And of course, before I begin, I want to thank Pastor Jimenez for the opportunity to preach. It's always an honor when a pastor asks anyone to preach, so I want to say thank you to Pastor for allowing me this opportunity to preach to you this morning. And so we're there in Colossians chapter number one, and in Colossians one, I'd like you to look at verse number nine, if you would. Colossians one, verse nine. In Colossians 1.9, the Bible says this, it says, So Colossians 1 in verse 9, here we see Paul's prayer and desire for the church members there at Colossae. He says, I don't cease to pray for you. It says, and to desire. We see Paul is making requests to God for the believers there at Colossae. It says, and to desire, Paul's desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. And I'd like to ask why. Why is Paul praying for the believers there in the church that they would be filled with the knowledge of his will? Well, in verse 10 it goes on, it says this, it says that. And he gives us the reason, I'm praying for you and I have this desire for you, it says that, it says, ye might walk worthy of the Lord. Here Paul says, like, I'm praying for you and I desire that you be filled with the knowledge of His will, so that you would walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. So we see Paul praying and desiring that the believers there would walk what? Would walk worthy of the Lord. You know, this morning I'm preaching on that phrase, walking worthy of the Lord. You know, what does that mean, walk worthy of the Lord? Well, the word worthy means appropriate or becoming. It is fitting or proper. And the word walk has to do with your lifestyle, how you live your life. The way you live your life, your walk, it is your everyday life. And Paul is saying, look, I want you to live a life that is appropriate, that is suitable, that is worthy of the Lord. See, that you might walk worthy of the Lord tells us there is a life that is appropriate or proper for someone who is a Christian. And I'd like to begin with asking you this question, and we'll get into it, but ask yourself, is your life worthy of the Lord? Is your life suitable, becoming, or appropriate of somebody who calls him or herself a Christian? And here we see Paul, who obviously started the Church of Colossae there. He loves the believers there. Paul, their spiritual leader, he's praying for them that they would live a life that is suitable for a Christian. And of course, I can't help think of our pastor. A pastor who I'm sure texted me this morning, he's praying for you today. And I'm sure a pastor praying for each one of you in this room that you would live a life that is worthy of the Lord. A life that is suitable or becoming to our people to look at you and say, you know what, this is the life of a Christian. And this should be your desire as well. Your desire should be that your life, God look down and say, you know what, this is a life that is worthy of the Lord. And Paul in this verse tells us three ways how you can live a life I'd like to share those with you this morning. And I'd like to begin, number one, a walk worthy of the Lord is a life that pleases the Lord. A walk worthy of the Lord is a life that pleases the Lord. And obviously it sounds pretty obvious that, you know, obviously if you're going to live a life that's becoming of a Christian, that's suitable for a child of God, of course you're going to please the Lord. But here, notice what it says in verse 10, that you might walk worthy of the Lord. And it says, unto all pleasing. See, unto has this idea that it is your aim to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. That you live your life, your walk is one that is in the direction of, for the purpose of pleasing the Lord. And I wanna ask you this morning, do you wake up wanting to please God? Have you ever asked yourself that question? When we wake up every single day, you know, I have a goal today, I'm gonna live my life, my walk, my conversation, how I'm gonna behave my life today, is aimed at, in the direction towards what? Towards pleasing the Lord. See, God looks down upon a life, and he says, and Paul says, I want you to live a life, a walk worthy of the Lord. It says, unto all pleasing. A walk worthy of the Lord is a life that pleases the Lord. It's aimed at, in the direction of living a life that pleases God. And look, you gotta realize that life, that you were created for this purpose. You were created in life to please the Lord. In Revelation 4, 11, don't turn there, but the Bible says, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. You're there in Colossians 1, look at verse number 16, Colossians 1, 16. Notice what the Bible says, it says, for by him were all things created. that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers. It says, all things were created by him, notice, and for him. And like your life, and obviously, you know, each one of you, you have your own agendas in life. But here the Bible tells us that you were created Revelation 411 says you're created for His pleasure. See, a walk worthy of the Lord is a life that aims for the purpose of what? Living a life to please God. And I wonder how many people even in this room today, and obviously Paul is praying for the Church of Colossae, that they would be filled with the knowledge of His will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that they would live a life that is aimed for the sole purpose of pleasing God. And if you live for the purpose of