#Rooted in the Centre

Friends, I have the privilege to continue in our series today

called Rooted. Are you excited for that?

Come on, me too. Yes.

If you don't know me, you can tell by my accent that I'm not

English. I am Brazilian.

I'm Brazilian. And I'm I'm also part of Hawaii

man Youth with a mission and harp and I'm a missionary.

And actually I got sent out from a Baptist Church in Brazil.

So here we go. My background is a Baptist and I

grew up in a Baptist Baptist Church and I love the Baptist

and I miss my my home church and they are great.

Wow. OK, my talk for today is

Colossians one from verse 15 to 23.

And before I start and before we read the whole passage, I'd love

for us to think that this is Paul writing, right?

And probably he, he was in prison in Rome.

But imagine like he is in prison writing this letter for the

Church of Colossians and for all of us.

And he was actually saying Jesus is supreme over everything.

He was saying that over rulers, authorities, powers and as we

read that half die in your in your mind.

Paul was in prison writing this letter for us.

OK here we go. Colossians 115 to 23 The sun is

the image of the invisible God, the first born of over all

creation. For in Him all things were

created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,

where the Thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all

things have been created through Him and for Him.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

He is the head of the Body, the Church.

He is the beginning and the first born from among the dead,

so that in everything he might have the supremacy Hallelujah.

For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in him, and

through Him the to reconcile to Himself all things where the

things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through

His blood shed on the cross. Once we were alienated from God

and were enemies in your minds because of your rooted

behaviors, but now He has reconciled you by Christ's

physical body through death to present you wholly in His sight

without blemishing and free from accusation.

If you continue in your faith established and firm and do not

move from the hope held out on the Gospels, this is the gospel

that have you have heard and that has been proclaimed to

every creature under heaven of which I PO have become a

servant. This is a a strong statement

right there for us. He's holding everything together

and I have to say some, probably some of us, I would say probably

all of us. We don't wake up thinking like

I'm going to slowly be feel disconnected with the Lord.

I'm going to slowly drift away. And I have to say it doesn't

happen like there. It's more like a subtle thing,

right? Life gets full even for us as

pastors in our local church. It gets so much Hallelujah, too

much. We got busy, right?

Busy. It's noisy, full of emails and

conversation, responsibilities and desires and all of that.

And this is all good, but it feels like there isn't a clear

moment where everything falls apart.

It's more like a quiet awareness.

It's something like that. It feels like something is not

quite aligned on the inside, even for us here.

We can be in a room full of people and yet to disconnect it.

We can be doing the wonderful things, the right things in life

and still feel disconnected because we are doing things out

of duty, not out of love. And we even being here at

church, you know, raising your hands, bowing down and

worshiping and serving and yet feel like something is missing.

And I have to say, friends, that I'm also preaching to myself

here today because most like, most of the time, like I, I want

to stay home being very honest, like, but because of my love for

the Lord, I am going to do it because I want, I want people to

meet Jesus. And I know that he's holding

everything together for us. And because of like, slowly we

drift away. And sometimes we feel like this

can be, this can be life. Life can be like, like this so

normal. It feels like this is normal.

We still show up, we still functioning.

We we do the right things, but in the inside, there's there's a

sense of disconnection. We feel stretched and

distracted, pulled in different directions.

And the Bible has a language for this, a life that has become

disordered, out of place of center.

The wonderful brother Eugene Peterson talks about this as a

losing the center. The center that holds everything

is still there, but nothing is held together in coalitions. 1

is this is this comes to us not as a pressure, but as an

invitation from Pol to bring everything back to the center

again. And friends, I think I have said

this before and being a Brazilian in this nation, which

I am so truly blessed by being a missionary and a pastor in the

UK, because your nation has has touched my nation.

Your history with the gospel is beautiful and I'm forever

grateful for your nation. But I also have to say, like for

all of us, this is me included as a Brazilian, we need to keep

practicing Thanksgiving. This is a reminder for us that

he's holding everything together.

The first thing you do in the morning shapes you.

The first thing you do in the morning shapes you.

So he's he's holding, holding everything together.

And Paul says in verse 15, he talks about who Jesus really is.

He says this, the Son is the image of the invisible God.

I feel this. This is, this is where this is

where everything starts. It's not with what we do, but

with who Jesus is. And we become what we behold.

We become what we behold because how we see Jesus, how you see

Jesus, shapes how you live. Jesus is not just a teacher or

spiritual figure or a part of your life.

He is God made visible for us through Christ.

Sometimes we say, you know, Jesus is part of my life, this

is all good, it's part of my life.

But I feel like this is a wrong statement for us.

He needs to be at the center and then everything else needs to

flow from that place. Everything else is different

from that place. Whatever you do in the like,

whatever you do in the morning is in your workplace university,

your behavior with your spouse, your behavior at your workplace

is inviting God at your, your ordinary life.

But everything, all actions needs to come from that place

where he is at the center. He is at the center.

It's like when you're about to have an argument with your wife,

like if the Lord is at the center, you would think to why

before you say anything. So this is the reality for most

of us. Many of us are not living in

response to who God really is and we are living there.

