Richvale Community Church
Sunday, May 24, 2026
  • Good morning!
    What comes to mind when we think of the word influence? Today we live in the age of influencers—
    social media influencers, ,
    political influencers ,
    cultural influences.
    Everywhere we turn, something or someone is trying to shape us..
    tell us what we should or shouldn’t believe....
    The word Influence - word means “a flowing in.”-
    Years ago, our family went tubing on the Sacramento River.
    Pam and I were on one of those double tubes,
    expecting a relaxing afternoon—a lazy river kind of experience.
    But the moment we got into the water, the current grabbed us.
    What looked calm from the shore was far more powerful once we were in it.
    The river kept moving faster and faster, and before long we noticed a large tree sitting in the dead center of the current.
    We started paddling hard, trying to avoid it. We were pulling, steering, fighting the current—
    And we couldn’t quite get around it.
    And before we knew it, the tree came right between our tubes.
    The current pinned us down , and suddenly we were being dragged under the water.
    Fortunately, both of us are good swimmers and we were able to break free and get out safely.
    Influence is something that flows —
    It has the power shape our thinking, our reactions, and our priorities.
    So a real question to ask is.
    What is influencing us?
    What is motivating us?
    What gives us meaning?
    What shapes the way we respond to pressure, relationships, conflict, and disappointment?
    In our text Paul is writing to the Colossian church… because false influencers.. had come ….
    Into … and began to cast doubt on what the apostles.had taught...—
    These influencers taught that Jesus was not enough..
    They added to the gospel..
    ..
    You have.. Keep striving. Keep performing.
    Keep achieving.
    until you find real meaning and fullness
    Paul … defending in the doctrine of Faith..
    keeps bringing the church back to the core of the Christian faith— that..
    Christ is enough.
    Christ is not merely part of the whole….
    He is the source of life.
    And the only way we find meaning and purpose is by being connected to the source.
    And in chapter 3, Paul begins to show us what a Christ-centered life actually looks like in everyday life—in our marriages, families, relationships, and workplaces…
    Paul starts with inner life…..

    1. INFLUENCE OF CHRIST IN OUR PERSONAL LIVES.

    Most if us have heard or have been through the Alpha course..
    Alpha has been a huge blessing to our church….
    Because it sets a good foundation for us as believers and also gives opportunity to others know more abut faith…
    The very first lesson in the Alpha course is - Who is Jesus?
    There is good reason for this comes first..— because — the whole gospel rests on the premise of …. of Who Jesus is!
    C.S. Lewis famously said…(in his book mere Christianity.: That…there is no middle ground with Christianity… either all or nothing..
    Well know n qoute..
    “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on the level of a man who says he has a poached egg or else he would be the devil of hell.
    You can shut him up for a fool you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him, Lord and God,
    but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about us being a great human teacher, he has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
    Lewis knew that when it comes to our faith —We have to settle who Jesus is in our lives!
    What happened in Colossians…
    Paul make this argument..
    Jesus was … involved in creation — in fact he create all things -through his and by him….nothing made with out his..both visible and invisible…
    To only that.. Jesus is the author of plan of Salvation… because he has the power to forgive sins…
    Why? Jesus was God… fullness God is in Christ and
    He is above—
    philosophy,
    religion,
    tradition,
    spiritual powers,
    and every competing authority.
    The point is… If we don’t settle the sovereignty of God…we alway be tempted to go back to these other .. like Philosophy and religion
    In Colossians chapter 3, the question shifts.
    It moves from:

    “What should we believe?”

    to

    “How should we live?”

    Paul begins in verse 1:
    Epistle to the Colossians 3:1
    Colossians 3:1–2 ESV
    1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
    Paul says— If we are in Christ… we have to reorient our lives to Christ - who is now seated at the right hand of God..…
    Paul calls us reflect on What Christ has achieved …in salvation..
    The cross represents the believer’s victory.
    It is the great watershed moment in redemptive history -
    It is the reversal of the effects of the fall in the garden..
    Where God declared that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent …
    And..this was fulfileed..At the cross …when Jesus the bruised Savior…crushed satan..
    ..As Christians we live in the light of the victory of the cross..
    But the challenge — is that sin nature was not eradicated….
    We live in the tension of this world of the “already and not yet.”
    His Kingdom has come—and yet is still coming.
    We live in the gap between our present reality and our ultimate destiny … We have appropriate the victory of Christ everyday to our lives DAILY..
    This is what Casey talked last week about being clothed in the character of Christ.
    In chapter 3 Paul gives list of vices of sinful desires and destructive practices…
    Paul tells to take of the old AND ITS DESIRES and put on the neW MAN.
    Paul says we are to “put on the new self,”
    a new nature that is found in Christ.…
    verse 10
    Colossians 3:10 ESV
    10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
    Paul says put on the new self that is being renewed— this written in the present continuous tense..
    This is ongoing renewal through the Work of the Holy Spirit…
    The Holy Spirit…is who makes us new….
    Don’t be drunk on wine but be filled with the spirit.
    Paul continues… with Putting on Christ…
    Colossians 3:12–14 ESV
    12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
    Noticed who Paul calls us..
    Chosen Holy beloved.. …our identity.. what we do..
    Put On Christ
    We Put on his compassion and His kindness…
    When we do this..
    led by his humility…
    led by his meekness…
    led by His patience..
    led by His forgiveness
    Paul says when put on the attributes of Christ…
    it changes our perspective.. we are a le to live in harmony with one another.. encouraging each other in word and deed.
    You can have two people looking to buy the same house… an old fixer upper…
    One buyer sees the house as it is: the
    crumbling chimney, the broken windows,
    the 1930s kitchen,
    the missing shingles,
    the outdated wiring,
    the roof that should have been replaced ten years ago,
    and the overgrown yard.
    He is overwhelmed by what it would take to restore the house.
    His shoulders sag and he walks away..
    Another buyer sees the same house.. He sees the potential..
    He looks ahead to what it will be when it is restored.
    He sees kids playing soccer in the yard,
    guests laughing together on the wraparound porch, a wonderful meal cooking in the kitchen, the neighborhood being revitalized.
    When— we allow God’s word to transform our lives — it’s changes our out look..our perspective ….not only that but it bleeds into where we live..
    And that’s where Paul begins..
    1. INFLUENCE OF CHRIST IN OUR PERSONAL LIVES.

