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Walk Worthy Of The Lord (Colossians 1:10-11) I. A Fruitful Walk II. A Knowledgeable Walk III. A Persevering Walk

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: The Call to Live Worthy
• Our Obligations in Life
• Our Greater Obligation to God
2. The Balanced Christian Life
• Doctrine and Practice in Harmony
• The Danger of Imbalance
3. A Life Worthy of the Lord
• A Fruitful Life (Colossians 1:10)
• Saved for Good Works (Ephesians 2:8-10)
• Equipped by Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
• A Knowledgeable Walk (Colossians 1:10)
• Growing in the Knowledge of God
• Defending the Faith (1 Peter 3:15)
• A Persevering Walk (Colossians 1:11)
• Patience in Trials
• Longsuffering with People
4. Conclusion: Finishing Well
• A Life Pleasing to God

Sermon Context & Hook

Why Should You Care About Living "Worthy"?

Imagine standing before God one day—not to be judged for salvation (if you’re in Christ, that’s secure), but to give an account for how you lived the life He gave you. Would He say, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21)? Or would your life’s story be filled with missed opportunities, shallow faith, and half-hearted obedience?

In this powerful sermon, we explore what it means to "walk worthy of the Lord" (Colossians 1:10). It’s not about earning salvation—it’s about living like someone who’s been radically saved.

• Are you living a life that matches your faith?
• Is your knowledge of God growing—or stagnant?
• When trials come, do you endure with joy or collapse in frustration?

This message cuts to the heart of genuine Christianity—calling us to a life of fruitfulness, deep biblical understanding, and unshakable perseverance. If you’ve ever wondered, "How should a Christian really live?"—this sermon is for you.

Read on—your spiritual growth depends on it.

Sermon Highlight:

"Walking worthy of the Lord" (Colossians 1:10) means living a life that matches our salvation—balanced in doctrine and action. A true Christian is fruitful (doing good works God prepared for them), knowledgeable (growing in faith to defend and share it), and persevering (patient in trials, longsuffering with people). Salvation is by grace alone, but a transformed life proves its reality. Are you bearing spiritual fruit? Deepening your understanding of God? Enduring hardships with joy? If not, it’s time to examine your walk. Faith without works is dead—but so is knowledge without obedience. Let your life reflect Christ’s worth!

(149 words)

Sermon Transcript:

Are you a citizen of Australia? If you are, then you are well aware that you are obligated to abide by the laws of this country. If you are a soldier, you are obligated to abide by the standards of the military. If you are a doctor, you are obligated to abide by the standards set by the medical board. If you are an athlete, you are obligated to follow the rules of the game.

Almost every organisation and every society would operate within certain requirements and obligations. When a person falls short of those standards, he or she would be rejected. People are afraid to be rejected, whether by their companies, organisations, or the society. So they would discipline themselves to keep to those required obligations in order to be accepted. Sometimes they would take extreme measures not to be disqualified.

But what about being disapproved by God? What about our obligations to the Almighty God who has saved us from eternal hell, transported us out of darkness, and into His marvellous light? When we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we became citizens of God’s kingdom and members of His family. Along with all those spiritual blessings and privileges, we also have obligations. We are expected to live as new creatures in Christ. We are expected to live according to God’s standard. We are expected to let His purposes be our purposes, to let His desires be our desires.

In our previous message, we have learned about the Apostle Paul praying for the Colossians unceasingly, that they might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Having the right doctrine must lead to the right response, and the opposite is also true. The right response must be based on the right doctrine.

It is impossible to live a faithful Christian life without biblical doctrines. And it is equally useless to have biblical doctrines but not live a faithful Christian life. This is what we want to learn from this passage in Colossians 1:10-11. The title of our message is ’Walk Worthy of the Lord’.

Look at the first part of verse 10: "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing," To walk is to live out. It is the way we live our lives. The original Greek word for "worthy" has the root meaning of balancing the scales—what is on one side of the scales is equal to what is on the other side. It means to have a value that is equal to one’s position. A worker who is worthy is someone whose services equal the wages he receives.

If you profess to be a Christian, then you must live a life that equals the profession of faith. There are some Christians who are very knowledgeable of the Bible. They love to read, study, and they enjoy discussing the great doctrines of the Bible (doctrine means teaching). That is a good thing. But the intellectual believer faces a great danger—he loves doctrine so much that he only stops with doctrine. What he wants to know is just doctrines, and what he lacks is application.

On the other hand, there are some Christians who are just concerned about application, experience, and feelings. They are only eager to apply, and they find the doctrines and teachings to be dry and impractical. But their applications of Christianity are based on a very shallow understanding of the Bible, and in time to come, they will be easily swayed by every whim and fancy of strange teachings.

As Christians, we must never live such an imbalanced spiritual life. Our doctrines and our practices must both be balanced on the scales of Christianity. Only such a balanced spiritual life is worthy of the Lord. It is pleasing unto Him, and it will lead us to live a certain kind of life.

