First Importance

Well, good morning, church. We are looking this morning at the book of Colossians. That's page 924 in the Pew Bible.

! As we launch out into a new academic year as a church, today we want to talk a little bit about what Trinity is all about.

Next week, we're going to start our kind of regular fall sermon series in the book of Ecclesiastes, where we'll talk about finding lasting joy in a fleeting world.

But today, we want to talk about what's at the center of everything we do as a church.

Maybe you're new, or maybe you've been coming to Trinity for a couple weeks or months this summer, or maybe you've been coming for some time.

Either way, today we want to come back to what's at the heart of our ministry and our life together as a church.

I've been told that when you're sailing, if your bearings are just a few degrees off when you leave the harbor,

eventually you can end up very far from where you want it to be.

So, it's good to come back to the compass, to come back to the center and make sure that we're charting our course according to the right direction,

to make sure we're keeping the main thing the main thing.

And to do that, we want to look at the book of Colossians today.

Chapter 1, verses 3 through 20.

So, as we look at Colossians 1, let me pray, and then I'll read our passage for us.

Father, we do long to praise You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three in one.

As we come to Your written Word, God, reveal to us again afresh the incarnate Word, Jesus,

who lived, died, rose again, and ascended for us and for our salvation.

Spirit, come, help us to understand the things that we consider.

And as we go forth today out into the world that You've made and that You love,

would we not just understand these things, but would we live these things to Your glory?

We pray this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

All right, Paul writes this in Colossians 1, starting in verse 3.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for You.

Since we heard of Your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that You have for all the saints,

because the hope laid up for You in heaven.

Of this You have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to You,

as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing,

as it also does among You since the day You heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

Just as You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant,

He is a faithful minister of Christ on Your behalf and has made known to us Your love in the Spirit.

And so, from the day we heard, we've not ceased to pray for You,

asking that You may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him,

bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,

being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might,

for all endurance and patience with joy,

giving thanks to the Father who has qualified You

to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness

and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn of all creation.

For by Him all things were created,

in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,

whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities,

all things were created through Him and for Him.

And He is before all things,

and in Him all things hold together.

And He is the head of the body, the church.

He is the beginning,

the firstborn from the dead,

that in everything He might be preeminent.

For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things,

whether on earth or in heaven,

making peace by the blood of His cross.

So I wonder if you've ever considered that

everyone really lives with what we might call a center,

with a center of some kind.

It's sort of the thing that makes your life tick.

It's the thing that holds everything else together

and kind of gives it meaning.

For some people, family is their center.

That's what gives their life meaning and purpose.

It's why they do what they do.

It fuels them for what they do.

For other people, public service is their center,

we might say,

whether through their work

or through their volunteer involvement.

Trying to make the world a better place

is what centers them

and gives their life meaning and energy and direction.

We could list a lot of other things.

And if that's true for individuals,

it's also true for communities too.

Communities often have something that centers them,

that unites them,

and energizes them, and defines them.

And this is true of churches as well.

Churches will often have what we're calling a center,

something that unites and energizes and defines them.

It's the thing that they tend to always talk about.

It's the thing they get excited about.

It's the thing they think is most worth pursuing and proclaiming.

Now, when we turn to the New Testament,

especially when we turn to the New Testament epistles,

we start to see that for the apostles

and for the early churches,

that they had a center.

And they were quite clear about the thing

that united and energized and defined them.

There is something that they talk about all the time,

and there's something that they get excited about,

and there's something that they think is worth pursuing and proclaiming.

What is it?

Well, it's what Paul calls in verse 5 of our passage,

the gospel,

which literally means good news.

At the heart of the church is good news.

And the challenge to every generation of Christians,

the invitation for every generation of Christians,

is to keep the church a place

where it is this message of good news

that unites and energizes and defines us.

And on the other hand,

there's a temptation before every generation of Christians,

a temptation before every local church,

is to put something else in the center.

Because often we're tempted to think that something else

and something more is needed

to energize the church

and to impact our communities

and to change people's lives.

