Christmas at Trinity

The MVP

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Colossians 1:15-23

Senior Pastor David Rose calls us to consider whether we are truly living with Jesus in first place or being swayed by lesser hopes. When trials and temptations come, are you standing firm on the unshakeable hope we have in Christ?

  1. Jesus is the greatest of all time and eternity. (v. 15-19)
  2. Jesus reconciles everything to Himself. (v. 20-22)
  3. Jesus stabilizes the lives of His followers. (v. 23)
  4. Jesus makes His disciples His messengers. (v. 23)

Next Week: Colossians 1:24-2:5

Key Takeaways

  • Jesus gives believers a new identity, family, and purpose in life through what He accomplished.
  • Jesus is the greatest of all time/eternity, existing outside of time itself. He is the image of the invisible God. As Creator, He formed all things visible and invisible and sustains their existence. He spoke all things into being.
  • Christ reconciled believers to God through His death, bridging the divide caused by sin and enduring God's wrath in our place.
  • By His perfect life and resurrection, He defeated sin and death and brings those who trust in Him into restored fellowship with God.
  • Christ stabilizes believers by indwelling them, nurturing them, and maturing them to withstand trials and remain rooted in hope.
  • Christ deserves first place in all areas of the believer's life above any competing priorities and passions.

Further Study

  • In the sermon, David asked an important question: “Because if He is God in the flesh?and He is?then that means He created all things that He, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit spoke everything into being. And so when [people] saw Jesus, God in the flesh, they were seeing in the flesh the One who spoke all flesh into being. Can you imagine the magnitude of who Jesus was?” Current research reveals that 43% of evangelicals deny Christ’s divinity. Take a minute to reread Colossians 1:15-23 and then compare it with Hebrews 1:1-4. List what it says about Him, and set it somewhere prominent. Meditate on it this week.
  • If Jesus created and sustains all things (Colossians 1:16-17), what hope can we have when everything seems out of control? (Cf Romans 8:28)
  • When we feel condemned by our sin, how can reflection on Jesus presenting us “holy and blameless” (Colossians 1:22) transform that mindset? (See Romans 8:1)
  • David pointed out Paul’s use of an agricultural picture to illustrate the process of growth, of taking root in Christ. How do strong roots help believers withstand life’s storms and resist false teachings that try to sway us from Gospel hope? (See John 15:1-8; Ephesians 3:14-19). What practical steps can you take to strengthen your roots?

The Gospel

If you have questions about what it means to be a Christian, we would love to talk with you about it.

Reach out

Scripture says that all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). We are alienated (Colossians 1:21) and unable to help ourselves. Our sin separates us from God and leaves us under His just wrath. But Jesus, fully God and fully man, willingly took the punishment for our sins on Himself when He died on the cross.

By our own efforts alone, we can never bridge the divide caused by sin and be restored to right relationship with God. Our very nature is tainted by sin—no amount of good deeds can fix it.

It is only through Christ that reconciliation with God is possible. He lived the perfect life we could not, and died the death we deserved, taking upon Himself the punishment for sin. “The punishment that brought us peace was on Him,” (Isaiah 53). Our only hope is found in Him.