[56:48] I. A Fruitful Life

Firstly, it is a fruitful life. Paul said, "…being fruitful in every good work,…" No man can be saved by good works, but only by grace through faith. As Ephesians 2:8 says: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." And Romans 10:17 says: "…faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to convict us of our sins and enables us to embrace our Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Upon our salvation, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God continue to work in our lives so that we may do good works. When we say we are not saved by good works, that is true. But we are saved unto good works, which means we are saved to do good works for the glory of God.

All of us, I believe, are familiar with 2 Timothy 3:16-17: "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 perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." The word "perfect" means to be equipped or qualified, and the word "furnished" means to be accomplished—to accomplish what? All good works. And who is the one supposed to do the good works? The man of God.

There were only two occasions in the New Testament where this phrase "man of God" was used—here in 2 Timothy 3:17 and 1 Timothy 6:11—both referring to Timothy. And Timothy was a believer. But in the Old Testament, this phrase "man of God" appears more than 70 times. Moses was called a man of God. Samson was called a man of God. Samuel was called a man of God. Elijah, Elisha, David—they were all called men of God.

It is a technical term that applies to someone who spoke the Word of God. In a broader sense, it applies to someone who belongs to God—someone whom God has called to be His child, someone whom God has given His Spirit and His Word, that he may be "perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." The opposite of a man of God is a man of the world. So this "man of God" applies to all of us who are believers, who belong to God.

Dear friend, why do you think God would allow us to live on this earth after He has saved us? We read in the Bible that heaven is the best place. If heaven is such a wonderful place, why did God not bring us to heaven the very moment He saved us?

He wants us to live our lives on this earth to do good works for His glory. Do you realise that we only have a set number of days on this earth—no more, no less? They are appointed by God. And there is also a set of things that God wants us to do—they are appointed by Him. The things that God wants us to do are the good works.

How do we know that? Where does the Bible say that? Well, Ephesians 2:10 says: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Something that God has "before ordained" is something that will come to pass—something that God wants us to live out.

And God has ordained us to do a set of good works. Only He knows what those good works are. But when we read the Scriptures, we know that anything we do that glorifies God are good works—our worship, our services, our evangelism, our discipleship, our giving, our support for missions, helping others, and so forth. So for as long as we live, we want to faithfully fulfill all the good works that God has set before us. He has ordained for us to do. He has opened the door for us to serve Him, to minister to others.

It is one thing to end our life—if Jesus does not come in the rapture, all of us sitting in this room will die one day. But it is another thing to finish it, and to finish it well. At the end of the day, we want to be able to say like the Apostle Paul: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

If you are serving as a Sunday school teacher, continue in that good work. If you are giving to the gospel work in the mission fields, continue in that good work. If you are visiting the sick and the elderly to encourage them through the Word of God, continue in that good work.

Even if you are weak, frail, and lying on your sickbed, you can still continue to do good works. Do you know how? By praying for the church and the people around you. That is what it means to be "fruitful in every good work."

Let us honestly ask ourselves: If the Word of God says to us that we are "created in Christ Jesus unto good works," (Ephesians 2:10) and God has ordained that we should walk in them. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 2:13; Titus 2:14; Titus 3:8; Matthew 5:16)—since the day of our conversion, what are the good works we have done for the glory of God? If we cannot name any good works that we have done (and are still doing), something is terribly wrong. It is not a laughing matter. It is so important because it has to do with our eternal salvation.

Again, I’m not saying that we are saved by our good works. But if we are truly saved, we cannot help it—because God has saved us for His glory, and God has ordained for us to do good works. And you and I are expected to be engaged in the good works that He has ordained for us to do.

[1:07:13] II. A Knowledgeable Walk

Our second point: A knowledgeable walk. Look at the last part of verse 10: "…and increasing in the knowledge of God." At the point of our conversion, we knew enough knowledge about the gospel message—about sin, judgment, salvation, the Saviour, and the knowledge of God. But our knowledge of God will not stop there. It must continue to increase. The more we know about God, the more we want to worship and serve Him, the more we trust Him, the more we depend on Him, the more we want to tell others about Him.

Remember, Jesus has given to us the Great Commission—that we ought to evangelise to the lost and to disciple those who are saved. These are the words of our Lord Jesus: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:19-20)

In other words, we are to evangelise to the world. And when they believe, we are to baptise them—they are brought into the church—and we are to disciple them by teaching them all the things that God has taught us through His Word. In fact, this is the life of the church:

• We go out to evangelise to the lost.
• When they are saved, they are brought into the church.
• They are being discipled.
• Then they go out to evangelise to others.
• When they are saved, they are brought into the church.
• They are being discipled.

And it goes on and on for as long as our Lord Jesus tarries in His return.

