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Grace Be With You

Sunday, December 17, 2023
Pastor Jojo Ma

Weekly Bulletin | Worship Lyrics

Colossians 4:15-4:18

 

15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” 18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

I.          The Expression of Love [v15]
II.        The Centrality of Scripture [v16]
III.       The Importance of Serving [v17]
IV.       The Remembrance of Prayer [v18]
V.        The Greatness of Christ [1:16-18 HCSB]

I.         The Expression of Love [v15]
15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

We are no Christian church apart from the demonstration of love for one another and this love must be expressed in both words and actions.

Don’t just give up and dont look down; look up and then look around. You are not alone.

Be committed and then be connected. We need one another and we need to express love one to another in practical, tangible ways --- in word and deed.

II.        The Centrality of Scripture [v16]
16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

The public reading and teaching of Scripture was central in the life of the New Testament church.

16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

1 Thes 5:27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

2 Tim 4:1-4 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Let’s make sure Scripture is what dwells in us richly; not athletes or celebrities or the weather.

III.      The Importance of Serving [v17]
17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

Philemon 1-2 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house.

17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

My fellow Christians, ask not what your church can do for you, ask what you can do for your church.

Aim to be a provider more than a consumer in the local church.

Let’s encourage one another by saying “thanks” and saying “thanks” often, appreciating their faithfulness in fulfilling their ministry that the Lord has given them. Show me a thankful church and I’ll show you a happy church.

IV.       The Remembrance of Prayer [v18]
18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

The lesson for us here is to uphold the reality of prayer as we remember one another through the week. True Christian fellowship centers around the Word and prayer.

18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

We should be a people who embrace grace and exude grace and extend grace.

V.        The Greatness of Christ [1:16-18 HCSB]
16 For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities --- all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything.