Walk This Way 3

Introduction

A. Talk about how my grandma went into the wrong car twice in the same week.

B. Are you easily distracted?

1. What kinds of things do you tend to be distracted by?

a) You can allow some time for a bit of audience participation.

2. The world we live in is full of distractions. Some of them are awesome, like when you’re outside on a hot day, and see a pool with your name written all over it. Others are not so much.

a) It is difficult to stay focused on what we are doing at times, especially if what we are doing takes a long time.

b) It is important to have systems in place that can draw our attention back to what is in front of us. Anchors, if you will, that will keep us on task. Things like noise-cancelling headphones, alarms on our phones, or study groups, operate as these anchors. We can use them to call us back to what we need to focus on when we get distracted.

C. The last couple of lessons we have looked at the first chapter of the book of Colossians. We have learned that it is a letter, written by a guy named Paul, to a young group of Christians, to teach them about their walk with God.

1. We have seen how it has shown us how to find our way when we are lost, and how to keep going when things get hard. Today, we are going to learn the next piece that Paul wanted to teach the Colossians: how to come back when we get distracted.

Tension

A. Just like it is normal to get distracted in our day-to-day lives, there are times in our walk with God when we get distracted. Where the focus on our walk with God begins to slip and we are distracted by this ambition or that temptation.

1. Distraction is a part of life, and often we cannot help it when we get distracted, so there is no shame in getting distracted. Sometimes our eyes cannot help but be drawn to whatever shiny thing is in front of us.

2. The tricky part is learning to recognize when we are distracted and, when we do, knowing how to refocus.

B. Because if we are not aware and intentional, we can easily lose ourselves in the distraction.

1. If we linger too long with whatever is distracting us. We begin to place our identity and value in that thing.

2. Often the things that can distract us are good things, that are placed on a pedestal they are not designed to occupy. We can place the whole weight of our joy and self-worth in things like our jobs, relationships, status, and accomplishments. None of these are bad things in and of themselves, in fact, they can be really good things, but they do not have the solidity to bear the weight of our identity and value. Eventually, they will let us down and we will be hurt as a result.

3. So we need to know how to recognize when we have been distracted by a good thing, and put it in a place it was not designed to be, only then can those good things be enjoyed as they were meant to be.

C. Not only do we need to recognize when we have become distracted, we need to find the anchor to bring us back.

Truth

A. Paul was a faithful follower of Jesus for a while before he wrote his letter to the Colossians. He knew all about the ebbs and flows of a walk with God. He knew that there would be times of great joy and times of difficulty. Paul knew that there would be times when the Colossians would get distracted, and forget what they were doing and why they were doing it- because we all do sometimes. And because of that, Paul would have known that the Colossians needed an anchor.

Turn to Colossians 1:15

a) Up to this point, Paul has been talking about their walk with God. He had shared ways for them to take stock of whether they were growing. He had shared his prayer for them as they walked through difficult times.

b) But at this point in the letter, Paul changes directions a bit. No longer is he talking about the Colossians, though he will get back to it. No, it is time for Paul to give the Colossians an anchor. It was time to remind them why they were walking with God at all. It was time to remind them what the story they were a part of was truly about.

Let’s read:

Colossians 1:15–19 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And 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. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

2. If you didn’t pick this up, Paul is talking about Jesus here, and he has a lot to say.

a) We could spend hours breaking down each of the roles Jesus plays according to Paul here.

(1) We could talk about Jesus the Creator, Jesus the Sustainer, Jesus the Image, Jesus the Brother, Jesus the Ruler, and Jesus the Reconciler.

(2) And that is a conversation and a study that is worth having. But for the sake of this lesson, we are going to take a look at the bigger picture of what Paul is trying to communicate.

(3) We will see three big-picture takeaways, from this passage, and then we will discuss what this means for when we are distracted

C. Jesus is close to us…Closer than we can imagine.

1. The first big takeaway from this passage is that we are closet and more reliant on Jesus than we probably realized.

2. Think about what Paul said here: “For by [Jesus] all things were created…and in him all things hold together.”

a) I am serious, take a moment to think about what that means…(You can pause here for a second if you like).

b) Jesus is who holds us together. Everything from our breath to the beating of our heart, to the joy we feel when eating a chipotle burrito bowl, to the comfort we feel when we are cared for by a friend after a loss. All of it is being held together by Jesus. And this is true for everyone and everything in creation, from rocks to rhinos, to sequoias, to mosquitoes, to coffee beans, and to every person to have ever lived whether they believe in Jesus or not.

