Sermon on 11 December 2022 by Ps Gaius
Introduction
The book of Colossians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Colossae. The apostle Paul talks about the gospel of Jesus, which is the good news. The good news changes lives and bears fruit everywhere. Paul warned against listening to human wisdom rather than believing in Christ. to Paul expressed his joy that the church was living as they should and their faith in Christ was strong.
Message
I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong. And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. – Colossians 2:2-7
Head – Centred on Christ
God’s plan is mysterious (Colossians 2:2) and wisdom is hidden (Colossians 2:3). To whom is wisdom hidden from? We look to Matthew 11:25. God reveals all to the childlike and hides things from those who think they are wise.
At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. – Matthew 11:25
So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. – Romans 8:6
How do you be centred on Christ? When you are not sure of the course of action, ask yourself ‘what would Jesus do?’ How would these things glorify the Father? Let our minds always think about Jesus.
Heart – Edify by Encouraging
If we want to produce encouraging words, you must first have an encouraging heart.
A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.– Luke 6:45
Don’t let anyone condemn you. The truth is – no one shall disqualify us. As long as we come back to Jesus, He will restore us.
So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, – Colossians 2:16-18
Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. – Colossians 4:6
Hands – Held in Harmony
and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. – Colossians 2:19
the word ‘knit’ means sewn together. Jesus is the one who puts us together. Let us not destroy this togetherness. Every component of the body is important. Every part fits together perfectly as made by God.
We need to grow. Let us do this by encouraging one another to be more like Christ. When we do our own work, we should do it in a way that helps others to grow. For example, when we servein church, it should not be with the intention of showing off or giving trouble to others; it should be with the intention of helping others to grow. The whole body should be healthy and full of love.
Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. – Ephesians 4:15-16
Closing
Let us encourage others through our mouths, coming from our hearts, and knit together with our hearts. Very importantly, let us be centred on Christ, so that we have hope in Him. Let our hearts continue to think in love, and when we have a chance to serve one another, let us do it in harmony and encourage others to come closer to God.
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