practices and judgment over dietary laws, festivals, and Sabbaths, which are merely shadows of what is to come—the reality found in Christ. He warns them not to be led astray by those who take pride in false humility and worship of angels, stressing that these practices lack true value. Paul emphasizes that believers have died with Christ to the world's principles and should not be burdened by human rulesthat appear wise but are powerless against fleshly desires. Key themes include freedom from legalism, Christ as the true substance, and rejecting empty rituals.

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann Find True Life in Christ, Part 2  Series: Colossians Scripture: Col. 2:8-15 Episode: 1354 In Colossians 2:8-15, Paul warns believers against deceptive philosophies that are based on human tradition rather than Christ's teachings. He emphasizes that the fullness of deity dwells in Christ and that believers have been made complete in Him, who is the head over all rulers and authorities. Through baptism, they are buried with Christ and raised to new life by God's power. Paul explains that Jesus canceled the record of debt against them by nailing it to the cross, disarming spiritual rulers and authorities. Key themes include avoiding deception, fullness in Christ, spiritual rebirth, and victory over sin through the cross.

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann Find True Life in Christ, Part 1  Series: Colossians Scripture: Col. 2:8-15 Episode: 1353 In Colossians 2:8-15, Paul warns believers against deceptive philosophies that are based on human tradition rather than Christ's teachings. He emphasizes that the fullness of deity dwells in Christ and that believers have been made complete in Him, who is the head over all rulers and authorities. Through baptism, they are buried with Christ and raised to new life by God's power. Paul explains that Jesus canceled the record of debt against them by nailing it to the cross, disarming spiritual rulers and authorities. Key themes include avoiding deception, fullness in Christ, spiritual rebirth, and victory over sin through the cross.

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann God's Secret Plan to Save Your Soul, Part 2 Series: Colossians Scripture: Col. 1:24-2:7 Episode: 1352   In Colossians 1:24 through 2:7, Paul speaks of his joy in suffering for the church, viewing his hardships as part of Christ's afflictions for the sake of believers. He explains his role as a servant of the gospel to reveal the mystery of Christ to the Gentiles—Christ in you, the hope of glory. Paul shares his deep commitment to helping believers grow in spiritual maturity and knowledge of Christ. In Chapter 2, he encourages them to be rooted and built up in Christ, with hearts knit together in love and full assurance in understanding God's mystery. Key themes include joy in suffering, spiritual maturity, and being rooted in faith.