Church in the Dirt June 2018
4 Things you need to know to Grow
Sometimes we need to get realigned, sometimes we veer a little too far left or right, and we get going down a wrong path!
Too right and we get too conservative
· We start to add rules to God's word.
· We start to take ourselves a little too seriously.
· And we become too judgmental.
· And become more conservative than God!
Too Left
· We stop holding each other accountable.
· We become too lax in our walk.
· And we forget that hell is real and hot!
So today we are going to look at 4 alignment tools to help us all grow in Jesus!
Colossians 1:1–2 (ESV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
1. Who are you learning from?
VS 1 Paul,an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
· Paul is establishing himself as a spiritual father of the church.
· Everyone needs help to keep from going too far left or right.
· We are never too old to learn!
· And the most important thing as a Christian is who will teach you about Jesus.
· So, who will you learn about Jesus from?
We all need a spiritual father/mother
· Churches need Pastors to lovingly father the family.
· And we all need someone to help us along in our walk.
· And who you pick to fill those roles are so important!
· Be very careful as to who you learn from. Especially when it comes to Jesus!
#2 You have to know God’s will
VS 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
· We all, as followers, need to find God's will for our lives.
· We can find it:
o In His word.
o Through Prayer.
o And walking with God's people.
· Some will be called to ministry.
· Some will simply be called to be an example for your contact with others.
· And we will all be called to walk away from sin.
· But each of us, like Paul, needs to find the will of God for our individual lives!
#3 You have to know who you are!
VS 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae
· Your identity determines:
o Your direction.
o Your destiny.
o Your activity!
· The world will teach you that you are at the center of your world.
o Being a follower puts Jesus at the center of everything.
· Your identity is the one thing that can change everything.
· Are you proud or in despair?
o Are you the pretty one or the ugly one?
o Are you the smart one or the dumb one?
So, what defines you??
· For some of us, our sin defines us.
o It sets our course
o It makes us see ourselves as bad, not worthy.
o And Satan, he likes you there!
· Paul tells us what we really are, we are SAINTS!
o Saints, adopted into a family.
o With all the rights and privileges that come with it.
“Sin might be our occasional activity, but Saint ,that is our identity!”
And how do we get this Sainthood?
· Do we do anything for it?
· Do we earn it?
· NO, we get it by believing in and walking with Jesus.
· So, we carry it with humility, and grace, and mercy.
· Just like He showed us!
#4 you have to know the fatherhood of God!
VS 2: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
· Most all our relationships are performance based:
o Job
o School
o Sports
· All other religions are performance based:
o They all have stipulations.
o What you wear.
o How much you pray.
o What you eat.
o Who you marry.
o Some have limits on how many get to stand before their God.
o To them, their God is someone you fear!
o You don’t run to God, you run from Him.
But our relationship with God is Paternal based.
· Jesus tells us to pray to “our Father".
· Jesus calls Him Father.
· And Jesus says we are adopted into the family.
o When you adopted, you are fully part of the family.
o Not because of what you do or say.
o There is no turning you away.
· Saints! A child of the most HIGH GOD!
· And He loves you like a DAD should!
· So instead of running away when things go south, you run to Him~
o When you mess up (sin) you run to Him and find Forgiveness!
o When the world is collapsing around you, you run to Him and find Peace!
o When you are struggling with life, you run to Him and find Grace!
· Like a good dad, His love for you is not based on what you do. It’s based on who He is!
o He loves you
o He sees your faults.
o Your scars.
o And He loves you.
o He sees you for what you will become.
o And loves you through everything.
o He will correct you, but never out of anger, only love.
Close
When you rightly see who God is, start to find your identity in Jesus, start to learn the will of God for your life, and start to learn from God and his people, then you will grow, you will thrive, and you will find some heaven on earth!
No comments:
Post a Comment