Refuge Church Byhalia is a new nondenominational evangelical church located in Byhalia, MS that exists to share the hope of Jesus, grow together, & love our neighbors in Byhalia, Marshall County, Lewisburg, & surrounding areas. Below is a sermon outline from a recent sermon in our recent series, ‘the Magnificent Jesus’ entitled ‘A Life Well Lived’ from Colossians 4:2-18.
- Intro
- Well Good Evening & Welcome to Refuge
- If you don’t know me, my name is Michael and I am the Planting Pastor
- It is a joy to be with you all after a week unplugged and on vacation with my family
- And let me briefly say thank you to Caleb, Alan & everyone that I am immensely thankful that you all care for me and my family enough to say, ‘yes, go away & unplug for a time.’
- It felt so good to get away as a family without my laptop that is usually glued to me all day, every day.
- While also only using my as a glorified digital camera.
- I am refreshed, reflective, and excited to see how God will continue to build this little church His way, in His time, & for His glory in 2024
- Tonight we are wrapping up our walk through the book of Colossians
- This book all about the Magnificent Jesus has been a joyful one to walk through
- Paul wrote this letter to the little church in Colossae
- And much of his point throughout the letter was to not get distracted from the main point of our salvation, which is Jesus Christ is the main thing
- Before we get to Colossians 4, let’s re-read the passage from Colossians 1 that is titled ‘The Preeminence of Christ’ Colossians 1:15-23 (Page ______)
15 iHe is the image of jthe invisible God, kthe firstborn of all creation. 16 For by6 him all things were created, lin heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether mthrones or ndominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created othrough him and for him. 17 And phe is before all things, and in him all things qhold together. 18 And rhe is the head of the body, the church. He is sthe beginning, tthe firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For uin him all the vfullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and wthrough him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, xmaking peace yby the blood of his cross. 21 zAnd you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, adoing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled bin his body of flesh by his death, cin order to present you holy and blameless and dabove reproach before him, 23 eif indeed you continue in the faith, fstable and steadfast, not shifting from gthe hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed hin all creation7 under heaven, iand of which I, Paul, became a minister.
- This
- This is what we need to remember
- Christ – the creator & sustainer of everyone & everything
- The head of the church
- He accomplished our reconciliation
- He made peace between us and God the father through His work on the cross
- For all who believe in their heart that Jesus lived a perfect life, that we couldn’t live
- Died the death we deserved
- And believe that Jesus really did rise from the dead
- FOr all of those who believe & confess, & live with Jesus as Lord of their life
- There is hope, there is salvation, there is reconciliation, there is peace
- Because the finished work of Christ, makes all who believe, Holy, & blameless before God.
- Through Christ you are positionally justified, just as if I never sinned
- You are positionally righteous because of Christ
- There is no hoop for you to jump through to get to God, Jesus jumped through the hoop.
- So tonight before we wrap up the magnificent Jesus series, I wanted to remind us all just how magnificent Jesus is.
- But also ask, have you trusted in Him? Is Jesus personally magnificent to you?
- Have you trusted in His life death & resurrection?
- Now your salvation is personal, but it’s not private. Have you publicly professed your faith through baptism? Letting us know Jesus has changed your position and therefore you are a new creation?
- Has that happened?
- Do you have questions about that happening? I would love to talk to you about that. Because Jesus is magnificent
- And my hope is everyone here personally knows this magnificent Jesus and loves to see others come to know the magnificent Jesus.
- In Colossians 4 Paul has concluded his point about our position being changed through Jesus
- He has encouraged us to have lives changed as a result of that position change
- Where we put on Christ like Character
- Live in a well ordered house
- And worship while we work or go to school
- Now Melanie and I are pretty big Marvel movie fans. And we loved the post credit sneak peaks during the movies
- I mean when Agent Coulson found Thor’s hammer after Iron Man 2 – amazing moment
- Paul’s conclusion here is kind of like an end of movie, mid-credit, or post-credit glimpse into the future
- Like in Lord of the Rings when Frodo finishes the book and then ventures onto the ship to go to the undying land with the elves
- Paul here gives us a glimpse into, or instructs us on how to live the rest of our lives
- How to have a Life well Lived
- How to life a life that counts, that matters, that makes a difference
- So let’s read now Colossians 4:2-18 and see what we can do have a Life well Lived (Page ____________)
2 cContinue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it dwith thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may eopen to us a door for the word, fto declare the mystery of Christ, gon account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
5 hWalk in wisdom toward ioutsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always jbe gracious, kseasoned with salt, lso that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
7 Tychicus will tell you mall about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant2 in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him nOnesimus, our faithful and obeloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
10 pAristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark qthe cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—rif he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called sJustus. tThese are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and uthey have been a comfort to me. 12 vEpaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always wstruggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand xmature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 yLuke the beloved physician greets you, as does zDemas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers3 at Laodicea, and to Nympha and athe church in her house. 16 And when bthis letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to cArchippus, “See that you fulfill dthe ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, ewrite this greeting with my own hand. fRemember gmy chains. hGrace be with you.
