Podcasts about colossians

Instagram's Child Rape supporting business model; we may have actually killed Bud-Light, and why Zach Abraham started crying todayZach Abraham joins for our regular Friday discussion. With Memorial Day sales numbers in, we started with a question about Bud-Light and what is apparently the destruction of $28 BILLION in market value, post Dylan Mulvaney. Can that brand even survive? We was discussed the car company Barack Hussein Obama stole from secured creditors and investors and gave to the unions, GM. The CEO of GM announced there is no way their electric vehicle line will see any profits until the end of THIS DECADE. How do they compare to Tesla? Zach had not yet read the Wall Street Journal's piece on how Instagram didn't just allow pedophile to meet-up and seek victims, the Meta (read: Facebook) owned company actually PROMOTED these pedophiles to one another. This piece PROVES aspects of #PizzaGate and I got to see our Brother react to that news live-time, you will hear how it hits him. But, it was a question I asked Zach about wealth that actually put him into tears today. What does God's Word say? Matthew 7:3-5 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.Colossians 3:15-20 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. The only time in the Bible where God tells us to test Him is about giving Him back part of what He gives us: tithing. Episode 883 Links:Bud Light Murdered on Memorial Day, Americans Show What's Left on Sold Out Beer Aisles Across the CountryVenture-Capital Firm Sequoia to Separate China Business as Political Tensions Rise; The Silicon Valley company will split into three independent partnerships with different brandsCheese Pizza? Meta's Instagram Facilitated Massive Pedophile NetworkGM CEO says Tesla has the lead in electric cars, doesn't see profitable $30-40K EVs until end of decadeUS tightens crackdown on crypto with lawsuits against Coinbase, Binance4Patriots https://4patriots.com Protect your family with Food kits, solar generators and more at 4Patriots. Use code TODD for 10% off your first purchase. Alan's Soaps https://alanssoaps.com/TODD Use coupon code ‘TODD' to save an additional 10% off the bundle price. BiOptimizers https://magbreakthrough.com/todd Use promo code TODD for 10% off your order. Bonefrog https://bonefrog.us Enter promo code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your subscription. Bulwark Capital http://KnowYourRiskRadio.com Find out how Bulwark Capital Actively Manages risk. Call 866-779-RISK or vist KnowYourRiskRadio.com Healthycell http://healthycell.com/todd Protect your heart with Healthycell! Use promo code TODD for 20% off your first order. My Pillow https://mypillow.com Use code TODD for BOGO on the new MyPillow 2.0 Patriot Mobile https://patriotmobile.com/herman Get free activation today with offer code HERMAN. Visit or call 878-PATRIOT. RuffGreens https://ruffgreens.com/todd Get your FREE Jumpstart Trial Bag of Ruff Greens, simply cover shipping. Visit or call 877-MYDOG-64. SOTA Weight Loss https://sotaweightloss.com SOTA Weight Loss is, say it with me now, STATE OF THE ART! GreenHaven Interactive https://greenhaveninteractive.com Digital Marketing including search engine optimization and website design.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5674544/advertisement

The law exists for a purpose, but too many Christians today are hung up on ritual and laws. That's exactly what Paul addresses in the section of Colossians we'll look at today. Turn to Colossians two, verses sixteen through twenty-three, and we'll join Pastor Al Pittman. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

Amir and Mike read Joshua 5-6 & Colossians 3-4

Our Scripture today is Colossians 3:12-16 … Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. (NLT) In several places throughout Scripture, God used the concept of putting on His qualities just like we choose to put on clothing. The practical side of this is, one, we choose to put on what we wear, and two, that is the majority of what people see on us, our clothing. The same can be true of His qualities. What we may choose to quote-unquote wear from our past can still show in the present. People can literally see our hurts, pain, victimization, bitterness, and so on. There comes a point when we have to choose a new wardrobe and let people see the person Christ has forgiven and changed. The past is no longer our present and the future is no longer determined by anything, except the present. Listen to this passage in The Message Bible … So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. What have you been wearing that you need to take off and throw away? It's worn out and old and you know it. What once may have been a security blanket is now a funeral shroud. What of Christ's qualities listed in today's passage, do you need to put on and keep on? If you choose peace in your heart, it will surely show in your life. Let's pray together: “Heavenly Father, today, I choose to put on love, humility, compassion, kindness, strength, and peace. As above, so below.”

Reference this lesson and find out more here: https://evidence4faith.org/portfolio/why-are-there-different-bible-translations/ After Kenneth Taylor successfully launched his Living Bible paraphrase and became the best-selling Bible among Youth in the 1970s, Tyndale Publishing wanted to remake it as a translation. The New Living Translation is a thought-for-thought translation that has converted cultural terms to their modern equivalent, including dates, times, currency, and measurements. However this conversion of terms and translation method runs into similar problems as paraphrases. It can obscure the original intent and meaning of passages by removing the Jewish cultural components and inject bias. However this Bible could still be of use in a Bible study tool kit. Listen in to find out more about how this Bible was put together and how it can be used in a Bible study tool kit.CREDITS: Stock Music provided by mv_production, from Pond5#newlivingtranslation #paraphrase #tyndalepublishing #bible #biblestudy #bibletranslations #whyaretheredifferentbibletranslations #podcast-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DONATE: https://evidence4faith.org/give/ WEBSITE: https://evidence4faith.org/NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/hpazV5BOOKINGS: https://evidence4faith.org/bookings/CONTACT: Evidence 4 Faith, 5821 Bear Trail, Rhinelander WI 54501 , info@evidence4faith.orgMy goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. - Colossians 2:2-3Mentioned in this episode:Help us produce the next course!DONATE: https://evidence4faith.org/give/

Colossians 1 - 1:11 . Colossians 2 - 5:49 . Colossians 3 - 10:47 . Colossians 4 - 14:39 . Psalm 85 - 17:45 . Psalm 86 - 19:22 . Paul catches word from fellow workers in the Gospel that the church at Colossae is wrestling with some false teaching that had entered their church. While the heresy is not fully identified, we gather that it had an inferior view of Christ, involved worship of angels and asceticism, and promoted man-made traditions. Paul directs their hearts and minds to give glory to Christ and to seek the things that are above, where Christ is. He is Lord over all Creation, and therefore, no elemental, created thing could be as glorious or as powerful as Him.:::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson, and the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

We're currently enjoying a journey through the book of Colossians, and once again, we see the incredible inspired word of God coming through in this letter from Paul to the church in Colossi. Do you think God knew two thousand years ago how relevant these words would be for us today? Of course He did! Colossians chapter two has much to teach us about false teachers, and the true source of security and happiness- our Lord Jesus Christ. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

Crucial Questions for the Human Family, Part 6 (Colossians 3:18) Speaker: Pastor Tim Evans In this #newdevotionalseries, Pastor Tim examines several questions crucial to understanding of what the Bible says about the family and God's design for men and women. Get a copy of "50 Crucial Questions: An Overview of Central Concerns about Manhood and Womanhood" by John Piper & Wayne Grudem at the link below:https://www.amazon.com/50-Crucial-Questions-Overview-Womanhood/dp/1433551810/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=50+Crucial+Question+-+Piper/Grudem&qid=1583095792&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=cbmw-20&linkId=1da206b62c5b001f666ea547e6547ae3&language=en_US This audio is a production of North Clay Baptist Church. For more information from North Clay Baptist Church, visit our website at www.northclay.org