We cannot do this work of evangelism and discipleship unless we ourselves are increasing in the knowledge of God. God has given us His Word and His Spirit to teach us all things about Himself. And He is willing to enrich us with this knowledge to evangelise and disciple others effectively. But this knowledge will not come to us magically. It can only come to us through a diligent study of the Bible. As 2 Timothy 2:15 says: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Some people would tell you, ’It doesn’t matter how much you know, as long as you have this warm feeling in your heart for Jesus.’ Have you ever met someone who says to you, ’I do not need any knowledge—only Jesus?’ Or, ’It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you have Jesus. It is the heart that matters.’

It may sound very nice, but that kind of statement is immediately destroyed as soon as you ask this question: ’Who is Jesus?’ The moment he or she tries to answer this question and tell you something about Jesus, knowledge is involved. He has to know what the Bible says about Jesus. That is why it is so important to study and to be equipped with the Word of God, that we may be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us. (1 Peter 3:15)

If we are brought before a judge and put on trial because of our Christian faith, we are to be ready to explain why we believe what we believe. If our neighbour asks, ’I notice you go to church every Sunday. What is it that you believe in?’—we are to be ready: not only to explain what we believe but why we believe it.

After the time of the Apostles, in the second century, there was a man named Justin Martyr, one of the most important Christian apologists. His most famous writing was titled ’The Apology,’ which he addressed to the Emperor Antoninus Pius. (Apology does not mean to apologise or say sorry—in the old English, it means defence.)

He wanted to defend the Christians against the false charges being spread around the Roman Empire about them. In those days, Christians were accused of being atheists because they did not embrace polytheism (the worship of many gods) and because they did not worship the emperor of Rome. They were accused of being traitors of the empire.

They were also accused of cannibalism—rumours spread that Christians would meet together secretly to eat somebody’s body and drink someone’s blood. This rumour was nothing more than a terrible distortion of the Lord’s Supper.

Justin Martyr clarified what the Christian church believed:

• He told the emperor that Christians were not atheists because they believed in one God, not many.
• He explained that Christians did not worship Caesar because they only worship the One Living and True God—but nonetheless, Christians were obedient to the king and judges, paid their taxes, and prayed for those who ruled over them.
• He also explained the nature of the Lord’s Supper, which was far from cannibalism.

With the knowledge he had, all these things were clarified. He was able to correct the misunderstandings, rumours, and distortions that were spread about God and His Word.

Dear friend, what about us? Are we able to defend the faith? Are we able to give an answer to every man who asks us why we believe what we believe? If we are not able to do so, then think about our unbelieving grandparents, parents, spouses, children, relatives, and colleagues who are still outside the kingdom of God. How can we share the gospel with them that they may come to believe in Jesus Christ one day?

If our unbelieving loved one is lying on his deathbed, and he’s looking at us, and we say to him, ’Dad, you must come and believe in Jesus,’—and he asks:

• ‘Who is Jesus?’
• ‘Why must I believe in Him?’
• ‘What if I do not believe in Him?’
• ‘What will happen when I die?’
• ‘Is there a soul?’
• ‘Where will my soul be?’
• ‘If my soul leaves me, what about my body?’
• ‘What will happen to my body?’

And if we say, ’Well, I do not know—you just have to believe,’—God forbid! The knowledge of God is extremely important, and believers must increase in their knowledge of God—not only for their own spiritual growth but also for the salvation of souls.

[1:18:59] III. A Persevering Walk

Our third point: It is a persevering walk. Look at verse 11: "Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness." The words "strengthened" and "might" come from the same root word—from where we get the English word ’dynamite’. When we hear the word ’dynamite’, we know it is something very powerful. One is a verb, and the other is a noun. This "strengthened with all might" is "according to his glorious power," which is a reference to the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

How can a Christian be filled with the Holy Spirit?

• A Christian must believe that the Spirit is in him, having been sent by God into his heart—the Spirit of God dwells in his heart.
• He must believe that it is the Spirit who strengthens him to do the will of God.
• He must believe that he is in a spiritual battle, and in every spiritual confrontation, he must yield to the Spirit—which means to submit his desires to those of the Spirit and let the Spirit lead him.
• The Christian must depend on the Spirit for help, enabling him to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God.

One pastor gave this illustration: The Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit can be compared to a glove. Until it is filled by the hand, a glove is powerless and useless. It is designed to do work, but it cannot work by itself. It works only as the hand controls and uses it.

The glove only does what the hand desires. It does not ask the hand to give it an assignment and then try to complete the assignment without the hand. Nor does it boast about what it can do, because it knows the hand deserves all the credit.

Likewise, the Christian is able to do good works—to worship, serve God, glorify Him, be engaged in evangelism, discipleship, giving, fellowship, and helping others who are in trouble—not because we are capable, but because of the Spirit’s empowerment.

Both ”patience” and ”longsuffering” are closely related. They mean to endure or persevere. But there is a distinction:

• Patience refers to being patient in circumstances.
• Longsuffering refers to being patient with people.

In other words:

• We need to be patient in circumstances.
• We need to be patient with people.

