Christ Living Through You

Christ Living Through You

Colossians 3:10-17

Pastor Miles

2/22/15

1. Put on the Character of Christ.

and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭10-12‬ NIV)

There are no distinctions of ethnicity, culture, nationality, socioeconomic status. We are all God's chosen people. We have all of Christ living in us. Do we possess the character qualities found in Christ?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22-24‬ NIV)

2. Handle conflict with others the way that Christ would.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭13-14‬ NIV)

When my security is in Christ, secure in His grace and love, His life in me allows His grace to flow through me, allowing us to forgive others.

3. Develop habits that keep the life of Christ flowing through you.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭15-17‬ NIV)

a) Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. 

⚫️Is there something that I'm not obeying or trusting God with? If yes, there will be no peace until I repent. That's how we let the peace of Christ, the umpire, rule in our lives.

b) Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

⚫️We need to let the message of Christ (scripture) enrich our lives so that we can enrich the lives of others (we need others as well). 

c) And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

⚫️Whatever we do, we need to honor Christ in our lives. We need to live out the Gospel in our lives. Is His life being reflected in my life and actions? Is the life of Jesus flowing through me to those around me? 

Christ is Your Life

Christ is Your Life

Colossians 3:1-9

Pastor Miles

2/7/2015

1. Keep your focus on Christ.

We have spiritual ADD.

There is too much going on in our lives. We lose sight of the most important thing.

Paul tells us to keep focused on Christ.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1-4‬ NIV)

We know that we have been raised with Christ, no question about that.

We have been raised from spiritual death into new life with Him.

Set our minds on eternal (heavenly) things not temporary (earthly) things.

We are to be subject to His authority.

Live in a manner worthy of His Name.

Why? Because we died to our earthly self, so we should be seeking the things that matter the most in our new life.

When Jesus comes He will be fully manifested in His glory.

Christ is our life, and our lives will also be manifested in His glory.

When we envision that glorious day, how does that spur us on to live our lives now?

The more that you believe that your life is secure in Him, the more that you will set your mind and focus on Him.

2. Put away the things that hinder the life of Christ flowing through you.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. (‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭5-7‬ NIV)

Eliminate the sinful behaviors that don't bring honor to Christ.

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices (‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭8-9‬ NIV)

What comes out of our mouths comes from our hearts.

What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them." (‭Matthew‬ ‭15‬:‭11‬ NIV)

Acid in the cup illustration: acid that spills out of our cup md burns others when we're jostled. It's not because we are jostled that leads to the acid hurting the other person, but that fact that we carry acid in our cups.

Let us get rid of the acid!

Pearls from Parenting Conference by Chap Bettis

God's vision for parenting
https://www.bible.com/moments/4809647404089344

Live in Christ

Live in Christ

Colossians 2:6-23

Pastor Miles

2/1/2015

1. How to live in Christ:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, (‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬ NIV)

A. You live in Christ by faith.

B. You live in Christ by following Him as Lord of your life.

C. You live in Christ by abiding in Him.

rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. (‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭7-8‬ NIV)

Don't be captivated by any worldly philosophy or world view, but be captivated by Christ instead.

We are surrounded by false world views that threatened to distract us from following Christ.

E.g. Materialism, fame, self-glory, etc.

2. Remember all that you have in Christ:

A. In Christ you have fullness.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. (‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭9-10‬ NIV)

We have all the resources needed to live our lives in Him.

B. In Christ you have been freed.

In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭11-12‬ NIV)

We have been freed by our old nature because we have been spiritually circumcised in Christ.

Our old self has been crucified and buried, and we have new (resurrected) life in Him.

C. In Christ you were made alive.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. (‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭13-14‬ NIV)

3. Since you have everything you need in Christ.

A. Don't let anyone judge you.

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭16-17‬ NIV)

B. Don't let anyone disqualify you.

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. (‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭18-19‬ NIV)

We are fully qualified in Christ.

C. Don't let anyone enslave you.

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. (‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭20-23‬ NIV)

All that we need and have is found in Him.

Let us learn to live in Christ by faith, trusting in Him daily.

Submit to Him, abide in Him, being nurtured and fulfilled in Him daily.