Bulletins - Richvale Community Church

Have you ever felt like the finish line just keeps moving?
You’ve got these short-term goals… future plans… things you’re aiming for.
But Just when seems to get close, the goal line shifts again.
So you reset … you add a little more discipline… you push a little harder..for more progress…
But .. somehow, you still feel behind. a d never seem to arrive..
— just more running..more effort…
And after a while, it starts to wear on you.
And at some Point you ask will there be place where it’s enough?
Enough time. Enough energy. Enough strength to keep going…
And if we’re honest— that same mindset starts shaping how we relate to God. Spiritual walk..
We begin to believe: If I could just do a little more… be a little better… try a little harder… then I’d finally be where I’m supposed to be.…
That’s the tension we’re stepping into today.
We’re in our series in Colossians—Rooted and Rising— and today we’re talking about :
Changing the narrative… from our lack… to his sufficiency.
In our text…Paul has been dealing with false teachers that had crept into the Colossian church.
And..At its core, the message was simple—but dangerous:
That
Christ was good… but He’s not enough.. we need add supplements o Christ…
Add the law. Add philosophy. Add spiritual practices.
We needChrist plus something else.
And it sounded deep… it sounded wise… it even sounded spiritual…
…but underneath it all, it was a direct attack on the sufficiency of Christ.
Because the moment you add to Christ— you’re actually taking away from Him.
Paul responds to the church with this letter ..of Colossians..that is bathed in Christology…
The Chapter 1 … Paul gives us a breath taking vision of Jesus… —
That Jesus Christ… is preeminent over all things
He is the image of the invisible God.
In Christ is the fullness of God..in his divinity..
He is Creator of everything that exists. all things were created through Him and for Him.
Visible and invisible… thrones and powers… rulers and authorities… heaven and earth—
And not only that—
Christ came on a mission.. and…
And Through his cross, He has reconciled all things to Himself…
He Made a way of peace— Between us and God.. through finished work on the cross..
Paul brings everything to a crescendo—an apex moment in his message.
He says the mystery hidden for generations has now been revealed:
Christ in you—the hope of glory.
This is the heart of the gospel…and Paul carried this message everywhere he went.
Paul says—this is why I labor. This is why I keep going. This is why I pour myself out.
Because when Christ is in you, then everything you need is already present.
T/s and what we find in Chapter 2 Paul frames his life and ministry around - the supremacy of christ..
..He starts his personal struggle…
1. From My Struggle to His Sufficiency
In their book Mind Your Mindset, Michael and Megan Hyatt Mille have a chapter on how the brain shapes the stories we live by.
At the heart of this chapter.. is this idea:
That..over time, we form assumptions—
…beliefs we come to accept as truth through experience and through what we’ve been taught.
Life teaches us things, sometimes through words, sometimes through wounds.
And those experiences become what they call “meaning makers.” We don’t just go through events—we interpret them.
We draw conclusions from them.We build a story out of them.
And in many ways, that’s helpful… until it isn’t.
Because here’s the issue: our assumptions are not always accurate.
We don’t always get the story right.
And even memory itself is not neutral.
Frank Schaeffer, reflecting on his upbringing, once wrote:
“What I’ve written comes from a memory deformed by time, prejudice, flawed recall, and emotion.”
That’s a very honest admission.
Because the truth is, our memories and experiences are not always dependable narrators.
Our minds keep replaying the film of our lives—but it’s never a perfect recording. It’s reconstructed. Edited. Framed. Interpreted.
And that matters—deeply.
Because the way we frame the narrative of our lives shapes how we see ourselves, how we interpret others, and even how we understand God.
In Colossians 2.
Paul begins to reframe suffering through a very different lens— not from scarcity… but sufficiency in Christ.
Paul is not speaking from ease.
He is writing from prison. He is awaiting trial. , he is on death row.
And anyone in that position could easily spiral into despair, confusion, or resentment.
But Paul does something remarkable.
He interprets his story through
—the story of Christ.
Colossians 2:1–5 ESV
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
first… Paul is not disconnected from reality. In fact, he is deeply honest about it.
Paul begins —
“I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you…”
Paul is saying— this was not easy…
When you think about it… Paul wrote most of the NT and we talk about Paul as one the Hero’s faith… all the missionary journey and accomplishments…
We know Paul as an apostle and strong and faith , a man filled with the Spirit—
But he says..
“I am struggling.”
This is not easy.”
And that matters—because many of us assume:
“If I were stronger spiritually… it wouldn’t feel this hard.”
Here is the thing..
a. His Struggle Is Not a Sign of Lack—-it the sign of a battle..
We sometimes confuse our struggle with battle …
We all experience battles in different forms.
Sometimes it is physical—our health, aging, weakness we didn’t anticipate.
Sometimes it is relational—conflict, tension,
Sometimes it is spiritual—
And in those moments, it can feel like something is wrong with us.
But Paul refuses to let struggle have the final word…
Paul understands something deeply important: struggle is often the very place where God’s power is revealed.
He says he labors—but not in his own strength. He labors “with all His energy that so powerfully works within me.”
Paul wants the church to understand this: yes, I struggle—but I am not sustained by myself.
I am sustained by the Holy Spirit at work in me.
Paul’s life and ministry is full of this type of reframing.
In Romans 8:28 he declares:
Romans 8:28 ESV
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, he hears the Lord say:
2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Paul viewed his imprisonment as a platform— For the message of Christ
Heb boasts in that the message..is not limited to our battles of our chains.. Paul says the gospel reached the whole imperial guard, even into Caesar’s household.
Paul understood something we sometimes forget:
God is not absent in affliction and conflict..
He is active in it.
He is the God of all comfort—who comforts us in our struggles. And in that place, Paul experienced not just endurance… but the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit.
B. Paul Says His Struggle Is for Their Encouragement
Paul makes a striking statement about his suffering. He doesn’t hide it, minimize it, or treat it as meaningless.
Instead, he reframes it.
He says his struggle is for their encouragement.
That their hearts may be encouraged…
And there’s something powerful here—because one of the greatest needs we all have, both for ourselves and for others, is encouragement.
His suffering is not wasted. It is being used.
That through his trial they would be strengthened. That their hearts would be steadied.
.
Paul’s suffering becomes a platform for their growth. His struggle becomes a doorway to their encouragement.
C. He Points Them to Fullness—of what is in Christ..
Paul’s works and prays that the church would
“To reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ…”
“assurance…” is..
A settled confidence in Christ… assurance is knowing what you are achored too…
…
“In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
All. Not some. Not most. All.
Nothing outside of Him. Nothing beyond Him. Nothing added to Him.
Christ is not the starting point of knowledge and wisdom—He is the fullness of it…
You can’t get more God than what we find in Christ…
T/s Embracing Christ Sufficiency means allowing God to Change our Perspective…
1. From My Struggle to His Sufficiency

