Untitled Sermon (30)

Northside Church

Jun 4, 2023

Colossians #5

Jamey Mills

Good morning Northside…

So good to be with you all.

My name is Jamey Mills and I’m the lead pastor here at Northside.

Today is promotion Sunday…

Which means some of our kids and students are moving into new areas of ministry…

We’ve sent out a few emails about that and if you didn't get one, please make sure we have a good email address for you. The connection card is probably the easiest way to do that.

If you are a HS graduating senior or a college graduate… would you guys stand…

Just want to say… Nice job! We are proud of you. What an exciting time. I spend years and years working with students… and this season in your life is incredibly important… I couldn't encourage you enough to choose Jesus… Choose the truth… don’t step back or turn away… stay plugged into HIS church… yes… selfishly I hope it's this one… but Church matters far more than we often think. I’d also invite you to check out your young adult group. Some of my favorite people at Northside hang out there.

Pray for them.

Strength… faith… courage… go against the current of the culture in clinging to you.

We are in the final week of our series…

Nothing More/Nothing Less (SLIDE)

It’s a letter that God inspired the Apostle Paul to write while in prison to a struggling Church… who was allowing the culture of that day… to run off with their faith.

And it created this Jesus+ mindset…

Jesus+ working hard enough, being nice enough and in some ways it was even a Jesus- thing. Jesus minus what I want… or what sounds good.

Scholars call in Syncretism… and it was interesting… In some of my study I came across an author who uses that very word to describe the church in America today. One author this week reminded me that the culture Paul wrote to… was just as messy and had just as much opposition to the Gospel as our own. Which means what Paul was writing then… along with the rest of the Bible… is incredibly applicable to us now.

Paul was calling them and us back… and we have to know how important it is… to know the reality of who Jesus is… and what it means to know Him the right way.

Early on… Paul reminds them that Jesus was there in the very beginning… That Jesus was there at the beginning… He created everything that was, is, and ever will be. That even now He sustains all that is.

That He is God… The visible image of the invisible God.

We can look at Jesus and His life… and we see who God is… what He’s like… what He thinks and values… how He relates to people… and even how He relates to you.

That He is the head of the Church… which is THE position of leadership and authority… and He’s intended to have that in your life too.

And Paul is saying that

The best defense when it comes to losing your way in a culture that is raging against who God is and what He says is to draw nearer to Him.

To go deep with Him. To keep moving forward in your relationship with Him. To literally build our lives on Him… (who we are, what we think, what we stand for, how we stand for it, how we do marriage/singleness, parenting, relationship… even making him the Lord of our own preferences and sexual identity and things like that).

Last week we talked about how that's what it means to know God the right way… Not my will but yours… Not my ways but yours… not my agenda but yours…

The message of the Gospel has always been dying to yourself so you can take on Christ. The message of the world is… Live for you… you do you… it's your life…

Which one of those statements best describes how your life is going?

And in our passage today… Paul seems to be turning a pretty hard corner.

I read it and studied a lot this week…

Last week we talked about how one of the messages Paul is sending is…

That

If you Know the truth about Jesus and know Him the right way, It changes things.

It’s supposed to change things. When Jesus says… come and follow me… He has something in mind. Following Jesus… means something. Are you interested in that?

It means…

There are some we need to stop doing.

There are some things we need to start doing.

And, There are some things we need to keep doing but with a different heart.

For our own good and for HIS glory…

ILL

A couple weeks ago I mentioned that one of the regrets I have in life is not looking up and saying thank you enough… for the goodness and faithfulness of God in my life.

And I started thinking about that more… We all have regrets… things we wish we would have done or not done… Bad investments… bad choices… things we said that we can’t take back…

But the older I get… and the more I realize I’m not going to live forever… the more I begin to understand another major regret… and that is lost opportunity when it comes to what really matters most.

Because of who He is… and what Jesus has done in my life… I don’t want there to be any question in the

I want my kids… my family… my friends… my church family… my neighbors… my city… to have no question as to where I stand… as to who Jesus is. I’d regret not doing anything in my power… I’d regret not setting that example… or having that conversation.

And it reminds me that today…

I am living out the only opportunity I will ever have at today..

… to set that example… have that conversation… to pray for… care for… and lead those I love and those around me one step closer to where real life and freedom are found…

Colossians 4:2 (NLT) (SLIDE)

Colossians 4:2 NLT

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert (watchful) mind and a thankful heart.

