Wednesday November 5, 2014

Read: Colossians 1:19-20, Romans 8:18-21

Everyone loves the story of a hero. From books to television to movies to comic books nearly every popular story in our culture includes a hero who battles evil, protects the innocent and often saves the world. In some television shows the hero even saves the world every week! There is something hardwired into us that loves stories of heroic individuals who do amazing things to save those who are in need.

Jesus is a greater hero than any of these popular heroes. Just like them He did something amazing but He didn’t just save the world, Jesus saved the universe. 

Now before you throw the book down in disgust I am not a universalist, I am not saying that everyone will be saved regardless of whether or not they have faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches very clearly against that point. But notice what Paul says here:

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and 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.”

Having just talked about creation in verse 16 and how by Jesus “all things were created, things in heaven and on Earth.” Paul now talks about Jesus work of restoration of all things. Paul is talking about how Jesus will restore all things in creation. Everything from heaven above to Earth below is changed by Jesus’ death on the cross. Even creation itself is affected and restored by the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

This is an incredible thing to realise. Too often we think that Jesus came, lived and died only to save sinners and rescue them from God’s wrath to spend eternity with Him. This is true but the gospel is not limited to this. The gospel does not only affect human beings, it affects everything.

Paul talks about this in Romans 8 as well. Notice in verse 21 that the creation is waiting and groaning as it looks forward to “being liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Creation is waiting until the day when God will return and all will be set right. It is waiting for the day that it too will be restored to all its fullness and all it was intended to be.

When Jesus died on the cross it was not only to save God’s people and reconcile them to Himself. Jesus died on the cross to reconcile the whole universe to Himself, to restore the created order and to set right all that had been set wrong by the fall. He was on a cosmic mission to restore everything to Himself.

Notice how this all happens in verse 20: “by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” The greatest and most terrible moment in human history, when God the Son was crucified for our sin, is the moment when Jesus set in motion His plan to restore His people and all of creation to Himself. Next time you think about the cross and thank God for His mercy and grace, thank God that He is working not just to save His people, or to save the world but to save the universe. Now that’s a real hero!

Prayer:

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

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Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

¥ Praise God for His work to restore all things through the cross. Praise Him that we can look forward to being with Him in a restored New Heavens and New Earth. Pray that He would help us persevere faithfully until that day.

 Witness Moment:

The message of the gospel is about far more than just individual restoration with God. God is working to redeem the universe and restore order to all of creation. Let’s not share a small gospel with people. Let’s share the whole, incredible, universe altering truth.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. How does it change the way that you think of Jesus’ death on the cross to know that He was not only restoring His people but restoring all of creation?

2. What would you say to someone who pointed to this verse and said that everyone will be saved, regardless of whether or not they have faith in Christ?

 Discipleship Moment For Girls

Intro: God made the world very good. Everything was just right and there was nothing bad in the world.

Share: What happened to the world? Why are there bad things in the world now? Tell the story about how it happened if you can.
Read: Colossians 1:19-20 Paul tells us that Jesus was on a rescue mission to save His people and to set the world right again. What did he have to do to make peace in the world? What does ‘reconcile’ mean? How can we be reconciled to God? When will God fix up the world?
Pray Together: Thank God that He is working to fix up the world and to make everything right again.

 Discipleship Moment For Boys

Intro: God made the world very good. Everything was just right and there was nothing bad in the world.

Share: What happened to the world? Why are there bad things in the world now? Tell the story about how it happened if you can.
Read: Colossians 1:19-20 Paul tells us that Jesus was on a rescue mission to save His people and to set the world right again. What did he have to do to make peace in the world? What does ‘reconcile’ mean? How can we be reconciled to God? When will God fix up the world?
Pray Together: Thank God that He is working to fix up the world and to make everything right again.

Tuesday November 4, 2014

Read: Colossians 1:17-18, Hebrews 1:1-3

The fact that Jesus Christ is both 100% God and 100% Man is one of the most shocking truths of the Christian faith. If we have a high enough view of who God is then it is almost incomprehensible that God the Son would willingly become a man. If we have an accurate view of what mankind is like then it is unbelievable that someone who is just as human as the rest of us could also be God. But, shockingly, the Bible teaches clearly that Jesus is both totally and entirely God and totally and entirely human.

