1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:03,560 Good morning, everybody. It's great to be with you here. 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,800 Thanks, Hannah. Hey, my name is Nate. 3 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:10,760 I'm one of the Co directors of student ministry here at Ford 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:12,680 Church. I had the privilege of serving 5 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:14,920 alongside a bridge. She was the one in the cheetah 6 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:18,280 print pants earlier up on here. And it is great to be with you 7 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,560 here this morning. We are going to be in Colossians 8 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:25,960 31 to 17, and we're going to be going through it slowly but 9 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:27,560 faithfully. And if you don't have a Bible 10 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:29,040 with you, I'd love to invite you to grab one. 11 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:31,440 They'll be one of the seat backs beside you or in front of you. 12 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:36,280 And if you grab one of those, it will be on page 1044. 13 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:38,560 And that's your gift. You can keep that. 14 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,240 We'd love you to mark up, bring that to church, reading it and 15 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,480 be a part of it. And I hope your your Christmas 16 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:46,080 was a good time spent with family. 17 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,440 I know my wife Laura and I had a wonderful time bouncing around 18 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:51,600 all different parts of Ontario celebrating. 19 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:53,880 We even got to have a wedding in this season. 20 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:58,920 Congratulations to Macy. And usually around this time, as 21 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:02,280 we head into a new year is the time we start to think about 22 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,319 setting goals, the time we start to reflect on how our year went. 23 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:08,040 But it's also about looking forward and being able to go, 24 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:09,640 what is my next year going to look like? 25 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,200 What is 2026 going to look like for me? 26 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:17,040 And a quick Google search will tell you what the top five list 27 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:19,160 is for every other person around. 28 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:21,480 It starts with #1 being health and fitness. 29 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:25,960 Number 2 is financial improvement #3 is better 30 00:01:25,960 --> 00:01:30,240 lifestyles or habits #4 is self improvement through learning. 31 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:35,080 So maybe your Duolingo streak is going to hit 365 this year and 32 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:41,280 #5 is personal well-being. In 2025, the same five made that 33 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:45,520 list, and in 2024, the same five made that list. 34 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,600 And you can probably predict that in 2023 it was the same as 35 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:50,560 well, just with a slight change in order. 36 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,120 So why has nothing changed? Why is it year after year we 37 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,720 make commitments to go to the gym, to be happier, to have 38 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:02,280 financial stability or whatever your top five resolutions are 39 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,320 going to be or were? I know that life gets busy, kids 40 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,240 sports start to stack up, Netflix drops a new series we 41 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:14,600 have to binge watch, bills start to pile up and the goals start 42 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,080 to fade into the background. We start to lose focus of our 43 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:23,840 aim and sadly the same can happen with our faith journeys. 44 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:27,360 We can lose sight of what it means to follow Jesus. 45 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:31,360 It's times we know we have things that need to change. 46 00:02:31,640 --> 00:02:34,800 We know there's people we need to stop following or habits that 47 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,240 need to be removed, but we lack to be able to follow in the 48 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,440 steps. There seems to be a disconnect 49 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,960 between what we believe and what in the actions that follow that 50 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,120 belief. As we unpack the message today 51 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:52,360 as we unpack the passage God through Paul's challenging 52 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,720 believers to live a faith that is consistent with what they 53 00:02:55,720 --> 00:03:00,760 confess and it starts by setting our aim on things above can open 54 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:09,240 up to Colossians 31 says this. So if you've been raised with 55 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:13,240 Christ, seek things above where Christ is seated at the right 56 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,760 hand of God. Set your mind on things above, 57 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:20,760 not on earthly things, for you died and your life was hidden 58 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,960 with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life 59 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:28,000 appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. 60 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,480 See, the section of scripture that we are in is jam packed. 61 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:35,560 If you're unfamiliar with Paul's writing in his letters, he 62 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:37,560 usually starts the small lentil introduction. 63 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,120 Sometimes he name drops some people from the church that he's 64 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,720 speaking to. Then he heads into a section of 65 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:44,840 doctoral work. He starts to lay the theology. 66 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,240 He says to lay down the message he wants his people to 67 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:49,560 understand. There's usually a bunch of 68 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:54,280 therefore, so the word, but that comes in and it starts to head 69 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,280 into the application section of the Scripture and that's where 70 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,720 we are today. Paul has some action steps for 71 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,160 his people to live out. He has some action steps for us 72 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:07,800 to put on to head into as we look into 2026 and it Paul 73 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,400 starts with Paul reminding us of our life with Christ. 74 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,160 He's starting to remind us of what our identity with Christ 75 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,160 actually is and the stars by setting that aim on things 76 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,480 above. See, Paul wants you to remember 77 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,400 the things that make you a Christian is that your old life 78 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:26,440 has been put to death with Christ and a new life is 79 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:30,200 resurrected with him. A new life of a goal of being 80 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:34,160 Christ like a new life with an aim that is heavenly things 81 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:39,120 above, not on the earthly ways. See, the Pagan religions of the 82 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,480 time that Paul was writing this letter would have said nothing 83 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:44,560 about acting out on their belief. 84 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,880 A worshipper could bow before an idol, put their offering on the 85 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:51,880 altar, and go back to living the same life of sin. 86 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,640 What a person believed had no direct relationship with how 87 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,360 they behaved. But the Christian faith brought 88 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,760 a whole new concept in the Pagan society. 89 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,440 What we believe is a very precise connection with how we 90 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:08,400 ought to behave. Jesus's life and death and 91 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:12,080 resurrection not only changes our internal status, but it also 92 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:15,400 changes our current one. It is a change that we are to 93 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:19,480 live here on earth in a new way. See, living in the resurrection 94 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:23,440 life takes intentionality. Paul's saying listen up. 95 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:27,960 When you don't fix your eyes on the goal, when you don't fix 96 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,800 your eyes on things above, when you don't physically lift up to 97 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,680 look at God in glory, you will lose sight of what really 98 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,760 matters. Crisis sets you free. 99 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,880 And that changes every single thing about your life. 100 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,840 And this passage should come with the warning sticker not to 101 00:05:43,840 --> 00:05:47,760 be done in your own strength. So if you try to do anything 102 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,320 about what Paul is saying without first understanding what 103 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:52,920 Jesus has done, there's no point of continuing on with the rest 104 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:56,440 of the sermon. Let's look at verse 5 together. 105 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:04,120 It says Therefore put to death what belongs to your earthly 106 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:11,120 nature, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and 107 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:16,120 greed which is idolatry. Because of these, God's wrath is 108 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,400 coming upon the disobedience, and you once walked in these 109 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:20,640 things when you were living in them. 110 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:26,800 See the word therefore says it all, and that it links the 1st 4 111 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:28,680 verses. Therefore, if you are going to 112 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,840 put to death what belongs to your earthly nature and needs to 113 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:36,000 come out of a personal life with Christ, the list of vices that 114 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,560 take off is not about achieving a certain stature. 115 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,480 It's not about becoming good enough for God or trying to 116 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,280 prove to God or the people around you that you're doing OK. 117 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,720 It is a total rewiring, a total rewriting of the self that can 118 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:53,000 only come from death to self. It's the same idea that Jesus 119 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,560 says in the Sermon on the Mount when he says if your right eye 120 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:58,640 causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. 121 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:02,160 For it is better to lose one part of your body than it is for 122 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:03,800 your whole body to be thrown into hell. 123 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,680 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw 124 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:09,840 it away. For it is better than you to 125 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,920 lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go in the 126 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,400 house. Now neither Paul or Jesus is 127 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:18,880 talking about literal surgery. We don't need to go into the 128 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:20,800 parking lot and start cutting off our hands. 129 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:23,160 That wouldn't be great for Rob to clean up later on. 130 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,400 He's not talking about physical surgery, but it is a or a 131 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:31,240 physical changing of clothes as we talk about in our passage, 132 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:35,280 but it's about a rewiring of the self. 133 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:38,960 See century goes of England. I don't know if this is a fake 134 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:40,560 story, but my commentary has them to go. 135 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:42,880 It's real century goes in England. 136 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,040 If a pickpocketer was convicted, the right hand was cut off. 137 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,080 And if they continued to convict the second time, their left hand 138 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,440 would be cut off. And I don't know about this one 139 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:55,680 because it says once both his hands were continued to be cut 140 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,280 off, he continued his trade using his teeth to pickpocket. 141 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,120 Now, I don't know how how well you'd be able to pickpock 142 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:03,800 someone's backpack with your teeth, but if you can do it, 143 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:07,240 good on you. But physical surgery never 144 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:09,160 changes the heart. That's the point of this story. 145 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:13,920 See, you are either dead in sin or alive in Christ. 146 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:18,120 There is no in between. See, it starts by taking off the 147 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:20,800 old. It is necessary to put to death 148 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:24,040 what belongs to your earthly nature, because if you do not 149 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:27,840 kill them, they will kill you. And the only thing that kills 150 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,080 them, the only thing that puts off the old, the only thing that 151 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:32,720 destroys the old life is life with Jesus. 152 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:38,320 John 336 says the one who believes in the Son has eternal 153 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:42,320 life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life. 154 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:45,080 Is that the wrath of God remains on him. 155 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,240 Friends, if you are here today, you do not know Jesus as Lord 156 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:52,960 and Savior in your life. You're living in the ways of the 157 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:57,880 earth and that leads to death and there is no amount of good 158 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:00,760 deeds that will save you. It is only by putting your faith 159 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:03,520 in Jesus Christ as Lord and the Savior of your life that you 160 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:07,360 will be saved. If you've yet to put your faith 161 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:09,400 in Jesus here, maybe you were brought by a friend. 162 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:12,720 Maybe you physically stumbled into service today. 163 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,680 Maybe you decided to come another week after Christmas. 164 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,520 I just want to give an opportunity here for you just to 165 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:26,280 pray out quietly pray out asking the Lord to just show you what 166 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:30,360 it looks like to live life with him, to just pray and say, Lord, 167 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:34,400 I want to follow you. I want to put my life in your 168 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:36,360 life. I want to be resurrected with 169 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:40,960 you. Lord, just pray that out today. 170 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,000 See this decision to follow Jesus. 171 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:52,120 It's not just a prayed and forget it situation, but it's a 172 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:55,320 relationship that needs to be continued, tendered to, to be 173 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:59,080 continued, to be nurtured. This is why Paul is telling us 174 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:04,800 fix your aim on things above, on heavenly things, to be reminded 175 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:06,720 of the nature of life with Christ. 176 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:10,200 So this is where the intentionality part kicks in. 177 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:15,360 The picture in this passage is a person putting off the old life, 178 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:17,400 changing clothes and putting on the new life. 179 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:25,040 Let's look at verse 8. But now put away the following 180 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,360 anger, wrath, malice, slander and filthy language from your 181 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:33,600 mouth. Do not lie to one another since 182 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:36,360 you've been put off the old self with this practices and have put 183 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,440 on the new self which you are being renewed in the knowledge 184 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:43,560 according to your Creator. See, the Greek word translated 185 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:46,920 put off and put on indicates a once and for all action. 186 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:51,120 We put off the old life and put on the new life. 187 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:55,440 The old man has been buried and the new man is in control. 188 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:59,960 New life has begun. But the verb translated renew. 189 00:10:59,960 --> 00:11:03,720 It's a present participle meaning you are consistently 190 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:05,440 being renewed. It is something that is 191 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,040 presently happening, but something that you strive 192 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:11,880 towards and continue to seek. See salvation. 193 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:15,760 Giving your life to Christ leads to the process of sanctification 194 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:17,560 where you become more like Jesus. 195 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:21,240 The words from Paul are not meant to be a shame moment. 