Colossians, Part 3: Jesus At The Center
Type: Wednesday Evening Service
Series: Colossians
Sermon: Part 3: Jesus At The Center
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Jeff Booth
This message explores the supremacy and centrality of Christ in all aspects of existence—as the creator and sustainer of all things, the head of the church, and the agent of our reconciliation with God. Through examining Colossians 1:15-20, the teaching emphasizes that Jesus holds everything together and deserves preeminence in every area of our lives, from our marriages and families to our decisions and ministries. The core invitation is to surrender completely to Christ's lordship, recognizing that even small adjustments toward placing Him at the center can bring breakthrough and transformation.
ℹ️ Tip: The video is set to start at the beginning of the sermon, but you can scrub the playhead to any part of the service. ℹ️
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Tonight's message is titled What do you think the title is?
Jesus at the center.
Ah, how does that work?
That's pretty good.
Well, one person enjoyed that.
We're going to look tonight.
We're going to continue on in uh Colossians chapter 1.
We're going to look at verses 15 through 20.
So how many bring how many bring your Bibles on a Wednesday night?
Whether digital, awesome, awesome.
That is great.
So you can open your Bible, whether it's on your phone or you have a tangible old-fashioned Bible.
That's great.
I have been in awe and mesmerized by the Apostle Paul's writings ever since I was a little boy.
And I even, in public school, we actually, my senior year we had a class called Biblical Literature.
And it was taught by our art teacher, and he was pretty amazing, but they we just looked at Paul's writings my senior year.
I thought this is pretty cool.
I could do this in school.
And uh I even won One class my mother actually came in and taught the class because I disagreed with the teacher and I said, well my mom said And he said, well, have your mom come teach.
Well don't tell my don't ask my mom that because she will be there.
And she came with guns ablazing.
And uh but I love uh Paul's writings and it's interesting to note This portion of scripture tonight that we're looking at is the most highly in the New Testament is the most highly focused praise. of Jesus Christ.
It's found in Colossians 1, 15 through 23, part of it you've seen on the screen tonight.
It's widely thought by scholars that this portion, these verses, were actually an early Christian hymn. that Paul would sing, would love, would enjoy, and he borrowed that and used that in this scripture here And in this portion, we see in the scripture, we have great lessons in Christology, which is simply the study of the person of Jesus, which Week one, we talked about this.
This is going to focus on the person of Jesus Christ.
That's who we're going to talk about and focus on over these weeks.
These lessons that we're looking at help all believers to understand that the praiseworthy Christ does not leave us unchanged, but he transforms us.
Amen?
When we got born again, that began a process of being transformed by the renewing of our mind and our lives have been, how many have been serving Jesus for more than 10 years?
And you are not the same as you were when you first met him.
Amen?
And I'm I'm sure some spouses can attest and friends can attest that you have changed.
Different areas of your life are not the same because Christ has been transforming you more. into his image.
Somebody say amen.
Tonight's message I said is is is titled Jesus at the center.
I want to look at verse 15 to begin.
It says this, he is the image.
Who is the image?
Talking about who?
Christ.
Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
My first point is simply this.
Jesus is the center of all creation.
Jesus is the center of all creation.
If we look back into Genesis chapter 1, we'll find that mankind is created in the image of God.
Amen.
However, Paul reveals here through the Holy Spirit that Jesus is actually the image of God.
Ancient Israel was forbidden to create for themselves any idols or images or of created things to worship.
Here we find through Paul that Jesus is the image of God present here on earth.
I don't know that we totally Can grab grasp that with our minds that God who created everything that we see, this God who spoke everything into existence, this God who created you and I in his image came to earth in human form.
And he Jesus is the image of God and dwelt and lived among men, the God of all creation.
He's worthy of our praise.
Somebody say amen.
Jesus is the image of God present here on the all of what God is, Christ is as well.
Everything that God is, Christ is as well.
The image is the imprint of God Himself.
Christ is the exact image. representation and revelation of God as we see you can look at Hebrews 1 verse 3 and reference that scripture The term image of God describes the characteristics of humanity that distinguish us from the rest of all of creation, God's creation and creatures.
We're not like giraffes.
We're not like elephants and alligators and whales.
Hello, somebody.
We are made different.
He breathed life into us.
We have been made in his image for a specific purpose.
We are not We are not uh evolved from the monkeys.
Hello?
We won't go there for now.
