Single Message Series – Page 2 – REALITIES MINISTRIES

Recommended Citation: Lawal, J. O. (2025, February 23). Songs of the Spirit. Single Sermons.

In Colossians, chapter 3, verse 16, Paul says this:

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (NIV)

I have shared some things with us along from this verse of the Scriptures before. Yet I want to speak to us from it again this morning, as we sing together. Now I want you to know that what we are doing this morning is spiritual. It is not a waste of time. It is not something we are doing to just fill in the gap. It is something spiritual.

Well, from the verse I just read to you, Paul makes it clear to us that we can do two major things with singing in the church. First, he says we can instruct ourselves with songs. Yes, we can teach and admonish ourselves with songs. We can educate ourselves in the things of the Spirit with songs. And we have done some of that this morning. Haven’t we?

Then he also tells us that we can praise God or minister to Him with songs. We can worship God, praise Him and bless His heart with songs. That is why he tells us to sing to God with gratitude in our hearts to God. In other words, we are to express our gratitude to God with songs.

There is, of course, another use of songs in the church, which Paul does not mention here. It is that we can pray to God with songs. And when we talk to Him with songs, He will answer us, as long as we are talking to Him according to His will. That is why Paul tells us in that text that our songs must be songs from the Spirit. That means they must be spiritual songs, songs that are in line with the will of God.

In any case, when we begin to sing like this, all kinds of things will begin to happen to us and for us in the realm of the spirit, especially when we are doing so from our hearts and according to the will of God. Truly, we may not be able to immediately tell what is going on when we are singing spiritual songs from our hearts. But things are surely going on.

For instance, in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 16, we are told of how Paul and Silas were arrested in Philippi for setting free a young lady that was possessed of a demon. They were arrested. They were beaten. And they were jailed. But then, as Luke tells us, in the middle of the night – about midnight – Paul and Silas began to pray and to sing hymns. They could have been depressed because of their situation. Remember that they had been unjustly treated. And that was enough to give anyone a reason to feel sad or sorrowful and to pity himself.

But these men did not pity themselves. They did not allow depression or anxiety to take over. Yes, they had every reason to be depressed. But they chose not to be depressed. And all kinds of bad or negative things may be happening around you or to you too, if you allow yourself to become depressed because of them, it is your choice. That is because you can choose not to be depressed. You can choose not to be anxious. You can choose not to be afraid.

Now you may look at your life and see that things are not going as they are meant to be going. And that can indeed be what is obvious. I mean that it may be obvious to everyone around you that your life is a mess, that it is out of order and place. And you can allow that to depress you. Or you can choose to praise God and bless His name.

These men – Paul and Silas – chose to pray and to sing to God. And they were not doing this quietly, as Luke further points out. Everybody heard them, as they prayed and sang to God. All the prisoners with them in the prison could clearly hear them as they prayed and sang hymns. That means they were excited about it. That means with all the pains that they must have been feeling in their bodies, with all the bruises and cuts on them and with the horrible odour of blood that must have been coming from them, they still chose to pray and to sing aloud.

Well, as they were doing that, suddenly a miracle happened. They were not expecting it. They were just doing what they knew to be right. Remember that the word of God says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, ‘Rejoice!’” And to rejoice always means to rejoice always. This ‘always’ means all the time, including when you have no money in your bank accounts, including when failure is staring you in the face, including when your body feels weak. (Cf. Philippians 4:4)

So, it is not the circumstances that should determine your devotion to rejoicing in the Lord always. Rather, it is the word of God. The word of God says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” That is God’s command to you. That was what Paul and Silas were obeying. And as they were obeying it, there was an earthquake that shook the prison where they were being held to its very foundations. Immediately, their chains and those of all the prisoners with them fell loose. Also, all the prison doors were flung open. In fact, it was so serious that the jailer was going to kill himself, for he thought that all the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul quickly stepped in and said to him “We are all here. Don’t harm yourself.” And that same night, salvation came into the house of that man. Why? The reason was that two men chose to act differently. They chose to go against the tides. They chose to do the will of God. And if you too will choose to do the will of God this morning, praising Him, miracles will happen in your life. Yes, miracles will happen around you. Miracles will happen in your home. Concerning your business miracles will happen. Concerning your job miracles will happen. Concerning your academics miracles will happen. There will be earthquakes that will destroy the limitations in your life. There will be earthquakes that will destroy barriers. There will be earthquakes that will remove the mountains hindering you. There will be earthquakes that will bring to you all that God wants you to have, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let us continue to bless His name this morning.

