Vintage Church Livermore

There are moments in life that redirect everything.

A wedding. A move. A loss. A new beginning.

But the Apostle Paul says the resurrection of Jesus was never meant to be a moment we celebrate once a year. It was meant to redirect everything about us.

“If then you have been raised with Christ… set your minds on things above.” Colossians 3:1–2

Work can feel exhausting, frustrating, meaningless, or even crushing at times. But what if God cares far more about who you are becoming through your work than just the job itself?

This Sunday in Colossians 3:22–4:1, we’ll see how the gospel reshapes the way we work, lead, endure hardship, and serve others.

Because even in the hardest seasons, your work is never unseen by God.

“These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”

- Colossians 2:17

Paul calls the church back to the basics of how they first received Christ, by grace through faith, and says that’s also how we continue to grow (Colossians 2:6–7). Growth isn’t about chasing a “new thing,” but being rooted, built up, and established in Christ, with a life overflowing in gratitude.

At the same time, Paul warns that if we’re not rooted in Christ, we’ll be pulled away by “philosophy and empty deceit” (Colossians 2:8). These gospel rivals promise more but ultimately try to replace Jesus at the center.

The good news is that we don’t need anything more. In Christ, the fullness of God dwells, and we have been filled in Him (Colossians 2:9–10). Through His death and resurrection, our sin has been forgiven, our record of debt canceled, and every spiritual power defeated (Colossians 2:13–15).

Real growth happens when we stay close to Jesus, rooted in His finished work, and guarded against anything that tries to pull us away from Him.

Paul’s suffering was not pointless. It was producing life in others and advancing the gospel. Instead of avoiding hardship, he embraced it as part of God’s design to make Christ known. The same is true for us. We are not just saved from something, we are sent into something.

Paul also reminds us that we are not consumers but servants under a commission. With Christ in us, the hope of glory, we have everything we need to live on mission. Our lives now have a clear aim. Proclaim Christ and make disciples. Real joy is not found in comfort, but in giving our lives away so others can find life in Jesus.

We live in a world that constantly tells us we’re missing something. A deeper truth. A better version of ourselves. A secret to fullness. But in Colossians 1:15-29, Paul brings everything back into focus. Jesus is not just enough, He is supreme, sufficient, sovereign and central to all things. And because of that, He alone defines who we are.

We all know what it feels like to carry guilt, shame, regret, and the quiet pressure of never being enough. And many of us live trapped there. Anxious. Striving. Looking to ourselves for what only Christ can give. Wondering if real freedom is even possible. 

The book of Colossians interrupts that cycle. 

It lifts our eyes off ourselves and fixes them on Jesus.

Because in Christ, forgiveness and freedom is not partial or temporary.

It is full, secure, and forever, purchased by His finished work on the cross.

This letter reminds us that fullness of life is found only in the fullness of Christ.

He is supreme over all things, sufficient for every need, and central to all of life.

The resurrection changes everything

Jesus rising from the grave doesn’t just secure our future, it renews our present.

He meets us in our suffering, reshapes what feels impossible, and redefines what’s ahead.

Because the resurrection is not just something to believe…

it’s a reality that changes everything.

Some of you are walking through something that feels dead right now.

A relationship. A season. Your peace. Your hope.

And into that, Jesus says:

“I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25)

In Matthew 21:1–11, the Triumphal Entry begins the Holy Week that leads Jesus to the cross, and there is nothing with greater weight or eternal significance than seeing Jesus rightly. 

As Jesus enters Jerusalem during Passover, the crowds gather to see the One who heals the sick and raises the dead. Word is getting out. But in this moment in redemptive history, Matthew shows us that how we respond to Jesus matters.

When obedience gets harder than expected, God is not absent but at work, giving us His Word as our strength and sustenance in the fight.