Morning: Genesis 32:26; Genesis 32:28; Luke 6:12; Luke 11:5–8; Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2 They ought always to pray and not lose heart. And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.”—Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”… “You have striven with God and with men.”—Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. Genesis 32:26 (Listen) 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (ESV) Genesis 32:28 (Listen) 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,1 for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Footnotes [1] 32:28 Israel means He strives with God, or God strives (ESV) Luke 6:12 (Listen) The Twelve Apostles 12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. (ESV) Luke 11:5–8 (Listen) 5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence1 he will rise and give him whatever he needs. Footnotes [1] 11:8 Or persistence (ESV) Luke 18:1 (Listen) The Parable of the Persistent Widow 18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. (ESV) Ephesians 6:18 (Listen) 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (ESV) Colossians 4:2 (Listen) Further Instructions 2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (ESV) Evening: Psalm 25:18; Psalm 103:2–3; Isaiah 1:18; Isaiah 43:25; Matthew 9:2; Matthew 9:6; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 2:13–14; Titus 3:5–6 Forgive all my sins. “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”—“Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”—“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”—In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.—He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.—Having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Bless the Lord, O my soul,… who forgives all your iniquity. Psalm 25:18 (Listen) 18   Consider my affliction and my trouble,    and forgive all my sins. (ESV) Psalm 103:2–3 (Listen) 2   Bless the LORD, O my soul,    and forget not all his benefits,3   who forgives all your iniquity,    who heals all your diseases, (ESV) Isaiah 1:18 (Listen) 18   “Come now, let us reason1 together, says the LORD:  though your sins are like scarlet,    they shall be as white as snow;  though they are red like crimson,    they shall become like wool. Footnotes [1] 1:18 Or dispute (ESV) Isaiah 43:25 (Listen) 25   “I, I am he    who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,    and I will not remember your sins. (ESV) Matthew 9:2 (Listen) 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” (ESV) Matthew 9:6 (Listen) 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” (ESV) Ephesians 1:7 (Listen) 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (ESV) Colossians 2:13–14 (Listen) 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (ESV) Titus 3:5–6 (Listen) 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, (ESV)

Principle 6 – Colossians 2:4-23A Principle to Live By – Growth in Biblical TruthWe should become more and more grounded in God's message of salvation and sanctification so that we will not be led astray by false teaching.Support the show

Series: N/AService: Sun PMType: SermonSpeaker: Jarrod JacobsOur Sunday PM sermon preached by Jarrod Jacobs on 5/21/28. This sermon is based in Ecclesiastes and Colossians 3 where we are taught to do things with "our might" or from the soul. This sermon teaches us to be genuine, honest, and real with ourselves and others.

Have you ever wondered how to go about sharing your faith with friends and family? It can be scary and a bit confusing, but God isready to help us..Sharing Jesus with others involves more than talking. It involves the ways our whole lives—both our words and our actions—show the good news of Jesus. In very practical terms, it's important that while we share our faith we don't try to change people. Instead, we let our actions show them how Jesus is changing us. As we do this, we can rest in God's love. Our lives can impact those around us, not because we make anything happen inside them, but because God is the One doing the work in each of us (1 Corinthians 3:6-8)..Sharing our faith isn't about being perfect either. In fact, because we still have our sinful natures until Jesus returns, we will absolutely mess up—in both what we say and what we do. But the good news is, when we fail to love God and others well, all we need to do is talk to Jesus, apologize to those we've hurt, and rely on Jesus to help us turn away from sinful behavior. We can move forward in faith because we know that our sins are forgiven through Jesus's death and resurrection..So today, sharing our faith starts with resting in God's love for us. As we lean into relationship with Jesus, we grow to become more and more like Him... more kind, more compassionate, more trustworthy. And this is a lifelong process. So, when we share God's love with others, it's because God loved us first (1 John 4:19). We get to invite people to know the One who loves them unconditionally and wants to have a close relationship with them forever. • A. W. Smith.• Who would you like to share your faith with? Consider taking a moment to pray for them and ask God: "What might a conversation about faith look like with this particular person? How could my actions communicate Your love to them?" Then, write down anything that comes to mind. .• Who are trusted, mature Christians in your life you could talk with about good ways to share Jesus's love through your words and actions?.Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5 (NLT)

To know Jesus and His attributes is to realize that there no reason to follow any other path but the path that takes you to Him. He paid the full price for our sins, and the rewards of living a life pleasing to Him, and accepting Him as your savior are almost impossible to put into words. We've just begun a study of Colossians chapter two, so turn there in your Bible and join us for today's edition of The Dwelling Place. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

Colossians 3:1-4

Devotion on Service, Christian Living, Colossians 3:12. 1 page. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience … (Colossians 3:12). Have you ever stood and looked in your closet and couldn't decide what to wear? You look at all the clothes hanging there and nothing seems right for the day ahead. The perfect outfit just isn't there! Isn't it good to know that our heavenly Father has already selected the perfect outfit for us as His dearly loved children? It is the outfit for service. Download the printable PDF of this devotion Outfitted for Service Outfitted for Service by Janice Wendorf, Grafton, Wisconsin Published by Lutheran Women's Missionary League 2013      

Morning: Deuteronomy 7:7–8; Zephaniah 3:17; Matthew 3:17; John 10:17; Romans 5:8; Colossians 1:21–22; Hebrews 1:2–3; 1 John 4:10; 1 John 4:19 He will quiet you by his love. “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you.”—We love because he first loved us.—And you… 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. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.—But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.—And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”—“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.”—His Son… He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Deuteronomy 7:7–8 (Listen) 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (ESV) Zephaniah 3:17 (Listen) 17   The LORD your God is in your midst,    a mighty one who will save;  he will rejoice over you with gladness;    he will quiet you by his love;  he will exult over you with loud singing. (ESV) Matthew 3:17 (Listen) 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son,1 with whom I am well pleased.” Footnotes [1] 3:17 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved (ESV) John 10:17 (Listen) 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. (ESV) Romans 5:8 (Listen) 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (ESV) Colossians 1:21–22 (Listen) 21 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, (ESV) Hebrews 1:2–3 (Listen) 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (ESV) 1 John 4:10 (Listen) 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (ESV) 1 John 4:19 (Listen) 19 We love because he first loved us. (ESV) Evening: Genesis 4:16; Psalm 16:11; Isaiah 59:2; Matthew 7:14; Matthew 27:51; John 14:6; Ephesians 2:14; 2 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 9:8; Hebrews 10:20; Hebrews 12:14 The new and living way. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord.—But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you.—The holiness without which no one will see the Lord.—“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”—Our Savior Christ Jesus… abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.—The way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing.—For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.—And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”—You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Genesis 4:16 (Listen) 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod,1 east of Eden. Footnotes [1] 4:16 Nod means wandering (ESV) Psalm 16:11 (Listen) 11   You make known to me the path of life;    in your presence there is fullness of joy;    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (ESV) Isaiah 59:2 (Listen) 2   but your iniquities have made a separation    between you and your God,  and your sins have hidden his face from you    so that he does not hear. (ESV) Matthew 7:14 (Listen) 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (ESV) Matthew 27:51 (Listen) 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. (ESV) John 14:6 (Listen) 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (ESV) Ephesians 2:14 (Listen) 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (ESV) 2 Timothy 1:10 (Listen) 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, (ESV) Hebrews 9:8 (Listen) 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (ESV) Hebrews 10:20 (Listen) 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, (ESV) Hebrews 12:14 (Listen) 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (ESV)

What does it mean to do something "in the name of Jesus?"   "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:17 NASB   A friend of mine recently talked about core values and he recommended that organizations actually treat them as guiding principles. This is the first core value or guiding principle for Follower of One. And since we're a volunteer organization, I like the idea of a guiding principle.   We want to establish ministry as a lifestyle.   What doest that mean? Well, ministry is just service. When we decide that every day, we're going to get out of bed and serve others so they might see Jesus, we're in full-time ministry. In fact, I consider ministry as the practice of helping others move one notch closer to Jesus. I can do that in any job, or life situation. And once I realized that I can serve others anywhere, I became a full-time minister.   I don't believe we go through this world in neutral. Either we're for God or we're not. I don't think God saved us to just get us out of hell. He left us here to take part in his great adventure, saving the rest of mankind. We get to play.   When Jesus stated his purpose, It surprised the Jews. At the end of one of the struggles the disciples had about who was the greatest, Jesus said, "whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all." He wrapped it up with For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:43-45 NASB).   To make ministry my life, I need other Jesus followers around me. I want to interact with others who are trying to make ministry the hallmark of their life, too. Thats why we formed an online community.   Would you like your faith to invade everything you do every day? Check out Follower of One. Head over to www.FollowerOfOne.org and check it out.   Also, check out our original post on this value at https://followerofone.org/values-ministry-lifestyle/

Colossians 3:1-4 Printable Outline:    6-4-23pdf     Sermon audio:  6-4-23   sermon video:

Heavenly Minded -> The Book of Colossians, Part 3 // Live from Orlando, Florida with Pastor Chris Ross

Paul gives the remedy for the threat of false teaching: continual growth in Christ. Join us for this message from Colossians chapter 2. Walking in Christ

A new MP3 sermon from OnePassion Ministries is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Colossians 2:4-8 Deadly Doctrine Subtitle: The Pulpit of Steven Lawson Speaker: Dr. Steven J. Lawson Broadcaster: OnePassion Ministries Event: Podcast Date: 6/5/2023 Length: 57 min.