- Paul’s Advice
- Pray Purposefully
- Walk Wisely
- Live Missionally
- Pray Purposefully
- How are we to pray purposefullyContinuing in prayer
- Pray Regularly
- This is one of Pauls’s guides to a life well lived
- Consistently communicate with God
- Ask Him questions
- Lean into Him for hope, for clarity, for decisions
- Let him know your thoughts, your needs, your desires
- Model it after the Lord’s Prayer
- How are we to pray?
- We are to be watchful, which means be precise, be clear
- Next we are to
- Pray Specifically
- Our payers are not to be vague and too open ended
- Don’t pray for Byhalians to be saved
- Get some names, and pray for them
- And lastly, our guide to have a purposeful prayer life is to
- Pray Thankfully
- Our prayers should also be full of thanksgiving
- After all James 1:16-18 says ‘Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ James 1:16-18
- I mean we could spend our day saying thank you
- For breath
- For food
- For homes
- For pillows
- My father in law is locally famous for saying ‘thank you for food and tastebuds to taste it’
- Do you have a thankful heart
- And yes I mean beyond thanksgiving day
- So much to be thankful for
- We live in such abundance
- Even with inflation
- Most if not all of us, We have more than our daily bread in our pantries
- And God says be thankful for sufficient food and needs to survive a single day.
- Many of us have never been concerned with our daily needs, we’ve got it pretty good
- So we have to fight to be thankful
- Like Paul instructs us to, we must be thankful in our prayers
- We have to be specific in prayers
- We have to be continuously conversing with the God of the universe through prayer
- Walk Wisely
- Gods reputation in society is at stake in how we live
- So verse 5 tells us to walk wisely
- To live with high character
- Not to earn right position before God for eternity
- But because Christ earned us right position in eternity
- Note the small difference
- Our lives should be careful and thoughtful and well ordered
- Our character when everyone is watching and when nobody is watching
- Should be above reproach
- So that we won’t lose our saltiness
- Like salt thrown out the window and trampled on the ground
- It’s no longer salty
- No longer good for preserving
- No longer good for flavoring
- We must walk wisely so we don’t lose our effectiveness
- You know Byhalia is full of hurting people
- People who have been tricked by many
- People who have low trust
- Because they’ve been done wrong
- Or someone’s abandoned them
- Or the town the live in and love, has been looked over and forgotten as I-22 and I-269 have been built.
- The boom Southaven, Hernando, olive branch, and Lewisburg hasn’t quite occurred here
- Though this town is loved by some, it’s been forgotten by many
- So one of Jude’s favorite movies is Cars
- The one about a racecar named Lightning McQueen
- In the first movie we find him arrogant and ready to take on the World
- So arrogant he pushes his hauler truck, Mack, to drive all the way through to California even though he needed some rest.
- In so doing, Lightning falls out of the car hauler and finds himself racing through the dark without headlights
- And ends up in The forgotten town of radiator springs
- And upon his arrival, Lightning was destructive
- Destroying the main road messing up a fence & a statue
- Treating the townfolk disrespectfully and like the have no value or significance
- But Lightning didn’t stay there
- Eventually he fell in love with Radiator Springs and the people there
- He became friends with them
- So much so that he ended up setting up his big racing headquarters in the forgotten and bypassed small town
- And in doing this, Lightning brought activity and positivity to the town
- Refuge has the opportunity through out walking, to be a curse or a blessing to this town
- You see much like Lightning McQueen, we find ourselves, through God’s divine soveriegn plan in Byhalia, MS
- And through how we walk, and talk
- In public, and in private
- We can be a blessing
- Or a curse
- We can help this town
- Or we can hurt this town
- We can cherish the image bearers
- Or we can be another person to let them down
- We can love the people here
- Or get so caught up in our little church group that we never care about the waitress at Jimbo’s or the Mexican Restaurant
- We can forget to care about the young man or woman offering to help the groceries get to your car
- How we walk matters
- How we live matters
- And the effectiveness of our Gospel witness is at stake
- Because in order to make our lives, lives well lived
- We are to live missionally
- Live Missionally
- Recall verses 5 & 6 ‘5 hWalk in wisdom toward ioutsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always jbe gracious, kseasoned with salt, lso that you may know how you ought to answer each person.’