pleasing God, that will really clear up a lot of decisions in your life. See, if you lived for the purpose of pleasing God, we know where you'd be on Sunday morning at 10.30 a.m., which you're here today, praise the Lord. If you live for the aim of pleasing God, we know what you're gonna do tomorrow morning. You're gonna pick up that King James Bible and read it. You're gonna pray to the Lord. See, when you live a life that is aimed towards pleasing God, every decision you make is filtered by what does God think about this? See, you're created by God for His purpose. So realize, like, your life has purpose that God has meant for you. And like, we go out soul wedding every week and we meet people and, you know, even yesterday, you know, my group, we didn't get anyone saved, but we knock a lot of doors and we meet people who you could just tell they're living life with no purpose. You know, sadly, they just, it's rough and it's sad. You know, their homes are in shambles. They look like a mess. Their families, they look like they're in disarray. You just tell this person has no purpose. They have no direction in their life. And the sad news is, is that they just don't realize that they were created for a purpose. But look, Christian, we must remember in this room, in the same way, look, you and I, as we live our Christian life, every day you live, you're created for the sole purpose of pleasing the Lord. And this gives you purpose in life. But not only will this give you purpose, but this will also bring you fulfillment in life. Colossians 1, I want you to notice verse number nine again, Colossians 1, 9. Paul said, for this cause we also, Since the day we heard it, it says, do not cease to pray for you and to desire, he says, that ye might be filled, notice, with the knowledge of, it says, His will. You know, Paul's praying that they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will for their life. And look, if you gotta realize that your life has a purpose, you're created to please Him So it would make sense for us to live a life to figure out what is God's will for our life. And Paul is praying for them, that I desire and pray that you'll be filled with knowledge of his will. And this is why we come to church. We come to church so you can hear the Bible preached, so you can know what the Bible says, so you can be filled with the knowledge of His will, so you can gain wisdom and spiritual understanding to start making right decisions. And this will bring you fulfillment in life. Look, sadly, people lose their focus in the Christian life because they forget the purpose of the Christian life. The purpose is for you to live a life that is pleasing to Him. See, walk worthy of the Lord doesn't mean you're sinless or perfect. Otherwise, none of us would qualify. But a walk that is worthy of the Lord, a life that is suitable for a Christian, lives a life that is meant to please God. And here, Paul wants us to be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. Keep your place here in Colossians 1. We'll go to Romans chapter number 12. Romans chapter number 12. You're there in Colossians 1. Keep your place here. If you would, we'll go to Romans chapter number 12. Romans chapter number 12. Just go backwards, you have Philippians, Ephesians, Galatians, 1st, 2nd Corinthians, Romans, Romans chapter number 12. See, a life that is worthy of the Lord aims to seek God's will. And Paul is saying, I desire for you to be filled with the knowledge of His will, the knowledge of what God wants for your life. So look, what brings you fulfillment in life, Christian, is when you live a life that seeks His will for your life. And there's many obvious commands that we can find in Scripture where we just know this is God's will for my life. See, I know it is God's will for you to be here this morning. I know it's God's will for every believer to be plugged into any local New Testament church in their area. I know it's God's will for you to read your Bible. I know it's God's will for you to learn to forgive one another as Christ also forgave you. To learn to make choices based on the word of God. I know it's God's will for you to go out there and preach the gospel to every creature. But see, what brings fulfillment in life is when you realize your purpose in life. And when you realize your purpose in life, then you would start living your life to see what God wants from you. Romans 12.1, famous verses, Romans 12.1. The Bible says this, it says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. He says that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, verse two. and be not conformed to this world, notice, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may, notice, prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. See, Paul says, look, our job is to change the way we think, present our bodies a living sacrifice. And look, all of us in this room, you know, we all have our own personal agendas. We all have our own personal wills, things that we would like to pursue in our life that, quite frankly, may not align with God's will. And here Paul tells us that we should be willing, what? We should lay our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, and it's our reasonable service. See, our job is to come to the house of God, to read the word of God, to be filled with the knowledge of not our own will, not what I wanna do. And look, Christians are really good at getting to the place where just making decisions based on what they want