Before we turn to our God in prayer, I'd like to read together the Scripture passage tonight for our sermon. So if you turn with me to Colossians 2. Colossians 2, we begin at verse 20 and read through chapter 3, verse 17. Colossians 2, verse 20, through 3, verse 17. The context here, Paul is writing to the church in Colossae who is struggling with that Colossian heresy which says that they have to observe all kinds of rites and rituals and do all kinds of things to add to their salvation because Christ is not sufficient. Taking it up at verse 20 then, as we give our attention to the Word of God, since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules? Do not handle. Do not taste. Do not touch. These are all destined to perish with use because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Since then, you have been raised with Christ. Set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these, anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you, and over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Shall we bow together in prayer? Our gracious God and Heavenly Father, we thank You and praise You once again for this day, for this evening hour, this time of worship that You have set aside for us again, to which You have called us, And we thank You that as we gather together tonight to worship You, to give to You of our songs and hymns and praise, our offerings, our prayers, also to be nourished by Your Holy Word. We thank You too that we may come together around the Lord's table, that we might look forward to being nourished in our faith with the body and blood of Jesus Christ, even as we partake with our mouths of the bread and the wine. And Father, even as we have read from this portion of Scripture that indeed Christ is sufficient. He is our life. And that's what we see at the Lord's table. That's what we are reminded of. That our life is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank You, O Lord, that Your people have been brought from death to life for the sake of the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And therefore, Lord, may we live as new creatures. The new creatures that we are. May we live as sons and daughters of the Most High God, our Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ. May we understand that indeed, we are different. Oh, we don't like to be different sometimes. We like to blend in with the crowd. We don't like to be noticed as different. We want to fit in with the fashions of the day. in speech, in clothing, in conduct. But Father, may each of us realize already as young children, may we be taught and learn that God's people are different. We are to be different than those who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And may that be something, Lord, that we are humbly proud of. That You have called us out of darkness into Your marvelous light. And Father, may we go forth in this life and live in a way that our conduct would be pleasing to You. That as well, all of our words and all of our actions would be a testimony to those with whom we come in contact. That indeed, they might know that we are Christians by our love. That they might see that the love of Jesus Christ shines forth from our face, that the joy of salvation sparkles in our eye. And it can be heard in our speech. Father, indeed, again, as we consider this morning, we give You thanksgiving and praise for such a great salvation. Indeed, it is true that so often we are not filled with that joy as we ought to be because we cannot truly understand what it is we have been delivered from. But may we understand in part, in part, O Lord, That eternal death is indeed eternal. It is never-ending. It is a place of torment. A place where the worm does not die. The eternal lake of fire. May we understand, even in part, O Lord, that the wrath of God is so severe that we could not stand up under it. But it took another, even God Himself, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to bear the wrath of God in our place that again we might have life and have it abundantly. And Father, as we indeed meditate on Your goodness, on Your grace, on that which we have been delivered from, may we be increasingly filled with joy knowing that You care for us in such a way that we should not suffer that death, that we should not even taste it. Lord, again tonight as we come before You, we thank You for Your many blessings. We pray for Your strength to go forth in this life in a way that is pleasing to You. As well tonight, we pray again for our leaders, those whom You have placed over us in government positions, in our city, in our state, in our nation. And Father, we pray that for the sake of Your people, You would rule in their hearts and lead them in a way that they would make decisions and run this country and this state and our city in a way that is pleasing to You. Yet, Father, may we have the comfort of knowing that whatever takes place, Your will is perfect. Your decision cannot be questioned for what You have determined is perfect. Father, we thank You too for the leaders whom You have placed over us in the church. The elders who love Your people so much that they desire to shepherd the flock of God, to oversee the spiritual life of Your people. They desire to keep us in step. They desire, O Lord, that our souls enjoy the salvation that comes only from Jesus Christ. We thank You too for our deacons and pray for Your blessing upon them as they seek to administer mercy to Your people, both here and outside of the church, those who come for help. We pray that You would give to them wisdom as they administer the funds which Your people give to You. We pray that their work may be effective, that it might be pleasing to You. Oh, Father, we pray that in all things You would be glorified and praised. We pray that Your Word may go forth in all of its beauty, in all of its boldness and power. both in this place and in pulpits around the world, as well in the mission field, in the