JESUS AT THE CENTER

Everything has a center, and that is true of your life, too.

• What’s in the center of your life is what drives you.
• What’s in the center of your life is what defines you.
• What’s in the center of your life is what’s most important to you.
  – It’s what you value the most.
  – It’s what you think about the most.
  – It’s what consumes your energy and imagination.
  – It’s what empowers you to move forward.
• Jesus wants to be the center of your life. He wants to be the center around which everything in your life revolves.
• This means that Jesus is first place in your life.
• Colossians 1:18 Jesus is to be …first place in everything.

WHY SHOULD JESUS BE IN FIRST PLACE IN YOUR LIFE?

• Colossians 1:15-16 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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.
• John 14:9 “Anyone who has seen me, has seen the Father”.
• If you want to know if God is loving, look at Jesus.
• Firstborn means first in rank, privilege, and authority.
• Matthew 28:18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…”
• Hebrews 1:2-3 “In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
• See also Ephesians 6:12
• Colossians 1:16 …all things have been created through him and for him. “all things” includes you. You were created for Jesus! You were created to know him, to follow him, to enjoy him, to walk day by day in fellowship with him.
• If Jesus made you, He created you, and he holds all authority over your life, then the first step you can make to putting Jesus first in your life is to acknowledge his authority in your life, and willingly surrender to him every part of your life. 

• Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
• Hebrews 1:3 Jesus “sustains all things by the power of his word.”
• Acts 17:28 “in him we live and move and have our being.”
• Jesus sustains all things. He is sustaining you right now.
• But if Jesus is not the center of your life, then you are relying on other things to sustain you, and those things will eventually fail you.
• Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
• Psalm 55:22 “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken”.

• Colossians 1:18 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.
• Jesus is the head of the church (Ephesians 4:12-15, 5:23, I Corinthians 11:3, Colossians 2:10).
• This means Jesus is the undisputed leader not only of all creation but especially of all who come to him in saving faith. And he is the source or originator of the church.
• Colossians 1:18 “the firstborn from the dead.” Jesus was the first to rise from the dead, and by conquering death, he made a way for you and me to experience a resurrection from grace and find new life through faith in him (see 1 Corinthians 15:20)
• Colossians 1:13-15 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
• The gospel is clear that we are sinners, and we cannot save ourselves. There are no good works good enough to cover your sin.
• At the cross, Jesus died in your place. Jesus took on your sin. And he paid for it in full. And now he offers you his goodness and his right standing with the Father.
• If Jesus is your Savior, then you make him the center by worshipping him and serving him.
• 2 Corinthians 5:15 He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.
• When Jesus is your Savior, you no longer live to please yourself; you live to please him. You no longer serve yourself; you serve Jesus. You no longer put you at the center of your life; you put Jesus at the center of your life.

Jesus is your creator, so submit to him in every area of your life.

Jesus is your sustainer, so lean on him in every trouble.

Jesus is your savior, so live for him every day.

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I understand that the penalty for my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I cannot fix my situation on my own. I believe You are calling me to have faith. I am being drawn to the truth of the gospel. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sins and believe in You as the only One who can establish an eternal relationship with the living God. I want to be Your child and to live as Your child. In Your name, Amen.

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