Colossians: It's All About Jesus Love Walks In

2 Churches: Strong personalities Anger and fighting Gossip and slander Pressure to conform

2 Churches: Serving personalities Peacemaking and loving Encouraging one another Freedom to be…

We are designed to need One another

A community of Faith Will always be as strong As the people in it are willing to Seek after and submit to Jesus And serve one another

Seeing that Jesus is enough And knowing that toxic Community must be rejected How do relate to one another? How do we pull this off?

If then you have been raised with Christ… Let no one pass judgment Let no one disqualify you

…buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life -Rom. 6:4

Prison rules… Conform Be accepted Live by what they say

Prison rules… But you ain't there no more!

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God

Zéteó- to investigate so as To reach a absolute resolution To desire as ultimate

Investigate and desire 1) Seek it out* 2) Learn about it by experience 3) Cultivate a desire for the best *I can't desire till I discover

God…richly provides us with everything to enjoy - 1 Tim. 6:17

Christian Hedonism: My greatest pleasure is found In glorifying God in all that I do - What I'll do - How I'll do it

A cross will come into play There will be denial of self And following after Jesus It won't be always be easy But it will always be worth it

I will never know God's goodness until I take specific steps of obedience By faith

Christianity has not been Tried and found wanting When found wanting It hasn't been tried Jesus is more than enough

List of things… You won't like it Because of cultural discipleship

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth Focus on: Strong belief lived out

So freeing Let no one pass judgment… Let no one disqualify you…

You are freed from: Men's rules/religion Human reasoning with The appearance of wisdom

Think in heavenly, spiritual ways Freed from doing whatever The people at church say Just because they said it

To seek and set my mind on is to Replace my current desires/focus With new ones That set me free

Set free to follow Jesus With radical obedience to him Regardless of what Your world says

What are you worried about That won't matter 1,000 years from now?

Do you really believe That the God of the universe The one who put Satan to Open shame on the cross Can't handle it?

Why am I going through this? Why are you doing this, God? How am I going to make it? What are you up to, God? How can I trust you more?

Starts with… God, I give you everything Every relationship, possession Bit of ego and pride and self Knowing what you want is best

…seek the things that are above …set your minds on things that are above

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory

Dead people don't worry Dead people don't impress They ain't stressed over anything Christ is victorious. You in him And you have glory awaiting

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you… Prison life The things of chains and death

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry

Which of these upsets people?

sexual immorality impurity passion evil desire covetousness, which is idolatry

On account of these the wrath of God is coming

That escalated quickly!

"There's nothing wrong Unless it hurts someone Or takes advantage of a child"

Pragmatic: If it hurts others Theistic: Accountable to God And he wants more for us

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us…

…like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea

We are far too easily pleased” - C.S. Lewis

God wants more for us Than we want for ourselves We are far too easily pleased” - C.S. Lewis

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry

Christian Pragmatic: Actions outside God's will Leads to consequences God is not obligated to fix

80% Help me escape the Consequences of my actions!

Seek… Set your minds… Do I honestly believe What I say I believe If it means I have to change?

In these you too once walked, when you were living in them

You were dead in your trespasses…

If it was so good Why did I sense a need For God? I liked it! I just didn't like Where it led me…

And…God will not be tamed He won't become a bigger Version of my own desires Beliefs and prejudices

This is fleshed out relationally All the time: I love you (as I want you to be) I accept you fully (If you change)

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth Seen and unseen…

Not enough to change What's seen by others Slow-burning anger Or an explosion of anger

Desiring harm to others Or lying so as to harm them And "low and obscene talk"

All reveal a heart condition That desperately needs change Rather than a behavior In need of tweaking

If you're showing What God isn't growing It won't last

Seek the things above… Set your heart…

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator

Lying represents the enemy The Truth is who our Jesus is When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies- John 8

Put off…put on Logizomai- reckon, consider, count

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all

You are less than, so I can - Talk about you like… - Treat you like… - Lie to you as if…

Here there is not Greek and Jew…but Christ is all, and in all To lie to you, slander you Treat you disrespectfully Is to treat Jesus that way

We will not Disrespect one another Within community Without confronting for Restoration, but willing to let go

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…

God's chosen ones, holy and beloved Before you ever took One step of obedience God said, "Mine! I love you!"

Therefore, this is how you Walk in it: Be who you really are Clothing… It's how you're known So be who you really are

Seek… Because it is best Set your minds… Because it frees you In so many ways

…bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony

If I am seeking what is in God's (and your) best interests I will kill Sexual immorality, Anger, Slander, Lies Unforgiveness in my life

I become about compassion Patience, bearing with, forgiving And here's the result:

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful

We will only have peace As a Community of Faith To the degree what we each Seek Jesus as our peace

When Jesus rules in my heart Peace rules in my heart When it's chaos and strife Anxiety and anger, it's not Jesus So…what rules my heart?

Seeking the things above Setting my mind on those things Leads to letting go of the Very things that lead to death And becoming what is life-giving

Great…but how? I try, but I forget I struggle

Plural… Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…

…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God

Time + Proximity + Intentionality = Depth

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him - Colossians 3:1-17

Jesus calls us to a Community That will never be perfect In which grace is messy And we walk together in spite of And because of

This is how each of us become What God has called us to be And together continually form A community of Faith that Is life-giving and glorifies God

What are my greatest desires? Can I honestly say There are areas of my life In which I'm carrying a cross?

Am I intentional in Encouraging others And pointing toward Jesus With my life?

What needs to change? Will I?

Questions, Comments Disagreements

Pray