196 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:24,640 Is that to be a moment where you start to list all the things 197 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,840 that you have done wrong or the times that you've spent in 198 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:31,640 captivity, listing all the things that you've done in your 199 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:35,160 life, trying to figure out how to do life with Jesus. 200 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,120 This isn't a time where you need to start taking an inventory of 201 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:41,960 the times you've fallen in, the sexual immorality or slander or 202 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,200 impurity or lust or evil desires or greed. 203 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,680 This is a reminder that Jesus's death had conquered those things 204 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:52,560 in your life and it is time to start living like you've been 205 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:56,720 set free. This is a reminder that Jesus's 206 00:11:56,720 --> 00:12:00,400 life and resurrection has demolished the bondage of sin. 207 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:02,240 That's something we can celebrate. 208 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:06,000 This should be a moment where the weight is shed off of you 209 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:08,480 all. The past, the present, the 210 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:11,720 future sins you've committed, the people that you've hurt, the 211 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:14,000 shame that you have felt, the greenness of your heart, the 212 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,640 impurity of your soul, the evil desires that were of nature have 213 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:23,320 been taken off in Jesus name. 1 commentary noted it like this. 214 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:27,160 It is time to take off the grave clothes and it's time to put on 215 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:32,560 the grace clothes. See, a new life can be lived, a 216 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:35,680 life that will take intentionality, a life that will 217 00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:40,080 take working towards because it is a constant renewal. 218 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:44,080 It is a consistent work to be made into the image of Christ. 219 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:46,880 Again, this isn't just a one and done situation. 220 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:51,480 Our new life is, but is a consistent walk. 221 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:54,160 This is what I call a youth ministry. 222 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:58,440 It's slow drip discipleship. It's the slow erosion of a rock 223 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:01,040 time after time with the same water hitting the same spot. 224 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:05,080 Or Eugene Peterson says it's a long obedience in the same 225 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:08,920 direction. It is a long and winding Rd. 226 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,400 step by step, trying to collect the dust off the sandals of 227 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:17,720 Jesus as you walk close to him. So how does this get achieved? 228 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:20,560 You don't just walk out of service today and all of a 229 00:13:20,560 --> 00:13:23,160 sudden I'm following Jesus. Everything's great. 230 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:28,520 What does it look like to live out the promise of life rather 231 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:30,200 than living in the bondage of sin? 232 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:35,760 The verse that we read says it at the end, you're being renewed 233 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:40,280 in the knowledge of courting to the image of your Creator by 234 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:45,480 knowing God, by setting your aim on things above, fixing your 235 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:47,760 eyes there, letting it be your north star. 236 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:53,920 And when I say no, I don't just mean no things about God or do 237 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:55,560 as he did. I mean do as he did. 238 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,520 Know his words. Practice what he practiced. 239 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:05,280 Pray, spend time with him, spend time in unity with other 240 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:11,040 believers, Sit under sound teaching, correct one another 241 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:13,520 through songs and through the Word. 242 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:18,160 Sing songs of praise. See, let's unpack what the 243 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,680 restless passes have to say about what this new life with 244 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:27,400 Christ should look like. Verse 11 In Christ there is no 245 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,720 there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, 246 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:35,000 barbarian or sit there and slave and free, but Christ is in all 247 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:40,000 and is all. Therefore, as God's chosen ones, 248 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:44,120 wholly and dearly loved, put on compassion, put on kindness, 249 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,720 humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one 250 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:51,600 another, forgiving one another. If anyone has a grievance 251 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:55,400 against one another, just as the Lord has ever given to you, so 252 00:14:55,400 --> 00:15:00,800 you also are to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is 253 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:05,680 the perfect bond to unity. These words from Paul's about 254 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:08,440 what it looks like to live out the resurrection life. 255 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,320 And it starts with taking off the old, but now it's about 256 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:15,800 putting on the new. It's about living into the way 257 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:20,120 that God already sees you. Some of you might be sitting 258 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:24,480 here like, why would I change? Why would I want to be 259 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:28,200 different? I don't feel like the bondage of 260 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:30,200 sin has actually been taken off of me. 261 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,080 In fact, I feel like more of it has come on. 262 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,560 See, following Jesus, it's just as hard as it was not following 263 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:40,320 him, maybe even harder. Why would I want to do anything 264 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:43,960 different? Think verse 11 and 12. 