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Father we thank you for your salvation. We confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord and he's the very reason that we're here today that his resurrection and his ascension is a reason we
Celebrate Sundays and the Lord's Day Prayed that Lord you would prepare our hearts to hear your word that we would obey you in love and We would continue to preach the good news that Jesus Christ is
Lord and saves lost sinners Even in 2017 in Christ's name.
I pray. Amen. How do you live as a
Christian in the year? 2017 How do you live as a Christian in?
John July 8th and July 9 2017. There's a lot of things today that seems to attack
Christ's sufficiency There's a lot of things that that question is
Jesus Christ Lord, and if he is Lord, what does that mean? What does that mean to the
Christian what does that mean to the unbeliever and In today's pluralistic society and if anything post
Christian society There's a lot of things that question who Christ is.
What did he do 2 ,000 years ago? Is it relevant? How do we preach the gospel?
How do we obey the scriptures even in 2017? What are some of the things that attack
Christ's efficiency? Yoga Believe it or not even
CrossFit, which I'll talk to you in the next few weeks about political conservatism versus political liberalism
Man -made rules like Sabbath worship man -made dress codes Dependence on length of church membership and What we see a lot in the church perception of Ministry importance that is one ministry being more important than the other therefore people comparing and causing confusion in the church
Well, let's take a step back How would you in one word if there's one word you would use to define?
society right now This is a question that I would ask wherever I'm in the world How would you define the state of society right now?
Let's look at America, let's look at Massachusetts. Let's look right today July 9 2017
How would you define what's happening in society today? Confused someone said confused then
Immoral Okay, I like that Becky said it's a mess
It's backwards. Yes Becky was Becky was essentially talking about Romans 1 and 2 where everything that's supposed to be right is is put down and what is what should be exalted is
Is destroyed I Would one way I would put it in agreement with everything you guys have said is chaos
Everything seems to be in chaos. There's a there's a lot of someone's atomic Corruption that's there, too
There's there's panic in the nation, there's panic in in companies in society, there's a lot of people who are clearly stressed and depressed and It seems to be moving into the church as well, which is why
I'm here today Which is why I'm talking about this here inside the church. I'm not preaching this to unbelievers I'm teaching this topic for the next four weeks
To believers who are redeemed who love Christ. So how do you handle the situation? So people are highly stressed they're highly depressed including what looks to me as Christians and When you're stressed you look for relief
That's human attitude What are some of the things that people turn to for relief today
Okay, so if you're stressed think personally and if you're an if you're an unbeliever, you'll do certain things but even as believers
What are some of the things you do when you need to find relief now Let's not try to be holier -than -others and say that I'm always in front of the scriptures.
I'm listening John McArthur Entertainment specifically things like television
Games. Oh, how do they kind of distract you right? They they kind of bring your temperature down a little bit as you're looking away from the stress and at this
Entertainment box or whatever it is. There's lots of entertainment here, right? And name it there's here what else do people turn to What?
vacation Okay, I did not hear that Did you say vacation? Oh, sorry.
I heard you right. Yes. Okay vacation. Okay vacation. I didn't It's actually a good way of losing stress
But it's not about Christ so therefore it's bad. Yes good music Music is a good way and music is a good way to find relaxation again.
There's nothing wrong with music in itself We're not necessarily saying that that is bad What are some of the main things that?
Unbelieving people do right now. Okay. Let me take that back. It's actually in the church as well
What do you see people in other churches doing? Yeah, I'm not trying to say BBC is better than other churches.
We're all horrible people and I'm not saying that we're better than others but what are some of the people outside of the of BBC even in other churches tend to look to a
Lot in 2017 self help books talk shows
Self help what else can we say? Entertainment like like you said
What else what's what's becoming bigger and bigger? It's it's started 20 years ago, but now it's
It's huge. I already kind of mentioned it yoga Yoga yoga is huge.
