Well, good morning, church. We are looking this morning at the book of Colossians. That's page 924 in the Pew Bible.
! As we launch out into a new academic year as a church, today we want to talk a little bit about what Trinity is all about.
Next week, we're going to start our kind of regular fall sermon series in the book of Ecclesiastes, where we'll talk about finding lasting joy in a fleeting world.
But today, we want to talk about what's at the center of everything we do as a church.
Maybe you're new, or maybe you've been coming to Trinity for a couple weeks or months this summer, or maybe you've been coming for some time.
Either way, today we want to come back to what's at the heart of our ministry and our life together as a church.
I've been told that when you're sailing, if your bearings are just a few degrees off when you leave the harbor,
eventually you can end up very far from where you want it to be.
So, it's good to come back to the compass, to come back to the center and make sure that we're charting our course according to the right direction,
to make sure we're keeping the main thing the main thing.
And to do that, we want to look at the book of Colossians today.
Chapter 1, verses 3 through 20.
So, as we look at Colossians 1, let me pray, and then I'll read our passage for us.
Father, we do long to praise You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in one.
As we come to Your written Word, God, reveal to us again afresh the incarnate Word, Jesus,
who lived, died, rose again, and ascended for us and for our salvation.
Spirit, come, help us to understand the things that we consider.
And as we go forth today out into the world that You've made and that You love,
would we not just understand these things, but would we live these things to Your glory?
We pray this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.
All right, Paul writes this in Colossians 1, starting in verse 3.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for You.
Since we heard of Your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that You have for all the saints,
because the hope laid up for You in heaven.
Of this You have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to You,
as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing,
as it also does among You since the day You heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.
Just as You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant,
He is a faithful minister of Christ on Your behalf and has made known to us Your love in the Spirit.
And so, from the day we heard, we've not ceased to pray for You,
asking that You may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him,
bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,
being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might,
for all endurance and patience with joy,
giving thanks to the Father who has qualified You
to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness
and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
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.
And He is before all things,
and in Him all things hold together.
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.
For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of His cross.
So I wonder if you've ever considered that
everyone really lives with what we might call a center,
with a center of some kind.
It's sort of the thing that makes your life tick.
It's the thing that holds everything else together
and kind of gives it meaning.
For some people, family is their center.
That's what gives their life meaning and purpose.
It's why they do what they do.
It fuels them for what they do.
For other people, public service is their center,
we might say,
whether through their work
or through their volunteer involvement.
Trying to make the world a better place
is what centers them
and gives their life meaning and energy and direction.
We could list a lot of other things.
And if that's true for individuals,
it's also true for communities too.
Communities often have something that centers them,
that unites them,
and energizes them, and defines them.
And this is true of churches as well.
Churches will often have what we're calling a center,
something that unites and energizes and defines them.
It's the thing that they tend to always talk about.
It's the thing they get excited about.
It's the thing they think is most worth pursuing and proclaiming.
Now, when we turn to the New Testament,
especially when we turn to the New Testament epistles,
we start to see that for the apostles
and for the early churches,
that they had a center.
And they were quite clear about the thing
that united and energized and defined them.
There is something that they talk about all the time,
and there's something that they get excited about,
and there's something that they think is worth pursuing and proclaiming.
What is it?
Well, it's what Paul calls in verse 5 of our passage,
the gospel,
which literally means good news.
At the heart of the church is good news.
And the challenge to every generation of Christians,
the invitation for every generation of Christians,
is to keep the church a place
where it is this message of good news
that unites and energizes and defines us.
And on the other hand,
there's a temptation before every generation of Christians,
a temptation before every local church,
is to put something else in the center.
Because often we're tempted to think that something else
and something more is needed
to energize the church
and to impact our communities
and to change people's lives.
And most of the time,
the other things that we're tempted to kind of make central,
oftentimes they're good things.
Things like social concern,
things like spiritual formation,
things like heartfelt worship,
things like authentic community.