2. From My Strength to His Power
It’s been fascinating watching our grandson Jason learn to walk… it only been a few months… but..
He loves steps. He’s drawn to them— he sees that next level and he wants its to master it… …
If he holds onto the rail, he can pull himself up each step..
But most of the time—he doesn’t.
He reaches up for a hand.
Because deep down, he knows: I can only go so far on my own.
And when he takes a hand—everything changes.
What he couldn’t do alone… we can do together.
That’s the picture Paul is painting in our text..
We all have strength. We have abilities… gifting… experience.
But it will only take us so far.
And some of us get stuck on the same step— not because we lack desire… but because we’re depending on the wrong source.
That’s exactly what Paul is warning about.
Don’t lean on human tradition. Don’t trust empty philosophy. Don’t be carried along by persuasive ideas that sound deep—but are disconnected from Christ.
Because real growth… real power…comes from taking His hand…
Depend on His power… …
Paul says..
Colossians 2:6–10 ESV
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
The narative shifts from encouragement to instruction….
Paul says…
The false teachers are saying:
“You need something new.”
but…
“You need to go deeper.”
A. Walk in Him
Paul’s favorite phrase is “in Him.”
Because Christianity is not just believing something about Jesus—
It’s about your
walk in..his
Your identity… Your direction… Your strength…
It is being united to Him.
Paul says.
B. Rooted in Him
Paul uses the image of a tree.
A tree doesn’t survive storms because of what is visible.
It survives because of what is hidden.
Roots.
Below the surface..
And here’s the problem:
We live in a culture that constantly tells us to look for something new.
A new idea. A new method. A new experience.
But healthy trees don’t keep relocating.
They go deeper.
C. Built up in Him
Then Paul shifts to a building..construction..
Growth is steady. Layer by layer. Over time.
You don’t wake up spiritually mature.
You are built up.
D. Established in Him
The false teachers said:
“You’re missing something.”
Paul says:
“No—you’ve already been established ”
Not “you will be someday.”
Not “once you reach another level.”
But you Already..established
The problem isnt.. that you lacking something.
The problem is that you are not drawing from what you already have….
There is something powerful about
surrounding ourselves with truth… it forms a barrier….
We protect ourselves from deception..
Paul says that the arguements against Christ.. were plausible arguments..
Convincing… arguements…
but they were still… just ideas…
“philosophy and empty deceit according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ…
It has been said..
There are three truths: my truth, your truth, and the truth.
Anonymous
Jesus is the foundation of truth… when we build on him …we not just rooted..we are established..
T/s Embracing Christ Sufficiency means allowing God to Change our Perspective…
1. From My Struggle to His Sufficiency
2. From My Strength to His Power
3 From My performance to His Provision
In sports, an athlete’s worth is often measured by statistics—
batting averages,
field goals,
touchdowns—
Any those who accumulate impressive numbers celebrated as elite performers…
Sports becomes a out performance..
Athletes begin to analyze everything—every mistake, every shot, every play.
There’s this constant pressure to outperform, to prove, to keep measuring up.
But there’s a problem with performance.
Because joy can be replaced by pressure.
What once felt like freedom starts to feel like weight.
And eventually, it’s no longer about playing… it’s about proving.
Paul says it’s not about performance.... It’s about being in Christ..
Colossians 2:11–15 ESV
11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
These Christians struggled like us struggle with a real tension..and thats is…
the temptation to perform… and the problem is deep…
because everyone of us born with this gravitation pull .… towards earning merit.. Because we believe effort should matter… (as a culture we shun people who don’t show merit)….
The grace message is countercultural.
Tim Keller says that..
God’s grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior. Timothy Keller The Reason for God (2008)
Timothy Keller