Life is filled with different difficult circumstances and situations—it is inevitable. Whether it be persecutions, afflictions, adversities, financial troubles, calamities, and so forth—when trouble comes, without patience, we will give up and quit.

Two days ago, we heard the news that Myanmar was hit with an earthquake—a magnitude of 7.7. It was massive. Can you imagine? The entire country was in the midst of a civil war, with political upheavals, intense fighting, people being killed—and now they have to face this devastating earthquake. The brethren in Myanmar need patience in circumstances.

Dear friend, are you someone who gives up easily? Or are you someone who will persevere no matter how difficult the situation is? All of us must understand that God is in control of everything. If He allows a difficult situation into our lives, He has a sovereign purpose for it. Oftentimes, He is using that difficult situation to mold us into the person He wants us to be.

To be patient in circumstances, we need to be longsuffering with people. We have been commanded by God to love—love those who are lost, love our enemies. If we are going to love someone who does not know Jesus Christ, we know that we could potentially be opposed, rejected, and even persecuted. So we need much patience.

We have also been commanded by God to love the believers. You may be thinking, ’Well, that’s easy—after all, they are believers.’ Do you really think so? Sometimes, it is even more difficult to love believers than unbelievers. Why do we say that? Because we expect believers to live according to certain standards of biblical truth.

And when they do not do that, we are frustrated, disappointed, and discouraged. It is more painful when a believer gossips about you than an unbeliever. It is more painful when a believer steals or cheats on you than an unbeliever. Don’t you think so?

The people we live with in our homes, the person we are married to, the children we are raising, the friends we go to church with—they are all capable of sinning (including ourselves). If we are going to love them, we must bear in mind that there are things in their lives that will challenge us, disappoint us, discourage us, and test our ability to love them. We need much patience.

It takes time to learn to be patient. And the difficult part is that oftentimes, we learn to be patient through suffering—and suffering long. That is why it is very significant that the King James Bible translated this word as "longsuffering."

Once, a Christian asked his pastor to pray for him so that he might have patience. He said, ’Pastor, I do lack patience, and I wish you would pray for me.’ The pastor replied, ’Sure, I will pray for you right now.’ So he began to pray: ‘Lord, please send trials and tribulations so that our brother may learn to have patience.’

The man quickly put his hand on the pastor’s arm to stop his prayer: ’I believe you have not heard me correctly. I did not ask for tribulation—I’m asking you to pray for patience.’ The pastor replied, ’Oh, I have heard you. But haven’t you heard that Romans 5:3 says, “But we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience”?’

Isn’t it true that we acquire patience from the things we suffer, endure, and persevere through?

• God told Noah to build an ark in the wilderness at a time when the earth had never seen any rain before. For 120 years, with longsuffering, Noah worked patiently in building the ark and preached to the people regarding God’s coming judgment.
• Moses received the promise of God that his descendants would become a great nation—and yet he was not given Isaac, the child of promise, until he was nearly 100 years old. With longsuffering, he waited until Isaac was born.
• When God called Jeremiah, He told the prophet that no one would believe his message and that he would be hated and persecuted. Yet, with longsuffering, Jeremiah served the LORD faithfully until the end of his life.

The same goes with the Apostles—Paul, Peter, John, James, and the other believers of old. They had the same characteristic of virtue: longsuffering.

What about us?

• As a leader, ask yourself: When the members look at my life, what would they say?
• As a parent, ask yourself: When my children look at my life, what would they say?
• As an individual, ask yourself: When my friends or colleagues look at my life, what would they see?

Would they see an attitude of longsuffering? Or an attitude of murmuring and complaining?

An attitude of longsuffering is one that accepts God’s plan, His will, His purpose for everything. He will not complain when the situation gets difficult. He will not murmur when others give up and walk away. He will press on and persevere. He will not complain when he’s not being appreciated—or even when he is being persecuted in the church, in the workplace, or wherever he goes. Instead of murmuring and complaining, he will be joyful.

Immediately, some of us may be thinking: ’How can one be joyful in times of trouble?’ Well, this is a supernatural, spiritual joy. Remember, the believers are filled with the Holy Spirit. And as the psalmist says, "The joy of the Lord is my strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). Even in times of trouble, the believer is able to be patient and longsuffering—with joyfulness. This is the kind of life God wants you and me to live: walking worthy of the Lord.

He who has called us, transported us out of darkness into His marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9), has also given us certain requirements, standards, and obligations. We are expected to live such a life. And such a life is:

1. A fruitful life—bearing fruit in every good work.
2. A knowledgeable walk—increasing in our knowledge of our God.
3. A persevering walk—being patient and longsuffering with joyfulness.

May the Spirit of God, through the work of God’s inspired and preserved Word, do this mighty work in our lives—that all of us as believers will walk worthy of the Lord, to the glory of His precious name. Let us pray.

Father in heaven, indeed, as believers, we are not only naming our Lord Jesus with our mouths, but truly His Spirit lives in our hearts. He who has saved us has given to us the indwelling Holy Spirit and His Word, the Bible. And we are to live in the power of the Spirit, in accordance to Thy Word, so that we may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works—the good works that Thou hast ordained for us to walk in them.

As Thou would open doors for us, we know that the things we do, the things we say, will glorify Thee. We acknowledge and recognise that those are good works—whether it be our worship, our services, our giving, whether it be evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, helping one another in the church or outside the church. If it glorifies Thee and points others to Thee, we want to be engaged in such a work.

We have one life to live, and we want to live this life walking worthy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And Thou hast taught us through Thy precious Word that it is a fruitful walk, it is a knowledgeable walk, and it is also a persevering walk.

Help us, for this is a spiritual work that only the Spirit of God can wrought in our hearts and in our lives. Do Thy mighty work, so that all of us will walk worthy of our Lord Jesus. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Chinese Translation:

你是澳大利亚的公民吗？如果是，那么你很清楚你有义务遵守这个国家的法律。如果你是军人，你有义务遵守军队的标准。如果你是医生，你有义务遵守医疗委员会制定的标准。如果你是运动员，你有义务遵守比赛规则。

几乎每个组织和每个社会都在特定的要求和义务下运作。当一个人达不到这些标准时，他或她就会被拒绝。人们害怕被拒绝，无论是被公司、组织还是社会拒绝。因此他们会自律以遵守这些要求的义务，以求被接纳。有时他们会采取极端措施以免被取消资格。

但若是被神不认可呢？我们对那位将我们从永恒的地狱中拯救出来、把我们从黑暗中带进祂奇妙光明中的全能神有什么义务呢？当我们接受耶稣基督为救主时，我们就成了神国的公民和祂家中的成员。在享受所有这些属灵祝福和特权的同时，我们也有义务。

我们被期望活出在基督里的新生命。我们被期望按照神的标准生活。我们被期望让祂的旨意成为我们的旨意，让祂的愿望成为我们的愿望。

在我们之前的信息中，我们学习了使徒保罗为歌罗西信徒不住的祷告，愿他们在一切属灵的智慧悟性上，满心知道神的旨意（歌罗西书1:9）。正确的教义必须带来正确的回应，反之亦然。正确的回应必须基于正确的教义。

没有圣经教义就不可能过忠心的基督徒生活。同样，拥有圣经教义却不活出忠心的基督徒生活也是无用的。这就是我们要从歌罗西书1:10-11这段经文中学习的。我们信息的标题是"行事为人与主相称"。

看第10节前半部分： "好叫你们行事为人对得起主，凡事蒙祂喜悦。"

"行事为人"就是活出来，是我们生活的方式。"相称"的希腊原文有"平衡天平"的根本含义——天平一边的重量等于另一边的重量。这意味着一个人的价值应当与其地位相称。一个配得的工人，就是他的服务与他所得的工价相称的人。

如果你自称是基督徒，那么你必须活出与这信仰宣告相称的生活。有些基督徒对圣经非常了解，他们喜欢阅读、研究，并享受讨论圣经的伟大教义（教义就是教导）。这是好事。但注重知识的信徒面临一个巨大的危险——他太爱教义以至于只停留在教义上。他只想了解教义，却缺乏实践。

另一方面，有些基督徒只关心实践、经验和感受。他们只热衷于应用，觉得教义和教导枯燥而不切实际。但他们对基督教的实践基于对圣经非常肤浅的理解，随着时间的推移，他们很容易被各种怪异教导的奇思妙想所动摇。

作为基督徒，我们绝不能过这种不平衡的属灵生活。我们的教义和实践必须在基督教的天平上保持平衡。只有这种平衡的属灵生活才配得上主，才能蒙祂喜悦，并引导我们活出某种特定的生活。

首先，这是多结果子的生活。 保罗说："在一切善事上结果子"。没有人能靠行为得救，唯有靠着恩典藉着信心得救。以弗所书2:8说： "你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信；这并不是出于自己，乃是神所赐的；也不是出于行为，免得有人自夸。"

罗马书10:17说： "可见信道是从听道来的，听道是从基督的话来的。"

圣灵使用神的话使我们知罪，并使我们能够接受主耶稣基督的救恩。得救后，圣灵和神的话继续在我们生命中工作，使我们能行善事。

我们说我们不是靠行为得救，这是真的。但我们是为善事得救的，这意味着我们得救是为了行善事荣耀神。

我相信我们都熟悉提摩太后书3:16-17： "圣经都是神所默示的，于教训、督责、使人归正、教导人学义都是有益的，叫属神的人得以完全，预备行各样的善事。"

"完全"一词的意思是装备或合格，"预备"的意思是成就——成就什么？各样的善事。谁应该行这些善事？属神的人。

新约中只有两处使用"属神的人"这个短语——提摩太后书3:17和提摩太前书6:11——都是指提摩太。提摩太是一个信徒。但在旧约中，"属神的人"出现了70多次。摩西被称为属神的人。参孙被称为属神的人。撒母耳被称为属神的人。以利亚、以利沙、大卫——他们都被称为属神的人。