villages, that others may hear of the saving grace of Jesus Christ and be convicted of their sin and misery. O Father, bring them to a knowledge of their sin and misery only then to lift their eyes to that deliverance that comes only through Jesus Christ. And together may Your people in all places glorify Your holy name and enjoy You forever and give thanksgiving and praise to You again through our speech, through our conduct, through our living together as God's people. That one day You should greet Your people and by Your grace say, Well done, Thou good and faithful servants. Father, now too, as we prepare to hear Your Word, we pray that You would open our hearts. That You would soften any hard spots that remain. that You would fill us with Your Spirit, that we might hear Your Word, that we might believe it, that we might live according to it. We thank You, Father, for hearing our prayer. We thank You for hearing us not because we deserve to be heard, but for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In His name we pray. Amen. Beloved, verse 4 of the portion of Scripture we read says, When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. And tonight, I would like to consider with you not that entire verse, but just a phrase. Just a phrase. A phrase which somehow seems to be somewhat of an addition, but the phrase, when Christ, and then if you have your Bibles open between the commas, who is your life? Christ, who is your life. Dear people of God, as we consider the communion table which stands prepared before us tonight, I remind you that this sacrament is one of two visible sermons that God has given to us. Boys and girls, God has given us the signs of baptism and the Lord's Supper. And only these two signs. Not liturgical dance. Not drama. Not pictures. But these two visible signs along with first and foremost the preaching of His Word to help us in our worship and to teach us about His amazing grace. And as we consider the sign of Holy Communion at the Lord's table, what is the picture that we have in the bread and wine, or in our case, in the grape juice? What is the one word that describes God's amazing grace of salvation taught in this supper? Well, beloved, that one word is life. life. Indeed, we are to do this in remembrance of Him, Christ said. And what we are to remember is His death and saving sacrifice on the cross. But, His death and saving sacrifice mean absolutely nothing apart from the truth of His resurrection from the dead and the fact that He lives and reigns today. And His body and blood represented by the bread and wine points to nourishment for both now and forevermore. And boys and girls, we know that nourishment is for life, isn't it? We need nourishment to live. We need nourishment for this physical life. We need nourishment for our spiritual life. And therefore, beloved, the table of the Lord is a confessional statement that because He lives, I too shall live, which was also the promise from the very lips of our Lord in John 14, verse 19. But the believer's life is not just business as usual. It is as usual before the believer became a believer. And children, we're not simply talking here as we talk about life. We're not simply talking about being physically alive with a heart that beats and with lungs that breathe. We're talking here about a transformed life. In Colossians 3, verse 3, Paul says, For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. We're talking here about a new spiritual life in Jesus Christ. A new spiritual life then which also transforms this physical life. I preach to you this Word of God. Christ, the believer's new life. As we consider these two things. First of all, Christ, the giver of life. and Christ the goal of life. I must confess that first I was concerned about considering one tiny phrase of Holy Scripture and the voices of my seminary preaching professors rung through my head making me think was I going to do justice to this text as well. I have to be honest, I wondered what the seminary professors here tonight would think as well. But, I believe wholeheartedly that Paul's almost parenthetical phrase, Christ, who is your life? Christ, oh, by the way, who is your life? That this phrase is the key to Paul's encouragement in this letter for the Colossian believers. At that time, as I already mentioned, in the church in Colossae, this church was being tempted with what has been called the Colossian heresy. And in a nutshell, the theme of this heresy was that Jesus Christ was good. Faith in Him was okay. as far as it went, but He wasn't enough. His work wasn't sufficient. We have to abide, you see, by certain rules and regulations. We have to do our part in order to have the fullness of salvation. And again, I wish I could have read more tonight, but I didn't do that. Paul addresses these things in chapter 2 about not falling prey to these rules and regulations and man-made observations. And he gives a defense of new life in Christ. In fact, in chapter 2, verses 16 and 17, he says, Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink or with regard to a religious festival, a new moon celebration, or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come. The reality, however, is found in Christ. He also seems to scold these believers somewhat for possibly giving in to this heresy as we began to read in verses 20 and 21. Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belong to it, do you submit to its rules? Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch. And then, of course, again in chapter 3, as we said already, Paul says that the believer's life is now hidden with Christ in God. And therefore, the believer's life takes on a different characteristic. And Paul makes that plain in the section that we read. In verse 5, he says, Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature. And then he gives a whole litany of things that must be put off or put away. And then in verse 12, he says, Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with... And again, he gives another litany of things which the believer is to be clothed with. What is to characterize the Christian's life? Now, boys and girls, I said just a moment ago that the believer's new life is not business as usual as before one became a believer. And this means, therefore, that those who believe in Jesus are dressed differently than those who do not believe in Jesus. They're dressed differently. Now, I'm not talking about these physical clothes, although, let's be honest, that can be a part of it. There are certain fashions that Christian men and women are not to wear, ought not wear. But Christians are dressed differently in this sense. The Christians wear different speech clothes. They wear different thought clothes. They wear different action clothes than the world. Because our words are to be different, our thoughts different as well as our actions. And what then is the cause, The root or the foundation of all this? Well, Christ. Who is your life? Now, I've given you a bit of a lengthy background here, but given all of this, let's consider for a few minutes what that means that Christ is the believer's life. Well, first, it means that He is the giver of life. And as the giver of life, Scripture is clear that Christ is, first of all, the source of our life. Paul says in Ephesians 2, verse 1, And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Jesus said of His sheep in John 10, verse 10, I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. In John 11, verse 25, He says, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And in John 6, verse 33, it says, For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. And then also in Colossians 2, verse 13, Paul says, When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. And of course, we're talking about being spiritually alive as opposed to being dead in sin. Now again, this is just a sample of scriptural proof of many, many proof texts that Jesus Christ is the source of the believer's life. We even touched on that this morning with Romans 6, verse 23, where Paul says, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. And again, this is life in the spiritual sense, which means believers have communion with God. The opposite is death. Spiritual death. Being outside of communion with God. Now boys and girls, God created man, body and soul, for life. to live in union and communion with Him. But sin destroyed that union and communion and man died. And anyone who does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, even though he may be alive physically with a beating heart and breathing lungs, is really nothing more than a walking, dead person headed for the eternal grave called hell. Only Jesus Christ, because of His saving sacrifice, only Him, through His Holy Spirit, gives His people a new heart with the imperishable seed of new life. But not only is Christ the source of new life, He is also the substance of the believer's spiritual life. It is He who makes up the believer's life. In chapter 2, verses 9 and 10, we read, For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ who is the head. In fact, beloved, it is by His life that we live. Paul says in Galatians 2, verse 20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And as Christ lives in the believer's heart, He is our hope. He is our glory. He alone makes life worth living. We are empty without Him and apart from Him. Christ is to be the substance. And the motivating force that gives worth and value, for example, to our marriages, to our families, to our businesses, to our relationships with friends. It is to be plain to see that the substance of the believer's life is that he or she belongs, body and soul, to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4 that the life of Jesus is to be manifested in our body. It is to be demonstrated and seen. And also in verses 15 and 16 of chapter 3 of Colossians, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. And verse 16, let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. And Jesus Himself said in John 15, verse 4, Abide in Me and I in you. Beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ is the Giver of new life in that He is the source of the believer's new life. He is the substance of the believer's new life. And He is also the sustenance of the believer's new life. Boys and girls, sustenance is that which we need to give us strength. Our food and drink that we have every day is sustenance for our physical bodies. Jesus Christ is the sustenance of our life. He is the One who nourishes and feeds His people. He sustains and cares for His sheep. And by faith, Christians feed on the body and blood of Christ symbolized by the bread and wine of the Lord's table. He Himself said in John 6, verses 50 and 51, This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. He is the vine. True Christians are the branches that draw from Him and receive from Him His life-giving nourishment. And Paul says that we are to grow up into Him who is the Head, even Christ. Well, how do we do that? How do we grow up into Christ? How does Christ feed His people? Through His Holy Word. Peter says, as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby. Brothers and sisters, this. The Word of God is how you grow. Applied by the Holy Spirit. Are you feasting at every opportunity on the Word of God? You see, the world of sin, the wilderness of sin, has nothing to offer but misery. There's no nourishment there. There's only death. But Jesus Christ tends and feeds and cares for His flock. And as He Himself said, He loses none of them. And therefore, as the giver of life, Christ is also the soulless of the believer's life. Boys and girls, that means that Jesus is our comfort and our support in any and every situation of life. He is our encouragement. He is our comfort. There is only true and lasting joy in Him. And when we are tempted, tried, and persecuted, or when we face difficult times, His presence