You've probably seen or heard stories about a stereotypical guru or wise man who contemplates life in a cave at the top of some mountain in the Far East. And you can imagine a curious young man climbing up that mountain, seeking to learn from the old sage. And when he finally finds him, he says, oh, wise man, Please tell me the meaning and purpose of life. And after a few moments of silence, the old man turns to his young visitor and replies softly, my son, if I knew the meaning and purpose of life, I wouldn't be here. Closer to home, the story is told of a teenage boy who is asked by an adult, so what is your goal in life? And without hesitation, the lad responds, to get into one of the best colleges in America. So his inquirer asks, then what? Well, I want to land a top job with a six-figure salary. Then what? Well, I suppose I'll get married and have a family. Then what? Well, I'll probably travel all over the world with my family and give them experiences and opportunities that I never had. Then what? Well, I'll have a nice, relaxing retirement, enjoy my grandchildren, maybe some hobbies. Then what? Suppose I'll spend my final years in a nursing home or something. Then what? Well, I suppose I'll die. Then what? And after a few moments of silence, he says, I don't know. Isn't it a tragedy that almost everyone pursues life without knowing what it's all about. They may ask questions like, why am I here? But they assume that the answer lies in the pursuit of happiness and self-fulfillment. Unfortunately, most devote themselves to that on a daily basis. And many even achieve the goals they set for themselves. But eventually, they realize that none of this really brings the fulfillment that they expected. Worse yet, many Christians are equally oblivious to the meaning and purpose of life. They bring their worldly ideas and goals with them into the Christian life, and when it really comes down to it, they never allow God's word to change their thinking or their sense of purpose. To help us avoid that, I want to focus today on what I would call the ultimate reality, as God has revealed it in his word. And once we understand that ultimate reality, the implications and applications become obvious. And that's going to be my main outline this morning. First, the ultimate reality itself. Secondly, the implications of that ultimate reality. And thirdly, some practical applications. This ultimate reality permeates the pages of scripture, but I'd like to focus particularly on the letter from Paul to the Colossians. And if you haven't already done so, please turn in your copy of the Bible to Colossians chapter one, verses 13 through 18. Colossae was a city in what is now called Turkey. It was about 12 miles southeast of Laodicea, near the main east-west highway between Ephesus in the west and the Euphrates River in the east. Now, it's not clear from the New Testament whether Paul personally planted the church there or if one of his disciples, such as Epaphras, did that. But it is clear that Paul took a special interest in all of the churches that sprang up in that area. And so this letter, for example, was written to provide this new church with encouragement, teaching, exhortation. In many ways, this book overlaps significantly with Paul's letter to the Ephesian church. After his initial greeting and commendation to the Colossians, Paul explains in verses nine through 12 how he has been praying for them. that they would be strong, mature, and fruitful in Christ. Then in our text for today, he explains in verses 13 through 18 why he was praying those things for the Colossian church. So starting in verse 13, we read, for he, that is God the Father, rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son. in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He, that is Jesus, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church. And he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself will come to have first place in everything. Notice that Paul begins his explanation by saying, for. and then focuses on the character and work of God, particularly of Jesus Christ himself. This, my friends, is one of the clearest explanations of the ultimate reality I was referring to earlier. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul describes this ultimate reality by describing four key truths about Jesus Christ. First, notice the truth that Jesus is God. Paul actually explains three roles of Christ as God. First, in verse 13, he refers to Jesus as the Father's beloved Son. This hearkens back to Psalm 2, among other places, which refers to the Anointed One, that is the Messiah, who is both King and the Son of God. Peter and John made that connection between the Messiah, the Christ, and the Son of God. For example, in Matthew 16, 16, it says, Simon Peter answered Christ, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And again, Christ is just the Greek term for, it's from the Greek term for the Hebrew term Messiah. And in John 20, verse 31, the Apostle John explains why he wrote the Gospel of John. He said, these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. The Jews understood that the term Son of God or Messiah means that he would have all power. In Matthew 27, for example, at the crucifixion of Christ, it says that those passing by were hurling abuse at him, wagging their heads and saying, you who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself. If you are the