It's massive. It's getting into schools. It's already in workplaces How does a
Christian think about it? Why I talk about yoga probably next week is because in talking to Christians I don't think most people understand what yoga is or can articulate what's wrong with it
Biblically, and that's a problem. You can't defend the truth. And if you can't say something is wrong
How do you protect your families? How do you stay away from it? so yoga is one of the biggest things that people are turning to all over the map no matter what your age group is no matter what your
Educational background is or your financial background is people are turning to yoga left and right
The other things that people like to do, especially if you're unbelieving if you do not have regenerate hearts, which is a work of God What if some of the people what is what some of the things that people do sex drugs relationships
Something that's even becoming bigger time in the gym CrossFit is Wonderful thing, but if you look at the trend that CrossFit is taking and I don't know how many of you do
CrossFit You buy there's nothing wrong with CrossFit. There's nothing on CrossFit. So what I'm saying here, but there's an interesting trend
I noticed in my study for CrossFit about how it's being used more and more for Spiritual purposes it's actually being used now on Sunday mornings where there's attendance taken in CrossFit gyms and Where you are now coming not just for physical
Nourishment you're actually going to CrossFit and and doing the exercises and taking part in whatever you call
Relationships as part of spiritual fulfillment any red flags yet for anybody No, what are other ways that people like to de -stress that they like to attack the problem
Instead of attack, maybe what looks like a problem. What are some of the things we've seen since President Donald J.
Trump became came into the office. What are some of the things we see a lot? protests protests are growing
People are spending a lot of time to de -stress by going out and protesting sometimes in violent ways
Yes, don't ask me why they protest. I don't know. I've never protested before They like to join groups of men and women who are along the same political background that's very big
It's very very big There's a lot of time on the internet and a lot of time watching cable news channels
Now even though I'll talk about politics on the third week I'll ask you the question how many of you have heard the word or the term big sort?
Hopefully I pronounce it properly so RT sort the big sort Something that's happening in the
United States right now Yeah, you know
God saved Becky too, so So the big sort is this massive geographical movement right now where people in America are dividing themselves up even in a particularly neighborhoods where they're moving to neighborhoods where People in that neighborhood have the same political view and it's a trend that started a few years ago but with Changes in the political spectrum in the last year more and more people are moving to geographic locations
Neighborhoods where their neighbors and other people have the same political mindset and that is a big way that people are looking to de -stress right now
It's called a big sort. You can look it up It's it's starting to get bigger and bigger People are so stressed about the political climate and so stressed about what's going on around them
They want to move away from anybody and everybody who's off the opposing view and run to neighborhoods and parts of the country where They have people to agree with I will get to the
Bible. So please don't get me wrong This is all the introduction. So don't worry. I am NOT going to base any of this just by statistics
On top of all of this. There's another trend that has just started again over the last year or so It's adding to the stress.
It's adding to the frenzy and I'll jump right to it. Can anyone tell me how much?
The viewership on cable news channels have increased over the last 12 months Just over the last 12 months even more the last seven viewership on cable news channels
Have increased by what percentage did you just make that up?
So totally irrelevant 750 percent
Seven hundred and fifty percent Fox News is Fox News alone is number one right now
Has increased their revenue more than three hundred and sixty percent Viewership is increased
People are now turning on their televisions and keeping them on on all times of the night Again, is there anything wrong with this?
No, I'll get to that But they are enjoying the viewership. They are enjoying adding to the stress and the frenzy of People and It's non -stop.
The information is being spewed out all day long all day long non -stop
The news itself is not bad, but this is not just news. This is analysis of the news.
This is not just reporting it has turned into speculation and conjecture and most people the average viewer does not discern or Process that information carefully
They look at it They say it has to be true because it's coming from this handsome man or this beautiful woman on television
Who seems to be saying everything in authority and they're saying the same thing over and over in different formats in a 24 -hour period
There can't be anything wrong with that But the viewers are not processing this information carefully
If anything they do not realize that most of this news and this information is pure conjecture pure speculation
They panic they get they get stressed and as unbelievers they turn into turn to many questionable ways to de -stress and And statistics show and even looking at the lives of many of my own
Christian brothers and sisters many of them are turning to the news and turning to yoga and turning to Politics to find some kind of relief and it's not working it's not a matter of whether it's working if you're a believer and you're in these habits will go through why it's sinful and What is the book of Colossians teach us?
about the Lord Jesus Christ and the sufficiency of Christ not just in justification, but in sanctification and in all areas that the believer is participating in and What happens once the most people get de -stressed?
They go back to the cable news channels and the vicious cycle begins again and again.
The problem is not cable news It's not internet The problem in 2017 is the same problem.
We had last year. It's the same problem. We had in the year 2000
It's the same problem. We had in 1905 The same problem we had in 8060 when
Paul was writing Colossians It's sin, it's sin, it's separation from God It's not the cable news.
It's not the internet. It's not CrossFit in one way. It's not even yoga It is sin.
It is human sin. It is human depravity and and and all of creation is mourning under the weight of sin and as we see in Colossians and Thessalonians Waiting for Christ to come back and recreate the new heaven and the new earth
So the goal of this series is how does the Christian process all of this information? How does the slave of Christ remain calm?
how does the church handle these situations and how do we keep preaching Christ in Christ alone and What do we turn to when we if we are panicking?
Is anybody bold enough or willing to admit that? Perhaps you have been stressed.
I'm not saying that you've turning what I'm not asking what solutions you've turned to but have you been stressed and anxious because of all the things you've heard and and and Seen whether it's on television or whether it's in your co -workers, especially for those in the scientific and technology community
Anybody stressed anybody willing to admit that they're stressed? Okay, and he's not even getting persecuted because he's a
Christian This is I don't know if you can call it persecution, but this is not because he's a Christian This is because of some political view that he holds on to.
Yeah, so Becky's stressed about her son getting beaten up Anybody else
Willing to admit that's a hard to admit that so so Pauline takes the wise approach of just not dealing with information
She turns it off No, no, no, not It turned that it turns it off.
Yeah, that's a that's a it's a good way I mean if you're in that all day and you're not in the word You're going to be you're gonna explode like a lot of Christians That's what a church is doing today
The big thing in churches today to de -stress their members yoga is coming in huge.
It's it's it's it's pushed hard and Again I don't want to make my entire goal of the series only about yoga, but as an
Indian man As an Indian man was a Christian by God's grace. I can't understand how it's coming into churches and I'll go into that What is the inerrant infallible
Word of God have to do in these situations? How does it guide us there are many books we can turn to we can turn to Psalms which is which are timeless
We can turn to any of the Pauline epistles not Pauline's epistles Apostle Paul's epistles you we can turn to any of them.
They are great. They are Resourceful, they are inerrant. They're infallible. We can we can trust them.
They stand the test of time There's the book of Revelation which reminds us Christ is coming back.
He will make everything, right? and and nothing's going to change that and that there is an
Inescapable judgment of God and there's there's nobody's going to escape that that is coming and we know that for certain
So there's a lot of books I could go to but as I've been saying I'm going to go to the book of Colossians And I'll get started today.
I'll walk through all four chapters and I'll touch a bunch of things yoga
Politics church membership even church leaving because it's all of this comes whether believe it or not into play and And hopefully this will be encouraging to you and you can help others
In this church and even in other churches process some of this information We what do we know about Colossians a quick overview, right?
We know it's written by the Apostle Paul We know that it was written because the pastor of the
Colossian Church Epaphras was in a mode of panic at that time because there was false teaching coming into his church
So he's he's guess what he's stressed and instead of turning to yoga CrossFit.
He went to his Mentor the Apostle Paul who was in prison in Rome and says help me
All of this false teaching is coming in most of the teaching is attacking the person of Christ the sufficiency of Christ the glory of Christ helped me and So Paul responds in light of Epaphras is concerned with this wonderful book
It is written primarily to the believers at Colossae primarily at the church that is led by Epaphras it's it's along with this letter that Philemon was also sent.
It's sent with Titicus and Onesimus Paul has never met the
Colossians personally he's never seen them personally, but Paul but Epaphras was saved under one of Paul's ministries at that time.
And so the way Paul treats the Colossians is like his own children There's a lot of passion.
