Dear TVCC Students,
We love getting to worship with you guys on Wednesday night and to see you all growing in truth and love. Last night we spent time going through Colossians 3:1-10 and talking about what fuels us to think on heavenly things. Here is a recap...
Colossians 3:1-10
~3:1: The word "if" in this sentence is actually a word better translated as "since." Since we have been raised with Christ, let us keep seeking the things above. Our goal, as was Jesus' goal, is to glorify the Father. Jesus prayed in Matthew 6 (the "Lord's prayer") a prayer that showed us how we are to live. We are to be living with our hope set on the Lord's coming kingdom, not this fleeting earthly one.
Q: When you look at your life, do you spend more time thinking and dwelling on things here that are passing away or are you continually thinking about heavenly things and the coming Kingdom of the Lord?
~3:2: Paul calls the church to "set" their mind on things above. This word implies a "dwelling on" of heavenly things. We are to think heavily on what is pleasing to the Lord. Philippians 4 goes into greater detail about what "things" we are to dwell on. We also know, just through life experience, that the things we dwell on fuel our excitement. If we dwell continually on sports or fame, those things will fuel our excitement. If we dwell on heavenly things- these things will fuel our excitement for the Lord and His return. We were made to enjoy Jesus and walk in a fulfilling relationship with Him!
Q: What things do you dwell on? What encourages you to dwell on heavenly things? What discourages you from dwelling on heavenly things?
~3:3: When a person comes to believe in Jesus, they have been united with Him in both His death and resurrection. A believer now has the ability (by the Spirit) to be "dead" to the things of this world and "alive" to heavenly things (something that was not possible before being born again). As believers, our life is no longer about us but we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God. Our future is solid and imperishable (1 Peter 1) and we are not called to live for this world anymore.
Q: What does it look like for us to really live with our life "hidden" in Christ?
~3:4: Christ is our life. He is our everything. As believers, we should be longing for His return. He is our glory and we will share in that glory when He returns! What a glorious thing to look forward too!
Q: What consumes your life? Is Christ your whole life? If the answer is NO, we encourage you to spend time praying that the Lord would make that true of you. Only Christ will fully satisfy you. Only Christ offers complete fulfillment here and an unshakable future in eternity!
~3:5-9: Paul is calling the church to put off the old self. He is calling them to remember that God has so much more for them to live for! He spent the first part of this section basically giving them a "how to" that would give them the tools necessary for overcoming their fleshly desires. We cannot overcome our flesh by sheer willpower or trying to follow a rigid list of rules that we set for ourselves. We might be able to fake it for a little while but it will never last. In order to overcome our fleshly desires, we MUST live in light of verses 3:1-4. We must continually come back to the gospel. We were lost and without hope. Christ died in our place and now we are untied with Him in his death and resurrection- and able to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). He has given us His Spirit that allows us to seek heavenly things. The more we walk dependent on the Spirit by renewing our minds through His Word, the easier it will be for us to dwell on heavenly things and not live for the temporal lusts of this world.
Q: Have you felt yourself falling back into the lifestyle that you lived prior to Christ? If so, we encourage you to sit down and think about the Gospel again. Preach the Gospel to yourself. You were lost and dead. Christ made you alive through His death and resurrection on your behalf. You can walk in new life because of His Spirit that was given to you through faith. Let this truth encourage and strengthen you!
~3:10: In the last part of this section, Paul is calling them to put on the "new self" that is being "renewed" after the image of the Creator. This "renewed" implies a type of renovation. As we all know, renovations are slow processes that take time and diligence. Being molded into the image of Christ is a life-long renovation process that requires us to walk dependent on the Spirit. His Word fuels this renovation process and His Spirit gives us the ability to be transformed little by little into the people that the Lord calls us to be (full transformation will be complete when Christ returns).
Q: When you look at your life, do you see little renovations happening where you are (by the power of the Spirit) overcoming fleshly desires and becoming more like Christ? What encourages this renovation process in your life?
Dear Students,
We are so thankful to be able to walk this walk of faith alongside you all. We pray that this week you will embrace God's renovation process through meditating on His Word and just enjoying time with your Savior. We love you all and are so encouraged to see you growing in your faith!
With hope,
~Sonny and Casi
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