The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. It is a stunningly bold statement that we are all too familiar with. As we close the books on 24 and start again in 25, I can't think of a better truth to root us in individually and collectively as a church. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Christmas Story
TEXT: Psalm 23:1
TITLE:  An Audacious New Year’s Reality
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. The Majesty of My Shepherd
2. The Intimacy of My Shepherd
3. The Sufficiency of My Shepherd

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Someone said about Psalm 23:1—Our familiarity with these words may rob us of their audacity. It is one thing to speak of God as Rock, King, Creator, Holy One, and Shelter, but Shepherd!? No image is so touching as the image of shepherd. As shepherd, the Lord must identify with His flock; as shepherd, the Lord must always be near His flock; as shepherd, the Lord must fight for His flock; as shepherd, the Lord must be willing to die for his flock. This image David uses of God is among the loveliest in the Bible to describe the tender and compassionate care that God gives to His people.”

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. It is a stunningly bold statement that we are all too familiar with. As we close the books on 24 and start again in 25, I can't think of a better truth to root us in individually and collectively as a church. My prayer on this last Sunday of the year is simple:  We will leave here looking back on 24, freshly aware and grateful for all the goodness of our Shepherd, and look forward to 25 with a fullness of hope, knowing our Shepherd will be with us every step of the way.”

“From the outset, David distinguishes his shepherd as no ordinary shepherd—The LORD is my shepherd. Notice the word LORD in all caps. David is using the covenant name of God—Yahweh. It's the name God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3 at the burning bush. It was a fire in the bush that did not consume the bush, showing that the fire needed no source. The bush was a vivid illustration of God's being. He is profoundly mysterious. He needs nothing. He is independent of everything. He is self-existent. He is the great I AM. All of that is captured and communicated in the all-caps LORD. This is David's shepherd, and this is your shepherd.”

“Your shepherd is the one Isaiah 40 describes as measuring the waters that cover the Earth in the hollow of His hands and the one who consults no one because He knows all things.”

“Your shepherd is the one Job 38 describes as commanding the elements of weather and creating the boundaries of the sea.”

“Your shepherd is the one Psalm 8 declares has set the stars into place. PERSPECTIVE: [There is a] report that says there are 1,000 stars for every grain of sand on the Earth. Every one of them, the LORD, sets and holds into place effortlessly.”

“Here's the point: Your shepherd is no ordinary shepherd! He is the LORD who shepherds you from the fullness of His infinite and undiminishing wisdom, love, and power.”

“Allow this to stop you in your tracks because it should. The opening words of Psalm 23 should arrest our attention immediately. But too often, it doesn't. We rush by WHO our shepherd is to get to WHAT he does for us.”

“Don't allow your view of LORD to be, in the words of Phillip Keller—too small, too cramped, too provincial, too human. As the sun sets on one year and dawns on another, take heart—The LORD has been your shepherd, and He will continue to be your shepherd!”

“In light of WHO the Psalm 23 shepherd is, what David says next is quite remarkable: he says—The LORD is my shepherd. David does not say the LORD is A shepherd, or Israel's shepherd, or even Our shepherd. He says The Lord is MY shepherd. The Infinite LORD is an Intimate Shepherd!”

“I read a great book, While Shepherds Watch Their Flock, by Timothy Laniak, a missionary turned seminary professor who took a year-long sabbatical to the Middle East to study real shepherds. His book chronicles and makes biblical connections with the things he learned about the sheep, the shepherds, and the culture to the shepherd imagery in the Bible, particularly Psalm 23. Here are a few things he observed that have not changed much over time:
- A good shepherd takes great pride in ensuring the sheep are well-fed, protected, and flourishing under His care.
- A good shepherd is up early, carefully inspecting his sheep, looking for any injuries, illness, or parasites. Anything that needs special attention before the day starts.
- A good shepherd is strategic and goes to great lengths to ensure there are always green, rich pastures. He makes sure there is plenty of clean water, and he plans for enough feed to get them through winter.
- A good shepherd sleeps with one eye open, constantly alert for danger from predators. His eyes continually move over the flock so he knows when a sheep wanders off or gets too close to a cliff.”

“In other words, a shepherd knows his sheep intimately. The LORD, who is transcendent above His creation in every way, the one who holds the universe in his hands, relates to YOU as a shepherd relates to his sheep.”

“These five simple words—The LORD is my shepherd—represent a glorious condescension. As you turn the corner to 2025, the Lord wants to remind you of your profound relationship with Him. We have been reminded this Christmas that our Infinite Shepherd condescended to us by sending his son Jesus, the one John 10 calls the Good Shepherd to us for one reason—to lay down his life for the sheep so God could lovingly and eternally accept us.”

“That's what the gospel is about—The Lord, the Great Shepherd, doing all the work needed through Jesus, the good shepherd, to make you His beloved sheep.”

“Yet, as David considers his life, he concludes he is not lacking or deficient, whether temporal or spiritual; he believes he has all he needs. Why? Because he has all he wants? NO. Because the LORD is his shepherd, and the LORD is enough. David is a man marked by a profound contentment rooted in knowing who controls his physical and spiritual well-being—an infinitely good Shepherd who has an undying love for Him.”

“Contentment is elusive. One of the most true-to-life book titles ever is The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (Jeremiah Burrows). The words I shall not want challenge us because we are prone to wander and be dazzled by other things.”

“We all have some Miss Gadabout [the fence-crawling sheep] in us, don't we? Our hearts want for something more than what God has for us. We think the fields are greener on the other side of the metaphorical fence. Sometimes, it's the sin of greed that drives us. Other times it's the idol of personal dreams. At times, the weariness of suffering fuels discontentment with our shepherd.”

“Church, a new year lies ahead. It will hold personal triumph and tragedy. It will bring health and sickness. There will be excitement and disappointment. As a church, we will launch an exciting Church Plant Exploratory CG on the east side, experience evangelism growing pains, and keep gathering on Sundays and in CG right here in the NW. There will be green pastures and lean pastures. But our Good Shepherd will be with us every step of the way. Jesus is with us. And as our Shepherd, he is working on your behalf, working all things for his glory and your good, keeping you in his graces and providing rest, peace, and joy as your shelter in the storm and comforter of your soul so that we can say with David—read verse 6.”

APPLICATION:
- Here's one way to begin the new year: read Enjoying God by R.C. Sproul

- As you look back on 2024, ask yourself: What areas of fence crawling do I need to give to the Lord in 2025? Identify and repent of those areas with the assurance that your Great Shepherd won't put you down. Like the Father of the Prodigal Son, God never casts His sheep away. He shepherds us. He lovingly corrects us. He gently restores us. He faithfully tends to us by showing us how good and trustworthy He is and how lovely and satisfying His ways are if we would have the eyes to see.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
This Is Amazing Grace
We Have Been Healed
Grace and Peace
Jesus Thank You
King Of Love
O Lord My Rock And My Redeemer

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 2:8-15

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life

By Tripp, Paul David

Buy on Amazon

Sin has made us enemies of God. So, the peace we need is peace with God. This is our greatest need. That comes only one way—glory in a manger. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Christmas Story
TEXT: Luke 2:8-21
TITLE:  Glory and Peace In A Manger
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. The Christmas Story and God's Incarnational Glory
2. The Christmas Story and Our Highest Good

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”For many people, the Christmas narrative we just read is practically all they know of Christianity. Shepherds in their fields. A choir of angels. A baby born in a manger. But to quote the shepherd's words in 15—something happened which the Lord has made known to us. An event in real space and time occurred in a small town in the Middle East. The dates, people, and places that detail the coming event in 1-8 prove that Christmas is no fairytale. More than just another event, Christmas is the most significant turning point in world history—God revealed Himself like never before. This is The Christmas Story. And I know there's no colorful tree, warm fireplace, or hot cocoa, but settle in and listen carefully because whether it's for your salvation or sanctification, it can be a turning point in your history today.”

“Look at the opening phrase of this angelic song 14—Glory to God in the highest…At the heart of Christmas is God's glory. John Piper describes God's glory as—the public display of God's infinite beauty and worth.That is precisely what the angels are responding to on this first Christmas.”

“Angelology 101 is angels exist, above all things, to continually magnify and declare God's glory. For this, they have a front-row seat in heaven. Throughout Scripture, we find angels worshipping, magnifying, and glorifying God. But they have never seen God's glory displayed in this way—the public display of God's endless beauty and worth—IN A MANGER!”

“The Incarnate God was physically present with man, His grace, love, and power in the flesh. And the angels could not contain themselves.”

“Christmas powerfully reminds us that we have something in common with the angels. Like them, we were created to the praise and glory of God. Our highest motivation in all that we are is God's glory. Our greatest goal in life is God glorified in and through us. Like the angels, we exist to bring glory to God in the highest!”

“Peace is the deepest longing of the human spirit. Peace in the home. Peace in our marriages. Peace in our politics. Peace in the world. We long for peace because we were created to live in peace.”

“Of course, we think we can fulfill our innate desire for peace through strength, tolerance, pacifism, indifference, revolution—the list goes on and on. But the peace we were created for is not horizontal; it's vertical. The peace the angels proclaimed at the first Christmas was not an absence of hostility between Rome and the Jews. It's not found in 21st-century geo-political agreements. This peace is not an absence of conflict in my home, personal financial freedom, or emotional well-being. This peace proclaimed by the angels transcends time, human relationships, political hostilities, and life circumstances. This peace is the most basic human need—an inward and eternal peace with God.”

“To understand this, we must remind ourselves that there was a Garden where man lived in perfect peace with God before the manger. But something awful happened. The good news of great joy in 10 begins with bad news of great grief.  Adam fell into sin, destroying that peace. Adam exchanged the glory of God for the glory of self. Since then, we have been trying to rip glory from God's hands. We tend to forget God's glory. Instead of living upward, we live inward. It's why the world is the way it is. It's why true peace is elusive. We are the problem! Sin is the problem.” 

“Foretelling the birth of Christ, Isaiah 9 calls this baby the Prince of Peace. He is the one who fulfills our greatest longing by becoming our peace—peace with God, peace with ourselves, peace with one another. After centuries of waiting and silence, the only answer to our peace dilemma is this baby boy lying in a cold and stinky manger. He is our Savior.”

“God's glory revealed in the baby in the manger was ultimately shown by what he would accomplish on the cross. Jesus lived a perfect life, satisfying the demands of God's glory. Though he was perfect in righteousness from the manger, He would stand in our stead on the cross. His righteousness for our sin. His death for our life. His condemnation for our JUSTIFICATION.”

“JUSTIFICATION is the precious truth at the heart of the good news of great joy the angels sang about. It means God looks upon you just as if you had never sinned but perfectly obeyed. On account of Jesus' righteousness, God declares you righteous in His eyes. That means no sin to judge.”

“Like a Judge saying—There is no crime to prosecute! The death of Jesus has removed the sin that put you in conflict with God, and his righteousness is credited to you, and the result is—Peace with God! Peace with God means God is pleased with you. This makes sense of how this angelic proclamation ends—read 14b.”

“You and I could never do good enough or be good enough for God to save us. On our own, we stand condemned before God. But God is pleased with His Son, Jesus, his perfect life and atoning death. In the Christian faith, sinners come to God in Jesus' name, that is, in his person and work. So when you come to God in Christ through faith (Rom 5:1), God is pleased with you, so you have peace with Him!”

“Shepherds were dirty, sweaty, grimy people. They would stay with the sheep to protect the flock, sleeping in the fields. They smelled like livestock. They were the bottom rung of society—the last to be included in anything. Yet, it was to them the angels announced the birth of the Savior. They are the first on the scene. They told Mary and Joseph the angel's proclamation.”

“Spiritually speaking, we are all dirty shepherds. But the Christmas manger that led to the Good Friday cross, the empty Easter tomb, and all its promises of eternal peace and joy are yours through repentance and faith. Whatever gift is under your tree this year will pale compared to the gift of true, eternal life in Jesus.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
John 1:14
Colossians 1:19
Hebrews 1:3
Romans 1:22-23
Romans 5:1

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “God is glorified in every dewdrop that twinkles to the morning sun. He is magnified in every flower that blossoms. God is glorified in every bird that warbles on the spray. Do not the fishes in the sea praise him? From the tiny minnow to the huge Leviathan, do not all creatures that swim the water bless and praise his name? Do not the stars exalt him? Do not the lightnings adore him when they flash his brightness in arrows of light piercing the midnight darkness? Do not thunders extol him when they roll like drums in the march of God's armies? Do not all things exalt him, from the least even to the greatest? But sing, sing, oh universe, till thou hast exhausted thyself, thou canst not afford a song so sweet as the song of Incarnation.”

Ray Ortlund Jr. - “Why is the world in such a mess? You and I are the problem. Our good intentions are not strong enough to control our evil impulses. We need a Savior to rescue us from ourselves.”

Paul Tripp - “If you would for a moment, reflect on your last couple weeks, you will recognize, brothers and sisters, that you and I still have a glory problem. We don't always get glory right. Recognize that we have a peace problem; we don't always care about peace with God. We don't always have peace within. We surely don't always experience peace with one another. And so the work of that grace is as needed by us this morning as it's ever been. The angels announce your hope. The angels announce your redemption. The angels announce to you grace; grace of a life lived, grace of a death offered so that you may live for His glory, and you may experience in all the ways possible, His peace.”