- Our lives should be a testament to the positional change bought and brought through Jesus Christ
- And in our changed lives, outsiders, non believers, will see us, interact with us, and maybe even inquire about the change, or the difference between us and the world around them
- They may ask questions
- They may open doors for Gospel conversations like Pauls asked the church to pray for
- This town is full of image bearers
- Who do not know Jesus as their Lord & Savior
- We must act and live in a way that keeps them open to our interactions
- And then care enough – to share the hope of Jesus with them
- Finally today, Paul writes some words of positivity to those laboring alongside him in ministry
- Paul writes names and positive actions of many in the final verses of this letter
- Almost like writing letters home
- Look at the journey we’ve been on
- Let me tell you the awesome things God is doing among our labors
- So today, I’m going to write some letters home, that I cannot wait to share with others
- Becaues it is a joy to do ministry with you all.
- And I cannot wait to share in further ministry in the months and years to come.
- Because there is nothing like Ministry.
- Letters Home:
- Zac – Walmart shopping for souls to win
- Savannah – knowing she has a talent of singing and seeking to help this baby church and bring glory to God, puts down her pride and says God use me to help lead musical worship, even though a year ago I don’t think she would have expected that to happen.
- Caleb – job isn’t good for my family or my marriage, let me quit, without a job on the table, trusting God will provide, & then aim to get a job in Byhalia
- Lindsey – though she got out of teaching kids a while ago and entered the corporate world, she decided to be one of the main leaders and organizers of our kids ministry.
- Matt – I’ll learn anything to help this church, even if it means sitting on a facetime call with me until at 10:30 PM to learn our new presentation software.
- Carla – took our praying for people at the crawfish festival so seriously that she took her prayer note to work and started asking coworkers how she could pray for them.
- Alan – such great faith that God would start a work he bought land just north of Byhalia for whatever God would start in the future. In 2020 he bought the land on which their house sits.
- Jessie – every time she walks into one of our homes, even though she just got off a long shift as a nurse practitioner, and would love to be with her kids, walks up to the homeowner and asks how she can help
- Sam & Liz – stumbling across RCB but instantly so persuaded that praying for, submitting to, and caring for church leaders is immensely important they dive headfirst into RCB and labor to care for the leaders.
- Kevin – being so burdened for the lost, dive head first into any ministry he could. And RCB just so happens to be close to home and launching from GCC. So now the guy who has gone on basically every mission trip GCC has offered lives on mission for souls in Byhalia, cleverly and creatively plans our meals together, along with stepping up on our musical team.
- Doug & Shelly – meeting this young group of believers at the crawfish festival, struck by our kindness, decided to check us out. And then were perfectly content being stuck on the griddle and becoming candied bacon experts at the Market Festivals this summer while the rest of us did our best to make meaningful connections.
- Melanie – steadfastly supporting me, encouraging me, and correcting me, when I’m fired up & ready to go, when I’m stressed out, when I’m everything in between. She is a great helper and great team member.
- I’m so fired up to labor with you all for the expansion of Christ’s Kingdom & the Glory of God
- If you’re new here, I would love for you to join with us as we Share the Hope of Jesus, Grow Together, & Love our Neighbors
- Talk to me about what RCB is and where we are headed.
- So now as we wrap up the book of COlossians,
- This isn’t the end of God’s work going
- This isn’t even the end of Paul’s ministry
- It’s the closing of one part of the eternal work of God
- So as we consider and reflect on the magnificent Jesus
- I want to ask
- How often do you think of your blood bought new position in Christ?
- Think of it more often
- How has Jesus made you more like him recently?
- Has your character changed?
- Are you becoming a more loving husband, a more respectful wife, a more obedient child, or a calmer but instructive parent?
- Grow in your sanctification
- Let’s be encouraged to pray continuously for these things
- And for the Gospel to GO
- And for God to use us, full of great character
- For His Glory
- Through Christmas, and launching into 2024
- It’s been a good year, but the best is yet to come.
- Ecclesiastes 7:10 ‘10 Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.’
- Let’s pray.