son of God, come down from the cross. In the same way, the chief priests also Along with the scribes and elders were mocking him and saying, he saved others. He cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel. Let him come down now from the cross and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he delights in him, for he said, I am the son of God. They also understood, these Jews, that the title son of God means that the Son of God would be God himself. And so claiming to be the Son of God, being a man, would be blasphemy. In John 19, verse 7, the Jews answered Pilate and said, we have a law, and by that law, he ought to die, because he made himself out to be the Son of God. So the first role that Paul highlights here is the role of, in his deity, that Jesus is son of God. The second role he refers to is in verse 15, where he says that he is the image of the invisible God. Image, of course, means a representation, a likeness, or a form that can be seen. And it's the same term that Jesus used when he said, whose likeness is on this coin? Of course, it was the likeness of Caesar. Caesar wasn't nearby to be seen, but his likeness, his image, was there on the coin. So the meaning here is obvious, that the invisible God took on visible, tangible human flesh. Later in Colossians, we read, for in him, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. And just after our text for today in Colossians 119, Paul writes, for it was the father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him. The third role of Jesus's deity that Paul points to here is in verse 16, where he says that he's not just the son of God and the image of God, but he is creator. Jesus Christ is creator. He says, for by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through him and for him. Now, that is all-encompassing. It speaks of, first of all, the extent of his creative work in this verse. He says, all things, meaning all places, he says, both in heaven and on earth, that covers all the territory, all beings and things where he says both visible and invisible were created by Christ, and all powers that exist. He says whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all these things were created by the Lord Jesus Christ. We read here not just, though, of the extent of his creative work, but also the means of his creative work. He says all things were created by him, that is, literally in him, and also through him, by means of him. That's actually taught in many places in the scriptures. For example, in John chapter 1, verse 3, It says, all things came into being through him, that is, Jesus, the eternal word of God who became flesh. And apart from him, nothing came into being that has come into being. 1 Corinthians 8.6 says, for there is no one But there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through him. And the first two verses that open up the book of Hebrews say, God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions, in many ways, in these last days, has spoken to us in his Son. whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world." Here, I believe we see the meaning of life. We are the handiwork of Jesus Christ. We are the handiwork of Jesus Christ. But verse 16, in addition to describing the extent and means of his creative work, continues to affirm the purpose of his creative work, where it says, all things were created for him. All things were created for him. And here we're introduced to the purpose of life, which I'll expand on later. Before I do, though, let's look at the second key truth about Jesus that Paul introduces in this passage, that Jesus is not only God, but Jesus is also our sustainer. our sustainer. And he sustains us both physically and spiritually. As for his physical sustaining, in verse 17, he says, in him all things hold together. Contemplate that. In him, that is in Jesus Christ, all things hold together. Hebrews 1.3, as we continue in that first chapter of Hebrews, says, and he, Jesus, is the radiance of his, that is the Father's, glory, and the exact representation of his nature, and upholds all things by the word of his power. He didn't just create the world, he sustains it. If you want to know what holds those little protons together inside the nucleus of an atom, the answer is right here. The Lord Jesus, as Paul instructs us, sustains us not only physically, but also spiritually. In verse 14, he says, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Redemption means being freed by payment of a ransom. A ransom price was demanded by God to pay the penalty for our sin. to satisfy the father's wrath against our sin. Mark 10, 45 says, for even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. First Peter 1, 18 and 19 says, you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life, inherited from your forefathers, but with a precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." That word forgiveness here means not simply ignoring or forgetting, but rather paying the debt himself. Later in Colossians chapter 2, verses 13 to 14, we read, when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt, consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Redemption and forgiveness are inseparably linked in Christ. Ephesians 1, 7 through 8. It says, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished on us. In Hebrews 9.22, all things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. The third key truth about