This week Ken Pyne preached through Colossians 1:15-23

Are we under the Law of Moses (Mosaic Law/Sinai Covenant/Old Covenant) today? There is so much confusion amongst followers of Jesus as to what from the Old Testament In this podcast, we will look at Acts 11:1-18 where Peter explains what happened with Cornelius and a group of Gentiles in Acts 10. We will also look at Acts 15 where under the Holy Spirit's inspiration, we learn exactly what God required of Gentile believers. We will also see that as the 1st century progressed there was in fact a shift from the Old Covenant (Mosaic/Sinai) to the New Covenant as there was no longer any way for Jews to carry out the requirements of "the Law" that was given to Moses because there was no longer a Jewish Temple. Jesus FULFILLED the Law and the Old Covenant was deemed "obsolete".Summary of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)GENTILES DO NOT HAVE TO KEEP THE MOSAIC LAW – ceremonial, civic, dietaryNO SEXUAL IMMORALITY (moral law) – fornication, adultery, homosexuality, etc. NO CIRCUMCISION (from Abrahamic Covenant)NO DETAILED DIETARY LAWS (only blood, strangled animal meat, meat sacrificed to idols)NO SABBATH OBSERVANCE COMMANDED (ceremonial)NO FESTIVALS COMMANDEDWhat LAW are we commanded to obey today? The Law of Christ – His Teachings and His Apostles“If you love me, you will keep/obey MY commandments” – John 14:15(9 of the 10 commandments repeated in the New Testament – the MORAL LAW)Confusion about Biblical CovenantsHow many are there?  Who were they made with? Who did they apply to?  What were/are the conditions?Which still apply TODAY?  Which commandments are we supposed to obey?What commandments/regulations/ordinances are “perpetual”? (“everlasting”/ “forever”) Were any commandments “temporary”?Seventh-Day Adventists / Messianic Judaism (*for Jewish background)(Some) Word of Faith Prosperity Teachers – blessings, curses?Hebrew Roots / Torah Observant – “Lawlessness”?Biblical Covenants - Are there 4? 5? 6?Adamic (?) / Noahic / Abrahamic / Mosaic/Sinai (Old Covenant) / Davidic / New Covenant 1. Noahic – WHO? all mankind (Gen 8-9) / SIGN? Rainbow2. Abrahamic – WHO? Abraham and his Seed (Gen 12, 15, 17, 22) / SIGN? Circumcision3. Mosaic (Old) – WHO? Nation of Israel (Exodus 19-40, Deuteronomy) / SIGN? Sabbath4. Davidic – WHO? David & his Son (2 Sam. 7, 1 Kgs. 2 & 9, Ps 2, 89) / SIGN? Throne5. New Covenant – WHO? Jews & Gentiles (Jer. 31:31-34, Ez. 36) / SIGN? BaptismJeremiah 31:31-34 - 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”Prophesied in the Testaments of the PatriarchsTestament of Reuben - “Therefore, I command you to obey Levi, because he will know the law of the Lord, and will create ordinances for judgment and sacrifice for all Israel until the time of Messiah… We will worship his Seed, because He will die for us in wars visible and invisible and will be among you an everlasting king.” Testament of Levi - “After the Lord punishes them (corrupt priests), He will raise up to the priesthood a new Priest, to whom all the words of the Lord will be revealed…there will none succeed Him for all generations, even forever. In His priesthood the Gentiles will be multiplied in knowledge on the earth and enlightened through the grace of the Lord. In His priesthood all sin will come to an end,…He will open the gates of paradise, and will remove the threatening sword against Adam. He will give to His saints to eat from the tree of life, and the Spirit of holiness will be on them. Belial will be bound by Him, and He will give power to His children to tread upon the evil spirits. Testament of Benjamin - ‘In you will be fulfilled the prophecy of heaven concerning the Lamb of God, even the Savior of the world. He will be delivered up spotless for transgressors. He will be sinless, yet put to death for ungodly men in the blood of the Covenant, for the salvation of the Gentiles and of Israel. He will destroy Belial [Satan], and them that serve him.'”Old Covenant vs. New Covenant - Relevant New Testament PassagesHebrews 8:6-13 - 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. 8 For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” 13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.  When? Death/Resurrection? AD70? Book of Galatians – Abrahamic & Mosaic Covenants FULFILLED in Christ. Good news? NO MORE CIRCUMCISION! Gal. 4:9-11 - 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.Colossians 2:14, 16-17 - 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. …16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.Old Covenant vs. New Covenant - The Church in the 2nd Century ADFor this reason, four principal covenants were given to the human race: The first was under Adam, prior to the deluge. The second was the one after the deluge, under Noah. The third was the giving of the Law under Moses. The fourth is that which renovates man, and sums up all things in itself by means of the Gospel.  Irenaeus (AD 180)God thus shows that the ancient covenant [Mosaic] is temporary only, when He indicates its change. Also, when He promises that it will be followed by an eternal one [New Covenant].  Tertullian (AD 207)The epistle that we also allow to be the most decisive against Judaism, is that in which the apostle instructs the Galatians. For we fully admit the abolition of the ancient Law. We hold that it actually proceeds from the dispensation of the Creator. ...Christ marks the period of the separation when He says, “The Law and the Prophets were until John.” [Lk. 16:16] He thus made the Baptist the boundary between the two dispensations of the old things that were then terminating and the new things that were then beginning.  Tertullian (AD 207)The Old Covenant ENDED (was abolished) with Christ & the Destruction of the Temple (AD 70)i.e. NO MORE - Circumcision, Dietary laws, ceremonial laws, civil laws, the Sabbath, the blessings & cursesWhat about Christians who are still keeping the 7th Day Sabbath (Saturday)?Exodus 31:12-17 - Sabbath Commandment in Old Testament12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'”All 10 Commandments are re-affirmed in the New Testament except for one? Sabbath (Saturday) or Sunday in the New Testament?+ Jesus ROSE from the dead on Sunday+ 1st Two Sundays after the Crucifixion - On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. - John 20:19-20 + A week later disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” - John 20:26-28 + Continued to meet on Sundays - On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. - Acts 20:7+ Evidence from the Church at Corinth - 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. - 1 Cor. 16:2NO EVIDENCE in the New Testament that Christians (even Jewish background ones) were having their worship on Saturdays!Sabbath (Saturday) or Sunday - What did the Church do in the 2nd & 3rd Centuries? + ...no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day [Sunday].  Ignatius (AD 105)+ Their scrupulosity concerning meats, and their superstition as respects the Sabbaths, and their boasting about circumcision, and their fancies about fasting and the new moons...are utterly ridiculous and unworthy of notice. ...And to speak falsely of God, as if He forbade us to do what is good on the Sabbath-days—how is this not ungodly?  Letter to Diognetus (c. 125-200) + Is there any other matter, my [Jewish] friends, in which we Christians are blamed, than this: that we do not live after the Law...and do not observe Sabbaths as you do?  Justin Martyr (AD 160)+ There was no need of circumcision before Abraham. Nor was there need of the observance of Sabbaths, or of feasts and sacrifices, before Moses. Accordingly, there is no more need of them now.  Justin Martyr (AD 160)+ We do not follow the Jews in their peculiarities in regard to food nor in their sacred days.  Tertullian (AD 197)+  … the observance of the Sabbath is demonstrated to have been temporary.  Tertullian (AD 197)+  For concerning [the Jews Sabbath], Christ himself, the Lord of the Sabbath, says by His prophets that “His soul hates.” In His body, He [Christ] abolished this Sabbath.  Victorinus (AD 280)Early Christian Practice Summary+ Considered the Mosaic law as having been abolished/ended (AD 70?)+ therefore, NOT following the Mosaic Law+ ...NO Sabbath observance – considered “temporary”+ Worshipping/gathering on Sundays - (Not a 4th Century pagan 'change')+ NOT following the dietary laws, festivals, fasts (Christians shifted to Wednesdays & Fridays)+ not circumcisingWhich Covenant is for the Jewish people today??? THE NEW COVENANT!!!  Jer. 31:31, 33 -  I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah… this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daysIs Sabbath observance for Gentile Believers today? NO. Why? (a summary) “…the Old Testament regulations governing Sabbath observances are ceremonial, not moral, aspects of the law. As such, they are no longer in force, but have passed away along with the sacrificial system, the Levitical priesthood, and all other aspects of Moses' law that prefigured Christ.”In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul explicitly refers to the Sabbath as a shadow of Christ, which is no longer binding since the substance (Christ) has come. It is quite clear in those verses that the weekly Sabbath is in view. The phrase "a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day" refers to the annual, monthly, and weekly holy days of the Jewish calendar (cf. 1 Chronicles 23:31; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 31:3; Ezekiel 45:17; Hosea 2:11). If Paul were referring to special ceremonial dates of rest in that passage, why would he have used the word "Sabbath?" He had already mentioned the ceremonial dates when he spoke of festivals and new moons.The Sabbath was the sign to Israel of the Mosaic Covenant (Ex. 31:16-17; Ez. 20:12; Neh. 9:14). Since we are now under the New Covenant (Heb. 8), we are no longer required to observe the sign of the Mosaic Covenant.The New Testament never commands Christians to observe the Sabbath.Early church worship service in the New Testament: the church met on the 1st day of the week (Acts 20:7).Nowhere in the Old Testament are the Gentile nations commanded to observe the Sabbath or condemned for failing to do so. That is certainly strange if Sabbath observance were meant to be an eternal moral principle.There is no evidence in the Bible of anyone keeping the Sabbath before the time of Moses, nor are there any commands in the Bible to keep the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai.When the Apostles met at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15), they did not impose Sabbath keeping on the Gentile believers.The apostle Paul warned the Gentiles about many different sins in his epistles, but breaking the Sabbath was never one of them.In Galatians 4:10-11, Paul rebukes the Galatians for thinking God expected them to observe special days (including the Sabbath).In Romans 14:5, Paul forbids those who observe the Sabbath (these were no doubt Jewish believers) to condemn those who do not (Gentile believers).The early church fathers, from Ignatius to Augustine, taught that the Old Testament Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week (Sunday) was the day when Christians should meet for worship (contrary to the claim seventh-day sabbatarians who claim that Sunday worship was not instituted until the 4th century).Sunday has not replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. Rather the Lord's Day is a time when believers gather to commemorate His resurrection, which occurred on the first day of the week. Every day to the believer is one of Sabbath rest, since we have ceased from our spiritual labor and are resting in the salvation of the Lord (Hebrews 4:9-11).Additional Podcasts about “Hebrew Roots”Since there is a growing influence in certain Christian circles advocating that all Christians (including Gentile/Non-Jewish background) are to be following the Law of Moses (including Sabbath observance, Tithing, Old Testament Dietary laws and even observing Jewish feast days), this is a relevant topic. I will include several good podcasts that I've listened to on this topic. These questions were settled in the 1st century and followed by the Christians who succeeded them. Mike Winger – Hebrew RootsPart 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR7xTYhXEbo&t=1s Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhn6Mn9jESo Part 3 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI5wiDTHpgE&t=3998s Part 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2leBGyp9RgRemnant Radio – A Kosher Response to Hebrew Roots - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZX_K-EHBew 