Copyright © 2025 Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 08146472876)

I want to show you something we are shown in the book of Hebrews, which is very important for us to pay attention to about our attitude towards the word of God we are receiving. From verse 1 of chapter 4, we are told this:

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did, but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.” (Hebrews 4:1-3NIV)

The writer is speaking to us here about the people Moses brought out of Egypt. He led them out of Egypt in order to bring them into the land God had promised to give them. Unfortunately, most of them could not enter the land. Why could they not enter? It was because of unbelief. We are told in the last verse of the third chapter of this book that they could not enter God’s rest because of unbelief. They wandered in the wilderness for forty years and perished there, never arriving at where God had wanted them to be.

Therefore, we are told to watch ourselves so that we do not experience what they experienced, so that things do not end up for us the way they ended up for them. What happened to them, according to Scriptures, happened to serve as an example to us. And it is showing us that it is not enough for us to start walking with God; we must also finish. True faith in God is always from start to finish. It is not something that quits or that gets tired on the way. It is always from start to finish.

Well, we are told here what is responsible for the failure of these people to enter God’s rest. They heard the word of God. But the message, the good news, they heard was of no value to them. The word did not profit them. Why? It was because they did not combine it with faith; they did not mix it with faith. And we are told this because the word of God has come to us as well, just as it came to them. In fact, His word has kept coming to us, showing us how to live, walk and please God. But is this word of any value to us? Is this word producing in us the results God wants it to produce in our lives?

The word of God will not produce in us the results God wants it to produce in our lives, if we do not combine it with faith or accept it in faith. We have to see His word as He sees it. We have to take His word as He takes it. Whatever He says to us about Himself is what we must accept as the reality. Whatever He says to us about ourselves is what we must accept as the reality. Whatever He says to us about life is what we must accept as the reality about it. We must accept anything He says to us about anything as the reality, the only truth we are to act on. Otherwise, what He says to us will be of no value to us.

You want the word of God to work in your life. You want His word to produce the fruit it talks about in your life. Then you have to accept it in faith. You don’t argue with God or with His word. You don’t debate with Him. Instead, you accept what He tells you and act on it. These people did not accept the word of God as the reality. They did not believe what He had told them, which was that He was going to give them the land of Canaan. They should have accepted it, regardless of what they saw or felt. That would be faith for them. And because they did not accept what God had said to them, because they did not believe that He was able to give them the land He had promised them, they could not enter it. So, the word they heard wasted; it was of no value to them.

Now I am asking you this: the word of God you have been listening to this year, has it not been a waste? The things God has been saying to you about Himself, about you and about life as a whole, have they not been a waste? Have these things been of any value to you? If you have not accepted them, if you have not embraced them and begun to act on them, then, they will surely be of no value to you?

See, it is not just about attending church meetings and hearing the word of God, week after week; it is also about embracing what is coming to you and acting on it. If you are not acting on His word, if you keep debating with His word, refusing to make the changes He wants you to make, refusing to drop the things He wants you to drop and do the things He wants you to do, His word will be of no value to you. This is why two people may hear the same word and one will go and work with it while the other does nothing with it. And in the course of time, the one that has been working with the word of God will stand out. The word of God will work wonders in his life, home, business, marriage and so forth. That is because he has mixed it with faith. But nothing worthy of praise will happen in the life of the other fellow that has heard the same word and done nothing with it.