to do. But our job is to be filled with the knowledge of, wait, what does God want me to do? And if my will in life does not align with what God wants me to do, then you know what, maybe I should lay aside that weight. Maybe we should lay that aside and say, you know what? What does God want me to do? Oh, God wants me to be transformed, changed. How? By the renewing of your mind. That we can prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Not my will. What does God want? See, a life that is worthy unto the Lord is what? Is a walk that is unto all pleasing. It is a life aimed at the direction of everything you do is meant to not please yourself, not what is it that you wanna do, is what does God want to do? What does God want me to do? What's God's will for my life? In Matthew 6, don't turn there, Matthew 16, 25, Jesus said this. He said, for whosoever will save his life shall lose it. and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. And I find that verse very interesting, where Jesus would say, if you save your life, if you're willing to just live your life for yourself and make sure that your Christian life doesn't interfere with your schedule, your Christian life doesn't interfere with your weekends, you make sure that the Bible doesn't interfere with how you treat other people. Here it says, if you save your life, it says you're gonna lose it. But it says, whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. See, if you live a life for yourself, you ultimately lose a true life that really matters. Because the truth is, Christians, is that you have a purpose. And sometimes even we in this room can get so accustomed to the habit of being in church that even we can forget our own purpose. And our purpose, and your purpose, and my purpose is to today, tomorrow, the next day, to live a life that is aimed at pleasing God. What does God want? And if we live a life for ourselves, we will ultimately lose a life that truly matters. Go if you go to Psalm 143, go to Psalm 143. So Paul says, I desire for you to be filled with the knowledge of His will. You go to Psalm 143, right in the center of your Bible, you have the book of Psalms, Psalm 143. Psalm 143, see a life, a walk worthy of the Lord, a life that is suitable for a Christian is what? Is a life that pleases the Lord. And obviously it makes sense. It makes sense to have a life, I mean, if you would ask, I mean, just logically speaking, you know, if you're a Christian, if people know you're a Christian, they're gonna assume, of course, you live your life wanting to please God. That's the right assumption people should have of you. But this is what we should have for ourselves, is that our goal is to please God. And Paul says, I want you to be filled with the knowledge of His will. What does God want from you? And look, we must learn what God's will is in your life. You think you must learn what God's will is in your life? Because look, the Bible says that the way of man is not in himself. We can't just direct our own lives and think we're gonna get to the place where God wants us to do. No, no, no, God gave us pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. God gave us the word of God to be the lamp for our feet and the light into our path so that the word of God can guide and direct us in life. God gave you a pastor and a pastor's wife to give you godly counsel to figure out what is it that God wants for my life? Psalm 143, verse number 10, notice what the Bible says. Psalm 143, 10, the Bible says, teach me to do thy will. Psalm 143.10 says, teach me to do thy will. You know, learning God's will is something that must be taught. We just don't automatically know what God's will is. Of course we know today's God's will is for you to be in church, right? Young people, you gotta flee fornication, abstain, all of us should abstain from all appearance of evil. All of us should just know what God's will as far as the commands go. But here it says, teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God, thy spirit is good. It says, lead me into the land of uprightness. So we must allow the word of God and the house of God to lead us into what God wants us to do. Go, if you would, to Luke 1, if you would, Luke 1, Luke 1. See, walk worthy of the Lord. You see, how can I know if my walk, my life, is suitable, worthy, appropriate for a Christian? Well, my question to you is, do you live your life seeking to please yourself? Or do you want purpose, live your life, and seek to please the Lord? See, pleasing the Lord is a life with purpose. And pleasing the Lord is a life of fulfillment. And look, this is why, you know, I remember my father-in-law, you know, who was a pastor, he'd always tell us this. He'd say, the most miserable person is a backslidden Christian. And the truth is, Christian, is that you and I live by a completely different set of rules. So we ought not to look at the world and think, well, just because the world's getting away with it, that means we can get away with it as well. No, no, we have a Heavenly Father who loves us, who cares for us, who will chastise and correct us to mold us into what He wants us to be. And look, realize, look at that, pleasing the Lord will bring you favor in life. Pleasing the Lord brings a life of favor with God. And look, there is no substitute for being favored of the Lord. Luke 1, I want you to notice verse 5. I want to give you an example of a godly older couple who lived a life pleasing God, and the Lord favored them. Luke 