There's a lot of care. There's a lot of love that he writes to these believers with about but what is similar and what's interesting for us and why
I'm doing the series and why I'm going through the book of Colossians says Even at that time there were many cultural and philosophical ideological ideologies that were attacking the church
There was false teaching coming into the church. So let me ask you this What is the immediate consequence of false teaching immediate consequence?
You almost see it instantly when it comes to into a church or into a group of believers What is the what?
What is it? Dissension love it. I didn't think anybody would get that right, but excellent.
It's dissension is fighting in between church members it's argument and disagreement and chaos within the church body and As you look at Colossians 3 and 4 you can see that Paul is addressing issues inside the church, which were coming out of false teaching and Whether you believe it or not.
That's exactly what we see in churches today When you move away from biblical teaching when you have a low view of Christ and you look away from Christ you suddenly start arguing and fighting and against each other within the church
So yes, that is the immediate consequence of false teaching High Christology that is the doctrine of Christ is the theme of this great book
And if you love Christ, you love the book of Colossians My wife Cass and I we've been in this book for nine months now
So if you ask us anything from any cultural point of view, we're gonna quote Colossians anything How do you put your children to sleep caution three and four?
I know you know, it's it's it's we're breathing it all day long So be careful if you ask us any questions, it's gonna come out of this book so as I said, there was there was chaos in the society in Colossae, but that was starting to come into the church and Guess what?
If you look at the history around that time the people in Colossae were starting to shake
They were disturbed There was chaos They had all this cultural pressure coming from outside and then there was false teaching that was coming from inside The Colossian Church was clearly
Troubled and there's a classic case.
We often hear it in the church here Theology affects dash affects dash.
All right. We know this very well. What is it theology affects your Methodology and methodology affects your
Doxology I Would say if there's any anything that affects if I can even put something in front of that in any way
I would say Your doctrine of Christ how you view Christ how do you view the sufficiency of Christ?
How you view the preeminence of Christ affects all theology? So I would even add one thing not that you should write this down or use it at home
But Christology affects your theology Affects your doxol affects your methodology and your doxology
So what you believe about Christ affects the way you behave in the church and how you behave outside the church
It does affect the way you behave in 2017. It does affect the way you live at home
So what is your view of Christ? When you stop to see the times the word
Lord is mentioned in the book of Colossians Does it take you back to the Christological hymn, which is found in Colossians 1 15 to 20
Do you stop to define that term because the term Lord is so commonly used in our circles and even in our own lives?
We tend not to stop and say okay. What does that mean? If you've been following pastor
Mike across for the last few years He's been even substituting the word Lord with something else
Anybody knows what that is? Yahweh and why does he do that? Why is he doing?
It's his personal name. It's what is he trying to make us do as his sheep? He passed my wants us to stop and say okay.
What does it mean to say Lord? Do we understand it because we're moving so quickly on to the next verse or not thinking about what it is
But Paul has his mind on Colossians 1 15 to 20 as he addresses all of the other issues in that book
And over the next four weeks Even when I talk about all of these other things our hearts and our minds should be on Colossians 1 15 to 20
It should be on the person of Christ the sufficiency of Christ even for our sanctification
Now what I'll do let's go through Colossians 1 if you have your Bibles open your
Bibles with me to Colossians chapter 1 he's addressing clearly believers in verse 2 and In verse 3 he immediately bursts out in praise for God and He praises the believers in Colossians.
Why because not only do they have love for the gospel. They have love for one another And he praises them for that and He states one thing clearly right up front verses 6 & 7
That the gospel truth is absolute truth that even in the chaos and confusion in Colossians 1
And around the world the gospel truth remains unchanged and look what he says in verse 7
Actually, it's in verse 6 that even now in the whole world as indeed in the whole world.
It is bearing fruit and increasing Now the gospel truth bears fruit that it is able by God's power and grace
Redeemed lost sinners and that it is sufficient For the growth of believers bearing fruit fruit always has a connotation of growth
He goes on to mention this man called Epaphras who was their pastor now if you look you may ask the question
Why is he mentioning him here? There could be many but it could be because he's trying to differentiate between Epaphras the true teacher and the other false teachers that are
And he's praising him he says good things about him that in verse 7 towards the end.