Jesus that Paul provides us in this passage is that Jesus is not only God and our sustainer, but also Jesus is our authority, our authority. In verse 18, he says, first of all, that he is also the head of the body, the church. He mentions this later in Colossians in chapter 2, verse 10, where he says, and he is the head over all rule and authority. And in Ephesians 1, 22 and 23, he put all things in subjection under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. You can also look at Ephesians 4, 15 and 16 and Ephesians 5, 23, which speak of the headship of Jesus Christ, particularly in the church. The second aspect of his authority that's brought out here is in verse 13, where he's referred to as king. It speaks of his kingdom here, as we saw earlier in Psalm 2, verse 6. But Isaiah 9, six through seven, introduces this prophetically to the nation of Israel, and then to us, where it says, for a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on his shoulders. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. And there will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace. On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it, to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Then later in Daniel chapter seven, verses 13 through 14, speaking prophetically again about Jesus, he writes, I kept looking in the night visions and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man was coming and he came up to the ancient of days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom. that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away. And his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. And then in fulfillment of this, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary, behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High and the Lord will give him the throne of his father, David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end. Jesus himself said to Pilate, my kingdom, in John 18, 36 through 37, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. As it is, my kingdom is not of this realm. Therefore Pilate said to him, so you are a king? And Jesus answered, you say correctly that I am a king, for this I have been born, for this I have come into the world to testify to the truth. We'll come back to the rule of Christ in a few minutes, but before we do, notice the fourth key truth about Jesus that Paul provides in our passage, that Jesus is not only God, not only sustainer and authority, but also Jesus is preeminent. Preeminent. Paul makes this point five times in this passage. In verse 15, he says that Jesus is the firstborn of all creation. Now, that doesn't mean that, first of all, that Jesus was created. After all, in this very context, we see he's the creator, not the created. And it also doesn't mean that he was born first. Obviously, he was not the first one to be born on the world. What does it mean? The term firstborn indicates a position of preeminence, that he has first position and is above all others in priority. This harkens back to the Old Testament law. In Deuteronomy 21, 15 through 17, we see the law concerning the rights, privileges, and so on of a firstborn, a firstborn son particularly. And yet, that same position is sometimes granted to those who are not chronologically the first one born. Psalm 89, 27, for example, God says, I also shall make him, David, my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. Now, you know that David was not the firstborn in his family. He was number eight of eight boys. Romans 8.29, likewise, says, for those who he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, so that he, Jesus, would be firstborn among many brethren. Firstborn means preeminent, having priority, first place. His second use, or second reference to the preeminence of Christ is in verse 17, where he says that he is before all things. Not just chronologically before, since he always existed from eternity past, but also in priority. Jesus Christ is more important than all things. And it's important for us to remind ourselves that means he's more important than us, right? He is preeminent. Verse 18 says that He is the beginning. That is, as our creator, he is our source. He is also the founder of the church. That too makes him preeminent. Verse 18 continues and says that he is first born from the dead. Isn't that an intriguing term? First born from the dead. That term is also used in Revelation 1.5 where it says, Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, who loves us and released us from our sins by his blood. I believe that term is better explained in 1 Corinthians 15, 20 through 23, where it says, but now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep, that is those who have died, For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection from the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order, Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at his coming. So Jesus was the first to be resurrected from death to permanent life. And because of his resurrection, all who are in Christ will be raised bodily at the rapture. So Jesus is preeminent in granting that resurrection. The final reference to his preeminence is also in verse 18, where it says that he himself will come to have first place in everything. That's the grand summary of his preeminence over all things and all people. And that's where we need to start when looking for the meaning and purpose of