APPLICATION:
If you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, notice how the shepherds responded to the angel's proclamation of the Savior—read 8-9, 15-16, 20

If you are a believer this morning, notice Mary's response—read 19

What are you treasuring in your heart this Christmas season? Are you not at peace with yourself but filled with guilt about sin or anxiety about the future? Are you discouraged about life? Are you not at peace with others, holding bitter grudges and withholding forgiveness? Are you not at peace with God, angry at Him about circumstances? 

In their own way, each one is an expression of trying to wrestle God's glory for yourself. It doesn't have to be this way. God has something different for you. He calls each one of us this morning to be like Mary. Treasure the eternal wonder of Christmas. Turn your heart back to the Lord in repentance and ponder the mind-blowing truth that peace condescended to you so glory could ascend to God in your life. As you do, here's the promise for you: You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you—Isaiah 26:3

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
O Come All You Unfaithful
Hope of the Ages
Angels We Have Heard On High
O Come All Ye Faithful
God Made Low

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 23:1

Our final song of the week is “Who Is This” from the Sovereign Grace Christmas Album, Heaven Has Come.

This song reminds us of the glory of the one Who is at the center of Christmas. As we head into Christmas week, may this song help us marvel at the reality of God with Us! 

Verse 1
Who is this, divine and tender
Hailing from eternal shores?
Once arrayed in highest splendor
Now, in poverty adorned

He is Jesus, God made mortal
Word in flesh, the Light of Life
From a throne room to a stable
Hope is born this holy night

Verse 2
Who is this of might and meekness
Given all authority?
With a word, He stills the tempest
At His touch the blind can see

He is Jesus, our Messiah
Long-awaited, long-proclaimed
Sing, "Hosanna in the highest!"
Christ, the King, has come to reign

Verse 3
Who is this, reviled and stricken
Broken on a cursed tree?
Son of God by God forsaken
Drenched in our iniquity

He is Jesus, slain for sinners
Laden with our guilt and grief
All our praise, to Him we render
For His wounds have won our peace
For You've won our peace

Verse 4
Who is this entombed in darkness
Cast into the bitter depths?
He whom grave nor hell could harness
Rose and tore the sting from death

He is Jesus, God triumphant
Risen to the Father's side
All will bow in awe and reverence
At the name of Jesus Christ

Listen Here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NftG2Bk1qdo

God’s sovereignty is displayed in the people and the events surrounding Bethlehem. This Sunday, Pastor Tim gave us three ways we can see how the Christmas story displays the sovereignty of God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Christmas Story
TEXT: Luke 2:1-7
TITLE: The Christmas Story Displays God’s Sovereignty
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: Christmas displays God’s sovereignty to strengthen our faith.

POINTS:
1. God is sovereign over political leaders
2. God is sovereign in His people
3. God is sovereign through the birth of His Son

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”A decree going out in this time period was not for proper representation in their Congress but a means to gather as much tax as possible.”

“[These were] tough times for Israel. Dark times. They haven’t heard from God in 4-500 years. A census is another reminder that although they live in the promised land they are definitely under someone else’s rule. A decree for a census is Ceasar flexing his political muscle to not only to get more taxes but to also communicate that Israel is under Rome’s thumb.”

“Although Ceasar Augustus is 1,000 miles away Luke communicates he is simply a tool in God’s grand redemptive plan. Ceasar has no idea that God is bringing about a 700-year-old prophesy through his decree.”

“Although the Incarnation of the Son of God is a monumental point in God’s redemptive plan, all through the Bible, Scripture clearly states that God is sovereign over nations and leaders.”  

“Notice V. 2 Quirinius – another secular leader mentioned because census’ were done regionally. People were required to register in person and that was typically done in the place of your ancestors. Notice in v. 2, Luke also records that this census was the first for the governor of Syria,  Quirinius. Acts 1:5 Luke mentions Herod, king of Judea. Look ahead to Acts 3:1-2.  Why does Luke record all these government leaders? Why is this important? How  does this draw our attention to the character of God?”

“The Christmas story is not mythical. The Christmas story and all of God’s revelation of  Himself are rooted in world history. The Christmas story doesn’t begin in a place  called Middle-earth. Luke’s narrative doesn’t open with ‘in a galaxy far, far way.’ The baby that we will read about being born in a few minutes is the Historical LORD.  He is the God who reigns over the universe and thus reigns over political leaders. Does this strengthen your faith?”

“God is bigger than the mighty Roman empire. 300 years of domination. Yet in the  middle of that reign, the One who reigns the universe is directing historical nations  and leaders to accomplish His purposes.”

“Luke carefully writes about Joseph and Mary and historically significant geographical locations. REREAD V. 4. It is obvious Mary is in her 9th month of pregnancy. The distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem is somewhere between 80-90  miles. Most historians say they probably needed a week to travel there. It was dangerous to travel. Back then women died during childbirth. There were health risks that could terminate the pregnancy. This would be a difficult trip for Mary. Joseph probably waited for the weather to be the warmest. They may have possibly got a donkey for Mary to sit on. There would need to be bathroom breaks. They would surely go slower than most people. We know from Micah 5:2 that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem. But God is  working IN and THROUGH His people for His redemptive purposes.”

“God is working out His plan in the lives of Joseph and Mary. The sovereignty of  God working through and in His people is a truth we see threaded all throughout  Scripture.”

“Have you heard of the butterfly effect/theory? The butterfly effect is the theory that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil may cause a tornado in  Oklahoma because of a thousand unknown links working in a causal chain. The Incarnation of the Son of God is God’s sovereignty working in/through His people – Joseph and Mary in this case - it’s like the butterfly effect in reverse. Their family line was from Bethlehem, where the Messiah must be born. To fulfill the prophecy Mary needed to get to Bethlehem at the time of her birth. So God puts it in  the mind of Caesar Augustus — the most powerful person in the world, living over a  thousand miles away — to call for empire-wide registration, involving millions of people, at exactly the moment when God would relocate this one obscure,  pregnant, Jewish girl from Nazareth to Bethlehem.”

“All throughout Scripture, over and over again, we see God working His sovereign, redemptive plan through His people. It’s a mystery to us on how it all works out.  The point is for us to trust Him. The point is for us to revisit the Christmas story and be in awe that our God works His sovereign plan for His people. God is showcasing His sovereignty. His display of His character in the Christmas story is meant to build our faith. The culture out there will trivialize these Mt.  Everest truths about God, but it’s meant for us to strengthen our faith.” 

“What a story! Who would have ever created a storyline like this? Geography like  Nazareth, Judea, Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary betrothed and traveling. God is not worried that His plan might not work out. Year after year we are freshly in awe of His  Sovereign hand at work.”

“Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem and it’s time for Mary to give birth. There’s nothing in Luke’s account that would tell us the innkeeper was some mean guy who wouldn’t give a room to the young couple. No, Bethlehem is a hub of activity as it is  swarmed with travelers returning to their hometown.”

“Luke modestly states that Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger. Lest we sanitize and romanticize this let’s be very clear. There’s nothing sanitary about being born [and put] in a feeding trough. This isn’t ‘away in a manger’ it’s ‘away in a stinky feeding trough.’ There’s  nothing romantic about the pre-incarnate Son of God being born into an animal space that stinks like manure.”

“What is happening in Bethlehem has no humble comparison. Let’s remember from our study of Colossians who Jesus is.” 

“Luke’s description of the humble birth could easily be overlooked if not the divine celebration that Luke records in V. 8-14.”

“Let’s walk through the Christmas season careful not to exchange sentimentality for a serious and sobering truth. The Christmas story and the Incarnation of the Son of God display the sovereignty of God at work. But God is not done at the birth of Jesus. If you ready Acts 2 & Acts 4  you’ll see God’s sovereignty at work in the death and resurrection of our Savior.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Micah 5:2
Psalm 22:28
Job 12:23
Acts 17:26
Genesis 50:20
Exodus 2:5-8
Colossians 1:15-17

QUOTES:
WBC- “The supreme power figure of the Roman world, unbeknownst to himself, is instrumental in the fulfillment of messianic prophecy.”

John Piper - “The events of history are not about nations and industries. God governs the world for  the sake of his children.”

J.I. Packer - “The Christmas message rests on the staggering fact that the child in the manger was - God … this is only half the story.”

APPLICATION:
We heard last week that December can be a dangerous month for Christians. The busyness, the distractions, and a culture that wants to sanitize and romanticize the birth of Jesus. As Christians, we want to freshly see God showcasing His Sovereignty to increase our faith and trust in Him.  

Does the Christmas story increase your trust in God? - If God directs these events of the Christmas story – can you trust Him as He directs your life? As He brings challenges into your life? As you trust Him while waiting for answers to your prayers? 

Does the Christmas story help you increasingly live more aware? – More aware of people in your life? Might God be sovereignly directing the paths of people in your life to bring them to a place of putting their trust in Jesus this Christmas season? 

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
O Come O Come Emmanuel
Prepare Him Room
God Made Low
Who Would Have Dreamed
Joy To The World

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Luke 2:8-21

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

Christmas Sunday

Christmas is right around the corner! Join us on Sunday, December 22nd for our special Christmas Sunday.

We’ll be celebrating the birth of Jesus with songs, a special GRACEkids performance, and Christmas treats before the service. (Come early to enjoy the coffee and refreshments!)

Invite your friends and family to join us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior on Christmas Sunday and Christmas Eve! Invitations will be available this Sunday for you to take and share.

Christmas eve

candlelight service

Celebrate our Savior’s birth with us again on Christmas Eve from 6PM to 7PM for our annual Candlelight Service.

This service will also include a time of worship, a GRACEkids performance, and more!

Invite your friends and family! Invitations will be available this Sunday for you to take and share.

Office closed

The church office will be closed for the holidays from Christmas Eve to January 1st.

Feel free to contact the pastors during this time as they will still be working!

relay: a sovereign GRACE cONFERENCE FOR YOUNG adults

The RELAY Conference exists to inspire young adults to live for the glory of Christ.

Be praying for the handful of people from our church who will be attending the Relay Conference from January 2nd to January 4th!

FORGE

The next FORGE meeting is on Saturday, January 11th from 8AM to 11AM. Bring your teen sons and your friends. All men are invited!

FORGE speaks into the lives of men regarding the church, family, work, and leisure.

For more information, contact Derek Overstreet.

woven

You are invited to join us for the upcoming WOVEN Brunch event on Saturday, January 18th, from 10AM to 12:30PM.

WOVEN is a ministry for ALL women in ALL seasons, woven into God and with each other.

If you would like more details, please reach out to Tom Wilkins.

child dedication

Our next Child Dedication will be on Sunday, January 19th!

If you would like to dedicate your child, please reach out to Tom Wilkins.

To learn more about Child Dedications at Sovereign Grace Church, check out Pastor Derek’s blog post about them HERE!

eastside community group

Our Eastside Community Group is preparing to launch sometime in January or February!

If you are interested in learning more about this Community Group, please contact Derek Overstreet.

marriage small group

Our next Marriage Small Group starts February 7th! More details to come.

If you and your spouse would like to participate in this small group, please reach out to Tom Wilkins.

Our Song of the Week is Do Not Fear, written by Jon Althoff and Nathan Stiff. This song was released by Sovereign Grace Music on their Christmas Album, Heaven Has Come. 

Here is an excerpt from Sovereign Grace Music on why this song was written for the Christmas season. 

“Over and over again God tells us in his Word, “Do not fear.” We fear being condemned. We fear holiness. We fear uncertainty. We fear enemies greater than us. But those who know God’s heart, revealed in sending his only Son to die for our sins, will never be ruled by fear. That includes Mary, who learned she was going to bear God’s Son. That includes the shepherds, who witnessed the glory of angelic choirs one evening on a hillside. And that includes anyone who believes Jesus when he says, “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Rest from our sin, rest from our striving, rest from our fears. So take heart.”

May this song help you see and savor God this Christmas season!

You can listen to the song here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqxf-By2h5c
You can check out the full Heaven Has Come Christmas album here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhsmK74fWkMxjqlCgQ_DiJIs1roHS7GNt

Verse 1
Humble virgin, arise and take heart
You’ve been chosen to carry a son
Give no heed to the trembling inside
For the wonder has only begun

Chorus
Do not fear, do not fear
The child you will hold is the Savior foretold drawing near
Do not fear

Verse 2
Lowly shepherds, look up and take heart
See the glory of heaven burn bright
Hear the anthem of joy and good news
Hope has dawned in a stable tonight

Chorus 2
Do not fear, do not fear
The child in the hay is the Ancient of Days drawing near
Do not fear

Verse 3
Weary children, be still and take heart
Every longing you feel is a cry
For the rest He has offered to all
Come to Him, for His burden is light

Chorus 3
Do not fear, do not fear
The God who redeems you and ever will keep you is near
Do not fear

Music and words by Jon Althoff and Nathan Stiff © 2020 Sovereign Grace Worship/ASCAP (adm. worldwide by Integrity Music).

Today, we begin an Advent series. Advent simply means coming or arriving. That's what we are dedicating the next three Sundays and Christmas Eve to—celebrating the coming of Jesus into our world. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Christmas Story
TEXT: Luke 1:26-38
TITLE: The True Christmas Story
PREACHER: Derek OVerstreet

POINTS:
1. An Unlikely Christmas Cast
2. An Extraordinary Christmas Plan

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”For Christians, Christmas presents spiritual dangers: We are vulnerable to allowing the trappings of Christmas—decorations, spending, and busyness to trump the true purpose of Advent. Even more dangerous, we are vulnerable to trivializing Jesus, diminishing his person, distorting the reason he came, and dismissing his eternal significance at the hands of shallow sentimentality.”

