Colossians: The Substance is Christ

The devil loves religion and encourages it. If it will take us away from Christ. This is Paul's warning to the Colossians and to us today.

Colossians 1:13-19,2:6-3:5,3:12
Hebrews 10:1
Galatians 5:1,5:3

Sermon discussion questions for parents to use with their children:

• Why does the Devil love religion?
• What kinds of religions did Paul warn the Colossians about?
• What is so dangerous about those types of religion?
• Why is it so key to be rooted in Christ?
• What dangers, like these Paul warned about, do we face today?

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Colossians: You Have the Upper Hand

Why does knowing that in Christ you died to the reign of sin give you an Upper Hand in your war against your personal remaining sin? Let's let Paul tell us from Colossians.

Colossians 2:11-13
Romans 5:14-6:12,8:3-4,6:16,8:8-9,8:12-13
1 Corinthians 1:14-17
2 Corinthians 5:14

...to recognize a broadly attested New Testament theological concept dubbed by James Dunn "conversion-initiation." The New Testament connects our coming to Christ (being converted and initiated into the new covenant community) to faith, to repentance, to the gift of the Spirit, and to water baptism, in various combinations. Any of these, in a kind of metonymy, could be used to connote the whole experience – implying, of course, in each instant, the presence of all of the others. Water baptism, then, as a critical New Testament rite intimately connected to our conversion experience, could be used as shorthand for the whole experience. But it is also striking that it is just in the two most important Pauline passages about our being buried "with Christ" that baptism is brought into the picture in this way (when it is not frequently referred to elsewhere in Paul in this fashion). This may indeed suggest additionally, that early Christians associated the waters of baptism with Christ's burial. Douglas J. Moo The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon

Sermon discussion questions for parents to use with their children:

• What does it mean that the believer was crucified, buried and risen with Christ?
• When did this happen to the believer?
• How does this change our relationship with sin as a power and a reign?
• What are the practical implications of this in my battle with remaining sin?
• What am I supposed to reckon?

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

United in Christ

What does it mean for us to be united in Christ? Especially as a corporate church body? Christ breaks down the barrier that separates us, no matter if the division is race, gender, wealth, power, or religion.

Ephesians 2,1:3-7,1:11
Romans 9:4-5

Chris Bowser
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Colossians: Circumcision of the Heart

In Colossians, Paul takes up the Old Testament call for Heart Circumcision and shows it's New Covenant fulfillment; encouraging us all in our battle against remaining sin.

2 Corinthians 3
Colossians 2:16-17,2:9-11,3:1-12
Deuteronomy 10:12-11:1,30:6
Jeremiah 4:3-4
Acts 15:1,15:24
Romans 2:25-29,6:6,6:11-12,8:13
Philippians 3:2-3
Galatians 5:24,5:6,6:15
1 Corinthians 7:19
Colossians 2:11

Sermon discussion questions for parents to use with their children:

• What does circumcision of the Heart mean?
• How is this tied in with Christ as the second Adam?
• How does this impact a person's life?
• How does it make them different than someone who is not circumcised of the heart?

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Enriching Your Devotions: Practical Guidelines

One of the most significant things that can impact our life for good is the practice of Daily Personal Devotions. It cannot be overstated how this can benefit a life over the years and how God has used it to mature and strengthen one's faith and walk with Him. It can be a source of struggle and frustration for many... finding time; what to do if you do find time; wandering thoughts; reading the Bible but feeling like you are not getting anything out of it. This concludes a brief series called Enriching Your Devotions. The goal behind this series is to give you the practical helps needed to have a very blessed devotional life that will bear fruit and yield years of enjoyment in fellowship with God.

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Gain or Loss

Paul gave an account for all the reasons why his own righteousness should have saved him, and then boasted they were all a loss compared to the righteousness of Christ!

Philippians 3,1:21
Acts 27:10
2 Peter 1:3
2 Corinthians 11:22-28

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• What reasons can you give to rejoice in Christ?
• Have you had a vision of the Lord in your life?
• Have you been found in Christ; that is by Christ?
• What thing or things have you counted as loss for Christ?
• What have you counted as gain for Christ?
• Is there rubbish in your life that you should lose to gain Christ?
• Have you come to a point in your life that you want to know Christ more and more?
• Have you thought about what it might mean to fellowship in His suffering?

Matt Courtney
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

How Should I Live: A Life of Supernatural Transformation

So now that we're trying to live for the Lord, what kind of changes are about to happen in our lives? You can expect real transformation and change by the Holy Spirit working in your life... You just need to keep in step with the Spirit!

Galatians 5,2:20
Romans 6:11,8:12-14,6:19

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• What is the Flesh?
• What is the war within; who are the combatants?
• What does it mean to be led by the Spirit?
• How does walking in the Spirit work?
• Can we expect real change in our lives?

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Put to Death Your Flesh

Are you feeling like you want to love God, but can't seem to make Him the top priority in your life? This is your call for action: to walk in the Spirit you must put to death the sinful desires of the flesh. Are you ready to suffer in order to accomplish this?