He says he's a beloved fellow servant he's a faithful minister as opposed to the unfaithfulness of others and He has made known to us your love in the spirit so Paul wants the
Colossians to remember what Epaphras has taught them and To remember to grow in that and not listen to these other false teachers who are coming in but there are so many good verses in this book and Look at verse 11 with me
May you be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy
The word all is used a lot in the book of Colossians It's used a lot to describe the sufficiency of Christ is also used a lot to describe how we should behave as slaves of Christ as believers of Christ Here it is used to imply everything of everything it encompasses
Everything that's the that's the term here Paul can't contain himself in verse 11.
He's saying Everything that the believer needs to live and to grow is found in Christ Everything the believer needs to be joyful about everything.
He needs to live in this life No matter what the cultural setting is is found in Christ You may ask yourself the question.
How do I deal with this sin? it's ever -encompassing of that it's anger because of politics whether it's anger because of Other societal things as anger because of our sin or other sin
Paul is reminding us that the all -sufficient work of Christ is sufficient for the believer
His grace is sufficient for us even in those difficult situations even when we are sinning and we don't know how to deal with our own sin and That is important for the
Colossians to remember and us to remember Because they were struggling with this at that time. Why because it's false teaching this confusion.
There's chaos and what does it reap? difficulty Paul wants believers and the
Colossians to know that they can endure all things in the highest and most complete sense in Christ and then he goes on to to remind us of what the gospel means.
It's a very short section in 13 and 14. He essentially Mentions the gospel essentially pours it out because he can't stop verse 13 and 14
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved
Son in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins
It is Christ who saves it is Christ who redeems and It is
Christ who has rescued us. We're not that old self anymore. We've been we've been it's the term to Save somebody's life and they're trapped in torture when they're trapped in a cage.
That's the kind of term that's used here pulled out rescued saved That's what
Christ has done for us and of course My favorite verse in the whole of Bible 15 to 20 and Kind if you look at through if you look throughout the book high
Christology in the book of Colossians if you look chapters 3 and 4 he comes back to Doctrine of Christ.
This is where what is in Paul's mind. This is what's in his mind as he's going through this
This is what should be in our minds Especially in the next four weeks as we're looking to understand these political and cultural movements around us
How do we stand firm? How do we teach others? How do we protect our wives and our children all of that comes from our
Christology? So this section is important to understand Let's read it together.
Actually, why don't I take a break and somebody else read Colossians 1 15 to 20 this section
Which is the Christological high point of the New Testament? Exalts Christ as pre -eminent in creation and in Redemption supreme over all things first above all things
And you'll be able to answer this question much better at the end of perhaps four weeks or even next week but if you have this in your mind and You have trouble at home or you have as Becky said, you know people coming after Peter If you have this in your mind and you understand this and you're grateful for what
Christ has done for us And you understand that he's coming back. He's greater than angels. He's greater than any dark forces
He is creator. He is the one who saves he is the founder of the eschatological resurrection without him.
There would be none How would your responses differ if this is in your mind?
Would it would it be different? Anthony and it's great that you're not saying hey,
I'm Italian. I'm gonna do this anyway, but you look at Colossians 1 Okay Yes Becky says it's mafia roots.
Hey, the point is it's I like that right you're praying for you're praying for lost sinners and that is so important when we come back to political differences and how
What's happening inside the churches right now? Is how do you view others you pray for your salvation?
No matter what? their sin is because we know what we've been saved out of but we also see how great
Christ is and How powerful he is how sovereign he is and how he is indeed all -sufficient you're viewing something
It's a high view of Christ. Everything else seems insignificant Everything else seems to be okay under control.
Everything else seems calm. So let me ask you this husbands How do you how do you deal with?
difficulties with your wife Maybe your own sin perhaps when you are keeping in when you're keeping this in your mind because a lot
Paul talks about this in in Hebrews Sorry Hebrews Colossians chapter 3 towards the end when he talks about husbands and wives and children
He does go into how you ought to behave as a result of this kind of thinking. So Practically, how does knowing this verse and having a high
Christology? In other words the only Christology, how does that affect the way you treat your wives? This is the point where all men right and run out of the sanctuary.