And I feel like that's what Paul is saying… the starting point… is coming to that place yourself… draw near to Jesus… it changes things…

We stop allowing culture to run off with our faith… Instead we begin to impact culture by and through our faith.

In just a couple short verses Paul says a lot about prayer…

How this all changes our attitude toward prayer and even how going deep with Jesus changes some of what we pray about.

Paul says be devoted to prayer.

What does that mean?

That word means to be committed to and persistent in.

As a rule… the American Christian and Church isn’t. Barna Research reported a few years ago that the average American christian prays less than 1 minute a day and the average American pastor just over 5 min.

The only reason we’d commit to persistent prayer… is knowing that prayer is powerful. Believing that God is able… to work in and through us. Do you believe that God has any wisdom at all… for the day… and what you’ll face… who you’ll face? Do you believe that there is any value at all… in walking through your day with Him?

Prayer is one of the ways God aligns our heart with His… and so being devoted to prayer… WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

Pauls says with watchfulness… as we pray watch for God and what He does.

And with thankfulness… this is the 5th time in Colossians alone that prayer is linked with gratitude before God.

Col 4:3-4 (SLIDE)

Colossians 4:3–4 NLT

Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak (OPEN A DOOR for the Word) about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

Paul is asking the colossian Church to pray for him… and that's actually something Paul does often… and inside of that… we get a glimpse into Paul’s own prayer life…

We tend to pray for what matters most to us… and the deeper we go with Jesus the more our prayers begin to mirror the things that are nearest and dearest to His heart…

And you see that in Paul.

Paul prays that God would continue to open doors so that he might share the gospel with people.

The interesting thing about this prayer… for an open door is what? He’s in prison.

Paul is praying for an open door in prison… not the kind of open door I’d be praying for… but that somehow… even there… God would open a door.

This is so powerful to me…

God has the power and ability to open doors anywhere, even in the most unexpected times and places.

One author said it this way… sometimes confinement… feeling stuck… is the most conducive environment for praying for and seeing an open door…

While under house arrest in Rome… Paul wrote four letters that are a part of the Bible that have been influencing and changing lives for thousands of years… Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians and Philemon…

Praying for an open door… that's crazy.

But there's more…

Philippians 1:12–14 (NLT)

Philippians 1:12–14 NLT

And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

12 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

This open door… was giving courage to the Chritians around Paul to do this very thing… and… it was impacting members of Caesar’s guard.

At the end of the Philippines… Paul is signing off and sending greetings to them from the other believers around them… including believers in Caesar's own household.

IN PRISON… the last place you’d expect an open door to share the gospel… and that has been messing with me all week. Super convicted…

I’m not sure I’m praying specifically or for the right things…

What open door have you been devoted to praying for and watching for?

(SLIDE)

You want to see things get better… marriage… home… kids… work… neighborhood… country… world…

Open doors happen far more often than I think we see them… pray for the wisdom to see them and the courage to walk through them…

Get your heart right… draw near to God… commit to persistent prayer… be courageous to say here I am God use me… commit to having the right heart and attitude… commit to the Lord… and freaking change Your world. Until the Church gets that… we are stuck here.

If you have the courage to pray like that don’t be surprised at all to put to work by God in that very process.

Ask others to pray for that open door too… that God would give you the courage and wisdom to see if and when it opens.

Paul prays and asks others to pray that he’d be able to share the gospel with clarity… He’s praying that God would make him effective. That God would help him speak the truth in ways that people could hear… without compromise… but fruitful.

And… we also realize that it involves sacrifice and suffering.

Paul often reminds people that walking through open doors… is part of what led him to being in chains.

This passage nearly caused me to walk away from what the Bible says…

Colossians 1:24 (ESV)

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.

What possibly could be lacking in the suffering of Christ…

It’s not saying that what Jesus did on the cross is somehow incomplete…

It is saying that sacrifice and suffering will always be a part of the Gospel moving forward.

I hope you're ready… as a Christian in your own life.

I hope we are ready as a church… because we will not impact this community without a willingness to be inconvenienced…for the sake of the gospel… or a willingness to give of your time, money, and resources for the sake of the gospel.

Effective Churches in the kingdom get this.

Effective Christians… get this.

It will impact your family… your relationships… friendships… in some hard ways and in some amazing ways.

Col 4:5 (SLIDE)

Colossians 4:5 NLT

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.