Our Lord Jesus also shows us why the word of God may be of no value to people in three of the gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospels. He told us about a farmer that went scattering his seed, of how the seed he scattered fell on different grounds and of what became of the seed afterwards. According to him, some fell along the path and the birds of the air came and ate it up. Some fell on a rocky place and grew up very quickly. But the plants withered because they had neither root nor moisture. Some fell among thorns and were choked by the thorns when they grew up. And some fell on a good ground, where it grew up and produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Now here is the explanation the Lord gave of the parable:
“This is the meaning of the parable: the seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good on soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (Luke 8:11-15NIV)

There is a lot to say about this, actually. But I want to be as brief as possible in commenting on it. The first thing the Lord tells us is that the seed is the word of God. Then He goes on to give us reasons this word may be of no value to people, reasons it may not produce the results God desires in the lives of those who hear it. And in doing that, He describes for us different kinds of heart with which people may receive the word of God.

Now the first group of people He talks about are those who hear the word of God and do not understand it, as revealed in Matthew’s account of the same parable. And because they do not understand it, Satan comes to steal it from their hearts. Though these ones hear the word of God, they are not making any effort to understand it. They are like the people described in Hebrew 5 who, when they ought to be teachers, still need to be taught all over again the elementary truths of the Christian faith. Why? They are not making any effort to understand what they are learning. Yes, they sit down to hear God’s word. But their hearts are not focussed on understanding what they are learning. Therefore, Satan comes to steal the word from their hearts.

The problem is that when the word comes to them, they don’t bother to ponder on it. They are indeed like a footpath. All kinds of things run through their minds and nothing concrete gets to stay. They have no time to consider the word of God coming to them. They have no time to think about how it may profit them or be of value to them. So, Satan comes and steals the word from them. And they end up not believing or acting on it.

Perhaps you too are like that. You come around for church meetings week after week and hear God’s word. But you are not hearing to act on it. Even when you pick up your bible to read it, you are not doing so to act on it. You don’t see the word in it as your life. You don’t see it as something you need to work with. That is why your life is not changing or improving, even though you are hearing the word of God week after week. People cannot see God in you. They cannot see the life of Christ in you. And if you continue like that, you can never be where God wants you to be. You may assume that you are with God. But you are not with Him, for His word is not working in you to make you the kind of person He wants you to be and to also bring you to where He wants you to be.

Then we have another kind of heart with which people may receive the word. And that is a stubborn heart. These ones don’t immediately reveal themselves as stubborn. Instead, they will laugh, smile and rejoice at the word of God they are receiving. But when it comes to practising it, that is where the problem shows up. When they are faced with situations that require that they act on the word of God they have been listening to, that is when you will know that the word of God they are listening to has not taken roots in their hearts.

What I am saying is that these ones don’t really allow the word of God to dwell in their hearts. We are told to allow the word of God to dwell in us richly. But though these ones are hearing the word of God and are rejoicing over it, they do not allow it to dwell in their hearts. They will not allow it to take a firm root in their hearts. So, when they are challenged or confronted with situations that demand that they act on what they have been learning, they won’t act on it. So, Jesus says they believe for a while. That means their faith is temporary. And that is no real faith.

Real faith is always from start to finish. It does not quit on God. It is just like the people Moses brought out from Egypt. We are told that they did not enter God’s rest because of unbelief. But they were not always unbelieving. They did not start out in unbelief. When they came out of Egypt, they came out believing. They came out with everything they had, saying bye-bye to Egypt for ever. But they did not get to where God was taking them. Why? Unbelief! What produced unbelief in them? It was the fact that the word of God did not take firm root in their hearts. They did not permit it to get into their hearts and get rid of the pride, arrogance and lust in them. So, the word died on the soil of their hearts because they were stubborn.

If you too are stubborn, that is how things will end with you. The word of God will not profit you. Yes, you may smile and rejoice over the word you are receiving. But ultimately, it will not work in your life because you are stubborn. His word will not do what it is meant to do in your life. And after a while, you will start disbelieving what He is saying to you; you will start debating with Him. You will know His mind for you and what He expects of you. But you will keep debating with Him because you are stubborn and don’t want to let go of your ways.