这是一个专门术语，指代传讲神话语的人。从广义上讲，它适用于属于神的人——神呼召作祂儿女的人，神赐予祂的灵和祂话语的人，使他可以"得以完全，预备行各样的善事"。

与"属神的人"相对的是"属世的人"。所以这个"属神的人"适用于我们所有信徒，属于神的人。

亲爱的朋友，你认为神为什么在拯救我们之后还让我们活在这个世界上？我们在圣经中读到天堂是最好的地方。如果天堂如此美好，为什么神不在拯救我们的那一刻就把我们带到天堂？

祂要我们活在这个世界上为祂的荣耀行善事。你是否意识到我们在地上的日子是有限的——不多也不少？这是神所定的。神也预定了一些事要我们去做——这是祂所定的。神要我们做的事就是善事。

我们怎么知道这一点？圣经在哪里这样说？以弗所书2:10说： "我们原是祂的工作，在基督耶稣里造成的，为要叫我们行善，就是神所预备叫我们行的。"

神"所预备"的事必定会实现——神要我们活出来的事。神已预定我们要行一系列的善事。只有祂知道这些善事是什么。但当我们读圣经时，我们知道任何荣耀神的事都是善事——我们的敬拜、服侍、传福音、门徒训练、奉献、支持宣教、帮助他人等等。

因此，只要我们活着，就要忠心地完成神摆在我们面前的一切善事。这是祂预定我们要做的。祂已为我们打开服侍祂、事奉他人的门。

结束生命是一回事（如果耶稣不在被提时来临，我们这房间里所有人终有一天会死）。但完成生命——并且完成得好——是另一回事。最终，我们希望能像使徒保罗那样说： "那美好的仗我已经打过了，当跑的路我已经跑尽了，所信的道我已经守住了。"（提摩太后书4:7）

如果你在主日学任教，继续这项善工。如果你在宣教工场支持福音事工，继续这项善工。如果你探望病人和老人，用神的话鼓励他们，继续这项善工。

即使你虚弱无力，卧病在床，你仍然可以继续行善事。你知道怎么做吗？为教会和你周围的人祷告。这就是"在一切善事上结果子"的含义。

让我们诚实地问自己：如果神的话告诉我们"我们是在基督耶稣里造成的，为要叫我们行善"，并且神已预定我们要在其中行事——从我们归正那天起，我们为神的荣耀做了什么善事？

如果我们说不出任何我们做过（并且仍在做）的善事，那就大有问题了。这不是开玩笑的事。这非常重要，因为它关系到我们永恒的救恩。

再次声明，我不是说我们靠行为得救。但如果我们真的得救了，我们就不能不结果子——因为神拯救我们是为了祂的荣耀，神已预定我们要行善事。你和我都应当投身于祂预定我们要行的善事中。

第二点：追求真知的生命。 看第10节后半部分： "渐渐多知道神。"

在我们归正时，我们已经对福音信息有了足够的认识——关于罪、审判、救恩、救主和神的知识。但我们对神的认识不应止步于此。它必须不断增长。

我们越认识神，就越想敬拜和服侍祂，越信靠祂，越依赖祂，越想向他人传讲祂。

记住，耶稣给了我们大使命——要我们向失丧的人传福音，使信的人作门徒。这是主耶稣的话： "所以，你们要去，使万民作我的门徒，奉父、子、圣灵的名给他们施洗。凡我所吩咐你们的，都教训他们遵守，我就常与你们同在，直到世界的末了。"（马太福音28:19-20）

换句话说，我们要向世界传福音。当他们相信时，我们要给他们施洗——他们被带入教会——我们要通过神在圣经中教导我们的一切来训练他们作门徒。

事实上，这就是教会的生活： 我们出去向失丧的人传福音。 当他们得救时，他们被带入教会。 他们接受门徒训练。 然后他们出去向他人传福音。 当他们得救时，他们被带入教会。 他们接受门徒训练。 如此循环往复，直到主耶稣再来。

除非我们自己对神的认识不断增长，否则我们无法完成这传福音和门徒训练的工作。神已赐给我们祂的话和祂的灵，教导我们关于祂自己的一切。祂愿意用这知识丰富我们，使我们能有效地传福音和训练门徒。

但这知识不会神奇地临到我们。它只能通过勤奋学习圣经获得。提摩太后书2:15说： "你当竭力在神面前得蒙喜悦，作无愧的工人，按着正意分解真理的道。"

有人会告诉你："你知道多少不重要，只要心里对耶稣有温暖的感觉就行。"你遇到过对你说"我不需要任何知识——只要有耶稣"的人吗？或者说："你信什么不重要，只要有耶稣。心才是最重要的。"

