Sermon highlights from Relationship Reset Week 3. Sermon by Pastor Mike Standish; notes compiled by Dan O’Toole.
Big Idea:
- Trust is Built When Our Priorities and Actions Reflect Our Life in Jesus.
Week 3 Main Scripture:
- Colossians 3:1-8
Your Perspective and Priorities Change When You Come to Jesus.
When you are made alive in Christ, you are called to live like you are alive in Christ. This means the things you seek, the things you think, and the things you pursue shift from earthly to heavenly.
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus describes this through the lens of what we treasure. We could either choose to view and pursue our earthly treasures as means for our personal fulfillment and happiness, or we could view them as gifts and tools God gave us to steward for the good of others and his glory.
When We Hoard for Our Good, We Lose Space For the Good of Others.
Building trust in relationships comes from living with heavenly priorities that reflect the sacrificial nature of Jesus.
Trust erodes when we talk the “spiritual talk” but don’t walk the “spiritual walk.” God wants us to live a life that is not just a checklist of attending church or Bible studies and discussing spirituality. God wants us to actively live a life that reflects his good and impacts our relationships and the world around us here and now.
A Heavenly Focus Produces an Earthly Difference.
We don’t want to be people who are so heavenly-minded that we’re of no earthly good. But, we also don’t want to be so consumed by worldly things that we have no heavenly impact.
“Aim at heaven, and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth, and you will get neither.” – C.S. Lewis
What It Means to be Hidden in Christ
We find our security in the fact that our identity is found in Jesus.
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” – Proverbs 18:10
When we’re safe and secure in Jesus, we have open hands.
One of Grace’s House Rules is Big-Hearted Generosity: We Prioritize Giving to God’s Work Over Protecting Ourselves.
The reason we can prioritize giving our time, energy, resources, and money is because God has us. We’re safe, protected, and provided for. And we don’t have to hoard.
What It Means to Wait for the Appearance of Christ in This Life
We are not meant to wait idly or endure the terrible to get what we want. Rather, we are meant to anticipate something good while being active and helpful in the meantime.
God wants our waiting on this earth to be beneficial for others.
Putting to Death the Earthly Nature
In Colossians 3:5-8, Paul lists actions in our lives that break trust and prevent us from using our lives to benefit and impact the people around us in the way God desires.
When we commit ourselves to the values of the culture around us, we have to live by its rule book. But we’re called to live according to God’s word, not the theology of bumper stickers.
It’s not just enough to brush away our sin or keep it at arms-length. We have to kill it.
We should never underestimate where sin can take us. Sin can take us places we never thought we’d go, doing what we never thought we’d do, and staying longer than we ever thought we would stay.
God’s Wrath
We are more often lenient on ourselves when we are the perpetrators of sin, but we have a very different perspective when we are the victims.
God’s wrath means He deals with injustice. The good thing is that God is patient. God wants us to come to Him, and He extends the invitation of forgiveness to us. But there will come a day when Jesus comes back, and He will right all the wrongs.
We don’t have to live in fear if we follow Jesus. We don’t have to put the old self back on.
Our Role in the Riddance of Sin
Positionally, the moment we come to Jesus and He saves us, we are forgiven of our sins, and the punishment of sin is no longer something we face.
Practically, God doesn’t just remove the presence of sin, nor does He just leave us on our own to try to figure it all out. Instead, He invites us to work out our salvation, knowing that God is working in us to will and to work according to His good pleasure.
THINK
Is it True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, or Kind?
We can build trust within our relationships by being slow to speak and taking the time to consider if our words will be used to reflect Jesus, glorify God, and benefit others.
Catch up or rewatch the full messages from our Relationship Reset series here.