We run into a lot of trouble when we emphasize one of Jesus natures over the other. For example, we are in trouble when we make so much of Jesus’ divinity that we deny His humanity or, vice versa, when we make so much of Jesus’ humanity that we deny His divinity. It seems that this was one of the things that was getting murky in the church in Colossae. They were confused about exactly who Jesus is and His nature. In these verses we see one of the most powerful statements in the New Testament that Jesus is God.

Paul says that Jesus is” before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Jesus is before all created things, He has always, eternally existed. The only being who can truly say this is God Himself. Only God is not a created being. Not only that but all things hold together and are sustained by Jesus. The author of Hebrews says the same thing in Hebrews 1:3: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.”

The idea is that Jesus, God the Son Himself sustains and keeps the universe going. Without Jesus everything would cease to exist and everything would fall apart. Without Him atoms fall apart, planets drop out of orbit, gravity ceases to work, the laws of maths and physics fall apart. Everything ceases to exist. Only by God’s continued grace and mercy does the universe continue to exist. Only God could do that.

Jesus is God the Son Himself, come as a human being to live, suffer, die and rise again so that we could be restored to relationship with God. Paul states this most clearly in verse 19: “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him.” All of God’s fullness, all of God’s Divinity is found in the person of Jesus. He is 100% God as well as 100% Man.

What does all this mean for us? Paul shows us one massive implication in verse 18. Because Jesus is God He is the head of the church and is supreme over all things. Jesus is the one who leads the church, all of us submit to Him and are to obey Him as the ultimate authority. Are we living to bring glory and supremacy to Jesus? Are we submitting to His authority or are we living sinfully and rebelliously, seeking to glorify ourselves, viewing ourselves as the only ultimate authority? Our lives will show what we really believe about Jesus. What does your life show?

Prayer:

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

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Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

¥ Pray for the teaching of the truth in your church and in your city. Pray that God would guard Christians against false teaching and murkiness about who God is and that the gospel would be clearly taught.

¥ Pray for the small groups that are gathering throughout the week in your church. Pray that they would encourage each other as they meet together and that God would give them wisdom and insight into His word. Pray that God would help you to encourage others as you meet with them this week.

 Worship Moment:

Because Jesus is 100% God He is 100% worthy of our worship, praise and honour. In fact, this is the ultimate purpose of all of creation. Take a moment to think about how you can praise and worship Jesus today.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What would happen to our salvation if Jesus was 100% God and 0% Man?

2. What would happen to our salvation if Jesus was 0% God and 100% Man?

 Discipleship Moment For Girls

Intro: Everyone has a boss they need to obey. For kids it’s Mum and Dad. For Mum and Dad it might be their boss at work. But everyone needs to obey God as the big boss.

Share:  Who do you think is the boss of the church? Why do you think that they are the boss? What should the boss do for the church?
Read: Colossians 1:18 According to Paul who is the boss of the church? Why does He get to be the boss? What should you do when someone is your boss? What does it mean for Jesus to have the supremacy?
Pray Together: Pray that God would help us to obey Jesus as our boss and that we would love Him more.

 Discipleship Moment For Boys

Intro: Everyone has a boss they need to obey. For kids it’s Mum and Dad. For Mum and Dad it might be their boss at work. But everyone needs to obey God as the big boss.

Share:  Who do you think is the boss of the church? Why do you think that they are the boss? What should the boss do for the church?
Read: Colossians 1:18 According to Paul who is the boss of the church? Why does He get to be the boss? What should you do when someone is your boss? What does it mean for Jesus to have the supremacy?
Pray Together: Pray that God would help us to obey Jesus as our boss and that we would love Him more.

Monday November 3, 2014

Read: Colossians 1:15-16, John 1:1-5

Imagine that you are telling someone the story of creation. In vivid and powerful language you describe the way that God spoke and things came to exist. God simply said the word and light sprang onto the scene. God spoke and the stars and galaxies are flung into space. God speaks and the Earth blinks into existence. Finally, God creates man in His own image, the pinnacle of creation.