Continuing our series from Colossians, we move into chapter 2 which begins to focus on some of the pressing issues Paul addresses in this short but powerful writing: false teaching. In short, false teaching disturbs the hearts of God’s children, robbing them of comfort and assurance. Paul’s Burden for Colosse

What's that Christian life all about? Is it about blessings? Wealth? A list of rules to follow? Today we are talking about it as we look through Colossians 3:12-17. Check it out as we look at what the Bible really says about why and how we trulh live that Christian life. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thealtaredpodcast/support

Principle 5 – Colossians 1:24-2:3A Principle to Live By – Our IndebtednessWe must never take for granted what others suffered in order to bring the gospel to us.Support the show

We have all heard “Go and Make disciples.” It was God breathed right? But let's back up to the reason we were called to make disciples. Our salvation. Without it, we can't disciple to others. We are also called to be faithful in it all and draw near to the Lord. How do we do that? We fight the good fight, we pray, we read His word, and we love. To make disciples means to dig your heels into His will and His word, and be hearers and doers of the word. We were entrusted with this gift of discipleship. So, let's go!Hey friends, in today's episode we talk all about the joy in the mundane our home through the joy of the Lord! The importance of knowing God's word & His power will play the ENTIRE role into how you do this well. I am so glad you are here, so grab a pen and paper, and let's dive in! Verses mentioned:She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.Proverbs 31:27→ Idleness - means lazyWhatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,Colossians 3:23Grab a cup of coffee and come join us!Visit our WEBSITE HERESign up for our newsletter HEREFollow Us Here:@entrustedbyhim(IG) www.entrustedbyhim.comDOWNLOAD OUR NEW PRAYER EBOOK HERECREDITS:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------YOUTUBE:Music by LiQWYDFree download: www.bit.ly/morning-free-downloadINSTAGRAM:Music by @LiQWYD

Colossians 1:15-2315 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.21 Once you were alienated from God …. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospe

Today we begin a study of one of the most encouraging and uplifting chapters in the Bible, chapter two of Colossians. It's a favorite among many because it expresses very eloquently the pure joy of knowing Jesus Christ as Savior. If you don't have that joy in your life, then please take the next twenty minutes or so and join us as we look at the first ten verses of Colossians chapter two. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1425/29

RATE! SHARE! SUBSCRIBE! Email me your thoughts, comments or questions: caniberealpodcast@gmail.com Listen and enjoy! Show Notes: § Galatians 4:21-31 § Back in Genesis, God made Abraham (Abram at the time) a promise: □ Genesis 12:1-3 □ Genesis 15:5- He took him outside and said, "look up at the sky and count the stars-if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "so shall your offspring be." § In Genesis 16, we are introduced to Hagar, an Egyptian slave. Sarai comes up with a plan, one that is outside of the will of God… □ Genesis 16:2-4 § But when Hagar got pregnant and started to act different and despise Sarai, then Sarai had a problem with it and blamed Abram. § Flash forward 13-14 years to Genesis 21 when Sarah gives birth to Isaac…(v.2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.) □ Genesis 21:8-13 § So back to Galatians… □ As Paul said, "these things are being taken figuratively" and goes on to state that those living according to the old law given to Moses on Mount Sinai, are slaves, while those under the covenant of grace are free from the old law and free from slavery to sin □ So by believing in God and his saving grace, we… ® Galatians 3:7- Understand then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham ® Galatians 3:26- So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith ® Galatians 3:29- If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise § Now what? □ Romans 7:4-6 □ Colossians 3:9b-14 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rachel398/message

Let us search the Word for Hidden Treasures! Climate Czar John Kerry andthe Biden Administration are targeting small farms; Bill Gates has a newchemical coating they are putting on fruits and vegetables; and the ClimateHysteria is being used to create Global Governance! New episodes are released every Monday.  Subscribe so you don't miss an episode, and leave us a rating on your podcast platform of choice. For more info or to support Burning Bush Ministries, visit our website at burningbushministries.tv.Follow us on social media:Twitter.com/ediifypodcastInstagram.com/edifypodcastFacebook.com/edifypodcastProduct Spotlight:Dr. Rhonda's Immunity Booster:https://doctorrhonda.net/podcast-product-spotlightUse promo code Edify!My Pillow:https://www.mypillow.com/?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=6481386640&cq_term=my%20pillow&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_plt=gp&gclid=CjwKCAjwue6hBhBVEiwA9YTx8D1g59gXEUjFegHoWVjHHx6V_dwQUAQpc2fT4fQqsK93A1s2W-XT-RoCeLsQAvD_BwEUse promo code B66Swiss America Gold:Call Bill Durnan at (480) 861-1520 Sources:https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Proverbs-25-2/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Proverbs-8-17/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Proverbs-2-1_2-9/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Proverbs-6-22/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Proverbs-3-13_3-20/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Colossians-1-26_1-29/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Hebrews-1-3/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Hebrews-2-4_2-16/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1-Corinthians-1-30/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Colossians-2-3_2-10/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/2-Corinthians-4-7/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/2-Corinthians-5-1_5-8/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Philippians-1-20_1-25/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Romans-8-22_8-28/https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Titus-2-11_2-15/https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/05/john-kerry-biden-regime-target-small-farms-their/https://krystenskitchen.substack.com/p/the-dangerous-chemical-coating-billhttps://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/club-rome-how-climate-hysteria-being-used-create-global-governancehttps://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Romans-1-18_1-32/

On this episode, Joe, Brian, and Tom discuss Paul's instructions for household relationships in Colossians 3:18-4:1. They talk about how to approach uncomfortable passages in Scripture, what it means for the Gospel to show up in marriage and family relationships, and how we can do our work for God and not for others. Plus: "Joe Wants to Know" the greatest yard game. 