“As Christians, we enjoy the Christmas season, but always through the lens of the gospel. For this, Advent is meant to guard us and keep our focus on the person and purpose of The Christmas Story.”

“We begin The Christmas Story in Luke's gospel, where we find a group of unlikely people with front-row seats to God's extraordinary plan.” 

“First, there was Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth. In 5-7, they're described as a godly elderly couple with no children. But everything was about to change for them. In 11, an angel named Gabriel appeared to him—read 8-17. Soon after, the miracle happened: Elizabeth, old and barren, became pregnant with the one the OT prophets foretold would make way for the long-promised Messiah—John the Baptist.”

“Six months later, that same angel would appear to another unlikely person in God's plan of redemption.”

“Imagine with me for a moment. It's just another day. People are going about their ordinary business. If you are a young teenage girl like Mary, perhaps you're finishing chores, daydreaming about your future, or socializing with friends. Out of nowhere, an angel appears and says you will give birth to God's Son. Luke says Mary was troubled. She was scared. She was confused, beginning with the obvious—(34) How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

“Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, there was nothing special about Mary. There was nothing special about Joseph. Just ordinary people trying to live for God just like us. This was an unlikely cast to lay the groundwork for God Incarnate. But God works in mysterious ways. He uses fools instead of wise men. He uses paupers instead of kings. He uses the weak instead of the mighty. When He decided how to introduce the Savior of the world to the world, He used barren senior citizens and virgin teenagers.”  

“This should encourage us. You were created for good works. God wants to use you in your church and community. You might be young. You might be old. You may feel unequipped or even disqualified. You probably feel weak in spirit. You should feel unworthy and unable in and of yourself. But, as it says in 37—Nothing will be impossible with God.”

“Think about how many promises you have broken over the years because you were unable to fulfill them. The unlikely cast of Christmas reminds us of the power and wisdom of God to accomplish what only He can accomplish. How do you need to believe and rest in the power and promises of God this Advent season?”

“Now, as unlikely as this Christmas cast is, infinitely more is the extraordinary nature of God's Christmas plan.”

“Mary knows her boy will not be an ordinary boy. As poor and despised as Jesus will be, he will be great because he is the eternal Son of God, equal to his Father in all things. If you wonder why Jesus had to be born of a virgin, you can start here—being fully man, Jesus was fully God. He would come into this world to establish David's throne and reign over God's people as their sovereign king in His eternal kingdom, which will be fully and finally established when he returns.”

“Mary's Son will do all this as Jesus, the name above all other names that means deliverer. He will deliver salvation to sinners. As young as Mary is, we know she understands this because of her response—read 38.”

“Mary is wholly surrendered to the Lord's will for her. She has no idea how her situation will turn out. She is unmarried and about to be pregnant. That sounds like serious trouble. Yet, her fear and confusion give way to faith and humble submission.”

“An angel named Gabriel isn't going to show up in your living room and shock you into faith and humble submission. But even better, Jesus has shown up in your heart, which is precisely why he came into this world. We see this in Mary’s ensuing celebration. In 39-45, Mary goes to see Elizabeth. Mary could have been overwhelmed with panic about the optics of a young, unwed, pregnant teenage girl. She could have been distracted by thinking through a PR plan as the gossip and accusations were about to fly. Instead, she is undone in worship.”

“The interchangeable terms soul and spirit create a repetition to communicate one thing—Mary is worshipping God with her entire being—her will, thoughts, affections, words, and body. Mary holds nothing back from God in her worship of God. And while Mary is not worthy of our worship, her worship is worthy of our emulation.”

“Mary understood her socioeconomic status. She understood she was a nobody from the nasty town of Nazareth. There was nothing special about Mary. Mary is the essence of ordinary. None of this escapes Mary. She's not beating her chest; she knows she’s a servant. So she sings God's praises—He who is mighty has done great things for me. God has chosen me to bear the Messiah. God has looked upon me and said, You will bear my Son who will save people from their sins.”

“Have you ever had a game-changer in your life? This is the ultimate game-changer! Mary and Elizabeth are living in the worst of times. Four hundred years have gone by since the last prophet spoke. God's people are living under Roman oppression as they await their long-promised Messiah. This baby changes everything, and Mary knows it—(48) from now on  all generations will call me blessed. Nothing will ever be the same for Mary. And nothing will ever be the same for the rest of the world either. Translation: God has acted in history, and an extraordinary reversal is underway!”

“The world is about to be turned upside down, and it begins here with a pregnant senior citizen and a pregnant teenager—(51) Jesus will humble the pride of intellect. This baby will humble the pride of status (52). Joseph and Mary's child will humble the pride of wealth (53). Everything that makes sense to the world, everything the world treasures and trusts, everything the world thinks matters most, everything the world respects and esteems, Christmas turns on its head and renders meaningless.”

“This is not the Christmas story found on the Hallmark Channel. This is not the Christmas story the world wants to hear. But it is the Christmas story the world needs to hear because it is the true Christmas Story.”

“Jesus, the image of the invisible God who is supreme over all creation, condescended to create a new humanity of righteousness and glory. Jesus, the firstborn from the dead in whom the fullness of God is pleased to dwell, was born into our world to reconcile all things, making peace by the blood of his cross. He was born to give spiritual life to the spiritually dead. He was born to liberate sinners from the oppression of their sin so they might live eternally for his praise and glory. There's no room for sentimentalizing this Jesus. We dare not distort, diminish, or dismiss his significance with our Christmas trappings. Christmas is about the coming of our only Savior and eternal King! This is the true Christmas story—who needs to hear it from you?”

“I don't know if you caught it, but Mary's song contains the phrase He has six times. Mary hasn't seen this great reversal with her eyes yet, but she sings about the future in the past tense because she knows her God is faithful. But for us on this side of the cross, we have seen and experienced this great reversal Jesus' birth has inaugurated. We know where Christmas is going. This cradle leads to a cross where God held nothing back as He judged Jesus for our sins.”

“If you are a Christian, you have experienced your own great reversal in Christ: from sinner to saint, from enemy to child, from wrath to grace, from lost to found. Not because there was anything special about you. You are just as ordinary and hopeless as a barren old woman and young virgin girl. But in mercy, God acted in an extraordinary way to cause a great reversal in your life. You believed in Jesus, and like Mary, everything changed. Christmas happened to you, and Mary's song is your song.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 5:21

QUOTES:
Paul Tripp- “So much of our fear, discouragement, anxiety, and worry is the result of underestimating what God is willing and able to do.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones. -”Everything that man boasts in, his intellect, his understanding, his power, his social status, his influence, his righteousness, his morality, his ethics, his code—every one of them is utterly demolished by this Son of God.”

Martin Luther - “Mary's song is about God's great works and deeds, for the strengthening of our faith, for the comforting of all those of low degree, and for the terrifying of all the mighty ones on earth. We are to let the hymn serve this threefold purpose; for she sang it not for herself alone but for us all, to sing it after her.”

APPLICATION:
Q. What do faith and humble submission to God look like this Christmas? What seems impossible to you? What has you troubled, scared, and confused?

Q. Is your faith weak this morning? Is your spirit low this morning? Do you enter the Christmas season spiritually cynical or indifferent?  It doesn't have to be that way. Jesus—Immanuel, God with us, came to change everything. He wants your attention. He is worthy of your white-hot affections. Jesus knows your sin and weakness, and he wants to open your eyes to his love for you either for the first time or like no other time before. He went from the cradle to the cross to the grave to the right hand of your heavenly Father for you! Marveling at the wonder and living in the good of his love is what Christmas is about.

Q. How does the Spirit want to adjust your song as you enter the Christmas season this year? God made much of you when He condescended into this world to live and die for one reason—so you could make much of Him with everything you have and everything you are. That's a Christmas song worth singing. That's a Christmas promise worth living! That's a Christmas story worth telling.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
Who Would Have Dreamed
He Who Is Mighty
O Come All You Unfaithful
Heaven Has Come To Us

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Luke 2:1-7

This December we will be highlighting a Song of the Week each Wednesday to help us see and savor God this Christmas season.

Our first Song of the Week is O Come All You Unfaithful, written by Bob Kauflin and Lisa Clow. 

While the Christmas season is the “most wonderful time the year” many of us can still struggle with fear, weariness, sorrow over loss, or shame over our sin. This song invites us to lift our eyes upward and see what God has done by sending His son into the world. 

May this song encourage you as you listen and worship!

Listen Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8VZf8XK4wM

VERSE 1
O come, all you unfaithful; come, weak and unstable
Come, know you are not alone
O come, barren and waiting ones, weary of praying, come
See what your God has done

CHORUS
Christ is born, Christ is born
Christ is born for you

VERSE 2
O come, bitter and broken; come with fears unspoken
Come, taste of His perfect love
O come, guilty and hiding ones; there is no need to run
See what your God has done

BRIDGE
He’s the Lamb who was given; slain for our pardon
His promise is peace; for believe

VERSE 3
So come, though you have nothing; come, He is the offering
Come, see what your God has done
© 2020 Sovereign Grace Praise (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music, David C Cook)) 

At this very moment, those that have received Christ are “more alive” now than ever before! Our understanding of who Jesus is, our very Christology, is fused/combined together with our very ethics, our way, our standard, our tradition - submitted to Christ Jesus the Lord, we therefore live as submitted to Him… in obedience to him. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians - Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 2:6-7
TITLE: Walk In Him
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: A life that is made alive in Christ will live in Christ.

POINTS:
1. We have received Him -  (v 6a)
2. Live in Him - (v 6b-7)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”…in Chapter 2, verses 6 and 7, [Paul] summarizes what he has written so far by way of GROUNDING them in Christ Jesus the Lord. In these 2 verses, you and I are given the footing against this erroneous and destructive teaching.”

“The series that we are in as we work our way through Paul’s letter to the Colossians is a resounding proclamation, a moving declaration - one that at times bends the mind - as it preaches to us that we are ALIVE IN CHRIST!”

“Paul succinctly summarizes in Vs 6 and 7, key parts of what he has been writing to this church, praying for this church, and declaring to this church.”

“At this very moment, those that have received Christ are “more alive’ now than ever before! Weary souls need to hear the Holy Spirit speak through Paul’s pen! If you are here this morning and are without Christ, you need to hear this First Century Evangelist’s, Apostle’s, Pastor’s, Preacher’s words. The slumbering and easily distracted heart needs to hear these words. Until we “have gone out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal,” we need to hear that we are Alive in Christ AND are called to live in Him.”

“Gospel Truth - We have received Him! Gospel Claim - So live in Him!”

“The first thing that Paul reminds us of is Christ Jesus the Lord. He takes us again and again to Jesus. He draws out the Christology of Jesus by referencing him as Christ Jesus the Lord. He is the Christ, Promised One of Israel. He is Jesus (Yeshua - the Lord of salvation). He is Lord - one commentator saying that Paul “gathers up” all that he has already said about Christ in this letter so far. The Creator and ruler of everything. The spender of His majesty. The authority of His throne. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together!  And in vs. 6, WE have received HIM!”

“This word “receive” bears the meaning of receiving that which had been delivered - there has been a guarded transmission of a tradition - and accepting of that which has been transmitted, handed down, handed on - and in this verse, what we have received is Christ Jesus the Lord!”

“Christ Jesus the Lord has been passed on to us! Christ Jesus the Lord is THE tradition, handed down generation after generation to us, and we have RECEIVED him!”

“The doctrine of “Christ Alone” was not the reformers idea, it is God’s doctrine of His son, Christ Jesus the Lord. Christ Jesus the Lord is the center of our faith. We have received Him!”

“Paul had received the Gospel from the Lord and he passed it on to pastors (like Epaphras) who passed it on to the churches. This great tradition… This great Gospel message… was the life, death and resurrection of Christ is that GOOD NEWS that we have received!”

“The indicative was ‘...as you received Christ Jesus the Lord…’ The imperative is ‘..so walk in him.’”

“Walking is living in this context. It is living in obedience to Christ. It is living consistent in who you are in Christ.”

“Our understanding of who Jesus is, our very Christology, is fused/combined together with our very ethics, our way, our standard, our tradition - submitted to Christ Jesus the Lord, we therefore live as submitted to Him… in obedience to him.”

“This is the time of year that traditions mean a lot to us. Yet to us our traditions are the practice and repetition of things that we “do.” Thanksgiving traditions, Christmas traditions… things that we “do” over these holidays. On a grander scale: the Christian is caught up in an uninterrupted TRADITION of CHRIST. We find here in Vs. 6 is that we have received what has been handed down to us, THE teaching… THE tradition that is Christ. - Live in this never ending ‘Christmas” tradition of Christ, the gospel of Christ and Him crucified.’”

“Live rooted in Him. ‘Rooted’ draws on the metaphor of a plant (vine) tree (like being planted/rooted deeply into the soil. The perfect tense of the original meaning of the word is: You WERE rooted in. TRUE LIFE IN CHRIST is a rooted!”

“Live built up in Him. ‘Built up’ draws on the metaphor of a building that is constructed in Him.The combination of the two is that of having been securely rooted deep in Christ and being continually being rooted ALIVE in Christ and immovable like a secured mega-structure rising up fixed forever in Christ… JESUS FOREVER OUR LIFE AND OUR SURE FOUNDATION! Not simply a life of right and wrong decisions but one that is deeply rooted and built up IN Jesus Christ!”