Only one question, where is Jesus in all this? What is God the Son up to during the process of creation? Is He off taking a nap somewhere while the Spirit does the hovering and God the Father does the creating? Is He waiting to get involved only after humanity has fallen, begrudgingly getting up of His heavenly throne to roll up His sleeves and clean things up?

This isn’t the picture that the Bible paints at all. In fact, God the Son is right there in the middle of everything, involved in the act of creation. Paul tells us that Jesus is the firstborn over all creation, that by Him, through Him and for Him all things were created. God the Son is right there with the Father, involved in an integral way in the creation of the universe. Everything that is created; light, the stars and galaxies, the Earth and even mankind itself is created by God the Son and through God the Son. That is also John’s point in John 1. God the Son, described here as the Word, made all things and without Him, nothing was made. Everything that exists does so through the creating work of God the Son.

Some groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses will teach that Jesus was a created being, the first created being. They change their translations of the Bible to say that through Jesus everything else was created. This is not at all what Paul teaches. When he says that Jesus created “things in heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him” he is describing absolutely everything in existence. Everything in the universe that was created was created by Jesus. It is impossible that Jesus is a created being.

But Paul goes even further than that in Colossians 1. Not only was God the Son involved in the work of creation, but everything was created for Him. All of creation, everything that exists, was created for the purpose of bringing glory to God the Son. Even from before creation it was God’s intention that God the Son would become a Man, would live a sinless life on our behalf and would die to take the penalty for our sin and rebellion. Jesus is not only the creator of all things, He is the goal and purpose of all things. God always intended that He be our Saviour and that He be glorified as Saviour and King. This is the purpose of everything, to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ. Let us join with creation as we worship Him as God the Son.

Prayer:

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

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Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

¥ Praise God that He is creator of everything. Thank Him that He always intended for Jesus to come and to die as our saviour. Pray that He would give you opportunities to share this news with others today and that He would give you wisdom and courage to take those opportunities.

 Word Moment:

Jesus isn’t just in the New Testament. In fact, the whole Bible points to Him and is ultimately about Him. Jesus even told us that Himself in Luke 24:27. When you read any part of the Bible think about how it points you to Jesus. You’ll be amazed at what you find out!

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. How does it change our faith if Jesus is merely a created being and not God? Do you think this is important? Why or why not?

2. Imagine you are telling someone the story of how God created the world. How would you adjust your story to include what we learn from Colossians 1:15-16?

 Discipleship Moment For Girls

Intro: The story of how God created the Earth is one of the most amazing stories in the Bible.

Share: If you can, tell the story of how God created the world without looking at your Bible. Make sure you make it exciting!
Read: Colossians 1:15-16 What was Jesus doing when God was creating the world? What does this mean about who Jesus is? If Jesus created everything then what is He the king of? How would you tell the story of creation differently after you have read this passage?
Pray Together: Praise Jesus that He is the creator and king of all things. Praise Him that He is God. Pray that He would help us to love Him and worship Him.

 Discipleship Moment For Boys

Intro: The story of how God created the Earth is one of the most amazing stories in the Bible.

Share: If you can, tell the story of how God created the world without looking at your Bible. Make sure you make it exciting!
Read: Colossians 1:15-16 What was Jesus doing when God was creating the world? What does this mean about who Jesus is? If Jesus created everything then what is He the king of? How would you tell the story of creation differently after you have read this passage?
Pray Together: Praise Jesus that He is the creator and king of all things. Praise Him that He is God. Pray that He would help us to love Him and worship Him.

Suggestions for Cell

Welcome and Catch-up time

Worship

Spend time singing praises to God 

Prayer Time.

After sharing prayer points, spend time joyfully thanking God for all that He has done. Try to be specific.

Also pray for each other to grow in knowledge of God.

Word:

Read: Colossians 1:3-14

How would you sum up from this passage the ways that the Gospel affects our lives?

Read Monday’s notes and do discussion questions.

Read Thursday’s notes and do discussion questions.

Word & Walk.

