Sermon Central
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Colossians: Jesus Is Enough And More!
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Oct 7, 2013 (message contributor)
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1. Strangers Who Are Brothers
Contributed on Oct 7, 2013
A common faith based upon the teaching of the apostles unites us into a spiritual family, even among those believers we have never met.
Strangers Who Are Brothers (Colossians 1:1-2) 1. I knew a man, who, after he retired, found out that his father wasn’t his father. 2. He then met his actual father and family in another state, and began going to family functions there, building relationships with a family he did not ...read more
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2. Jesus At The Right Hand: Basis For Living A Life That Honors God And Serves
Contributed on Jan 27, 2014
Jesus wants to rule in our lives from heaven; if we follow our heavenly ruler, we will nurture well-lived lives on earth as a result.
Jesus At the Right Hand: The Theological Basis for Living A Life That Honors God and Serves Others (Colossians 3:1-4) 1. The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had not phoned in sick one day. Needing to have an urgent problem with one of the main computers ...read more
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3. Dealing With Our Earthly Nature
Contributed on Feb 3, 2014
Letting our new nature shine involves the negative and the positive. We must put off sinful behaviors, and put on righteous behaviors.
Dealing With Our Earthly Nature (Colossians 3:5-9) 1. Wouldn’t it be great if merely throwing out scripture references could stop us from sinning? 2. An elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church services when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the ...read more
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4. Trading In The Old Man For The New Man
Contributed on Feb 10, 2014
Knowing Christ means a change from the way things were or would be without him. Putting off the old man and putting on the new man applies to us as both as individuals and as part of the household of faith.
Trading in the Old Man for the New Man (Colossians 3:10-11) 1. This story teaches us a lot about our nature. A retired man moves near a junior high school. He spends the first few weeks of retirement in peace and quiet. However, when a new school year begins, three young boys beat on every ...read more
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5. The New Self: God’s Love On Display
Contributed on Feb 19, 2014
Our new selves are characterized by love, and therefore we should value and live-out the nuances of love.
The New Self: God’s Love On Display (Colossians 3:12-14) 1. WOODSTOCK, Ill., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Customers at an Illinois Shell station received gas for just one cent per gallon due to a glitch in the system, an employee said. Rita Castillo, who has worked at the Shell station in Woodstock ...read more
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6. Letting Jesus Live Through Us
Contributed on Feb 24, 2014
Jesus would love for us to be his servants, to do his will above our own, and to direct the steps of our lives. But we must allow him to do so by surrendering our lives to him.
Letting Jesus Live Through Us (Colossians 3:14-17) 1. It was a bad week for criminals, based on a couple of UPI stories: “A Texas fugitive who was wanted on bank fraud charges was captured in Denver after he plummeted 17 stories down a trash chute while trying to evade ...read more
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7. Stations Of Life: Husband And Wife
Contributed on Mar 4, 2014
One frequent station of life is that of marriage. Paul discusses the duty of husband and wife in very simple terms.
Stations of Life: Husband and Wife (Colossians 3:18-19) 1. Favorite comic: husband and wife reading… 2. When it comes to roles in marriage, I have long learned that what people say they believe and what they actually practice can be two different things. 3. I know some women who say ...read more
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8. Stations Of Life: Attitude
Contributed on Mar 10, 2014
Behind our behaviors are the attitudes that greatly affect the quality of our behaviors.
Stations of Life: Attitude (Colossians 3:20-25) 1. A passenger jet was suffering through a severe thunderstorm. As the passengers were being bounced around by the turbulence, a young woman turned to an evangelist sitting next to her and asked, "Sir, you are a man of God, can't you do something ...read more
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9. Vertical And Horizontal
Contributed on Oct 14, 2013
When a believer worships, serves, and prays, his heart needs to be directed two ways.
Vertical and Horizontal (Colossians 1:3-8) 1. Last weekend, Marylu and I had car trouble. 2. The brake light was on; fluid was leaking in one of the little pipes…Thrifty. 3. Sunday morning, had a flat…. 4. When we went past gas stations to pick up car on Monday, one was 3.01 a ...read more
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10. The Drama Behind God's Servants
Contributed on Mar 24, 2014
God's Kingdom is made up of individuals, each with his or her strengths, gifts, calling, failures, struggles, experiences, and personal slants. We have Jesus Christ, God's Word, and a transformed heart in common.