1, verse 5, notice what it says. It says, there was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the chorus of Abiah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And here we see, of course, the parents of John the Baptist. And here we see John the Baptist's father, Zacharias, who was just a priest, ministering unto God. And it refers to him and his wife, Elizabeth. And I can imagine these people not being wealthy. I can imagine these people not just living in this extravagant house, living a life of comfort, not a life that you and I would want to outwardly desire if you were to look at them, a life of just serving the Lord. But notice what verse six tells us about this couple. It says, and they were both, notice, righteous before God. You know, I would hope that you would desire for this for your life, Christian. And I want this for my life, where God will look down upon you and upon me, and you say, you know what, this is a life, this is a walk that is worthy of the Lord. Here it says, they were both righteous before God. Notice, you say, how were they righteous? It says, walking in all the commandments and ordinance of the Lord, blameless. And obviously none of us are perfect. We're all sinners. We all come short. But here it says that they're walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, it says, blameless. It means if you were to look at their life, Zacharias and Elizabeth, if you looked at their life, you'd say, you know, there's nothing in that life that you could point to say, you know what, look at what they're doing. That is a shame to the cause of Christ. God's saying that they're living a life that is blameless, walking in all the commandments, seeking to please Him. See, the Bible says a walk worthy of the Lord is unto all pleasing. You know, sometimes that word all is so small, but yet that word all is all-encompassing. You're supposed to present your bodies a living sacrifice. not just the part of your body, the entire thing. And here it says, we're to walk unto all pleasing. You know, obviously our church being a soul winning church, we're all about the Great Commission. We're all about going out there, preaching the gospel to every creature, teaching them to, baptizing them, but then it says, teaching them to observe all things. It says all things. And you know, we love soul winning and praise God for soul winning, but sometimes we get so focused on the soul winning, we forget about teaching them to observe all things. Guess what? You're in that stage. All of us are in that stage. Our job as part of the Great Commission is to learn to observe all things, walking in all the commandments, hoping that our life would be what righteous before God. Walking in some of the commandments? No, no, no. Walking in all the commandments, blameless. Obviously, you know what? We're all sinners. We're all going to come short. But look, this should be the direction. See, when God looks upon your life, he wants to see a walk, a life that is worthy of the Lord, a walk that is aimed unto all pleasing. See, a life worthy of the Lord begins by recognizing that you were created with a purpose. Fulfillment comes when you seek his will, and satisfaction is found as you walk daily in that purpose with faith and obedience. John 14, 21, don't turn the Bible, it says, he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. Isn't that interesting? Jesus said, he that hath my commandments and keepeth them. There's a difference between this guy. It says, he it is that loveth me. You know, I would love to be in that category. I mean, don't you? Isn't that why you come to church? To learn what the Bible says? When you read the word of God, so you can learn the commandments, see what God wants from you, that God would look upon your life. It says, you know what, see that Christian? This is a Christian who loves me. John 8, 29, Jesus said this, and he that sent me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him. Of course, that's the Lord Jesus Christ who can rightfully say, I do always those things that please Him. See, walk worthy of the Lord, number one, is a life that pleases the Lord. Go back to Colossians 1, Colossians 1. As you examine your life, ask yourself this, Christian. Do you live with a goal every day to please God? See, walk worthy of the Lord is, number one, a life that pleases But number two, a life worthy of the Lord is a life that produces for the Lord. Colossians 1 verse number 10 again. It says that you might walk worthy of the Lord. And I hope that's you and I hope that's me. It says unto all pleasing, and then it says this, it says being, notice, fruitful in every good work. You see, what is a walk worthy of the Lord? Well, a walk worthy of the Lord is a life that what? That produces for the Lord. It says being fruitful in every good work. You know, fruitful means your life is producing something. It's a life that consistently produces results. It has actions and behaviors that align with God's will, and it does what? And it benefits others. Ask yourself this, Christian, is your life benefiting? Anyone? And obviously I'm speaking to this room, and praise God you're all in this room, but there's many a Christian out there who live a life that is not worthy of the Lord, because their life, it's just, their faith is dead. It's not producing anything. But see, God wants us to be fruitful in good works. You're in Colossians 1 key place, of course we go to Titus 3, Titus chapter number 3. Titus chapter number 