Well, you you you You love her you understand the differences you understand the fall you understand
That even when there is some kind of emotional misunderstanding That you understand that you have been saved
And that Christ is superior and is able to give you grace even in this difficult situation because often we respond emotionally even men do and How we ought to respond is by keeping
Christ in mind and therefore responding calm Gratefully as a result of who our
Lord is and how great he is If we have a low view of Christ somewhere in the bottom here
You can't respond well even into the situation now look at the Colossians chapter 3 with me
Why am I talking about earthly response so much look at Colossians chapter 3? Versus verse 1 if then
Colossians chapter 3 verse 1 you have been raised with Christ Seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God Number 2 set your minds on verse 2 set your mind on things that are that are above not on things that are on earth
This is not saying you suddenly start living an ascetic life It's not saying stop
Earnings stop providing food. It's saying that and as he goes later in the chapter 3 and 4
He's saying yet your earthly responses be governed by Your Christology by your by the mind which is set on things that are above by your mind which are set on who
Christ is what he has done and The truth about him So that's how our earthly responses should be so in light of who
Christ is and what we see in Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 to 20 Husbands are to love their wives in calm and an understanding way
Because of who he is and because of the patience and the love that he has shown us Anything you want to add all the men were really quiet Andrew absolutely
Absolutely That's that's what Paul is trying to say here as well and I and I like the way you said it he's
Paul is an easier example to follow than Christ because he's mortal well, okay
But thank you that's exactly right. So how do you view your relationship with others? How what is your view of Christ?
It's very important and I love verses 21 to 23 where it talks about a status change something that we sometimes forget about We've been changed from putrid from a despicable state in front of in in in front of God we've been made children of God and He goes on to state that it's because of the status change
That we should obey him in love It reminds us of how putrid hope how despicable how dead how separated we were from God But now you've been redeemed
You've been brought into new life And if you look Paul almost immediately in Colossians chapter 2 towards the end to us to the rest of the book
Tells you look this is the way you ought to behave not that it saves you but this is the true gospel
Here's the right view of Christ. And therefore here's the way you should behave obedience to the preeminent all -sufficient
Savior and remember in Paul's mind even towards the end of Colossians 1 he's got
The Christological hymn in his mind and so should we and Somewhere in the middle.
I get a little confused when he starts verses 1 24 and ends it with 2 5
Suddenly I had to change my train of thought because Paul suddenly goes into talking about the authenticity of his apostleship
It took me a lot of studying to understand. Okay, why the sudden change? Why did you change your tone
Paul? Why did you suddenly go into this section right here? I was happy with the Christological hymn.
Can we just keep doing that? But no, but under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and as divinely inspired
Paul is asserting who he is as the Apostle that it didn't just come on him by himself He didn't choose to be an apostle.
It isn't his works. He gives all the glory to God and And he tells them that unlike the false teachers his authority comes from Christ Unlike the false teachers
He has never held back anything from the cloud from the Colossians or from any of the other churches he has poured his heart into and as Andrew Andrew just said
He loved them like his own children and he shows that in this little section where he asks not only for prayer
But also to remember what has been given to him He gave them all knowledge he spoke everything in love and inconsistency to them
I Have two more minutes, so I won't be able to finish everything in chapter 2, but let me let me end with this
In verses 6 and 7 Paul commands them to stay rooted in Christ He tells them that you need to be established and immovable in Christ And this is in light of how supreme and how powerful and how sufficient the
Lord Jesus Christ is. What does that mean? Specifically to be rooted in Christ to be founded in Christ you stand firm on the teachings of the
Apostles about Christ About his life about his death about his resurrection about how he's the second person of the
Trinity about how he alone has appeased the wrath of God and When somebody comes from outside and says no, he's not sufficient and is attacking those those roots you're him you you won't move
Okay, but we're sinners and we're not gonna do this perfectly. That's why we have the church.
That's why we have each other That's why we have the scriptures That's why Paul goes on to talk about the importance of prayer and the importance of Thanksgiving Which which believe it or not is huge in this book
How you should be thankful for what you have in the gospel and in the truth and therefore not move
And he even ends were seven by talking about abounding in Thanksgiving So you so staying rooted in Christ Established in the doctrine of Christ is not only fundamental.