And most of the time,

the other things that we're tempted to kind of make central,

oftentimes they're good things.

Things like social concern,

things like spiritual formation,

things like heartfelt worship,

things like authentic community.

The church always faces the temptation

to take any one of those good things

and push it to the center of their life,

to make it the main thing.

But the same thing always happens

when we take a good thing

and make it the main thing.

And what happens is the whole thing

starts to shake

and get off balance.

Community actually starts to fracture

and worship starts to become performative and hollow.

And spiritual formation starts to become

a burdensome task of self-improvement.

And social concern

starts to become a power game

where the ends justify the means.

And suddenly,

the church doesn't look like the church at all.

And the church doesn't certainly sound

or look like the bearer of good news.

So let's look at what Paul says here

about the gospel

in Colossians chapter 1.

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

And let's see how this gospel,

this good news,

is worthy to be the center,

not just of our church,

but of our lives.

And we're going to see two things here

in Colossians 1.

First, we're going to see what the gospel does.

And second,

we're going to see what the gospel declares.

So let's go deeper into that first point,

which is this.

Keep the gospel central in your life

because of what the gospel alone can do,

because of what the gospel alone does.

And what exactly does the gospel do?

Well, look with me again at verses 3 through 6.

And pay particular attention to verse 6

as I read this paragraph again.

Paul says,

We always thank God,

the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

when we pray for you,

since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus

and of the love that you have for all the saints

because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

Of this you've heard before in the word of truth,

the gospel,

which has come to you,

as indeed in the whole world

it is bearing fruit and increasing,

as it also does among you

since the day you heard it

and understood the grace of God in truth.

Did you see there?

What does the gospel do,

according to verse 6?

Not just in the whole world,

but among you.

Paul says it's bearing fruit

and it's increasing.

In other words,

the gospel is changing you

and it's changing others.

It's changing you.

You're bearing fruit.

And it's changing others.

It's increasing.

You see, for Paul

and for the rest of the New Testament,

the gospel,

it's like a seed

that goes down into the soil

and it starts growing.

It starts a dynamic of change

that's unstoppable.

It's like a depth charge

dropped into the ocean

that explodes

and sends its reverberations

out in every direction.

It starts to change your life

and it starts to change

the life of others around you.

Many years ago,

some friends of ours

planted a strawberry patch

in their backyard.

And at first,

the kind of plants sprung up.

It was sort of cool

and they produced

these beautiful red berries.

They started bearing fruit.

But then they discovered

something kind of troublesome

for their garden

and for their backyard.

It was that these strawberries

had actually sent out

these runners,

these shoots,

and they just went

in every direction

out from the garden

into the yard.

And suddenly,

they had strawberries

growing in every direction.

And you see,

that's true of the gospel, friends.

We often think of the gospel

as merely just kind of

the starting point

of the Christian life.

We think of it

as sort of like the thing

that gets you in the door.

And then we start

to mistakenly think

that there are all

these other things

that are really going

to change us

and really going to change

the communities

that we're a part of.

We think the gospel

is what beginners need,

but the mature

need something else.

And in fact,

that's actually

what the book of Colossians

is all about.

Paul is saying,

no,

the gospel of Jesus Christ

is completely sufficient.

Don't think you have to

move beyond the gospel

to deeper things,

that there's some supplement

out there

that's just waiting

for you to find

that's really going

to unlock the key.

No, Paul says,

what is the thing

that keeps bearing fruit

in the life

of this church in Colossae?

Paul says,

since the day you heard it,

since the day you heard it,

the gospel's been

bearing fruit in your life.

It's kept on being

that catalyst of growth.

It's been said

that the gospel's

not just the ABCs

of the Christian life,

that you eventually

have to graduate

and move on

to bigger and better things.

No,

the gospel's the A to Z

of the Christian life.

It's the beginning

and middle

and end.

Is it simple enough

that a child

can understand it?

Yes!

But is it profound enough

that the human heart

will never reach its bottom?

Also, yes.