265 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:48,520 Give us some good reason. See, this new life with Christ, 266 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:52,880 it erases the old. It erases the visions between 267 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:58,560 people, and it replaces them with how God sees them as 268 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:03,520 chosen, holy, and dearly loved. See, God doesn't care about the 269 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:06,120 outside. He doesn't care about where 270 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,840 you're from, your social status, what you wear, whether you came 271 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:12,080 here by bus or car, whether you're Jewish or dentile, slave 272 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,240 or free. He's interested in your heart. 273 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:19,320 See, Paul is reminding believers. 274 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,600 He was reminding you of what God's grace has already done for 275 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:29,280 you, that God has chosen you. He calls you holy and He loves 276 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:33,440 you. Ephesians 1/4 to 8 puts it this 277 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:37,440 way. For He chose us in Him before 278 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:42,600 the foundations of the world to be holy and blameless in love. 279 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:47,960 Before Him, He predestined us to be adopted as sons and daughters 280 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,760 to Jesus Christ for Himself, according to the good pleasures 281 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:54,200 of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He 282 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,040 lavished out on us in the Beloved One. 283 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:01,320 In Him we have redemption through the blood, the 284 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,440 forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His 285 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:06,839 grace that He richly poured out on us with all wisdom and 286 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:10,280 understanding. Can we just sit in that for a 287 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:14,480 minute? Before the literal foundations 288 00:17:14,839 --> 00:17:20,640 of the world was formed, God chose you to be his sons and 289 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:23,400 daughters. God knew that you were going to 290 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:28,400 be born and he wanted you. So God has chosen you as his own 291 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:30,920 and there is nothing that can separate that. 292 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:34,720 This is what scholars call divine election. 293 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:38,760 It is not dependent on anything that we could do or have done. 294 00:17:39,360 --> 00:17:43,120 If God only saves sinners based on works based on how good we 295 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:46,920 are, then nobody would be saved. But it is all done through God's 296 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,040 grace. We don't need to work for this, 297 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:54,520 work for God to see us chosen or as his own or loved said, We 298 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:57,160 need to work towards the way God already sees us. 299 00:17:58,320 --> 00:17:59,920 Because the Lord has forgiven you. 300 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:04,040 He sees He was chosen. He's adopted you as His family. 301 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:07,560 He sees you as holy and dearly loved before him. 302 00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:12,360 See, it is out of these labels. It is out of the way that God 303 00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:16,760 already sees you that you are to put on compassion, that you are 304 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:19,920 to put on kindness, that you were to put on gentleness, 305 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:23,680 humility, and practice forgiving those around us because we have 306 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,680 already been forgiven. So your ears are all the things 307 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:30,840 that characterize Jesus life and they ought to characterize us as 308 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:34,200 ours as well. And they're very hard to do. 309 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:37,800 I'm not just sitting up here and be like you guys do that. 310 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:42,920 I'm going to do something else. See, this passage again should 311 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:46,760 come with a warning sticker not to be done in your own strength. 312 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:50,800 I get how hard these things are, and not just because I work with 313 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:54,200 teenagers. Because I'm not perfect and I 314 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,280 can't be. You can ask my wife Laura to be 315 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:01,360 the first person to tell you how difficult that putting on 316 00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:03,720 compassion and kindness, humility and gentleness and 317 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:05,600 patient aren't always my first reaction. 318 00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:11,160 But they're to be forged. Not by great, not by strength, 319 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:15,240 by a long obedience in the same direction towards Jesus. 320 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:20,920 Slow drip discipleship to work towards these goals. 321 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:26,240 Because God has already labeled us by bringing out the character 322 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,400 into a place of consistency with the work that Jesus has already 323 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:32,360 done in US. You have been made new. 324 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:36,320 Walk it out. And it'd be great if we can just 325 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:38,280 Matrix download this. That'd be awesome. 326 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:41,160 Be a whole lot less work. We wouldn't have to do the 327 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:43,560 character formation thing. I can just wake up one day and 328 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:46,640 put on these qualities. But it's not the case. 329 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:49,040 See, God is not interested in a robotic faith. 