Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Colossians chapter 3 as we look at how the Christian faith is being assimilated into the world, is becoming more like the world and less like Christ.  Then we are going to look at what we can do about it, how we can prevent this from happening or continuing.  You see, as a nation we might say we are drawing nearer to God but the reality is, we are moving away from God and it is having consequences upon our witness of Jesus Christ to the lost.  I have a few articles I want to share with you before we get to our text this morning to set the stage for what we are going to be studying.

            First of all, listen to this report from U. S. News & World Report from May 3, 2004.  The article is called “Nearer My God To Thee” and we are told:

            . . . But despite the booming popularity of evangelical artists and authors, evangelicals themselves remain an enigma to many outside the tradition – a people often stereotyped, whose agendas and motives are viewed with suspicion. They are a people, too, who often seem ill at ease with their own success and insider status in an America that they often regard as hostile to their values.

            Yet a new poll by U. S. News and PBS”s Religion & Ethics Newsweekly reveals that evangelicals – their distinctive faith aside, are acting more and more like the rest of us. They are both influencing and being influenced by the society around them . . . “Evangelicals are just not that much different from the rest of America.”

            Wolfe, for one, thinks that evangelicals are likely to evolve in the direction of the mainstream more than the other way around.  “American culture is an enormously powerful force,” says Wolfe.  “It will change religion, just as religion will change culture.” Already, he says, evangelicals “are far more shaped by the culture than they are capable of shaping it to their own needs.”

            A case in point, he says, is the success of evangelical “megachurches” – huge suburban congregations like Willow Creek near Chicago, author Rick Warren’s Saddleback Valley Community Church in California, and hundreds of others throughout the country – that are aimed at attracting “spiritual seekers” who may be disenchanted with traditional organized religion. “The priority is to get them in,” says Wolfe, “but to do that you downplay the Christian symbolism: You take the crosses off the church; you put a McDonald’s franchise in the lobby.” Sometimes, he says, “you don’t even know you’re in church.”  The net result, he says, is that “the faithful now are remarkably like everyone else.”

            Others have pointed out that the mainstream success of Christian music, books, and movies can exact a similar price. Contemporary Christian music, a billion-dollar-a-year industry producing pop songs with Christian lyrics, has seen more and more of its artists successfully “cross over” to the secular charts.  One popular rock group, Switchfoot, after making its name on the Christian circuit, has been on Billboard’s modern rock charts for the past three weeks with the hit single “Meant to Live” and gets airtime on MTV. While it still sometimes performs for Christian audiences, industry insiders say group members have been told by their new secular label to downplay religion in their songs and publicity campaigns.

            “I have enough faith in the leveling capacities of American democracy,” says Wolfe, “to say to the evangelical community, ‘Welcome to the culture!  We’d much rather have you in here than out there being a fundamentalist, being marginalized, being angry.’”  In a civil cultural engagement rather than culture war, maybe just maybe, no one will be left behind.

          - U. S. News & World Report, May 3, 2004, pp. 59-66

            Folks, that is how the world sees us, that there is no real difference in the work ethics, the morals of Christians as opposed to non-Christians and that should not be.  We are not influencing them to Christ but they are influencing us to the world!  Even Christian research groups are supporting this negative influence we are having on the lost, how they see us.  We may make them feel comfortable to come to church but we are also making them comfortable to live in sin and go to Hell because we don’t want to offend them!  That not only is tragic, it is scary to me!  And it is not just music groups that are being told to downplay their faith, to take Jesus out of the picture, also secular book companies that have Christian authors or Christian book companies that have been bought out by non-Christian companies are doing the same thing with their authors!  The light is going out, the salt is loosing its flavor!

            I received this information in the mail from Group Publishing Inc. and the idea here is to get people to volunteer in the church, that is what their programs and books help to implement.  One of the books that caught my attention is called, “Why Nobody Learns Much Of Anything At Church: And How To Fix It.”  This is what the synopsis of the book had to say:

            “This hard-hitting, provocative evaluation of learning in the church only gets better over time. Need ideas for improving how your church educates.  Practical solutions and loads of help abound!  Here’s a fascinating tour of Christian and cutting-edge secular education models to help any church reinvent its approach to learning.”

            I guess their Christian methods are not so cutting-edge like their secular ones are, and how sad is that. I am pretty simple, I believe that God’s Word is living and powerful and able to transform lives, so I teach it!  Some would say, ”People don’t want to hear the Word of God being taught for 45 minutes or an hour. They need other things, they need to be entertained. You need to get their attention.”

