Thursday November 13, 2014

Read: Colossians 1:27, Ephesians 1:13-14

A few years ago my wife and I went on a cruise in the Pacific Ocean. One of the stops on our trip was Noumea in New Caledonia. We saw heaps of locals zipping around the island on mopeds so our friends suggested that hiring one would be a great way to get around and see the island. Somewhat nervously (I had never ridden one before) we agreed and hired the moped. After a very quick introduction to the moped and a quick discussion about the road rules in which the hirer assured us that the road rules were no different there than in Australia (it would have been nice to know they drive on the right of the road) we set off.

The shop was on a busy, inner city road. Once we got onto the road and began driving I started to feel a little more confident. That is, until I saw the sharp left hand turn coming up shortly. I tried my hardest to turn the corner in time but was going a little fast and we ended up very ungracefully falling off the moped onto the gravel on the side of the road. Thankfully we weren't hurt too badly (it helped that my wife landed on top of me) but the moped was quite scratched and damaged. After some exploring we nervously drove back to the hire shop to own up to our mistake and pay for the damage.

After the owner calculated the bill I realised I didn’t have enough cash to pay for the repairs. I would have to get my credit card which I had left on the ship. I assured the owner that I would be back and explained to him that my wife would stay near the shop until I came back so that he would know I would return. He knew that I would come back because I had left something with him that was far more valuable than money.

In a small way this is like what Paul is talking about in this passage. We have a guarantee of God’s promises to us that is infinitely more valuable than anything else. What is that guarantee? Christ in us. Jesus Christ Himself dwells within His people through His spirit. He Himself is our guarantee. He is our deposit. We know that God is working in us and will bring about all that He has promised because He has given us His son to dwell within us through His spirit.

What is this a guarantee of? Notice what Paul says: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” We look forward to the day when Christ shall return, judge the world and undo all the effects of the fall on the world and on us as His people. In that day we will be given glorious, resurrection bodies. Bodies that are no longer subject to all the tiredness, sickness and breaking down that our bodies are subject to now. In our glorious, resurrection bodies we will spend eternity dwelling with God.  This is also the inheritance and redemption that Paul talks about in Ephesians 1.

Because we have Christ dwelling within us through His Spirit this is not a vague wish or a fantasy. It’s not like hoping against hope that you win the lottery. This is a rock solid hope. A hope that is indestructible and unchangeable. A hope that is guaranteed by none other than Christ Himself. What a glorious hope that we have in Him.

Prayer:

Use the Bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

¥ Thank God for the rock solid hope we have through Christ. Pray that He would work in your heart to help you keep that hope in mind in difficult times and in good times.

¥ Pray for the elders in your church. Pray that God would encourage them and guide them as they follow Him and lead the church. Pray that He would give them wisdom, love for the believers and a great passion for Him.

 Witness Moment:

The way that we live is a powerful witness and example to those who don’t know Christ. If we have such a rock solid, unshakeable hope in Christ we should live like we have hope, not like life is hopeless. Imagine our witness if we showed that hope in our lives.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

Imagine that you are talking with an interested non-Christian about Colossians. How would you answer the following questions?

1. What does it mean that Christ is in us? How could that work? How do you know that He is in you?

2. What is the hope of glory? Why does it matter?

3. How would hope like that change my life now?

 Discipleship Moment For Girls

Intro: It’s always more fun to do fun things together with the people you care about than by yourself.

Share:  A time when you got to do something fun with someone you cared about. What happened? What did you do? What made it so fun?
Read:  Colossians 1:27 The Bible teaches us that Jesus is always with us through His spirit. That means whatever we do Jesus is with us! The Bible even teaches that He lives in our Hearts. How does it make you feel to know that Jesus is always with you? How should you live differently knowing Jesus is with you?
Pray Together: Thank God that Jesus is always with us. Pray that He would help us to live how He wants us to live.

 Discipleship Moment For Boys

Intro: It’s always more fun to do fun things together with the people you care about than by yourself.

Share:  A time when you got to do something fun with someone you cared about. What happened? What did you do? What made it so fun?
Read:  Colossians 1:27 The Bible teaches us that Jesus is always with us through His spirit. That means whatever we do Jesus is with us! The Bible even teaches that He lives in our Hearts. How does it make you feel to know that Jesus is always with you? How should you live differently knowing Jesus is with you?
Pray Together: Thank God that Jesus is always with us. Pray that He would help us to live how He wants us to live.