The church always faces the temptation
to take any one of those good things
and push it to the center of their life,
to make it the main thing.
But the same thing always happens
when we take a good thing
and make it the main thing.
And what happens is the whole thing
starts to shake
and get off balance.
Community actually starts to fracture
and worship starts to become performative and hollow.
And spiritual formation starts to become
a burdensome task of self-improvement.
And social concern
starts to become a power game
where the ends justify the means.
And suddenly,
the church doesn't look like the church at all.
And the church doesn't certainly sound
or look like the bearer of good news.
So let's look at what Paul says here
about the gospel
in Colossians chapter 1.
And let's see how this gospel,
this good news,
is worthy to be the center,
not just of our church,
but of our lives.
And we're going to see two things here
in Colossians 1.
First, we're going to see what the gospel does.
And second,
we're going to see what the gospel declares.
So let's go deeper into that first point,
which is this.
Keep the gospel central in your life
because of what the gospel alone can do,
because of what the gospel alone does.
And what exactly does the gospel do?
Well, look with me again at verses 3 through 6.
And pay particular attention to verse 6
as I read this paragraph again.
Paul says,
We always thank God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when we pray for you,
since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and of the love that you have for all the saints
because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.
Of this you've heard before in the word of truth,
the gospel,
which has come to you,
as indeed in the whole world
it is bearing fruit and increasing,
as it also does among you
since the day you heard it
and understood the grace of God in truth.
Did you see there?
What does the gospel do,
according to verse 6?
Not just in the whole world,
but among you.
Paul says it's bearing fruit
and it's increasing.
In other words,
the gospel is changing you
and it's changing others.
It's changing you.
You're bearing fruit.
And it's changing others.
It's increasing.
You see, for Paul
and for the rest of the New Testament,
the gospel,
it's like a seed
that goes down into the soil
and it starts growing.
It starts a dynamic of change
that's unstoppable.
It's like a depth charge
dropped into the ocean
that explodes
and sends its reverberations
out in every direction.
It starts to change your life
and it starts to change
the life of others around you.
Many years ago,
some friends of ours
planted a strawberry patch
in their backyard.
And at first,
the kind of plants sprung up.
It was sort of cool
and they produced
these beautiful red berries.
They started bearing fruit.
But then they discovered
something kind of troublesome
for their garden
and for their backyard.
It was that these strawberries
had actually sent out
these runners,
these shoots,
and they just went
in every direction
out from the garden
into the yard.
And suddenly,
they had strawberries
growing in every direction.
And you see,
that's true of the gospel, friends.
We often think of the gospel
as merely just kind of
the starting point
of the Christian life.
We think of it
as sort of like the thing
that gets you in the door.
And then we start
to mistakenly think
that there are all
these other things
that are really going
to change us
and really going to change
the communities
that we're a part of.
We think the gospel
is what beginners need,
but the mature
need something else.
And in fact,
that's actually
what the book of Colossians
is all about.
Paul is saying,
no,
the gospel of Jesus Christ
is completely sufficient.
Don't think you have to
move beyond the gospel
to deeper things,
that there's some supplement
out there
that's just waiting
for you to find
that's really going
to unlock the key.
No, Paul says,
what is the thing
that keeps bearing fruit
in the life
of this church in Colossae?
Paul says,
since the day you heard it,
the gospel's been
bearing fruit in your life.
It's kept on being
that catalyst of growth.
It's been said
that the gospel's
not just the ABCs
of the Christian life,
that you eventually
have to graduate
and move on
to bigger and better things.
No,
the gospel's the A to Z
of the Christian life.
It's the beginning
and middle
and end.
Is it simple enough
that a child
can understand it?
Yes!
But is it profound enough
that the human heart
will never reach its bottom?
Also, yes.
It's like the ocean.
You know,
even a child
can splash in the waves
as those waves
come up onto the sand.