            I disagree for Paul warned Timothy of this very thing that would happen, and he told this young pastor, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”  II Timothy 4:2-5.

            I believe that is exactly what is happening today. The Word of God is out of season so the church brings the people fairy tales, they entertain them, and they make them feel good about living in sin because they don’t want to offend anyone instead of bringing them the truth of God that will set them free.  Am I passionate about this?  You bet I am, because I believe this is a very dangerous road to travel on, away from God’s Word!

            This is from Vision Magazine, October 2004 and it is an article on Pastor Craig Groeschel who is the pastor of Life Church in Oklahoma City with a congregation of over 12,000 people!  Now please understand, I am not coming against what he is teaching or what he is doing, that is not what the article was about.  But one of the things in the article caught my eye because it had to do with this pastor’s favorite books and this is what he said:

            “I like the leadership books. You name it . . . Hybels, Stanley, Ed Young.  I enjoy corporate leadership books because often times business leaders are really more aggressive thinkers than church leaders.”

            The Present Future (2003) by Reggie McNeal – “My favorite that I read on vacation.”

            Purple Cow (2003) and Free Prize Inside (2004) by Seth Godin – “These two are really good.”

            First Break All the Rules (1999) by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman – “A great book on management and leadership.”

            Good to Great (2001) by Jim Collins – “A classic that everybody should read.”

            The E-Myth Revisited (1995) by Michael E. Gerber – “One of the top books I recommend for church planters.”

            The Very Large Church (2000) by Lyle Schaller – “Lyle Schaller has probably been one of the most influential men in my life.”

          - Vision Magazine, 2004

            In find it very interesting that his favorite books deal with leadership and some are secular books on leadership and not one is focused on God or His Word, on holiness, and-so-on.  There is no mention of Spurgeon, Moody, Oswald Chambers, Finney, Ironside, Barnhouse, Wiersbee and-so-on.  Why is that?  Because the church is being run like a business with a CEO instead of having a shepherd watching over the flock that God has entrusted to them.  How is a church to run? We don’t have to guess, the Bible tells us in Acts 2:42, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” And the result of them studying the Word of God, of fellowship with the brethren, of communion, and praying is, “Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles . . . So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”  Acts 2:43, 46-47.

            You see, when you start to compromise it leads to negating the Word of God as truth and we pick and chose what we like and what we don’t like.  Maybe you have seen the commercial, it is good, by the United Church of Christ that has the church with bouncers in front to allow only certain people in the church and keeping others out. And then they show what they are like, welcoming all people at whatever walk of life they are in, be it even the gay lifestyle and that is their point. Now we welcome everyone here at Calvary Chapel but we don’t condone sin, no matter what it is.  Thus, they have to negate God’s Word that deals with how God feels about homosexuality, and again, where does it stop, where does it end!  What is the next sin we are going to embrace in the church?

            Listen to this article from The Herald Times Reporter from January 8, 2005 and it is entitled, “Disasters baffle many believers in an almighty.”  This article deals with the devastating loss of life in the tsunami, over 150,000 lives and what some “faith leaders” had to say regarding this event. We are told:

Salvation after death

            Rev. Sonia Alvarado of Emanuel United Methodist Church in Two Rivers said God knew the tsunami was going to happen but didn’t cause it. Just because individuals lived on earth as a Muslim or practiced another non-Christian faith doesn’t mean heaven may not be where they are now.  “The love of God is beyond our understanding. Even after we die, He can find a way to bring people back to accept Jesus,” Alvarado said.  “So, I believe those people who died, even if they hadn’t accepted Christ, may still have an opportunity to repent and accept God’s gift of salvation,” she said.

            Think about that, it contradicts what the Scriptures say.  In Hebrews 9:27 we are told, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”  You can’t be saved after you have died.  It doesn’t matter what you think, what is important is what God has said!

Wide range of acceptance

            Bob Kaeiser of Manitowoc is a Quaker who said he was encouraged by the response of the American people and U. S. government, including relief efforts conducted by the military.  “We think of armies as instruments of destruction . . . the involvement by the U. S. military is a good thing,” he said.  Kaeiser is particularly moved by the loss of so many children.  “They are the future of any country and represent the hope of (striving) to be better,” he said. When it comes to fate of the tsunami victims Kaeiser said sometimes individuals are leading a Christ-like life even when they are not followers or have never heard of Jesus.  “Jesus will be pretty open-minded, (ask) ‘what did you do with your life?’ I believe there is a wide range of acceptance on the part of Jesus,” Kaeiser said.