We are living in a response to who we think He is.

Sometimes it's formed by our past disappointment, pain, and

what others have said, but some of us relate to a distant God.

So far is a disappointed God, a demanding God.

But Paul says something really beautiful.

If you want to know what God God is like, look at Jesus.

Look how he loves, look how he forgives and look how he

welcomes friends. If you, if you've been here this

morning, if you walked in today feeling like I have got nothing

to give. Sometimes when I feel like I

have, I have got nothing to do, I spiritual exercise that I do,

I take a deep breath because our very own breath is a reminder of

the Lord. He's the one sustaining us.

He's the one sustaining us, your very own breath.

And sometimes we take our very own breath for granted.

Why? Because it became normal.

You're not thinking about it. It's just you're just doing it.

You're just doing it because it feels normal.

But if you are consciously aware of his presence in your ordinary

life, everything else will flow from there.

Are you with me? Hallelujah.

It's good to be in a charismatic church.

Amen. So one of the most beautiful

things about Jesus now, it's not just who he is, it's how he

moved towards people. Friend, if you come here this

morning and feel so isolated, I'll feel I'll say there is a

place for room at the table. He's already inviting you.

Can I be the center of your life again and again?

So again and again in the Gospels we see this pattern.

People who felt disqualified are the ones who very ones that

Jesus draws near to. Sometimes even myself being

here, like I'm having a lot of like fear of man feelings,

impostion syndrome, but like I need to remind myself that he is

the one sustaining me, giving the word of God to talk to you

today. And sometimes you feel like the

pastor got it. All the pastors that they got

it. Actually, no, we're doing it

together because he's the ones who stand in this church holding

everything together. Coming back to the center to

coming back to the center doesn't begin with striving.

It begins with seeing, beholding, contemplating.

One of the wonderful things about this nation that loves so

much is the beautiful parks, the national parks that the UK have.

And it's wonderful, even like why, when we have a florist in

the back and this is a good place for us to go and

contemplate the beauty of God, timing for ourselves to behold

the Lamb of God. Remember, the first thing we do

in the morning shapes you, shapes your day, shapes your

character. Invite the Lord to be at the

center again of your life. Hallelujah.

And this is what life is about. Verse 16 to 17.

All things we created through him and for him and that

includes you. Your life is not a random.

You're not here by accident. Your life is not a random.

It's not accidental. No, it's not meaningless.

You were to ready for Jesus. The whole point about your

existence is about relationship. This is the beautiful thing

about the gospels. So, you know, sometimes we have

all of these spokes, work, family, relationship, dreams and

responsibilities and desires. And I would say they are all

good, but they don't make a strong center.

They are not very reliable. And Paul says in him, through

Christ himself, all things hold together.

All things hold together, friend.

This is so powerful, so powerful.

So this donates that Christ is the active, sustaining force

that maintains the cohesion, stability, and existence of the

entire universe. Moment, my moment, moment by

moment. What I'm trying to say is this.

It's not in your control, it's not your effort, It's him,

Christ himself. And this is where sometimes many

of us we struggle because we've built our lives around good

things and good doing. And sometimes they, even the

good doing the good things can become idols in our hearts.

They can become OK, I've done my good bit today.

I've come to church today, but done and I've come, I've read

the you know, the the Bible verse that shows up in my my

phone every day. But done.

You like that, The sound effect. Yeah.

And we slowly replace him. You know, we feel like sometimes

it feels like you don't. It's just a quiet awareness

sometimes, like we're just doing life on your own.

And you're just in that pace of like business and emails and

things and busy and all of that. And sometimes, like, you feel

like, man, something is not quite there yet with my life.

It's because we are putting these these things at the

center. The problem is that the problem

is when they become the central, because whenever it's at the

center becomes the reference point for everything else.

It shapes your decisions. It shapes your emotions.

It shapes how you see yourself. Even if you, if you if work,

friends, if work is at the center, your identity rise and

falls into performance. If approval is at the center,

your piece depends on what others will think.

If comfort is at the center, you avoid everything that stretches

you. Because when Jesus at the

center, everything else finds its right, right place.

It's not about. It's not removed, but reordered.

It was never meant to hold you. Only Jesus can hold your life

together. And let me ask you something.

What is at the center of your life right now?

What is at the center of your life right now?

Because whatever is sits at the center shapes everything else.

Whatever is at the center shapes everything else.

Yeah. Let's take a moment to think

about that. Sometimes when we read this

back, this passage, Colossians one that he holds everything

together. Sometimes we'd even take the

passage for granted. I've read that before.

And this is. Yeah, Yeah, He's got it.

Yeah, but actually this is a strong statement that we are

proclaiming today and friends, like I'd say the Lord is moving

the UK, the Lord is moving the UK.

Like this is a strong statement for all of us that he's holding

his church together in the UK, right.

Even the last, the last last two weeks in the last, I think last

week, I was leading worship in a, in a Church of England called

Imprint in Bank. And the beautiful thing about

that place is there's a lot of people walking outside of the

church. And as we were worshiping, you

know, beholding the lame of God in worship, a lot of people from

outside just got so captivated by the sound, the mighty sound

of worship. And I have to say there was like

a, I'll say 50 people just showing up coming in.

