The River 2025/26 - ALIVE Lesson 15

Let

break down every

cry.

We praise you.

Come on. Listen.

This is whats

you say.

living.

This is what freedom feels like. This is

what heaven sounds like. We praise

you. This is what living.

We praise you. We praise

break down every wall.

We praise you the break.

We're going to see you break

down

forever.

Come on.

Come on, sing it out.

Tonight we praise you.

We praise you.

Come on, somebody give him a shout of

praise.

He's

worthy of

wilding

tonight.

I can't hold my

back.

I got to let it out. I can't hold back.

Come on. I got to let it out. I can't

hold back my praise. I got to let it

out. I can't hold There's anybody

bursting with praise tonight. Come on,

sing. I got to let it out. I can't hold

back my

back. One more time. I got to let it

out.

Come on now. This is what living looks

like. Let's sing. This is what livings.

Come on. One more time.

We're going to see

my fear not

Forever

creation cry. We praise you.

Good morning.

Good morning and welcome back.

My heart needs to worship this morning.

Maybe you feel the same way. And so, why

don't you stand if you're able and we'll

sing to the Lord. We'll lift our voices

to the Lord. Come worship the Lord with

me. Let us exalt his name together.

My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest fay,

but holy trust in Jesus' name.

Christ alone,

cornerstone,

weak made strong in the Savior's

love.

through the storm.

He Lord,

Lord of all.

When darkness seems to hide his face,

I rest on his unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy g

my holes within the veil.

Mer holds within the veil.

Christ alone,

cornerstone,

weak made strong in the Savior's

love

through the storm.

He is Lord,

Lord of all.

when he shall come with trumpet sound.

Oh, may I then in him be found,

dressed in his rightousness

alone.

Father stand before the throne.

Christ alone

corner stone

weak made strong in the Savior's

love

through the storm.

He is Lord,

Lord of all.

Christ alone,

cornerstone,

weak made strong in the Savior's

love through the storm.

He is Lord,

Lord of all.

Worthy of every song we could ever sing.

Worthy of all the praise we could ever

bring.

Worthy of every breath we could ever

breathe. We live for you.

Jesus, the name above every other name.

Jesus, the only one who could ever save.

Worthy of every breath we could ever

breathe. We live for you.

Oh, we live for you.

And holy,

there is no one like you. There is none

beside you. Open up my eyes in wonder

and show me who you are and fill me with

your heart and lead me in your love to

those around me.

Jesus the name above every other name.

Jesus the only one who could ever save.

Worthy of every breath we could ever

breathe. We live for you.

Oh, we live for you

and holy.

There is no one like you. There is none

beside you. Open up my eyes in wonder

and show me who you are and fill me with

your heart and lead me in your love to

those around me. and I will build my

life

upon your love. It is a firm foundation.

And I will put my trust in you alone.

And I will not be shen.

and I will build my life upon your love.

It is a firm foundation

and I will put my trust in you alone

and I will not be shen

and holy.

There is no one like you. There is none

beside you. Open up my eyes in wonder

and show me who you are and fill me with

your heart and lead me in your love to

those around me.

Worthy of every song we could ever sing.

Worthy of all the praise we could ever

bring.

Worthy of every breath we could ever

brea. We live for you.

A thousand generations

falling down in worship

to sing the song of ages to the land.

And all who've gone before us and all

who will believe

will sing

of a lamb.

Your name is the highest. Your name is

the greatest. Your name

stands above them all.

All thrones and dominions,

all powers and positions. Your name

stands above them all. And the angels

cry.

Holy,

oh creation

Christ,

holy

you are lifted high,

holy,

holy forever.

And if you've been forgiven,

and if you've been redeemed,

sing the song forever to the lamb.

And if you walk in freedom,

and if you bear his name,

sing the song forever to the land.

Oh, we'll sing a song forever and amen.

And the angels cry,

"Holy

creation cries,

holy."

You are lifted high,

holy,

holy forever.

So hear your people sing

holy

to the king of kings.

Holy.

You will always be,

holy,

holy forever.

Your name is the highest. Your name is

the greatest. Your name

stands above them all.

All thrones and dominions,

all powers and positions. Your name

stands above them all. Let's sing it

out. Your name is the highest. Your name

is the greatest. Your name

stands above them all.