Paul wraps up his letter to the Colossians with a couple more greetings. He also asks that the letters he's written be shared between the churches in the area. There's a specific message for one individual and it leaves us wondering, was Paul calling him out? He concludes by signing the letter in his own hand and reminding the Colossians of his chains. His last words are “Grace be with you.” What a fitting end! Join Ken and Mike as they discuss these final 5 verses, house churches, and that Paul did not write this letter comfortably sitting at a word processor. Also, it's the 75th episode of Jesus Changes People! The guys answer a listener question about some of their highlights over the past 75 episodes.Passage: Colossians 4:14-18

Do you ever feel like when summer comes your rhythms and routines change? For example, the way that I like to read my Bible and pray during the school year just doesn't fit with my kids being off school during the summer. And even if you don't have kids at home, summertime can introduce a completely different dynamic in your schedule!That's why we are spending these summer months praying through the Pauline Epistles and digging deep into God's Word.This summer in our Patreon Prayer Community we are getting creative with our Bible habits! In our Patreon community, I will be posting a Bible study video tutorial every month to show you some of my favorite creative ways to get into God's word time is short or when my rhythm is kind of out of whack.Just because the season changes doesn't mean we can't continue praying prayers of REST and saturating ourselves in Scripture! If you'd like to join us you can sign up to become a Patreon prayer partner today when you go to prayersofrest.com/patreon.Lastly, If you're looking for a fun and flexible Bible study for this summer, check out my Bible study He is Enough on the book of Colossians. With a flexible plan that allows you to choose whether you want to spend 5 mins or 30 to 45 minutes on your lesson for the day, creative study tips, and coloring pages, this study would be the perfect way to start off your summer Bible study habit!Our friends at moody publishers have been so generous to give us 40% off when you shop at moodypublishers.com use the code ENOUGH at checkout.These prayer episodes are a bit shorter than usual but feel free to hit pause if you need more time to pray. And in case you're wondering, you can find this collection of prayers in the Prayers of Rest Devotional starting on page 354.Until we meet again, may you find rest in God's loving presence...Support the show

Principle 4 – Colossians 1:15-20A Principle to Live By – Putting Christ FirstTo walk in God's will, Jesus Christ must always be the central focus in our personal and corporate lives.Support the show

We are starting a new sermon series on our Distinctives at The Vine. Fabienne Harford, ministry operations director at The Vine, shares a sermon on our Jesus-centered distinctive. Colossians 1:15-20

Colossians 1v18 - And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Join us today as Elder Tyson Moore teaches on Colossians 1 and the Supremacy of Christ. Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SdJZIP3hvGSwBBm68NWKJmemDkzKdKFd/view

A new MP3 sermon from Trinity Bible Church of Dallas is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: A Deadly Doctrine Subtitle: Letter to the Colossians Speaker: Dr. Steven J. Lawson Broadcaster: Trinity Bible Church of Dallas Event: Sunday Service Date: 6/4/2023 Bible: Colossians 2:4-8 Length: 55 min.

The Talks crew discusses the next portion of Colossians chapter 1, verses 9 through 18. Recorded on May 31, 2023.

COLOSSIANS 2:16-23  SETH BAZACAS WELLSPRING CHURCH NYC 6.4.2023  

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“The triune God is…not a God who hoards his life, but one who gives it away, as he would show in that supreme moment of his self-revelation on the cross. The Father finds his very identity in giving his life and being to the Son; and the Son images his Father in sharing his life with us through the Holy Spirit.”~Michael Reeves in his book Delighting in the Trinity “All that exists is God's gift to man, and it all exists to make God known to man, to make man's life communion with God.” ~Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983) in his book For the Life of the World “…the ideas of freedom and social solidarity, of…human rights and democracy, [are] the direct heir of the Judaic ethic of justice and the Christian ethic of love. This legacy, substantially unchanged, has been the object of continual critical appropriation and reinterpretation. To this day, there is no alternative to it. And in light of the current challenges…, we continue to draw on the substance of this heritage. Everything else is just idle postmodern talk.”~Jürgen Habermas, German philosopher and social-critical theorist “Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly what is required of me now.”          ~Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015), missionary, author, and speaker “People treat God's sovereignty as a matter of controversy, but in Scripture it is a matter of worship.”~J.I. Packer (1926-2020), English-born Canadian theologian “Worship must be the heart of the church because Christ is the head of the church.”~H.B. Charles, Jr., pastor and authorSERMON PASSAGEJohn 17 and selected passages (NASB95)John 17 1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent…. 4 I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was…. 22 The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me….  26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” Colossians 3 1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.Mark 8 34 And [Jesus] summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. Romans 5 1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 8 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Reference this lesson and find out more here: https://evidence4faith.org/portfolio/why-are-there-different-bible-translations/ The living Bible started as letters Kenneth Taylor would write to his children so they could better understand passages the Bible. These letters were called “Living Letters” and eventually were promoted to the greater public. The positive reception lead to Taylor complete and launch his own Bible paraphrase in 1971, based on these letters. Similar to the Message Bible, the Living Bible will have significant bias and is not intended to replace a proper translation for Bible study purposes. Listen in to found out more about how this Bible was put together.CREDITS: Stock Music provided by mv_production, from Pond5#livingbible #paraphrase #bible #biblestudy #bibletranslations #whyaretheredifferentbibletranslations #podcast-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DONATE: https://evidence4faith.org/give/ WEBSITE: https://evidence4faith.org/NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/hpazV5BOOKINGS: https://evidence4faith.org/bookings/CONTACT: Evidence 4 Faith, 5821 Bear Trail, Rhinelander WI 54501 , info@evidence4faith.orgMy goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. - Colossians 2:2-3Mentioned in this episode:Help us produce the next course!DONATE: https://evidence4faith.org/give/

Colossians 3:2 (KJV)

