Colossians: Freedom from Religion

Written By Mark Avery

Colossians 2:16-23

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 way religions is so keen to offer what only Christ Jesus can provide for us…

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:

  • Discuss: Keeping a score card is sorta the way life works. Talk about the scorecards in your life that matter most to you (i.e. you are consciously tracking them)— at work, on social media, in your personal health…. What matters most, and why does it matter to you personally?

  • 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):

    • Read Col 2:16-23 together

    • Scorecards are tempting because it presents a hope that, if we try hard enough we can accomplish things that matter, that put us ‘ahead of the pack’. DISCUSS: How do these Scriptures help with countering that mindset when it comes to new life in Christ? (COl 2:13-15, Eph 2:8-10, Rom 3:21-24, Luke 18:9-14, TItus 3:3-7)

    • Conviction of the Holy SPirit is direction setting and life giving, but counterfeits like condemnation (“You’re guilty and doomed”) and comparison “You’re better/worse then them”) can be powerful! DISCUSS: How do the following passages help to counter the counterfeits? (Col 2:18-19, John 21:20-22, Gal 6:3-5, 2 Cor 10:12-18, 1 Cor 3:5-9)

    • Trying harder at religion and abiding closely in Christ are 2 fundamentally different things. DISCUSS: why is ‘religion’ so tempting when ‘abiding’ in Christ, “walking’ in step with the Spirit, is the center of the Christian life? (Col 2:20-23, John 14:15-21, Titus 2:11-14, Gal 2:19-21)

Application:

There are many score cards that we use, and some are a distraction from what really matters. Commit today to take that before the Lord in prayer, prioritizing what matters most to Him.

Prayer:

Spend some time closing in prayer together thanking God for the freedom of life in Christ and the beauty of the abundant Life that He has won for us!

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Get more resources to go deeper through Commentaries and Bible Study helps HERE

Mark Avery
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Colossians: Deadly Deception