You and I were designed by God to rule over and to have dominion and develop the creation of God.
And this is only made possible because of certain qualities that God has put in us as human beings that's different than any other of his creations.
Nothing else that God created was made in his image but mankind.
And we have been given the responsibility and privilege of ruling, of stewardship.
And of having dominion in the earth.
To be created in the image of God means that we have, we humans have the ability and the privilege of knowing Him.
Serving Him and loving God, walking with God.
We talked about walking with God last week.
We have the privilege of walking and talking with God and spending time with him.
I believe that we are most fully human when we are fulfilling our spiritual potential.
Every human life is precious to God.
And this fact should control the way that we treat people.
Listen carefully.
This alone should control the way that we treat people with whom we have to live in this world with that we disagree with, that we have some differences with.
That we don't walk the same path with.
We don't look the same as them.
We've come from different places.
We have different preferences and differences between us.
I want to hear you.
I I'm not endorsing uh the ministry of Bill Johnson at Bethel.
I'm not denouncing him either.
But he's taken a lot of flack over the years in his ministry, and I'm not here to talk about that.
But what I am here to talk about Is there was an interview with Bill Johnson.
I believe he loves Jesus.
I believe he's pursuing Jesus.
And uh but he's received a lot of attacks from the body of Christ.
We just love to give our opinion and give our attacks.
Amen.
Well, you shouldn't say amen there.
But he was in an interview and he was he was asked by this interviewer, why is it that all these people criticize you and attack you?
And they belittle you and they come against you in such fierce ways.
Why don't you respond in like manner to them?
Why don't you give it back what has been given to you?
And with tears in his eyes, Bill Johnson looked at the interviewer and he said, How could I ever attack another human being who's made in the image of God?
That just rocked me.
Because I want to lash out at times.
I want to say what I think.
I want to get back.
Hello?
I'm the only one in this room that wants to get revenge.
I know that.
The flesh wants to get revenge, but the Christ in me must see other people who look differently than me.
We talked about this last week and the week before.
We're going to see a harvest come of people that don't look like us, haven't been where we've been, may have been in gutters we've never experienced Experienced and they've come from a different world, and God is going to empower us and has empowered us to love and see them as in the image of God And he's probably gonna bring to you that which you most dislike in this life.
He loves to bring people into our lives that challenge our faith.
Hello?
We need to understand.
Those that we may have aught against are made in the image of God.
We should treat them. in such a way to know that they have been made in his image.
You need to understand tonight, you are not random.
You just didn't appear, but you have been made.
You were created by Christ. and for Christ.
You are an image bearer and you have a responsibility to bear witness with your very life to the world around us of this God whose image that you bear, and you've been created in his image.
Paul goes on to say that Jesus is also the firstborn over all creation.
I want to be careful here Jesus, he's the firstborn, but that does not mean that Jesus is the first of all created things.
No, not at all.
John 1 reminds us, verses 1 through 3, that everything that has been created was created through Christ.
The Word of God.
He existed before there ever was any created beings.
This phrase from firstborn of all creation that Paul is writing to the Colossians points to the exalted status.
Of Christ, the Son of God.
The firstborn in any family is special.
Amen.
Our youngest son and his wife are about to have their first child.
That child will be spoiled.
Much more than all the others.
Amen.
Our daughter was the firstborn, and she probably got spoiled the most.
Well, maybe not the baby.
The last one probably got a little bit more in that But there's something about the firstborn that has special honor.
In ancient Israel, the leadership of the family and a double portion of the father's inheritance was given to the firstborn son.
Jesus, the Son of God, enjoys this special honor as well.
Jesus is preeminent in the kingdom of God.
Even the Spirit of God glorifies Jesus Christ according to John chapter 16 verses 12 through 15.
Look at this with me.
John 16, 12. uh to I think I have fifteen in here, but I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority But whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Verse 14, and he The Spirit of Truth will glorify me, will praise me, will honor me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you All that the Father has is mine.
Therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
So he's the image of God.
And he is the firstborn of all creation.
Paul continues in verse 16 by saying this, for by him all things were created.
Somebody say all things.
In heaven and on earth, visible. and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him.
Paul takes a little time here right now to clarify to the Colossians the exalted position that Jesus has as a creator of all things.
Remember there was a little bit of mingling of uh angelic worship and Paul is wanting to reveal here and express to them that Jesus is is above Above everything, everyone, any other God, any false God, he's above the angels.
