Ever feel overwhelmed and like life is caving in on you? Maybe it’s time for a change, the kind of change that only Jesus can offer.

Well, Christmas has come and gone for another year. We trust that your Christmas was blessed and that Christ was the center of all things. However, for so many Americans, the Christmas season ends with a bang, and then come the bills. Some have a mountain of debt to pay off, hopefully before next Christmas. Then it all starts over again.

No one likes debt. And the greatest debt, one that we all owe or have owed, is the debt of sin. Yet there is GOOD NEWS! Today we will see that there is now no more debt for those who are in Christ Jesus!

Emmanuel, God with us! So, did you know that God’s loving you and Jesus’ coming into the world for you as the sinless lamb of God was not an afterthought or a decision that was made 2,000 years ago? The truth is, God loved you and me enough to make this wonderful provision His primary concern even before He created the cosmos!

“What is truth?” These words were spoken to Jesus by Pontius Pilate just before His crucifixion. And today the question still resounds. What is truth? The world today says that truth is relative, but as Christians we believe Jesus is the source of all truth. Truth has been revealed to us through the Bible, God’s Holy Word! As we continue our journey through Colossians, may we live as Paul admonished; to “continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” May we settle for nothing but the truth.

Encouragement is awesome! Everyone appreciates having their heart uplifted by words of hope and reassurance. But do we realize just how life changing encouragement can be? This morning we’ll see, as we continue our journey through the opening verses of chapter two of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae.

What’s your purpose? What are you passionate about? What is the driving force in your life? What do you think about most? What is your objective and end to be obtained? It’s good to have drive and purpose, especially when we’re motivated to look beyond ourselves and the temporal stuff of life and concentrate on doing things that matter most, things of eternal significance.

Have you ever stopped to thing about what it truly means to be a Christian? Have you ever pondered the words, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." What a statement! Today, we will look at what it means to be a Christian and to experience the life, love, hope, and joy that Jesus gives to all who put their faith in Him.

Some of us know what it means to reconcile a checkbook. It’s to ensure that our figures match the bank’s figures so that what we have going out is in agreement with what we actually have. To reconcile means to create agreement and harmony. However, more important than balancing our checkbook is our being reconciled to God; and this morning, we’re going to see that this is what Jesus has provided for anyone who will follow Him.

In this world, so many live without peace, are dissatisfied, and search for something to fill their hearts. No matter where one goes in the world, that void will not be filled by anything made by man. True satisfaction, joy, and peace are only found in Jesus. To the Christian, Christ is everything. Christ reigns supreme. In Him, the fullness of God is expressed. Today, may we find ourselves awestruck by the supremacy of Christ and willingly and joyfully submit ourselves to Him.

This morning we are embarking on a journey through the Epistle to the Colossians, where we will see that God can and will change the heart of anyone willing to turn to Him and walk humbly before Him. We’ll also see that holiness can not be achieved by rituals or what we eat or wear because we are made holy by turning to Christ, and show that Jesus rules in our life by our priorities and our love and faithfulness expressed to Jesus and one another.

We’ll also see that the peace that Jesus offers is not the absence of hassles and conflicts, but real peace comes from abiding in Christ, trusting in Him with all our hearts, and humbly submitting to His Lordship. This will result in contentment regardless of our circumstances.

Lastly, we’ll understand that living a life worthy of Jesus is not about living to please ourselves, but following Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and living worthy of the One who has rescued us, forgiven us, delivered us from the kingdom of darkness, and has brought us into the Kingdom of God.