It's like the ocean.

You know,

even a child

can splash in the waves

as those waves

come up onto the sand.

And even a child

can thrill

in the beauty

and power of the ocean.

But ask

the most brilliant

marine biologist

or ask

the most accomplished

big wave surfer

if they have plumbed

the depths

of the ocean's

beauty and power

and what will they say?

No!

There's so much more

to discover.

There's so much more

to unfold.

Friends,

that is the good news

of Christianity.

The good news

will never grow old

or lose its power.

since the day

you hear it

and every day

onward for eternity

it will be the power

and beauty

that bears fruit

and increases

that changes you

changes everything.

Consider the changes

that Paul talks about

right here in verses 4 and 5.

He talks about

faith in Christ.

They have a new trust.

He talks about

love for the saints.

They have a new mission.

He talks about

hope in heaven.

They have a new future.

Can you think of

a more complete description

of the Christian life

and faith

and hope

and love?

That is what the gospel

produces and grows.

And look at Paul's prayer

in verses 9 through 14.

What does he ask for?

In essence,

he's asking that

these things

would continue

to increase.

That what they heard

would fill them.

That the Holy Spirit

would allow them

to start plumbing

the depths of the gospel

and what it means

in their lives.

And so,

when it comes to love,

Paul prays that they

would bear fruit

in every good work

and increase

in the knowledge of God.

And when it comes

to faith,

he prays that they

would be strengthened

with all power

according to his glorious

might for all endurance

and patience

with joy.

Because what do we need

in our faith in this life?

We need endurance

patience

and patience

with joy.

And when it comes

to hope,

Paul prays that they

would give thanks

to the Father

who's qualified you

to share

in the inheritance

of the saints of light.

You see, friends,

in the gospel,

they had received

the whole thing.

Everything God

wanted to say,

everything God

wanted to impart

was right there.

Now the rest

of the Christian life

is unpacking

that great gift.

It's a bit like

a child in the womb,

you know.

From the moment

of conception,

all of that child's

genetic makeup

is present

in that single cell.

Nothing more

needs to be added.

They're fully alive.

But oh,

how that child

in the womb

will grow

and change

and give rise

to beautiful,

wonderful life

in the womb

and out of the womb.

Through the infant

and toddler years,

through elementary school,

through the teenage years

and into adulthood,

it was all right there,

right from the beginning.

Everything needed

to become a mature

man or woman

biologically,

the whole message

was right there

in that single

fertilized embryo.

It didn't look like much,

but it was teeming

with life.

The gospel's

the same way.

It's all there.

Everything that will

bring you

to full maturity,

to the full glory

that God intends for you,

it's all in the gospel message.

And oh,

how profound

the gospel is.

The entire Bible

unpacks

and unfolds

this message,

and we will spend

eternity plumbing

the depths

of its wonder.

The apostle Peter

says in his first letter

that the things

of the gospel

are so wonderful

and so profound

that they are things

into which even angels

long to look.

So we must keep

the gospel central

in our lives, friends.

We must keep

the gospel central

in our church

because of what

the gospel alone

can do.

It is the thing

that bears fruit

and increases.

It changes us,

and it changes everything.

But of course,

that brings us

to our second point,

right?

We must keep

the gospel central

in our lives

because of what

the gospel declares.

Because at this point,

we have to ask,

how does the gospel

do what it does?

If it is this wonderful,

productive,

explosive thing,

how does it do that?

Why is the gospel

alone the thing

that will bear fruit

in our lives

and increase?

Well, let's return

to verse 6.

Again, Paul says,

the gospel has come

to you as indeed

in the whole world

it's bearing fruit

and increasing

as it also does

among you

since the day

you heard it

and understood.

Understood what?

What is it

that the Colossians

heard and finally

understood in the gospel?

What was the message?

What was the good news

that produced

such radical,

ongoing change?

Since the day

you heard it

and understood

the grace of God

in truth.

The grace of God

in truth.

That's what the gospel

and the gospel alone

declares.

The grace of God

in truth.

