Colossians: Jesus + Nothing = Everything
Overview of Colossians
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Review:
In a world constantly telling us we need more—more success, more knowledge, more spirituality, more control—the book of Colossians points us back to one unshakable truth: Jesus is enough. Paul writes to followers of Jesus who were being tempted to add other things to Jesus, but he reminds them that everything they truly need is already found in him. From our identity and transformation to our relationships, purpose, and mission, Jesus is not merely part of life—he is the center of it all. This series will explore how a bigger vision of Jesus changes everything. This week we looked at the overall theme of the letter that Jesus needs to be the center if the Christian life is to make sense…
The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…
o What did you learn about God?
o What did you learn about people?
o What did you learn about yourself?
o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?
Reflection:
Personal Experience & Discussion:
Share about a time where you were trying to make sense of life— maybe it was a sudden loss after a time of plenty and security. Maybe something happened in your marriage or family or health or work situation that caused you to stop and ask, “What on earth!?! Why is this happening?” What was happening, and what was going through your mid as you were trying to make sense of it all?
Reflective Discussion (Remember to look at the context of the verses as you are reading! Look for key terms and help the group unpack and define them):
The apostle Paul wrote this letter while he was locked away in prison, unable to do anything about the issues at hand except write a letter. Discuss: When we feel powerless or stuck, unable to ‘fix’ the things we want to fix, how does Scripture help us to rest in Jesus and find the things we CAN do in that moment? (Hab 3:17-19, Ps 46:10, Matt 11:28-30, Heb 10:32-36, 1 Pet 4:19)
There was a swarm of false teaching infecting the church at Collossae— some saying you have to earn your salvation through Mosaic law, others by what you deny yourself, and others by accessing their “secret knowledge”. DISCUSS:: How does false teaching like this show up in our own churches today, and how do these Scriptures help anchor us against false teaching (Matt 7:15-20, Gal 1:6-9, 2 Peter 2:1-3, Rom 16:17-18, 2 Tim 4:3-4, Titus 1:10-14, Col 2:8, 1 Jn 4:1-6)
Pastor Scott brought out 4 ways Jesus is presented as “supreme”: Spiritually (He saves us), Theologically (As Messiah, Priest and King, HImself God), Practically (Jesus transforms our behavior) and Relationally (Jesus transforms our relationships. DISCUSS: Take each of these, and discuss what would change in the Christian life if Jesus is NOT supreme in this facet of our walk of faith and life. What would change if Jesus were not “Supreme” there?
We all face times where we are tempted to ask, “God, I’m scared/ hurting/alone; are You enough?” What is clear here is that what we think of as “enough” is so very far less than Person and Power of God Himself. Elijah once asked that question, and literally wanted to die. DISCUSS: Read the description of Elijah’s encounter with God, and identify the source of Elijah’s fears compared to the way God was revealing Himself to Elijah in this story. What was God trying to say to Elijah in the fire, the wind, the earthquake, and finally His quiet Voice?
Application:
We are all trying to make sense of life. What is a burden, a ‘care’ that you need to cast on Jesus tonight, simply because you know He cares for you?
Prayer:
Jesus is so unfathomably more than ‘enough’! Spend some time this evening thanking God for revealing Himself to us, for being “Emmanuel”, God with us.
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