It's very important even today for us in 2017 it's very important as all of these things got to attack our minds and we see all kinds of things around us in the culture and Let's be frank as we deal with our own sin as we deal with our own sin
Which is painful as it is What do we go back to what should we keep our mind on?
First the work of Christ the person of Christ and then obedience to him that comes out of that I'll close by talking about verse 7 because I can't
I can't stop by not mentioning this Multiple times in this book Paul tells you prayer be prayerful and be thankful When you think about the gospel and you and when you're thinking about your relationship with others be thankful for the gospel
Be thankful for Christ be thankful for the Apostolic teachings from the foundations that it path versus already laid before you
What does? Thanksgiving have to do with protection from false teaching.
What does being thankful have to do with? Anything about false teaching
You can give a what not you can give me a worldly example and then work your way through them to the Bible if you want Excellent, that's excellent.
Just to just to Pinpoint so we don't lose what Andrew just said, right? You're so grateful for this beautiful truth that Christ has saved and Christ alone
You're not going to be ungrateful for that. You're thankful for it And therefore when false teaching comes, you know, you have a guard already
That of a grateful heart Thankfulness, I'll make one quick point
What do advertisements do Mike talks about ads a lot, so what do that do cultivate dissatisfaction
Make you try to make you discontent so that you can go after the product. Well, most people are not trying to be
Horrible to us. They're just trying to make money We understand that but it's exactly what it is when you go into walk -in parts of Boston You ask why the big posters of this happening right here because they want you to look away from what you have and if you're
Ungrateful for what you have you look and you go and get what is shown on the posters or what's shown in the ads, okay?
It speaks to your vanity and your greed, right? If you look Google's revenue in the last 10 years has multiplied 1 ,200 percent because of their ad
Department because of them that's a major money Making part of their of their business right
Google sells ads and one of the biggest things is they're selling Discontentment so bringing it back to the
Bible if you're not thankful for the gospel If you're not thankful for the for who Christ is and what he's done on your behalf
You're always going to be looking for something else and you're always going to be enticed easily by any false teacher
Teaching that attacks Christ's efficiency and the sufficiency of the gospel So Paul keeps coming back to that and we absolutely the thankfulness for sacrifice
But also I like what you said and that is there is forgiveness in Christ We're not going to do any of this perfectly when he tells us abound in Thanksgiving It's this attitude of overflowing with Thanksgiving and even on our best days.
Guess what? We're not going to do this perfectly But Paul wants us to have that kind of thinking in that kind of life as one day
We will be fully conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Does anybody have one more point last point before we close? Yeah, Gary and then
Taylor excellent. It was good. I like something from the Old Testament. That's very good Taylor. Excellent Yeah, that's an excellent point again the focus on Christ and you see that throughout this book
If you don't understand and if you don't have a view of Christ You'll easily look at something that another object that seems to give you what you want
But as Paul talks about in the end of Colossians 2, it's all useless That's what he says. That's the term he uses useless as As opposed to Christ So my goal was to give you guys and start to give you guys a foundation as we set our foot in Colossians To think about some of the world things that are happening around the world right now and even in our own culture next week
I'll go to two three and four Start with yoga go to politics talk about CrossFit as well
And I'll also talk about church membership and church leaving and how do you deal with all of this in the church?
All right, let's go to the gym. Sorry okay, let's Let me close in prayer
Father we thank you for the gospel. We thank you that the bad news is that we're separated from God and that none of our works
Can ever satisfy or appease the wrath of a holy God and the good news is that the
Son of God? did what pleased the Father perfectly and that now he is not only finished the work he is risen and ascended and because of his resurrection
We as believers have union with Christ and we thank you Lord for that truth Bless us as we think on you not just today
But the rest of this week help us to honor you in our workplaces in our homes And even in our church
And I pray that you would bless Pastor Pradeep as he teaches today and all the other ministers whether they're in the sound room, but they're in the nursery
I pray that you would be glorified and that you would bless the ministry of these men and women in Jesus name.