“Live established in the faith in Him. The word ‘established’ carries in its translation being continually established! Being rooted and built up are clearly a work that has first been done by God, and so walk in what he has done and now regarding our faith is continually being done. HE IS CONTINUALLY establishing us in the faith.”

“If we are not rooted in Christ, we will be open to almost anything for relief and help. We don’t want to hear this. But the Colossians needed to hear this. In jeopardy of being deceived, Paul, grounds them again in the Gospel. IF we are not rooted in Christ, believe or not we are rooted in something and we have a tap root that seeks out other life sources. Q. What are you rooted in?  Christ?”

“Be careful what you read and why you are reading it. Be careful who you listen to and why you are listening to it. Itching ears have their roots in something else and wandering eyes seek out other sources for life. The more we are rooted in HIM, CHRIST JESUS THE LORD,  the more we see His sufficiency! Our faith is rooted, built up and established in Christ and NOTHING else.”

“Now we…live abounding in thankgiving. for thanksgiving keeps up constantly linked to the fact that we have received Christ - We are thankful for that which has been given to us, Christ Jesus Our Lord. The Christian is to be marked by the abundance of thanksgiving, because we return again and again to the life-source of our salvation. THE REASON that our thinking and belief should be flooded with thankfulness is we are His”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Colossians 1:10
Romans 14:15
Ephesians 4:1
Galatians 5:16
Psalm 1:3
Jeremiah 17:8
Ephesians 4:14, 17, 18, 21

QUOTES:
D. L. Moody- “Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, … gone out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal, a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint, a body like unto [Christ’s] own glorious body. I was born of the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”

Peter T. O’Brien - “The one whom the Colossians received as their tradition is the center of God’s mystery, and the Lord in both creation and reconcilliation. He is Lord absolutely, not just one among many.”

Peter T. O’Brien - “For Paul there is no hiatus between believing and behaving.”

Billy Graham - “No man can be said to be truly converted to Christ who has not bent his will to Christ.”

APPLICATION:
Q. Is not Jesus, Christ Jesus the Lord? And shouldn’t this have a life-altering effect on us?
Q. Shouldn’t our believing include our behaving?
Q. Shouldn’t our behavior be affected by our new life in the Lord and Savior?
Q. Shouldn’t our action be bent to this gospel tradition?
Q. What are you rooted in?  Christ?
Q. Are you able to abound in thanksgiving? This often is an indicator of where our hearts are truly living.
Q. What year were you born of the Spirit? What year did you receive Christ Jesus the Lord? In Him whom you have received, by the grace of God and in power the Spirit now live in Him.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Name Above All Names
Hope of the Ages
Jesus, There's No One Like You
Is He Worthy
We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)
We Receive

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Luke 1:26-38

So many voices clamor for our attention. We have so much information at our fingertips. We have itchy ears. We want immediate results in our lives. We are prone to sacrifice truth for experience. So we must believe with Paul that Christ alone makes us who we are and resolve to keep him at the center of our existence.  Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians - Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 2:1-5
TITLE: Grounded and Guarded
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: A church centered on Christ is a church guarded from wandering away from Christ.

POINTS:
1. A Beautiful Portrait of the Church
2. An Effective Safeguard for the Church

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”So many voices clamor for our attention. We have so much information at our fingertips. We have itchy ears. We want immediate results in our lives. We are prone to sacrifice truth for experience. So we must believe with Paul that Christ alone makes us who we are and resolve to keep him at the center of our existence.” 

“Paul begins in 1—I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you. Paul is not bragging. He is not complaining. He is expressing his deepest longing for them. The word translated struggle was used to describe the intense competitions of the Greek games. Just as the athlete fought with every ounce of energy to win, Paul cared for churches like the Colossians with the fierce desire of someone who was—in it to win it.”

“He communicates his desire for them in a way that paints a beautiful portrait of the church—read 2-3. In 2, their hearts may be encouraged—That is, they would know the comfort and possess the spiritual strength and courage that comes from knowing who they are in Christ. Paul goes on to say that they would be knit together in love.”

“Paul’s passion here is that the love of Christ would pour out into their relationships with one another, not only bound to God in Christ but bound to one another by the same divine love. It’s a humble love. It’s a sacrificial love. It’s a long-suffering love. It’s a love that gently rebukes and quickly forgives. It’s a love that always grounds them in what knits them together—the divine love of Christ!”

“We are so different—knitted together, divinely intertwined by the love of Christ.”

“In the face of false teaching that is challenging the sufficiency of Christ, Paul says the more you fix your head and heart on Christ, the deeper your understanding of God’s redemptive purposes that center on and climax in Christ, the greater your conviction and confidence that in Jesus you have everything and lack nothing—Stay close the guide!”

“OT books like Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes are packed with wisdom and knowledge. But the secret is out. The mystery has been revealed. The true fount and storehouse of all wisdom and knowledge is Jesus Christ!”

“To know Jesus is to have genuine knowledge of who God is and what he is like. To know Jesus is to know how to—(1:10) walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. To know Christ is to (Pro 2:3) Understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God so you can confidently live, in the words of RC Sproul, Coram Deo—in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God.”

“It's an astonishing assertion that paints a beautiful portrait of the church. Sinners saved by grace, knitted together in love, encouraging one another as they grow in their understanding and conviction that Christ is their all-in-all.”

“Don’t miss the connection—I say this (2-3) in order that no one may delude you (deceive you) with plausible arguments.  The Beautiful Portrait of the Church also acts as An Effective Safeguard for the Church.”

“In 8, Paul will begin to deal directly with the deceptive teachings the Colossians were up against. To be clear, Jesus wasn’t being canceled; he was being added to.”

“These false teachers were good at their presentation. We could translate the word plausible in 4 as persuasive. Their arguments for Jesus Plus were persuasive and enticing. Paul says You don’t have to be deluded. Christ has been revealed to your head and heart. You experience genuine gospel encouragement and love through one another. Truth and your experience of truth tell you Jesus alone is sufficient. No matter how plausible the arguments are. No matter how persuasive the position is. No matter how polished the delivery is? It may SOUND right. It may SOUND godly. It may SOUND spiritual. It may be popular. But if it doesn’t lead you to Christ as your only identity, strength, and hope, it’s not good—it’s dangerous.”

“Where are you prone to be deluded by plausible and persuasive arguments that diminish and distract you from Christ? It may be time to change course for your spiritual well-being. Paul gives you the course in these verses: The more we experience genuine Christ-centered encouragement and love from one another, the more we grow in our (3) assurance of the sufficiency of Christ. Knowing the real thing is the best way to avoid being misled by counterfeits.”

“This is why the life of the local church is so important. It’s God’s chosen arena to grow our understanding of the gospel in the head and the heart in a way that establishes and protects our faith.”

“How encouraging is this? Paul can’t physically be with the Colossians to shepherd them through what they are facing. But he carries them in his heart, bound to them through their shared union in Christ. So he carries their burden, rejoicing over them, knowing they have all they need in Jesus. And now they have his teachings that point them to affirm the gospel and refute the deceivers. Paul is confident that as they center themselves on Christ according to his letter, their lives will be in order, that is, in keeping with the gospel, and their faith strong as they stand together in the encouragement and love of Christ, even in the face of opposition.”

“If you believe in Jesus Christ, that he is eternal, without beginning and without end, that he always was continuing; if you believe that he is Creator of everything, every cosmic speck across trillions of light-years of trackless space, the Creator of the textures and shapes and colors that daily dazzle your eyes; if you believe that he is the sustainer of all creation, the force that is presently holding the atoms of your body, your town, this universe together, and that without him all would dissolve; if you believe that he is the mystery, the incarnate reconciler who will one day reconcile the universe and redeem humanity to himself; if you believe that he is the lover of your soul, who loves you with a love bounded only by his infinitude; then, despite the fact that life will be full of trouble, nothing much will go wrong. Your vision of Christ will quicken and shape your life. What you believe about Christ makes all the difference in the world now and in eternity.” 

QUOTES:
D.A. Carson - “Paul cannot long talk about Christian joy, or Christian ethics, or Christian fellowship, or the Christian doctrine of God, or anything else, without finally tying it to the cross. Paul is gospel-centered; he is cross-centered. From his first epistle to his final letter to Timothy, Paul kept the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus at  the center of his teaching. He resolved to know nothing...except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

John Woodhouse - “You can be perfectly sure that Paul never taught the Old Testament without proclaiming Christ! Paul never taught about the Christian life without the centrality of Christ. Paul never taught an understanding of anything without Christ. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and understanding are hidden in him!”

G.K. Beale - “At least parts of this false teaching is that believers still need to identify not only with Christ but also with the identification signs of the old law and must give some allegiance also to worship of angels together with Christ.”

Kent Hughes - “This is an important message for an alive Christianity. No intellectual process will lead to a full grasp of the mystery of Christ unless it is accompanied by a love for him and for Christians that knits us, the Church, together in love. We cannot pursue knowledge of God in willful, unloving isolation, rejecting fellowship with others. Historically, some have tried and have suffered incomplete or even distorted understanding. A complete understanding of the mystery comes in loving community.”

APPLICATION:
- Do you wonder what the purpose of life is? Do you wonder what the keys to a fulfilling life are? Do you wonder how one can suffer with joy? 
As a Christian, you can genuinely know God’s purposes in redemptive history because they have been revealed to you in the treasuries of wisdom—Jesus Christ.

- Where am I prone to be deluded by plausible and persuasive arguments that diminish and distract me from Christ?

Here's our application today:

1. Study the Scriptures with an eye to Christ (Catechism)

2. Knit yourself to the people in this room (priority of CG)

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
The Lord Almighty Reigns (Psalm 93)
I Have A Shelter
All Things
There is One Gospel
All I Have Is Christ

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 2:6-7

There is a force at work in the world today that is more powerful and more significant than any other in the history of the world—the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is our hope of glory. So, we gladly suffer affliction and boldly proclaim Him as he advances His kingdom. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians - Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 1:24-49
TITLE: HIM!
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: God builds His Kingdom as we experience affliction for Christ and we proclaim the gospel of Christ.

POINTS:
1. The Place of Affliction in God’s Purposes
2. The Priority of Proclamation in God’s Purposes

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”If read to the Colossians, these words [from John Woodhouse, quoted below] may have been a—Lord, I believe, help me with my unbelief moment. They were small and unimpressive. Men more eloquent and philosophically astute than pastor Epaphras were trying to persuade them the key to life was bigger than the gospel.”

“What was true for them is true for us. The gospel doesn’t always look like the most powerful and significant force in the history of the world. Our best evangelistic efforts seem fruitless. Affliction and suffering produce discouragement. It’s tempting to doubt the power and sufficiency of the gospel when your marriage is on life support, society increasingly despises your faith, and you’re your atheist neighbor is living the dream. In these experiences and so many others, it’s tempting to doubt and diminish the gospel as the most powerful and significant force in the history of the world—Lord, I believe, help me with my unbelief.”

“For this reason, we must understand how God is advancing His kingdom. Paul tells us in these verses: God builds His Kingdom as we experience affliction for Christ and we proclaim the gospel of Christ.”

“God doesn’t advance His kingdom through mass marketing and media. He is not bringing about His purposes through Christian Nationalism. The kingdom of God does not rely on impressive buildings and flashy preachers. God advances His kingdom and brings us to maturity, through affliction for and the proclamation of Jesus Christ.”

“Paul begins with an upside-down statement—read 24a. What? Who rejoices in their suffering?! Paul does. And for good reasons. As a minister (servant) of the gospel, Paul belongs to God. Jesus died for his sins. He belongs to Jesus. Once a ruthless persecutor of Christ’s church, now a servant of Christ’s church. But there was something else that produced transcending joy amid his suffering—Paul believed God was advancing His gospel kingdom, saving others just as he saved him through his afflictions.”

“Christ’s death is sufficient for our salvation in every way, lacking nothing in anyway. So what does Paul mean when he says— I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions? To answer that, let’s take a step back.”

“Paul was used to advance the kingdom of God uniquely—taking the gospel to the Gentiles. In Acts 9, according to God’s plan, Christ appeared to Paul (Saul) on the way to Damascus, saying—Why are you persecuting me? To persecute Christ’s church was to persecute Christ himself. Such is the union of Christ and his people. A few verses later the Lord said, He chose Paul to take the gospel to the Gentiles and in doing so would suffer for Christ’s name.”

“God chose Paul to make known the fullness of God’s Word, that is the mystery, the OT promise now revealed in the gospel, that the once alienated and hopeless Gentiles were included in God’s plan of salvation. Now, by grace through faith, they are in Christ and Christ is in them. Because God lives in their hearts, they possess the hope of glory, a life of divine blessing today, and infinitely more in heaven with Jesus. This is something they had no hope of before. The afflictions Jesus bore on the cross were for the Gentiles too! This is the—(25) the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. For this, bringing the gospel to the Gentiles, Paul suffered greatly.”

“Paul suffered with joy, for the sake of advancing God’s kingdom, including the Colossians—(24) Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake—the church in Colossae which he didn’t plant and never visited, and two millennia later, our sake. So when Paul says his afflictions fill up what is lacking in Christ’s, he means his afflictions are advancing the intended effect of Christ’s afflictions on the cross, which is bringing the gospel and all its spiritual blessings to the Gentile.”

“We are engaged in the same conflict Paul was. The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints is still being revealed through us as we suffer and endure affliction for the sake of our gospel mission.”

