Sermon Notes – Colossians 2:11-15

Click the link below to view a PDF version of my sermon on Colossians 2:11-15 from Paradox Church’s Sunday morning gathering.

Sermon Notes – Colossians 2-11-15

 

 

 

 

Colossians 1:21-23 Sermon Notes

Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

121 Degrees Church Planting Conference Audio

The audio from the CORE Church Planting Conference 2010 is now available for free on the 121 Degrees website. It was a great conference with some inspiring and challenging sessions from Tim Chester (Crowded House, UK) and Jeff Vanderstelt (Soma Communities, Seattle).

Enjoy…

121 Degrees Conference

The 121 Degrees Church Planting Network annual conference for 2010 is fast approaching. Check out the 121 Degrees website for more details and join the 121 Degrees Facebook page here.

Don’t miss out on the 121 Degrees 2010 conference (5th-7th August). Keynote speakers include author and church planter Tim Chester from the Crowded House and Jeff Vanderstelt from Soma Communities in Seattle. Sign up online here.

Godliness

Here’s a great little article by Jonathan Dodson on godliness as it is biblically defined and not how we might often understand it.

Read it here…

Why I Don’t Go to Church Anymore

Here’s an interesting article about attending church. If you know me well you’ll know how funny I am about the words that we use to describe stuff and this article focusses on the way we use the word ‘church’ and what we often inevitably mean by it.

Check out the article here…

Why Paradox???

I often get asked the question as to why I named our church Paradox. Besides the fact that it sounded kind of cool and “non-churchy”, it is also because I believe that the gospel is a paradox in so many ways.

Here’s the dictionary meaning:

par·a·dox [par-uh-doks]

- a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

- an opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion.

The message and life of Jesus doesn’t fit with the majority of the worlds ways of thinking. It’s upside down and back to front. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:21-25:

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Without a revelation from the Holy Spirit the message of Jesus is foolish and weak. Therefore the life of Christians should seem out of the ordinary for many people. As followers of Jesus our lives are being shaped after a foolish and weak saviour; at least in the worlds eyes; yet for anyone who is a Christian they understand, hopefully, that the life and person of Christ is true and complete wisdom and strength. Therefore as we live a radically counter-cultural life following Jesus it will not make sense to many people but hopefully some will ask us why and we can point them to Jesus.

I was sent this puritan prayer and it really summed it up well for me:

The Valley of Vision

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up,

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to possess all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive,

that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley.