Location, Location, Location
The first part in our new series in Colossians
This has been a year of adventure for Oasis. There has been a lot of change, a degree of upheaval and some painful journeys to walk through together. There have also been many stories of God’s incredible kindness towards us — provision in the form of finances and buildings, growing togetherness as a community and stories of life change for many individuals as they’ve encountered Jesus. It is good news that Jesus is Lord over all the twists and turns and highs and lows of life. It is good news that He has been Lord over 2017 and is Lord of 2018 as we look ahead to embrace the next stage chapter of our story as a church. In fact, knowing Jesus as Lord changes everything, enabling us to journey through life not in fear but in faith, thankful for an ever-present, all-powerful, completely loving, faithful God. We are excited about seeing more of Jesus through the letter to the Colossians, so that with eyes fixed on Him our “hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”(Col 2:2–3) Jesus is Lord. Jesus changes everything. This is good news!
Each week, we’re producing notes, discussion points and application questions for the Sunday talks from our ‘Jesus Changes Everything.’ series — helping you go deeper into everything we’re looking at together and resourcing our Small Groups during the week. Use the embedded player to listen to the talk, or click here to download it on a PC.
Talk Overview
Key Passage: Colossians 1:1–2
The letter to the Colossians declares that Jesus is Lord over all and this changes everything. In Him dwells all the fullness of God and He gives Himself to us, so that we may enjoy fullness in Him (Col 2:9).
Paul wrote to the group of believers at Colossae in approximately 62AD, and was writing to protect the believers against false teaching that was undermining the sufficiency of Jesus, addressing certain superstitions and philosophies that would obscure Christ. Amongst those philosophies was the practice of calling upon angels to provide protection against evil spirits and afflictions. The letter proclaims Jesus as Lord of all, who has secured for us all that we need by giving us Himself. This changes everything, enabling believers to live free, confident, joyful, holy, distinctive lives.
Through faith in Jesus we are counted ‘in Christ’, declared to be saints as we are freely given His perfect righteousness. Our faith in Jesus not only joins us to Him, it joins us together to be His church, ‘faithful brothers’ in Christ.
The fullness He gives to us is characterised by grace and peace. In having Jesus, we have the very best that the Father could ever give us. From Jesus’ fullness we receive grace upon grace (John 1:16) and this enables us to enjoy peace with God, with one another and within ourselves. And, as saints together in Him, we get to reveal grace and peace to the world around us.
Application Questions
Reflect
- What struck you most from Sunday’s talk?
About God
- Why is it good news that Jesus is Lord? How does that change everything without qualification?
- What is grace? What is peace? How do they flow from the Father to us in Christ?
About Us
- What does it mean to be ‘in Christ’?
- How do we enjoy living in a posture of receiving His grace and peace?
- How can this affect our everyday experience of life as individuals?
About the World
- How will the world know that we are saints in Christ? How is it good news for the world?
- What does it look like to be a bringer of grace and peace to your home / workplace / volunteer centre / community / educational institution?