“God is advancing His kingdom through the affliction of His people and the proclamation of His Son. Not the proclamation of our:

• Theological distinctives

• Parenting methodologies

• Anecdotal stories

• Spiritual gifts

• Community Groups and other ministries

• Personal prayer and Bible study

• God won’t advance the gospel on the east side through the proclamation of our ecclesiastical distinctives

God is advancing His kingdom through our proclamation of HIM—Jesus Christ and HIM crucified! Paul summarizes his ministry in 25-27 in one word—HIM!”

“We proclaim HIM! We don’t need anything else to proclaim but HIM because in HIM, we lack nothing; apart from HIM, we have nothing to proclaim. That’s not to say we have nothing else to talk about, but that in all we talk about, at the center of it is always HIM! From theology to practical Christian living, it all flows from, points to, and finds its purpose in HIM!”

“It’s HIM, we proclaim! Notice what Paul says—HIM we (all of us) proclaim, warning everyone. What are we warning everyone about? Your only hope of glory is HIM! Turn to HIM in faith and repentance. If you belong to HIM, you must live for HIM. Don’t add to HIM. You have all you need in HIM. Don’t drift back to your old ways because you are a new creation in HIM.”

“Don’t miss Paul’s threepeat of the word, everyone. No one is in a situation that requires something more than HIM.”

“I hear people say it—I need more than Jesus. That’s what the Colossians are being told. Paul will have none of it. HIM we proclaim because He is enough. Christ is sufficient for all our needs. He is your wisdom and hope in every matter and circumstance. We proclaim HIM, warning or teaching, Whatever the topic, the need, the danger—to everyone.” 

“Here’s the goal—(28) that we may present everyone mature in Christ. Maturity in Christ is HIM at the center of life. It’s the ability to rejoice in our sufferings because we know we belong to HIM, and he will finish the work He began in us. Spiritual maturity is to say—Lord, I belong to HIM, so use me as you will, whatever the cost. To mature in Christ is to find your all in HIM and HIM alone. That’s the goal.”

“There is a force at work in the world today that is more powerful and more significant than any other in the history of the world—the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is our hope of glory. So, we gladly suffer affliction and boldly proclaim Him as he advances His kingdom.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 11:23-33 
Philippians 1:29-30

QUOTES:
 John Woodhouse - “There is a force at work in the world today that is more powerful and more significant than any other in the history of the world. It is not the spread of democracy, nor is it any of the anti-democratic movements that are currently active and threatening. It is not capitalism, nor socialism. It is not civil rights, gay rightsor feminism. It is certainly not atheistic secularism. The force that is more powerful and more significant than any other in the history of the world is the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

John Piper - “What is lacking in the afflictions of Christ is not that they are deficient in worth or merit, as though they could not sufficiently cover the sins of all who believe. What is lacking is that the infinite value of Christ’s afflictions are not known in the world. They are still a mystery—hidden—to most peoples. And God’s intention is that the mystery be revealed, extended to all the Gentiles. So the afflictions are lacking in the sense that they are not seen and known among the nations. They must be carried by ministers of the word. And those ministers of the word fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ by extending them to others.”

APPLICATION:
Notice Paul’s final words—read verse 29.

To see the Colossians center their lives on Christ was his driving passion. Fully reliant on the Holy Spirit, Paul tirelessly labored to see Christ-centered churches. Is that true of you?

1. Develop the conviction from passages like Col 1 that Christ is enough. 

2. Evaluate where you seek help. Do the books, programs, and people you pursue for help unmistakenly, undeniably,  and unapologetically lead you directly to Christ, or do you have to work Christ in yourself? If they don’t lead you to Christ, run from them, because they lead you to someone and if that someone is not HIM then at best you are adding to HIM at worst you running from HIM. 

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Great You Are
Only A Holy God
Help Us See Christ
When We See Your Face
In Christ Alone

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 2:1-5

Who we were then was entirely our doing. Who we are now is entirely His doing. JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians - Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 1:21-23
TITLE: Jesus Changes Everything
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Jesus changes everything!

POINTS:
1.  Who We Once Were
2. Who We Are Now

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”In verse 21, we find the 3-fold GRIM REALITY that describes who we were.”

“‘And you who once were…’ Alienated - We were alienated from God. And our alienation is not simply describing the state of the brokenness and separation in our relationship with God. Instead, what is being described here is the active, purposeful persistence in our slavery to sin and willing idolatry. We were not passively floating around in the darkness of space in a thrusterless space capsule, being pulled by various forces here and there as we drifted further and further away from God. Rather, our alienation here is better described as having a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel of our 1966 Shelby with our foot buried on the throttle, racing hard and fast and further into our alienation from God.”

“‘And you who once were…’ Hostile in mind - Paul does not want us to misunderstand who we were as he now adds to our alienation and describes we were also ‘hostile in mind.’ If our alienation wasn’t bad enough, our hearts had turned on him in hostility, as active His enemy. In our hatred of him (a passive description of our enmity with God), foot still buried on the gas, we yanked on the wheel and headed straight at Him.”

“The GRIM reality is that in our minds, from the very wellspring of our hearts, we were at war with Him! We believe and teach that we ran away from God, but here we find that we ran at Him.”

“‘And you who once were…’  Doing evil deeds - Adding to our alienation from God and to our hostility toward God, we were doing evil deeds. Paul, making sure that we understand what he is saying, adds to our estrangement from God and our hearts and minds fixed full-on hate to now doing evil deeds. We embodied our sin.”

“The GRIM reality is that this IS who we once were! We were alienated from God, hostile toward God, and doing evil deeds against God and others! BUT, THE GOOD NEWS is Jesus changes everything!”

“While still exulting in the majesty and supremacy of Jesus, Paul speaks to our hostile alienation in sin that is aimed at God and others… BUT, HE DOES NOT LEAVE US THERE.”

“Vs 21 should have a profound effect on us as we behold the majesty and supremacy of Christ. This is both terrifying and beautiful! By the cry of His command, Jesus created us and holds us together! We hated him and sought to undermine him, having tried to take His place on the throne, with our backs turned against him pursuing the filthiness of evil deeds. HE HAS NOW RECONCILED US!”

“We are now Reconciled by the blood of His cross! We are now Reconciled by His death! Jesus and His crucifixion change everything! It is here that we see the CROSS of Jesus as the overarching TURNING POINT for us - the CROSS of Jesus changes everything for us. The OLD now passes away, and now the NEW has come through the body of our Savior as He bears our sins on his perfect body and as Jesus pours out his holy blood in that inexplicable sacrifice.”

“Before God, our Judge, the records of who we were have not been lost (though we want them to be)! THE historical RECORDS PROVE WHO WE WERE - no fire could destroy them, and no effort on our part could rid us of our past hatred and transgression against God. But the good news is that at the CROSS OF JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING. HIS BLOOD COVERS OUR RECORDS, AND HIS DEATH RECONCILES US BEFORE GOD!” 

“The reason Jesus has done this is to present you and me before the judgment seat of God - His 2nd Coming - as righteous. Without Jesus, we will not escape the righteous wrath of God. But, with Jesus, we are righteous in God’s eyes and this is who we are now!”

“Who are we now in Christ? Jesus ‘presents you above reproach’, meaning we are presented without the stain of sin. Jesus ‘presents you holy’, separated unto God in righteousness. Jesus ‘presents you blameless’ - without stain, we bear no blame anymore. We are now forgiven and reconciled.”

“We, who were once alienated… separated from God, have now been brought near in Christ! We, who were once hostile in mind… enemies of God, are now loving worshippers of God in Christ! We, who were once doing evil deeds…unrighteous before God,  are now made righteous in Christ! JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Genesis 6:5
 2 Corinthians 5:21
Ephesians 2:13
Luke 7:47
Romans 5:17

APPLICATION:
3-fold Application

• Continue in your Gospel faith. Remembering how you got here will be fuel for continuing on in your gospel faith

• Be rooted in your Gospel hope. Peter O’Brian - “...continuance is the test of reality. If it is true that the saints will persevere to the end, then it is equally true that the saints must  persevere to the end.”

• Become what you already are NOW in Christ. We were once embodying sin… now embody holiness and righteousness! Now we are reconciled by the Cross of Jesus, holy, blameless, and above reproach. Live in your innocence - live in your new reality!

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
Jesus, There's No One Like You
Glorious
Behold Our God
How Vast The Love

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 1:21-23

5 REASONS FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND CONSIDERATION

1. To make baby steps in outreach.

Matthew 28:19 - “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...” To make disciples of all nations we must start somewhere. Evangelism and outreach cause us to “Go, not knowing.” Before we can run, we must begin walking. One of the easiest things we can do with the 3-5 people most of us have on our hearts is to invite them to Church. We always trust God for results in any efforts to evangelize, but Invitation Sunday gives the Church an opportunity to grow in faithfulness to reach out to people we are close to.

2. TO POSITION OUR LOVED ONES TO HEAR THE GOSPEL.

Romans 10:14 - “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” How will they hear without someone preaching? This might seem obvious but what better way for people on our hearts to hear the gospel in an undistracted way? Whether it’s singing the gospel, preaching the gospel, or displaying the gospel through serving one another, a friend that comes to Church will by the grace of God hear the gospel preached.

3. TO PUT THE CHURCH ON DISPLAY.

John 13:34-35 - “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” I mentioned last Sunday during the pre-service prayer how I think the Church underestimates how powerful our community witness can be. When people observe our Church community and make comments like “this is a friendly Church” or “it’s great to see so many young people involved” or “this Church seems really passionate” – these are observations of the whole community who are gathered for one reason alone – we have been transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ! As guests and friends get to know a Church community, they witness the gospel effect not just on one person (that they can dismiss) but on a whole community.

4. TO ENGAGE THE UNCHURCHED.

1 Corinthians 14:23 - “…and outsiders or unbelievers enter…” Although the context of 1 Corinthians 14 is correction on the use of tongues and order in the Church, it’s interesting that Paul speaks of unbelievers AND outsiders. He creates a whole category of people. In our day, we have many relationships where we just don’t know the heart of our friend or family member. Unchurched people talk and seem like they are believers, but they have not prioritized the Church. They fit the description “unchurched.” It can be difficult for an unbeliever completely foreign to Christianity to enter a Church service but for the “unchurched” they know what to expect.

5. TO HAVE A COMMUNITY PRESENCE.

Matthew 5:14-16 - “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden…” In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Jesus teaching certainly has individual application but a city is more than one person. An Invitation Sunday (verbiage we use inside the Church) or Community Event allows us to shine our corporate light to the community.

Out of all the things that matter in your life, your Christology must matter most. Nothing matters more than what you believe about Jesus and how you respond to Jesus. Because Christ is supreme and sufficient, he should tower over our lives and draw us to him in every aspect of life. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians - Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 1:15-20
TITLE: JESUS!
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: It’s all about Jesus!

POINTS:
1.  The Supremacy of Christ over His Creation
2. The Sufficiency of Christ for Our Reconciliation

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”I was born and raised in NW, Washington. Naturally, I have spent much time in the city of Seattle. The views can be breathtaking on a sunny day in the right spot. The blue waters of Puget Sound give way to the brilliant Seattle skyline that stands against the backdrop of the lush greenery and looming Cascade Mountain Range. And towering above it all is Mt. Rainier. Everything on the horizon gives way and draws your gaze to the snowcapped volcano that rises 14,410 above the ground. If you fly into Seattle on a cloudy day, the rugged ice-capped peak rises from the sea of clouds. Whether from the ground or the air, it's a majestic sight.”

“Our text today is the Mt. Rainier of Colossians. Paul's words rise above everything he's said to this point and all he will say hereafter. The first nineteen verses of Colossians have been building up to this point, and the seventy-five verses that follow flow from our text today.”

“Our text can't be disconnected from 12-14, where Paul reminds the Colossians what God has done for them in Christ. Once living in darkness, they have been welcomed into God's kingdom of light, where they share in the blessings of God as sinners fully forgiven and redeemed, qualified in Christ for divine mercy and grace instead of divine judgment and wrath. TRANSLATION: Jesus is their sure and heavenly hope in life and death.”

“Now, in 15-20, it's as if Paul pulls back the curtain. And as he does, there's a shift. Everything changes as the towering assertions of Christ consume Paul's thoughts. The you's and I's of the first 14 verses give way to the he's and him's. Ten times, Paul uses phrases He is, by him, through him, or for him. The breadth of these terms is emphasized by the all seven times. The message is simple: It's all about Jesus!”

“Out of all the things that matter in your life, your Christology must matter most. Nothing matters more than what you believe about Jesus and how you respond to Jesus. Because Christ is supreme and sufficient, he should tower over our lives and draw us to him in every aspect of life.”

“Paul begins by telling us who Christ is, first as it relates to God—(15) He is the image of the invisible God.”

“Jesus makes the invisible God of the universe visible. From all eternity and for all eternity, Jesus shines forth the image and glory of God. Don't try to figure it out; just stand in awe and wonder!”

“Then Paul describes who Jesus is as it relates to creation—(15) Jesus is the firstborn of all creation. Jesus is the preexistent Son who makes the invisible God visible and is the Lord over all creation.”

“In early church history, the term firstborn was a source of great confusion. The third-century heresy known as Arianism taught that Jesus as the firstborn of all creation meant he was part of God's creation, stripping him of deity. But the term firstborn here does not have anything to do with time or order; it's about rank and authority. Christ is the firstborn of all creation, not because he was born first but because he existed before and is supreme over creation.”

