What does God's pleasure in Jesus being transfered to us look like for our real life? It means that we receive an inheritance. What is this inheritance? We're transferred from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of the Son. Instead of being in slavery, we are in freedom. Instead of being in darkness, we are in light. Instead of being in death, we are in life.

It also means that we are transformed from being alienated, hostile in mind and evil in action to standing before God holy, blameless and above reproach. We can't manage our sin, our heart must be transformed from alienated to holy. This is our inheritance. 

This is why recognizing the seriousness of our sin is vital. We have such a great inheritance, we cannot miss out! I remember vividly recognizing that my sin caused alienation from God. I also remember equally as vividly the coming clean and standing in front of God holy and blameless. Now, God is really driving into me what it means to live daily in this reality.

As we go into the new year, we will be looking at what it means to live inside this reality.

Take this week to read Colossians. A letter written by Paul to ward off false teachings that Jesus was not great enough to save, but we have to do other rituals in order to achieve salvation.

Remember to checkout #N90T, P90X for the New Testament. Start the new year off getting a solid foundation of what the New Testament is all about.

Colossians 1:13-22

What does God's pleasure in Jesus being transfered to us look like for our real life? It means that we receive an inheritance. What is this inheritance? We're transferred from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of the Son. Instead of being in slavery, we are in freedom. Instead of being in darkness, we are in light. Instead of being in death, we are in life.

It also means that we are transformed from being alienated, hostile in mind and evil in action to standing before God holy, blameless and above reproach. We can't manage our sin, our heart must be transformed from alienated to holy. This is our inheritance. 

This is why recognizing the seriousness of our sin is vital. We have such a great inheritance, we cannot miss out! I remember vividly recognizing that my sin caused alienation from God. I also remember equally as vividly the coming clean and standing in front of God holy and blameless. Now, God is really driving into me what it means to live daily in this reality.

As we go into the new year, we will be looking at what it means to live inside this reality.

Take this week to read Colossians. A letter written by Paul to ward off false teachings that Jesus was not great enough to save, but we have to do other rituals in order to achieve salvation.

Remember to checkout #N90T, P90X for the New Testament. Start the new year off getting a solid foundation of what the New Testament is all about.

Colossians 1:13-22

What does God think of this plan? Is this something he had to do? Was this a plan he begrudged because of what it cost him?

No. Paul tells us that he was pleased to have his fullness rest on Jesus. He knew this is how it was going to end and it pleased him to go through with this plan.

Now that pleasure is transferred to us. God looks at us with pleasure through his Son. If we view God as hating us because of what it cost him, we won't come to him. But if we know that it pleased him to do this, we can freely come to him with our sins becaue we know that it will please him to take care of them.

Take this week to read Colossians. A letter written by Paul to ward off false teachings that Jesus was not great enough to save, but we have to do other rituals in order to achieve salvation.

Remember to checkout #N90T, P90X for the New Testament. Start the new year off getting a solid foundation of what the New Testament is all about.

Colossians 1:13-22

We need a knight in shining armor to rescue us. Millions of dollars are spent every year on fairy tales, books and movies that feature this type of story. Girls, you want to be rescued. Guys you want to rescue and get the girl.

A knight needs to have two qualities: he has to be powerful and he has to be free. Jesus is powerful enough to save and he is free enough to save. He proves it through creation and through resurrection. He has tasted sin, death, oppression and hostility towards God by our sin being placed on him on the cross. He broke free through his resurrection. Now we can be free from slavery and sin.

Jesus is the life-giver through creation. We broke the life he gave through sin. Jesus now is the life re-giver through resurrection.

Take this week to read Colossians. A letter written by Paul to ward off false teachings that Jesus was not great enough to save, but we have to do other rituals in order to achieve salvation.

Remember to checkout #N90T, P90X for the New Testament. Start the new year off getting a solid foundation of what the New Testament is all about.

Colossians 1:13-22

We need a reconciler. Paul says our minds are hostile and actions are evil. Yeah, that is pretty intense. These are the times that we know, I mean we know, what we are doing is not right, but we do it anyway. This is being hostile in mind and evil in action. This jacks up our relationship with God. We need a reconciler.