life. That Jesus Christ, our creator and God, our sustainer and our authority, would have first place in everything. As we saw, Verse 16 also says that all things were created for him. Ephesians one, verses nine through 10, we read, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his kind intention which he purposed in him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times. That is, the summing up of all things in Christ. things in heaven and things on the earth. The summing up of all things in Christ. So whoever submits to Jesus Christ in all things, that is someone who recognizes that Jesus is to have first place in everything, lives life according to the meaning and purpose for which God created us. That's easier said than done, isn't it? In fact, most of us probably don't realize how much we don't submit to the Lord Jesus Christ. So I want to make the implications of this personal. What we're talking about, of course, is the lordship of Jesus Christ, isn't it? That's my second point. Many of you may have heard me explain what it means that Jesus is Lord through the use of a simple acrostic, L-O-R-D. And I'd like to use that to help us see what it means to submit to Christ so that he would have first place in everything. First of all, the L in Lord reminds us that Jesus is, first of all, our leader. And since he is our leader, our purpose is to follow him. Now as it turns out, that's one aspect of his lordship that's not particularly the focus of this passage in Colossians, but it is clearly taught throughout the Bible. For example, in Matthew 23, 10, Jesus himself said, one is your leader, that is Christ. In John 10, 27, Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And of course, you remember the first two verses of the 23rd Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the quiet waters. And in John 8, 12, Jesus said, I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Now that concept of following Jesus is familiar to us. We consider ourselves to be followers of Christ, and yet following Christ is costly. In Luke 9, 23, Jesus said, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross dearly and follow me. Is your following Christ characterized by denying yourself? Is it characterized by sacrifice and dying to sin? Or do you seek to follow Christ on your terms, such as when he seems to be headed where you already want to go, like two quiet waters? But not otherwise. If we truly submit to him as Lord, then we will follow him wherever and whenever he leads us. The O in Lord stands for owner. Jesus is our owner, our master, and we are his slaves. And since he owns us, our purpose is to serve him. Jesus owns us both because he created us, and as Colossians 1 makes clear, which is what Colossians 1 makes clear, but he also purchased us for himself. For example, Acts 20 verse 28, Paul spoke to the Ephesian elders by saying, be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood. 1 Corinthians 6, 19 through 20 says, or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. The next chapter of 1 Corinthians, chapter 7, verse 23, says, you were bought with a price. Do not become slaves to men. And Revelation 5, 9 says, and they sang a new song to Jesus, saying, worthy are you to take the book and break its seals, for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood, men of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Indeed, since Jesus owns us, we are his slaves. Several times here, even in the book of Colossians and throughout the New Testament, Christians are referred to as servants or bondservants. It's the same Greek term that's used there, doulos, and it means slave. Now, a slave, of course, is someone who is legally bound to an owner, a master. But, and this is very important, Don't let your concept of slavery, including the mistreatment of slaves, to prevent you from seeing yourself as a slave of Christ. Since God only does what is good, one couldn't ask for a better owner, amen? And since Jesus owns us, our purpose is to serve him, to serve his interests rather than our own. Let me repeat that. Since Jesus owns us, our purpose is to serve him and to serve his interests rather than our own. Now, that's full of implications. We saw, for example, in verse 16, that all things were created for him. And in verse 18, that he would come to have first place in everything. Colossians 3, a little bit later in Colossians, verses 23 through 24, says, whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men, including for yourself, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. That's what Jesus illustrated in the parable of the talents, or minas, I read from Luke 19 earlier. The job description of a slave is to do what's in his master's best interest. Hiding what our master gives us so that we can simply return it to him when he returns is not in his best interest. Rather, he commends the slaves who multiply their master's assets. Life is all about our master, the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not about us. Our purpose in life is not to choose a course for ourselves, then presumptuously ask God to help us get there, as if we are the master and he is the slave. Rather, we must submit to Jesus Christ as Lord. and devote ourselves to his will, his interests, his purposes, and whatever benefits him until he has first place in everything. That is the purpose of life. So let me repeat it. We must submit to Jesus Christ as