Jesus is active in heaven and on earth using the Bible as a guide to the evidence of his work. We are reminded that our job is to be witnesses to Jesus through the use of mercy and compassion in a broken world as we let God work through us.
Sanctification is about being set apart; not because of how great we are but because of how great God is. It is a process that takes time by letting what happened on the inside through justification be expressed by what’s happening on the outside (highlighting the difference between who we were before Christ and who we are now)
Justification is a free gift by God’s mercy and grace through faith (and the death of his son) which, without any action from us, makes it “just as if you’ve never sinned”.
The book of Colossians is full of concepts of thankfulness. In today’s sermon, Tony reminds us that true, overwhelming gratitude comes from God’s grace and if we are not overflowing with it, we need to reexamine our relationship with God and remember what we have been saved from. We are reminded that, as Christians, we can always overflow with gratitude (regardless of what we do or do not have); we just need to reflect on where our heart is and keep our focus on God.
Sticks and stones may cause immediate, temporary harm to us but, in today’s message, Tony reminds us of the power of words to cause lasting harm. We are shown how sometimes it is the smallest things that can have the most power to incite change (for good or for evil). As we use our tongues to praise God, we are encouraged (and challenged) to also use them to uplift our fellow humans who are created in his image.