Sermon Tone Analysis

*Exalt His Name; Live His Purpose*

/“God-Centered Church-Part 1”/

/Colossians 1:1-8/

I.          Introduction

            A.

Swinging Pendulum of Christianity

1.

Is it Exalt His Name or Live His Purpose?

2.         Answer is BOTH, but it seems in our Christianity that churches often sacrifice one for the other.

a.

There are churches that so strongly emphasis the preaching and teaching of God’s Word that their church becomes more academic than anything else.

1)         Interaction with God becomes nothing more than an intellectual exercise.

2)         These churches are indeed training people in the Bible, but my biggest concern is that they are also training them to sit and not do.

b.

There are also churches, especially today, that stress authentic community within the body – fellowship, love, service, unity, etc

            1)         Interaction with God is personal and experiential.

2)         Worship tends to be reduced to my personal feelings and the primary goal of community and fellowship tends to be sincerity and authenticity.

3)         Concern here is that sometimes we sacrifice the central truths of God, including matters dealing with sin and submission.

B.         As we would all probably agree – the church ought to be living in authentic community AND she ought to be centered on Christ and His revealed Word.

1.         Hopefully, we would all agree that authentic community is more than simply coffee and cookies mid-Sunday morning.

a.

Not less than this, but indeed more than this.

b.

When the Bible speaks of authentic community, it refers to more than just socially chewing the fat.

c.         Community seems to refer to sharing life with one another.

1)         Mutual sharing of one’s life and even possessions with another.

2)         Involves having an active desire to know one another’s needs, AND a humble willingness to let your needs be known.

2.         Must remember that authentic community cannot and will not be authentic unless it is rooted in the truths, promises, and Person of Jesus Christ.

C.

This seems to be the message of Paul’s letter to the church at Colosse.

1.

The Colossian believers were truly positive examples of a church living in authentic community, and Paul commends them often for living out their faith with one another.

2.         However, Paul is made aware that the church is in danger of heretical teaching that will greatly hinder the work of the gospel of God in their lives.

3.         Paul warns them that embracing error will greatly hinder authentic community (the sharing of life together), their example to other believers, and the proclamation of God’s message to the lost.

4.         The nature of the error being taught in Colosse, though having to read between the lines, seeks to undermine and contradict the sufficiency of the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

5.         So, Paul is calling the Colossian believers back to a Christianity that is totally centered on Jesus Christ, because without the foundation of Jesus Christ, the church will be rendered powerless in accomplishing God’s mission in this world.

D.        The message of Colossians is the importance of a God-centered Christianity.

1.

Tonight, we are going to look at Colossians 1:1-8.

2.         In Paul’s introduction of his letter to Colosse, we will be able to see a God-centered church in action.

3.         Three Characteristics of a God-Centered Church.

II.

A God-Centered Church considers as primary their renewed status in Christ (1:2)

A.        What serves as the foundation of our faith in God and our shared life as an authentic community of believers rests in the fact that we are no longer in Adam; we are now in Christ.

B.         ILL

1.

In the original, the text actually creates a parallelism - toi'" ejn Kolossai'" aJgivoi" kai; pistoi'" ajdelfoi'" ejn Cristw'~/, cavri" uJmi'n kai; eijrhvnh ajpo; qeou' patro;" hJmw'n.

a.         “In Colosse…in Christ” seems to play off this idea of residence – “You may reside in Colosse, but you have a greater residence; that of living in Christ.”

b.         Paul seems to be reminding the Colossian believers of their spiritual status.

1)         Every human being born into this world is born in Adam.

a)         Meaning that we are born in sin – we are sinners by birth, by nature, and by choice.

b)         In Adam also means that we are spiritually dead in our sin – totally incapable of making amends with God AND totally unwilling to for such amends to take place.

c)         Every human being is born into this world as rejecters of God and suppressors of His truth.

2)         Yet, God, by way of His unmerited and undeserved mercy, restored relationship with us through the Person and redemptive work of Christ.

3)         In Christ, our legal status before God has been forever changed.

2.         Being “in Christ” is central to Paul’s understanding of salvation.

a.

To be in Christ means to be so incorporated in Him that Christ encompasses our entire lives.

1)         They may be Colossians and we may be Americans, but the only thing that matters to God is that we are Christians.

2)         This means that Christ becomes the determining factor in every facet of our lives.

b.

To be in Christ means that we are exclusively joined to Christ and no others.

c.

To be in Christ means that Christ determines the behavior of believers – cannot be “in Christ” and “in the world”.

d.

To be in Christ means that we are inseparably joined to Christ – nothing can separate us from the love of God.

e.

To be in Christ means we are joined to a new family where the cultural dividing lines that separate and categorize people has been erased.

C.

Application

1.

A God-centered church is one that continually rejoices in their renewed status in Christ.

a.

We were lost, but now we are found.

b.

We were blind, but have been made to see.

2.         A God centered church finds their true identity in Christ.

a.

It is not wrong to sing with pride Lee Greenwood’s song “I Am Proud to be an American”.

b.

It is not wrong to faithfully uphold the US Constitution.

c.

But our ultimate identity is not in a nation, a song, a flag, a man-made document.

d.

Our identity and that which drives our lives is that we are fundamentally in Christ – for He is the Creator and Ruler of all nations, and He has freed us from the penalty and power of sin.

3.         A church that does not find her true identity in Christ will function as nothing more than a social club.

a.

They will ascribe to shared beliefs and propositions.

b.

But also will most likely lack vision for accomplishing the mission of God in the world.

c.         Remember that the Body of Christ is not about individual agendas and personal comfort – this is a sure sign of a Body that has lost connection with the HEAD.

d.

The Body of Christ is united and driven by the truth that we have been redeemed by God through Jesus Christ.

e.

And our redemption provides the basis and the vision for ministry.

III.

A God Centered Church faithfully responds to the gospel (1:3-6)

A.        Responding to the life-giving gospel of God becomes an expression of our thanksgiving and worship to God.

B.         ILL

1.         Notice how Paul talks about the life giving power of the Gospel in the lives of the Colossian believers.

a.         Heard of their faith in Jesus Christ – known all the way to Rome.

b.         Paul also heard of their active love for others – a sign of their genuine faith in Christ.

c.         Notice that Paul states that HOPE is the driving force for their faith and love

1)         1 Corinthians 13 – Paul uses the same triad of faith, hope, and love but states the greatest of these is love.

2)         Here in Colossians 1 – HOPE becomes the “greatest of these”.