For the full sermon audio message click here: Lives Hidden With Christ - Devoted

We have come to the end of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Over these weeks, we’ve walked carefully through this small but theologically rich book, and now we arrive at its final exhortation. Today, our focus is Colossians 4:2–6. Beginning in verse 7, Paul turns to personal greetings, material we touched on in our introductory message, so here, at the close, we attend to the heart of his final instruction.

Paul writes:

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
(Colossians 4:2–6)

Note: This text based post is very much a summary. To hear my full exposition, grab a couple cups of coffee and listen to here: Lives Hidden With Christ - Grounded

As we turn to this passage in Colossians, we are coming down from some of the highest Christology and richest theology in the letter. Paul has been painting a sweeping vision of who Christ is and what it means for our lives to be “hidden with Christ.” Last week we ended with this summary statement:

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:17)

That verse naturally raises a question: What does that actually look like in real life? How does this grand theology land in the ordinary places where we live every day?

Paul’s answer is surprisingly concrete. He takes this vision and applies it to the most intimate setting of daily life: the household.

For some readers—ancient and modern alike—this is where the tension begins.

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.”

Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.”

— Isaiah 7:10–16, NIV

Sometimes these readings are strange. Sometimes readings from the Revised Common Lectionary are interesting precisely because they force us to read the broader context of famous lines we often take out of context.

This is one of those readings.

For the full audio of this message you can listen here, Lives Hidden with Christ - Yielded

This passage from Colossians 3:15-17 is a powerful call to radical Christian living. It challenges us to measure the gap between the ideal of following Jesus and the reality of our daily lives.

Let’s dive into these verses and the three core challenges they present for every believer.

The end of last week got away from me, and so, I didn’t write up this reflection on time. I truly intend for these reflections to go out each Sunday, but sometimes I fall short.

You can listen to this message here: Lives Hidden With Christ - Put on Love

Colossians 3:5–14 is a passage overflowing with challenge, hope, and vision for what it means to live as renewed people in Christ.

Paul writes:

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:5-14, NIV

There is enough in this passage to preach on for months. But today I want to focus on what I believe is the heart of the whole section: verse 14 — “Over all these virtues put on love.”

Love is not just one virtue among many. It is the virtue that holds all the others together. It is the defining mark of people whose lives are “hidden with Christ” (v. 3), people who have been transferred from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of the beloved Son.

Paul’s question is essentially this:
What does a renewed life look like?
His answer: love—love expressed, embodied, practiced.

So how do we put on this love?

I think one of my enduring memories of Advent as a child is the Advent calendar. I don’t recall us using one very often, but I distinctly remember them being in our house. So many Advent calendars had little chocolates or other treats behind each door. I also remember the Christmas countdown rings—red and green paper strips linked into a chain, with one link removed each day leading up to Christmas. The goal was Christmas morning and getting to open presents.

Each year the community that we call, Tap Room Tuesdays picks a local organization to support at the end of the year. This year, we are gathering donations for the Brick Elementary Food Pantry and the Lincoln Clothes Closet. If you would like to donate anything to the cause, you can drop things off on our porch until December 16 or you can order from Amazon and ship them to me: Amazon List

Here are the items that we are collecting:

Advent begins today.

Advent is a season of waiting, hoping, and trusting. We wait again for the coming of Christ. We hope that in Christ’s coming all things will be made new. We trust that faith will one day become sight.

Each year we return to particular passages to ponder in light of this season of hopeful waiting. This year is no different. We will reflect and hope and pray.

As I grow older, I’m finding something new stirring in my soul. When I was younger, Advent brought a sense of excitement. It was a spiritual challenge to imagine—again and again—what it might feel like if Christ had not yet come. The philosopher Peter Rollins practices something he calls Atheism for Lent, and for a time I tried to take on a similar mindset during Advent.

But now something new has sprouted in me. The only word I have for it is longing.

You can listen to the full audio of the sermon here: Lives Hidden With Christ I have a confession to make: I am not a details guy. Details and I don’t always get along. I’m more of a “big picture” person—an idea guy. When I plan my preaching calendar, I don’t sit down with a spreadsheet and map out every Sunday months in advance. I usually wrestle with God, asking, “Where are you leading us next?"

Sometimes, this lack of planning gets me into trouble. But occasionally, by the grace (or sovereignty) of God, I stumble into the perfect passage for the perfect moment.

You can listen to the full audio of the message here: Lives Hidden With Christ - Appearance

How do you really know that you are walking with Jesus? How do you know that you are truly saved and following the narrow path? This is a hard, essential question.

For many of us, the answer we grew up with was a list of rules—explicit or implied. Don’t dance, don’t drink, don’t chew, and definitely don’t associate with those who do. We internalize these boundaries, believing that obedience to the rules equals authentic Christianity.

My father-in-law often tells a story about a preacher who made him feel that everything he enjoyed—playing cards, having an occasional drink, even slipping up and saying a bad word—was a sin. The message was clear: if you were having any fun, you couldn’t be a true Christian.

We crave assurance. We want to know that we are following Christ’s way, and to get that feeling of security, we create rules.

You can listen to the full audio of this message here: Lives Hidden With Christ - Reality How do we know what is real? In an age where digital “baloney” flies about everywhere—from our social media feeds to online articles—discerning truth has become a constant challenge.

We are flooded with fabricated content. You might see a quote from a public figure that perfectly aligns with your preconceived notions, so you automatically believe it. But what about the increasingly popular (and deceptive) trend of manufactured positive stories?

For the full audio of this message listen here: Lives Hidden With Christ - Forgiven

Last week, we began our exploration of Colossians chapter 2, specifically verses 9-12, where Paul speaks of a circumcision not done by human hands—Christ removing our sinful nature, or the “old man.” This concept is deeply connected to this week’s passage, verses 13-15, which form one continuous, profound thought.

There is simply too much truth here to unpack all at once, so this week, we focus on the remarkable work of God as Paul writes:

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness which stood against us and condemned us. He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Colossians 2:13-15, NIV)

This is the Word of God. Let’s wrestle with what Paul means when he says, “When you were dead."

For full audio you can listen here: Lives Hidden With Christ - Fullness

I have a simple, yet profound, question for you to consider: What truly fills you up?

What is that activity, experience, or acquisition that leaves you with a deep, satisfying sense of “I am whole, and I am full?”

For many of us, the chase for this sense of satisfaction comes to dominate our lives. We are constantly seeking to fill an inner void—a feeling of emptiness that is, perhaps, innately human.

You can listen to the full audio here: Lives Hidden With Christ - Rooted

We continue our series in Colossians by looking at Colossians 2:6-8:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world, rather than on Christ.

Here, Paul gets to the heart of why he wrote this letter. The church was wrestling with what he calls “empty philosophies” rooted in “human traditions” and the “elemental spiritual forces of this world”—ideas that were beginning to capture their attention and pull them away from Christ.