The Drama Behind God's Servants (Colossians 4:7-18) 1. A group of foreign dignitaries are visiting Israel. At the end of the tour, they are taken to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They look at the tomb and read the following inscription: ABRAHAM SCHWARTZ BORN 5694 DIED 5733 A GOOD ...read more
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11. Paul’s Agenda For You
Contributed on Oct 28, 2013
God’s direction for your life can be summarized in several ways; our text suggests we are to engage in several processes to fulfill God’s intent for our lives.
Paul’s Agenda for You (Colossians 1:9-14) 1. Some people are just tough: KILAUEA, Hawaii, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A Hawaii surfer who was attacked by a shark said the encounter ended when he managed to punch the carnivorous fish in the eye. Jeff Horton, 25, said he was sitting on his ...read more
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12. The Two Natures Of Jesus
Contributed on Nov 4, 2013
The interactions between the human and divine nature of Jesus has its complexities, but it is best understood if we look at it in the realm of time.
The Two Natures of Jesus (Colossians 1:15-20) 1. Some people are good at manipulating others through guilt and rubbing it in when you do not give them as much attention as they want. David called his mother in Florida. He said to his mother, "Ma, how are you doing?" She said, "Oh, not ...read more
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13. Where Have You Come From? Where Are You Going?
Contributed on Nov 11, 2013
We can best understand where we, as believers, have come from — and where we are going — by answering three questions.
Where Have You Come From? Where Are You Going? (Colossians 1:21-23) 1. When you have been a pastor at the same church fro 30 years, the Catholic kids in the neighborhood call you “Father Time.” 2. I have been here so long that when people ask how I am registered politically, I say ...read more
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14. What A Willing Servant Of The Lord Looks Like
Contributed on Nov 20, 2013
Paul exemplified a willingness to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, the principles of which apply to us in lesser but still important ways.
What A Willing Servant of the Lord Looks Like (Colossians 1:24-29) 1. Mary received a parrot as a gift. The parrot was fully grown with a very bad attitude and worse vocabulary. Every other word was profanity; those that weren't profanity were, to say the least, rude. Mary tried to change the ...read more
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15. A Stressed Apostle
Contributed on Dec 9, 2013
If Paul were overseeing the church in the USA, he would be in a frenzy. Look at how stressed he was about a couple of congregations in Greece.
A Stressed Apostle (Colossians 2:1-5) 1. I want to thank Jake for preaching last week. 2. We enjoyed Luke and Sarah’s wedding very much; all went well. But even a positive, successful wedding tires you out. Last Sunday morning, we were still recovering from Saturday’s wedding, ...read more
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16. Jesus: Exclusive And Complete
Contributed on Dec 30, 2013
Jesus has a lot of competition out there, so true believers must chose to focus on Jesus, not additons or alternatives.
Jesus: Exclusive and Complete (Colossians 2:8-10) 1. Let me tell you about our Christmas experiences.... 2. Great to be back home in Kokomo, Indiana! 3. That first Christmas, Joseph and Mary had to be away from home, and would not return for probably two or three years... 4. Yet fewer ...read more
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17. Reality And Symbols Of Reality
Contributed on Jan 13, 2014
The salvation we have in Jesus is pictured for us in symbols, is based on forgiveness made possible through his atoning death, and ultimately results in an altered universe.
Reality and Symbols of Reality (Colossians 2:11-15) 1. All of us know what it is like to search for something that is broken or wrong. 2. Perhaps your car won’t start: it is not the battery or alternator. What is it? 3. Somewhere you have a hole puncher; it is not with the stapler, ...read more
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18. Developing The Outward Focus
Contributed on Mar 17, 2014
Paul has addressed our personal lives, church life, family life. These are introverted concerns, about us and those we are close to. As he concludes his letter, he wants to make sure we also transition to an extroverted focus.
Developing the Outward Focus (Colossians 4:2-6) 1. I have my taxes all done. I am one of those persons who gets stressed up by paper work and red tape, so I found it stressful just preparing my stuff for the tax preparer. So I have to tell an IRS joke. 2. The pastor got a call form the IRS. ...read more