Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. There are always things for which we can thank. God. Do you say thank you for old friends, for new friends? For our children, for our teens, for each person.
Do we have a spirit of thankfulness to God for all that He is doing? Do we tend to focus on the negatives? Are you thankful? Welcome to The Verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Here's a tough question.
Are you more apt to express your appreciation? Or do you always find reasons to complain? For many people, an attitude of thankfulness doesn't come naturally. But today on the verdict, we'll learn that because of Jesus Christ, we always have reasons to give thanks.
So let's join Pastor John Monroe as he continues our study in Colossians with a message titled, Be Thankful. In the Gospels, there's an intriguing story about ten lepers who asked Jesus to have mercy on them. They're all cleansed and healed. By Jesus, what a miracle.
However, only one of the ten returned to Jesus. Luke, who records the incident, says that this man fell on his face at the feet of Jesus, giving him thanks. For some of us, being thankful doesn't come easily, as we tend to find fault. and look on the problems of life rather than all the blessings we receive. We are to thank God, we are to praise God as we are constantly amazed at His love, His forgiveness, His grace in our lives.
Don't take God for granted. Give thanks. I know you'll be inspired as we listen to this message on giving thanks from Colossians 3. This message today is very simple, it's very direct, it's very practical. It comes from Colossians chapter 3, verses 15 through 17.
And I've given the title to this message. The words of Colossians 3, verse 15, be Thankful.
So let's read it together. Colossians 3. Yeah. Fifteen. And as we read it, Look out for the words thanks and thankfulness.
And let the peace of Christ Rule in your hearts. to which indeed you were called in one body, and be Thankful. Verse sixteen. Let the word of Christ dwell in you ritually, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 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. Notice the theme of giving thanks, of being Thankful.
Now let's look a little closer at verse fifteen. Where we will learn that we give thanks. For Christ's peace. which rules us. We give thanks.
For Christ's peace, which rules us and let the peace of Christ Rule in your hearts. to which indeed you were called in one body and be Thankful. Peace with God is an incredible blessing. We live in a world of stress. A world of unrest.
A world Where often there is a lack of peace in the home. in society, in the workplace, even in the church. One of the great truths of the Christian faith is this. That we have peace with God. Every single one of us wants peace.
We want to live in harmony. in our home, at work, in the church, in our relationships. To go to bed at night and put our head on the pillow, knowing that we have peace with God and we're at peace with others. The truth of the Bible is that the world can't give you that lasting peace. But Jesus Christ came to give us peace.
Paul writes in Romans 5, verse 1: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace with God. Peace with others. One of the greatest blessings of being a follower of Jesus Christ. And the peace that Jesus gives is.
Unique. Listen to his words, for example. in John chapter Fourteen. John 14, verse 27. Here are words that I want us to take personally tonight.
Some of you are troubled.
Some of you have had a tough week?
Some of you have inner turmoil.
Some of you have turmoil in your home at work. Personal issues, perhaps in ministry, some turmoil, listen to Jesus. John 14, verse 27, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. There is a special peace that comes from Jesus. My peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Our hearts are often troubled. Our hearts are often restless. Jesus comes.
This peace which is to rule and gives us his special peace.
So, verse 15: we give thanks for Christ's peace. which rules us. In verse 16, We give thanks for Christ's word, which guides and instructs us. We give thanks for Christ's word. Which guides and instructs us, verse 16.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. The word, the logos, the word of Christ. It is to be central in our lives and in the church. A love for peace and harmony doesn't mean we disregard the word or doctrine. That's the false premise Of churches coming together irrespective of their fundamental doctrinal differences?
No. Again, the context here is corporate. The word, says Paul, the word of Christ. This is the word about Christ. This is the message proclaiming Christ.
It is to dwell in us ritually, a powerful force. This is a present imperative, which means that the command is to be ongoing. We can say when we come together at church that the word of Christ is to dwell in us. Richly. O'Brien, in his commentary on these verses, writes: The gospel is to have its glorious and gracious way.
in their lives. That is, whenever we come together on Sunday mornings or evenings, Christ's word is to be supreme. If you say that doesn't sound like much fun, I must question whether the peace of Christ is ruling in your heart. You see, the peace of Christ creates a supernatural appetite for the word of Christ. We submit to the word.
And we have an attitude of humility that helps in Christ peace ruling. In our arrogance Peace is dispelled. But the word is to dwell richly in us. It is to take its home in us. Extravagantly is the point.
It dwells in us richly. The way in which the Word dwells ritually is by teaching and admonishing one another. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. It's to be done in all wisdom, not done in a casual, flippant manner. The word must be handled accurately.
Paul has said in chapter 1, verse 28, that we proclaim Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ. This is our goal at church, that each one of us would be mature in Christ. How do we do that? Positive teaching and negative admonishing. None of us like to be admonished, do we?
