Strangers No More: Colossians 1.18-23 (ESV)

 

In Psalm 22:3 the KJV reads, “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Other translations translate the word inhabitest as enthroned.  In practice, that’s not necessarily what we mean.  If I’m praising my child, I’m giving an affirmation to them.  It means god is present in moments when we are lifting ourselves up to Him.  God inhabits this space when we meet together.  God is always available.  God gives His presence to us. 

We are no longer strangers to God.  Have you ever been in a group and someone introduced you to someone you already know?  It’s a good feeling when we already know someone.  Paul says you are no longer a stranger to God.  You know God.  This is a good reminder for us that we come to God not as a stranger.  In Colossians 1 God is the Creator of everything. Jesus takes first place.  What does it mean for God to be first in our lives?

Follow Jesus.

Who are you following?

                        This is a foundational statement for us.  Jesus us the head of the church.  Jesus is the Creator.  Creation was God’s idea.  It was God who decided to make people, the earth, the sea, etc.  What we are doing right now was God’s idea too.  Church isn’t just something people thought up.  It’s God’s idea.  God sees people need church to be whole and complete.  Most organizations need organization and order.  This is a part of our basic design as well.  This concept is so simple we can run past it sometimes.  We want to see things improve in our world.  The most fundamental way we can have peace on this earth is a simple idea God’s already given to us.  The church is God’s plan to transform the world. 

What is God’s plan?  His church.  We knew this even in the reformation days.  We tend to throw the baby out with the bath water.  Society has taken this idea, we don’t want to be an extremist, so we just gather together to sing songs and go through the motions.  Have we lost God’s basic design for creation?  What we do as a church matters.  God inhabits our time together.   

18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Jesus is the head of the body. We connect to Jesus by talking with Him.  When is the last time you talked to Jesus?  Jesus is the head of our lives.  I’m not talking about asking you if you read your Sunday School lesson.  When is the last time you talked with Jesus?  Just you and Jesus and you poured your heart out to Him? 

In Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus sees people who are tired and stressed.  They cannot find peace.  They’re burdened by religious people.  Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” The idea of a yoke doesn’t sound like freedom to us but Jesus says this is the way to find peace.  Our spirit needs to be yoked to Jesus.  I grew up on a farm and we never used a yoke but a yoke was a tool to make you more effective to do your purpose. A yoke was custom made.  You had the yoke made to custom fit the animal.  It’s like what elite athletes do.  For example, a speed skater has skates custom fitted so they can skate better.  The yoke is made just for you and all God has planned for you in your life.  God says He knows what our lives need.  Stop listening to everything else because God’s burden is light.  Are you carrying a burden you’re not meant to carry? Jesus gives us peace.

Find peace.

Peace is found in the cross.  This is not new information for us.  God puts our spiritual lives together in an orderly way.   It’s not a woohoo crazy thing.  There’s a pattern to our spiritual design.  My two year old niece in Alabama wanted to ride the four-wheeler with me.  I asked her if she knew where the keys were.    She took me right to them and then she put the key in the ignition, pressed the button to put it in neutral and she showed me the start button!  We thrive in order.  Sometimes we run past this concept.  Where is peace found?

²⁰and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Where does peace come from?  Jesus made peace on the cross.  It’s simple but so foundational.  This concept is only used two other times in the Bible.  Paul was brilliant logistically. This concept is unique to Christianity.  It means the resolution of the ongoing crisis is resolved in the cross.   As we look at this we see God is the Peacemaker.  We understand this when we come to the cross.  Maybe you’re at a place where you’re realizing you have never given your life over to Christ?  There’s an ongoing crisis in our lives.  This year has exposed things in us.  One thing that’s been exposed is our idols, what we lean on, where we find peace.   Our lives have been thrown into chaos.  There’s a definite place for peace.  When we get into our routines we do not lean on Christ.  Peace was made by Christ.  He is the ultimate source of peace.  Here’s a simple analogy:  How do you put on your shoes?  DO you lean on something?  Do you sit down?  DO you do a yoga pose?  You have a way to balance yourself.  What happens if you change it up?  You realize the support you need isn’t there anymore.  This church Paul is writing to will go through a crisis.  They will face very difficult circumstances and Paul is preparing them.  What are you leaning against?  Peace is found in the cross and God’s desire for us is to grow and be made whole.  An amazing part of this is what we’re doing right now. 

Find home.

                        ²¹And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²²he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

In these verses Paul reminds them of what they once were.  God is taking us from chaos to order.  God does this in our lives too.  God wants us to love lives that make sense with stability and strength.  Wholeness and peace come from Christ.  Our mental condition before we knew Christ is we were alienated and hostile.  We used to be an alien.  Some of us may still have alien characteristics.  We were alienated.  We were hostile in our minds with destructive thought patterns that took away our peace.  We can be our own worst enemy!  I find the work of the Holy Spirit is amazing.  Walking with God changes the way we think.  Our brain chemistry even changes scientifically as we walk with Christ.  A Christian’s brain is different.  We were hostile and self-destructive before Christ.  Now we are no longer like that.  This year we have been tested more than ever.  Christ rescues us.  The goal is for us to be holy and blameless.  We need to me clearer in our minds and fully engaged.  Christ wants us to find a home.  We’ve all had that alien experience where we feel like we don’t fit in.  Kids, you’ve probably thought you’re adopted sometimes and your parents are weird?  We feel like something about us just doesn’t fit.  We have a longing for community.  Belonging to a church family is part of God’s design.  We have a desire to connect with God.  Connecting with God is home.  Talking with Jesus is home.  We long for this home, where we are whole and complete with God.  A sea turtle can travel 9,000 miles from where it was born and still return to make a nest for the next generation.  How’s it do that?  Paul reminds them where they’re headed.  He’s making us into the people He’s forming us to be.  Take His yoke upon you.

 

Sermon Notes are taken, transcribed and posted by Jeni Martin Johnson.  Sermon by Dr. Scotty Carpenter.