ONE SERVICE SUNDAY AT 10:00 AM
CHOIR CHRISMAS MUSIC WITH KIDS
CHRISTMAS COMMUNION
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart:
Colossians 3:3-4, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
The emphasis here is on your life hidden with Christ.
It is your life!
You are in an organic union with Christ.
You are joined to Him.
The issue of this joining is your life.
It is subjective.
Since it is your life, you can initiate Him or you can let Him just be there.
Because of the union, the organic “I,” you and I can exercise our spirit to take the initiative to let Christ be Christ in us and through us.
Or we can remain passive in the realm of the flesh, wasting more hours under the law, and getting reminded once again that we cannot make it on our own.
We need to cultivate an intimacy from our inner being to learn how to live off of Him, how to bring everything to Him, and how to be spiritually insistent.
We need to learn how to be bold.
Tell Him, “Jesus, You have to live, or it is not going to happen. It has to be You, Lord!”
We can be this bold because the arrangement in our union is that we are joined to His life, and it is His life that we participate in.
When Colossians 3:4 tells us that Christ is our life, it means He is our person.
As our person, He is our righteousness.
Experientially this means that He is how you feel about yourself.
On the level of our feelings and consciousness, Christ being our righteousness means that I can own His state and condition as my very own.
I no longer have to identify with my state and my condition.
Is He condemned?
His state is out of the reach of condemnation.
If Christ could be condemned, then I could.
But if Christ cannot be condemned, then I cannot (Rom. 8:1).
No wonder Paul says, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?” (Rom. 8:33).
He does not investigate whether the charge is legitimate, whether you feel that you deserve the charge, or whether there are some facts behind this case.
He boldly says, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?
It is God who justifies.
Who is he who condemns?” (vv. 33-34).
Paul does not refer to anything related to the actual state of the person.
There is no examining of preexisting conditions, no introspection.
He simply says, “It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God” (v. 34).
Thus, Paul is saying, “If you lay a charge against me, then my Father will turn you to His Son who loved me and gave Himself for me” (cf. Gal. 2:20).
Until Tomorrow
With a Shepherd’s Love
Pastor
TODAY’S PRAYER LIST
Sadie Harpers Family In Her Passing
Shawn & Susan Bankston In Passing Of His Dad
Bill Lawhead – Much Prayer needed
Jill Haines Surgery on Thursday
The Graham Family – Brandon’s Friends
Amy Garner’s Mother/Dad
Ashley Burn’s Sisters
Barbara Shed’s Family
Bill Moody
Carol Lawhead’s Brother
Charlie Sessom – Waiting
Colby/Connor – Allison’s G’sons
Denise Stubbs – Kim Allison’s Mom
Greg Payne – Lisa’s Brother
Hanna Hall – Pray for Grace
Kimberly – Dustin’s Sister
Larry Barker
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Mary Sims
Marynell Ford – Good News
Michael Stanley
Nora Allison – Dustin’s Mom
Paula Ferus’ Missionary Friend
Ricky Stubbs
Rod Gustafson – Cancer
Roseleigh Osborn
Scott Lanier – Linda’s Son
Shaelyn – Jill’s Friend
Sheila Simmons Cousin
Tom Witcher