All thrones and millions. All powers and

positions your name

stands above them all. And the angels

cry.

Holy

all creation Christ

holy

you are lifted high

holy

holy forever

people sing

holy

Holy To the King of Kings.

Holy.

You will always be,

holy,

holy forever.

Yes, you will always be

holy.

Holy forever.

And so we worship you this morning,

Lord. And you are the one high supreme

God. You're the only one worthy of our

praise.

And so we worship you with all of our

hearts.

We lift you to the highest place. We

bless your name. We praise you. We

magnify you. Would you be magnified in

our lives so that others see you in us?

I want to hear from you today, Lord,

from your word because we would just we

just want to be more like you.

We praise you.

We love you.

It's in Jesus beautiful name that we

pray. Amen.

Welcome to the river. My name is Rhonda

Burchard. I'm on the teaching team and

it's so good to be together. We are on

lesson 15. If you'd like to take a few

notes, you'll find a place to do that

starting on page 178

of your workbooks. Can you believe we're

already on page 178?

Today, we're looking at Colossians 1 15-

23. In order to have a lens for today,

we're actually going to start with a

verse near the end of today's scripture

passage. Here it is in verse 21. You who

once were alienated and hostile in mind.

That is the translation in our

workbooks, the ESV. The net Bible says,

"You were at one time strangers and

enemies in your minds."

Strangers and enemies, alienated and

hostile. It's all happening in the mind.

Our title for our time together is when

our minds are embattled.

Embattled.

The definition of embattled is involved

in or prepared for war. Especially

because surrounded by enemy forces.

Surrounded by enemy forces

in battled.

I think we can safely say Paul, the

author of the letter to the Colossians,

was embattled.

He was surrounded by enemy forces.

As we know, Paul wrote the letter to the

Colossians from jail and he was put in

jail for preaching Jesus as the risen

Lord. This was seen as a political and

religious challenge to the Roman Empire

and to the Jewish authorities. Remember

when Paul says Jesus is Lord, he is

essentially saying Caesar is not.

And this was considered treasonous. And

because of it, Paul lands in a Roman

jail.

Paul is surrounded by enemies to the

gospel. People who do not like what he

is saying. Paul is embattled with the

Roman Empire and Jewish authorities.

But we also learn in this letter there

is another battle happening in Colasse.

False teachers were coaching the

Colossians to practice mystical

polytheism and follow Jewish rules and

ceremonies in addition to believing in

Jesus.

As we are learning in our study, Paul

corrects the people of Colasse's

thinking through his letter stressing

that faith in Christ is sufficient for

salvation and that nothing needs to be

added to Christ's sacrifice on the

cross.

So, not only is Paul embattled with the

Roman Empire and the Jewish authorities,

Paul is embattled with false teachers

teaching wrong principles about the

gospel and what it means to follow

Jesus.

And in addition to these flesh and blood

battles, Paul tells us that you even

more battles take place in your mind.

you who were once alienated and hostile

in mind.

This is a point that Paul brings out

over and over again in his letters. Paul

regularly encourages his readers to

think

or he speaks of what takes place in the

mind.

Let's look at some examples of this from

Paul's letters. I believe you'll catch

just how important this was to Paul's

understanding about what takes place in

our minds and in our thinking. Romans

Romans 8:6

8:6 says, "For to set the mind on the

flesh is death, but to set the mind on

the spirit is life and peace."

Paul is emphasizing what we set our

minds on.

Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to

Romans 12:2

this world, but be transformed by the

renewal of your mind,

that by testing you may discern what is

the will of God, what is good and

acceptable and perfect."

1 Corinthians 14:15 reads, "I will pray

1 Corinthians 14:15

with my spirit. I will pray with my mind

also.

I will sing praise with my spirit, but I

will sing with my mind also.

In Ephesians 2:3, Paul writes, "We all

Ephesians 2:3

once lived in the passions of our flesh,

carrying out the desires of the body and

the mind."

Let's look again from the letter of

Philippians, which we started our study

with. Philippians 2:5, "Have this mind

Philippians 2:5

among yourself which is yours in Christ

Jesus." Philippians 3:15, "Let those of

Philippians 3:15

us who are mature think this way, and if

anything you think otherwise, God will

reveal that also to you."

