Love Well, Live Well 4

We are in the Love Well Live Well Series - its part of our expected journey in 2026 - it is casting vision for who we are and where God’s focus is for this body in Refuge Aviano

My prayer is that you grasp the underlying heart of what each of these sermons is conveying - what it is the heart of God is bringing to us individually and collectively

Love Well, Live Well: 3 in 1, Dwelling in Unity

Looking into the book of Colossians

There’s some old adages out there:

You can take the soldier out of the army, but you can never take the soldier out of the man

Once a Marine, always a Marine, right?

You can take the man out of the honkey-tonk but you can’t take the honkey-tonk out of the man.

You can take the man out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of the man

Whole lot of holy and a little bit of hood

We live in this construct of society where we value where we come from

The places where we’ve been, the experiences that shaped our perspective of the world, and quite literally who we see ourselves to be

We get into this dichotomy - especially in the military - where our identity is forcefully changed.

Our minds are remolded and refashioned to behave differently, and to react differently to situations, and to respond in a different mindset than where we did 10 or 20 years ago.

And we call this - in the military side of things - training. We’re training to respond to conflict, training to respond to preserve life, training to respond to threats and we do this in either offensive postures or defensive postures - it’s to preserve a thought, a philosophy of life, a hope of a worldview.

And we often to get to a point where we are presented with other thoughts, philosophies of life, or hopes of different worldviews that are in conflict with our own.

Sometimes, they are really persuasive.

Sometimes, we find out

From a military standpoint, there are war colleges, and doctrines taught in negotiating conflict - and those doctrines are driven by personal or cultural values.

From a financial standpoint, there are differences of opinions on the best way to invest, or to spend money.

From a romantic standpoint, there are differences of philosophies on how to engage in relationships, dating techniques, or the ‘why’ behind connection

And we can find that in every facet of life, there will be people with opinions and they can often become righteously indignant about why they are right - at least in their own perspective anyway.

The Bible actually tells us all this is true: Proverbs 14:12 “12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

Proverbs 1:31 “31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies.”

Proverbs 14:14 “14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above himself.”

If you’ve never found yourself in a crisis of faith, if you’ve never found yourself in a place of questioning what you believe, if you’ve never been presented with a different gospel, watch out! There is an enemy of your soul that is waiting for the opportune moment to vex your thoughts and heart.

The people of Colossae were found in such a predicament.

Paul had to write a letter to refute the different doctrines and even heresies that were invading the young Christian church.

Colossae was a city near Ephesus along the trade out into Europe. It was decimated by an earthquake somewhere around 61 AD.

But there was a strong Christian church growing and it wouldn’t take long before a different gospel was starting to spread among the people

Different doctrines were being shared

Mysticism - things like astrology - was creeping in to the fold

Gnosticism - this concept of different philosophies dictating salvation came from secret personal revelations given by other spirits, and removing Jesus Christ from His Divinity

Angel worship - where people began taking on the idea of worshiping guardian angels - the same thing we see with people ascribing to spiritualist numbers like “444” being tatoo’d on their bodies for a sign of protection from their “guardian angel”…

LET IT BE KNOWN - no angel of the Lord Jesus is going to be seeking worship because they know all worship and glory goes to God and Jesus. They serve the Lord well, and are dispatched by God to give watch over us and support the Kingdom assignments God has given us. But they are part of team Jesus just like we are. I mean, God did make us a little lower than the angels

There was one who sought to be worshiped, his name was Lucifer and he thought he was something, and then God reminded him he was something else

He is the enemy of your soul - satan, the liar and deceiver condemned to hell for all eternity

The point here is that there were different gospels being preached and Paul needed to intervene

He does so with three very specific focuses

The Supremacy of Christ and His relationship to God

The Individual member and our individual relationship to Christ

The Church, and our relationship to each other as the body of Christ, made possible by Christ as head of His Church

The underlying tone is understanding the relationship of all three in one understanding of JESUS being the center point of everything.