And even a child
can thrill
in the beauty
and power of the ocean.
But ask
the most brilliant
marine biologist
or ask
the most accomplished
big wave surfer
if they have plumbed
the depths
of the ocean's
beauty and power
and what will they say?
No!
There's so much more
to discover.
There's so much more
to unfold.
Friends,
that is the good news
of Christianity.
The good news
will never grow old
or lose its power.
since the day
you hear it
and every day
onward for eternity
it will be the power
and beauty
that bears fruit
and increases
that changes you
changes everything.
Consider the changes
that Paul talks about
right here in verses 4 and 5.
He talks about
faith in Christ.
They have a new trust.
He talks about
love for the saints.
They have a new mission.
He talks about
hope in heaven.
They have a new future.
Can you think of
a more complete description
of the Christian life
and faith
and hope
and love?
That is what the gospel
produces and grows.
And look at Paul's prayer
in verses 9 through 14.
What does he ask for?
In essence,
he's asking that
these things
would continue
to increase.
That what they heard
would fill them.
That the Holy Spirit
would allow them
to start plumbing
the depths of the gospel
and what it means
in their lives.
And so,
when it comes to love,
Paul prays that they
would bear fruit
in every good work
and increase
in the knowledge of God.
And when it comes
to faith,
he prays that they
would be strengthened
with all power
according to his glorious
might for all endurance
and patience
with joy.
Because what do we need
in our faith in this life?
We need endurance
patience
and patience
with joy.
And when it comes
to hope,
Paul prays that they
would give thanks
to the Father
who's qualified you
to share
in the inheritance
of the saints of light.
You see, friends,
in the gospel,
they had received
the whole thing.
Everything God
wanted to say,
everything God
wanted to impart
was right there.
Now the rest
of the Christian life
is unpacking
that great gift.
It's a bit like
a child in the womb,
you know.
From the moment
of conception,
all of that child's
genetic makeup
is present
in that single cell.
Nothing more
needs to be added.
They're fully alive.
But oh,
how that child
in the womb
will grow
and change
and give rise
to beautiful,
wonderful life
in the womb
and out of the womb.
Through the infant
and toddler years,
through elementary school,
through the teenage years
and into adulthood,
it was all right there,
right from the beginning.
Everything needed
to become a mature
man or woman
biologically,
the whole message
was right there
in that single
fertilized embryo.
It didn't look like much,
but it was teeming
with life.
The gospel's
the same way.
It's all there.
Everything that will
bring you
to full maturity,
to the full glory
that God intends for you,
it's all in the gospel message.
And oh,
how profound
the gospel is.
The entire Bible
unpacks
and unfolds
this message,
and we will spend
eternity plumbing
the depths
of its wonder.
The apostle Peter
says in his first letter
that the things
of the gospel
are so wonderful
and so profound
that they are things
into which even angels
long to look.
So we must keep
the gospel central
in our lives, friends.
We must keep
the gospel central
in our church
because of what
the gospel alone
can do.
It is the thing
that bears fruit
and increases.
It changes us,
and it changes everything.
But of course,
that brings us
to our second point,
right?
We must keep
the gospel central
in our lives
because of what
the gospel declares.
Because at this point,
we have to ask,
how does the gospel
do what it does?
If it is this wonderful,
productive,
explosive thing,
how does it do that?
Why is the gospel
alone the thing
that will bear fruit
in our lives
and increase?
Well, let's return
to verse 6.
Again, Paul says,
the gospel has come
to you as indeed
in the whole world
it's bearing fruit
and increasing
as it also does
among you
since the day
you heard it
and understood.
Understood what?
What is it
that the Colossians
heard and finally
understood in the gospel?
What was the message?
What was the good news
that produced
such radical,
ongoing change?
Since the day
you heard it
and understood
the grace of God
in truth.
The grace of God
in truth.
That's what the gospel
and the gospel alone
declares.
The grace of God
in truth.