            Again, you don’t have to have a relationship with Christ, just be Christ-like, whatever that means, and you are saved!  How foolish that kind of thinking is and it is contrary to what God says in His Word. And the reality is, you can’t be Christ-like, you can’t have the mind of Christ unless you are saved and the Spirit of God is dwelling in you!  The Lord said in Hosea 4:6 as He was speaking of the religious leaders and how they were destroying His people, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

            Folks, we need to get back to where we once were at, the Word of God. And I realize this was a long introduction, but I felt it was important for you to see where the church in America is at and where it is heading.  And really we just touched on it, there is so much more but I think you get the idea of what is happening.  Now, what is even more important is what can we do about this, how can we protect ourselves from this dangerous path that people are trying to wave us down?  That is what we are going to be looking at, so with that said, let’s begin reading in Colossians chapter 3, starting in verse 15, and see what the Lord has for us this morning.

            Here in Colossians chapter 3 Paul is telling us to put off the old man, the carnal life, the flesh nature. He wants us to remove it like a filthy garment and discard them because they can’t be cleaned. He then tells us to put on the new man, put on Christ, to keep our heart and mind focused heavenward. The end result is, instead of having the ugly works of the flesh flow from our life, we will have the beautiful fruit of the spirit, which is love with its multifaceted attributes.

            Now, in these three verses we are looking at this morning, they can be broken down as follows: THE WORD OF GOD IN US, and THE EFFECT UPON US. So with the remainder of our time this morning, let’s look and see what we can glean from these verses and apply to our lives so that we may grow in Christ, so that we may shine for Him!

1.  THE WORD OF GOD IN US – COLOSSIANS 3:15-16

            The prophet Amos warned Israel and I believe he is warning us of a famine in our land.  In Amos 8:11 we are told, “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD.’”  Folks, we live in a nation that is free to worship God. Most Christians have at least 2 or more Bibles in their home.  But it is meaningless if you don’t read God’s Word and apply it to your life.  I have been a diabetic now for some 16 years on insulin.  What if I bought all the supplies I needed, even more than I needed, the insulin, the syringes but I never used them?  It would be devastating and the same is true with God’s Word that is not read and not applied to our lives, it can have devastating effects upon us!

            As we look at the Word of God in us there are three points that Paul is making:

A.  THE WORD OF GOD IS TO RULE IN YOUR HEART –

COLOSSIANS 3:15

            The Greek word that Paul uses for “rule” is BRABEUO (brab-yoo’-o) and the basic idea of this word is that of an umpire deciding the outcome of an athletic event. Since it is spring, think of it as a Baseball umpire calling balls and strikes. Now how does that apply to us as Christians?

            In the things you are doing, in what you are saying, are you at peace with God about it?  Now please understand, it is not just that you are at peace with it, but you are in agreement with God on this one. How do you know? Is it according to God’s Word?  If it is not, then flee from it and don’t go down that path!

            God’s Word is a guide for us to follow in our walk with Him, and we may try to justify our ungodly behavior, but you will not be at peace with God regarding this issue. Thus, deal with it, get your will in line with God’s!  You see, Paul said in I Corinthians 6:17, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”  Because we are one with Christ, it causes us to live lives that are pleasing to Him because He calls the balls and strikes in a sense, and instead of arguing with the Lord, kicking dirt around, throwing a tantrum, obey the Lord because it is what is best for our life!  And that truly is wisdom, applying the truths of God to our lives!

B.  TEACHING THE WORD OF GOD – COLOSSIANS 3:16

            The Word of God is to dwell in us, be at home in us, overflow our lives. As the Word of God permeates our life, every action, every thought, every word will be guided and governed by God’s Spirit through His Word.

            When Paul speaks of teaching he is speaking of positive truth, to instruct people and ourselves in the Words of God, the truths of God.  People know the stats of their favorite sports players and teams. They know all kinds of things their favorite movies stars are into. They know the latest CD their favorite recording artists is putting out.  They know all about cars.  Why?  Because it is important to them and they will take the time to study and learn these things.  But when it comes to the Word of God, there truly seems to be some Biblical illiteracy today.  Let me give you an example of what I mean. We are told:

            Albert Stauderman relates that he told in a sermon the old joke about Bible ignorance where someone asks, “What are the epistles?” and the answer received is, “They were the wives of the apostles.” He relates, however, that after the sermon a woman asked, “Pastor, I didn’t get the joke. If they weren’t the wives of the apostles, whose wives were they?”