Jesus is supreme.
The Colossian believers were tempted to seek after angelic realities because of false teaching.
Which would lessen the importance and position of Christ Jesus.
Do we see that in culture today?
We see the diminishing of Christ and his influence and his power, and people want to bring him down.
We need not fall to false teaching and to heresy.
We need not fall to the culture of the day, but understand that Jesus is high and exalted and worthy of praise.
He is King of Kings. and Lord of Lords.
So Paul boldly places Jesus far above everything.
Nothing, nothing at all exists within creation that is higher than Christ.
No power or authority can compare or exceed the power and authority of the Son of God.
And that's probably a really good place to shout because he's all powerful.
See, Muhammad cannot compare to Jesus.
Krishna cannot compare to Christ.
The hundreds and millions of gods that are worshipped in the in Hindu religion throughout India, they cannot Compare to our Jesus.
Buddha is insufficient in all ways, but Jesus is high and exalted.
He's high above.
No one can compare with him, and no one can remove him from his throne.
Amen.
Satan, we need understand that Satan is not equal to Jesus.
He's not equal to God.
It's not like we have an equal amount of Bad power, evil power, and good power, and they're just duking it out.
Christ has defeated Satan already at the cross.
We are victorious through what Jesus did.
We're gonna celebrate.
I wonder sometimes why we wait to eat.
Easter to get happy about Jesus and his resurrection.
Why are we aren't happy about that every time we gather in a worship setting like this, that we are rejoicing Because our Savior is alive and well.
He's victorious.
He's claimed the victory for us.
Somebody say amen.
We have the power through Christ to bind and to loose and to pull down strongholds from the enemy of our soul.
The power of the risen Christ inside of you is great.
Let me remind you, 1 John 4, 4 says, Little children, you are from God and have overcome them.
For he who is in you is greater than you Than he who is in the world.
Why do we fear?
Why do we fret?
Why are we intimidated when the living God of all creation Christ who rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
Why do we worry and why do we back down from the enemy?
We should be bold in love.
Hello?
Bold in compassion, bold in declaring the truth, because Christ is in us and we have overcome.
To live is Christ, to die is gained.
My life is not my own.
We live for him in all ways.
We are to worship and give praise to Christ because we've been created by him and for his good pleasure.
Still, the powers of darkness sought to pull, sought to pull the Colossians away from their allegiance. to the King of Glory, and he's still trying to steal your allegiance to this very day.
So don't let him.
Look at verse 17.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Just a couple thoughts about this.
Christ exists before all created things existed.
He's been, he's always been, always will be.
He's before creation took place.
John 1 1 through 14 clearly affirms this truth, but this scripture is also concluding and trying to say to us that Christ is before all things, meaning in superiority. or preeminent among all things.
No one, no government is is above him.
Sometimes I think our allegiance is to our country more than it is to our king.
Quiet in this, are we Republican church or which way do we lean here?
I heard one preacher say we don't lean.
We stand.
We stand on truth.
Amen?
We've got to make sure that we keep Christ above our politics.
That we keep Christ above all.
I don't know what you're going through tonight, but I've talked to a few people that I know they're going through some tough stuff.
Going through some challenging situations in life.
We all face them, right?
We all have to deal with them.
It's just part of life.
It's not an easy road when you accept Christ.
What changes is you you have the hope of eternity.
He gives you power through the storms.
He doesn't always take the storm away from you, but he gives you the strength and the perseverance to go through the storm.
Sometimes we go around it.
Hello?
Sometimes we climb a mountain to get over it.
Sometimes we just have to go through the storm.
And he's with us in the midst of the storm.
And I don't know what you're going through tonight, but I want you to hear me tonight that if Jesus, look at this scripture, he is before all things, and in him all things, somebody say, hold together.
I don't know.
I I I'm just I love to go out at nighttime and just look up at the sky.
I see the stars and I'm mesmerized.
They're all in the place that he told them to be in.
They all have names that he gave them.
Nothing is there that he did not create and did not put in the order.
I look at, I don't know what it is here in Florida, I've just noticed the sound of animals.
And different times of the year you can hear different animals begin to make their way.
Into the neighborhood, so to speak.
And it just, I don't know, I'm just made this way.
It just reminds me that God has put this all together.
And he holds it all together.
And the world is not coming unglued because he's holding it all together.
I know it seems like we're in chaos.
I know that we're going through some rough times.