330 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:54,040 He's interested in you. So take off the old and put on 331 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:59,120 the new. See, what would 2026 look like 332 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:02,960 if we were a church that did this, that walked out the work 333 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:05,160 that Jesus has already done for us? 334 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,720 Think about it. What would it look like for the 335 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:13,080 people around us? What would it look like for the 336 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:16,360 people at work? For the people at home? 337 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:18,880 For the people we play sports with? 338 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:21,600 For the people we interact with when we're running chores or 339 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:27,840 hobbies or at the grocery store? What would it look like if we 340 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:32,280 put on compassion? We are stirred to deep mercy for 341 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:34,520 others and saw them the way God saw them. 342 00:20:35,120 --> 00:20:37,760 Instead of staying in our lane and not wanting to bother other 343 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:42,440 people, we talked to them. Kerry Newhoff put a statistic 344 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,480 out recently that 82% of people would attend a church, would 345 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,480 attend church, of a family or friend invited them. 346 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:51,800 Yet only a small fraction of church members, around 2%, 347 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:57,000 actually extend the invitation. This blew me out of the water. 348 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:01,840 One of my youth leaders dropped this one liner to me. 349 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:06,280 Says I'm learning that my 2 minutes of awkwardness when 350 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:08,880 inviting people to church is better than their eternity in 351 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,600 hell. I was convicted deeply by that. 352 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:19,120 Deeply. What would it look like if we 353 00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:22,600 put on kindness like the Good Samaritan? 354 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:24,640 We stopped and helped those who were in need? 355 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:29,440 What would it look like if we put on humility or gentleness or 356 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,000 patience? What do we put on love? 357 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:34,560 How would the people around us be changed? 358 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:39,080 How would we be changed? I believe this is what Jesus was 359 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:41,160 talking about on the Sermon on the Mount when he calls 360 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:43,920 believers to be salt to the earth and light in the darkness. 361 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:49,280 This is what it would look like. We would look like people who 362 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,560 have been so radically changed by God that others would be 363 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:56,360 drawn to Him. One of our youth students, I 364 00:21:56,360 --> 00:21:59,280 won't say her name, demonstrated this so well. 365 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,280 During Halloween. One of our youth leaders sent me 366 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:04,880 the Facebook posts from a lady in the community and it was 367 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:08,520 titled this Just some good news and hope to share with the 368 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:11,800 neighborhood group. The rest of the post reads like 369 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:14,480 this. I had a delightful encounter 370 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:16,720 with a teenage girl. I was sitting on my front porch 371 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:20,520 handing out candy for Halloween. Instead of collecting treats, 372 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:23,760 she stated that she was doing a reverse Halloween, having 373 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:26,520 prepared homemade meals to give out to others. 374 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:29,880 Well, I didn't need any meals. I praised her for her thoughtful 375 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:32,320 initiative. Before she left, I asked her why 376 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:34,400 she was doing this and she explained that she wanted to 377 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,080 celebrate Halloween in a different way, a more giving 378 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:41,920 way, and ends like this. This young woman truly gives me 379 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:46,480 hope for the next generation. Church. 380 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,520 Let your character be a demonstration of the work of 381 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:53,120 Jesus in her life so that other people can know who Jesus is. 382 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:58,480 Paul ends this section with three final exhortations for us 383 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,680 to live this new life. I want to challenge you just to 384 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,920 think about how one of these can make it into your New Year's 385 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:11,200 resolution in 2026, verse 15, and let the peace of Christ, to 386 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,320 which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts and 387 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:19,680 be thankful. The first practice is to let the 388 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:23,680 peace of Christ rule over you. The word rule here. 389 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:25,840 It's really interesting. It's actually taken from sports, 390 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:29,000 from the world of sports, and it literally means that Paul's 391 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,880 telling you to let the peace of Christ act as a referee in your 392 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:34,480 life. Let the peace of Christ call it. 393 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:36,200 Because if you don't, your emotions will. 394 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,360 In every situation, the peace of Christ is to be the one who 395 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:42,440 calls a shot. He's the one who dictates the 396 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,600 aim of the conversations we have with each other. 