Brothers and sisters,

at the end of the day,

do you know what produces

authentic community?

Do you want to know

what ignites

passionate worship?

Do you know

what motivates

and energizes

social concern

and creative

long-term love

for neighbors

and communities

and cities?

Do you know

what the heartbeat

of real spiritual

formation is?

It's the grace

of God

in truth.

Friends,

the good news

at the heart

of Christianity

brings you

face-to-face

with the grace

of God

in truth.

And how does it

do that?

It does that

because the good news

at the heart

of Christianity

brings you

face-to-face

with the person

and work

of Jesus Christ.

who is this

Jesus?

Read the Gospels

for yourself.

Do you see

Him there

calming storms

and healing

the sick

and giving sight

to the blind?

What are we

to make

of these

historical accounts

about Jesus,

these miraculous

things that the

historical records

testify to?

What are we

to make

of all that?

simply this,

that in Jesus

the Creator

has entered

His creation.

And when it

seemed like

the waves

of brokenness

and sin

and darkness

had all but

overcome

God's good creation,

when it seemed

like the curse

of sin

had won

and that creation

was a lost

project

destined for

failure and

destruction,

salvation,

God

stepped in

to rescue

the creation

He loved,

to heal it,

to restore it,

to put things

right.

Who else

could calm

the storms

other than

the One

who had created

the seas?

Who else

could restore

sight to the blind

but the One

who separated

light from

darkness

in the beginning

and called

it good?

Who else

could bring

the dead

back to life

but the One

who was the

author of life

itself?

In verse 15

of our passage,

Paul says that

Jesus is the image

of the invisible

God,

the firstborn

of all creation.

For by Him

all things

were created

in heaven

and on earth,

visible and

invisible,

whether thrones

or dominions

or rulers

or authorities,

all things

were created

through Him

and for Him.

And He's

before all things

and in Him

all things

hold together.

now we can

often trip

over that word

firstborn,

can't we?

But what did

this rightful

owner of

everything

do

when He

came to

earth?

Imagine you

had made

the world,

you know,

and the whole

thing was being

totally messed up

and going to

smash

because of

the people

you had

made in

the middle

of it.

What would

you do

when you

came back

to earth?

What did

Jesus do?

Did He

calm storms

and heal

the sick

and raise

the dead

and then

seize power

and crush

His enemies?

Did He

hit the reset

button

and just

blank it out

like we used

to do on

our old

Nintendos

when things

were going

bad?

You just

hit the reset

button.

Boop,

you're right

back at the

beginning.

Great.

Is that

what Jesus

does?

No.

Even though

Jesus Christ

has the right

to judge

all of

creation

because it's

His

and because

in Him

it all

holds

together,

He doesn't

come in

judgment.

He comes

to save.

He came

to reconcile

us to God.

He comes

to save

us to

God.

You see,

Jesus,

friends,

is not

just supreme

in creation.

Jesus

also is

supreme

in redemption.

Paul goes

on to say,

He is the

head of the

body,

the church.

He is the

beginning,

the firstborn

from the dead,

that in

everything

He might be

preeminent.

for in Him

all the

fullness of

God was

pleased to

dwell,

and through

Him to

reconcile to

Himself all

things,

whether in

earth or in

heaven,

making peace

by the

blood of

His cross.

You stand

now,

friends,

staring at

the heart

of the

good news.

God

in Jesus

has

reconciled

sinners

to Himself.

We were

dead in

our trespasses

and sin,

but Jesus

Christ

entered into

death for

us so

that we

could be

made alive.

The

firstborn,

the ruler

over all

creation,

became the

firstborn

from the

dead.

In other

words,

the very

source of

life has

now become

the source

of new

life for

all who

believe.

the

creator of

life went

down into

death so

that those

destined to

die might

live.

In our

sin,

we were

enemies of

God who

deserved

His wrath,

but through

Jesus,

God was

pleased to

reconcile to

Himself all

things,

how,

making peace

by the

blood of

His cross.

forgiveness.