I know that the world is in upheaval.
But he's holding it all together.
And if God can keep the stars in their place, if God can cause the sun to rise and the and to set and the moon to take its place, if God can cause the rain to fall, if God can cause the the the the crops to grow at the proper time if God can do all this God can keep your life together If God can hold the world together, God can hold your world together.
Stay in faith.
Stay in the word.
Keep Jesus the center of your life.
I want to say, keep Plugged into the local body of believers.
I see so many people that they go through trials and and different situations.
A lot of times it's marital stuff and and and stuff with our kids and we run from the church and I say stay put in the church.
Stay put in the church.
Let's walk together.
Let's pray together.
Let's love one another through the storms and let Jesus be the center because He's gonna pull you through to the other side.
But you gotta stay plugged in.
You got to stay connected to the body of Christ.
Don't run, stay put.
Stay in faith.
Let me remind you that when Daniel prayed, it took 21 days for the answer to come.
And I know you may be waiting for something for 21 days.
I waited for years for my dad to come to faith in Christ again.
Sometimes it's years.
But know this, if you read the story of Daniel, I love this.
The angel comes and talks to him and says this, listen.
He didn't say I apologize, but it's almost like he said, hold up just a minute, Daniel.
From the moment the prayer left your lips.
God sent the answer.
From the moment.
He said, but there was warfare in the heavenlies.
Hello Held me up a little bit.
There's a little traffic up there.
There's a little hold up up there, but the answer was sent.
You need to know tonight.
Whatever you're going through, whatever you've been praying about, whatever that prodigal son, whatever that situation is, can I tell you the answer is already on the way.
You stay in faith, you remain faithful to the Lord, you keep connected to His word, keep Jesus in the center in the midst of it all, and you will watch the answer come through at the right in God's appointed time.
It's not ever really on our time, it's always his time.
Your answer will arrive.
If Jesus holds the world together, I'm telling you he's going to hold your life together as well.
Verse 18 says, and Jesus, he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.
That in everything he might be preeminent.
Who are we?
We're the body of Christ, right?
Some of us are fingers, some of us are feet.
Some of us are stinky because we're feet.
Hello?
We're arms.
We're different parts of the body.
We all have functions.
But he is the head.
Jesus is the head.
Our denomination is not the head.
Jesus is the head.
Are you hearing me tonight?
Jesus is the head.
Point two is Jesus is the center of the church.
Paul highlights here the supremacy of Christ in the church as well in all creation.
Christ is not simply the beginning.
He is the beginning.
Nothing can detract from Christ as a central focus in creation and within the church.
In the context of the church-like Colossae, which was challenged by teachings that diminished Christ.
Paul was very clear about Jesus' preeminence in all things.
Jesus was a firstborn from the dead.
This means that he was a first first person to resurrect from the dead.
Note that in 1 Corinthians 15, 23, Jesus is called the first fruits of the resurrection.
Somebody say first fruits The apostle Paul calls Jesus the firstborn of many brethren, according to Romans 8:29.
This reveals then that we too, as Jesus brothers and sisters, hello, we will resurrect from the dead.
Jesus leads the way in our reconciliation and salvation and as well as our resurrection and glorification.
What great news we have in that knowledge today.
Terry and I have some friends in Nebraska who pastor a wonderful church and uh Brett uh A week ago, I guess, maybe two weeks ago tonight, his father passed away.
Was very instrumental in their church.
His wife Paige on that following weekend, her mother passed away.
And they're just grieving, but yet they know where mom and dad are.
They know that death was simply a doorway into eternity.
They understood that that final breath that mom and dad exhaled out on this earth, the next breath that they inhaled was in the presence of God, was in heaven, in a glorious place of splendor.
And this is the hope that we have Because Christ rose from the dead, we too will raise from the dead and be reunited with him and those who've gone before us. in heaven.
This is great news for us.
Yes, we mourn and we grieve.
There's tears on this side, many tears.
But Paul reminds us we do not grieve as those who have no hope.
Does anybody in this room have hope?
Anybody have hope?
Comes through Christ that we know that our eternity will be spent with him.
The focus upon the church as the body of Christ is incredibly important for us to understand.
I believe with all of my heart. that the hope of the world is found through the local church.
I believe that.
We have the answer for the world, for every problem in the world. for every circumstance in the world, the church, through the power of Christ and His Holy Spirit, we have the answer that people need and people don't even know at times that they're looking for.
The world needs the church.
Without the church, our world would literally collapse in a chaos that we could never imagine and could never fathom.
See, the church is that agency that presently incarnates or embodies the ministry of Christ.
The church's ministry, everybody say our ministry.
Not only is to proclaim the merits and the benefits of Christ's saving and sanctifying works, but it's also to reach out with continual ministry in the power and love of his caring, healing, and delivering works to see the lost one to his kingdom.
Can I say what's going on across the way today with the kids?
Is is the ministry of Christ.
Loving, caring, serving, listening, being present.
Is part of our ministry to reconcile those who don't know Jesus to him.
See, the church doesn't belong to personalities, it belongs to Christ because he is the head.
We are entrusted to reflect his image and character in the earth for his glory and to make disciples of all nations.
Verse 19 says this for in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Verse 19 emphasizes that nothing is deficient in the person of Jesus Christ.
All that the Father is, the Son of God. is also.
Jesus is not lesser God, as some religious systems view him, because there's nothing lacking in Christ.
We can seek complete restoration and fulfillment through Christ because Jesus is enough for all believers.
Somebody say Jesus is enough.
My third point is this: Jesus is at the center of redemption.
Verse 20 says, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace By the blood of his cross.
Reconcile to himself all things.
To reconcile means there's two parties that are estranged.
They've been separated.
They're apart.
This, my friend, is the gospel in a nutshell to be reconciled to Christ.
As his representatives, we have been called to reconcile others to Christ.
We've been given the ministry of a reconciliation.
God's wrath really should be upon us, upon every sinner, according to Romans chapter 1.
And and on through chapter three, sinners have actively turned their backs to God in shameful ways.
How many remember when you just rebelled against God?
You weren't liv you you didn't know at the time maybe, but one when you got saved, you realized man, I was just rebelling against God.
And even in our walk with Christ at times, we rebel against some of his desires for us.
And we have to repent and move on in obedience.
Many have actively turned away from Christ as ruler and authority over all creation to follow paths of their own choosing, actually making themselves their own God.
God could pour forth his anger and distress on those who have turned on him, but thanks be to God that he gave us his son Jesus.
That he reconciled us through Christ by the blood that he shed upon the cross.
These two estranged parties needed to be reconciled, and God did that through the act of reconciliation. by his son Christ, who brings those who were far away from him into close proximity, into right relationship through Christ's blood atonement.
Reconciliation and forgiveness are accomplished and completed in full.
On Good Friday, we're going to gather here together at 1215 to 1 and have a beautiful Good Friday service and communion time together and remembrance of the sacrifice that Christ made for us, and we need to join in and be a part of that.
Peace with God came at a high price and Jesus paid the price in full.
Finally, I need to stretch 0. 4 for 30 minutes or so.
Jesus must be the center of my life.
Look at your neighbor and say, Jesus must be the center of your life.
See, he doesn't revolve around our life.
He doesn't adjust to our wishes and our desires.
When we surrender to him, our life now revolves around his desires.
Around his kingship and his lordship.
Many want to be saved, but they don't want a Lord.
Many want to get into heaven.
But they don't want to follow his lordship and serve him and walk in obedience the path that he would have you to go.
And you must recognize his lordship over your life.
My calling is for him.
My life is for I am not my own.
I have been crucified with Christ.
I have to die daily to his desires for my life.
My worship is for him.
My suffering is for his glory.
My restoration is by him and for him.
My marriage must be centered on Christ.
When Terry and I were dating, I used to use this triangle. theory or picture that I would say, baby, when we get married, I'm just telling you, you gotta go after Jesus and I gotta go after Jesus.
I can't go after Jesus for you.
You can't go after Jesus for me.
We can encourage one another, but if we both If we both will just be passionately in love with Jesus and we are just growing in him, we are going to come together in a powerful way.
We're gonna grow together, we're gonna know each other, we're gonna we're gonna have a really good marriage.
Doesn't mean we're not gonna have problems because she's she told me I've been a problem for many years.
She's told me many times, keep growing in Jesus.
Get closer to Jesus, Jeff.
Hello, somebody.
But it's true, my marriage.
We'll be married 44 years this year.
And I'm just telling you that that is that is a miracle.
I don't I don't joke about that's a miracle.
That's the grace of God.
But if we keep, if you're having trouble in your marriage, pursue Jesus.
Encourage one another to get a fresh encounter with Jesus.