3. See, walk worthy of the Lord is a life that produces for the Lord. You're in Colossians, go to 1st, 2nd Thessalonians to the right, and then 1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy, into the book of Titus. Titus chapter number three. Titus chapter number three. God wants you to produce for him, Lord, for him, Christian. Titus three, look at verse number eight. Titus three, the Bible says, this is a faithful saying. And these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God, notice, might be careful, it says, notice, to maintain Here we have Paul talking to a preacher, Titus, and he's saying, look, I will that thou affirm constantly. Paul's saying, look, I want you to preach this again and again and again. You say, what is it, Paul, that you want Titus to preach? It says, that they which have believed in God, that's you, right? If you're saved, you've believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. It says, might be careful, notice, to maintain good works. See, Paul says, look, he's telling Titus to preach this again and again and again, telling the people in the church there, hey, be careful to maintain good works. See, when you're careful of something, what are you doing? You're being watchful of it. You're not neglecting it. And Paul says, when you preach, I want you to preach again, and again, and again. Tell the believers there to be careful to maintain good works. This is why our pastor prays, God preaches the fundamentals of the faith as the foundation for us so that we can be reminded of the good works. We gotta be reminded week in and week out to be out there soul winning, to read your Bible, to pray, to live a life that's pleasing to him, affirm constantly to maintain good works. Why? Because when you start neglecting the works that God has for you, that's not a good sign. And look, be careful, Christian. If you're the Christian who are, you're doing less today than you were yesterday, you weren't careful of maintaining those good works. See, our job is to live a life that is worthy of the Lord, a life suitable for a Christian. And Paul told Titus to affirm constantly, to remind you in this room to be careful to maintain good works. It's a good thing you started going to church three times a week. You know what, you ought to keep it up. Maintain those good works. It's great you came here on Sunday morning. If you're a guest, praise the Lord, you're here this morning. Like, you ought to keep it up, you ought to come back. Next Sunday morning, come back. If you're a soul winner, look, be careful to maintain that good work. Because, look, when you start neglecting of maintaining the good works, it's going to go by the wayside. And many a Christian, and, look, you watch people, sadly, what do they do when they want to fade out? They start doing less of the good works. And then, of course, pastor, because it's his job, he has to come up and say, hey, look, be careful. You've got to maintain good works. Do what you're supposed to do. And then he becomes the enemy. Because he's doing what the Bible tells him to do. But people are just not careful. They're neglecting the good works. But Paul says, like, I want you to affirm them constantly, remind them again and again and again, to be careful to maintain good works. In verse 8, he ends with this. It says, See, a walk worthy of the Lord, what does it do? It is fruitful in every good work. And Paul tells Titus, look, when you affirm them to maintain good works, these things are good, but they're not just good, they're also profitable. They also produce something. And the truth is, Christian, is that your life, whether you like it or not, and sometimes we don't like this, but your life is meant to live for others in mind. And I hope you come to church this morning to learn what the Bible says, so you can influence those in your life. You know, we go out there every week and knock doors, To benefit ourselves, of course we get rewards, because God will reward us. But look, we do it for the benefit of others. Because without the gospel, people have no purpose in life. They don't realize what God's will is for them. They're not reading the Bible. They don't know what the Bible says. They're blinded by the God of this world. They're lacking in knowledge. They're ignorant. But we go out there with love, speaking the truth in love, and give them the hope that is in us. and tell them, look, God loves you, Jesus died for you, and there's a purpose in your life. And Paul tells Titus, look, I want you to be careful, remind them again and again, to be careful to maintain good works. Why? Because these things are good and profitable unto others. See, your life is meant for the benefit of others. See, a walk worthy of the Lord is what is a life that produces for the Lord. Go if you would to, go to Romans 10, if you would, Romans chapter 10, if you would. Romans chapter 10. A walk worthy of the Lord means that you live for the profit of others. You go to Romans 10, and there's many, you know, obviously there's many good works I could talk about. I just highlighted three this morning. But look, all of us, look, I mean, I'm a husband and a father. You're a husband, you might be a husband, you might be a father, you might be a wife, you might be a mother, you might be an employee. Look, these are, there are good works you gotta do in that vocation, whatever that is. Look, if you're a father, you have the good work of raising your children in the nurtured admonition of the