Living The Good Life

LIVING THE GOOD LIFE

Colossians 3.12-17

S: The good life – as God intended

C: Resurrection Day

Th: A People with Purpose

Pr: LIVE THE GOOD LIFE.

?: What? What is good about the Christian life?

KW: Characteristics

TS: We will find in our study of Colossians 3.12-17 four characteristics we are able to develop that enables us to live the good life.

Type: Propositional

The ____ characteristic is…

I. AWARENESS (12)

II. GRACE (12-14)

III. CALM (15)

IV. PURPOSE (16-17)

PA: How is the change to be observed?

• Embrace the good life Jesus offers.

• Be aware of God’s love for you.

• Act in love.

• Rest in God’s person.

• Live with purpose.

Version: ESV

RMBC 16 April 2006 AM

INTRODUCTION:

So…how good have you been?

ILL Good

One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the rascally behavior that was going on. He decided to send an angel down to Earth to check it out.

When the Angel returned, he told God, "Yes, it is bad on Earth: 95% are misbehaving and 5% are not."

God thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion." So God called another angel and sent him to Earth to confirm the findings.

When the angel returned he went to God and said, "Yes, the Earth is in decline; 95% are misbehaving and 5% are being good."

God was not pleased. So God decided to e-mail the 5% that were good because He wanted to encourage them, give them a little something to help them keep going.

Do you know what that e-mail said?

No?

I didn’t get one either.

TRANSITION:

1. Jesus went to the cross because we are not good.

Two days ago, we celebrated Good Friday.

We call it good because it was good for us.

It was good for us, because Jesus took care of what is not good in us.

In Christian circles, we hear that Jesus died for the sins of the world.

In this context, that world is you and me.

It is a very personal thing.

Scripture tells us that not one of us is righteous.

We all fall short of God’s standards of what is right.

But when we get that understanding, that is, we understand our brokenness, we are finally in a position that God can work for our good.

When we fight it, though, we are in essence fighting God.

More profoundly, we are missing the blessing He wants to give us.

You see…

2. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He enabled each one of us to live a different kind of life than the world.

This is what the baptisms reflected this morning.

... are embarking on a different kind of life than they had before.

God loves to give second chances and see us make good on them.

And that is what is reflected this morning in baptism.

It is a new start.

It is the beginning of a better life.

It is a life that follows and reflects Jesus.

It is the good life.

And this is my encouragement to you today.

We can…

3. LIVE THE GOOD LIFE.

This is what God has for each one of us today.

For the Christian life is a good life.

This does not mean it is always easy, but it is good.

And when we truly get it, it is a life of joy.

So…

4. We will find in our study of Colossians 3.12-17 four characteristics we are able to develop that enables us to live the good life.

OUR STUDY:

I. The first characteristic is AWARENESS (12).

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved…

1. Understand the good work God desires to do in you (cf. Philippians 1.6).

We all like to be chosen.

We enjoy being the recipients of favor.

This is why the television shows like Survivor and The Bachelor have such an appeal.

It is all about being chosen.

Then, there were those dreaded kickball games, you know, the ones that sides were chosen, and arguments broke out because no one wanted the smallest kid on their team.

Not being chosen, well that can sure take a chunk out of one’s self-esteem.

But when God chooses us, it is not on the basis of what we have done, or what we can do, or what size we are.

God chooses us because He loves us.

Yes, it is that simple.

2. You are loved!

This is why the show “Touched by an Angel” was so popular for so long.

The familiar message on the show was, “I am an angel sent by God, and I have a message for you…God loves you.”