Philippians 4:8. Finally, brothers and

Philippians 4:8

sisters, whatever is true, whatever is

honorable, whatever is just, whatever is

pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is

commendable, if there is any excellence,

if there is anything worthy of praise,

think about these things. And once

again, verse 21 in today's passage, you

who were once alienated and hostile in

mind.

Yes, Paul was embattled by other people

who were against his teaching of the

good news of the gospel of Jesus, the

Roman Empire, the Jewish authorities,

and now the false teachers. And yet over

and over again, Paul is focused on our

minds.

and our thinking. Recognizing that much

of our battle is in our own minds,

in our own thinking.

All of Paul's talk about the mind and

thinking, it makes me wonder, was Paul

also embattled in his mind?

Is that why he so often brings his

letters back to the idea of what is

happening in our minds, in our thinking?

Did Paul struggle with his thinking?

Did he have to remind himself to be

aware of his own thoughts and where they

were leading him?

As a teacher here at the river, it is a

joy to share with you what the Lord has

placed on my mind and heart. And to be

honest, before I can stand before you

and teach you, the Lord has to first

teach me.

It is the Lord and I working through

this together before I stand here.

Just me and my Bible and my computer and

the Lord directing my thoughts, my

thinking, my mind, processing God's word

in my mind.

I would imagine it was the same for

Paul. I believe that is why he

repeatedly reminds us about our thinking

and our minds. Because yes, we are

acting out our faith in community with

one another, but much of our faith

processing is done alone

in our own thoughts and our own minds.

And Paul is bringing this to our

attention because I believe it was on

his mind. Also,

let's think for a moment about Paul in

jail.

Yes, he had visitors. We know Paul

learned what was happening in Colasse

from Apapaffris. In the Bible, in the

book of Philippians, we read the name of

multiple people he interacted with while

in jail. But let's be real, they were

not prisoners in jail.

They visited him.

Yes, beautifully. They were faithful to

support Paul, but Paul was the one in

jail. His visitors were able to go home

at night.

I think we can accurately say Paul spent

many hours alone,

in his mind, in his thoughts, with his

thinking.

And I believe Paul wrote so much about

our minds and our thinking because he

was living so much alone in his mind.

In jail, not only would Paul have spent

a lot of time alone, but he would have

been subjected to mental and physical

torture, including having no idea how

long he was going to be there.

One theologian I have come to appreciate

wonders if Paul had come to a place of

despairing in prison

to be without hope.

Paul wrote four letters while in jail.

Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and

Phileiman. These have been called the

prison letters.

The theologian I referred to believes

the four prison letters were written

directly out of Paul's personal struggle

with despair.

Interestingly, in our American culture,

we are spending increased amounts of

time alone.

This has happened since the pandemic.

The trend is driven by increased remote

work, more screen time, and a decline of

in-person socializing.

It is wise for us to pay attention to

Paul's words about what happens in our

thinking and in our minds. They are

perhaps more applicable than ever

because of how much time we spend alone.

Paul understands what it is like when

our minds are embattled. And I believe

that is why Paul reminds us repeatedly

in scripture the importance of our minds

and our thinking. I also believe he

models in this week's passage an answer

for what to do when our minds are

embattled.

And here is our key truth. When your

mind is embattled, speak out loud the

work and attributes of the Lord for

encouragement, peace, and hope.

When your mind is embattled, speak out

loud the work and attributes of the Lord

for encouragement, peace, and hope.

What does it mean to speak out loud the

work and attributes of the Lord? Just

this week, I had a woman in our study

reach out to me. She was overwhelmed

with news that she had learned about a

good friend. We met and she shared the

circumstances that had shaken her. It is

fair to say her mind was embattled.

She was overwhelmed, not sure how to

process what had happened. And in her

text, she wrote to me, "I am a mess."

We met together, and after she shared

what was happening, I had her read a

passage of scripture which highlights

the character of the Lord. I had her

read it out loud and then repeat the

phrases identifying God's character.

Once she clearly had the Lord's

character in mind, then we began to

process the information she had just

received.

Who God is and how he meets us is the

lens from which we viewed her news.

It helped her bring peace to her mind

regarding the difficult situation she

was facing.

