Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today we’ll read  Colossians 1-2. Afterwards I’ll have some thoughts to share with you. I’m calling today’s episode “No Compromise.”

Comments on Colossians 1 and 2

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to encourage the Colossian church to stand fast in their faith, to not succumb to the seductions of the enemy by way of false teachings.

In chapter 2, verse 6-7 he says, “Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

So he’s telling them to stay close to Jesus. Make Him the most important part of your life. If you do that, nothing can come between Him and you.

I liken this to my relationship with my wife. The lovely lady LeeAnn and I have been married for over twenty-five years, and our marriage is rock-solid. Never once in our married life have I wished that I was not married to her. Never once has any other woman been a temptation to me. Our marriage is stronger today than the day we took our vows. Why? How have we been able to survive when so many other marriages fail? Simple. Because on every single day of our marriage, each of us has reconfirmed our commitment to one another, both verbally and in hundreds, no…thousands of large and small actions. Every day we say, “I love you” with words and deeds. We are dedicated to making our marriage is good as it can be. Sure, problems arise from time to time. But never once has either of us allowed the thought of calling it quits. 

When you have that kind of commitment, there is no danger of being seduced into compromising circumstances. 

This is the kind of commitment Paul says we should have with our relationship with Jesus. If we are dedicated to staying close to Him, if we are firm in our love for Him, the seductions of false teachings will have no effect on us. And the way we live that out, the method to make that a reality in our lives is to not only make daily Bible reading part of who we are, but also to keep a steady flow of conversation going with Him. Pray without ceasing, as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5. Don’t flirt with things that would draw you away. We are, after all, the bride of Christ. There is no room for compromise.

If you truly love Him, this is not a hard thing to do. I truly love my wife, so it’s not a hard thing to stay close to her. Same with our relationship to Jesus. It’s not hard to stay close if you dedicate yourself to continually cultivating the relationship. It’s a daily decision. And the longer you stay with it, the easier it is to do.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-2 NET

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Steve Webb 0:00
As a matter of fact, it’s almost simple. Here’s our secret

Steve Webb 0:11
Hello there, this is the Lifespring family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California, podcasting since 2004. Sometimes I get believe it. I’m your OG God Gaster Steve Webb, welcome, happy Sunday to you. It’s the Lord’s day. But then again every day is the Lord’s day, isn’t it? Our reading today is Colossians. One and two. Afterwards, I’ll have some thoughts to share with you. I’m calling this episode, no compromise. Today’s Show Notes Pages at Lifespring media.com/s 12, e 193. Let’s get started.

Steve Webb 0:48
Colossians chapter one.

Steve Webb 0:50
From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and Timothy, our brother, to the saints, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ at Colossae Grace and peace to you from God our Father,

Steve Webb 1:04
we always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love that you have for all the saints, your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid out for you in Heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as in the entire world, this gospel is bearing fruit and growing. So it has also been bearing fruit and growing among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. You learn the gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave, a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, who has also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, we also from the day we heard about you have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may live worthily of the Lord, and please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for the display of all patients and steadfastness joyfully, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the saints inheritance in the light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of the Sun he loves in whom we have redemption, that forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created by Him. All things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers, all things were created through Him and for Him. He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him. He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the sun, and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of the cross through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And you were at one time strangers and enemies and your mind’s as expressed through your evil deeds, but now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death, to present you wholly without blemish and blameless before him. If indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, this gospel has been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul have become its servant.

Steve Webb 3:43
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body, for the sake of His Body, the Church, what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God given to me for you, in order to complete the Word of God. That is the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to His saints. God wanted to make known to them the precious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom, so that we may present every person mature in Christ. toward this goal, I also labor struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.

Steve Webb 4:31
Colossians chapter two.

Steve Webb 4:33
For I want you to know how greatest struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea. And for those who have not met me face to face. My goal is that their hearts having been knit together in love may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will just

Steve Webb 5:00
See you through arguments that sound reasonable. For though I am absent from you and body, I am present with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus is Lord. Continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith. Just as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness. Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions, and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form, and you have been filled in Him who is the head over every ruler and authority. In Him you also were circumcised. Not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body that is through the circumcision done by Christ. Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with Him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead. And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with Him, having forgiven all your transgressions. He has destroyed what was against us a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross, disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made it public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Therefore, do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon or Sabbath days. These are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ. Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great length about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind. He has not held fast to the head from whom the whole body supported and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God. If you have died with Christ, to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world, do not handle do not taste, do not touch. These are all destined to perish with use founded as they are on human commands and teachings. Even though they have the appearance of wisdom with their self imposed worship and false humility achieved by an unsparing treatment of the body, a wisdom with no true value, they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.

Steve Webb 7:41
Well, the apostle Paul wrote this letter to encourage the Colombian church to stand fast in their faith, to not succumb to the seductions of the enemy by way of false teachings. In chapter two, verses six and seven, he says, Therefore, just as you received Christ, Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted in built up in him and firm in your faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. So what he’s doing here is telling them to stay close to Jesus, make him the most important part of your life. If you do that, nothing can come between you and him. I liken this to my relationship with the lovely lady Leanne. We’ve been married for over 32 years, and our marriage is rock solid. Never once in our married life have I wished that I was not married to her. Never once as any other woman been a temptation to me, and our marriage is stronger today than the day we took our vows. Why? How have we been able to survive when so many other marriages fail? It’s not that hard. As a matter of fact, it’s almost simple. Here’s our secret. Every single day of our marriage, each of us has reconfirmed our commitment to one another, both verbally and in hundreds are actually 1000s of large and small actions. Every day we say I love you with words and deeds. We are completely dedicated to making our marriages good as it can be. Sure problems arise from time to time, but never once as either of us allowed the thought of calling it quits. When you have that kind of commitment, there’s really no danger of being seduced into compromising circumstances. That’s the kind of commitment Paul says we should have with our relationship with Jesus. If we’re dedicated to staying close to Him, if we affirm and our love for Him, the seductions of false teachings will have no effect on us. And the way we live that out the method to make that a reality in our lives is to not only make daily Bible reading part of who we are, but also to keep a steady flow of conversation going with him. Pray without ceasing, as it says in First Thessalonians five. Don’t flirt with things that would draw you away. We are after all, the bride of Christ. There is

