Rebuilding A Broken Culture (C3pt Altogether) Series

LITURGICAL OPENING — PSALM 34:1-8

• I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

• My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

• O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

• I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

• They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

• This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

• The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

• O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

(Psalm 34:1-8)

GREETING

Good Morning ... and too, God be the Glory!

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. And there is a Word from the LORD ...

So let us turn our hearts and our Bibles to the letter to the Colossians ... chapter 3, beginning at verse 1.

SCRIPTURE READING — COLOSSIANS 3:1-11 (KJV)

(v.1) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

(v.2) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

(v.3) For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

(v.4) When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

(v.5) Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

(v.8) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

(v.9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

(v.10) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

(v.11) Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

NEIGHBOR TURN

Turn to your neighbor and say ... Neighbor — IT'S TIME TO PUT OFF THE OLD AND PUT ON THE NEW.

You may be seated ...

PRAYER

Father ... the task of teaching Your Word is once again in my keeping. I commit myself to do the very best that I can. Speak to me ... that I may speak for You. Right now, Lord ... remove self. Remove pride. Hide me behind Your cross. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight. This is my prayer. Amen.

INTRODUCTION — THE SERIES REVIEW

We have come a long way together in these seven weeks. Let me remind you where we have been.

Week 1 — The Culture in the Middle. The operational problem is always a culture problem. Go on unto perfection.

Week 2 — When Communications Go Small c. Gossip, silence, and spin destroy the middle. Love one another as He loved you.

Week 3 — Collaboration That Isn't Competition. God designed diversity for the common good. Stop competing. Fill the table. There is room.

Week 4 — Board of Peace or Prince of Peace. Boards manufacture peace. Only Christ provides it. Kiss the Son.

Week 5 — Persevering When Everyone Else Quits. The fire will come. But if not — we will not bow. He is in the fire with you.

Week 6 — Trust That Can Be Tested. Fear not. Stand still. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

And now ... Week 7. This is not just the conclusion of a series. This is the call to rebuild.

Not next year. Not when the conditions are right. Not when everybody agrees. NOW.

Point 1 — Set Your Mind on What's Above

Point 2 — Put Off the Old Culture

Point 3 — Put On the New Culture

POINT 1 — SET YOUR MIND ON WHAT'S ABOVE

Colossians 3:1-4

Paul opens with the word IF. But in the Greek this is not a conditional "if." It is a first-class conditional. It means: SINCE this is true ... therefore do this.

Since you have been risen with Christ ... seek the things above. Since you are a new creation ... live from that new creation. Since the old man is dead ... stop letting him run the meeting.

The Greek word for "seek" in verse 1 is ZETEO — dzay-teh-o — to seek with focused intentionality, to make the pursuit of something the organizing principle of your life.

(Greek: zeteo — dzay-teh-o — to seek, to strive for, to direct deliberate effort toward a specific goal)