alone through His Holy Spirit is our consolation. He said, I will never leave you or forsake you. Lo, I am with you always to the end of the age. Therefore, come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Beloved, I've heard many sincere Christians when faced with difficulties and hurts, whether these things be because of sickness or death or persecution, I've heard them say, I can't imagine how unbelievers can handle this kind of situation without the Lord. I can't imagine. How can they do it? And the truth is they can't truly do it. So many have a false sense of security in the things of this life. But for God's people, as we travel as pilgrims through this life, our solace is Christ and His amazing grace by which we can confidently confess with Paul, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. People of God, Christ is the believer's new life. Again, Paul speaks of that union in chapter 3, verse 3, when he says the believer's life is now hidden with Christ. Where? In God. And this translates that because He is the giver of life, that life that He gives is eternal life. A number of the Scripture proofs that we've already cited include that. And there are many, many Scripture texts that talk about life in Christ as being none other than eternal life. The believer's eternal future is hidden safely with God. Or as Peter says, it is kept in heaven for you who believe. And that's what we have to look forward to. But we are called to prepare for that even today as Christ is also the goal of life. As the goal of life, Christ is first of all to be the object of life. The object of life. That to which we look. He is to be the center of all of life. All of life is to be directed to Him. All of the believer's life is to be lived with our focus on Christ. Paul says in verses 1 and 2 of chapter 3, Since then you have been raised with Christ. Set your hearts on things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. We must all remember, every one of us, boys and girls, young people and adults, we must all remember that our thoughts and words, for example, must be sweet and pure because that is obedience, yes. But also, don't forget, He knows our thoughts before we think them. He knows our words before we say them. Our actions at home, at school, at work, at play, in public or in private must reflect Christian love and the proper motivation because remember, our Lord is always with us and He sees us at all times. Again, young people, remember that. Our Lord is with us wherever you go. Some of the places you go, do you want Him to be there with you? Whether we eat or drink, as verse 17 of chapter 3 says. Whatever you do, Paul says, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. All is to be done to the glory of God. The writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 12 to run with endurance the race that is set before us. How? Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. The goal of the believer's life is to live always only for our King. And as we fight the good fight of faith as soldiers of the cross of Jesus against the devil and his schemes, our assurance, beloved, is that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. And our desire is to be that we enjoy more sanctified fellowship with our Lord and Savior each and every day as He is the object of our life. And therefore, as we enjoy fellowship with Christ, our goal of life, then He is also to be the example of our life. Now, I trust this makes sense. That since Christ is the believer's life, then we ought to be like Him. Now, we know that that's not fully possible. It's impossible. Yet, as Christians, those who follow Christ, we are to strive to be like Him. He is the head, His people are the body, And there is to be a family resemblance. Paul says in Philippians 2, verse 5, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And of course, the context there is talking about showing humility to others and putting others before yourself. And our pattern is to be Christ. He humbled Himself even to the point of death, for there is no greater love than to give your life for a friend. Now, for a couple of years there, a popular fashion item as well as witnessing tool for Christians was the WWJD bracelet. What would Jesus do? Maybe there are some here tonight who still wear one of these. And indeed, it's a good thought, I believe. However, we need to be careful with asking that question. What would Jesus do in certain situations? Because the truth is, Jesus would always do the right thing. We won't always do the right thing. We don't always do the right thing. And we can't do what Jesus would do the way He would do it. Because He is God, perfect and sinless. Yet we are called to live Christ-like and strive to follow His example. He said, If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And beloved, the commandments of God demonstrate they are a reflection of the holiness of God. And when God's people obey His commandments, they participate in and reflect a bit of the holiness of God. And the truth is, when one is born again on the inside and is the temple of Christ's Holy Spirit, then there must be a change on the outside. And there are things, beloved, that a Christian does not do. There are places where a Christian does not go. And there are words that a Christian does not say. And for those who are saved by grace through faith, this is not called being legalistic. This is called being a Christian. Beloved, if Christ is not your life, then you have no hope and you lie in the midst of death. But if by the grace of God He has brought you to repentance and faith and you enjoy union with Christ today because He is your life, then His guarantee for you His communion with Him forever and ever. And He gives us a constant reminder of this in the Lord's table as He says, do this in remembrance of Me. Christ's body was broken and His blood was shed unto a complete remission of all our sins. Now, congregation, that's life.