In Him,

we have

redemption,

verse 14

says,

the forgiveness

of sins.

This is the

grace of

God.

In truth,

in truth,

you see,

what God

did in

Jesus,

He did

in truth,

in history,

in reality,

not just in a

realm of

ideas or

thoughts,

but here,

as real as

the blood

flowing through

your veins,

as real as

the stars and

the sky,

and as real as

the dust of

the earth,

God dwelt

fully in

Jesus Christ

and accomplished

in history,

in creation,

the redemption

of creation,

and the

rescue of

history.

What God

did in

Jesus,

He did

in truth.

And what

God did in

Jesus,

He did

in grace.

There's a

reason you know

that the

message of

Christianity

was called

good news

from the

very beginning.

Just think of

all the words

that the

apostles could

have used

to describe

this message

of what God

had done

and revealed

and accomplished

in Jesus.

And they

called it

news.

They called

it a

euangelion,

a good

message that's

meant to be

herald and

announced.

And it's

news because

it's something

that's been

done.

When the

apostles proclaimed

the death and

resurrection of

Jesus,

they didn't

come to

city after

city after

city and

say,

listen,

we've

come to

tell you

good advice.

We're

going to

start a

podcast to

give you

ten tips

on how to

live happier,

healthier,

and longer

if you

just do

it.

No.

They

said we've

come to

tell you

good news.

Advice is

something you

have to do.

News is

something that's

already been

done.

Christianity

is not a

message about

what you

have to

do to

reconcile

yourself to

God,

to get

right.

Christianity

is a

message about

what Jesus

has done

to reconcile

you to

God,

to put

you right.

It's not a

message of

works that

you have to

perform,

but of

grace freely

offered and

received.

Grace that

was incredibly

costly for

Jesus,

His own

blood was

shed,

but grace

that is

utterly free

of charge

to you

and to

me.

Just imagine

with me,

friends,

if you

really

understood

the grace

of God

and truth.

What would a

church be like

that really

understood,

as Paul says

here,

the grace

of God

and truth?

Would we

not be a

people of

great faith

in Christ?

Would the

grace of

God and

truth not

draw us

forth to

trust Him

more deeply

and to

place our

lives into

His hand?

If that

is how

much God

loves us,

can we

not entrust

our whole

lives to

Him?

If we

really understood

the grace

of God

and truth,

would we

not be

just a

people of

great faith,

but also a

people of

great hope?

In Christ,

we are

heirs of

the new

creation.

We will

be raised

with Him

in glory.

And that

means our

works in

this life

are not

in vain,

that they

too will

be swept

up in

the

resurrection

work of

God.

Our

works are

not in

vain in

this life

because

Jesus has

conquered

death.

And no

matter how

dark or

difficult the

days become,

the future

God has

in store

for creation

and for

His church

is radiant.

We have an

anchor of

hope that

holds us

fast in

the fiercest

storms.

Nothing

can shake

us.

But if we

really understood

the grace of

God in

truth,

we wouldn't

just be a

people of

great faith

and great

hope,

but we

would be a

people of

great love.

Having been

shown such

incredible love

by God in

Christ,

how could we

not turn

and love

others?

How could we

not now go

and live a

life worthy

of this

gospel of

grace?

Friends,

for Christians,

love ought to

be the

defining mark

of our

lives.

Why?

Because God

demonstrated His

love toward

us in this,

that Christ

died for us

and He's

poured His

love into

our hearts

by the

Holy Spirit.

Just think

of how the

gospel of

grace frees

you to

love.

Consider,

what is it

that keeps

us from

genuine love

of neighbor?

So many

things,

right?

Sometimes we're

worried about

what other

people think

of us.

We're so

worried about

what other

people think

of us that

we stop

thinking about

how we

might actually

do some

good to

them.

But you

see,

the gospel

comes and

it frees us

from the

need for

human approval

because it

says,

in Christ,

you are

now a

beloved

son or

daughter of

God.

It says

that we are

accepted by

the creator

of all

things.

