Are you convinced?
Colossians 3:1-4
Introduction
- This morning we began the Advent season in preparation of Christmas
- Tonight, I’d like to see if we cannot stress the importance of God’s promise
- Each of us has an opportunity to reflect on this season and what it means
- And tonight, I’d like to ask the question, “Are you convinced?”
- Are you convinced of God’s promises and what His Word reveals to us?
- Perhaps tonight, we can be strengthened together and seek after His face
- Stand and read Colossians 3:1-4
Point 1 – Are you raised? (v1)
- The first thing to see here is that he is talking to believers only
- This is the first confession we must see is that God is the one doing the work
- The love that we have for Christ brings about transformed lives.
- It is God alone who justifies, who makes us right before himself in Christ.
- APP: That’s it!! God sanctifies, not us!
- Thus, when we read a passage like this we have to stop and ask ourselves
- Consider these questions and ask yourself honestly what the answer is
- Number 1: Do you believe that you are a sinner?
- Clarified: Do you believe you have rebelled against God’s commands?
- If you don’t believe that, then you are not a Christian. Why? 1 John 1:8 says that “if you say there is no sin in you then you are a liar and the truth is not in you.”
- Number 2: Do you believe that Jesus is God in the flesh sent as the one to be sacrifice for the sins that you’ve committed?
- If we say no to that then we are not raised with Him
- We are following a false Gospel if we do not confess that Christ is the Messiah sent to redeem us to the Father
- “Since then, you have been raised with Christ” (the operative word is WITH)
- This means that He has been raised, and in the same way we are raised
- DEEPER: We are to search out Christ:
- As believers, there will always be more to see and more to search out in Christ
- It’s not a fancy, not something that we have a whim for and then it goes away
- Paul tells us to set our hearts on things above (Him) – focused on Christ
- There is never a time in our lives where we will be bored with Jesus
- And we must take every day to renew ourselves to Him, to seek Him out
- The Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus is the constant and provides the way
- TRANS: Therefore, where do we need to be looking?
Point 2 – Where should we look? (v2-3)
- We have been corrupted from the beginning; it is all over God’s Word
-- Gen 6:11-12, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.”
-- Exodus 32:7, “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.”
-- Deut 32:5, “They are corrupt and not his children; to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation.”
- Jesus however … Jesus is the one who gives us hope
- When you talk about being convinced in our faith, it is here that we are challenged
- HUGE APP: We should realize that when Paul, one of the founders of our faith, teaches us that we have issues, we need to realize that we really do have issues and cannot do it alone!
- This is why Paul writes these words to the church, this is his calling from God
- We need to read this and be strengthened together that it is Christ that redeems
- It is Christ that brings us together, and it is Him that we shall see one day
- Thoughts from Saving Private Ryan: Last words of Captain John H. Miller, a Ranger Company Commander, to Private Ryan are “James, earn this … Earn it.”
- What would be Paul’s final words to you and me in the faith today?
- TRANS: Not only shall we see Him again, but He will appear again!
Point 3 – We shall appear again (v4)
- Jude 1:21, “keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
- Now, why is this so important to the believer today? Because we shall see Him!
- But, this should cause our hearts to stir and grasp the reality in this verse
- The reality is that everything we have ever done will be laid out before God
-- Everything that we have said or done shall be on display and revealed
-- Every motivation, every deception, and every act is bared before a righteous God
- Why can I say this?
-- Isaiah 6: Woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips (Isaiah was righteous man who fell before God when he glimpsed the throne.)
-- John was persecuted, arrested, probably tortured, but would still not recant the Gospel … and so he was exiled to Patmos. There on Patmos, he sees Jesus in a vision – this same Jesus he walked with – and he fell down before Him (Rev 1:17)
He didn’t run up to Him and rejoice that he was seeing his friend – no – he fell down before Him in utter fear and without words at the Glory before Him
- So when we see Paul write here in Colossians that He will appear; we need to be convinced and constantly strive to draw closer to Him every day we are given
- Jesus Christ is our life: John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
- He is the one sent to redeem us: John 20:31, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
- Are you convinced of this? Are you totally sold out to living for Christ?
- Do you believe that Jesus is the one who died, rose, and will come back again?
- When Paul challenges us to live holy; he does so with fear and trembling
- We must be convinced more today than we ever have been
- Pray