There are 95 scripture verses in Colossians. Over 70% of these verses are relational in content.

Nearly 1/3rd describe Christ’s identity in God. Nearly 1/3rd describes who we are individually in Christ Jesus. And between one third and half deal with the Church’s identity.

And smack dab in the middle where they all intersect is where I want to focus on today because this is what LOVE has done for you and me.

To unpack this is to understand and declare this morning the first focus of this Epistle: Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life

The Holy Spirit - the Holy Ghost - leads us to all truth

And Jesus is the Truth, and the truth leads us to all Freedom

Understand: that although God condescended Himself with His Word manifested into this world in His Son, Jesus - there is no separating Jesus from His dividnity in the Godhead

We thank God the Father, and God the Lord Jesus for His grace and peace, understanding the hope we have in the Grace of God in truth

We understand His will, in His glorious power flexed for every one us through His Invitation, and His forgiveness of sins, He has redeemed us and conveyed us into His Kingdom.

We proclaim, through His Word and His mystery of the gospel revealed to us and in us that: (Colossians 1:15-20)

Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and the firstborn of all creation

Colossians 1:16 “16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

Colossians 1:17 “17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”

Colossians 1:18 “18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

Colossians 1:19 “19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,”

Colossians 1:20 “20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

This gospel is the mystery of God, from the Father and Christ, in whom all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden and revealed

In Christ Jesus is the fullness of God and is the head of ALL principality and power - there is no comparison between satan and Jesus - you can’t make satan small enough in comparison to Jesus

And with all divinity and authority being in Jesus, if Jesus is the head of the Church, and the Church is the body of Christ, then that means the divinity and authority of Christ are also operating amongst His Church.

And this is why we, as a Church body, have been given the authority of Christ, birthed in us through the power of the Holy Ghost - to love, and to build up each other in the Word of God, and to tear down through prayer the spiritual strongholds of the principalities in the spiritual realm

We have been given this authority, in our dwelling together - in the gathering - in the binding together under the banner of Christ.

2. To unpack this further, you need to understand the Truth that you who believe and accepted the Truth of Christ - that you are redeemed and reconciled with God

a. That you now have the ability to walk worthy of God.

b. That you can now fully please God.

c. That you are now a weapon of righteousness in the hands of God

d. That you are a partaker in the inheritance of the saints of God.

e. That you are now holy and blameless before God

f. That you are now level-headed and unwavering, and have become a minister unto the things of God

g. That Christ is actually in you as the hope of glory with Him in heaven

h. That you are dead to the things of your past, that you are now positioned for righteousness.

i. That you are now complete in Jesus.

3.To unpack this further, you must understand that you are complete in Jesus because you are now a member, in relationship, of the body of Christ, which is the Church of Almighty God

a. That you are no longer sinners, but called Saints

b. That we are identified by our love for each other

c. That we together are fruitful in ministering to God and to each other

d. That we, together, are mighty

e. That we are qualified, by Christ, to do good things, and overcome hard things

f. That in us together, the mysteries of God are revealed - we get to see and understand the nature and character of our Holy God

g. That together we preach Jesus - to each other and to the still unbelieving world

h. That together Colossians 2:2–3 “2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

i. That together, we live in good order, and are steadfast in our faith in Jesus

j. That together, we are taught, and we walk with Lord Jesus

k. That together, we put off the sins of the flesh; we Colossians 3:5 “5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

l. we Colossians 3:8–9 “8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,”

m. We understand that when we walk through these doors, there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, neither officer or NCO, no senior ranking or junior enlisted…

But CHRIST is ALL for each of us, and is in each of us.

We unpack these things because here in Colossians there’s an overlap - there’s an overlap in Who Jesus is in His preeminence and supremacy; with our individual identity in Christ; and the structure of the body of Christ that is His Church -

There is a purpose!

