Difference Maker - Week 3

PAUSE: Now I just want to be clear as we start tonight. IDENTITY is something that each person will struggle with in their life. It’s something that I struggled with and still do at times, it's something your leaders have struggled with, and maybe still do, and it’s normal. But as we work through Scripture, as we are reminded of Imago Dei, which means we were created in the image of God with a purpose, we recognize that when we choose to follow Jesus, our identity is found in Him. So if you’re someone that struggles with identity, I encourage you to listen for the ways that God defines you as we read in Colossians 2, and work through what Paul is saying.

ILLUSTRATION: Speaking of basketball, my coach had us try out for the basketball team in 8th grade, and I remember this because I thought it was odd that with how small our school was, we were going to have tryouts, but regardless, he wanted to make sure we were ready to play that year.

Talk about conditioning and how that was basically our tryout. I had to give my all even to make a team where I thought I had a guaranteed spot.

There are so many different things we have to be qualified for in the world, so when we talk about being a difference maker, we first need to not only establish that we have been qualified to be difference makers but also HOW we are qualified to be difference makers.

You see, in my example earlier, I had to work extremely hard to qualify to go on to whatever it was that I was chasing.

However, Paul is going to present something much different in his letter to the Colossians.

Throughout the book of Colossians, his theme is that all things for living life as God originally intended it come through Christ.

You see, Paul was eager to point the believers in Colossae to the reality that they are completely and dependent on Christ as He is the Lord over all and has secured our redemption through the cross, which therefore qualifies His followers to live for Him.

Therefore, the HOW we are qualified is through Christ alone, and the passage tonight is going to emphasize that as we pick up in Colossians 2:13.

Scripture

Qualified in Christ (13-15)

You were dead

There is nothing a dead person can do on their behalf to bring themselves back to life in the same way that there was nothing you could do to will yourself into existence.

I know this is early in our text, but I don’t want you to miss the importance of this.

If someone is dead, it requires something outside of them because a dead person has nothing to offer, nothing to bring to the table, and nothing they can do to earn their life back.

What causes us to be dead?

Our sin. Though we were not with Adam and Eve, they willfully disobeyed God, and we are therefore born into sin.

Every time we disobey God, we sin.

Romans 6:23 reads, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God made you alive with Christ

Forgave your sin

Canceled the charges leveled against you

Our sin caused there to be a debt

Luke 15: The prodigal son

He lost all of his Dad’s money, and yet his Dad forgave him and welcomed him home.

Disarmed the darkness

God has given you his Holy Spirit

God has called you his own!

My Devotions: 1 Peter 2:9 - 9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

What Jesus has done for us is what qualifies us to be able to serve Him in everything we do. We are Qualified in Christ.

Qualified Beyond Question (16-20)

Often we believe that following Jesus comes with a list of “Do’s and Don’ts” that we must follow in order to be saved.

Paul addresses that and other salvation “myths” in these verses.

When I use the phrase salvation myth, I mean that it is something that someone is clinging to believing that it will offer them salvation rather than finding their salvation in what Christ alone has done for them. (MYTHBUSTERS)

An example of this could be someone that simply goes to church here and there and therefore believes that they are saved because of it. Wrong.

Another example might be that someone knows a lot about God or a lot about the Bible. Still, if they don't truly know God and have a saving faith relationship with Him, they are not saved because knowledge does not equal salvation.

One last one that is fairly common is the belief that if I do a lot of good things, I will be let into heaven one day. Wrong. The only means for salvation is through what Christ has done for us.

However, these examples of salvation myths all fall into the category of being legalism or the practice of religious observances. The teachers of such ways we're seeking to disqualify other believers for not doing enough to earn their salvation.

V 18 - “Don’t let anyone condemn you…” or “Let no one disqualify you…”

1 Timothy 4:12 - Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young…”

The Colossians believers not only believed these salvation myths, but were also comparing gifts to each other to create lesser/greater gifts. All gifts work together to build up the body, and all the gifts that God has given you through his Holy Spirit are what you need to make a difference.

Students let no one, not even your doubts, disqualify you. cannot be undone.

Qualified to Actions (3:1-4)

Here is the connection between our identity that is found in Christ, and how we are called to be difference makers in the world around us.

“Since you have been raised to new life…”

1 Peter verse: We are chosen/qualified therefore - “you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”

Connect this with AJ’s example

Conclusion (Have students close their eyes; grab guitar and mic during silence)

INVITATION: If anyone here has not yet surrendered your life to Christ and accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, please understand that is the first step in being a difference maker because it is the thing that qualifies you to be a difference-maker for Him.

IDENTITY…

Maybe you’ve struggled to know who you are in Christ. People tell you one thing, you believe another, and yet you can’t seem to accept what God has to say about who you are.

Take a moment to read Colossians 2:13-15, and pray that you might grow to understand who you are in Christ, and live freely with the identity you’ve been given in Christ.

Maybe some of you need to recenter your life on Christ, or you’re wrestling with whether you truly have a relationship with Christ? Know this. There are times where we may doubt our salvation, and we may feel as though we never truly made the decision, but it’s not my goal to make you doubt a decision you have made in your life. Sometimes there just needs to be a clarification of what it truly means to live out our faith and truly be in relationship with God.

As you consider the things that Christ has done for you and the truths that have been shared tonight, can you 100% say that you have taken the step of accepting Him as your Lord and Savior?

He lived for you, died for you so that your sins would be forgiven, and rose again to give you new life. Have you accepted these truths?

If not, I want to give you the opportunity to make that decision tonight.

If you are in 1 of those last 2 categories, you want to make a first time decision, or you feel like you need to recommit your life to Christ, I am going to play 1 more song, and I want to invite you to talk with one of our leaders during this time. They will be over to your right, and they would love to talk with you and pray with you as you make this decision tonight.