20-12-2 PM, The Preeminance of Christ, Colossians 1:15-16

Looking Back (20 min)

Pastoral Care

How are you doing?

Worship

Accountability

Follow Jesus- How are you obeying the Word?

Are you holding the line on Christ? Is He on the throne in your life?

Fish for Men- Witness, training, training trainers

The pattern in scripture is to share the gospel with your oikos. How many of you prayed and made a list? How many of you managed to divide the list into groups of 5s? What challenges did you run into?

For several weeks I’ve challenged you to try to share the gospel with five people each week. Who have you shared the gospel with this week? People inside your oikos? How do you approach people outside your oikos? How did it go?

Long term discipleship...It is very important for believers to learn how to feed themselves the Word of God.

This is the point of long-term discipleship- learning to draw out the truth of God’s word on your own.

You will always be dependent on the Holy Spirit to know the Word of God rightly.

You should rely on others in the family of God (peers, preachers, teachers, authors, scholars) in order to ensure you are reading and understanding the principles of the Bible appropriately.

Nevertheless, all Christians need to learn how to do this and practice this, especially in the first 1-3 years.

Further, all Christians carry a mandate from the King to multiply themselves. So, not only do you need to learn how to feed yourself the Word, our joy is that we are called to train other Christians to do so as well.

Do you remember a couple weeks ago learning the sword method of Bible study?

There are six questions

What comes before this passage? What comes after?

What does this passage tell us about God?

What does this passage tell us about man?

Is there a command to obey?

Is there an example to follow?

6. What change do I need to make in my life today because of this passage?

Who did you teach the sword method of Bible interpretation to a young Christian over the last couple weeks?

Vision Casting

If you recall the parable of the talents in Mt. 25:14-30.

five talents- five talents more

two talents- two talents more

one talent- hid it in fear

Matthew 25:21–22 ESV

21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’

and

Matthew 25:26–30 ESV

26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Which one does God want you to be? Which one do you want to be?

The one with the eleven and four talents! Not the one left with nothing.

Would God want you to be something and then not make it so you could become it?

What do you need?

His power (check!)

The know how (Discipleship Groups coming in January)

The willingness and resolve to do it (God can give you this if you ask, but you are going to have to take a leap)

Look Up (20 min.)

New Lesson

Review-

Church plant- Epaphras

Needing help to self-correct according to the Word of God

Two Jesus+ heresies

Gnostic

Judiazers

Paul assists by giving a message about the pre-eminence of Christ.

He prays for them-

-Thanksgiving for their witness (faith and love and hope)

-Knowledge needed to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord

-Strength to endure with joy and to be thankful in their present trial.

He starts in on the pre-eminence of Christ

-He is God, Creator, Authority.

Colossians 1:17 ESV

17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

There are six questions

What comes before this passage? What comes after? Next it talks about Christ’s role specifically in the church; and as the embodiment of the gospel.

What does this passage tell us about God?

Christ is first.

Christ sustains creation, society, and your life.

What does this passage tell us about man (you)?

We are created

We do not hold all things together.

We need Christ.

We can trust Christ with our lives.

Is there a command to obey?

No

Is there an example to follow?

Make Paul’s testimony our testimony

What change do I need to make in my life today because of this passage?

In your life He is to be first. What things often come in before Jesus?

How do you act if you believe Jesus holds all things together in His glorious power?

What is the difference between casually convicted of Christ’s pre-eminence or radically convicted of it.

Look Ahead (20 Minutes)

Practice the Lesson

Evangelism

Sword

Set Goals & Pray

Oikos

Testimony

Evangelism

Sword

Pray for the lost and needs of the trainers