Sermon Central
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Return To Christ
Contributed by Tom Tarpley on May 15, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: Christ holds it all together.
Return to Christ
My job is not an easy one.
As the spiritual leader of this congregation, my job is to
Preach, teach and equip you for the work of the Lord.
My job is to encourage, to motivate, to inspire and help you grow in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
There are great spiritual benefits in my job but there are also some severe consequences for failure.
One passage of scripture that has always loomed large in my memory is James 3:1 “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness.”
Now being judged is something we cannot avoid but when you add to that judgment, “a greater strictness,”
That makes it even more concerning.
Know that I take what I do very seriously and if I come across to you as unpleasant or angry it is not my intention. My intention is help you see the importance of being connected to Jesus, who is the head of the body of which we are a part.
We’ve all heard the expression, “don’t lose your head.”
And we know that it is just a saying, that we don’t mean it literally.
I know and you know that we cannot live without our heads. But suppose for an instant we could live without our heads.
We would not have eyes to see.
A nose to smell..
Ears to hear…
No tongue to taste …
No voice to be heard…
No brain to guide us..
No face to recognize. Which is the key to our identity..
If the head of our physical bodies is the center of our physical life—think how much more vital is the head of the body of Christian believers which is the church.
The key message of Colossians is that Christ and Christ alone is the head of the church.
He is the first in everything (1:18.
Those of us who are Christians, and members of the church need to understand that CHRIST IS OUR HEAD!
He is our spiritual source of life! He is our guide and counselor!
He is our spiritual identity!
The Christians at Colosse had begun to debate this very important truth. And had started to sample other things just as many Christians are doing today.
Some began to worship angels, others focused on rituals, and still others blended Jewish, Greek, Eastern religions.
Other beliefs began to mix with Christianity watering down the gospel and confusing new converts.
Drifting away from Christ the head , the Colossians lost their identity with Him. They could easily fit into today’s society.
At one point and time we accepted Christ.
We were joyful and excited.
But the excitement has given way to Materialism—self-centeredness—or preoccupation.
Our greatest desire is no longer to please God-it is to please ourselves.
We have drifted away from the Godhead and are relying on our own human wisdom and ability to get us through this life.
1. We seek after the things that bring us pleasure.
2. We’re preoccupied with our own interests and desires.
3. We have become spiritually complacent and Christ is no longer important.
Christ is not merely an important part of our new life, he is our new life, the reason for all we do (3:11).Christ is all that matters and he lives in all of us.
When Christ is truly our head, others recognize us as Christians.
Paul told the Colossians, “If you have received Christ then walk with Him and be rooted in Him by knowing His word and obeying it (2:6-7). Listen (Read from NLT)
The only way this will happen is if God’s word is constantly alive you (3:16). “Let the Words of Christ, in all their richness live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His Words to teach and counsel each other.”
To become a Christian is to take on a new life in Christ, dropping the old life.
If the old sinful way of life dies, then your desire to sin should die, too.
Christians are endangered today, not from without as much as from within.
Having acknowledged Christ and then given in to materialism, self centeredness, or preoccupation with other things, we have lost the spiritual sensitivity to our head, Jesus Christ.
To be truly Christian, we must let the Word of God dwell richly in us, allowing Christ to be most important in our lives.
If we want to have a vibrant spiritual life we must first have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!
Think about this for a moment.
Paul wrote this letter while he was imprisoned in Rome.
How does a man whose very life hangs by the threads, continue serving God faithfully and obediently?
It is plain and simple, Jesus was the center of Paul’s life!