397 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:47,680 And listen, I play in a men's basketball league. 398 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:52,240 I know how bad referees can be. If you watch NFL football, you 399 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,920 probably agree with me. Let's give them a break. 400 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:00,520 See, a good referee isn't indifferent or passive. 401 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:04,760 They don't just sit there half paying attention to all that is 402 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,920 going on and said. A good referee is an active 403 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,960 participant in what is going on around them, alert and ready to 404 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:14,360 spring into action. See, Paul portrays the peace of 405 00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:17,920 God in this way. It is an active presence 406 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,440 watching carefully and should be calling the shots. 407 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,240 See, the peace of Christ needs to decide how you are going to 408 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:29,000 continue playing the game. The next one is let the word of 409 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:32,680 Christ dwell richly among you in all wisdom, teaching and 410 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:35,040 monitoring one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual 411 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:37,120 songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 412 00:24:37,120 --> 00:24:40,640 That's verse 16. So the second practice is to let 413 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:42,720 the word of Christ fall richly among you. 414 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:49,600 Rebuking one another and singing songs of praise to the Word of 415 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:54,440 God will transform your life if you let it dwell richly among 416 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:55,680 you. And the word dwell literally 417 00:24:55,680 --> 00:25:01,000 means to make at home, to live out the labels that God has 418 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:02,680 given us. We need to know God and we need 419 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:04,920 to know to know God. We need to know His Word and 420 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:08,040 what it says about him. For all the Bible nerds out 421 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:11,440 there, I was doing some study on the dating of this letter to see 422 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:13,840 whether this, when it talks about the letter in the Word of 423 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:17,040 God, dwell with you, among you. I was doing some nerdy work, as 424 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:20,400 I do, to see if Paul was talking about the first circulations of 425 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,080 the gospel of Mark or if he was talking about other letters that 426 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:24,800 were dated or just the oral tradition. 427 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:28,400 And I came to this conclusion. It really doesn't matter. 428 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,520 We have the complete Bible in front of us right here. 429 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:40,360 Read it. See, what does it matter if we 430 00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:43,080 don't know about the one who wrote it or what's in front of 431 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:46,760 us? So not only are we supposed to 432 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:50,240 read it for ourselves, but we are to read it so we can use it 433 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,640 to correct other people and so that we can allow them to 434 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,720 correct us. This is that humility piece. 435 00:25:56,960 --> 00:26:00,160 If you're serious about putting on compassion or kindness or 436 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:03,320 humility, if you're serious about putting off the old ways 437 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:07,320 of sexual immorality or greed or idolatry, you need to put 438 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:10,080 yourself in a position to be corrected by those around you. 439 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,200 Maybe you need to join a discipleship group in 2026. 440 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:17,840 Maybe you need to start by asking a friend to call you out. 441 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:21,480 Maybe you need to take a step into a quick class where you'll 442 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:25,680 be steeped in the Word of God. See, we are meant to sharpen 443 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:28,600 each other, but if we don't know what we're talking about, we 444 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,000 cannot do that. That's when you become really 445 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:34,120 dangerous. The verse is not only talking 446 00:26:34,120 --> 00:26:37,040 about the Word as a means of correction and wisdom teaching, 447 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:39,360 but it also talks about singing songs. 448 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:44,000 OK, to say I didn't grow up in a Christian home, going to say I I 449 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,640 didn't really understand why we sing songs in a service. 450 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:48,160 I don't know. If you don't come from a 451 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:50,000 Christian household, you kind of just walk in and all of a sudden 452 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,640 there's music. I didn't really understand what 453 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:54,880 it was. I kind of disliked it. 454 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:58,680 Sorry, Pastor Keith, but I was confusing why I was a part of 455 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:01,880 the service and maybe it's just because I'm a really bad singer. 456 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:03,960 Matt, who does worship in kitchen, likes to say that I 457 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:07,040 have a congregational voice, not an on stage singing voice. 458 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:12,760 But over the years I've I've become to see the immense value 459 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:14,640 of singing with our brothers and sisters. 