How can you help each other live differently because of the gospel?

Witness

Spend time praying for those people you listed earlier in the year. Pray that God would fill them with knowledge and lead them to faith in Him.

Saturday November 1, 2014

Genesis 2:2-3

Did you know God rests? It seems like a crazy idea. Why would God the Father, the all powerful creator and ruler of the universe, choose to take a break? Surely He doesn’t get tired like we do. And yet here, at the very beginning of the Bible and the very beginning of time God takes a break. He has just spent six very busy days speaking into being the universe in all it’s splendour. He has shaped the sky and land, He has created plants and animals and to top it all off He has fashioned a creature in His own image: Man. And after His work is finished He rests on the seventh day. Why? Not because God needs to rest, but because we need to rest. God rested to provide an example and illustration to us.

Over the next couple of months we will be spending our Saturdays looking at God’s command for us to rest. This seventh day of rest was called the Sabbath in the Old Testament and fell on a Saturday. In the New Testament we rest on the Lord’s Day, Sonday, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. We practice the rest that God commands on a Sonday instead of a Saturday. But why? Why should we as Christians rest? Wasn’t this abolished or something? What should this look like for us? Over the coming weeks we will answer all of these questions but we must begin all the way back at the beginning, at God resting after creation.

This is the basis of the principle of rest that God has established. Right from the beginning He created mankind to work six days and to rest one. He established this pattern in creation right from the beginning. This day is set aside to be holy, spent resting from normal work and engaging in worship of the creator God who made all things.

God established this principle even before the fall. Sin had not yet entered the world. There was no curse yet. Mankind was still in perfect relationship with God without any effects of sin dragging them down. Yet even then God saw fit for them to rest and to engage in intentional worship for one day a week. The need for rest and worship does not stem from the fall or from sin. It is a need that God has built into mankind from the very beginning.

Some groups will teach that the concept of Sabbath rest is an institution from the law of Moses and as Christians in the New Covenant we are freed from the obligation to rest. But here at creation we see that God rests as an example to mankind thousands of years before the law is given to Moses. Here, before the fall God provides an example not only to the nation or Israel, not only to Adam and Eve, but to all mankind. God has created mankind to operate in this way.

This must cause us to pause and examine ourselves. If God  commanded and demonstrated a principle of rest and worship even at creation then that principle applies to us today. Are we serious about setting aside one day in seven to rest and to worship God? Do we take seriously the command of our creator God?

Prayer:

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

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Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

¥ Thank God for His demonstration of rest even at creation. Thank God that we can gather together as His people tomorrow for rest and worship and to grow in relationship with Him. Pray that in your church tomorrow the word would be faithfully preached, that people would be challenged and encouraged and that the fellowship would be rich.

 Walk Moment:

God instituted the principle of rest and worship not for His sake but for the sake of mankind. Being serious about this is essential in order to live in the way that God intended His people to live and to grow in relationship with Him.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What sort of things have you heard about how the Sabbath relates to Christians?

2. What questions do you have about the Sabbath? Write them down as a group to see if they are answered over the coming weeks.

 Discipleship Moment For Girls

Intro: Sometimes it’s great to take a break! Have you ever been doing something for a long time until you were totally worn out?

Share: A time when you were totally worn out and needed a rest. How did it feel when you did get to rest?
Read: Genesis 2:2-3 Did you know even God rested? Why do you think God rested? God was showing us that we need to spend one day a week to rest and to worship Him. What day do we do that on? What do you think we should do on that day to rest and worship God?
Pray Together: Thank God that He showed us how we need to rest. Pray that He would help us worship Him.

 Discipleship Moment For Boys

Intro: Sometimes it’s great to take a break! Have you ever been doing something for a long time until you were totally worn out?

Share: A time when you were totally worn out and needed a rest. How did it feel when you did get to rest?
Read: Genesis 2:2-3 Did you know even God rested? Why do you think God rested? God was showing us that we need to spend one day a week to rest and to worship Him. What day do we do that on? What do you think we should do on that day to rest and worship God?
Pray Together: Thank God that He showed us how we need to rest. Pray that He would help us worship Him.