Lord and devote ourselves to his will, his interests, his purposes, and whatever benefits him until he has first place in everything. Now the R in Lord stands for ruler. Jesus Christ rules us as king, as we've already seen from Colossians 1. Since Jesus is our ruler, our purpose is to obey him. What he says, we do without complaint and without negotiation. As Peter explained in Acts 5.29, we must obey God rather than men. And that means obeying him rather than ourselves. And often, we seek to know God's will But if we're honest with ourselves, we realize that we're asking to know his will so that then we can decide whether we want to do it. That is not obedience. Since our sovereign Lord rules over us, we must commit to obeying him in all respects, even before we understand what he wants us to do. First Peter 1. verses one through two, the opening verses. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Why? To obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood. In fact, there's no distinction in scripture between saving faith and obedience to Christ. John 3.36 says, he who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Acts 5.32, and we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. Second Thessalonians 1.8. Dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 5, 9. And he, Jesus, became to all those who obey him the source of eternal salvation. If you're interested in pursuing that concept in scripture, you might also see Romans 2, 8. Romans 15, 18, Romans 16, 26, and 1 Peter 4, 17. So obeying Christ is not an option. He is our ruler. You don't make him ruler, he is ruler. Finally, the D in Lord stands for deity. Deity, that is, Jesus is our leader, owner, and ruler, but also our God. which Paul proclaims boldly in our text for today in Colossians 1. And since Jesus is God, our purpose is to worship him. We see examples of this in scripture, even at the time of the birth of Christ, of course, in Matthew 2.11, where it says, after coming to the house, the magi saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell to the ground and worshiped him. Then opening their treasures, they presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And there are numerous examples in the New Testament of people worshiping Christ, particularly after his resurrection, but even before. You can look at Matthew 14.33, Matthew 28.9 and 17, Luke 24.52, John 9.38, and Hebrews 1.6. Finally, Philippians 2, 9 through 11 says, God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Now, as followers, of the Lord Jesus Christ, we understand that we are to worship him. But I think we often show by our actions that we have a very limited understanding of what it means to worship him. Indeed, you can't separate Christ's roles as leader, owner, ruler, and deity. And likewise, you can't separate our responsibilities to follow him, serve him, obey him, and worship him. So if you're not following him, serving him, and obeying him, don't fool yourself into thinking that you're worshiping him. With this in mind, I wanna close by offering a few practical applications. What difference should it make that the ultimate reality for our lives is that Jesus is God, our sustainer, our authority, and its preeminent. In other words, that he is Lord and must have first place in everything. What difference should that make in our lives? Let me suggest two main applications. First, adopt a truly Christ-centered mindset. A truly Christ-centered mindset. Now again, that's easier said than done, isn't it? So start by asking God to expose to you what your motives in life really are. They're often pretty easy to identify. For example, often by what we pray for. In many of our prayers, we ask God to solve our problems, heal our bodies, and generally bless us and those we love. After all, doesn't God say that we have not because we ask not? Absolutely. Shouldn't we trust him to help us overcome our problems? Certainly. Doesn't God delight in blessing his children? Sure. But why should we pray these things? Not for our benefit, but for his. Our heart's desire should always be that God is honored and glorified by his dealings with us. I was reminded of this recently when I was doing a lot of painting. I don't normally listen to Christian music on the radio, but I chose to this time, kind of a while away the hours, and I had already been meditating on the implications of the Lordship of Christ, and it caused me to evaluate some of the words of these songs, the lyrics. Some of them were very good, a lot of them were very good, but I was struck by how often the songwriters expressed what was really a very selfish approach to God, focusing on what he would do or has done for them, to the exclusion of focusing on what would bring God the most glory. In the process, I think, too often we pray against the very things God has brought into our lives to glorify Christ. And in that process, his will would be to make us more like him. I think most of us exhibit that self-centered approach to Christ at Christmas. If we were honest, even though it's his birthday we celebrate, We tend to approach it from the perspective of what we get out of it. Even our gifts often we give with an ulterior motive in mind, even if it's just joy, our joy. Seldom do we consider how all this activity really advances the interests of Christ. Or whether it truly worships him. And that's how we often, I think, live the rest of our lives, as Christmas