Is Jesus Making A Difference In Your Life? Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• Today we are going to examine an important question. Is Jesus making a difference in your life?

• The answer to this question is important because the answer to this question will tell you where you are at with Jesus and just how important He really is to you.

• This message is not intended to beat anyone down; it is meant to challenge us to soar to greater heights with our great God.

• How many times have we seen a person in athletics not reach their potential, how many times have we seen students go through their schooling never reaching their potential? It is a sad sight to see isn’t it. People around them whisper about what a waste of talent and potential they see.

• I believe the church is at a crossroads, this church is at a crossroads. Individually, we must all decide how much we are going to let Jesus be our Lord, we all have to determine if we are going to totally give ourselves over to Him or are we just going to scratch the surface and be happy with that.

• Were we are at with Jesus is where the church will be at with Jesus. Are we going to be a church that is sold out Jesus or are we going to be a church that is happy with scratching the surface of what God can do?

• I hope that as we start to go through the book of Colossians we will learn some things that will help to challenge us to go deeper with Jesus.

• Paul is writing this letter to a church that is struggling with some false teachings that were prevalent at the time. This letter is written with three major purposes in mind; those purposes are still valid today.

o To encourage the readers not to go back to their former way of life

o To direct the people’s attention to Jesus and to get them to fully trust and worship Him and to fully recognize who He is.

o To emphasize the virtue of forgiveness and kindness.

• Today we are going to look at four indicators that will tell us if we are letting Jesus is make a difference in our lives.

• SLIDE #2 & #3

• Let us turn and read Colossians 1:3-8 together this morning.

• READ COLOSSIANS 1:3-8

SLIDE #4

SERMON

I. IS JESUS THE CENTER OF YOUR FAITH? (4)

• I love the way this letter starts out. It starts with Paul in verse 2 saying that he is writing to the FAITHFUL brethren at Colossae. Then he moves to telling the readers he is thankful for them and that he is praying for them always.

• Then he moves to what he is thankful for.

• He is thankful that he has heard of their faith in Jesus.

• When you think about it, this is an impressive statement. The faith of the Church at Colossae is so great that it is known all around.

• Notice too that their faith is in Jesus; it is centered and based on Him.

• Their faith in Jesus made such an impact on the lives of those in the church that they gained a reputation for their faith.

• I wonder what people would say about the church as they walked around Colossae?

• I wonder what people say about the Auburn Christian Church when the subject comes up? What are we known for?

• If Jesus is making a difference in our lives, we will be known for our faith in Jesus.

• The only way that Jesus will make a difference in our lives is if we have an undying faith in Him.

• I have seen too many people over the years play the church game. We can get so caught up in things to the point that Jesus is not really the center of our faith. For many the center of their faith is the status quo, it is their jobs, family or entertainment.

• Paul was not thankful for the church at Colossae because they had a nice building? He was not faithful because they sang a certain type of music or had a certain order of service, he was thankful for them in part because of their faith in Jesus!

• Faith means in part to trust. Who do you trust? Whose hands do you really put your salvation? Who do you turn to in times of trouble? Who do you give the glory to when things go well?

• If Jesus is the center of your faith, your life will be different. I hope that our church is known for our faith. That will not ever happen unless two things happen.