The Tragedy of Sunday Morning Religion

Introduction

All right, turn please, if you would, with me tonight, to Colossians, chapter 3. And, I want to begin reading, for devotion tonight, Colossians 3, beginning in verse 16. And, it speaks of worship—and that’s what we’ve been doing tonight: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God; and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ, but he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons” (Colossians 3:16–25).

I want to talk to you about the tragedy of Sunday morning religion. Now, this passage of Scripture that I’ve just read to you talks about praising the Lord, and it talks about our communal—our common—praise, in verse 16, where it says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16). Now, that’s what we have done as we have worshiped the Lord here on Sunday. But, the real proof of our worship is not primarily here tonight on Sunday, but it is tomorrow morning. I want you to notice the bridge that verse 17 makes here: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed…” Now, Paul’s been talking about our words up here in verse 16. And now, he begins to talk about our deeds, in verse 17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17).

Again, I want to say that the curse of 20th-century Christianity is Sunday morning religion. Somebody wrote these words: “They’re praising God on Sunday; they’ll be all right on Monday—it’s just a little habit they’ve acquired.” And, people don’t expect us to be any different, really, on Monday morning. The real proof of what I preach, and the real proof of what we’ve sung tonight will show up tomorrow morning, when you go to work, when you go to school, when you do your housework, or during whatever you do—that’s the test of what we believe. You see, this thing of worship doesn’t stop when we leave church. As I said last Sunday, which I want to continue to say this Sunday, we don’t come to church to worship—we’re to bring our worship with us when we come to church. We don’t stop worship when we leave church—we’re to take our worship with us when we leave church.

Now, let me give you a