Coming Up: Sonday December 7, 2014
Colossians 3:1-17. Christ Brings Real Life
Read Colossians 3:1-4.
Where is your heart set? To what or to whom have you given your heart? Unfortunately, it’s very easy to believe in Jesus with your head, to know the truths of salvation in your mind, but to have your heart set somewhere else. In fact, it’s quite possible that this Sonday as you gather for corporate worship, many people will have their heart wrapped around money, work, sport, family or any number of other things. I wonder how many people will join in the singing and praying but all the while will be thinking about and perhaps worrying about their work, their finances, the sporting match coming up, or even the relatives due over for lunch very soon. Some may even have their heart set upon religion - the form of worship, thinking that this is the way to God’s heart. The fact that so many believers expect church to last no more than 1 hour suggests that our hearts and minds are elsewhere.
Colossians 3:1-4 encourages us to set our heart and our mind on Christ Jesus in the heavens, much like an in-love teenager who spends every moment of their waking time thinking about and doodling about the love of their life. Jesus is to be the love of our life. We are to day dream about Him. We are to doodle Him. We are to imagine our name next to His. When the Bible encourages us to set our hearts and minds on Christ, it means to sing His praises. It means to meditate upon His Word. It means that we think about how to please Jesus instead of ourselves. It means that we do what He wants rather than what we want. It means we strive to look good in Jesus’ eyes not in the eyes of the world.
If you read verse 1 carefully you’ll see that we do this because we have been raised with Christ. The work at Calvary has been finished and we have already been the recipients of it. But now, in the present time our lives are hidden with Christ. There is a sense that something’s missing. We may well feel like aliens and strangers in this world as we pass through on our journey home to heaven.
The full meaning of our lives will be revealed when Jesus returns. We will appear with Him in glory and everything about our lives and ourselves will make sense at that point. Only then will we be totally fulfilled. We should never seek total fulfilment in this life or in the things of this world. When a believer seeks fulfilment and total satisfaction in the things of this world, it stands as a stark and unimpressive contrast to what our lives should be. Nothing this side of heaven has the ability to completely fulfil us. We should never seek to find ultimate fulfilment in anything but Christ. Only being with Jesus in our heavenly home can bring that glory, joy and fulfilment that we so desire. Until the day when we are with Jesus, we should walk heavenward, filled with anticipation and hope. We should willingly and joyfully lay down the things of this world, knowing that they pale into insignificance when compared to the things of the next world.
Prayer:
Using today’s Bible reading and notes spend time praying.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
à As Christmas draws near, ask God to reveal to you the people He wants you to be sharing the Gospel with and inviting to Church.
à Pray that the Lord would grow your church into a generous church and that giving would rise to more than the required levels so that your church can be supporting the poor and needy this Christmas.
A life of hope is a powerful testimony to Christ.
1. If you were to jot down every thought throughout 1 full week what percentage of thoughts would be about
Christ?
Work or school?
Family?
The things you own or want?
2. How long should church go for? What factors need consideration?
Intro: Many things in this world distract us from serving God. Can you think of 5 things that might distract us from serving God? These things pull our hearts away from Jesus.
Discuss some times in your life that you were distracted from serving Jesus and how Jesus led you back.
Read Phil 3:14.
What is Paul’s attitude in this regard?
What is he striving for?
What does this verse encourage us to be doing?
Pray together: that God would allow you to be focused on Jesus 100% of the day as you strive to serve Him.
Intro: The big distractions in life for men are cars, women and money. These things pull our hearts away from Jesus and stop us from worshipping Him.
Discuss some times in your life that you were distracted from serving Jesus and how Jesus led you back.
Read Phil 3:14.
What is Paul’s attitude in this regard?
What is he striving for?
What does this verse encourage us to be doing?
Pray together: that God would allow you to be focused on Jesus 100% of the day as you strive to serve Him.
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