5 Live wisely among those who are not believers (outsiders), and make the most of every opportunity (open door, Redeem).

Paul says live wisely among unbelievers… those who don’t know Jesus.

Your words… are powerful but

One of the most powerful sermons you will ever preach to those who know you and to those that are watching is the way you live your life.

Is it marked with integrity… truth… character… generosity… kindness/compassion…

"Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary."

-Francis of Assisi

Living lives that are attractive for the right reasons… that cause people to see Jesus in and through you…

When I was a younger man… finding my way in Jesus… there were all kinds of men that came to that left me thinking this… if that’s what it means to follow Jesus, I’m out.

I learned right away that it’s incredibly dangerous to allow humanity, through their unfaithfulness… to push you away from the cross…

But Paul is saying as believers we have the responsibility… to live lives that make people thirst for truth… for what they see in us… for Jesus.

To make the most of every opportunity is a business term that means… to redeem your time.

. To redeem our time… to make the most of it.

You’re going to drop the ball sometimes… and so am I. in my experience…

One of the most powerful things that help people see Jesus in us is how we handle things when we fall short.

Honesty… owning it… no excuses… apologizing well… accepting consequences… asking for forgiveness and prayer…

Colossians 4:6 NLT

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

(SLIDE)

6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive (Seasoned with salt) so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Paul reminds us our words matter.

Proverbs 18 talks about how life and death are found in the power of the tongue.

Our words have the power to be life giving or life taking… and sometimes really struggle with this.

James says we all do…

James 3:3–10 (NLT)

3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

Our tongue… our words… says a lot about what's going on in us… and it can impact the direction of our lives… Paul and… as Paul is pointing out… it impacts the effectiveness of our witness to EVERYONE around us.

Paul gives

Three ways to help when it comes to making our speech effective

1. Be Kind

2. Be Honest

3. Be Wise

People won’t listen if you approach them with the back of your hand.

Kindness… is what you have in Christ that helps lead you to repentance…

Kindness reflects caring… and caring is what causes us to pray for open doors with devotion.

Honesty… meaning… we are kind, but we don’t without truth.

There is Kindness… and truth

The woman caught in adultery… Jesus stood with her publicly… but when they were gone… he said go and sin no more.

The woman at the well… Jesus sat with this Samaritan woman… and even she knew it was odd… kindness… but then asked where her husband was… and spoke the hard truth… through caring… that sure seems like it changed her life and others.

The truth is… we live in an accommodating world… where loving others means… never challenging them on what they think, do or believe. That’s not the gospel… Our kids have grown up in a world that teaches them… that’s what love is and what love does… but that is not the Gospel… and… that's not at all what love is.

in fact… that's actually NOT what love is… in fact… I’d tell you that's the exact opposite of love.

Caring enough… to share the truth… in love… to invest in… suffer with and for… to sacrifice for the Gospel coming to life in those around us.

Wisdom…

While we don’t withhold truth… looking for the right time, place and way… to share it.

To have the right words… for the right person… at the right time…

And… the greatest way to do that is… being devoted to prayer within it. It’s one of the ways God lines our heart up with his.

Who do you know and love that is far from God…

Are you devoted to praying for them… for open doors… are you watching for them… and praying for the right words.

Who is around you… that needs to know the love and grace of Jesus…

Are you devoted to praying… and watching for open doors.

Paul says… they are everywhere… even in and most powerful in places you’d least expect it.

If you want to see things change… go deep with Jesus.

Let it impact your inner world… and it will impact your outer one.

Pray… live a life that reflects Jesus… watch for the open door… care enough and be courageous enough to let God use you…

By kind… tell the truth in love… pray for wisdom/ be courageous but patient…

In the late 80’s Karin Muller was a filmmaker and author… who worked with the peace corps in the Philippines… One night she was tipped off that gunmen from the radical new people army… ties to communism… were coming to interrogate her… and so she began to pray for an open door… she collected commodities… coffee and sugar…

Sure enough… 17 armed soldiers showed up… as soon as she saw them… she said… oh thank God you’re here… come in… leave your guns at the door… let's have coffee… her reaction… completely baffled the leader... and totally changed the landscape of that conversation.

Made a highway out of what could have been a pothole.

Later… someone who heard asked what it was all about…

She said… it's hard to integrate someone over coffee… and… open doors happen often come disguised as other things.

Are you praying with deviation… watching… and ready… to step through the doors He will certainly open… in you… at home… at work… in the neighborhood?