Brothers and sisters,
at the end of the day,
do you know what produces
authentic community?
Do you want to know
what ignites
passionate worship?
Do you know
what motivates
and energizes
social concern
and creative
long-term love
for neighbors
and communities
and cities?
Do you know
what the heartbeat
of real spiritual
formation is?
It's the grace
of God
in truth.
Friends,
the good news
at the heart
of Christianity
brings you
face-to-face
with the grace
of God
in truth.
And how does it
do that?
It does that
because the good news
at the heart
of Christianity
brings you
face-to-face
with the person
and work
of Jesus Christ.
who is this
Jesus?
Read the Gospels
for yourself.
Do you see
Him there
calming storms
and healing
the sick
and giving sight
to the blind?
What are we
to make
of these
historical accounts
about Jesus,
these miraculous
things that the
historical records
testify to?
What are we
to make
of all that?
simply this,
that in Jesus
the Creator
has entered
His creation.
And when it
seemed like
the waves
of brokenness
and sin
and darkness
had all but
overcome
God's good creation,
when it seemed
like the curse
of sin
had won
and that creation
was a lost
project
destined for
failure and
destruction,
salvation,
God
stepped in
to rescue
the creation
He loved,
to heal it,
to restore it,
to put things
right.
Who else
could calm
the storms
other than
the One
who had created
the seas?
Who else
could restore
sight to the blind
but the One
who separated
light from
darkness
in the beginning
and called
it good?
Who else
could bring
the dead
back to life
but the One
who was the
author of life
itself?
In verse 15
of our passage,
Paul says that
Jesus is the image
of the invisible
God,
the firstborn
of all creation.
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.
And He's
before all things
and in Him
all things
hold together.
now we can
often trip
over that word
firstborn,
can't we?
But what did
this rightful
owner of
everything
do
when He
came to
earth?
Imagine you
had made
the world,
you know,
and the whole
thing was being
totally messed up
and going to
smash
because of
the people
you had
made in
the middle
of it.
What would
you do
when you
came back
to earth?
What did
Jesus do?
Did He
calm storms
and heal
the sick
and raise
the dead
and then
seize power
and crush
His enemies?
Did He
hit the reset
button
and just
blank it out
like we used
to do on
our old
Nintendos
when things
were going
bad?
You just
hit the reset
button.
Boop,
you're right
back at the
beginning.
Great.
Is that
what Jesus
does?
No.
Even though
Jesus Christ
has the right
to judge
all of
creation
because it's
His
and because
in Him
it all
holds
together,
He doesn't
come in
judgment.
He comes
to save.
He came
to reconcile
us to God.
He comes
to save
us to
God.
You see,
Jesus,
friends,
is not
just supreme
in creation.
Jesus
also is
supreme
in redemption.
Paul goes
on to say,
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.
for in Him
all the
fullness of
God was
pleased to
dwell,
and through
Him to
reconcile to
Himself all
things,
whether in
earth or in
heaven,
making peace
by the
blood of
His cross.
You stand
now,
friends,
staring at
the heart
of the
good news.
God
in Jesus
has
reconciled
sinners
to Himself.
We were
dead in
our trespasses
and sin,
but Jesus
Christ
entered into
death for
us so
that we
could be
made alive.
The
firstborn,
the ruler
over all
creation,
became the
firstborn
from the
dead.
In other
words,
the very
source of
life has
now become
the source
of new
life for
all who
believe.
the
creator of
life went
down into
death so
that those
destined to
die might
live.
In our
sin,
we were
enemies of
God who
deserved
His wrath,
but through
Jesus,
God was
pleased to
reconcile to
Himself all
things,
how,
making peace
by the
blood of
His cross.
forgiveness.
In Him,
we have
redemption,
verse 14
says,
the forgiveness
of sins.
This is the
grace of
God.
