Colossians 2:1-7 - Audio

Paul explains that even though Israel was the people of promise that not all Israel has been chosen and those Gentiles who have been born again are actually spiritually Israel. God is sovereign and can do what He wills, and has chosen people apart from human expectations. Election is based on grace and not race.

We need to have a passion or the lost and hurting in our world, as Paul had for the Jews, even as he ministered to the Gentiles.

Earlier in Romans 8 Paul declares four spiritual freedoms we enjoy because of Christ: freedom from judgment; from defeat; from discouragement; and from fear. We can have a fear of losing God’s love but we are secure in the love of Christ. Paul gives us five immutable facts: God is for us; Christ died for us; God has justified us; Jesus and the Holy Spirit intercede for us; Jesus loves us. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. There is no condemnation, obligation, frustration or separation.

Romans 8, verses 28-30, deals with a topic that has been divisive for centuries: are we predestined to be believers in Christ or does it depend on us? On the one hand, Calvinism says it’s all up to God. We are predestined to believe and when called we do. Arminianism says it’s up to the individual to make their own decision about salvation. Of course, the controversy is way deeper than this but these two viewpoints encompass two pillars of the faith: God’s sovereign calling vs. man’s responsibility. It is one of the “secret things” of God and not really comprehensible.

This is one of the most-beloved verses in the Bible. However, it’s not a universal truth for all mankind but only for those who love God. The Father and the Spirit will work all things – the good as well as the bad – together for our good but this might be our character, perseverance, hope, genuineness of faith, etc. and might have nothing to do with circumstances but glorifies God. We need to learn to relax and stop being anxious and to love God for Who He is, not for what He gives.

Jeff Patterson, pastor of Renew Church in Oregon City, and the guest speaker at the Men's Muster, teaches today on Psalm 44. We often question our own experiences vs. the reality of God. God is faithful but we often don't recognize His faithfulness. If we’re honest, we ask God “why?” We can become disappointed, feel forsaken, and have difficulty trusting God. It’s the language of lament; a prayer spoken in pain that leads us to trust. We need to understand that this does not separate us from the love of Christ. He has taken care of this. He’s the one who hears our lament, having lived a life of lament and victory.

We are adopted and heirs of Christ, and as such we get to share in His suffering as well as His glory. All of us, including all of creation, wait, and groan for His appearing. But we wait patiently with expectation, and the Sprit helps us.

We have been bought with a price and owe nothing to the world, so why would we serve the flesh? If we live by the flesh we will die; if we die to the flesh we will live. We need to put the old (fleshly) man to death and mortify, or kill, the fleshly deeds. Mortification is not 1) perfection; 2) deceiving others about your sin; 3) improvement toward a quiet, sedated nature; 4) simply diverting a sin; or 5) occasional conquests over sin. It is a constant duty of believers, and sin must be killed, whatever it takes. In the end, it’s accomplished by the Spirit, not by self-strength. We labor, but it’s the Lord’s power.

One can either live according to the flesh or set their mind on things of the Spirit. A fleshly mind results in death; a spiritual mind results in life. If you have been born again and have the Holy Spirit inside you, your mind should be set on the things of God.

The podcast of Calvary Prineville contains the latest sermons from Pastor Rory Rodgers, and occasionally live recordings of the latest worship service.