Paul answers the question of earning merit..
Paul deals with that That goal line keeps moving…
“How can we be sure we already have enough?”
Paul’s says..
Because of what Christ has done.
A. He changed you
he talks about their Circumcision without hands.
Not outward religion— inward transformation.
God didn’t just improve you.
He changed you.
B. He raised you
We are ..Buried with Him. Raised with Him.
Our old life is gone. Our new life has begun.
That’s why baptism matters… been baptized in Christ…
It’s a declaration:
“I am not who I used to be.”
C. He forgave you
“Having forgiven us all our trespasses…”
All.
Every failure. Every sin. Every moment.
Gone.
D. He canceled your debt
I was thinking of Luther.. during the reformation… going to castle doors of the seminary.in Witingburg Germany.…
Nailing 95 thesis if grievances against the church… launched Protestant movement…
These were the records..thr changes…that needed to be made..
Paul tells…
“He nailed our record to the cross…”
There was a record against you.
A list of charges.
And Jesus didn’t ignore it.
He paid it.
In full.
E. He defeated your enemies
“He disarmed rulers and authorities…”
The cross looked like defeat.
But it was actually victory.
Jesus took everything that stood against us — and turned it into the means of our salvation.
Here is the wonderful Truth:
You and I are not trying to become sufficient.
wE are already secure in Christ.
.. Michael Heiser said…
That which cannot be achieved by performance cannot be lost by performance.
Michael S. Heiser
Thst power of what Jesus h as achieved.
CONCLUSION
The world says:
“You need more.”
More success. More knowledge. More experience. More spirituality.
Paul invites us to change the narrative….
When you feel weak →
Make room For His strength
When you feel empty → make room for His fullness
When you feel guilty → make room forHis forgiveness
When you feel behind → he has Already given us the victory:
If there was anyone in the Bible who struggled with the gift of God’s sufficiency—it was Jacob.
From the very beginning… he was striving.
Before he was even born—he was wrestling in the womb.. And when he is born, he comes out grabbing his brother’s heel.
And it doesn’t stop there.
Always reaching. Always trying to get ahead.
When they are older, he takes advantage of Esau’s hunger
and trades a bowl of stew for the birthright.
Later, his mother Rebecca..helps him devise a plan to deceive his father— and he steals the blessing meant for Esau.
The striving continues.
His father sends him away to Laban’s house, and even there it doesn’t slow down.
He works seven years for Rachel… and gets Leah. Then works seven more years for Rachel. He strives more. Works more. Manages more.
It’s like his whole life is built on one idea:
I’ve got to make this happen.
But then the moment comes… everything moves toward a climax.
He’s heading home after years away from his family…and Esau is coming—with 400 men.
And Jacob is afraid.
So he does what he always does:
He plans. He divides. He sends gifts ahead.
Still trying to control it.
But that night… he is left alone.
And that’s when God meets him.
And Jacob wrestles.
All night long… holding on… fighting… refusing to let go…
And at one point he says:
“I will not let you go… unless you bless me.”
All his life he had tried to take the blessing.
Now—for the first time— he is asking for it. Depending on God for it.
God touches his hip— and the strong man can no longer stand.
And right there—everything changes.
God gives him a new name.
No longer Jacob— the grabber… the striver…
Now Israel— the one who wrestles with God.
And he walks away limping… but different.
No longer trying to hold everything together… now he is just holding onto God.
That’s the shift.
From striving… to trusting.
From trying to take the blessing… to receiving it from God.
From self-sufficiency… to sufficiency in Christ.
Here’s the thing:
You don’t have to fight for the blessing anymore— in Christ, it has already been given.
And that’s what God wants to do in our hearts.
To take us from striving… to trusting. From self-sufficiency… to sufficiency in Christ.
Because like Jacob, we spend so much of life trying to secure what only God can give— peace, identity, assurance, blessing, meaning.
And like Jacob, we may walk away with a limp… but we also walk away with something better:
A heart that finally learns this truth— we don’t have to fight for what God has already provided.
In Christ… it is already ours.
- - Colossians 2:1–5ESV
- - Romans 8:28ESV
- - 2 Corinthians 12:9ESV
- - Colossians 1:29ESV
- - Colossians 2:6–10ESV
- - Colossians 2:11–15ESV

1. From My Struggle to His Sufficiency

2. From My Strength to His Power

3 From My performance to His Provision

Colossians 2:1–5ESV

Romans 8:28ESV

2 Corinthians 12:9ESV

Colossians 1:29ESV

Colossians 2:6–10ESV

Colossians 2:11–15ESV