Adam Jones | Proverbs 1:1-9, 22, 32-33

This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.Heavenly Father, we thank you for another opportunity and occasion to study your holy scriptures before us. And Lord, we thank you that all of scripture is God breathed and it's profitable for teaching, for correcting, for rebuke and for training. And Lord, as we look at the text before us and we see the temptation set before Joseph, Lord, we thank you for his victory and I pray that you give us victory over our temptations. And Lord, we thank you for the tests that you send in life. And I pray, give us the power of the Holy Spirit to not just pass the test, but pass them with flying colors and graduate to ever higher levels of usefulness in your kingdom. Lord, if there's anyone who's not yet a believer in Christ today, save them, draw them to yourself. Remove condemnation and replace it with your love and your mercy. And Lord bless our time in the holy scriptures. We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen.We're continuing our study in Genesis 3750. We've entitled the series, Graduate Level Grace Studying the Life of Joseph. The title today is Tested and Tried. We never graduate from needing grace, although becoming a Christian happens by grace through faith, you repent, you believe you're saved. But there are times where God wants us to level up. He wants us to grow in our faith and he sends us grace to test us and to mature, and season us to make us more useful in the hands of the Father. This grace often comes when we are tried with temptation and testing, and often temptation and testing is one and the same occasion. Temptation comes from the flesh, Satan and the world, whereas God uses that temptation to test us because God does not tempt any one of us.And Genesis 39 is one of the truly great chapters on a subject that each of us is more than familiar with. It's the subject of temptation. We've all been in the situation where we've been tempted. Oscar Wilde, Tongue-In-Cheek, he said he could resist anything except temptation. The lesson is before us that temptation is not just something that we should grit our teeth and just get through as some useless thing to endure. No, temptation is an occasion to grow. We are to use that experience to grow. For example, look at the progression in James 1:12-15, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I'm being tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it is conceived, gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."In the previous chapter, we went through the episode of Judah and Tamar and here we are back to Joseph. And throughout the narrative we see that God seasons Joseph, matures, grows him. Why? What's the point? So that later he's able to endure. When he is placed in the position of prominence, he becomes a prime minister, so to speak in Egypt, the number two person in Egypt. When he's in that exalted position, will he be able to endure the temptations that come without falling into conceit? So that's what God is doing. He's purging Joseph's character of any dross. We've already seen that he has been a person of integrity, although probably naivete, maybe inexperienced.And yes, there was probably an admixture of pride in his disposition. So what is God doing through this narrative? He is refining Joseph. He's purging the dross out of his life and once he's refined, he becomes a more useful instrument in the hands of God. The same language of testing to describe Joseph is used in Psalm 105:16-19 "When he," God, "summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters. His neck was put in a collar of iron until what he had said came to pass. The word of the Lord tested him," explicitly spoken that Joseph in his hardest years, darkest years, those are years of testing from the Lord. Surely Joseph was asking, "Lord, what are you doing?"He had been a favored son and now he finds himself suddenly as a slave, but the passage emphasizes eight times. Moses emphasized eight times, Joseph is not alone, for the Lord is with him. Despite the slavery, despite the temptations, despite the jail, the Lord is favorable to him even when it doesn't feel like it. We're going to walk together through Genesis 39 verse by verse three points to frame up our time. First, if God is for you, no one can stand against you. Second, how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? And third, how to win against temptation? First, if God is for you, no one can stand against you. Verse one of Genesis 39, "Now, Joseph had been brought down to Egypt and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard and Egyptian had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there."So we meet Potiphar, he's a big shot. He's the captain. It says of Pharaoh's guard or his body guards, meaning he's the captain of the executioners. He's a big deal. He's a dangerous man, keep that in mind. In verse two, "The Lord was with Joseph and he became a successful man and he was in the house of his Egyptian master." What's fascinating is after the experience of being sold by his brothers, we don't see Joseph just stuck in a place of hatred. You don't see bitterness or vindictiveness in his soul, and the Lord is with him. The word Lord here is Yahweh, the God of covenant love, and not just the reference to God's omnipresence. Yes, God is everywhere, but in a particular favorable way, God's presence was with Joseph. God takes special note of Joseph when he's in his time of need and God draws near.We see this repeated over and over and over. One fascinating thing to note is that Joseph isn't told that he's heard God's voice audibly. He's heard about God from his father and from his grandfather. He's heard that God spoke to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Joseph did not have the same experience. He had the divine dream. He still believed that God was with him, but he operates here in the same way that we do. By faith we believe that God is with us. By faith, we as Christians believe that Jesus Christ, God is with us, Emmanuel God is with us. So Joseph believes, and Joseph is working to be faithful. Potiphar's name in Egyptian means he whom ra'ah has given. The Egyptians worship this idol, ra'ah. That was their God. But ra'ah isn't given blessings here on Potiphar's household. No, it's Yahweh, it's God, and it's on account of Joseph and his faithfulness.Joseph doesn't have a friend in the world. He's thrown in. He doesn't know the language. If anyone has come here from a different country without knowing English, perhaps, you've been forced into immigration, you show up, you don't know the language. Joseph doesn't have any friends. He doesn't know the culture. He doesn't have a skillset that would make him valuable in Egypt. All he has is himself and his belief in God. How does he respond to the situation he finds himself in? Does he get angry at the world? Does he get angry at God? Does he play the victim? Is he paralyzed or immobilized by resentment? No, he can't control the circumstances he's in, but he can control how he responds and he chooses to be present and useful. He chooses to work hardly at whatever task he is given because he knows he's not serving Potiphar, he's serving God.He takes life by the horns and he does so quickly and speedily rises through the ranks in the house of Potiphar. And verse three, "His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. Whatever the young man took in his hands thrived." Here's a young man who has been living in the presence of God. He's been working in the presence of God. And as shocking as this may sound, young men can be useful. This is what the text... Even when they're young, men can be useful. Charles Spurgeon put it like this. He says, "Chins without beards are better than heads without brains," and what he's saying is, young men when wise, they're to be preferred to those without sense who don't even have youth as an excuse for their folly. Now, he understands that God has given me this time.He was 17, 18 years old at the time, and he understands that yes, he isn't in a situation that he wants to be, but God is sovereign, so he is seeking to be faithful. So Genesis 39:4, "So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him." So Joseph becomes the personal attendant servant of Potiphar, "And he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. And from the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptians house for Joseph's sake. The blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in house and in field," so God is with him. God is prospering Joseph and prospering the Egyptians house. Potiphar notices that this blessing is much more than usual. Something here is coming from the supernatural realm.And this is what God promised Abraham. He said, "Look, if people bless you, I will bless them. And if people curse you, I will curse them." Joseph is being blessed by Potiphar, and Potiphar is being blessed by God. Joseph could hardly have risen higher, and this is incredible achievement. Thanks be to God and Joseph's work ethic, and this is a work ethic that is taught to us from holy scripture in Colossians 3:22-24, "Bondservants," or we can translate that to the modern day of employees, "obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye service as people pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work hardly as for the Lord and not for men. Knowing that from the Lord you'll receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." And that's Joseph's mindset.He could have said, "I'm 17, this work of a slave is beneath me. I am not doing this or I'm going to do it just enough to get by." No, he throws himself into this work. He says, "The Lord is with me. I'm put here for a reason. I'm going to do the best work I can to the best of my abilities because Potiphar's not my ultimate boss. God is." Verse six, "So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge. And because of him, he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now, Joseph was handsome in form and appearance." So the text, everything was going great for Joseph and then all of a sudden the text takes a turn, and we go from Joseph's work ethic to what does he look like? Apparently he looked really good, well-built and good-looking. That phrase is only used of two other men in scripture, David and Absalom.And the same phrase is used of Rachel, Joseph's mom, so apparently the looks were in the genes. So yes, Joseph apparently is good-looking. What does he do with that? What's the text telling us? Well, this takes us into the great temptation and this is point 2, "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" So this is Genesis 39:7, "And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, lie with me." And first of all, I do want to note that the temptation comes in Joseph's life. The timing's uncanny, when it seems everything's finally going well. He was a slave, now he's worked himself up in the hierarchy. He's in a place of influence. He's probably got the nice garments keeping up with his station of being a personal attendant of Potiphar. Everything is going swimmingly, that's when the temptation strikes.So just be careful, know that when everything's going great, be on guard. So as he's advanced in the household, we see Mrs. Potiphar notices him. She observes and the observation rapidly turns into lust and desire, and she propositions him, "Lie with me." And strictly from a human perspective, it wouldn't make sense to be nice with the boss's wife and he could justify everything that is happening. From a spiritual perspective morally speaking, he had no authority over him other than himself. It's him and God. He has no family. His family certainly wouldn't find out if he commits to sin. And moreover, he's a slave. He's got to do what he's told and sexual promiscuity was a daily part of the slave holding households. And face it, he could have said, "Old Potiphar is gone all the time and he's not meeting his wife's needs and she's entitled to some affection," et cetera, et cetera.And he could have even blamed it on his genes. He could have said, "It's in my blood. Look at my brothers. Look at Ruben, look at Judah," look at the previous chapter. No, we don't see any of that. He had all the reason in the world to act out. He had every reason to be angry and bitter, and resentful and cynical, and self-serving and self-pitying. He could have rationalized