God has done all these things on purpose - in that we would know God and be known by God, that we would know each other and be known by each other - so that the power of Almighty God may be known by His LOVE.\

Its in the LOVE OF GOD that we exist. It’s in the LOVE of GOD that we have purpose. Where Paul’s three points overlap here in Colossians is where we see God’s love in action:

Colossians 1:9–14 “9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

We together have the benefit of living POWERFULLY in this world

Colossians 2:10–13 “10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,”

We together have been set apart - appointed and anointed - as His royal priesthood

Colossians 3:1–4 “1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

We together have the source of LIFE as we have been raised to life, on God’s authority and backing to be His emissaries in this world

Colossians 3:12–17 “12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

(From here, Paul goes to individual people groups within the Church)

We together is where UNITY happens - the dwelling together in UNITY is worship to God! Why? Because God is LOVE - and so when we operate in Love through Love, it is only God’s love that this is even possible.

When we are going together

When we are shoulder to shoulder

When we are face to face

Walking in lock-step for the Church’s given assignment

This is WORSHIP to our GOD. And we exist to WORSHIP and GLORIFY His great name!

When we do righteous and holy things together - such as this 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting - its in the unity and going together that Christ is glorified

It’s not whether you ate or not, its not what you ate or didn’t eat…it was in the consecration and praying together - shoulder to shoulder, face to face - bearing one another’s burdens, binding together in believing on God - this is what glorifies the LORD, and blesses Him, and even prompts Him to invade our spaces and work amongst our families and bring healing to our lives.

It’s why when after service today, that we break the fast potluck - it’s not in the food that’s eaten or not eaten; it’s celebrating together the work of God active in our lives together, in unity

Where we live together is in power - the power of Pentecost, and the victory in Jesus we walk together in

Where we together acknowledge that despite our past, we here together are holy and called by His name

Where we have inherited together all God owns and has, and the life we have together for all eternity.

Together we celebrate, together we mourn, together we bear each other’s burdens, and together we fight the kingdom of darkness.

We are the Church of the Living God!

We are the Church, dwelling together in Unity!

We are the Church, that God’s love built.

And together we protect and defend the gospel alive in each of us.

Closing

Some of you here today may be having inner turmoil this morning of not having that belonging, not knowing this true relationship with God…

You need God today, but don’t know how it works. You need God today, and you’re willing to surrender to His love for you today

Some of you here today have had to deal with some pains of the church of the past.

I’m sorry to say, we still have much to do in Churchdom. The church is the perfect place for imperfect people. And often, individual people become a stray hair that brings hurt to other individuals. I’m sorry for your hurts from your church past, but what I hope your prayer today, is that you move forward in being the Church God intended - that you be the answer for past wrongs because of God’s love active in you - the love of God that covers a multitude of sins, and casts out all fears and anxieties.

Let’s pray together for healing of the past and for God’s divine intervention for where He has you today

Some of you have offended God’s Church - whether intentionally, or unintentionally. By your own choices, you’ve separated yourself from Christ’s body, you’ve pursued your own agenda, or you’ve belittled Christ’s body because of false doctrines and heresies. You’ve decided on your own who can or cannot be the body of Christ.

There’s forgiveness! And reconciliation. It’s all in Jesus and victory was accomplished through His blood on the Cross. Humble yourself today, make it known, confess your sin so that you may be healed.

And for all those who simply need prayer - healing, anxieties, intercession…whatever it is - let’s go before God together today.

Let’s expect through flexing your faith in God - that He’s going to resolve it in Jesus’s Name.

Will you flex your faith in Jesus today? Come to this altar space and lay your burdens down.

Announcements

NEXT STEPS: Take the 3 service challenge

We break the fast today! Potluck after second service

Women’s Tables

Valentine’s Day Kids’ Night Out

Tuesday Night Prayer Power Hour

Wednesday Night Bible Study

Thursday ReLaunch: Knowing Jesus 101 - for all who have decided to follow Jesus in the last two months