这话听起来很美好，但当你问"耶稣是谁"时，这种说法立刻站不住脚了。当对方试图回答这个问题并告诉你关于耶稣的事时，知识就牵涉其中了。他必须知道圣经对耶稣的记载。

因此，学习和装备神的话如此重要，"只要心里尊主基督为圣。有人问你们心中盼望的缘由，就要常作准备，以温柔、敬畏的心回答各人"（彼得前书3:15）。

如果我们因基督教信仰被带到法官面前受审，我们要准备好解释我们为什么相信我们所信的。如果邻居问："我注意到你每周日都去教堂。你信的是什么？"——我们不仅要准备好解释我们信什么，还要解释为什么信。

使徒时代之后的二世纪，有一位名叫游斯丁的护教士，他最重要的著作是《护教辞》，呈递给安东尼努斯·庇护皇帝。（"护教"不是道歉的意思——在古英语中，它意为"辩护"。）

他想为基督徒辩护，反驳罗马帝国流传的虚假指控。那时，基督徒被指控为无神论者，因为他们不拜多神，也不拜罗马皇帝。他们被指控为帝国的叛徒。

他们还被指控为食人族——谣言说基督徒秘密聚集吃人肉喝人血。这谣言不过是对圣餐的严重歪曲。

游斯丁阐明了基督教会的信仰： 他告诉皇帝基督徒不是无神论者，因为他们信独一真神而非多神。 他解释基督徒不拜凯撒，因为他们只拜独一永活的真神——但基督徒仍顺服君王和官长，纳税，为统治者祷告。 他还解释了圣餐的性质，与食人族毫无关系。

凭借他所掌握的知识，所有这些都得到了澄清。他能够纠正关于神和祂话语的误解、谣言和歪曲。

亲爱的朋友，我们呢？我们能捍卫信仰吗？我们能向每个询问的人解释我们为什么相信我们所信的吗？

如果我们不能，想想我们尚未信主的祖父母、父母、配偶、子女、亲戚和同事。我们如何向他们传福音，使他们有一天能信耶稣基督？

如果我们未信主的亲人躺在病榻上，他看着我们，我们对他说："爸爸，你必须来信耶稣"——而他问： "耶稣是谁？" "我为什么要信祂？" "如果我不信祂会怎样？" "我死后会怎样？" "人有灵魂吗？" "我的灵魂会去哪里？" "如果灵魂离开，我的身体会怎样？" "我的身体会怎样？"

如果我们说："呃，我不知道——你只要信就是了"——神不允许这样！

对神的认识极其重要，信徒必须不断增加对神的认识——不仅为了自己灵命成长，也为了灵魂得救。

第三点：恒久忍耐的生命。 看第11节： "照祂荣耀的权能，得以在各样的力上加力，好叫你们凡事欢欢喜喜地忍耐宽容。"

"得以"和"力"来自同一词根——英语"dynamite"（炸药）就源于此。当我们听到"炸药"一词，就知道它威力巨大。一个是动词，一个是名词。

这"得以在各样的力上加力"是"照祂荣耀的权能"，指的是圣灵的大能。换句话说，我们被圣灵充满。

基督徒如何被圣灵充满？ 基督徒必须相信圣灵已住在他心里——神的灵住在他心里。 他必须相信是圣灵加力量给他，使他能行神的旨意。 他必须相信他处于属灵争战中，在每次属灵交锋中必须顺服圣灵——即降服自己的意愿，让圣灵引导。 基督徒必须依靠圣灵的帮助，使他能过蒙神喜悦的生活。