all of this, but Joseph has not forgotten who he is. He is not just a slave. He knows that, "I'm not just a slave and I'm not here because of anything I've done. No, I'm not a slave. I am the son of Jacob. I am the son of Isaac. I'm the son of Abraham. I am the son of God. How can I sin against my God?" His identity was rooted in God. He knew God's will.So in verse eight it says, "But he refused and said to his master's wife, behold because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house. And he has put everything that he has in my charge. He has no greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" His answer is unmistakable. He refused, and we see his wisdom. We see that even as a young man, he gives a response and his response very measured. It's very logical. He forges a powerful argument against the temptation with reason, and it shows his wisdom. And his wisdom is evidenced because he fears God. The root of his wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The three major reasons he gives for, "Why would I ever even think to do that?"The first, he's like, look, the master, Potiphar has bestowed so much trust in Joseph, so much trust in him and to betray this great level of trust would be the basis of betrayals. And then he emphasizes to Potiphar's wife that she's Potiphar's wife. He emphasizes, he's like, "You are Mrs. Potiphar. You're literally Mrs. Potiphar and have you forgotten your husband's an executioner? What are you tempting me with?" Here, even if she's forgotten her role, he reminds her. And then third of all, and this is the main reason why he doesn't sin, he realizes yes, the sin is against the people involved. Yes, he'd be sinning against Potiphar, he'd be sinning against his... But he'd be sinning against God. And for Joseph, this is the greatest of sin. And it echoes the language here does, of when David after repenting, after committing a sin against Uriah and Bathsheba, he repents in Psalm 51.He says, "God against you and you only have I sinned." And also if you compare this text with a temptation of Genesis 3, Satan comes to Adam and Eve and he points to the tree that God said, "Do not eat of it." And Joseph says, "Look, the master hasn't kept anything from me except you." Adam and Eve used the prohibition to actually be tempted by the thing that God kept from them. And Joseph here on the opposite, he says, "No, no, no. I will not take the thing the master has kept from me." In verse 10, "As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her to lie beside her or to be with her." So the overtures are daily, she's persistent in her solicitations and he continues to remain steadfast. You see, she's flexible in her seduction. First she says, lie with me. She realized that doesn't work. And then she lessens the proposition. She says, "Lie beside me. Joseph, you had a long day come snuggle with me," and then that wasn't working. So she said, "Just be with me. Just sit here, just relax a little bit."She's trying to coax him into the sin and he does not. And Potiphar's wife is precisely the picture of the adulterous woman painted by the father in conversation with his son in Proverbs 5:6 and 7. By the way, the book of Proverbs was written for young boys. So these boys as they were entering manhood, they were given the book of Proverbs and said, "There's 31 chapters, read one a day." And by the way, if you have children, one of the best ways to form them spiritually is that. Proverbs, learn the fear of God. But look at Proverbs 5: 1-8, "My son, be attentive to my wisdom. Incline your ear to my understanding that you may keep discretion and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she's bitter as wormwood sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her steps follow the path to Sheol. She does not ponder the path of life. Her ways wander and she does not know it.""And now, oh, sons, listen to me and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house." Realizing Mrs. Potiphar that she's not winning the war of attrition, we see one final ambush, and this is verse 11, "But one day when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment saying, lie with me. But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled out of the house, she called to the men in the household and said, see, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came into me to lie with me and I cried out with a loud voice. And as soon as he heard that, I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled, and got out of the house."Joseph, by the way, the unluckiest guy in the world with his coats. If I were Joseph, I'd just stop wearing coats. I refuse. I'd rather get a cold, no. So she's got his coat and she's not happy about it. Someone said, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." She desired him and he rejected, and then her lust turns to anger. And there's many a lesson here. If you analyze what's really driving her, it was a matter of pride. When she was unable to seduce him, her pride was bruised, her ego was bruised when she realizes she is not going to have victory here. So she goes on the attack, she gathers all the men in the household, she builds her case against him. She calls him a Hebrew slave. She doesn't even name her husband, "Look my husband," she blames the husband. She makes herself a victim. By the way she puts the garment as incriminating proof on her bed, et cetera. Many a lesson here, but the root of sexual immorality is not just desire, it's always a spiritual root, and what's at the root is pride.Who is God to tell me what to do, his scriptures? I decide for my... It's pride. And that's what she's dealing with here. A lesson here from Moses. What is Moses doing in writing the text as he does, presenting the story as he does? Well, he is showing us that when God chooses to use a man, he first needs to test the man's uprightness. That's what's happening here. Joseph can't control his circumstances. He's a slave and he has no control over his destiny. All he can control is his faithfulness. Will I be faithful in this moment of temptation? And that's the quality that God wants for every man or woman that will be used by him, he wants faithfulness. That's what he wants for those to build his kingdom. This is the quality of a good steward. If God has entrusted something to us, will we be good stewards of a good managers of it?If we want to be put over much, are we faithful with the little that is before us? And how do you learn faithfulness? You don't learn faithfulness from a book. You don't learn faithfulness by just reading about it. No, you learn faithfulness by being tested at moments like this. When there's every reason to skirt faithfulness, do you stay the course no matter the consequences? And Joseph does. And Genesis 39:16, "Then she laid up his garment by her creating this optical illusion until his master came home and she told him the same story saying, the Hebrews servant whom you've brought among us came in to laugh at me. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house." The phrase here, "You brought him to laugh at me," implies attempted rape, that's the accusation.Verse 19, "As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, this is the way your servant treated me, his anger was kindled. And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined and he was there in prison." So Potiphar comes home, here's a story. He looks at Joseph, he looks at his wife, he looks at the other servants, and he has a decision to make. His anger is kindled. It's fascinating that the text doesn't say his anger is kindled at Joseph. Most likely, and this is what all the c, they're shocked by his reaction. Well, how do you expect him to react? Well, you expect him that he's the chief of the executioners to execute Joseph and execute him swiftly in order to maintain order. That's not what he does. Not only does he not execute Joseph, he also puts him in a prison where the king's prisoners were.And that's why in the next chapter of the cup-bearer and the breadmaker, that's where Joseph meets them. So it wasn't regular prison, it was a king's prison for the important people. Most likely what the text is telling us is that Potiphar wasn't convinced by Mrs. Potiphar. And this is the goal, to become such a person of integrity that when false accusations are made against you, the people who know you best refuse to believe them. So Joseph's faithfulness throughout the entire episode seems to be unrewarded. What does he get for being good at that moment of temptation? What does he get? He gets prison, but we know that ultimately that's the path that God has for him from the prison to the palace.And verse 21, "But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. And whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. And the keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed." We don't know how much time elapsed, how much time he had spent in Potiphar's house and then how much time in prison, but it was years. And I wonder how often Joseph remembered his dreams, the dreams that God had sent him, the dreams that he will be put in a position of prominence and power, whatever it was God was with Joseph, and Joseph remained close to the divine presence.God was with him and everything that he did as Joseph continued to work diligently. What God's presence meant in Joseph's life, it wasn't that everything's easy, smooth sailing. Yes, God was with him, but Joseph was still in prison. Yes, God is with him, but Joseph is still a slave. And what this means is from a theological perspective, yes, everything's settled, everything is secure and ultimate all is well and as safely in God's hands. But as we look at the life of Joseph, there's still risk and there's still uncomfortable circumstances and danger, and difficulty and even disappointment, but he continued to stay close to the Lord. He continued to work out his salvation with fear and trembling, and that's the same before us. We don't see the full story of God's plan for us. We know his purposes are to glorify his name, to do good, but we don't know all the details. And while we are alive, we must remember that we are still living in warfare. Day by day, we need to be conscious of the fact that we do have an enemy.We have adversaries of Satan and his lackeys and demons. We are living life in the thick of combat, in a battlefield strewn with a carnage of those who have come before us. And the scripture speaks about this often, that we are given weapons, weapons for our left hand and our right weapons to fight the good fight of faith. We are given a sword, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. And so often we forget this, we meander through life. We forget that we are pilgrims headed to a country, a kingdom that is not of this world. A large part of why we forget is because most of the people around us don't have that worldview. They live with a faithless worldview as if the material is all there is. Well, we must never lose sight of the fact that our lives are epic, that our souls are eternal.Everything we do in the body has eternal consequences. We are not to stop thinking of our lives as being inconsequential and we are to think of our lives as God does, and walk by faith, not by sight. I think one of the greatest temptations before modern people is this. It's the temptation to live for nothing, of no purpose greater than just enjoying ourselves or enjoying the short years we've been given. There's a writer called Plantinga who wrote a book called Not the Way It's Supposed To Be, and this is, and I'll read the quote, it's so powerful. It says, "Many live life making a career of nothing, wandering through malls, killing time, making small talk, watching television programs until we know their characters better than our own children. Well, this robs the community of our gifts and energies, and shapes life into a yawn at the God and Savior of the world. The person who will not best stir herself, the person who hands himself over to nothing in effect says to God, you have made nothing of interest and redeemed no one of consequence including me.""C. S. Lewis has the devil's Screwtape explained to the junior devil wormwood that the man he is after can be drawn away from God by nothing. Nothing is very strong, strong enough to steal away a man's best years not, in sweet sins, but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why. And the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, and drumming of fingers and kicking of heels, and whistling tunes that he does not like. The only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the enemy. