Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good morning.....

I want us to take a moment this morning before we get going to pause and reflect on the blessings God gives us everyday.

It can often seem hopeless and especially in times like now, where people struggling, getting sick, as we continue to navigate covid.

We must understand these struggles...the results of sin are temporal.

They will only reside with us this side of heaven.

Which is why we must persevere through and realize that we have a role to play in God’s plan for humanity.

We can’t shut ourselves off from and stay away from it.

But we must immerse ourselves in for the sake of the cross and the price Jesus paid on it.

Because that is where our hope is and that is the message that we all must be taking out into the world.

It’s hard to do that from our living rooms.... and even from our pews.

So, let’s take a few moments to talk with our God individually.

Thank him for his daily blessings, thank him for the cross, thank him for Jesus.

And thank him that he has entrusted the advancement of that message to us.

Seek forgiveness for shortcomings, lack of trust and thankfulness.

We have a God that listens to the heart of His people.

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The reason I felt compelled to start our time this morning that way is because of the focus of today’s passage.

Today we see the climax of where Paul was heading in this letter and what is commanded of us.

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Where does our help come from?

Where does hope come from?

What should consume our thoughts and focus?

The things of this world are constantly going to be thrown at us to create distrust, lack of focus and even fear.

But we must remember where our minds are to be drawn and it’s not on the things of this world but on the reality and truth of heaven.

Please stand....

Before we move any further…I posed this question a few weeks ago… BUT, what verse provides us with the point of Colossians?

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And we have made it....Now I could have gone all the way through verse 17 today because 1-17 is a continually thought.

The first 11 is Paul making this declaration of of what we are and why and then the final 6 is our response to that.

I chose to split them up though into two weeks.

So we can focus on each separately.

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Many of the things we hear in this first passage isn’t necessarily new.

Paul has been laying the groundwork through the first 2 chapters.

And then we reach chapter 3 and he begins with this major truth filled verse.

YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH CHRIST!

Meaning, when you were convicted of your sinfulness, you literally in the spiritual sense, were raised from the dead state you were in.

This is huge!

Before that moment, you hadn’t truly lived.

But once that happens, now you can... and what should our focus be...

As believers, we should constantly be seeking the things of God not the things of this world.

There isn’t even a break in verse 1. It’s the very next point.

You have been raised with Christ- so you better be seeking the things above- WHY?

Because it’s Christ, who is seated at the right hand of the Father.

That’s the credentials for why we should be looking to Him.

The things above are the things of the heavenly realm, the purposes and plans for us found in Scripture.

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This side of Heaven, how can we truly enjoy the things of God and even His creation when we aren’t even focused on Him?

Jesus even tells us in Matthew 6:33

This is where our hearts should be.

Another way to look at this is being preoccupied.

Anyone ever been preoccupied with something?

What’s something that you have been preoccupied by?

We must let ourselves be preoccupied with Jesus and Jesus alone.

Paul goes one here.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

It’s hard not to focus on earthly things isn’t it?

Have you ever thought about why that is?

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It’s because we have a tendency to consume ourselves more on earthly things than on heavenly things.

We don’t set our minds on things above, we set them on earthly things.

We need to be consuming ourselves with the things of God if we desire to rid ourselves of the earthy worries that consume us.

If you aren’t in the Word daily and often throughout the day, if you aren’t speaking to God in prayer, praying the way He has instructed us to in the Word, if you aren’ t serving Him through your actions in the local church.....

No wonder you are consumed by earthly worries and concerns.

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And let’s be open and honest for a moment.

There is one huge elephant in the room, earthly issue that is consuming our world right now...

Covid.

And I’m going to keep this brief as it’s a side note to this.

Covid is real, it kills people and makes people very sick.

BUT, church, we can’t allow Covid, the flu, whatever to keep us from being who God has called us to be.

Throughout this whole pandemic, I can honestly tell you.

I have not feared Covid once, even when I finally got it.

And understand this, not wanting to get it and not wanting others to get it, isn’t fearing it.

I have continued to live the life God has blessed me with regardless…why?

Because of what I have chosen to allow myself to be consumed by.

If I get covid and it kills me, it kills me.

If I truly believe in the sovereignty of God then that’s the way it was supposed to happen.

It’s not like I will get to heaven and God and I will have this exchange.....

All I will be concerned with at that point is regarding Jesus declaring me righteous before God.

But, also, that doesn’t mean we are to be flippant and reckless with the gift of life God has blessed us with either.

If you are sick and not feeling well.

Stay home for that short time.

We should take precautions when necessary, if we need to wear a mask then do that, get the vaccine and booster if that helps ease your mind, but, and I mean this with everything in me.

We cannot forsake gathering, worshipping, serving and sharing.

We are the body of Christ and we have to be what we are....regardless of people, mandates or viruses.

And you may say, well we need to follow our government.

And in most situations I would agree with you, but not when it causes us to stop being the body of Christ.

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Ultimately though, like I mentioned earlier, God has commissioned us with this message and it’s up to us to take it to the ends of the earth.

We can’t do that when we won’t leave our living rooms because a virus has consumed our fears instead of listening to almighty God.

Once again, I’m not diminishing at all the severity of this illness.

BUT, people are dying without the hope of the Gospel that we are supposed to be so fixated on to take to others that we don’t care what happens to us because when we die, we are glory bound.

I truly hope you are hear my heart in that.

Paul declares to us...

If you are struggling with covid or anything that is disabling you from being with the body and following the Lord, reach out to me.

I would love to counsel you, pray with you, help you.

You will receive no harsh condemnation here.

BUT, we must be focusing ourselves in the proper places.

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We died to those fears and sins so that at the right time, we will be exalted with Christ and presented blameless and pure.

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Therefore

We get to our verse therefore in this section.

The next one is in verse 12, which we will see next seek.

Paul then issues the warning for us.

As the people of God, we must flee from the things that keep us from following Him.

Paul goes into this list of the things we need to make sure we are avoiding in verse 5 on.

The things we are to be fleeing from...