We don't like to be reprimanded, but both are necessary. Correction. With a view to change is the point.
Now here's a convicting question. When did you last? Make a change in your life. Because of the word of God. A word that you heard preached.
A word as you study the Bible, perhaps in a small group, your ALG. Cool. or studying it personally. You learned a truce. You were convicted?
But it didn't just stay in your head. It impacted your life. There was a life Change. When did that last happen? I trust This is a way that we live.
Now this teaching and admonishing, and this is going to surprise some of you, is done by singing. Listen to Paul. In the parallel passage in Ephesians 5, verse 19. Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart. When we worship, We are teaching and admonishing in our worship, not just to create an emotional buzz.
Not just to get us feeling in the right mood so we can hear the word of God. No. The word of God is dwelling in us richly as we sing. These psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Music helps us to remember these biblical truths.
That's one of the reasons we teach our children. And if you were brought up in a church, in a Christian home, You will recall, as I can do well, some of the hymns and the choruses that we learned as little boys and little girls. And these truths, while we didn't understand them all at the time we learned them, now as Older men and women. These truths I remembered. in our lives.
Because the music helps us Remember these biblical truths and they sustain us and they encourage us in difficult times.
So the word of Christ must be heard in our worship. Not just the noise of the instruments. The music is secondary. The goal is to teach and admonish one another in our worship.
Now this word produces joy and thankfulness. in our lives and in the church. Music, then, is a very important means of encouraging one another and glorifying God. We sing corporately, we have choirs, we have ensembles, we have orchestras, we have solos, etc. Not for entertainment, but to instruct, to challenge, to inspire.
to uplift up one another as well as expressing praise to God. And you know, one of the great blessings of coming to a church like this is that you may come in wearied and battered Feeling not particularly spiritual? And as we begin to worship God. These truths, as it's accompanied by appropriate music, they uplift us, they teach us. They inspired us.
They challenge us. and great movements of the Holy Spirit. In church history, we have been accompanied by music. We think of Martin Luther in the Reformation. We think of the Wesleys, Moody and Sankey.
Martin Luther said, Next to the word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language, combined with the gift of song, was given to man that he should proclaim the word of God through music.
Now, here Paul refers to psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, different types of praise. Difficult. To distinguish between the Psalms and the hymns and the spiritual songs. The Psalter, of course, was Israel's hymn book. We therefore should sing some Psalms.
The word is a song sung by the plucking of strings, perhaps a harp, a kind of guitar, type of instrument. Hymns were songs of praise to God. Spiritual songs, the commentators and the experts debate. Much more difficult to define what Paul was meaning here.
Some say they were solos, but they were songs in the spirit. The fact is that in Colossi There was a variety of forms in the worship and praise. I think if Paul had known the term blended service, he would have used it here. Right. But at church We have different Musical Expressions.
We have a large organ. We have a guitar. We have an orchestra, we have drums. Different forms. Perhaps not all to your liking, but all there to to be used to the glory of God, but also to teach and to admonish.
Us. We believe in the Psalms, we believe in the great hymns of the past, we believe in spiritual songs and choruses that may have just been written yesterday, all sung, as Paul would say, with thankfulness in our hearts, not just with the lips. Paul is saying our lives are to be regulated by the Word of God, and therefore our worship and praise are based on the Word of God and directed to one another and to the Lord. For the word of Christ We can Thanks.
So verse fifteen. We give thanks for Christ's peace, which rules us. Verse 16: We give thanks for Christ's word, which guides and instructs us. Thirdly, in verse 17, we give thanks for Christ's lordship. which controls us.
We give thanks for Christ's Lordship. Which controls us. Verse seventeen. 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. That's a very, very broad statement, isn't it? That is that the Lordship of Jesus Christ embraces the totality of her life.
In becoming Christians, we call upon Jesus as Lord. That Christ is to be central in our lives and in the church. Paul says Whatever you do in word or deed. Do everything in the name of the Lord. Jesus.
Nothing. is excluded. As Christians, we are totally under the authority of Jesus Christ. We are to do everything, we are to say everything in his name.
So a great question. in life is what is the Christian thing to do? What would Christ have me do in this situation? If we take the name of Christian Unbelievers expect us, don't they, to behave in a certain way. They expect us to be honest.
They don't expect us to lie in business. They expect us to be kind. They expect us to be respectful. They don't expect us to have foul mouths. And rightly so.
All of life. is to be an act of worship. to the Lord. All of my life. As Paul would say in Romans 12, 1 and 2, present it to the Lord as a living.
Sacrifice. Whatever I do. In word or deed, I am to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. And whatever I do, I'm to give thanks to God the Father through him. I think this is a wonderful verse.
Because Christ's Lordship transforms everything that we do. That is all of life. Not just Sunday. But all of life is to be lived in the presence of the Lord. The smallest thing done in his name is much.
