Stapleton Baptist Church

In Christ you are a new creation. That new-creation-identity  has to transform everything about you, including the relationships in the home. In Colossians 3:18-4:1, the Apostle Paul gives us instructions on how relationships should look in the Christian household with an eye toward glorifying God in everything.

The Christian life is about both putting off the old-self with its earthly ways and putting on the new-self that is aimed at glorifying God. We see in Colossians 3:12-17 that this "new-creation-attitude" changes how we relate to one another. It gives us the ability to bear with one another, forgive one another, and let the peace of Christ and Word of Christ rule our relationships. And it's all done to the glory of God!

Can a person change who they are? For the Christian, the answer is a resounding "yes." True, life-change is only found through the transforming work of salvation in Christ. And now that we have changed we need to start living like it. So we seek the things that are above while also putting to death whatever is earthly in us. 

In Colossians 2:16-23 we get the clearest picture of the threat facing the Colossians believers. The threat was self-made religion. In self-made religion it's Jesus + something else. They recognize what God requires but then they add on additional requirements and regulations in order to please God. But that's simply man's wisdom, not God's. Instead, we are called to hold fast to the Head, that is Jesus Christ, and him alone!

We get to know few people in the Bible as well as we get to know the Apostle Paul. In Colossians 1:24-2:5 Paul gives a sort of "philosophy of ministry." We find that Paul's main drive for ministry is to make the word of God fully known. God has spoke and has revealed truth to us. Let us live according to that truth alone!

In Colossians 1:15-23 we find that Jesus is Lord over both the first creation and the new creation; therefore, he is Lord over all. It is impossible to think too highly, love too deeply, or adore to greatly Jesus Christ. If he truly is Lord over all then we must devote our entire life to him and his service.

This Christian life is about both the destination and the journey. It's about both where you are going (heaven) and who you are becoming (more like Christ). In Colossians 1:9-14 we find Paul's continual prayer for the Colossians that they would be filled with the knowledge of the will of God in order to live lives worthy of the Lord Jesus. May we live worthy of the salvation we have received!

This week we begin our study in Colossians. Paul wrote this letter to people he had never met in a city he had never been too, but he can rejoice and give thanks to God that the word of truth came to them, they understood the grace of God, and the gospel continues to bear fruit in their lives. May the same be said about us today!

Psalm 23 is a psalm of confidence. In these six short verses David so perfectly expresses what God is always doing for his people. He is always seeking to lead his people into restoration and refreshment. Because God is our shepherd, we lack nothing. Because God is our host, our cup is always overflowing.

In Daniel 9 we find Daniel reading God's words through the prophet Jeremiah, seeing that the time of fulfillment is near, and responds by turning to God in prayer. Daniel shows us how to pray as foreigners and exiles. He turns to God in adoration, confession, and petition.