Romans 8:1-17,11:20-23,6:11-12
Genesis 19:12-29
Mark 7:20-23
Galatians 5:16-23,2:20
Hebrews 7:25,12:1-2,11:1
2 Peter 2:6-10
Philippians 1:6
Ephesians 5:8,2:4-6
2 Corinthians 5:10-12
1 Peter 4:1-4
Luke 9:23-24

Sean Byham
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

The Gospel in the Old Testament: Law and Spirit (Old Covenant and New Covenant)

The Old Testament law is hard to keep, actually impossible... but the New Covenant blessing of the Holy Spirit working a new heart enables us to fulfill the requirements of the law.

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Galatians 5:13-26
John 1:17
Hebrews 8:13
Romans 7:12,7:14,8:3-4,6:14
Ezekiel 26:25-27
2 Corinthians 3:3,3:5

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• What is the difference between the Old and New Covenants?
• What place does the Holy Spirit have in our lives, in light of the law of God?
• What does it mean to be led by the Spirit?
• What practically does it mean to walk in the Spirit?
• Why should we be all in?

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Our Multifaceted Relationship to Food... and to the Savior

God uses food to teach many truths... the Passover meal, manna from heaven, the Lord's Supper... and ultimately and wonderfully: Jesus as the bread of life!

Exodus 16
John 6:25-70,2:23-25,7:7,1:29

But if he gives no record of the institution, he does give us in this discourse of Jesus something which fills the Lord’s Supper with a deep wealth of meaning for the believer. Our Lord in this discourse is not indeed speaking directly of the Lord’s Supper, but He does expound the truth which the Lord’s Supper conveys. F.F. Bruce The Gospel of John

...the language is sacrificial... 'the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:29). To give one's flesh can scarcely mean anything other than death, and the wording here points to a death which is both voluntary ('I will give')and substitutional ('for the life of the world'). Leon Morris The Gospel according to John

Eating and drinking thus appear to be a very graphic way of saying that people must take Christ into their innermost being. The words, then, are a cryptic allusion to the atoning death that Christ would die, together with a challenge to enter the closest and most intimate relation with Him. Leon Morris The Gospel according to John

Sermon discussion questions for parents to use with their children:

• What are the various ways people relate to Jesus?
• What are examples of God using food to teach us truths?
• Why did Jesus call Himself the Bread of Life?
• How do we eat of this bread?
• Which of the three persons who were addressed in the application are you?

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Irrepressible Wonder and Praise (Part I)

When you look upon the incarnate Christ it should cause irrepressible wonder and praise. This series during Advent is a study of the greatness of Jesus before He came to earth as we focus on passages that speak of the glory and majesty of Christ in His preexistent state. Its goal is to cause us to adore Him for becoming flesh!

John 1:1-18,3:31-32,14:6
Genesis 1
Psalm 33:6
Proverbs 8:27-31
1 John 1:1-3
Revelation 19:12-13

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• What is behind the concept of the Word?
• What is the significance of in the beginning... was with... was God?
• What was the Word's role in creation?
• What is the significance of the phrase the Word became flesh?
• What are the implications of this for the whole world?
• For us?

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Do You Also Want to Go Away?

Do some life experiences make you wonder if you want to continue your relationship with God? Significant loss often makes us want to turn away in our walk with Christ. How can we faithfully continue on the path? In those low times Jesus asks Do you also want to go away or will you continue on?

John 6:30-69,6:1-21
Deuteronomy 8:2
Job 1:8-11
Romans 11:33-36
Proverbs 3:5-6
2 Corinthians 4:8

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Who Is This Jesus?

Jesus has been assigned a lot of names in the Bible to describe his nature. Let's see if we can use some of them to find out who He is.

John 1:14-51
1 John 1:9

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

1 Peter: Our Identity, Our Battle, Our Witness

Peter once again talks about the Christian's identity. Then he talks about the Christian's battle and the implications of that battle for the lost of the world and for the glory of God.

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Galatians 5:16-26
1 Peter 2:9-12,1:14,4:1-5
Philippians 3:20
Hebrews 11:13-16
2 Timothy 4:10
John 1:14
Romans 7:18,7:24,8:1-13
Matthew 5:16

Sermon discussion questions for parents to use with their children:

• What does God say our identity is in this passage?
• How should that impact our lives?
• What is our battle?
• How should we fight it?
• Why should we worry about our witness?
• What is at stake?

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Death is Gain: We Will Be Changed

We are sinners, yet sin can't exist in Heaven. How? We will be changed on the inside.

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Romans 7:7,7:13-25
1 Corinthians 9:27
Revelation 21:6-8,21:27,22:12-15
1 John 3:1-3
Hebrews 12:14,12:22-23
Ephesians 1:4,5:7

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Attacking that Besetting Sin

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Galatians 5:16-26
Hebrews 12:1
Romans 6,8:9-13
Ephesians 5:18

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Put No Confidence in the Flesh

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Philippians

Bill Haller
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Galatians: The Fruit of the Spirit Is Love... (Part I)

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Galatians 5:16-26
Romans 8:9-10
1 Corinthians 12:13
John 13:33-34
1 John 4:7-11

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Galatians: Biblical Tactics to Winning This Battle

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Ephesians 4:17—5:7
Galatians 5:16-26
Romans 6:11-19,8:12-14
James 1:14-15
Luke 12:15
Colossians 3:5

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Galatians: Knowing the Enemy/Knowing Your Advantages

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Galatians 5:16-26
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Romans 8:3-13,6:1-11

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA