Watermark Bible Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

Have you ever seen something so incredible and thought I’d sure like to meet the person who designed that? As we continue our series, The Way, The Truth, and The Life, we are shown the essence of what the Christian life is all about. We’ll see our purpose in life and our job in ensuring that purpose becomes a reality. This is such a clarifying and encouraging passage.

In a world full of competing voices, endless opinions, and uncertain paths, people are constantly searching for direction, meaning, and hope. In John 14, Jesus speaks words that cut through the confusion and offer clarity: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” These words were first spoken to anxious disciples on the night before the crucifixion of Jesus, yet they continue to speak powerfully to all of us. In this series, The Way, The Truth and The Life, we will prepare our hearts for Easter by exploring what it means that Jesus is not merely a guide to follow, a teacher of good ideas, or a source of inspiration, but the exclusive way to the Father, the ultimate revelation of truth, and the very source of life itself. I hope you’re excited to see how Jesus provides direction for our journey, certainty in a world of confusion, and life that overcomes fear and death

We’ve all heard the question “what came first the chicken or the egg?”. As we’ve seen throughout the book of Colossians, that for the Christian, our identity comes before our actions. In other words, our identity is not rooted in what we do, but in what Christ has done. This week, we’ll see how our identity in Christ effects how we live as a local church. This is so relevant and exciting for us today.

Have you ever seen kids play dress up? I remember my daughters dressing up as princesses and creating their own magical kingdom. It is fun at times, to image being someone of nobility or power or of great influence. Sometimes, the dream hits a little different. We want to be better. We aren’t yet the person we long to be or wish we were. There’s a transformation that needs to take place. This week we’ll see the secret to true transformation. Once you understand these truths, you will be freed to live a life of flourishing.

Have you ever been working hard outside and by the end of the day you knew you needed a shower and change of clothes? We’ve all been there, where we need to put off the stinky clothes and put on some fresh clothes. This week we’ll see how life in the Spirit requires a putting off and putting on as well. This is very practical wisdom for every Christ follower.

What in life keeps you going or is your driving force? Our hearts and minds are often set on a variety of important and good things. However, only one thing is worthy of being the preoccupation of our lives. As we continue our series in Colossians, we’ll look at a test to know if what drives us is a worthy pursuit.

Have you ever played around with a shadow? They can fun for a little while, but after a short amount of time we want something a little more substantive and lasting. Paul says the same thing is true for how people approach Jesus. Sometimes we can play in the shadows instead of grabbing hold of our relationship with Jesus.

Often, when we talk about our hopes we think about something we are looking forward to. This Sunday we continue our series in Colossians. We’ll see that hope involves looking backward just as much as looking forward - all because of Jesus. A look back at the cross reminds us of what is already ours in Christ. I am so excited for Sunday and hope you are as well.

Everyone sets out to live a meaningful life, don’t they? No one aims to live an inconsequential, meaningless life. We’ll see that in our next passage in Colossians. Paul brilliantly connects the ambition of every person with a great warning and encouragement. This is very practical wisdom for all of us.

Has anyone ever yelled to you “watch out!”? That’s essentially Paul’s message to the Colossian church in chapter 2. There are dangers lurking for believers. Paul explains how to be ready and on guard for those dangers. In many ways verses 6 and 7 are the summary verses of the entire letter. They are important instructions we need to apply.