“As the creator of ALL things, Jesus is the GOAL of ALL creation. See the phrase for him; some have translated it as toward. The point becomes even more powerful. ALL of creation begins and ends with Jesus. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the END. ALL things, from the unseen to the majestic Mt. Rainier, ALL of it finds their ultimate goal in Jesus.” 

“Including you and me. Relationships. Money. Job. Intellect. Thoughts. Decision-making. Parenting and grandparenting. Marriage. Body. Gifts. Evangelism. Bible reading. Opportunities. Leisure. Trials. Jesus is the goal of you.”

“The tense of the verb hold is present, meaning it's a continual action. Jesus continually, moment by moment, holds his creation together. With a word, everything would cease to exist. The message to us is the same as the Colossians—This is your Savior!”

“Did you expect that? In this towering text, did you expect Paul to go from Christ supreme over the cosmos to head of the church?  And by head of the church—don't miss the metaphor—just as the head is connected to the human body, Christ as head of the body is connected to the church.”

“That means two things: 1. The place Christ's supremacy is expressed most gloriously and most clearly is the church and uniquely when the local church gathers. 2. In Christ, you are personally and intimately connected to the supreme source of wisdom, life, and power. For a church tempted to look to other places for superior spiritual knowledge and power, Paul says—Stop looking! You have Christ and Christ is all you need.”

“Simply put, Jesus' resurrection was the beginning of making all things new. More than that, he is the new beginning. He is the author of new life in the age of the Spirit that the OT points to and Acts unpacks. Those once dead in sin are now raised to life and reborn as new creations. This puts Jesus at the center of everything we are, do, and proclaim.”

“it makes Jesus—in the words of Paul at the end of 18—that in everything he might be preeminent. In all we do, from church to leisure, Christ is the most treasured. Most loved. Most pursued. Most celebrated. Most trusted. This is who the gospel has brought you to. This is who loves you. This is who you belong to. This is who we are inseparably united with. This is who has your days in his hands and is working all things for your good. This is who is coming back for you.”

“This is what it means to live a gospel-centered life: Live with Jesus at the center of your existence. That's God's desire. And Christ is worthy and sufficient to be the center of your existence.”

“Paul says Christ is preeminent because in him dwells the fullness of God. Ponder Paul's claim. All that God is. All that God offers. All His purposes. His power. His presence. His wisdom. It dwells in Christ. Outside of Jesus, we have none of God. With Jesus, we lack nothing from God!”

“If you know Christ, you lack nothing for life and godliness. No matter what you think you're lacking. No matter how inadequate you feel. In Christ, you have all of God that He wants you to have in this life. I know that sounds impossible, but here's what makes it certain—read 19-20.”

“Paul ends where he ended in 14—the cross. The one in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. The visible image of the invisible God. The one whom all things were created by, through, and for. The one who reigns supreme over all creation. That one condescended to us—God Incarnate. He, driven by His Father's glory and love for you, willingly left heaven, took on flesh, and gave himself unto death, so that, by his blood that covers every sin, sinners like you and I would be reconciled (20), peace with God, having life, not only in this life but the life to come in heaven when all of creation will be made new in the light and presence of Jesus, the preeminent One of eternal glory!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Timothy 6:16, John 4:24 - God cannot be seen
John 1:18, Hebrews 1:3 - But Christ is His image. Jesus makes the invisible God visible!

QUOTES:
John Piper - “All that came into being exists for Christ—that is, it exists to display the greatness of Christ. Nothing—nothing!—in the universe exists for its own sake. Everything from the bottom of the oceans to the top of the mountains, from the smallest particle to the biggest star, from the most boring school subject to the most fascinating science, from the ugliest cockroach to the most beautiful human, from the greatest saint to the most wicked genocidal dictator—everything that exists, exists to make the greatness of Christ more fully known—including you, and the person you have the hardest time liking.”

Mark Jones - “There is something in Christ more excellent and comely than the office of a Savior; the greatness of his person is more excellent than the salvation procured by his death.” Mr. Jones adds—”The glory of his person outweighs even the glory of his work on our behalf. However, who he is enabled him to do what no man is capable of: die in the place of a multitude of sinners. We praise him first for who he is and then for what he accomplished.”

APPLICATION:
- Do you struggle with "church?"—The problem isn't the church; it's your Christology.

Paul wrote this towering text because certain teachings that diminished the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ were hindering the Colossians from seeing and living a gospel-centered life. What is hindering or even diminishing Christ's place in your life? Whatever it is, I leave you with these words as application:

John Piper - “If your heart ever wavers and grows cold, go here [Colossians 1:15-20]; memorize this litany of glories and ask God to give you affections that correspond to the measure of this greatness. If any person or any power or any wisdom or any love awakens any admiration or any amazement or any joy, let it be the greatest Person and the greatest power and the greatest wisdom and the greatest love that exists, Jesus Christ.”

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)
Bless The Lord O My Soul (Psalm 103)
Come Thou Fount
We Receive
Glorious Christ

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 1:21-23

Colossians 1:9-20 form one long sentence in the original. Paul gets started up and he doesn’t stop. The effect is one of the richest sections in Scripture. Paul’s desire is to root his readers in their gospel identity before he exhorts them on how to live. Paul knows, to quote David Prior—believers never move on from the cross of Christ, only into a more profound understanding of the cross. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians - Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 1:9-14
TITLE: Knowing Is Growing
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: The more you know the more you grow.

POINTS:
1.  A Godward Perspective
2. A Worthy Life

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”…after 37 years of marriage, here’s my experience—The more I learn about Donna, the more I love her and the more I love her the more I know about her. It’s a beautiful cause and effect. That cause and effect principle operates in the Christian life as well. Colossians 1:9-20 form one long sentence in the original. Paul gets started up and he doesn’t stop. The effect is one of the richest sections in Scripture.”

“The more we understand God’s will, the more our worldview is shaped by the gospel, the more Godward our perspective is, the more our lives reflect His glory. The more you know the more you grow.”

“Paul’s begins 9—And so, from the day we heard. What did they hear? They heard from Epaphras (3-8) about their faith in Jesus and their love for one another, that was born out of their hope of heaven. The gospel they believe is real. Their faith in Jesus is real. Their hope of heaven is real. This undeniable reality that Paul is so thankful for fuels his prayersfor them.”

“What does Paul mean by the knowledge of God’s will? Is Paul referring to God’s private plan for individual Christian? God does have a plan for your life and it is good because He is good. But His plan for you is set in a much bigger plan. For Paul, the will of God here is His redemptive purposes.”

“Paul’s prayer is that their knowledge of God’s plan of redemption would grow more and more, notice end of 9—in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. In other words, they would increasingly understand life and their lives at the spiritual level.”

“Call it a cross-centered perspective, an eternal perspective, or a Godward perspective, Paul prays it would characterize the Colossians more and more.”

“As we will see in Ch. 2, some were trying to dupe the Colossians with other humanistic notions and philosophies that had an appearance of wisdom but were void of Christ, therefore, leading them away from Christ. So Paul prays they will see and understand all of life with a Godward perspective, which is that Christ is the center of God’s will and therefore the key to all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Don’t we need this prayer today?”

“Walking was a Jewish metaphor for how one lives their life. To walk in a manner worthy of the Lord is to live a life consistent with who God is and what Christ has done for you in the gospel. If you are in Christ, live like you are in Christ. Paul exhorted the churches this way often.”

“Walking in a manner worthy of the gospel can never be unattached to the gospel. That leads to either legalism (earning favor with God through behavior) or licentiousness (living like God doesn’t care how you live). [Be sure to be clear in your understanding of ‘justification (position before God) vs sanctification (practice before God in light of our position before God)’”

“A Fruitful Life - An apple tree bears apples because it’s an apple tree. Likewise, a Christian’s life should bear fruit that reflects who they are in Christ:

• Quick to forgive others because you have been forgiven in Christ

• Gracious and gentle toward one another because in Christ, God has been and continues to be gracious and gentle toward you 

• A heart for the lost because once you were lost but God set his affections on you and saved you. 

• A joyful willingness to sacrifice for the sake of the gospel because Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for you

We could go on but you get the picture. Bearing fruit in good works that reflect the nature of the gospel that shapes you.”

“A Knowledgeable Life - Don’t miss the circular nature of Paul’s thoughts—the knowledge of God’s redemptive will (9) compels us to live for His purposes (10). The more we live for God, bearing fruit, the more we grow in our knowledge and love of Him. It’s a spiritual cause and effect. This principle exists in the Christian life in two ways:

• Intellectual—Personal study, Sunday preaching, teaching ministries of the church, fellowship of CG

• Experiential—If you want to increase in your knowledge of God, throw yourself into what God is doing and in the doing you learn about God intimately.”

“The more you know of God in your head and heart, the more you want to serve and imitate God. The more you serve and imitate God, the more you learn about God. It’s an upward spiral that magnifies the power, beauty, and glory of God!”

“A Powerful Life - Here’s what we tend to forget: This is no ordinary power. Look at 11—We are strengthened with ALL power (sufficient for the task), according to His glorious might (God’s might is infinite). This is extraordinary power. It’s an immense power. It is power scaled to God Himself. Ultimately, it’s a resurrection power according to Paul in Ephesians. Paul takes God’s colossal power and applies it, not to miracles, but to everyday Christian living—endurance and patience. The Colossians needed endurance and patience to stand in the truth of the gospel in the face of false teaching. We need endurance and patience to trust God, be content in Christ, and stand in righteousness instead of complaining, growing bitter, and becoming despondent in difficult situations and with difficult people. That is impossible apart from the Spirit’s resurrection power at work in us.”

“Hears the deal: In the context of Paul’s prayer, the more you know the will of God and how He works it, the more you understand and experience the unmatched power of His Spirit at work in you, and the more your life will be marked by God-pleasing, Christ-exalting, joy-filled endurance and patience. And you say—Yet not I but Christ in me!”

“A Thankful Life - Paul has come full circle. In 3-8 he shared how thankful he is that they are part of God’s redemptive will. He begins this section exhorting them to grow in their knowledge of that will. He ends by reminding of their place in His will through the saving power of the gospel. And the only appropriate response to that knowledge and reality is a life of joyful gratitude to the Lord. If you are a Christian, you should be one of the most thankful people on the planet. Think about what Christ has done for you—He has brought you out of darkness into the light of His kingdom, fully forgiven and with the hope of heaven, sharing in the eternal and indescribable heavenly inheritance with the saints. God understood your greatest need and He provided an answer—the forgiveness of your sins through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Philippians 1:27
Ephesians 4:1
Galatians 2
Ephesians 1:19-20

QUOTES:
David Garland - “For Paul, understanding God’s will involves recognizing how Christ is the fulfillment of God’s redemptive purposes, how God’s salvation is open to all people, and how God intends for Christians to live in whatever situation they find themselves in.”

D.A. Carson - “Great endurance and patience: the expression suggests both the kind of stamina that gets under a burden and carries it with enduring fortitude, and the kind of stamina that knows how to possess its soul in patience. Those are not virtues that are popular in our age. We extol champagne: lots of fizz and a pretty good high, but having no nutritional value for the long haul. In an age when tempers are hot, quick solutions are ardently courted, success is revered, victory is cherished, independence is lauded, and easy triumphs are promised, "great endurance and patience" at first glance seem like less than stellar qualities. But the truth is, they are so far beyond human capacity that they require the power of the Spirit of God. These virtues enable the believer to survive with joy when persecuted, to triumph in self-composure and contentment when insulted, to trust God's all-wise and all-gracious providence when one is suffering like Job. When Jesus sees these virtues in us, he is well pleased.”

D.A. Carson - “If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.”

APPLICATION:
1. What role does the Bible play in your life?
2. How central is the church to your life?

Do you desire a more pleasing life to God? Are you spiritually struggling? Trust in the might of God through His Spirit, draw near to God in prayer, pursue Christ through His Word, and plug into your gospel preaching church.

BECAUSE: The more you understand and experience God’s will in Christ, the more you will grow in living for Christ to the pleasure of God. 

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Revive Us Again
Help Us See Christ
Man Of Sorrows
When You Move

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 1:15-20

What a joy it is to be part of Sovereign Grace Churches! Your financial partnership and prayers continue to be a means of God's grace in advancing the Gospel through our family of churches throughout the world. YOU, together with our Church, are making an eternal difference!

Mark Prater, the Executive Director of the Sovereign Grace Churches Global Leadership Team, recently provided the following encouragement and a list of Prayer Requests. We hope that you are encouraged by his words and ask you to join us in praying for these things.

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From Mark:

In his commentary on the book of Judges, Dale Ralph Davis writes this about prayer, “Yahweh’s hearing is the most crucial matter for all prayer…When God listens to our voice, we must never respond with a yawn. We will trivialize prayer whenever we forget the repeated miracle it involves, the gracious condescension of the King of glory, who stoops down to listen to our verbs and nouns, our adverbs and questions, our groans and tears.”

What an amazing, humbling truth that we must never take for granted. God listens! In gracious condescension, He stoops down and listens to our prayers. May that “repeated miracle” fuel our desire to pray for our shared mission, and for one another in Sovereign Grace.

As we pray, let us continue to be amazed that God listens!

Thanks for praying,

Mark

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sovereign grace churches fourth quarter 2024 prayer requests:

• Pray that God would give us opportunities to invite unbelievers and the unchurched to Sovereign Grace churches as we hold our Christmas-related events and services in December.