460 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,200 Even just before coming up here was a thing that stilled my 461 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,600 heart. Seeking the truth of God and 462 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:24,520 letting it seep in before I can come up and teach friends. 463 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:29,640 It's incredibly nerve wracking. It's wonderful to look around 464 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:33,240 the room and see those who are 15 and 75 worshipping God 465 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:36,920 together. Not only is this a wonderful 466 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:39,680 sight, but Paul seems to see that it's an equal value of the 467 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:45,440 Word and it is both good for correction and for wisdom. 468 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:48,920 This is why Pastor Keith intentionally goes through each 469 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,720 song that we sing. This is why there's a whole list 470 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,800 of songs that are OK for us to do or not see. 471 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,720 A singer has no more right to sing a lie than a preacher has 472 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,520 to preach a lie. So join in worship. 473 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:06,760 Let the biblical wisdom seep into your heart. 474 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:11,160 I don't know about you, but I'm often reminded of the truths of 475 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,720 Scripture through song. Whether I'm just I'm doing 476 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:17,720 dishes and a song pops into my head or I'm in a difficult 477 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:21,040 situation and I'm reminded of the truths from the Word, 478 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:23,200 there's lyrics that have just popped out in my head. 479 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:28,960 Maybe for you, you need to physically take your Bible out 480 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:33,000 and sift through it as we go through songs, finding the words 481 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,080 that are from here and connecting them to the words 482 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:38,960 that are up there as a promise you they're in there if you're 483 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:40,480 here. A few weeks ago, Pastor Keith 484 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:43,680 went through all the different verses and in fact, he couldn't 485 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:45,760 even do all of them because we would have been here the entire 486 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:47,320 service on how they affected the song. 487 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:51,000 In a minute, we're going to be able to practice this together. 488 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,640 Look for what scriptures come to mind in the song. 489 00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:02,120 And finally verse 17 and whatever you do in Word or in 490 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:04,840 deed, do everything in the name of the Lord, giving thanks to 491 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:09,160 God the Father through him. So the third practice is to do 492 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:13,000 all things in Jesus name. This kind of feels like Paul at 493 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:14,920 the end of the section is just throwing to see whatever will 494 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:19,520 stick on the wall, but do all things in Jesus name. 495 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,480 We tend to put a downplay on names, but in the ancient world 496 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:25,400 they held them to the utmost importance. 497 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:28,560 Often during the Old Testament days, they would change a 498 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:31,280 person's name based on someone's important or experience and new 499 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:34,120 development. Paul himself with Saul, now 500 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:37,960 Paul, these Christians, we bear the name of Christ. 501 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,960 It's Christians. It's found only three times. 502 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:44,760 The New Testament, the name was originally given as a name of 503 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:47,840 contentment, but gradually it became a name of honor. 504 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:51,360 The name of Christ then means identification. 505 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:56,400 We belong to Christ, but his name also means authority. 506 00:29:57,240 --> 00:29:59,760 We pray in it, we cast out in it. 507 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:05,080 See all that we say or do to be associated with the name of 508 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:09,400 Jesus Christ. By our works, by our words, we 509 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:12,760 should glorify his name. If you want to look different in 510 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:16,800 2026, do all things in the name of Jesus. 511 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:19,200 Would you pray with me this morning, Church? 512 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:22,440 Father, thank you for this morning. 513 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:26,200 Thank you for the blessing of being able to just come up here 514 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:28,240 and share from your word. Father, thank you for those who 515 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:30,720 are here. Father, I pray that this doesn't 516 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:36,000 fall on deaf ears, Lord, that as we think about 2026, as we head 517 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:38,200 out, as we in head into conversation, as a lobby, as we 518 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:40,280 drive away in our cars, you will let this seep in. 519 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:43,920 You will let us actually think about what it looks like to be 520 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:48,640 changed in 2026 by your words, not not mine, by your words. 521 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:51,680 So that I pray that as we head into these, would you give us 522 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:55,280 the practices that we need? Would you calm our hearts? 523 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:57,120 Would you help us to see what you have for us? 524 00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:01,240 We just pray these things in your holy name or Jesus Christ, 525 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:03,200 Amen.