Re:orientate

It is truly a blessing to see these five young men willing to serve our Lord with such hard work in a harsh environment.  I am reminded of 2 John and 3rd John which reads basically the same.  "I rejoice to know that my children are walking with the Lord."

Keep Looking Up, He Is Coming Soon,

Joe Fetterhoff (Caleb’s father - speaking about the team)

Claim - We have ‘spiritually’ died to sin (old life) and now live in Christ (new life) - Christians will live each day striving to slay sin and dress in righteousness and love.

Focus - We live in the hope of Christ, slaying sin and dressing in love towards each other.

Function - To motivate us to live out our new life in Christ day to day by focusing on our hope in Jesus.

PRAY

Some things have changed since I was at school.

Here’s a picture of my class when I was in year 8.

No tables, barely any books, we shared a pencil between 3 of us.

We got caned if we stepped out of line,

No computers and certainly no internet.

and then we’d work down the coal mine in the afternoon.

Ok - so it wasn’t quite that long ago,

but we still didn’t have internet!

But some things haven’t changed - or perhaps have gotten worse rather than better.

it was still really difficult to behave like a Christian at school.

It was difficult to even tell people you were a Christian.

And one of the things we want to do at re:focus is to help us think through some of those challenges.

So today we’re thinking about ‘Re:orientate’!

How do we re:orintate our thinking,

so that we know how to be Christians at school , at home, everywhere - all the time.

Even when it’s hard.

I’ve got some words beginning with P to help us.

1 - Previously

Paul the apostle, who writes this letter we’ve read part of,

is explaining what our lives used to be like,

before we became Christians.

Previously

have a look at 3v7

Colossians 3:7 NIV - Anglicised

You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

What were those ways? v5

Colossians 3:5 NIV - Anglicised

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

These are some of the things that as Christians we now think about differently and hopefully try to behave differently.

Sexual immorality - we now believe sex is for marriage only.

impurity - we don’t use our bodies or our minds for unpleasant, or rude, or bad things.

Lust - we don’t want to look at sexual pictures, or fantasise about other people.

Evil desires - speaks for itself

greed - we don’t now want to be greedy, with money, or food, or with our time,

idolatry - that just means putting others things before god.

There are more things that we were previously

Colossians 3:8–9 NIV

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

Stick these things on them

anger,

rage,

malice,

slander,

filthy language

lying

What do we think God would make of a man or woman who’s life looked like this?

await answer

col 3v6

Colossians 3:6 NIV - Anglicised

Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

Previously then - before Jesus - we deserved the wrath of God - his just judgement.

Perhaps you don’t think you have done some of those things

- but all of us have done some, if not most of them.

But if we’re believers in Jesus.

If we have asked him to forgive us,

Then Jesus has taken that judgement we deserve upon himself - that’s why he had to die on the cross 2000 years ago.

God punished him, not us.

If we believe that and want to follow Jesus - well then that is what you were ‘previously’.

if you ‘haven’t’ decided to accept the love and forgiveness of Jesus for yourself,

then your life is still going to look like this before God -

and his wrath - his righteous angre and judgement is coming!

So ask him today to forgive you, talk to a Christian friend and to your youth group church leader or one of us later this evening about it.

But, if we do follow Jesus,

That is what we ‘previously’ were.

But the bible says we have died to that nature..and become something new.

So, what are we presently?

2 - Presently -

col 2v13

Colossians 2:13 NIV - Anglicised

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

So, Previously - we were dead!

But now - ‘PRESENTLY’ we are ALIVE!

Write Dead on previous - alive on present

Verese 1-4 in our chapter talk about what we are ‘Presently’

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, (Your PREVIOUS NATURE IS DEAD) and your life is now (PRESENTLY) hidden (Which means is protected and safe) with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

You see, PRESENTLY - we are raised - we are NEW, we are free from the death of sin.

We are fully, finally and fantastically in Christ, forever.

When Christ appears again - returns as he promises to do, we will appear with him! Life eternal in glory and joy.

Earlier in the letter of Colossians Paul tells us what that new life is like.

Colossians 1:22 NIV - Anglicised

But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—

Stick those things on the man.

Reconciled - made right

holy

without blemish

free from accusation

And our passage today,

goes on to describe the characteristics of what we ‘PRESENTLY’ look like before God.

3v12

Colossians 3:12–15 (NIV - Anglicised)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

stick all those things on

compassion

kindness

humility

gentleness

patience

forgiving

loving

thankful to Jesus

If you’re like me, then I know what you’re thinking,

I know that all these things are good and right before God,

and I know that Jesus can forgive me.

So why

If we have - PREVIOUSLY - died to our old earthly nature

And now we are - PRESENTLY - Holy and blameless before God

WHY, do we still sin - do those things sometimes that belong to our dead previous state?

And why is it so hard to behave like these things - our present state?

Why is it hard to be a Christian at school - to put Jesus first, not oursleves or our temptations?

Well it’s our final P

3 - Practically

You see, before God, we were all PREVIOUSLY dead.

In Christ, we now stand before God PRESENTLY alive.

Holy, Blameless and loved.

But - until Jesus returns -

we cannot yet fully enjoy what we already are spiritually.

v4

Colossians 3:4 NIV - Anglicised

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

UNtil Jesus returns from heaven to judge the world - we do not practically become what we already are spiritually.

Our present state of holiness is becasue of and through Jesus.

So until he returns to take us to heaven, we are still going to be affected by our previous situation.

So - we are free from sin - in that it has no control over us - we have died to that in Christ.

- it cannot harm our relationship with God

- for we are PRESENTLY blameless and holy in His sight becasue of all Jesus has done.

BUT - we are not free in a PRACTICAL way from our earthly desires and nature.

To put it another way

We are not dead to the practice of sin - just the power of sin over us.

Being a Christian at school, at home, anywhere is going to be hard.

And so Paul wants to Re:oriientate how we think - to help us be more like this (presently) - not that. (previously)

He wants to change the way we think.

And this is what he says:

Colossians 3:1–3 NIV

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Did you spot it?

How should we Re:orientate how we think?

set your hearts on things above, where Christ is

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things

If we look around at all our mates at school,

spend our time all on instagram and following influencers and footballers, and fashion models,

what will we want to be like?

We’ll want to be like them.

We’ll thnk like them, dress like them, love what they love.

We’ll be ending up back here (point to Previously)

But instead - we fix out hearts, our minds on JEsus in heaven!

He is already fully, what we will be when he returns.

He has made us what we are (point to presently)

And if we spend our time looking to him, not the poeple around us or on our screens - we’ll find it much easier to live His way as well.

And so let;’s re:orientate how we think.

By using 4 simple steps.

They’re on the screen:

Number 1 - we’ve already said

1 - Look up - Keep our minds fixed on eternity with JESUS

the next 2 are from v16

Colossians 3:16 NIV - Anglicised

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

2 - Read up - Read and talk about and Encourage and correct each other from the Word of Christ - the bible. We’ll do that in a minute in our discussion groups - you can do it at home, you can importantly do it in your church youth groups.

3 - Sing up - Singing God’s praises in thankfulness is really important! it helps us to look up! - so we’ll do that in a second.

4 - Give up - not give up as in don’t do anything -

give up everything we do to Jesus - as v17 says.

Colossians 3:17 NIV - Anglicised

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Repeat those 4

PRAY

Discussion Questions

1 - If you’re a Christian, what do you find hard about 'being a Christian' at school? Why?

When is it most tempting just to live for ourselves and not Jesus? Why?

2 - If you're not a Christian, that's ok - we're really glad you're here! But do you think the Christians you know are different to other people, or do they just seem the same to you? And why?

2 - What does 'setting your mind on things above' mean to you? What would it look like, in practice, if you looked more at Jesus than at yourself?

3 - What do you find hard about reading the Bible by yourself? Why might it be a good thing to do? What could you do this week, practically, to spend more time talking about and/or reading the bible? How can you encourage your friends to do the same?

4 - How does v17 help us summarise how we should try to live for Jesus?

5 - What do you want to remember about this passage today? What are you going to do about it?