Studies have shown that saying things

out loud can help lock it into our brain

and into our memory.

So today's scripture passage can work

the same way to help us when we are

embattled in our minds reminding us of

the truth of the Lord. So today we're

going to cover our passage in three

parts. First, we're going to look at our

encouragement from Colossians 15

1:15-17.

Then, we're going to look at our peace

in verses 18- 20. And then our hope in

verses 21 through 23. And this will help

us see our key truth. When your mind is

embattled, speak out loud the work and

attributes of the Lord for

encouragement, peace, and hope.

While Paul was in jail, he had a lot of

time to spend in his mind praying and

pondering the ancient biblical text we

now know as the Old Testament. And

during his time in jail, in his mind

thinking, Paul created two beautiful

poems.

We talked about one of them in the

letter to the Philippians, the Christ

hymn in Philippians chapter 2. Now we

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

have another poem here in Colossians

Colossians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1, a second Christ hymn. It was

in prison that Paul himself fully

understood the value of diving deeply

into scripture and processing it in his

mind and in his thinking. For that is

how Paul emerged from his deep dive and

perhaps his despair

with such majestic poetry.

We find Paul's second Christ hymn, a

poem in verses 15- 20 of Colossians 1.

In his poem, we witness Paul praising

the person and work of Jesus.

While the Christ hymn in the book of

Philippians focused on the servantthood

of Jesus, this Christ hymn in Colossians

focuses on the supremacy of Jesus.

This poem has been called the

centerpiece of chapter 1 and is all

about the crucified and exalted Messiah

Jesus. And just like the Christ hymn in

the letter to the Philippians, this poem

in Colossians 1 expresses what Paul

himself believed about Jesus. Beliefs

that had transformed Paul's life and

once again beliefs that I believe gave

Paul courage to continue preaching the

good news of Jesus.

I believe Paul's poems quite likely are

the thing that brought him out of

despair,

out of his embattled mind.

In some of your translations, this

passage has been types set as poetry

since many scholars regard it as part of

the poetry genre. There are two broad

categor criteria for determining whether

a passage is poetic. It must have number

one a certain rhythmical lilt when the

passage is read aloud

and number two it has to have an unusual

vocabulary particularly the presence of

theological terms which is different

from the surrounding context.

Many scholars believe this poem has

both. And isn't it interesting that one

of the criteria for it to be considered

a poem is that it has to have a

rhythmical lilt when the passage is read

out loud.

Another reason to read out loud. So

let's read this poem of praise together

about Jesus out loud. Here we go.

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.

Amen.

Thank you. So beautiful. This poem is

one you can read out loud to yourself

when your thinking needs to be

realigned.

Say it out loud when your mind gets

overwhelmed or embattled and you need to

be reminded of who Jesus is.

Both this and the Philippians Christ

hymn can be used in this way. So let's

move to the first part of our outline,

our encouragement.

The Colossians Christ hymn is divided

into two stanzas. The first stanza

focuses on how Jesus is the true image

of God. Here is the first stanza. 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.

I love the phrase explaining that Jesus

is the image of the invisible God. We

see this in other places in scripture.

Jesus told his disciples in John 14:9,

John 14:9

"Whoever has seen me has seen the

father." Jesus also said, "Whoever sees

me sees him who sent me."

Paul captured this same idea in 2

2 Corinthians 4:4

Corinthians 4:4. The God of this world

has blinded the minds of the unbelievers

to keep them from seeing the light of

the gospel of the glory of Christ who is

the image of God.

Jesus is the image of God. And note

there we have our word again, minds.

Paul reminds us again that so much of

our faith takes place in our mind.

Referring to Jesus as the firstborn of

all creation is a direct link to Psalm

Psalms 89:27

89:27.

And I will make him the firstborn, the

highest of the kings of the earth.

Now personally I believe this is where

Paul is preaching to himself before

preaching to others. Paul was embattled

by the Roman Empire, the Jewish

authorities and now false teachers. And

Paul needed to get his thinking, his

mind right.

Who is Jesus again?

Who am I following?

Who am I risking my life for?

Oh yes, it is Jesus, the firstborn of

all creation, the highest of the kings

of the earth, in heaven and on earth,

visible and invisible, whether thrones

or dominions or rulers or authority. Oh

yes, this is the Jesus I follow and

teach.

the one who is above the Roman Empire,

the Jewish authorities, and the false

teachers.