3. That is intimacy and involvement to the maximum degree. Jesus is the one who moves the world, who holds it together. Which leads to the next big takeaway:

D. Jesus is the main character of this story

1. “All things were created through him and for him.”

a) We are all here because of Jesus and for the sake of Jesus. Another truth that Paul lays down in this passage that is absolutely mind-boggling.

2. Jesus is the main character of the macro story of the world, and all the micro stories of our lives.

a) Whether we follow Jesus, or not, Jesus is still the main character of the stories we live. How insane is that?

3. At first, this idea might rub us the wrong way. We are so used to viewing ourselves as the main character that it can be hard to change perspectives.

a) But the more that you sit with it, as a follower of Jesus, you realize that hidden deep within this idea is a profound comfort. Hidden within the idea that your life is ultimately not about you, is the idea that your life is a part of something larger than yourself. You are connected to a story that is bigger than you can imagine. And, it’s a story that’s not yours to write alone, it’s not up to you to make it happen a certain way or to keep it going or hold it together- Jesus does that, the pressure is off of you!

b) Which brings us to the final takeaway.

E. Jesus is reconciling, and ultimately will reconcile, all of it.

1. If Jesus is the main character of the story of the world, this is the plot of that same story: ultimate reconciliation and healing.

a) Paul says that, when Jesus died on the cross, something profound happened: peace was made. No longer would the brokenness of our world that we have all contributed to put us at odds with the one who heals brokenness. Peace was made, and we have been reconciled to love and beauty, despite our brokenness.

b) Jesus’ work, the story Jesus is telling, is simply expanding the borders of that peace and reconciliation until it includes everything. “And reconciling to himself all things,”

2. This is the story that we are a part of. This is the center point of the narrative we are all participating in. The anchor of the world. Christ on the Cross and Christ on the Throne making peace. We know this anchor, and we call it, the gospel.

F. So what does this mean for us when we get distracted?

1. Read Colossians 1:21-23

Colossians 1:21–23 ESV

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

3. This is where Paul brings home the anchor for our soul. He turned away from the Colossians, and toward Jesus to remind them why they were walking with God, and now it is time to turn back to the Colossians, to us. “And you…”

a) And you are a part of that reconciliation

b) And you are a part of that redemption

c) And you are a part of that peace

d) And you are made holy and blameless

e) And you are a part of that story

f) “Now hold on tightly to it.”

4. The person of Jesus, and the story that Jesus is telling in our world, is the anchor that brings us back when we are distracted.

a) The center point of our life, the main character in our walk.

5. Remembering that, sitting with it, dwelling with it, and letting it take root in our hearts, will serve to bring us back into focus when we get distracted by everything that is going on in our lives.

Application

A. So what does it look like to remember the story and let Jesus be our anchor? Let’s walk through some things we can do to help prepare our hearts for God to remind us.

1. Build a Ritual.

a) It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated, but figure out a practice, that you can do regularly that is designed to remind you of the story.

b) This could be anything from reading your Bible in the morning while you eat breakfast, to writing a prayer in a journal before you go to bed. Maybe there is something you do already, that you could add an element to ritualize it.

(1) Maybe you walk to school every day. You could decide that every day, as you are walking, to listen to worship music.

c) Get creative with it! The goal is just to re-tether yourself to the story briefly each day.

2. Include a friend.

a) You don’t have to do it alone. Find a friend and make a plan to remind each other of the closeness of Jesus each day.

3. Trust the story

a) This one is harder than the other two. But trust that, even when you are distracted, and you keep getting distracted, in the end, you will experience the fullness of Jesus’s reconciling story. Cling to the Grace promised by the cross.

Gospel

A. We have talked a lot about the gospel in this lesson. But the gospel is more than just a story or an idea. It is an invitation that asks for a response.

B. To respond to the gospel is to say yes to Jesus as King and as Savior. To choose to trust the reconciling story and tilt your heart towards following Jesus to take part in that story.

C. We are not going to be perfect, we are going to get distracted. But that is ok, Jesus will be with us the whole time, and call us back again.

D. So if that is you, if you are ready to say yes to this story, I want to invite you to make that decision today…(Invitation)

Conclusion

A. Over the last three lessons on Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we have talked a lot about our walk with God. How to be strengthened, how to refocus, how to gauge our growth.

These are all crucially important parts of following Jesus. But they are not everything.

B. We also have to go somewhere. To walk with Jesus, we have to know where to go from where we are…that’s the next lesson.

So allow me to close us in prayer…