一位牧师这样比喻：被圣灵充满的基督徒就像手套。没有手戴上时，手套毫无用处。它本是为工作设计的，但自己不能工作。只有当手戴上它、控制它、使用它时才能工作。

手套只做手想做的事。它不会要求手给它任务然后自己完成，也不会夸耀自己能做什么，因为它知道功劳全在于手。

同样，基督徒能行善事——敬拜、服侍神、荣耀祂、传福音、训练门徒、奉献、团契、帮助有需要的人——不是因为我们有能力，而是因为圣灵的大能。

"忍耐"和"宽容"密切相关，都意为坚持或 perseverance。但有区别： 忍耐指对环境的坚忍。 宽容指对人的包容。

换句话说： 我们需要在环境中忍耐。 我们需要对人宽容。

生活中难免遇到各种困境——逼迫、苦难、逆境、财务困难、灾难等等。患难来临，没有忍耐就会放弃。

两天前，我们听说缅甸发生7.7级大地震。你能想象吗？该国正处于内战，政局动荡，战事激烈，人民被杀——现在又遭遇毁灭性地震。缅甸的弟兄姊妹需要在环境中忍耐。

亲爱的朋友，你是轻易放弃的人吗？还是无论环境多艰难都坚持到底的人？

我们都必须明白神掌管一切。如果祂允许困境进入我们的生活，必有祂的主权旨意。通常，祂用这些困难塑造我们成为祂想要的样子。

要在环境中忍耐，我们需要对人宽容。神命令我们去爱——爱失丧的人，爱仇敌。如果我们去爱不认识耶稣基督的人，可能会遭遇反对、拒绝甚至逼迫。所以我们需要极大的忍耐。

神也命令我们爱信徒。你可能想："这很容易——毕竟他们是信徒。"真这么简单吗？有时爱信徒比爱非信徒更难。

为什么？因为我们期望信徒活出圣经真理的标准。当他们达不到时，我们会沮丧、失望、灰心。

被信徒背后议论比被非信徒伤害更痛。被信徒欺骗比被非信徒欺骗更痛。你不觉得吗？

与我们同住的家人、配偶、儿女、教会朋友——他们都会犯罪（包括我们自己）。如果我们要爱他们，必须记住他们生活中会有挑战我们、令我们失望、灰心、考验我们爱心的事情。我们需要极大的忍耐。

学会忍耐需要时间。难处在于，我们常常通过受苦——长期受苦——学习忍耐。因此英王钦定本将这个词译为"longsuffering"（长期受苦）很有意义。

一次，一位基督徒请牧师为他祷告能有忍耐。他说："牧师，我缺乏忍耐，希望你为我祷告。"牧师回答："好，我现在就为你祷告。"于是他开始祷告：

"主啊，求你赐下试炼和苦难，好让我们的弟兄学会忍耐。"

那人立刻按住牧师的手臂停止祷告："我想你没听清楚。我不是求苦难——我是求你为我祷告求忍耐。"

牧师回答："哦，我听清楚了。但你没听过罗马书5:3说'不但如此，就是在患难中也是欢欢喜喜的；因为知道患难生忍耐'吗？"

我们岂不正是从所忍受、所坚持的事情中获得忍耐吗？

神吩咐挪亚在从未下过雨的旷野建造方舟。挪亚以恒久忍耐的心，用120年时间建造方舟，并向人传讲神将要来的审判。

摩西得到神应许他的后裔将成为大国——但他直到近100岁才得到应许之子以撒。他以恒久忍耐的心等待以撒出生。

神呼召耶利米时，告诉他没有人会相信他的信息，他会遭人恨恶、逼迫。然而耶利米以恒久忍耐的心忠心事奉主，直到生命终结。

使徒们——保罗、彼得、约翰、雅各和其他古时的信徒也是如此。他们都有同样的美德：恒久忍耐。

我们呢？ 作为领袖，自问：会众看我的生命会说什么？ 作为父母，自问：儿女看我的生命会说什么？ 作为个人，自问：朋友或同事看我的生命会看到什么？

他们会看到恒久忍耐的态度，还是抱怨不满的态度？

恒久忍耐的态度是接受神的计划、祂的旨意、祂对万事的安排。环境艰难时不抱怨。别人放弃离开时不发怨言。他会坚持到底。

不被赏识时不抱怨——甚至在教会、职场或其他地方受逼迫时也不抱怨。他不抱怨，反而喜乐。

有人马上会想：患难中怎能喜乐？这是超自然的、属灵的喜乐。记住，信徒被圣灵充满。正如诗人说："因靠耶和华而得的喜乐是你们的力量"（尼希米记8:10）。

即使在患难中，信徒也能忍耐宽容——且充满喜乐。这就是神要你我活出的生命：行事为人与主相称。

那召我们出黑暗入奇妙光明的主，也给了我们特定的要求、标准和义务。我们被期望活出这样的生命。

这样的生命是： 多结果子的生命——在一切善事上结果子。 追求真知的生命——在对神的认识上不断长进。 恒久忍耐的生命——凡事欢欢喜喜地忍耐宽容。

愿神的灵藉着神所默示、所保守的话语，在我们生命中作成这大工——使我们众信徒都能行事为人与主相称，荣耀祂宝贵的圣名。

让我们祷告：

天上的父啊，我们信徒不但在口里称颂主耶稣，祂的灵也确实住在我们心里。那拯救我们的主已将内住的圣灵和圣经赐给我们。我们要靠着圣灵的大能，按照祢的话语生活，得以完全，预备行各样的善事——就是祢所预定叫我们行的善事。

祢既为我们开门，我们知道我们的一言一行都要荣耀祢。我们承认并认定这些都是善事——无论是敬拜、服侍、奉献、传福音、门徒训练、团契、在教会内外彼此相助。只要是荣耀祢、引人归向祢的事，我们都愿参与。

我们只有一次生命，我们愿这生命行事为人与我们的主救主耶稣基督相称。祢藉着宝贵的话语教导我们：这是多结果子的生命，是追求真知的生命，也是恒久忍耐的生命。

求主帮助我们，因为这是只有神的灵才能在我们心里和生命中成就的属灵工作。求祢作成这大工，使我们众人都能行事为人与主耶稣相称。我们奉耶稣基督的名祷告。阿们。