- Albert Stauderman, Let Me Illustrate

            I think Warren Wiersbe hits the nail on the head in regards to the problem.  He tells us:

            There is a danger today, as there was in Paul’s day, that local churches minimize the Word of God.  There seems to be a lack of simple Bible teaching in Sunday School classes and pulpits. Far more interest is shown in movies, musical performances, and various entertainments than in God’s Word.  Many saved people cannot honestly say that God’s Word dwells in their hearts richly because they do not take time to read, study, and memorize it.

        - Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 140

            Folks, I encourage you to get into the Word of God, to know the heart of God through His Word for in that you will find the will of God for your life!

            C.  ADMONISHING OF THE WORD OF GOD – COLOSSIANS 3:16

            This is the negative side of teaching or counseling, showing people their error, their sin and more importantly for us, God showing us ours!  David cried out in Psalm 119:9-11, “How can a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed according to Your word.  With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!  Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”

            God’s Word is like a surgical instrument working on hearts, cutting away the hardness, the garbage and making us more sensitive to the things of God!  Paul, in Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

            If you refuse to listen to God’s Word, you will be in trouble, I can’t tell you any differently, that is just the way it is.  You need to be warned.  It is not that God doesn’t love you, but He loves you so much that He will not let you continue down a path that is only going to bring harm to your life.  Paul, speaking to Timothy, a young pastor, told him, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  II Timothy 3:16-17.  That is the bottom line folks.  The great thing is this, as we allow God’s Word to work in us, it will effect us in our actions, the things we do and the things we say and that is what we are going to look at next.

2.  THE EFFECT UPON US – COLOSSIANS 3:16-17

            A.  WORSHIP – COLOSSIANS 3:16

            What happens when you are filled with the things of God, the knowledge of God? Our emotions overflow with joy and we burst forth with the worship of God! Psalms refer to songs out of the book of Psalms.  Hymns are others songs of praise unto God.  Spiritual songs as opposed to secular songs.  You see, it is a life that is overflowing with the goodness of God!  What are people seeing in you, a life overflowing with the joy of the Lord or a life that reflects the exact opposite?  First you must be filled inside with the things of God before you can overflow outwardly with the worship of God!

            Listen to what Warren Wiersbe has to say regarding worship. He tells us:

            There is (according to Paul) a definite relationship between our knowledge of the Bible and our expression of worship in song.  One way we teach and encourage ourselves and others is through the singing of the Word of God.  But if we do not know the Bible and understand it, we cannot honestly sing it from our hearts.

            Perhaps this “poverty of Scripture” in our churches is one cause of the abundance of unbiblical songs that we have today.  A singer has no more right to sing a lie than a preacher has to preach a lie. The great songs of the faith were, for the most part, written by believers who knew the doctrines of the Word of God. Many so-called “Christian songs” today are written by people with little or no knowledge of the Word of God. It is a dangerous thing to separate the praise of God from the Word of God.

       - Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 140

            B.  OUR SPEECH IS PURE – COLOSSIANS 3:17

            Again the idea here is whatever you fill your life with will overflow in what you say. The old life was filled with all kinds of filthy, ungodly speech. But now we are new in Christ and what flows from our lips should be what would flow from the lips of Jesus because we are one in Him. If you are struggling in this area, your speech, go back to letting God’s Word fill you and guide you and then, as you are filled up on the inside with the things of God, it will be manifested in your words!

            C.  OUR CONDUCT IS HOLY – COLOSSIANS 3:17

            Once again this takes us back to what we have filled our life with, for whatever it is will overflow in our conduct, our behavior, what we do.  The key to all our actions is to understand that what we are doing we are doing as representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus, as Paul said, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”  Colossians 3:23.

            As I begin to close this morning, listen to this story that illustrates to us that we are a new creation in Christ, the old things have passed away and we have become new in Him. We are not the old man refurbished, but a new man made by Christ. We are told:

            London businessman Lindsay Clegg told the story of a warehouse property he was selling.  The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.

            As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

            “Forget about the repairs,” the buyer said.  “When I buy this place, I’m going to build something completely different.  I don’t want the building; I want the site.”  Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God’s, the old life is over (2 Cor. 5:17). He makes all things new.  All he wants is the site and the permission to build.

- Ian L. Wilson

            If you want to make an impact for Christ in your home, in your community, at work, in this state, in this nation, it is not going to happen by worldly ideas or programs but by the power of God working in you and then through you.  Won’t you let Him?  You see, as the Word of God works in your life by the power of God’s Spirit, it will have an effect upon your life as you are bursting forth with the worship of God, your speech is pure and your conduct holy.  May you shine brightly for Jesus in a world that is in darkness and not be drawn back into the world but that through your shinning of Jesus, the world may come to Jesus!