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed, the safest road to hell is the gradual one, the gentle slope, soft underfoot without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."Joseph thankfully remains faithful and he wins in this battle against this temptation. And this brings us to point 3, how to win against temptation in our lives? First of all, it's not a sin to be tempted. It is a sin to yield to temptation. As one writer says, "A mob may batter at the palace gates but if it's unable to enter in, there's no damage done to the kingdom." I'll give you three points to win against temptations. Tips first, forge a forceful argument using God's word, and we are to know God's word in order to apply God's word. You must make this argument with Satan sometimes, sometimes with people tempting you in your life, more often than not, with yourself.You have to learn to preach to yourself in particular in the moments of weakness, and you have to make a case. You have to convince yourself this is what Joseph was doing. He's making arguments. The sin Potiphar's wife was proposing would've been an outrage, yes, against Potiphar, but specifically against God himself. And a Christian can think of countless arguments, some of them specific to the certain sins you are tempted to commit, but many of the reasons we can marshal to not commit sin at any time in any way. How's this for one, how about the love of God that God loves me, I belong to him, that I am a son of God, that you are a son or daughter of God. That God loves you so much that he doesn't want me to die for my sins, therefore he sent Jesus Christ, the cross of Christ.How about the presence of the Holy Spirit, that we love the presence of the Holy Spirit so much that we do not want to grieve him. The damage to our own soul, that sin does have consequences. The unworthiness of it all, the fruitlessness in your life. The tendency of when you give into one sin that sin begetting another sin and then all of a sudden you are spiraling out of control. Well, what about the example to an unbelieving world? What about giving the evil one victory, the one who hates you? What about the fact that we will even as Christians be taken to a second judgment, a judgment where the Lord will judge us? What do we do in our body? What do we do with the gifts and talents he's given us? Joseph here is animated by his conviction that his life is not his own.That he has a God who is over him and a God who is with him, and a God who loves him, and a God who is not to be dishonored. He did exactly what Jesus Christ was doing in the desert when Satan comes to tempt him. Christ marshaled arguments from the word of God. The apostle Paul in Ephesians 6 when he talks about fighting the good faith and spiritual warfare, he says, "Take up the sword of the spirit." It's the word of God, meaning the stress there is on the precise application of the word of God when we are tempted, so we are to know the word of God and apply it specifically. Second is avoid tempting situations. Joseph did as best as he could. As soon as he saw Potiphar's wife's interest, he tried to avoid her all to together. The father in Proverbs says, "Do not go near the door of her house."Why? Because of the attraction of sin. It does lure us. It's like the closer you get, the more powerless you become. And such as the power of sin, even our love of it that we often want to get as close as possible without breaking the commandment. This is what Robert Murray M'Cheyne, a holy man as there ever was. He wrote the following, "Satan tempts me to go as near to temptations as possible without committing the sin. This is fearful, tempting God and grieving the Holy Spirit. It's a deep-laid plot of Satan." This is what Romans 13:11-14 says, "Besides this, you know the time that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep for salvation is near to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone, the days at hand, so then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires."And third is flee temptation. When Joseph had nothing else to do, he took flight and it was deliberate act of the will, abrupt, decisive and he runs. 1 Corinthians 6:13-20, the apostle writes, "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make the members of a prostitute? Never. Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her. For as it is written, the two will become one flesh, but he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexual and moral person sins against his own body.""Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God. You are not your own, for you were bought with a price to glorify God in your body." And then 2 Timothy 2:20-22. In this text, I just notice the connection between righteousness with sexuality and our usefulness to the Lord. And I'll never remember this text, I was 13. I was at Slavic Youth Camp. If you don't know, I was raised in Slavic churches. And at 13 they got all the boys in one room and they're like, "We're going to have a talk." And then they bring in just a savage, this old dude, just a savage guy, bearded, just massive hands, although he was 85 he could still kill you. And he walks in and he just said, "Gentlemen, remember this. 2, 2, 2. 2 Timothy 2:22." He said, "Memorize this and live by it, and the Lord's going to keep you from sin."And just look at the connection between usefulness and righteousness. 2 Timothy 2:20-22, "Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." Flee youthful passions and pursue these great things, don't do it by yourself. Do it with others, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. So flee when faced with temptation, don't tarry.Thomas à Kempis in his famous description in The Imitation of Christ, he gives these successful steps of temptation. He says, "First, there is first the bare thought of the sin. Then after that, there's a picture of the sin formed and hung up on the secret screen of the imagination. A strange sweetness from the picture is then let down drop by drop into the heart. And then that sweetness soon secures the consent of the whole soul and the thing is done." Today, is Communion Sunday, and I do want to think through fighting temptation from the perspective of the cross that when we are faced with temptation, you've got to ask yourself, how can I sin? How can I, for whom Christ died, continue to sin? How can I, the object of God's electing grace, the object of the work of the Holy Spirit, the object of God's efficacious grace, he sought me when I was lost. He converted me. He regenerated. He filled me with the Holy Spirit, how can this great God that bled from me, how can I sin against him?What about those who have given into temptation? Well, that's every single one of us. We have all sinned. And what are we to do? Well, do you see the wickedness that your sins are before the Lord? Can you say, "Yes, I have done this egregious thing against God?" Do you understand that you are condemned because of your sin, that you will be judged for your sin? And once you do, once you understand that, well, then flee to Christ for refuge, then flee to him to receive everlasting life. The comparisons between Joseph and Jesus... Well, they're not just incidental. I think it was all part of the story, but you see the comparisons. Joseph was the A beloved son of the Father.Jesus Christ was the beloved son, the only-begotten son of the Father. Joseph was sent by the father to the brothers and Jesus was sent to his brethren by the Father. Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery, Jesus was as well. Joseph later on forgives his brothers. Jesus Christ forgives those who are crucifying them. On the cross Jesus said the following, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," he's forgiving them. But also notice that not knowing that you're sinning against God is not enough. That's not enough of a defense. We all know that we have sinned. We all need forgiveness. Jesus Christ was numbered among the transgressors in order to intercede for us. Isaiah 53:12, "Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors, yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors."Upon the conception of Christ, the Messiah, and the womb of the Virgin Mary, the angel Gabriel, explained to another Joseph in Matthew 1:21, "She will bear a son and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us." Because Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, he can be with us because Jesus Christ was rejected by the Father on the cross. "He said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He did that so that we would not be forsaken when we come to the Lord and ask for forgiveness. We are now going to transition to holy communion, which is commanded in scripture to be celebrated as a remembrance of the suffering of Christ. For whom is holy communion?It is for repentant believers in Jesus Christ. So if you do not trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, we ask that you refrain from this part of the service. Or if you're living in unrepentant sin, also refrain from this part of the service. But if you trust in Christ and if you are repentant, you're welcome to partake. If you'd like to partake and don't have the elements, the cup and the bread, raise your hand during prayer and the ushers will hand them out. Would you pray with me? Heavenly Father, we thank you that you did not leave us in our sins. We have all transgressed your holy commandments. We have all sinned against your holy name. And Lord, we come to you with humility and contrition of heart, and we repent and we ask, Lord, forgive us for our sins and our many transgressions. We thank you Jesus, that those transgressions were placed upon you.Lord, we thank you that at the moment of your greatest test when you were in Gethsemane under pressure that we can't even begin to imagine, and as the capillaries in your face were bursting and you were sweating blood and you asked if there's any other way, you said, "Father, if there's any other way, let this cup pass from me, the cup of wrath, yet not my will but yours be done." Jesus, we thank you that despite the fact that you saw how difficult that would be, Lord, you gave into the will of the Father. And Lord at those moments of temptation, when we are tempted to do our will instead of the Father's will Lord give us more grace. Give us power, the power of the Holy Spirit to be a righteous people continuing to be useful to you. Lord, bless this time, the holy communion. Jesus, we meditate upon your sufferings. We thank you that your body was broken so that we might be healed and your blood was shed so that our souls might be cleansed.Lord, we thank you for the gospel. We thank you for the gift of grace. And Lord, right now minister to us as we partake in holy communion. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen. If this is your first time with us, the bread is at the bottom, open that up. On the night that Jesus Christ was betrayed, he took the bread and after breaking it, he said, "This is my body broken for you. Take eat and do this in remembrance of me." Then he proceeded to take the cup and he said, "This cup is the cup of the new covenant of my blood, which is poured out for the sins of many. Take, drink, and do this remembrance of me."Heavenly Father, as we meditate the sufferings of Christ, we also remember the perfection of Christ. Lord Jesus, we thank you that you never sinned. We thank you that you never gave in to temptation, not even once. And because of Jesus, your faithfulness, you provided a way for us to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Lord, make us the people that on a daily basis choose to remind ourselves that we are yours and we're not yours just once because you've created us, we're yours twice because you have redeemed us by the blood of Christ. Therefore, make us the people who live in a manner worthy of this gospel. And we pray all this in Christ's name. Amen.

In part three of our Colossians sermon series, Pastor Andrew teaches from Colossians 2:16-23. In his message, he teaches about the dangers of people-pleasing, how Paul addressed this with the church of Colossae, and how we can apply it to our lives.