Tim Hawkins is a Christian comedian
who often uses church stories for his routines and
in his concerts. He says, “I'm coming off a few
years of backsliding. Every night it was drunkenness
and fighting and foul language. Finally I said, ‘Ya
know what? I’m quitting church softball!’”Very
funny! Right? Truth is, sometimes the world can’t
always tell the difference between believers and
non-believers. Shouldn’t there be more of a
difference? Yes! Of course. But often, there is very
little. The apostle Paul felt that since we are “in”
Christ, it should change us completely. In fact, the
Book of Colossians is about just that. Colossians is
one of Paul’s shortest letters. Paul encourages a
young church to treasure their possession of being
“in” Christ and uses that phrase several times. He
encourage us to keep our faith “in” Christ, remain
“in” Christ, mature “in” Christ, be made alive “in”
Christ, and on and on. Today, many priorities (even
important and good ones) compete for our focus and
attention. The urgency of living “in” the here and
now all too often trumps the urgency of living “in”
Christ. Paul’s letter to the Colossians presents
Christ as the Creator, Christ as Ruler, and Christ
as the all-sufficient answer. This letter will help
us discover how Christ should be the ultimate
pursuit in our life. Have you made any New Year’s
resolutions? I’ve made them before. I’ve tried to
keep them. Short end of the story, I didn’t. I
wanted something more from the year and didn’t
always see it through. What was your New Year’s
Resolution? Number one for most people, year after
year, is losing weight. We all know what that means!
That means back to the gym. That means diets. That
means more activity and less food. It means no late
night snacking. That means less carbs and less
sugars and less food. It means discipline and
self-control (two things I seem to be lacking)! It
basically means an entire life-change. Throw out the
old and bring in the new. Let’s lose that weight.
Right? Wrong! The vast majority of people fail in
their New Year’s resolutions within the first week.
We all know what usually happens. We’ll cheat. We’ll
put it off. We’ll start tomorrow. And before we know
it, another year is past with no ground claimed.
Could I have done it?
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Yes! Should I have done it? Yes!
Would I do it? There’s the question. Am I ready to
get serious? What Paul does with his letter to the
Colossians is a lot like the gym trainer with an
eager student. He pushes and pulls; exhorts and
encourages. Resolutions aside, Paul’s training and
advice is only helpful for the person who is ready
to get serious about their spiritual journey. False
teachers were trying to chip away at the deity and
authority of Christ by convincing the church at
Colossae that Christ wasn’t enough. So, while Paul
was under house arrest awaiting trial in Rome, he
wrote the letter of Colossians, giving us the single
most concentrated teaching on the theology of
“Christ” we’ve ever known. Jesus is greater than
everything else. He is supreme. He is sufficient. He
is the one who has saved us from sin and changed us
into new, living creatures. We have a new life
because of Him. Jesus is greater. Starting in
January and through the end of February, we will
study the Book of Colossians during our sermon time.
This will be a deep study for some but exactly what
we need as we start our new year. This letter calls
us all to a little higher ground in our spiritual
journey. And then it will tell us what it means to
be “in” Christ! Do a couple of things for me
beforehand: pray and read Colossians. Then, attend
service and take notes and let us take seriously
this transformation together.
Ron Otto, preaching
minister at Lincoln Christian Church |