Lord. If you're a mother, it's your job to teach them the word of God, to raise them up in the nurtured admonition of the Lord. If you're an employee, God wants you to work out there as unto a Lord. There's many good works we gotta maintain. But of course, I already mentioned it, but look, we gotta maintain the good work of preaching the gospel to the lost. Why? Because look, our job is to be fruitful in every good work, producing something. Romans 10, verse 14, the Bible says, how then, Shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Notice, and how shall they preach except they be said, as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, that bring like tidings of good things. And look, our job is to be producing, benefiting who? The lost. It says, how shall they hear, how shall the lost hear without a preacher? At least it's one of the reasons, look, you ought to be a soul winner. You ought to get out there and preach the gospel to people. And you say, if you can't for whatever reason, then look, you ought to just get behind a church that does go out there and knock doors. There's many churches out there that don't even go soul winning. And it's just like, how shall they hear except they be sent? Well, who's going to send them out? You need a church to send them out. And obviously, if you can't go soul winning, look, you gotta just pray for the soul winners in this church. You gotta pray for your pastor who's leading a soul winning charge. You gotta pray for the people in this church. You gotta support the work of God. And just be a benefit, be a profit in the work of preaching the gospel. But not just that, look, in your life, you gotta realize that God wants you to produce fruit in every good work. Be fruitful in every good work. And in your life, and all of us probably have unsaved loved ones in our lives. Look, these are people that we should be wanting to benefit. And obviously when it comes to our unsaved loved ones, we should try our best to give them the gospel. But when they look at you and they look at me, they should see a Christian who's benefiting from being part of Verity Baptist Church. See, the Bible says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works. See, people ought to look at our lives and say, you know what, this is a walk worthy of the Lord. They can see, you know what, this is a changed life. This is a life, man, you used to talk one way, now you're just talking a whole different way. You used to do these things, you used to drink on the weekends, now you're not drinking. You used to do drugs, now you're not doing drugs. You used to just waste your life doing nothing, but now you're organized, you're focused, you love the word of God, you're going to church, you're cleaning up your life. They should see our good works and say, you know what, there's something about this person that's different. See, in your life, look, you being here ought to produce fruit for those around you in your life. You ought to say, you know what, this person's different. There's something about this that's not the same. That they can see your life, say, you know what, there's something there. See, God wants us to live a life that is what? That produces for the Lord. Be fruitful in every good work. See, you ought to benefit the unsaved and loved ones in your life. But I just said, look, you ought to be a prophet to the brothers and sisters in this room. You know, if you're in this room, because look, what does it mean to be fruitful? It means you're producing something, you're a benefit to someone. And look, if you're in this room, you ought to be a profit and a benefit to the other brothers and sisters in this room. Don't turn there, but Galatians 6.10, the Bible says, as we have therefore opportunity, it says, let us do good unto all men. See, we're to do good unto all men. But then it says, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. You know, God wants us to good unto everyone, to all men, but this is especially unto them who are of the household of faith. God says, look, especially to your brother and sister in Christ. You gotta do good unto them. You gotta be there for them. And so my question for you in this room is, can your brothers and sisters in Christ benefit from you being here? Does your life produce something for them, is it a benefit to them? And there's many ways we can benefit each other. We can, of course, number one, be here and smile and say, you know what, I'm glad to see you. We can pray for one another, bear one another's burdens. When we come to church, we can be somebody who encourages our brother and sister in Christ to actually sing aloud by being the person who sings during the songs. We can encourage the congregation, we can encourage pastor By what, by men saying amen in the service? And encouraging him. Not just pastors, but anyone who gets behind the pulpit to preach. Encourage them. I like what Brother Matt preached on Wednesday night. He preached things that the Lord hates. And one of the things he mentioned is that he mentioned when, you know, brothers sow discord, or people sow discord among brethren. And you know, God forbid any one of us in this room would do such a thing like that. But see, we should strive to be there to help one another. See, when you talk about your brother, sister in Christ, you should talk about them positively to other people. And be somebody who edifies. Your speech ought to be for edification purposes, not to bring people down. See, we should