Because it's done in his name. Here is a mother raising her children. That's tough. She does that as an act of worship to the Lord. Here's a man in business, he does that as an act of worship to the Lord.
I hear as a teen at school. She does that as an act of worship to the Lord. The dullest duty, as it were, done in his name is fresh and meaningful and beautiful because Christ is Lord of all. We are to be Christ. centered.
And I graduated from law school, went to work In a law office. I remember one day The senior partner giving me this will to draft, and I thought I knew the law. And I think I did know the law, but it's very difficult to put that down on paper. And I was getting more and more frustrated drafting this wretched will. And he came, very gracious man, brilliant lawyer, and sat down and said, John, how are you doing?
I said, I'm not doing too well. He said, Can I take a look at it? My felix said, No, not really. But I I put it over the table to him. And you look down at it.
And you began. Freehand too. To write. And to use one or two of the few phrases that I did get right. But basically to rewrite the whole thing.
And I said to him, How is it you can do this? I said, I I I really I was getting very frustrated with it. He says to me, John, remember, When you're drafting a will. You're doing it as an act of worship to the Lord. And I thought I wonderful.
I'm doing it not just to please my boss, although I greatly respected him and wanted to please him. I'm doing it not just because the client is going to pay for it, as I hope they would. But I'm doing it as an act of worship. To the Lord. You go to work tomorrow and there's some tedious elements of it.
Join the human race, right? Of course there is. Whether you're at home As a mother bringing your children, Whether you're in the office or school, whatever it is. In all of life, there's that which is rather tedious. That which is difficult, perhaps even boring.
And you do it. As unto The Lord. My mother raising six children used to tell us that. I said, Mom, how would you do that? She did it as unto The Lord, that's what Paul is saying.
Whatever you do. In word or deed, not just when you're teaching Sunday school, not just when you're singing in the choir. But all of life has meaning. All of life is beautiful because it's done in the name of the Lord Jesus and you do it with a spirit of thankfulness as an act of worship to the Lord. And we give thanks then that Christ's Lordship controls us.
He is the sovereign Lord controlling My life. Give thanks for Christ's lordship. Yield to it. And obey the Lord. At work you may be toiling.
Maybe boring, you may have a difficult boss. But remember this verse, tomorrow when you go to work. that you do it as an act of worship to the Lord, and that will transform. what you do.
So we give thanks this evening. For Christ's peace. For Christ's word For Christ's lordship. in our lives. And we are to always, says Paul.
Give thanks. Deuteronomy 33, verse 29: Happy are you, O Israel, who is like you, a people saved by. the Lord. There are many things that we give thanks for. But above all, as followers of Jesus, we give thanks for our Lord Jesus Christ.
We give thanks for salvation. We give thanks for the forgiveness of sins. We give thanks that God and His grace intervened in our life. What a mess we would have made of our lives apart from Christ. Once we were heading to destruction, and God graciously intervened, our sins are forgiven, our names are written in the book of life.
We are loved by God. And we say thank you, Lord, for that great love. Here is love. Vast. as the ocean, loving kindness as the flood.
When the Prince of Life, a ransom, shed for us His precious blood, who his love will not remember, who can cease to sing His praise, He can never be forgotten. Throughout heavens. Eternal. days. And we thank.
The Lord, for that love. which was displayed at the cross. And if you've never known that love, If you've never experienced the peace of Christ in your heart, If you have never experienced the forgiveness of sins, we invite you this evening. to turn from your sin. and to look to Christ.
And believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will forgive your sins. He will indwell you. And as you submit your life to Him, to His Lordship, He will guide you, He will control you. And your heart and your relationships will be transformed by this peace.
which will rule and govern us. Father, for this we need your help. Because sometimes we confess We don't pursue peace.
Sometimes we want to win, we want to come out top. We want to Point out the faults of others, and often we're quick to complain and slow to give thanks. Forgive us, Father. Thank you for this focus. In these verses, to be thankful.
And we pray that as the people of God, We will be. Thankful. and praising. And may your peace, Father, And may the peace of Christ Ruler Holmes. rule in their hearts.
Ruling the church, ruling our relationships, transforming us, Father. We humble ourselves underneath your mighty hand and pray. but into troubled hearts You may pour your peace. to confused hearts. They may submit to the Lordship of Christ to control them.
and that we will love your word more and more. And so grow to be more like Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. This is the verdict featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us.
From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Are you giving thanks? When you worship, is your heart full of thankfulness? Or do you critique the music or the preaching or the friendliness of the congregation? When we practice giving thanks, our homes and our very lives and churches are transformed.
Life is often hard, but when we give thanks, we look up to God. rather than focusing on our circumstances. And others will see the joy and peace and love of Jesus in our lives.
Next time we'll think of the important subject of family life. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
