TVCC Students,
We hope that you are all relaxing now that finals are finished! You did it! Great job! We love getting to worship the Lord with you every Wednesday. Last night we spent time in Colossians 2 being reminded of our identity in Christ. Here is a recap...
Colossians 1:13-20: Even though this was part of a previous message, it is crucial for us to go back to this section before moving on. This passage is so rich. It is good for us to remember constantly that life is about Christ. All things were created by Him and for Him. He holds everything together. He gets the glory in everything!
Colossians 2:1-2: Paul lets the church know that he has been struggling on their behalf. Letting them know this was not meant to discourage them but to let the church know how valuable they were to Paul and to Christ. We will fight and struggle for things that are valuable and important. Paul was seeking to encourage them by letting them know that they were valued and loved.
Q: Do you realize that you are so valuable to Christ and to His body? People are striving daily in prayer for you and working hard to make sure that you are led in the truth of the Lord! You are valuable!
2:2-3: While also reminding them that they were valuable, Paul also wanted to encourage them to have full assurance in Christ. He wanted to remind the church that their security was not in themselves and what they could accomplish- it was in Christ. Christ keeps us secure just like He did for them. Our salvation and sanctification do not depend on us but on Christ and what He did on our behalf. He secured for us an eternity with Him through His blood and NOTHING can take that away (Romans 8).
Q: Do you realize that if you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Redeemer that you are forever secure in Him? No matter what may happen in this life, you are HIs. You will be spending eternity in His presence!
2:3: In Christ are hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Again, all good things are in Christ. We are valuable because He is valuable. If we want to grow in eternal wisdom and knowledge, we must pursue Christ. "Wisdom" and "knowledge" that are apart from Christ will never last but if we seek to know Jesus, we will grow in the eternal knowledge and wisdom that are in Him.
Q: Are you seeking to grow in Christ? What does it look like for you to be growing in eternal wisdom and knowledge?
2:4-5: The people in Colosse had been discouraged by people telling them that they had to be good enough to earn Christ's favor. Paul encouraged them that what mattered was the stability of their faith in Christ. We cannot say it enough. Christ sustains us. Yes, we should pursue Him and seek to be disciplined in Him BUT NOT out of fear. We should pursue Christ because we LOVE Him and are thankful for our redemption. Just as in a marriage, service to one another should not come out of fear or duty but should flow from LOVE. The Lord wants us to seek Him because we enjoy our relationship with Him, not because we are fearful of Him leaving. He is staying! Nothing can separate a believer from the Lord!
Q: Do you find yourself doing "Christian" things more out of a sense of fear and duty or out of love? What motivates you to pursue Christ from love?
2:6: Paul encourages them to remember that the process of growing in Christ is just like our salvation- it is dependent on the mercy of God. Just as we received Christ by grace through faith, so we continue to walk by grace through faith! We cannot make ourselves into the image of Christ. We must be coming to Him daily asking for the grace and faith to be made more into His image. The gospel saves us. The gospel sanctifies us! It's all about Jesus!
Q: Do you find yourself trying to muster up fruits of the Spirit within your life without being fully dependent on Christ? Who are you trusting in to grow you.... your works or Jesus?
2:7: Paul uses a great life example to explain what our growth in Christ is like. He wanted the Colossian church to be "rooted" in Christ. Roots are so interesting. When things get difficult (when it gets to hot or too try), the roots of a tree grow deeper into the ground to find strength so that they can face difficult times in the future. The same is true for Christians. In both good times and bad, we should be seeking to be more rooted in Christ. Though this is by His grace, we should be seeking to know more of His character through things like reading the Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship and trust that He will grow us as we do these things. The more time we spend growing our relationship with Him, the more ready we will be for the adversities that life will bring us. Deep roots help us weather the storms of life and will help us live lives of thankful love towards the Lord.
Q: How are you seeking to be rooted in Christ?
Dear Students,
We love getting to see you all growing in Christ. It is our joy to worship with you and see the Lord growing all of us. We pray that you will meditate this week on what Christ has done on your behalf. He is our security. Let us seek to have "deeper" roots in Him by spending time in His presence. We love you and are praying for you!
With hope,
~Sonny and Casi
Announcements:
~Girls gingerbread house making night/sleepover is this Friday night at Haley Dills house. More information here.
~We can use volunteers to help with drop off and pick up of sacks for the food drive we are doing. We could use help today at 4 and on Saturday. Contact Brian to help: 281-733-9362
~Small groups this Sunday will be at our house (the Howards) at 7pm. Our address is 21731 Winsome Rose Court, Cypress.
~After this Sunday night, we will be taking a break from small groups and will resume after the New Year (January 5th)