be there for the benefit of our brothers. But not just that, you gotta be here for the benefit, for the profit of the church. And I already mentioned this, but obviously in Hebrews 10, verse 24, let me read this for you. In Hebrews 10, 24, the Bible says, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. So you are to provoke one another unto love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is. You know, one question I would ask is, you know, does your walk with the Lord Is it a profit to the church, to this church? And obviously, I'm sure, you know, many of us in this room are a profit to this church. We support the church, we support our pastor, but look, we ought to be careful to maintain that good work and be someone who profits the church and be there when the doors are open and support pastor and support pastor's wife and support the program of the church. and be someone who's a benefit. Why? Because a walk worthy of the Lord, guess what? It's not a selfish life. No man liveth and dieth unto himself. A walk worthy of the Lord is a life that benefits others. 1 Corinthians 10 24, the law says, See a walk worthy of the Lord is number one, a life that pleases the Lord. A walk worthy of the Lord is number two, a life that produces for the Lord. And your life, look, you gotta just find people to serve and benefit. But number three, go back through to Colossians 1 if you, Colossians 1 if you would. And lastly, number three, a walk worthy of the Lord is a life that progresses in the Lord. A walk worthy of the Lord. And what does this mean? Again, it means that God will look upon your life and my life and say, you know what? This is a life that is suitable, that is appropriate for a Christian. And I hope this is why we come to church. And again, Paul told the church there in Colossae that I'm praying for you in verse 9. I do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Verse 10, again, that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work. And then number three, he says, increasing. Number three, increasing in the knowledge of God. So you walk worthy of the Lord is number three, a life that progresses in the Lord. You know, here it says your life ought to be one as defined as increasing in the knowledge of God. Is that moving forward or backward? Obviously that's moving forward. Our job, our life should be aimed at increasing in the knowledge of God. This points to what? This points to spiritual growth. You know, your life, if you've been saved for however many years you've been saved, But look, we should be stronger today spiritually than we were a year ago. We should be a better Christian today than we were a year ago. A life that is constantly, what, stretching itself. And this is what sometimes people don't understand about a strong leader like our pastor. See, a strong leader, what a strong leader does is that they will stretch you. See, this idea that, oh, pastor's making me do too much. No, no, no, no, no. You're just being weak in the faith. See, it's the job of a strong leader to stretch you. And here Paul says, look, I want you to be increasing in the knowledge of God, not just sitting there and doing nothing. And praise God, you have a pastor who will challenge us week in and week out with the servants to change and apply. Because his job is to help us increase, not just sit there and do nothing. And look, there's no such thing as maintaining in the Christian life. You're either growing or you're backsliding. Because look, and it takes effort. to every day read the Bible, to every day pray, to every day clean your life, to every day do what God wants you to do, to be in church. It takes effort to be in the service engaged and listening and wanting to apply. It takes effort to maintain that good work. But see, Paul says a life, a walk that is worthy of the Lord is when I see someone who's not just sitting there doing nothing, when I see someone who's increasing in the knowledge of God, they're growing in the Lord. They're bigger, they're stronger today than they were yesterday. See, it points to spiritual growth. A life worthy of the Lord doesn't remain stagnant. It stretches, it matures, and it deepens its relationship with God. And wouldn't you want this, Christian? For you to be closer to God tomorrow than you are today? And look, there's nothing that can substitute that. No money, no clothes, no house you live in, no car you drive, no job you have. There's no substitute in this world for being right and close with the Lord. And yet sadly, Christians will forsake walking with God. They won't increase, they won't allow themselves to stretch. For what? For a little bit more money? For comfort? For convenience? But see, a life that is worthy, a walk worthy of the Lord is a life that is increasing in knowledge. 