These are the notes from the talk I gave during the fifth week of summer project in New Zealand. The text is Colossians 2:20-3:17
Intro – Misconception re: Christianity – lifestyle that is about rules.
-it’s not, it’s about how Jesus brings every believer in him to his Kingdom!
-but sometimes even for us that believe that, we express a bunch of lifestyle stuff as if that’s Christianity – sometimes in preaching, in Bible studies, even in conversations, in how we try to live like Jesus wants. And being saved is almost an afterthought.
-That is subChristian thinking. In God’s word, any lifestyle stuff that Christians are commanded to do is always in light of and caused by The HS, through what Jesus’ cross purchased for us.
Series:
Our problem – we see commands in the Scriptures and try really hard to obey. And we fail.
MBI – What God wants us to see tonight is this: if you have trusted Jesus, he’s bringing you into his Kingdom – and nothing will stop him. Our lifestyle should – and by his power, will, reflect that. In other words: Jesus’ saving us results in change in our behavior.
4 Commands we break, and how Jesus fixes our sin problem:
Pray
-Don’t use man-made ways of trying to reach God - 2:20-33
-What was going on in Colassae?
-Command – don’t try to grow in spirituality or holiness like non-Christians!
-Examples of ways the world pursues spirituality:
-nature. Music. Books which teach things other than Scripture. Psychology. Obeying laws created by our feelings, candles, art, reason (atheism), prayer ‘creativity’, humanitarianism
-how we do similar things!
-ex: me and logic, as opposed to trusting the Spirit and the word
-Certainly nothing listed is all bad; but must be seen thru lens of SCRIPTURE
in dependence on Scripture and prayer – and nothing else!
-Result if not: a new law. Certain experiences ID-ed as godliness. Practices mandated and others get judged. God and his word cease being our authority, and experience is God – not Jesus.
-Example: music fight against the old school music people. Now, attack on old school music!
-Solution: We died with Jesus to the elemental spirits
-elemental spirits?
-God will judge the world for its rebellion
-we’ve been judged in Christ and are forgiven
-and so the old ways that humanity tries – and fails – to connect with God (even if they ‘feel’ stuff) don’t apply
-Therefore, know that because of Jesus death, we are no longer governed by the world’s futile philosophies. So trust that Jesus has reconciled you and stop making up stuff he didn’t command! And don’t tolerate it when other people are making stuff up either! (Duet 12:32!)
-Ever try to make a dead person do something?
3:1-4 – Seek Jesus’ Kingdom.
-Command – Seek what’s above! (3:1)
-What’s above? Christ’s Kingdom! Where what he wants goes. Everything that’s of value (Christ is our life) (3:1)
-How we fail – Failing to treat Jesus like King, worthy of obedience and honor. Failing to treat him as valuable. Questions to think about on your own: areas of your life you don’t treat Jesus like King in. Things you value more than Jesus – where do you seek pleasure? Maybe good to go home pray and journal about.
-Ex: The other night, I valued a burger more than Jesus.
-4 Solutions:
-Believe in the resurrection! (3:1)
-Believe that we’re in the new world in Christ (3:1) (Neo)
-Believe that you’re dead in this world (3:3)
-Believe that in the future, the reality of this new world in you will be revealed (3:4) (1 John 3:2)
3:5-11 – Kill what’s dead.
-Kill the things in you that belong to the old world
-sin list 1 – (3:5) – a bunch of stuff that we’d seek for pleasure
-what do you seek for pleasure? - functional savior. What do you think about? Spend time on? Money on? (Me and food!) (Calvin and waking up and falling asleep)
-sin list 2 – (3:8, 9) – a bunch of ways that we use words to hurt each other
-We do these things because we either are hurting or because we want to make ourselves feel better about ourselves. Words! (Jas. 1:19)
-Ex: my cheating ex
-4 Solutions
-We belong to the next world (v. 5 – the therefore) and will be glorified with Jesus
-v. 6 – the wrath of God falls on such things
-no fear of wrath
-hate what God hates – then you’ll kill it
-vv. 7, 9, 10 – we have a new self which God is renewing in knowledge
-v. 11 – Jesus is our prize and our power and our highest value
3:12-17 – Act like who God’s remade you to be.
-4 Commands
1-Love! (12-15)
-seeking others’ happiness
-what prevents us? Trying to get happiness here (rather than above)
-Ex. Of helping dudes with stuff after their church service vs. me sleeping/getting groceries
2-Let Christ’s peace rule in our hearts
-contra anxiety
-comes from trust in his being King and loving us, through prayer
-Phil. 4:6, 7
3-Let Christ’s word dwell among us richly (explain)
-results in…
-what prevents us? Lack of attentiveness. Like entertaining teaching/books. Not believing that the word is powerful. Not wanting to do the work of paying attention or serious study. Not enjoying God as he’s revealed in it, but enjoying other things…
-ex: my 5 minutes a day in high school
4-Always act for Jesus’ glory (part of which is giving thanks)
-what prevents us from doing that?
-not seeing Jesus’ glory (from Scripture)!
-not loving him; rather, loving our lives here
-ex: faith healers
-other ex: doing ministry stuff to impress opposite sex
-just apathy towards Jesus(!) - maybe humanitarianism?
-4 Ways God solves our problems
1 -v. 12 – ‘then’
-conclusion – we’re totally new because of Jesus – being renewed(!)
-stop beating the crap out of yourself! You are new and God is working if you have believed! Rather, trust and obey!
2 -v. 12 – ‘chosen, holy, and loved’
-You’re in Christ and guaranteed heaven because God loved you, not because of what you did. God started bringing you to heaven, he’s working in you – believe!
-Certain future = freedom to love because nothing here to gain!
3 -v. 13 – forgiven!
-forgiveness guarantees your eternity – free to forgive!
-Remember Christ’s Kingdom is guaranteed for you!
-persecutions, etc. – mean nothing!
-ex: Stephen
4 -v. 16 – the word of Christ given to us!
-2 Cor. 3:18
-seeing his glory is through the word!!!
-transforms us to glorify Christ!
-letters from a loved one (if Lace and I didn’t have phone calls – and even with them – those letters are a little bit of who she is – shows me her. Makes me enjoy and love her.)
So we’ve seen 4 commands…
And we as Christians obey them as a result of the gospel, through faith! (The POINT!)
The gospel is…
As we believe in the gospel, God works in us and causes us to obey for the sake of his glory.
Pray
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