In truth,
in truth,
you see,
what God
did in
Jesus,
He did
in truth,
in history,
in reality,
not just in a
realm of
ideas or
thoughts,
but here,
as real as
the blood
flowing through
your veins,
as real as
the stars and
the sky,
and as real as
the dust of
the earth,
God dwelt
fully in
Jesus Christ
and accomplished
in history,
in creation,
the redemption
of creation,
and the
rescue of
history.
What God
did in
Jesus,
He did
in truth.
And what
God did in
Jesus,
He did
in grace.
There's a
reason you know
that the
message of
Christianity
was called
good news
from the
very beginning.
Just think of
all the words
that the
apostles could
have used
to describe
this message
of what God
had done
and revealed
and accomplished
in Jesus.
And they
called it
news.
They called
it a
euangelion,
a good
message that's
meant to be
herald and
announced.
And it's
news because
it's something
that's been
done.
When the
apostles proclaimed
the death and
resurrection of
Jesus,
they didn't
come to
city after
city and
say,
listen,
we've
come to
tell you
good advice.
We're
going to
start a
podcast to
give you
ten tips
on how to
live happier,
healthier,
and longer
if you
just do
it.
No.
They
said we've
come to
tell you
good news.
Advice is
something you
have to do.
News is
something that's
already been
done.
Christianity
is not a
message about
what you
have to
do to
reconcile
yourself to
God,
to get
right.
Christianity
is a
message about
what Jesus
has done
to reconcile
you to
God,
to put
you right.
It's not a
message of
works that
you have to
perform,
but of
grace freely
offered and
received.
Grace that
was incredibly
costly for
Jesus,
His own
blood was
shed,
but grace
that is
utterly free
of charge
to you
and to
me.
Just imagine
with me,
friends,
if you
really
understood
the grace
of God
and truth.
What would a
church be like
that really
understood,
as Paul says
here,
the grace
of God
and truth?
Would we
not be a
people of
great faith
in Christ?
Would the
grace of
God and
truth not
draw us
forth to
trust Him
more deeply
and to
place our
lives into
His hand?
If that
is how
much God
loves us,
can we
not entrust
our whole
lives to
Him?
If we
really understood
the grace
of God
and truth,
would we
not be
just a
people of
great faith,
but also a
people of
great hope?
In Christ,
we are
heirs of
the new
creation.
We will
be raised
with Him
in glory.
And that
means our
works in
this life
are not
in vain,
that they
too will
be swept
up in
the
resurrection
work of
God.
Our
works are
not in
vain in
this life
because
Jesus has
conquered
death.
And no
matter how
dark or
difficult the
days become,
the future
God has
in store
for creation
and for
His church
is radiant.
We have an
anchor of
hope that
holds us
fast in
the fiercest
storms.
Nothing
can shake
us.
But if we
really understood
the grace of
God in
truth,
we wouldn't
just be a
people of
great faith
and great
hope,
but we
would be a
people of
great love.
Having been
shown such
incredible love
by God in
Christ,
how could we
not turn
and love
others?
How could we
not now go
and live a
life worthy
of this
gospel of
grace?
Friends,
for Christians,
love ought to
be the
defining mark
of our
lives.
Why?
Because God
demonstrated His
love toward
us in this,
that Christ
died for us
and He's
poured His
love into
our hearts
by the
Holy Spirit.
Just think
of how the
gospel of
grace frees
you to
love.
Consider,
what is it
that keeps
us from
genuine love
of neighbor?
So many
things,
right?
Sometimes we're
worried about
what other
people think
of us.
We're so
worried about
what other
people think
of us that
we stop
thinking about
how we
might actually
do some
good to
them.
But you
see,
the gospel
comes and
it frees us
from the
need for
human approval
because it
says,
in Christ,
you are
now a
beloved
son or
daughter of
God.
It says
that we are
accepted by
the creator
of all
things.
We've been
reconciled to
the one that
holds all
things together.
other.
No human
approval could
compare to
that.
So we're
free.