2 Peter 3, 18, you know these verses, but grow in grace. It says, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. See, God wants you to grow, Christian. And growing, look, growing is a constant thing, and it's done on purpose. Either in Colossians 1, go to Colossians 2, if you go to Colossians 2, A walk-worthy Lord is a life that progresses in the Lord. It doesn't just sit there. It matures, it stretches, it deepens its faith with God. Colossians 2, look at verse number six. The Bible says, as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord. It says, so walk ye in him. And then it says in verse seven, it says rooted and notice, built up in him. You know, God wants you to get rooted. Like how will you grow, Christian? You're gonna grow when you decide to get rooted. When you decide to get rooted in the house of God, get rooted in the word of God, and then what? And built up, notice, in him. And what? And established in the faith as he had been taught. Notice what it says, it says abounding. Therein with thanksgiving. See, God doesn't want you to remain stagnant and not growing, Christian. God wants you to abound. and increase. You know God wants to bless your life? God wants to help you. And sometimes we're so busy trying to take our will, what God wants, what I want to do for my own life, and squeeze it into what God wants. But sometimes God says, you know what? You can't have it both ways. And Paul says, look, I desire for you to be filled with the knowledge of His will. what God wants for you. See, that's how it starts, when you just strive to get rooted, to get into the knowledge of what God wants, to learn what the Bible says, so that you can live a life that is pleasing to Him. So you can live a life that is fruitful and good works, and so you can live a life that is abounding and increasing. Here it says, rooted and built up in Him. And there's many illustrations about growth in the Christian life, and look, growth takes time. And obviously, you know, one of the main illustrations, or one illustration that we see in the Bible is, well, there's many illustrations, but one is like a tree. Like, the Christian life is like seeing a tree grow. And when you see a tree grow, you know, it doesn't just grow up overnight. It might take, it takes years to grow. Same thing with the Christian life. The Christian life takes time to grow. Of course, Psalm 1-3, it says, and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. See, the Christian life is a life of constant growth, but like a tree planted, rooted, and grounded by what? By the rivers of water. See, your life, Christian, ought to be one where it's rooted and established in the Word of God. What God wants from you, from the pages of the Word of God. And growth may take time. And like a tree, you know, a tree is not just gonna grow perfectly. There's some pruning involved with a tree. And one thing about pruning, I'm sure in your life and my life, is purging hurts. And there's some things about your life and my life that God may need to purge. Some relationships that God may need to purge from your life. Some sins that God may need to purge in your life. And little by little, with time, you just get established in the faith. rooted and built up in Him. And be not moved away from the things of God. And like growth takes time, but like you gotta strive, Christian, to be growing constantly. So however many years you've been coming to this church, you know, praise the Lord. But guess what? There's more room to grow. There's more places you ought to grow in. There's more places I need to grow in. And a walk worthy of the Lord doesn't say, well, I've arrived. I've learned as much as I can. I've gotten everything I can from this church, everything I can from pastor, everything I can from the word of God. No, no, no. That's pride and ignorance. You need to grow and I need to grow. And we're never going to arrive there. We've got to just reach forth unto those things. None of us have attained. We've got to just keep growing. See, a walk worthy of the Lord is a life that progresses in the Lord. It's a life that's constantly growing. See, what does a walk worthy of the Lord look like? Well, it's a life that pleases the Lord. It's a life that produces for the Lord. And number three, it's a life that progresses in the Lord. Go back to Colossians 1, if you would, and we'll end here, Colossians 1. So as you examine your life, Christian, realize there are people praying for you. This morning, your pastor's praying for you. And I'm sure one of his prayers is that each one of you in this room would live a life that is pleasing unto the Lord, a walk worthy of the Lord. And look, a walk worthy of the Lord is not defined by success or fame or convenience. Those are things that we want. We want our life to be defined by money and by popularity and by me being great and my own personal agenda. But that's not what life is about. That's not what a life of a Christian should be about. See, walk worthy of the Lord is defined by how it pleases God, how it blesses others, and how it draws near to God every day. These are things we gotta strive for in our lives, Christian, to live a life that pleases God, blesses others, and strives to grow in our relationship with Him. Colossians 1.10 will end here, again, that ye, might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. And ask this question at the start, Christian, and I'll ask it again. Are you living a life, a walk, that is worthy of the Lord? If not, then we can. We should live a life that aims to please Him, that produces for Him, and that grows in the Lord. Let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for this morning, God, and thank you for our church and for everyone that's here. I say please help us all to love you more and more and help us all to grow spiritually, Lord, and just thank you for your mercy and your longsuffering. And I ask you please be our pastor and our pastor's wife as they're away. And I just pray that you be with the services today and tonight as well, Lord. We love you and we thank you for everything. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen, let's grab our psalm books and turn to page number