Colossians: Setting Our Sights on Jesus

Colossians 2:1-7

Matt Loveday

July 30, 2023

With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions:

1. Paul had never met any of the believers in Colossae and yet he cared deeply about them and for them. Have you ever received love or care from someone you didn’t know? What was so meaningful to you about this experience and what does it reveal to you about the love of God? 
2. Read Colossians 2:1-3. Paul wants the Colossian church to be encouraged, to be knit together in love and to have complete confidence in Christ. Which of these three do you find comes most naturally to you? Which do you have to work at the most? Share about a time when have you experienced these things in your own church community.
3. Read Colossians 2:4. Deceit is most effective when it is subtle (mixed with truth or masked with good intentions) and incremental (the “drift” or “snowball effect” where the effects are felt more with the passing of time). Where do you see examples of this at work in our world today? How does being “in Christ” help us when it comes to navigating the well-crafted arguments of deception?
4. Read Colossians 2:5-7. What stands out to you about these verses as you consider your own life of faith that follows after Jesus? As you reflect on your own journey of faith, reflect on the following questions.

a.    When would you say you “accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord” (v.6). Is this moment pinpointed or simply framed in time for you? 

b.   How many years now have you “continued to follow Jesus”? (v.6). What have been some key moments of following Jesus in your life?

c.    Would you say that “your roots have grown deeper into Christ”? (v.7). What experiences or truths have led to this for you?

d.   What areas of your life are “being built on Christ” (v.7) in these days? As God’s work in our lives is ongoing, what future designs do you think God has for your life in the coming 5 years?

 5. What lessons in life and faith is God teaching you through this message that you can apply to your life this week?

Prayer and Action Item

Take a few moments to read and reflect on John 6:68. Reflect on the thought that “confidence in Christ comes through surrender”. Take a moment to consider what areas of your life you need to surrender still to Jesus. Write out a prayer, asking God to take what you are surrendering and to grow in your life a deeper confidence in Christ.