What Are We Made Of?
The DNA of Millville Avenue
† Key Thought
† Key Scripture: Colossians 1:15-29
Icebreaker: Today, I want to lay a foundation for what we’re going to talk about for the next 3 weeks.
Intro: The desire of God’s heart is that in everything Jesus Christ might have the preeminence. Paul declares that everything finds its meaning and significance in Christ. Christ must be at the center of all things both in our individual lives and in the church. We claim that Christ is the center of the church, but is he?
-A. W. Tozer said, “The present position of Christ in many churches may be likened to that of a king in a limited constitutional monarchy. The king (sometimes depersonalized by the term “the Crown”) is, in such a country, no more than a traditional rallying point, a pleasant symbol of unity and loyalty much like a flag or a national anthem. He is lauded, feted, and supported, but his real authority is small. Nominally he is head over all, but in every crisis someone else makes the decisions.” (A.W. Tozer, taken from God Tells The Man Who Cares.) Consider with me the impact of having Christ at the center of our church.
Scripture: Colossians 1:15-29
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[f]your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. 24Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”
4 Things Our Church Must Remember as we Pursue God’s Vision
1. We must remember the source of our strength. (Vs. 15-17)
Statement: The first thing we must remember is the source of our strength.
Scripture: Col. 1:15-17
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
-What’s the point Paul is making? It’s that everything…everything…always comes back to Jesus.
- All things were created Through Him and For Him. Jesus is the one through whom the Father creates the universe. Even more amazing is that the universe was created For Him. Jesus is the starting point of creation and the goal of creation. He is truly the Alpha and Omega.
-Jesus was not God’s ‘Plan B’. The purpose of history and creation is for the Revelation and Glorification of Christ.
-I love the way Dutch theologian, Abraham Kuyper, puts it:
“When Jesus looks at his universe from his exalted throne at the right hand of the Father, and he sees the great galaxies whirling in space, the planets and the people upon this planet, and all the minute details of life here including the details of our individual lives, there is nothing that he sees anywhere of which he cannot say, "Mine!"
- That’s the God we serve. It’s all His. So when we remember the source of our strength, this is what we need to remember. He’s big enough. He’s strong enough. He can meet all of our needs. And you know what the means for us as a church? It means our church is His.
† Christ is the head of the Church (Vs. 18-19)
Scripture: Col. 1: 18-19
18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.
2. We must remember the privilege God has given us. (Vs. 21-23)
Statement: The 2nd thing we must remember is the privilege God has given us.
Scripture: Col. 1:21-23
21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
-When Christ is not the central focus of worship we get sidetracked and begin to focus on style and modes. If Christ is not central then everything else such as a “sanctuary”, or hymnals, or multimedia, or the soloist’s talent can become unconsciously the center of worship.
-When Christ is not the central focus of the church conflicts arise. Individuals begin to seek having things done their way and talk about “my” church. When Christ is the heart of the church there is unity. Some has said “Jesus is the central figure in our togetherness.”
† We are brought into His body by grace
3. We must remember the calling we have received. (Vs. 24-27)
† Christ wants to reveal His love to the world through us.
4. We must remember the commission Christ charged us with. (Vs. 28-29)
We must embrace this hope and work tirelessly to share it.
When Christ is not central in the church, the church loses its focus; its purpose and mission become unclear.
B. Why does the church exist? In a survey of 1000 churches who were given two choices as to why the church exists: a) To Win the World for Christ or b) To Care for the Needs of its Members. The response by Pastors was 90% (a) and 10% (b). Of the church members surveyed, 89 percent said, "The church’s purpose is to take care of my family’s needs and my needs." The surveyor concluded that for many churches, the role of the pastor is simply to keep the sheep who are already in the "pen" happy and not lose too many of them. Only 11 percent said, "The purpose of the church is to win the world for Jesus Christ." (Purpose-Driven Church, page 82)"
C. Ephesians 4:11 - 12 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
E. When Christ is not at the center of the church the fires of love and mission grow cold.
-The purpose of the Millville Avenue Church of God is to help people know God, to grow people into fully devoted disciples of Jesus, and to equip people to go impact their world for Christ.
Conclusion/Invitation
-So what does this mean? What I want to drive home to you is that Christ is both sufficient and supreme.
-We can take solace in thought that our God is supreme, he is above all kings and authorities whether earthly or spiritual. We can also take heart in all the riches that we have in Christ.
I like the way Pastor Michael Bird put it when he said that in Christ, we receive:
A love that can never be fathomed
A life that can never die
A righteousness that can never be tarnished
A peace that can never be understood
A rest that can never be disturbed
A joy that can never be diminished
A grace that can never be comprehended
A hope that can never be disappointed
A glory that can never be clouded
A light that can never be darkened
A purity that can never be defiled
A beauty that can never be marred
A wisdom that can never be baffled