• Pray that God would give the members of Sovereign Grace churches opportunities to share the gospel with unbelieving family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers over the holiday season.

• Pray for the Sovereign Grace Churches Pastors Conference, November 5-7, 2024, in Orlando, FL, asking God to work in a way that our relationships among our churches are strengthened, pastors and wives are equipped for what God has called them to do, and that our family of churches is united in our shared gospel mission all for the glory of God alone.

• Pray for the annual Sovereign Grace Churches Council of Elders meeting on November 4, 2024, in Orlando, asking God to give our pastors wisdom to make decisions that strengthen our mission, foster our unity, and that best serve our churches.

• Pray for Bob Kauflin as he leads four Prepare Him Room events in December in Franklin, TN, Knoxville, TN, New Orleans, LA, and Louisville, KY. Pray for the musicians, vocalists, and staff joining Bob, asking that God grant them grace to use their gifts to make much of Christ as we celebrate His birth.

• Pray for Pat Tedeschi, currently a pastor at Greentree Church in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, who will be moving to London in early 2025 to lead Oasis International Church into partnership with Sovereign Grace. Pray that God would provide visas, housing, etc., for Pat and his wife Dana, and ask God to give Pat wisdom and help to lead Oasis Church to continue their gospel mission in London with a strong interdependency among the Sovereign Grace churches in Europe, and among our family of churches globally.

• Pray for the Philippine Pastors Institute, which started another academic year in September, looking to theologically equip 14 students. It’s the hope that through this Institute Sovereign Grace Philippines, and the Mindanao Region specifically, will continue to be faithful in gospel ministry for generations to come.

•  Pray that God would continue to provide financially for Sovereign Grace Churches so that we can fund the gospel opportunities He is giving us throughout the world.

Friday evening and yesterday, we looked at what the Scriptures say about the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts. Why devote a weekend to studying the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts? Because you, as a church, and our family of churches are continuationists, meaning that we believe the spiritual gifts are for today, and are to continue to be used until Christ returns. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT WEEKEND
TEXT: Ephesians 5:15-21
TITLE: Be Filled With The Spirit
PREACHER: Mark Prater

POINTS:
1.  Why Do We Need to Be Filled With the Spirit?
2. What is the effect of being filled with the Spirit?
3. How may we be filled with the Spirit?

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”To effectively use your gifts for the good of your church, and for your witness here in the Tucson area, you need the Holy Spirit and His power. This morning, we are going to look at a verse in Ephesians 5 that tells us, even commands us, to be people who are filled with the Spirit because that command is given, in part, to meet our need for God’s power.”

“Verse 18 is a command that is not to be disregarded. We know it’s a command because the language used here “be filled” is in the imperative mood meaning that this is a command, and it is a good command that meets our need.”

“At our conversion, when we are born again, we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3.) But it’s clear from this verse, that even though we are indwelt with the Spirit, we have a daily need to be filled with the Spirit. We know that because the language used in v.18 is not only written in the imperative mood, but also in the present tense. ‘Be filled.’”

“Paul doesn’t seem to think that a Christian can be too full of the Spirit. Rather, the present tense language assumes that we need more of the Spirit. For the believer being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time event but a continuous, daily on-going command and need.”

“We are commanded by God to be filled with the Spirit often, daily, continuously…”

“There are 12 references to the person and work of the Holy Spirit in this letter to the Ephesians and they reveal our need for the Spirit’s presence and work.”

“The presence of the Spirit in our lives meets our need of having a “guarantee of our eternal inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” (1:13) It is the Spirit that gives us wisdom, meeting our daily need for God’s wisdom, when we ask God for it in prayer. (1:17) It is in Christ that we are being built together in unity as a dwelling place for God by/in the Holy Spirit (2:22). It is through the Spirit that we receive God’s power when we pray and meets our daily need to grasp the h/l/w/b of Christ’s love for us, and the need for God’s power to use our spiritual gifts. (3:16) We are to pray at all times in the Spirit so that we will persevere in boldly proclaiming the gospel. (6:19) These references to the Spirit tell us that God gives us this good command to be filled with the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life, serve the church, be an effective gospel witness, and persevere in doing all of this until we possess our eternal inheritance. In other words, to do all of that, we need the work and power of the Spirit.”

“Did you note how this command is contrasted with being drunk with wine? In other words, Paul is asking what is influencing or controlling you? Either we are influenced by wine that we have drank, or we are influenced by the Spirit that fills us. We are to be filled with the Spirit because we have an ongoing need to be influenced by the Spirit in the way we live our lives. The influence of the Spirit in our lives is not some ecstatic event, rather the context tells us that influence is moral in nature resulting in spiritual and relational fruit. …we are to be people whose lives are so given over to the Spirit that the influence of the Spirit is to be as obvious as the influence of those who have drunk too much wine.”

“Paul wants us to be filled up with God himself. If you’re not aware of your need to be filled with the Spirit, consider for a moment that God is infinite, that He is unsearchable, that He unfathomable. In light of who God is, no wonder we, as God’s people, need to be filled daily by the Spirit for there is always more of God’s presence that we need and can receive.”

“Even though we are filled with the Spirit individually, contextually we see that the effect is a corporate one. READ vv.19-21. A community of believers that is filled with the Spirit addresses one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs which is partly a reference to the teaching of Scripture. It is a community that sings wholeheartedly to God. It is a group of people known for their gratitude for all things at all times and it is a community of people that is marked by mutual submission to one another out of reverence for Christ rather than being demanding of one another. Just as its obvious that a person is drunk with wine by the way they conduct themselves, a community of believers is obviously filled with the Spirit by the way they conduct themselves, seen in how they relate to one another and to God.”

“I don’t know about you, but I daily face situations and issues that I don’t know what to do, or how to handle them. These are moments to pray for the Spirit’s filling and fresh impartations of the Spirit’s wisdom, guidance, and power. Don’t waste those perplexing times, rather turn them into passionate prayers. And when it comes to using our spiritual gifts, we must pray for the Spirit to lead us and to give us power. What we have enjoyed this weekend can only be explained by the work of the Spirit as He has empowered our gifts. When your soul is dry, thirst for Jesus, and ask Him to fill you with the Spirit. Brothers and sisters, our response to this command to be filled with the Spirit must be marked by persistent prayers where we ask the Father and the Son to give us the Spirit.”

“Aware of our need for the Spirit, let us invite the Spirit’s presence, work, and power by asking the Lord to fill us with the Spirit.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 4:26-32
Galatians 5:25
John 7:37-39
Luke 11:13

QUOTES:
Sovereign Grace Statement of Faith, pgs. 44-45 - “The full range of spiritual gifts remain at work in the church and are given for the good of the church and its witness to the world. We are therefore to earnestly desire and practice them until Christ returns.”

Richard Gaffin - “This command…is relevant to all believers throughout the whole of their lives. No believer may presume to have experienced a definitive filling of the Spirit so that the command of verse 18 no longer applies. Short of death or the Lord’s return, it continues in effect for every believer.”

Greg Allison & Andreas Köstenberger - “The expected or intended response to this command is for Christians to yield to the Holy Spirit, to be controlled-pervaded or permeated-by the Spirit in all their ways, to consciously place themselves under the guidance of the Spirit moment by moment.”

A.M. Stibbs and J.I. Packer - “Now imagine a doctor telling a patient that he is not using his lungs properly, and that he needs to learn to breathe more deeply. If the patient were like some seekers after the fullness of the Spirit, his immediate reaction would be to ask the doctor to produce his lung pump, and properly fill his lungs with air for him then and there! But the doctor’s prescription would be daily breathing exercises, by which he would himself learn to take in more air, and thus gradually to increase his capacity for intake…Something similar applies to the Christian’s experience of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The extent to which the Spirit actually penetrates and possesses every moment of our time, every corner of our lives, and every sphere of our thought and activity, is always capable of enlargement.”

Gordon Fee - “Here, then, is the ultimate imperative in the Pauline corpus: God’s people so filled with the Spirit’s own presence that they come to know God in all his fullness and reflect such in the way they live in relationship to one another and to God himself.”

J.I. Packer - “Christians are meant to grow spiritually through, and within, and under, the fullness of the Spirit’s new covenant ministry.”

J.I. Packer - “It is as if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over on Jesus, who stands facing us. The Spirit’s message to us is never, “Look at me; listen to me; come to me; get to know me,” but always, “Look at him and see him, and see his glory; get to know him, and hear his word; go to him, and have life; get to know him, and taste his gift of joy and peace.”

Sovereign Grace Statement of Faith, pg. 43 - “The Spirit also desires to fill God’s people continually with increased power for Christian life and witness. To be filled with the Spirit is to be more fully under his influence, more aware of his presence, and more effective in his service. All Christians, therefore, must continually seek to be filled with the Spirit by living and praying in such a way that invites the Spirit’s work among us…”

APPLICATION:
Q. Are you aware of your daily need to be filled with the Spirit?

How may we be filled with the Spirit? Four recommendations:
1. Pursue living a holy life - Chapter 4 here in Ephesians ends by telling us that sin grieves the Holy Spirit!
2. Walk by the Spirit - Paul says that we walk by the Spirit by not gratifying the desires of the flesh, rather we produce the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) and we are people who are open to the Spirit’s leading, and promptings even when they are spontaneous and unplanned.
3. Thirst for Jesus - The more we are aware of our thirst, the more we see our need for Jesus and our need to be filled with the Spirit. Even though the Spirit works in distinct ways, His work consistently points to Christ.
4. Pray for the filling of the Spirit - We are to ask the Father to give us, to fill us, with the Holy Spirit. In addition, the context of Luke 11 teaches us to be persistent in prayer, which means that we should pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit repeatedly and persistently asking for fresh impartations of the Spirit’s power.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Sing
God Is Faithful
He Will Hold Me Fast
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
Help Us See Christ

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 1:9-14

Our text today is a celebration. From a heart overflowing with thanksgiving, Paul celebrates the Colossians. As we listen in, my prayer is that we will be compelled to apply what he is modeling to our lives and church. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians: Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 1:3-8
TITLE: Something Worth Celebrating
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. Growing in Thankfulness for the Church
2. Remaining Confident in the Message of the Church

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”I am grateful that early in our Christian walk we were part of a church that emphasized and prioritized the biblical practice of seeing and celebrating God’s work in one another. Sad to say, it’s a dying discipline. And as it dies, a God-ordained means of joy, comfort, and Christ-exalting worship die with it.”

“The discipline was alive and well with the Apostle Paul. He was the master of seeing and celebrating Christ in others. To be with Paul was to be reminded of God’s multi-faceted goodness toward you and love for you in Christ Jesus.”

“A hallmark of Paul’s care of the church—whether he planted it or not (Paul didn’t plant the church in Colossae)—was his thankfulness for the church. Paul was passionate about God’s people and that passion was most revealed in His thankfulness expressed for and to the local church.”

“If anyone has seen the dark underbelly of the church, it was Paul. Paul was personally involved in so much of the doctrinal and relational messiness of the first-century church, but his thankfulness for the church never waned.”

“Paul’s thankfulness is not merely a general attitude; he points out three specific things he sees in them: their faith, their love, their hope.”

“Faith. This is where true Christianity begins. John 3:16-18, Acts 16:31, Romans 4:4-5 and Ch. 10, they all teach that sinners are saved, not through behavior, through faith.”

“Whenever we talk about having faith, we have to ask—Faith in what? The world loves faith. Faith is good. Faith is an expression of a mentally healthy and balanced life—You gotta have faith. Faith in yourself. Faith in reincarnation. Faith in your faith. It doesn’t matter. So as long as you have faith something, you’re okay. The problem with that viewpoint is that there is no inherent value in faith. Faith in your faith is works. Faith must be attached to something. It’s the object of faith that has value and power.”

“Paul is clear in 4 that the object of the Colossians' faith is Jesus. They have faith in Christ Jesus. Nothing else. No one else. They are saints and faithful brothers by faith alone in Christ alone. Salvation is not something you can earn. It’s a gift that comes by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. The Colossians' faith came as they heard and understood and TRUSTED in the gospel message from Epaphras.”

“The church in Colossae, and this church, are a group of people who trust Christ personally, exclusively, and continually. This is critical because we will see in Ch 2 that their faith in Christ alone was being challenged by certain people as insufficient. So Paul encourages them by celebrating their faith in Jesus Christ.”

“Their faith in Jesus has spilled over into their relationships with one another—namely, love for one another. At the heart of the Christian life is love. It begins with a divine love initiated by God, accomplished in the gospel work of Jesus, and applied to the hearts of unlovable sinners by the Holy Spirit through faith.”

“Paul has heard of the Colossians faith working through love for one another (Galatians 5:6). So he celebrates it, he encourages them in it, and he thanks God for it because it their love for one another is evidence that their faith in Jesus alone is real and sufficient because it reflects the love of the gospel that has come to them.”

“Paul refers to their hope, not as a subjective act of hoping isolated from their faith and love, but as the basis of their faith and love. It‘s not a verb, it’s a noun. Notice 5 again. Paul thanks God for their faith and love—because of the hope laid up in heaven for you. Of this (what’s this—it’s hope) you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel. In other words, the object of hope is Christ himself.”