I believe this poem is the result of

Paul getting his thinking and his mind

right

in Ephesians 1:21. Paul wrote, speaking

Ephesians 1:21

of Jesus, far above all rule and

authority and a power and dominion and

above every name that is named, not only

in this age, but in the one to come.

This is a powerful statement because

when Paul was looking around his jail

cell, this is not what he would have

seen with his physical eyes.

What he could see physically was that he

was in a Roman jail put there by

powerful Roman authorities.

Paul could see local officials proving

their allegiance to Caesar and the

reality of himself being tortured in

prison.

To say Jesus was far above all rule and

authority and power and dominion was to

speak of a world with the mind of faith.

And Paul was asking the Colossians to do

the same because when they looked around

they would have seen clearly the

authority of the Roman Empire.

So let me ask you in your life,

do you need to be reminded that it is

actually Jesus who is the ultimate

authority?

How can you look at your situation and

believe even though to your eyes

things look bleak?

Jesus is still the ultimate power above

every power both human and spiritual.

This takes comparing these truths about

Jesus with our own situation and coming

to that conclusion in our minds.

The last theme covered in this first

part of the poem is the language of

creation.

For by him all things were created and

all things were created through him and

for him. This echoes John 1:3. All

John 1:3

things were made through him, and

without him was not anything made that

was made. He puts that last sentence

there just so there's no question,

right? Without him there was not

anything made that was made.

Revelation 4:11 exalts Jesus with,

Revelation 4:11

"Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to

receive glory and honor and power, for

you created all things, and by your will

they existed and were created."

One of the remarkable things about God's

creativity

is that he brings order out of chaos.

Genesis 1:2 says, "Before God created

Genesis 1:2

the earth, earth was without form and

void."

The NASB translates it this way, "The

earth was formless and desolate

emptiness."

Have you ever wondered, or you may have

wondered, why did I call this section of

our outline encouragement?

It is because of this right here.

Let me ask you, where in your life do

you need the Lord's creative power?

In what part of your life do you need

order?

Where are you feeling chaotic,

desolate,

empty?

This, my friends, is where the Lord

Jesus, the creator, does some of his

very best work. Here is our truth for

this section. Be encouraged. The Lord's

creative power is able to bring beauty

and order out of chaos.

Be encouraged. The Lord's creative power

is able to bring beauty and order out of

chaos.

Where do you have chaos in your life?

Where do you need order?

Turn to the Lord and invite him into

your chaos.

Hold on to this verse in Ephesians 3:20.

Ephesians 3:20

Now to him who is able to do far more

abundantly than all we ask or think

according to the power at work within

us. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

More abundantly than all we ask or

think. Here is where we need to get out

of our heads and ask the Lord to use his

creative power in our lives.

He is waiting for you to ask him.

All right, we've talked about the Lord

as our encouragement. Let's move on to

the next part of our outline. The Lord

as our peace.

You guys are getting me all choked up.

Here in the second stanza of the Christ

hymn, we learn that Jesus brought about

new creation through his resurrection.

Here are the concluding verses of the

Christ hymn. 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.

Paul's poem ends with peace.

The phrase firstborn from the dead means

that Jesus was the first to rise from

the dead.

In the book of Acts, Paul testified

about Jesus, saying, "By being the first

to rise from the dead, he would proclaim

light both to our people and to the

Gentiles."

Jesus rising from the dead is paramount

to Christian faith.

In 1 Corinthians 15:14,

1 Corinthians 15:14

Paul says, "If Christ has not been

raised, then our preaching is in vain

and your faith is in vain."

Paul is saying, "Without the

resurrection of Jesus, there is no such

thing as Christianity."

Jesus's resurrection then is a key part

of the confession of faith. Paul states

it clearly in Romans 10:9. If you

Romans 10:9

confess with your mouth that Jesus is

Lord and believe in your heart that God

raised him from the dead, you will be

saved.

Those are important questions.

Do you confess with your mouth that

Jesus is Lord?

Do you believe in your heart that God

raised him from the dead?

That is the path to salvation,

confession and belief.

This confession of faith leads to the

reconciliation with God spoken of in

verse 20 through him to reconcile to

himself.