Get the counseling you need.
Do that.
But pursue Jesus and watch him help you navigate the areas that have been difficult for you.
Watch him bring healing where there's been hurt and pain.
Watch him bring peace where there's been all this chaos and torment.
I'm telling you there's a key to you just passionately going out.
My marriage, my family, my kids.
It can't, it can't always be all about the kids.
They they have to know Jesus.
I re I can I can remember when two of our kids were filled with the Holy Ghost.
I can remember when Jordan got Got saved, you're gonna love this.
It was at a power team event.
She got saved at a power team event, gave her heart to Jesus.
And I remember we were in a service one night And I couldn't find my kids.
God was moving.
We had a uh uh I don't think Martha Tennyson was there or someone like that.
And she was preaching and and people were just all over the place on the carpet and everything.
And I couldn't find my kids and And and Jordan was like in the the last seat back there, just bawling.
And I go back to just talk to her and she's just like, oh, She's just speaking in tongues.
I'm oh just let her be.
She's fine.
She's right where she needs to be.
And I think it was Jevin was down like on the front row, just being touched by God.
Our kids need to have encounters with the living God.
I'm telling you, if your kids see that you love Jesus, I'm not telling you it'll be perfect.
Trust me, our kids are not perfect.
Well, yeah, they're not perfect.
They see you going after Jesus.
I'm telling you, especially when they're young.
They're really gonna want the Jesus when it's real, when it's not religion, but it's a true personal relationship.
When they see the gospel lived out in your they're gonna want that.
There may be times when they stray, don't get me wrong, I understand it happens.
But I'm telling you, they're watching if we're just playing church or if we really are the church.
You can't fool your kids.
Jesus has to be the center of your home.
All of my life's plans must have Christ at the center.
Lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him, and he'll direct your paths.
When we've had transitions in our lives, There have been seriously, when we went to Omaha in 2000, we had a chance to go to California.
Accepted a position in Colorado.
Can I tell you Colorado's more beautiful than Omaha?
Can I tell you there's a whole lot more to do in Colorado than there is in Nebraska?
All they got is Husker football and they not any good.
I'm telling you, sometimes what looks good is not God's plan for you.
Sometimes he hides the great stuff in places that you don't expect it to be.
So you don't lean on your understanding.
You acknowledge him, you search for his peace, and watch him, keep him at the center of your decision making.
I can tell you decision after decision that I made early in our marriage that Jesus was not the center of it and we paid dearly for it.
It's quiet in here because you made a couple of those too.
Thank God for his grace.
Thank God that we can run back to him.
And he can turn some things around that we mess up.
Sometimes you got to deal with, you know, the fallout.
But if you really will let him be the center of your decision making, you'll see God do things that there's no way you can make happen.
Hmm.
That was pretty good.
As we prepare for Easter Resurrection Sunday, we need to be reminded the price of our redemption was bloody.
Ugly.
You ever you ever seen something tragic and you just you just you couldn't you had to look away, you I can't look at that.
I don't think we have an idea what Jesus really looked like.
How, what he took for us This is a season to reflect on that.
And if Jesus is not the center of our life, maybe we've strayed in some ways that we can center back.
Say, Jesus, take control of this.
I acknowledge your Lordship in this area of my life.
I surrender it to you.
Have your way in my life Jesus purchased my salvation, our salvation, through his sacrificial act of love by taking on my sin, your sin.
See, if he created the earth, he owns it.
If he sustains it, then he governs it.
If Christ redeemed me Then he deserves all of me.
Not just a portion.
Not just my church attendance.
He deserves all of me.
Every moment of every day, my life is to be surrendered to him.
Jesus does not compete for first place.
He must be in first place.
As I close, band come on up.
I don't know what we're going to do here music-wise.
If you can play Jesus be the center, that'd be great.
Think about what area of your life may be not totally under Christ's authority right now.
It's not a condemning thing.
It's like As we walk through this season, we need to examine ourselves.
Paul said that.
Examine yourself to see if you're in the faith.
This is what he says.
Because maybe you're not.
Maybe you've drifted.
It's a good time to examine.
You might be here tonight, even on this Wednesday night, when it's predominantly believers.
You may be here and your life is not surrendered to Christ.
You can do that tonight.
You can acknowledge him as Lord and Savior of your life.
And he will begin to transform you in that moment.
I probably misspoke earlier.
In point number three, I think.