Steve Webb 10:00
no room for compromise. If you truly love Him, this is not a hard thing to do. I truly love my wife. So it’s not a hard thing to stay close to her. It’s the same with our relationship with Jesus. It’s not hard to stay close. If you dedicate yourself to continually cultivating the relationship. It’s a daily decision, and the longer you stay with it, the easier it is to do. I’d love to hear your comments. Please go to Lifespring media.com/s 12 v 193. Scroll to the bottom of that page and you’ll find a place to write your comments. Our reading tomorrow will be Leviticus chapters 13 through 15.

Steve Webb 10:39
Boost.

Steve Webb 10:51
On this date in church history, march 13 1456, German printer Johann Gutenberg completed publication of the Bible on his printing press. It’s the first copy of the scriptures produced with movable type. This was in reality, the beginning of mass media. And on this date in church history, march 13 1868, Charles II Carmen was born. He was an American missionary to Japan, and founder of the Oriental Missionary Society. His wife Letty authored the devotional classic streams in the desert. That’s another one that when I was in the Christian book, selling business, we sold continually all the time, a constant flow, a wonderful devotional streams in the desert.

Steve Webb 11:47
For our prayer time, today, we’re going to do something different. Instead of me praying, I want us to join together in prayer with a precious precious brother who is now in the presence of the Lord. When he was here, he truly was an asef. You remember a staff. He was a worship leader during the time of David and Solomon. He wrote some of the Psalms, he was a musician, a singer. And some of the songs he wrote were prophetic. Now remember, A prophet is not just one who tells what will happen in the future. But also a prophet is one who speaks what God tells him to. He is a voice for Almighty God. Will Keith Green was this kind of man. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that I can’t listen to Keats music without crying. It’s true. God gave Keith a gift that goes directly to my heart and my soul. Heath went to be with the Lord when he was only 28 years old as a result of a tragic airplane crash. One of the songs he wrote was called make my life a prayer to you which is in itself a prayer and this is our prayer today. So please let’s join our hearts as we pray with Keith now.

Steve Webb 12:58
Make my life a prayer to You I wanna do what You want me to No empty words and no white lies No token prayers no compromise I wanna shine the light You gave Thru Your Son You sent to save us From ourselves and our despair It comforts me to know You’re really there Well, I wanna thank You now For being patient with me Oh, it’s so hard to see When my eyes are on me I guess I’ll have to trust And just believe what You say Oh, you’re coming again Coming to take me away I wanna die and let You give Your life to me so I might live And share the hope You gave me The love that set me free I wanna tell the world out there You’re not some fable or fairy tale That I’ve made up inside my head You’re God the Son and You’ve risen from the dead Well, I wanna thank You now For being patient with me Oh, it’s so hard to see When my eyes are on me I guess I’ll have to trust And just believe what You say Oh, you’re coming again Coming to take me away I wanna die and let You give Your life to me so I might live And share the hope You gave to me I wanna share the love that setted me free

Keith Green 16:06
just in closing, make it easier for Jesus to come back this next year. By living the life he asked you to live so that others don’t have to make excuses for the reason for making excuses why Christians don’t live the way Jesus asked him to. Let’s just bow our heads and ask the Lord to pour out His Spirit on us as we leave.

Keith Green 16:33
Lord Jesus, we come before you nothing but vessels made out of dust Lord that’s held together by your Holy Spirit.

Keith Green 16:40
We realize that we move and have our being in you. There’s nothing we can do on our own. We’re helpless creatures without you. And in you, Lord, we’re more than conquerors.

Keith Green 16:52
Lord Jesus help us conquer the hypocrisy around us. And help us conquer the poxy right inside of us, through your spirit and through the bloodshed. And as we go, Jesus.

Keith Green 17:04
Let us realize that the word Christian means little Christ, we’re supposed to be little Jesus is walking around by your grace. And in Jesus name, we ask that you let that be in our lives and the next few days, the next few years, so that when you come back, we won’t be ashamed that you’re appearing.

Keith Green 17:20
In Jesus name. Amen. Go in peace.

Steve Webb 17:25
Amen. Amen. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. If you’ve got a prayer request or a praise that you would like to share with a Lifespring family, please go to prayer dot Lifespring media.com and fill out that form you’ll find there. I’ll pray for you in my private prayer time, and we’ll share it here on the show again.

Steve Webb 17:51
If you enjoy the show, don’t you think you know someone else who will enjoy it as well? Share the show. You can comment on the show at Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 193. You can email me at Steve at Lifespring media.com And please support the show if you receive any value from it. Learn more about how to do that it Lifespring media.com/support Until tomorrow may God bless you richly. Thank you for being here. My name is Steve Webb. No compromise. Bye

Transcribed by https://otter.ai