Yesterday we saw that sin leads to slavery that oppress. Today we see that we are hostile. Which is it? Have you ever had those moments where you feel as though your sin stalks you? Where nothing you do gets rid of it. Then in the next moment your grief striken because you know you really wanted to, so you did. This is the battle sin brings. We need someone who can save us from both.

Take this week to read Colossians. A letter written by Paul to ward off false teachings that Jesus was not great enough to save, but we have to do other rituals in order to achieve salvation.

Remember to checkout #N90T, P90X for the New Testament. Start the new year off getting a solid foundation of what the New Testament is all about.

We have forfeited our freedom by sinning. Death oppresses and we cannot escape it, no matter how hard we try. We need a redeemer to find freedom. 

It is hard for us to see ourselves in this light. We may think that we're fine, but deep down inside, we recognize that we cannot escape sin. It follows us around. No matter how hard we try, we can never master it. It always flips itself over and continues to master us.

We need a redeemer who can finally defeat what we can't.

Take this week to read Colossians. A letter written by Paul to ward off false teachings that Jesus was not great enough to save, but we have to do other rituals in order to achieve salvation.

Remember to checkout #N90T, P90X for the New Testament. Start the new year off getting a solid foundation of what the New Testament is all about.

Jesus As King

A King For All

Religion or a King?

A King For the Powerful

Four Stories. One Outcome.

Jesus, before birth, as a newborn, and as a toddler was seen as King. 

What kind of king do you have for your life?

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Christmas_#5.m4v (35.64 MB)

4 different types of people worshiped the baby Jesus as King.

• Elizabeth, Zechariah and John the Baptist. Ministers and people who were well respected in society. They had everything they need and a good life. Things were so good, they wouldn't need a King.
• Shepherds. The low people on the totem pole. Dirty, smelly, homeless, religiously unclean. These were the first people God told about his own birth (outside of Mary's family). The shepherds would be seen as impossible as people that God would allow to worship him.
• Simeon and Anna. Very devout people. Filled with and led by the Holy Spirit. Maybe even seen as religious weirdos. People who were so religious that they wouldn't need a king.
• Wise Men. These men were brillant, rich and commonly held court with kings (they got immediate access to Herod). These men were also Gentiles, so Jews would find it difficult that these guys would be allowed by God to worship him. These men certainly were too high up to want to worship and too far away to get the chance to.

4 different people. 4 different stories. One outcome. Worship.

Read the birth of Jesus this week in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2.

This week's focal passages: Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:39-45; 2:8-21; 2:22-38

"Joy to the World" by Derrick Henslee. Produced by LifeChurch.tv.

(download)

Click here to download:

Christmas_#4.m4v (51.13 MB)

This one really had to happen in one take...so I hope it turns out okay!

Jesus was a toddler when the Magi or Wise Men showed up at their house (yes, despite what your expensive nativity set depicts!). Imagine this enterage of men who are used to keeping court with kings, wearing an amazing array of regalia, showing up at a common house to worship what everyone thought to be just an ordinary toddler inside an ordianary home. 

Everyone needs a King...even those who have everything and knows everyone. We need someone who knows more than us guiding us. We need the Giver of Life to give us Life. We need the All-Powerful to give us Power. If you are someone who thinks they have everything they need in life, what happens when it all runs out? 

Read the birth of Jesus this week in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2.

This week's focal passages: Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:39-45; 2:8-21; 2:22-38

"Joy to the World" by Derrick Henslee. Produced by LifeChurch.tv.

(download)

Click here to download:

Christmas_#3.m4v (50.02 MB)

When Jesus' parents took him into the temple to dedicate him to the Lord, two people, well advanced in years, said amazing things about his life and ministry. They were very religious and devout. They had lived full lives. But they saw they needed a King. 

We can be good a playing religious games. It can be intentional--we want to fool people. Or it can be unintentional--we think God wants us to jump through hoops. These two people were led by the Holy Spirit. To them, it wasn't about doing religion. It was about knowing God. When they knew God, they knew Jesus as King.

Read the birth of Jesus this week in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2.

This week's focal passages: Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:39-45; 2:8-21; 2:22-38

"Joy to the World" by Derrick Henslee. Produced by LifeChurch.tv.