There is no other knowledge you must obtain, wisdom you must discover, or practices you must keep. Jesus is the supreme and sufficient Savior. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians: Alive in Christ
TEXT: Colossians 2:8-15
TITLE:  As Good As It Gets
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Don’t be fooled; knowing Christ is as good as it gets.

POINTS:
1. Live alert to spiritual dangers
2. Live out of your union with Christ
3. Live free in the gospel

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Today’s text warns us of another kind of mixology—a spiritual mixology. To this point in the letter, Paul has repeatedly emphasized the Colossian's completeness in Christ. To know Jesus by faith is to know all you need to know to belong to God. There is no other knowledge you must obtain, wisdom you must discover, or practices you must keep. Jesus is the supreme and sufficient Savior.”

“The claim of the gospel is that if you have faith in Jesus, then you are in union with Christ, and you lack absolutely nothing regarding your standing with God. So how do we live in the good of that?”

“Our text begins with a warning. Of course, the presence of a warning means the possibility of danger. In 8, Paul says—See to it that no one takes you captive. The word captive is vivid. The imagery is a kidnapping. A person being carried away over someone’s shoulder. Paul warns the Colossians to live alert so they are not carried away from their only hope, Christ. Paul explains what they are to be on the alert for.”

“As it does today, in the first century, philosophy covered a wide range of ideas and practices meant to give one a deeper understanding and fuller experience of life. Some of it helpful. Some of it useless. In this context, Paul is warning about systems of thought and methods of living, probably a mix of Jewish tradition (16-23) and pagan belief, that was being integrated with the gospel as gospel.”

“Paul says—Don’t be fooled; it’s just empty deceit. It’s vain, worthless, and void of true spiritual value. Like sinking sand, it has no firm basis. Here’s why:  (8) It’s according to human tradition. It’s man-made. It’s preference, not truth. Remember 6-7—Build your life on what you received—Christ Jesus the Lord.”

“[Paul] tells us is to live alert to being carried away by worldviews and perspectives that promise greater purpose and fullness of life. WHY? Look at the end of 8—they are not according to Christ. They are not rooted in the gospel you heard from Epaphras (1:7). They are not centered on the one who is supreme over all creation and sufficient for salvation (1:15-20). You may not believe in mythical gods or follow the stars. But Paul’s warning is equally if not more important to us today. How many people blend Christianity with worldly philosophies?”

“The gospel is meant to be at the center of all our thinking and living.”

“Are you about to be kidnapped? Paul says—Beware of spiritual mixology. Be on the lookout for any ideas or teaching, no matter how plausible it may be, that promises greater blessing and spirituality apart from the gospel.”

“Paul spends the rest of the text showing the Colossians why all they need is Christ, emphasizing what God has done for them in Christ. In doing so, he shows any human and worldly philosophy to be ridiculous and empty, no matter how plausible they sound.”

“Paul counters the empty philosophies of the world to the fullness of God in Christ—read 9-10. The word dwelling should take us back to the OT, reminding us how God has revealed Himself throughout redemptive history. The God who once dwelled with His people on Mt. Zion, in the Tabernacle, then the Temple of Jerusalem, now dwells with His people in Jesus Christ. It’s the Christmas miracle of the Incarnation—Jesus was, is, and forever will be God in the flesh.”

“Jesus isn’t a shadow or virtual reality. Jesus is the wisdom, majesty, holiness, and glory of God made flesh who has been given all rule and authority. If Jesus is the fullness of God in every way—(10) you have been filled in him—then you have all the fullness of God you can ever possess in this life because in Christ God has given Himself to you. So, to have Christ is to lack absolutely nothing before God.”

“In this context, Paul uses circumcision to communicate the profound reality of their union with Christ. Look at 11 again—In him you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands (not physical but spiritual—a circumcision of the heart) by putting off the body of the flesh (that’s the spiritual circumcision—death of our old nature with its passions and desires according to Gal 5:24) by the circumcision of Christ. The circumcision of Christ being his death on the cross.”

“So the circumcision here is a graphic illustration of the death of Christ, in which we share through the miracle of regeneration where our old heart is stripped away (circumcised) in the spiritual death of the old man now made new by the Spirit. Notice the progression in 12—Having died in Christ, we were buried and raised with Christ, the spiritual reality demonstrated through baptism. Such is our union with Christ. We have spiritually died with Christ, were buried with Christ, and raised from the dead with Christ, so that, as it says in 13— we are made alive in Christ.”

“This is the glorious result of our union in Christ—full forgiveness. Notice Paul says we are forgiven of ALL our trespasses. The entire record of debt that stood against us was nailed to the cross with Christ.”

“Paul says the record of our debt was nailed to the cross with Christ. Picture a document that lists all the sins you ever committed. What a document that would be. What a lengthy document that would be. What a horrific document that would be. For every item on that document, you owe a debt to God. Impossible. But look at the precious words at the end of 14— This—that long horrific document of ALL your sin—he set aside, nailing it to the cross, effectively canceling it ALL.”

“The word canceling is a strong word. It means obliterate. The document with all your sins no longer exists. Your slate has been wiped clean before God. So that now, by faith, you are free to live life to the fullest. Free from the dominion of sin and free from the penalty of sin, you can seek a life of fullness that comes only by faith in Christ. Nothing else is needed, and no mixing is required because, through the death and resurrection of Jesus—read 15. Christ has won the battle. He has conquered sin, death, and evil. And because Christ has conquered, we have conquered and will conquer.”

QUOTES:
Kent Hughes - “Christ’s circumcision on the cross involved not the stripping away of a small piece of flesh, but the violent removal of his entire body in death.”

APPLICATION:
Where do you go to make sense out of life? As we turn the corner into the new year, some self-evaluation is good:

1. How much time do you spend on social media? Personal musings and sound bites aren’t a good place to find the purpose of life. 

2. How discerning are you about the resources you read? Do you have a system to discern them

3. How often do you submit your thoughts to others? It’s easy to live in a bubble.

4. BIG ONE: How much time do you spend in God’s word? 

See to it that in your honest desire to grow as a Christian, you aren’t taken captive by the things that diminish and distort Christ. You don’t need something new; you need something true, according to Jesus. Anything less will carry you away from God, and you lose.

Don’t be fooled; knowing Christ is as good as it gets.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Man Of Sorrows
It Was Finished Upon That Cross
We Receive
My Redeemers Love

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 2:16-17

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

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

By Tripp, Paul David

Buy on Amazon

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

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

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