So, the word will die on the soil of your heart, never producing results. Yes, you may keep learning. But you will never come to the knowledge of the truth. Paul, writing to Timothy, tells him in the third chapter of his second letter to him about certain women in the church that are ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. They present themselves for church meetings. They attend bible study meetings. They own personal bibles and read them. But the word of God is of no value to them. It is not changing or transforming their lives. It is not moving them forward. And they themselves can see that His word is not profiting them.

Why? All along, they have been stubborn. They believe only for a while. And there are many that fall under this category. They believed only for a while. And now they are no longer in the faith. If you too will not allow the word of God to settle in you, at some point, you will get tired and walk away from it. So, it is possible for people to believe for a while. It is possible for people to be Christians for a while. That ‘a while’ may be some months, twenty years, thirty years or more. But as long as the word of God does not take root in their hearts, a day is coming when they will walk away from the faith – they will abandon the faith. The children of Israel walked away when they came to the very threshold of the promised land. And that was because they were stubborn – their hearts were hardened. I pray that will not be the case with you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

We have another group of people that the word of God is of no value to. These are ones whose hearts are unguarded, whose hearts are not weeded. According to the Lord, the word of God that falls into such hearts falls right among thorns. Yes, it grows up as to be expected. But it could not produce fruit because it is choked by the thorns all around it. The thorns should have been cleared and removed from that soil, so that they will not hinder the fruitfulness of the seed planted on it. And because they were not removed, they chocked the plants that grew on it and prevented it from producing fruit that would mature.

Now that is how the hearts of many people are. Their hearts are unguarded, unprotected against those things that will not allow them to bear fruit with the word of God. The weeds on the soil of their hearts are not taken care of. So, the word of God they are receiving cannot work in them or be of value to them. The cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches and their desire for pleasure will not allow the word of God to produce in them the results God wants. That is why they cannot concentrate on working with the word they are receiving. Their hearts are loaded with all kinds of cares and worries. The things they want to do, their ambitions, the pleasure they want to derive from life will not allow them to work with the word of God they are receiving. So, they cannot be fruitful with it. It is of no value to them. It is useless to them.

Are you like that? Is the word of God of no value to you? Is the word of God useless to you? Could it be that you will not allow the word of God to work in you because of your desire for pleasure and your ambitions and anxieties about various things? Then you need to weed your heart. You need to guard your heart. You need to get rid of all these wrong things that are preventing the word of God from working in you. You need to get rid of the wrong ideas, philosophies or traditions you are holding on to. Otherwise, the word of God will be of no value to you. Your life will not be changed by it. Your life will not improve because of it. Christ will not be seen in you.

The bible talks about ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’. That means Christ is to be seen in us. It is one thing for us to be in Christ; it is another thing for Christ to be seen in us. And it is the word of God that builds the character of Christ into us, so that people may see His person in us. Now is Christ being seen in us? Are His love, faith, patience, humility, gentleness and other beautiful things that describe His character being seen in us? Are the things God has been speaking to us about being seen in us? They will not be seen in us, if we are allowing the cares of this life to choke His word coming to us.

Well, I want you to ask yourself, as we come to the last days of this year, “Has the word of God been of value to me this year?” Those that the word will be of value to are those of good and noble hearts, as Luke tells us in the passage we are considering. These ones retain the word of God in their hearts. And through perseverance they are producing fruit with it. That means they are labouring with the word of God, so that it may produce the results it talks about in their lives. They are labouring to understand what He is saying to them, so that they may work with it and produce fruit. The word of God is of value to such people. The word is changing them. The word is lifting them.

Why? They are working with everything God is saying to them. They are working with whatever He says to them about their jobs, lives, marriages and so forth. Therefore, the word is working in them and changing them. Others may look at them and say, “How are they able to do this?” The reason is that they are labouring with the word that is coming to them. You too need to begin to labour to see the word of God work in you. Otherwise, it will be of no value to you. Don’t let His word waste in your life. The problem is never with His word. The problem is always with those who hear it and with the heart with which they receive.

I pray that God will work in your heart and on your heart, so that it will always retain His word and labour with it to produce the results He desires, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Copyright © 2022, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)