I could see some of the heads. This is great.

MMM good music and some of them left like after a minute.

But there were a lot of people that got so captivated by how we

pursue Jesus in our lives, how we, you know, how we posture

ourselves in worship. And I have to say the Lord, it

is in a movie in the UK. This is the time for us to keep

declaring this in our lives. He's holding everything

together. My friends, if we're struggling

financially, he's holding everything together.

If you're struggling with mental health, he's holding everything

together. This is a strong statement.

It's for us. It's the time for us, for the in

the UK to walk towards one another.

Believers walk towards one another.

There's no time for division anymore.

No time for like, you know, disappointment.

I feel like it's time for us to move closer to one another

because the Lord is moving in the UK.

He's holding everything together, holding everything

together. You know when you you're on your

way to your work on Monday, sometimes some people commute to

London by train. You know when you get into some

Pancras, right? And then you try to use your

phone and you lose sick. You know, I feel like that

sometimes I'm in the phone doing something and then as soon as we

enter the some Pancras and it feels like you, you lose signal.

You try the what you can. Sometimes you try to use the

free Wi-Fi in a train doesn't work, but it stays free Wi-Fi

already paid for my ticket. What's going on?

It's fake news, but it's more like even if it's what I'm

trying to say is this, you can still open the apps on your

phone. You can still like take a selfie

for your social media. You can still, you know, trying

to open another app to check your nose, But it feels like

you're disconnected. It feels like you're out of

control because the tendencies, they're like, I want to be

connected. I want to feel like, oh, yes, I

can see this new, this new, this new news coming up on my phone.

And you feel disconnected. You feel out of control.

So, but what Paul is saying to us here is this is your

conscience, your conscious awareness of him.

What this is what Paul is trying to communicate in these verses,

that your your awareness of him that he is in control is not by

our own power and strength that he's holding everything

together. Even if you get into the into

some punctures by train, he's holding everything together in

your phone. Hallelujah.

So, as I said about Thanksgiving.

What Paul is trying to say to us is the awareness of him and what

Jesus has done. Verse 19 to 22, making peace

through his blood. Once we were alienated, now

you're reconciled and this is the center of everything Jesus.

Jesus didn't say distant, He come close and he stepped into

our brokenness, into our disconnection into into our off

center lives. And on the cross he made peace.

He brought us back. He brought he brought us back.

And friends, notice this, Jesus didn't just come to improve your

life, He come to restore your relationship with God.

He didn't come to improve your life and make yourself the

better version of yourself. He come to restore your

relationship with God and he didn't come just to make you a

better version of yourself. He come to bring you back to the

one, to the one you were created for.

And that changes everything because Christianity is not a

primarily about behaviors change.

It's about relationship restored.

It's about being reconnected to God.

And from that place everything else begins to shape, to change.

And This is why the cross matters so much for us as

believers. Because on the cross, Jesus

dealt with everything that kept us distant, seeing shame, fear

for men in Poston syndrome, guilt, separation.

He removed all the barriers so that we could come near.

Not someday, not next week, but now.

Now he's holding everything together.

God is putting everything back together again in Christ.

The gospel is not is not that you are forgiven, is that you

are restored. And this is the beautiful thing

about the gospel's friends, the gospel of Jesus.

Once you were far, now you're near, you are disconnected.

Now you are restored. You were lost and now you're

welcomed. Amen, yes, Amen, Amen.

Now you're welcomed and you know, like I'm using simple

language today or like the pastor is not coming up with

eloquent phrasing and all of that.

I know like the this is a simple message for all of us.

It's time to for us to go back to the centre.

Simplicity, simplicity. Sometimes you're longing.

So can I have this? Can I have there?

If I have this or have confidence, you have that.

I have confidence, I have this, I have a better life.

But we forget who is the head of the church, who is the head of

your life? Who is the head of your

household? You were brought back into a

relationship with God and so your life can be made whole

again. And this is my and this is the

invitation for us today. Verse 23 says this continue in

your faith, continue in your faith.

So following Jesus, friends, it's not just a one time moment.

It's it's that daily returning, it's that daily recentering.

Daily recentering. As I said, sometimes the first

thing we do in the morning is to scroll, scroll our phones and go

to newspaper and that dictates the shapes how our lives and our

day will go by. But The Walking with Jesus is

about consistency. It's about discipline.

You are choosing to behold the Lamb of God in the morning.

You're choosing to behold. You're choosing to stay with him

daily. Sometimes the return, it looks

very simple. It's not always a big and

dramatic moment. Sometimes it's just pausing for

a few minutes in your day and becoming aware of God again.

Whispering, just whispering, a simple prayer.

Jesus, I bring my attention back to you.

It's like when you feel so overwhelmed at your work, like

there's something going on that I need to or something's off.

Like this is an invitation for the Lord.

Take a moment, take a deep breath, invite the Lord again in

your mind, Lord, you're holding everything together for that.

And now this is I'd love for us to stand right now.

We're going to go into ministry.