We've been

reconciled to

the one that

holds all

things together.

other.

No human

approval could

compare to

that.

So we're

free.

We're free

from what

others think

of us.

And now

we're free

to think

of them

and to

think of

how we

might really

love them.

You see,

we don't need

people anymore

for their

approval.

We don't

need them

so now we

can love

them.

sometimes

what keeps

us from

genuine

love of

neighbor

are the

hurts and

the wounds

of the

past.

You know,

we remember

how someone

ignored us

or how

someone spoke

an unkind

word about

us and

our hearts

grow hard

and bitter

and then

we stop

trusting not

just that

person but

other people

too.

But the

gospel comes

and tells

us a

forgiveness

forgiveness.

That our

sins were

actually

infinitely

greater than

our neighbor's

sins against

us.

And rather

than hold

our sins

against us,

infinitely

great though

they were,

God forgave

all of our

sins in

Christ and

reconciled us

to Himself.

And this

forgiveness

we've received

from God

begins to

soften our

hearts

towards our

neighbors,

even those

who've

wronged us.

Begins to

soften our

hearts towards

them.

And we

start to do

the costly

work of

forgiveness

because God

has done that

costly work

for us.

You know,

sometimes what

keeps us from

genuine love

of neighbor is

simply the

idol of our

own achievements

or our own

pleasures.

We're consumed

with our own

projects and

plans and

prestige,

wanting to

make a name

for ourselves

in the world,

or we're

consumed with

our own

pleasures and

preoccupations,

not caring or

bothering with

what might bless

other people.

we're just so

caught up in

ourself.

But the

gospel of

grace is the

thing that opens

our eyes to

our neighbors.

It wakes us up

to the truth

that real,

lasting life

isn't found in

the fleeting

accolades or

pleasures of

this world.

This world could

never satisfy

the human soul.

God's put

eternity into

your heart.

do you think

the things of

this life could

fill what God

has placed there?

No.

Only the grace

of God in

Christ can reach

to the depths

of our humanity

and make it

whole and make

it satisfied.

And when we've

tasted and seen

that the Lord

is good,

those accolades

and those

pleasures of

the world,

they've lost

their power

over us.

They don't want to

enthrall us

anymore.

We're not

captivated by

their spell.

We see life

differently now.

We consider all

people through

Christ.

We see everyone

through the lens

of God's grace.

And our desire

now isn't to

kind of get

out of this

world what we

want.

Our desire

now is to

see God's

grace glorified

for what it

is and to

see others

come to hear

and understand

this grace

for themselves

so that they

too can

know the

only real

satisfaction and

joy in this

life.

So, friends,

we wrap up.

At the center

of everything

we do as a

church must be

the good news

of the gospel,

the grace of

God and truth,

the message of

who Jesus is

and what He's

done.

This is what

must energize

and unite

and define us.

And the more

we hear it

and the more

we explore

its depths

and the more

we work out

its implications,

the more it

will bear fruit

and increase,

not just here

in our church

among us,

but through

us out

in the world.

That seed

that begins

in us

will start

to grow

and it

will go out

and even

though it

starts small

like a mustard

seed,

it will begin

a movement

that pushes

down deep

roots that

can't be shaken,

that sends

branches out

to the sky

and soon

even the

birds of the

air are

resting in

its shade,

as Jesus

says in

his parables.

And at the

center of it

all is

Jesus Christ

our Lord,

to whom

all glory

belongs.

Friends,

Jesus is the

good news.

He's the

center.

In him

all things

hold together

and if he

holds you

together,

then you'll

be secure

in life

and in death

and in

the life

to come.

Let's

pray.

Father,

our prayer

as we

begin a

new school

year is

that you

would

captivate

us again

by the

wonder of

your grace

in Christ.

Jesus,

by your

Spirit,

help us

to see

and treasure

you in

fresh and

new ways

this year.

Would the

heartbeat of

our community

be this

grace in

truth that

is you,

Jesus.

Exalt

yourself

through us.

We pray

this in

your mighty

name.

Amen.