Christians. In our minds, we think we are doing things in the name of Christ. But if we're honest, we'd see that our choices, our priorities, our actions are typically driven by what's in it for us. Instead of having a mindset of a slave whose intent in advancing his owner's interests We advance our own interests and end up acting like we're the master, treating Jesus as slave, asking him to do our will. Let's commit ourselves instead to the interests of our master. And if our heart fully embraces that, it's going to show up in our prayers. Another way our mindset is revealed is in how we use our time and material resources. If someone were to evaluate how you used your time and resources over the past month or year, not the coming month and the coming year, but last month and last year, what would he conclude? A Christ-centered budget or bank account or credit card statement would be unmistakable. Examples of sacrificially serving your owner's interests would also be clear from your calendar and how you used your free time. It's not that you wouldn't use any of your time or money for relaxation or entertainment or hobbies, but since your master has only given you 24 hours in a day, something is going to have to be sacrificed. What is it? And what you sacrifice will illustrate where your interests lie. Will it be things that advance his interests that are sacrificed or things that will advance, that you at least think will advance your interests? We reveal our priorities by how we use our time and our resources. So develop Christ-centered priorities to replace any self-serving, self-centered priorities that you have. And you know what? As it turns out, when you advance the interests of Jesus Christ, that's the very thing that advances your interest as well, even though you might not realize it at the time. It's a lot like marriage or any other relationship. If you enter the relationship with the mindset of what you can get out of it, you're going to be miserable. But if you enter it with the mindset of how you can serve the other person, seeking to advance his interest over your own, you'll be truly blessed. That should also be our approach to worshiping and serving God. The point is not what we get out of it, but rather what God gets out of it. The second general application I'd like to offer is to pursue God's will for your life. That's your God-given purpose in life. Even Jesus did that. In John 6, 38, he said, for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. So what is his will for your life? Again, it's not a mystery. Let me give you three perspectives on it. First, Thessalonians 4.3 says, for this is the will of God, your sanctification. That is, our becoming holy, becoming Christ-like. That's God's will for us, that we become holy. Secondly, in 1 Peter 2, verse 15, for such is the will of God that by doing right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Doing right means to live righteously, to do the right things for the right reasons. That is God's will for us. He wants us to be like him and to act like him. It's our being and our doing that encompasses everything. So how can we do that? Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5, verses 15 through 18 says, therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. We're commanded to be filled, that is, to be passively yielded to the control of the Holy Spirit. That's what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, though, at one level, many of us agree in our minds to the need to be holy, and to do righteous things, and to be filled with the Spirit, but we apply these things with a selfish motivation. For example, we like the concept of becoming like Christ, but we resist when God focuses on the very things in our lives that are not like Christ. And we want to be sanctified, but we don't take advantage of the instruction and shepherding that God has provided for our sanctification. We want to be involved in ministry, but only on our terms, at our convenience. In practice, then, we all too often view ourselves as the master and Jesus as slave. I would urge you, I don't have time now, I would urge you to go back to Colossians 1, and read the verses preceding our text for today in verses three through 12 and see how this was on the mind and heart of Paul as he wrote this. I'm pretty sure that all of us are currently resisting God's purpose for our lives because we're not completely walking in a manner worthy of the Lord to please him in all respects. He doesn't have first place in everything. So I want to close our time together with a few minutes of silent prayer, in which I would urge you to submit fully to the Lord Jesus Christ. Confess any tendency on your part to pursue your interests over those of your owner. Repent from that selfish approach to life, truly desiring God to be the object of your goals. your priorities and your actions, thus fulfilling His meaning and purpose for your life. Let us pray. Lord Jesus, work freely in our hearts to make us more like you, to surrender to you fully, to follow you, to serve you, to obey you and worship you as you alone deserve. May our lives be an offering to you, not out of a sense of work or duty or drudgery, but because we are so grateful for your love, your forgiveness, your paying the ransom, the price that would satisfy the wrath of the Father against us. We are forever yours. May we be faithful servants. to your glory and praise.