We're free
from what
others think
of us.
And now
we're free
to think
of them
and to
think of
how we
might really
love them.
You see,
we don't need
people anymore
for their
approval.
We don't
need them
so now we
can love
them.
sometimes
what keeps
us from
genuine
love of
neighbor
are the
hurts and
the wounds
of the
past.
You know,
we remember
how someone
ignored us
or how
someone spoke
an unkind
word about
us and
our hearts
grow hard
and bitter
and then
we stop
trusting not
just that
person but
other people
too.
But the
gospel comes
and tells
us a
forgiveness
forgiveness.
That our
sins were
actually
infinitely
greater than
our neighbor's
sins against
us.
And rather
than hold
our sins
against us,
infinitely
great though
they were,
God forgave
all of our
sins in
Christ and
reconciled us
to Himself.
And this
forgiveness
we've received
from God
begins to
soften our
hearts
towards our
neighbors,
even those
who've
wronged us.
Begins to
soften our
hearts towards
them.
And we
start to do
the costly
work of
forgiveness
because God
has done that
costly work
for us.
You know,
sometimes what
keeps us from
genuine love
of neighbor is
simply the
idol of our
own achievements
or our own
pleasures.
We're consumed
with our own
projects and
plans and
prestige,
wanting to
make a name
for ourselves
in the world,
or we're
consumed with
our own
pleasures and
preoccupations,
not caring or
bothering with
what might bless
other people.
we're just so
caught up in
ourself.
But the
gospel of
grace is the
thing that opens
our eyes to
our neighbors.
It wakes us up
to the truth
that real,
lasting life
isn't found in
the fleeting
accolades or
pleasures of
this world.
This world could
never satisfy
the human soul.
God's put
eternity into
your heart.
do you think
the things of
this life could
fill what God
has placed there?
No.
Only the grace
of God in
Christ can reach
to the depths
of our humanity
and make it
whole and make
it satisfied.
And when we've
tasted and seen
that the Lord
is good,
those accolades
and those
pleasures of
the world,
they've lost
their power
over us.
They don't want to
enthrall us
anymore.
We're not
captivated by
their spell.
We see life
differently now.
We consider all
people through
Christ.
We see everyone
through the lens
of God's grace.
And our desire
now isn't to
kind of get
out of this
world what we
want.
Our desire
now is to
see God's
grace glorified
for what it
is and to
see others
come to hear
and understand
this grace
for themselves
so that they
too can
know the
only real
satisfaction and
joy in this
life.
So, friends,
we wrap up.
At the center
of everything
we do as a
church must be
the good news
of the gospel,
the grace of
God and truth,
the message of
who Jesus is
and what He's
done.
This is what
must energize
and unite
and define us.
And the more
we hear it
and the more
we explore
its depths
and the more
we work out
its implications,
the more it
will bear fruit
and increase,
not just here
in our church
among us,
but through
us out
in the world.
That seed
that begins
in us
will start
to grow
and it
will go out
and even
though it
starts small
like a mustard
seed,
it will begin
a movement
that pushes
down deep
roots that
can't be shaken,
that sends
branches out
to the sky
and soon
even the
birds of the
air are
resting in
its shade,
as Jesus
says in
his parables.
And at the
center of it
all is
Jesus Christ
our Lord,
to whom
all glory
belongs.
Friends,
Jesus is the
good news.
He's the
center.
In him
all things
hold together
and if he
holds you
together,
then you'll
be secure
in life
and in death
and in
the life
to come.
Let's
pray.
Father,
our prayer
as we
begin a
new school
year is
that you
would
captivate
us again
by the
wonder of
your grace
in Christ.
Jesus,
by your
Spirit,
help us
to see
and treasure
you in
fresh and
new ways
this year.
Would the
heartbeat of
our community
be this
grace in
truth that
is you,
Jesus.
Exalt
yourself
through us.
We pray
this in
your mighty
name.
Amen.