“Once the Colossians had been without hope in this world. But now, through the gospel, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, in which they believe and stand in Christ, heaven, they have a heavenly hope. A sure future with the risen Christ in the glorious presence of God that will never end. In Christ, God no longer counts their sins against them. In Christ, Death has lost its sting because it . leads to an eternal life of immeasurable riches. As 1:27 says—Christ IS their sure and certain hope of glory because in him all God’s promises are Yes and Amen.”

“For so many people, hope is nothing more than a foundationless and blind optimism. But the gospel offers sure and lasting hope because it’s a  hope rooted in the living Christ, in whom God is faithful to all His promises.”

“…the Colossians faith in Jesus, the promised Messiah, was a fulfillment of the ancient and sacred promise of the OT that the gospel will go to the nations, that includes the Gentile Colossians.”

“The gospel is a real message with real power being used by a real God to save and sanctify real sinners. The bearing fruit is that people are being saved. The growing isn’t numbers, it’s sanctification—those who have been saved growing more and more in Christ as they go about the gospel mission.”

“This week I thought about how this applies to our desires to establish a CG on the Eastside this year with the hopes of planting a church in the future. It’s scary. How will we do it? What if we fail? Are we too small? When Paul tells the Colossians the gospel is bearing fruit and growing, he reminds us - As we go, we will grow.”

“For a church tempted to doubt the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ, this was just what they needed—to be spurred on in their gospel hope to reject error and persevere in the faith. Is it what you need today?”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 119:74
John 3:16-18
Acts 16:31
Romans 4:4-5, and ch. 10
1 John 4:9-10
Titus 2:11-13

QUOTES:
Charles Bridges - “How cheering is the sight of a man of God!  How refreshing his converse! How satisfactory and enlivening is the exhibition of his faith! The goodness of God to one becomes thus the joy and comfort of all.”

B.B. Warfield - “It is not, strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith. The saving power resides exclusively, not in the act of faith or the attitude of faith or the nature of faith, but in the object of faith.”

H.B. Charles - “Bearing fruit describes the power of the gospel among unbelievers; growing describes the power of the gospel among believers. As we share the gospel, we should be like roots, not pipes. Water passes through pipes without any positive effect on the pipes. But as water passes through the roots of a tree, the tree grows stronger. As the gospel is bearing fruit among the lost, it should be growing and deepening and increasing among the saints. This is the power of the gospel…it can bear fruit and grow at the same time.”

APPLICATION:
Q. How are you cultivating a thankful heart for your church? Starting Point: Focus on God’s grace evident in your church not your personal disappointments with your church.

Q. What is the object of your hope today?

• As we step into the unknown, even in faith, it can be scary—grow in trusting God

• As we leave our comfort zones—grow in contentment in Christ

• As we stumble and make mistakes—grow in conviction that God builds His church, not us

• As we make certain sacrifices for the sake of Christ—grow in seeing Christ as our only treasure

• As we give ourselves to what seems impossible—grow in experiencing the enabling grace and power of the Spirit

As we Go not Knowing, proclaiming, and demonstrating the hope we have in Christ on the East Side, the gospel will bear fruit through us and in us. 

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
In Christ Alone
All I Have Is Christ
We Receive
Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Ephesians 5:15-21

Who am I? It’s one of the most pressing and profound questions anyone must answer. The question, of course, is about identity. In a day when identity is increasingly rooted in how one feels about self, what one experiences in life, or what one does in life, the question is critical. If you’re a Christian, there is only one way to answer the identity question. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians: Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 1:1-2
TITLE: The Glory of A Greeting
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA:

POINTS:
1. In Christ, We Identify with Christ Alone
2. In Christ, We View Life Through the Gospel Always

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
” The truth is we share a common struggle in our fallenness: We are prone to live life out of our stations and struggles in life instead of our identity in Jesus Christ. In doing so, we miss so much joy and wonder that is ours as the victorious children of God. That’s where Colossians comes in. Colossians is a celebration. It’s a celebration, first, of the preeminent and victorious Christ. Over the next few months, you will find that Colossians, as a whole, is the most Christ-centered book in the Bible.”

“Second, Colossians is a celebration of being Alive in Christ. Because our identity is found in the Victorious One, we can live as victors in this fallen and challenging world.”

“That is your pastor’s prayer for this series: That we would increasingly live every day not out of our suffering but out of our victory in Jesus, living close to the cross, believing the gospel speaks to every part of life, and experiencing the joy and wonder of belonging to God, no matter the season we find ourselves in.”

“The first verse in Colossians makes it clear that Paul wrote it. He wrote this letter probably while imprisoned in Rome around 62 AD, about the same time he wrote Ephesians and Philemon. Paul is writing to a primarily Gentile church started and pastored by a man named Epaphras in Colossae (Scholarly consensus around Acts 19:10). Epaphras brought the gospel back to his hometown, a small and sleepy town roughly 100 miles east of Ephesus in modern-day Turkey. He is writing to strengthen the church against certain ideas and philosophies (primarily Jewish) that deviated from the gospel. Paul’s strategy: show them the supremacy, sufficiency, and all-satisfying nature of Jesus (15-20) which now defines their lives.”

“There is plenty going on in Colossians, but the heart of its message is a call and privilege to identify with and stand in Christ.”

“Paul’s letters are never shaped by mere stylistic formulas. There is Glory in a Greeting for Paul. His letters, from the opening to the closing words, are expressions of his deep affection, appreciation, and divinely appointed care for the churches. The Theology, Christology, and the Ecclesiology Paul packs into his greeting will be unpacked in the rest of the letter.”

“Paul uses two different terms to describe the believers in Colossae: First, Paul refers to them as saints, or you could translate that as—holy ones. Not holy in the sense of purity, that’s one use of the word. There’s a second use of holy in Scripture—being set apart. Paul reminds them that just as He is an Apostle—by the will of God (1)—by the will of God, they have been set apart to be His people. They might not be apostles like Paul, but out of millions of lost, God chose them, setting them apart to be His. Second, Paul refers to them as faithful brothers. Like saints, faithful can be used in two ways—reliable and believing. Paul repeatedly exhorts the Colossians to be faithful to the gospel, particularly in the face of false teaching. But here, Paul uses the greeting to establish their new and true identity in the gospel.”  

“They are faithful brothers in that they have faith in Jesus. They have heard and believed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for their salvation.”

“These things are true about them for one reason: their union with Christ. This is the repeated refrain of Colossians—They are in Christ.”

“To be in Christ means he encompasses your entire life. You may be a Tucsonan, a mother, a student, or a doctor, but the only identity that matters is your identity in Christ. In Ch. 2, Paul says—Christ’s death becomes our death, his burial our burial, his resurrection our resurrection, and ultimately Christ’s victory our victory.”

“Jesus is not a condiment we add to who we are. He is our all in all—our complete identity.”

“If you’re a Christian, it doesn’t matter how accomplished, intelligent, or popular you are. The best thing about your life, the only thing that eternally matters about you, is you are in Christ, and he is your hope of glory in life and death!”

“A primary point Paul makes in Colossians is the various ways the believers in Colossae benefit from God’s grace. Of course, that begins with the unmerited favor of God (grace) to sinners through the forgiveness of the cross that removes God’s deserved wrath and justifies them before God (peace). But grace and peace are connected not only to future hope but also to their present lives.”

“In Christ, not only have they received saving grace that brings eternal peace, but God provides ongoing grace and peace that surpasses all understanding in even the most challenging trial because, in Christ, they belong to him. They can live faithful lives before the Lord because they know God will provide grace for any season, and their greatest need has been dealt with—sins forgiven, righteousness imputed, justified before God, and therefore, at peace with God.”

“If we are in Christ, we know grace and live by grace so we can face life and live for the Lord with true peace in our hearts instead of anger and fear.”

“Colossians was written almost two millennia ago. But its message is as real as we are gathered and unpacking it. The Spirit intends that Colossians shapes our self-view as we live on gospel mission together in Tucson, AZ.”

“Colossians isn’t a Sunday snack. It’s a divine manifesto of the supremacy of Christ, who is the sure hope of glory for his people. As an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, Paul writes it with the authority of God Himself. The Lord desires that we understand, experience, and apply its transforming and unchanging truths to every aspect of life right here where God has us in Tucson.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Acts 17:28

QUOTES:
Jerry Bridges - “As Christians, our identity is to be found in our relationship with Jesus Christ, not in our subjective and often negative life experiences.”

David Garland - “The recipients may be Colossians, but the only identity that matters to God is that they are Christians.”

Kent Hughes - “Best of all, they were in Christ, which is one of the deepest and most joyous of mysteries. In barest terms, it means the Colossians, and indeed all authentic believers,  partook of all that Christ had done, all that he was (and is), and all that he would ever be.”

Bryan Chapell - “We should understand that, fundamentally, our faith is not about what we do (as important as that is), nor is it about what we think (as important as that is). Our faith is fundamentally strengthened by understanding who we are through the indwelling Christ. We are who we are because of our union with Him.”

G.K. Beale - “This grace and peace is to enable them to live set-apart lives and be faithful as they live in Colossae.”

John Woodhouse - “The wonderful theological assertions that have been made (holy, believing, brothers, in Christ) apply to a particular group of real people in a specific location in this world. They are not abstract ideas. They are as real as the people gathered in Philemon’s house in Colossae, listening to this letter being read.”

APPLICATION:
- Do you think about yourself and each other this way? To be in Christ means you are exclusively and inseparably joined to him (Ch 2). To be in Christ means you are part of a new family, a spiritual family, the ultimate family, serving and encouraging and fellowshipping with one another (Ch. 3-4). To be in Christ means HE shapes and determines your behavior. We can’t love the world or be into “spirituality” and be in Christ (Ch 2-3).

- What are these glasses for you? The Bible makes it abundantly clear the mark of true spiritual maturity isn’t how well you know the Bible. It’s not how doctrinally astute you are. True spiritual maturity is not about how well you can articulate complex doctrines. Spiritual maturity is revealed in a heart that views and interprets life through the lens of the gospel more and more. Because you are in Christ, your life and the world you live in are no longer about earthly matters; it’s about redemption and reconciliation and all things being made new in Jesus Christ. Do you increasingly see life through the lens of the gospel?

There is one goal: The glory of God revealed in His church as we increasingly live out of our identity in Christ because we have been made alive with Christ.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Your Name is Matchless
Glorious Christ
Beautiful Lord
Help Us See Christ

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 1:3-8

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

Forge is this saturday!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5TH.
BREAKFAST WILL BE SERVED AT 8AM.

Erik Rangel, who serves as the senior pastor at the Sovereign Grace Church in Yuma (Legacy Church), will be coming to teach the men in our church how the bible speaks to men about sexual temptation.

Bring your teen sons and your friends. All men are invited!

For more information, contact Derek Overstreet.

New sermon series - COLOSSIANS: ALIVE IN CHRIST

We are excited to study the book of Colossians as a church starting THIS Sunday, October 6th.

If you haven’t yet received your free copy of the Colossians ESV Scripture Journal, you can pick one up at the Information Center on Sunday morning.

The Bridge Course

There are TWO Bridge Courses starting on Tuesday, October 8th! One of the courses will be meeting at the Church and the other at Coffee X Change Bistro on the Eastside at Tanque Verde & Kolb. 

Do you have one person you can invite? Now is the time to take action! 

For a list of the questions and topics for each session, go to BridgeCourse.org. If you want to get involved or learn more, contact Tim Lambros.

relay: a sovereign GRACE cONFERENCE FOR YOUNG adults

The RELAY Conference exists to inspire young adults to live for the glory of Christ.

If you are between the ages of 16 to early 30’s, please join us for a brief meeting on Sunday, October 13th, after the service to discuss the RELAY CONFERENCE. Derek will provide a breakdown of the costs and share other helpful details about this exciting event. We'd love to have you join us!

For more details and registration information, visit the RELAY SITE HERE.

Membership Class

SUNDAYS, OCT 13TH, OCT 20TH, OCT 27TH, AND NOV 3RD AFTER THE SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE.

If you are interested in becoming a member or learning more about Sovereign Grace Church, please join us for the upcoming Membership Class!

Childcare and lunch will be provided.

To sign up, please reach out to Tom Wilkins or visit the Information Center on Sunday morning.

gifts of the spirit weekend with

mark prater

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18TH, FROM 7PM-9PM & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19TH, FROM 9AM-2PM.

Join us as we allow the Scriptures to inform us about the gifts God gives his people through the Spirit!

Lunch and childcare will be provided on Saturday.

To sign up or find out more about this event, please CLICK HERE.

SG YOUTH teaching

Pray for the youth as they kick off the first teaching of the year on October 20th!

This year, Derek will be taking the youth through a five-part series titled, CAPTURE:
October 20th - The Greatness of God
December 1st - The Significance of Truth
January 26th - The Beauty of Holiness
February 23rd - The Centrality of Love
April 27th - The Value of Ambition

Pray that God uses this series to reach the hearts of the students and also pray for Derek as he prepares for these teachings.

sovereign grace pastors conference

Please pray for your pastors and their wives as they travel to Orlando, Florida to attend the Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference from November 5th through the 7th.

Invitation sunday

SAVE THE DATE! Sunday, November 17th is our first Invitation Sunday/Community event.

This is a Church-wide focus on inviting friends, neighbors, or anyone else to join us for church and then a BBQ following the service.

More details to come!

Leadership Training - Part 1

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD

This free training is open to everyone—men, women, youth, friends, and anyone who wants to grow in their understanding of biblical leadership.

More details will be coming soon! If you're interested in attending this event, please sign up below, and we'll send you the details as they become available.

SIGN UP HERE!