I said that when we're so far away from God He put a plan in place to reconcile us.
And the last part was true.
He did put a plan in place to reconcile us, but I'm not so sure we're so far away from God like we talk about sometimes.
I had a friend named Billy.
I never really played baseball, but Billy played baseball in high school and college.
And there was a game that Billy was pitching in in college.
And he was in a pickle.
I can't remember what inning it was, but bases were loaded.
He was on the mound, bases were loaded, and there were no outs.
So this is a bad situation.
And so you know how coaches will come out and talk to him. and and some of the team gathers around him.
And one of the coaches said, Billy, you need to throw the ball harder.
You need to throw the ball harder.
Another coach said, you need to keep that ball low.
Don't throw him a high one.
And head coach came out to him of just quiet and he said Billy show me your slider.
Show me your slider.
And I've looked at a few videos.
And I've seen him kind of do it like that.
And Billy held the ball out with his fingers like that.
Coach didn't even really say a whole lot.
He just said, let me have your hand.
Keep the ball in your hand.
And he took this finger and moved it an eighth of an inch to the other side of the seam.
Just a small adjustment.
Billy struck out the next three batters. and got out of the inning by one minor adjustment.
Sometimes we think we're so far away from God and we've made this big blunder.
And yet God says just one One, just one step towards me, just one prayer, just one realignment, making me the center of this situation, can give great dividends. and make a big impact in your life by making once.
Sometimes we're in a service and the Holy Spirit's dealing with us.
And we have real.
I see this, I see this almost every week, church.
We have people who will come to the altar and I I'm gonna ask if any of the team members are here now.
I want you to come and prepare yourself.
People have prayed all week and prepared all week to believe God for your miracle.
And sometimes I've done it myself.
I thought, well, I don't want people to know I've got trouble going on in my life or whatever.
We let pride get in the way.
But one step towards someone to pray with you could be that all the change that is needed.
That one prayer could turn everything around and re and and release God's blessing, God's plan, God's purpose in that moment over your life.
I don't know what little step you you need to take.
But I want us to stand and come on, stand across this auditorium.
And if you need prayer tonight, just even before we begin to sing, step out and allow this prayer team to pray with you. believe God for the miracle that you need, for the answer that you need.
Because God is He's willing and He's able.
He's ready.
And maybe it's just that one step that you need to take tonight and God's going to meet you.
I know that That he's gonna meet you this evening.
Can we just lift our hands, church?
Those are coming to the altar, the rest of you in your seats, you just lift your hands and say, Lord, tonight, I just I just surrender to you.
And I just want you to know that I want you to be the center of my life.
You are the center of my marriage, the center of my family, the center of my business, the center of my finances, the center of my decision making, the center of my ministry, the center of every are Re-aried of my life.
You are Lord.
You are supreme.
You are above all.
You're holding it all together.
And I thank you for that.
I want you to be the center of every area of my life.
I want to give you glory.
Help me.
To be an image bearer that reveals your character and your love and your personhood, Lord, to those that I come in contact with.
Lord, I pray you'd bless tonight your people in this room, Lord, those at the altar.
I pray, God, for miracles to take place, for answered prayer to be received tonight, God, that you would give breakthrough tonight in the lives of your sons and daughters, Lord, as we seek after you.
Lord, I pray your blessings over everyone in this room that.
Lord, you would bless Lord with rest tonight.
Those that need healing and health issues of God tonight, Lord, they will experience your healing power.
Lord, we pray as we enter into the next week for walk, Lord, that we would just.
We would hear testimony after testimony, God, of what you're doing in the not just the lives of the children, but in the lives of their families.
Lord, as we prepare for Palm Sunday, Lord, for Good Friday and for Easter, Lord, I thank you. you for divine appointments that you were giving us.
Lord, that we would operate in the ministry of reconciliation, that we would lead people to Jesus.
And Lord, they'd make a confession of faith.
Even here in this place.
Lord, we ask for a harvest of souls.
We pray, God, it's not about what we can do, it's about what you can do.
We ask for your power, Lord, as pastor preaches, Lord, as worship takes place, as prayer takes place.
Lord, may lives be transformed. transformed by your power, by the power of your name.
In the name of Jesus, we give you praise.
We're going to begin to worship.
You can stay as long as you would like and these folks are here at the altar to pray with you if you need prayer.
God bless you.
Thank you for coming tonight in the name of Jesus.