In the Bible, the term reconciliation

means the restoration of the favor of

God to sinners that repent and put their

trust in the death of Christ.

Let me say that again. Reconciliation

means the restoration of the favor of

God to sinners that repent and put their

trust in the death of Christ.

Where in the Bible do we see this

separation that needs to be reconciled?

Interestingly, we see it all the way

back in the Old Testament. Isaiah 59:2

Isaiah 59:2

describes it clearly. But your

iniquities, that's another word for sin,

your iniquities have made a separation

between you and God. And your sins have

hidden his face from you so that he does

not hear.

So how do we find this reconciliation

with God identified in verse 20 of the

Christ hymn?

Here is our truth. Repenting of your

sins and accepting Jesus as the

crucified and risen Lord restores your

favor with God and brings peace.

Let me say that again. Repenting of your

sins and accepting Jesus as the

crucified and risen Lord restores your

favor with God and brings peace.

Some of you are new to the river this

year and this talk of faith in Jesus is

also new. Welcome. We're so glad that

you are here.

This right here is how you enter into a

relationship with Jesus.

It is the decision of belief that you

make in your mind which leads to the

declaration of faith.

This is how you begin a relationship

with Jesus.

And that brings us to the end of the

poem, the Colossians Christ him. Let's

read it out loud one more time together.

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 preeeminent.

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 Christ. Wow. Beautiful.

On Sundays at church, we sing of the

Lord's attributes and of his work. And

this poem gives us a way to bring these

declarations into the rest of our week.

Meditate. Think on each line. Say it out

loud and then apply the Lord's

attributes and work to your life. Ask

yourself, "What would it look like in my

life if I actually believed this?

How would it affect my actions and my

thoughts?

That is how Paul wants us to use our

minds.

Okay, we've talked about the Lord as our

encouragement and as our peace. Let's

turn to the last part of our outline,

our hope.

With his poem finished, Paul writes,

"And you who were once alienated and

hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 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. 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.

Our minds have been turned from

hostility to reconciliation and faith in

God. And now Paul urges us to continue

in the faith stable and steadfast not

shifting from the hope of the gospel.

Stable,

steadfast,

not shifting. These are active,

intentional words. But what is Paul

referring to when he says the hope of

the gospel? Paul requ.

I love this. No eye has seen, nor ear

heard, nor heart of man imagined what

God has prepared for those who love him.

Isn't that beautiful? Oh, that sounds

good. And that is what I hope for. No

eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the

heart of man imagined what God has

prepared for those who love him.

Yes, this is the new heavens and the new

earth. But Jesus taught us the kingdom

of God begins now.

We have hope for what God has prepared

for us in the here and now. And this is

our final truth. The hope of Christ is

for now and forever. The hope of Christ

is for now and forever.

Yes, it is true. A relationship with

Jesus offers more than we can imagine

for after we die. And a relationship

with Jesus offers more than we can

imagine in our lives right now.

Here is a quote about hope that I found

helpful. Hope, and I put it on the

slide. Hope is confidence in God whose

goodness and mercy can be relied on and

whose promises cannot fail.

Hope is confidence in God whose goodness

and mercy can be relied on and whose

promises cannot fail.

To experience this hope, Paul calls us

to be stable and steadfast, not shifting

in our faith. This is active,

intentional. It doesn't just happen.

And I believe Paul would say this

stability begins in our minds,

in our thinking.

This is especially true when we are

facing difficulties and battles in life.

So remember our key truth. When your

mind is embattled, speak out loud the

work and attributes of the Lord for

encouragement,

peace, and hope. Let's pray.

God, this is a

lot of theology.

It's a little bit dense as we're out

here in the deep end of the pool.

And yet, that's where the richness is.

That's where the good stuff is.

So Lord, would you give us

strength to persevere,

to find the encouragement, to find the

peace, and to find the hope?

May each person listening today just get

a little bit of one of these

encouragement,

peace,

and hope

in order to

strengthen their faith

and keep bringing their focus back to

you.

So thank you Lord for all you're doing

in our lives. Things that we see and

things we cannot see but we are trusting

that it is true.

And may we be quick Lord to give you

praise for every good thing. We love you

Lord. Amen.

Have a great time in your groups.