    2. THE INFLUENCE OF CHRIST IN OUR HOMES

    Have you ever watched the TV show Shark Tank?
    Where Mark Cuban…Kevin O”Riley (Mr
    wonderful) and Barbara.
    listen as entrepreneurs PITCH ideas and inventions.. to invest in..
    Now imagine someone presenting an incredible new invention…
    and the sharks said...
    Nice product.. buy
    “Don’t launch it publicly… Take it home … .”
    That would sound absurd….the whole reason they went on the show is to get exposure…
    But in many ways, that is exactly what Paul is saying about the Christian life.
    Before faith influences the world, it must first be lived in our homes.
    The home becomes the testing ground of real .… transformation
    Faith start a in the Home..
    You see..
    In the first century, there were what were called “household codes.”
    These shaped Roman family life. They were built on a strict hierarchy:
    .. the male head of the household held authority, while wives, children, and servants were placed underneath that structure.
    Paul does something radically countercultural:
    He addresses , wives, children, and servants ..
    First..
    lets read our text.
    Colossians 3:18–21 ESV
    18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
    Paul says:
    WIVES — “Submit yourselves… as is fitting in the Lord.”
    This is the most misunderstood verses in Scripture… if is not about authority.. it’s a our servant hood..
    Paul turned the Roman model upside down..…
    Paul declares that every person in the home stands equal in value before God.
    He elevates. restores dignity. gives worth to every member..
    Under Christ:
    No one is invisible.
    No one is secondary.
    No one is beneath His care. Everyone matters—and everyone is called into His transforming grace.
    Paul deals with in verse 10 where he says..
    Colossians 3:10 ESV
    Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
    In other words.Christ removes all the barriers
    He deals with lines of division …line of … Social and cultural constructs..
    Paul points out that..
    —-when God does deep work in us — it impacts the way we see each other…. And behave..ever y word and deed is to the glory of God.
    Not only is the husband a new man in Christ..
    the Wife becomes a New kind of wife..
    The child becomes a new kind of Child
    The Father becomes a new kind of dad..
    the bond servant..new kin of servant.
    The Master changes..
    In other words, Jesus does not leave the home untouched.
    , all of a sudden, a new power, because of a new presence.
    And that new presence makes for a new power.
    Not—- Power that comes top down it comes from the bottom up… But one of service..
    One where serve one another through mutual surrender.
    the clearest picture of this is Jesus Himself.
    When Jesus washes the feet of His disciples, He takes the posture of a servant.
    This was shocking. Peter is so disturbed by it that he resists. “You will never wash my feet.”
    And Jesus essentially says, “If you don’t let Me serve you, you are resisting what My kingdom is about.”
    In that moment, Jesus redefines greatness. In His kingdom, greatness is not found in control—it is found in humble service.
    So when Paul speaks about submission, he is not introducing something harsh or oppressive.
    He is describing a Christ-shaped posture that flows out of the gospel itself.
    It is about a Spirit-led posture that says: “I trust God’s design more than my need to control.”
    It is about strength under surrender—not weakness under pressure.
    HUSBANDS — “Love your wives…”
    Paul’s command to husbands is just as powerful—if not more so.
    Husbands love y our wives....Agapeo y our wide.. Paul adds
    “Do not be harsh with them.”
    In other words, your leadership in the home must never be marked by cruelty, irritation, or domination.
    But Rather love… Paul expound on this in
    Ephesians 5:25–27 ESV
    25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
    Love is the marker if a godly Home..
    This is not a sentimental love. It is a self-giving, sacrificial love.
    And Paul goes even further:
    Love your wife as you love yourself.
    Here is the thing when both husband and wife are living under the lordship of Christ, the home is no longer defined by competition or control, but by mutual honor, humility, and grace.
    in the same

    CHILDREN — “Obey your parents…”

    Children are included in the life of discipleship..they are to called to live in harmony with their parent…
    When they obey …the y are showing love and respect,,
    PAUL ADDS Another ANOTATION.

    FATHERS — “Do not embitter your children…”

    Farther s have a natural tendancy to control with Force.. my way our the high way..,,
    Paul warns against parenting that discourages.
    Possible examples:
    constant criticism,
    impossible expectations,
    anger without grace,
    correction without encouragement.:
    “Children need both truth and tenderness.”

    t/sThen Paul moves from the home into work.
    That is significant.
    Because Christianity is not compartmentalized….it flows Into our lives...
    1. INFLUENCE OF CHRIST IN OUR PERSONAL LIVES.
    2. THE INFLUENCE OF CHRIST IN OUR HOMES

    3. INFLUENCE OF CHRIST IN THE WORKPLACE

    A few years ago, I attended a class taught by Pam’s brother (Barry) at Grace Church ..
    called A Theology of Work.
    It was fascinating because many people in the class were going through some kind of transition in the workplace—career changes, layoffs, retirement questions, burnout, uncertainty about purpose.
    And what really struck me was this:
    is that how
    We often divide life into categories: This is spiritual… and this is secular. This is church work… and this is ordinary work.
    But the Bible doesn’t make that distinction
    From the very beginning of creation, work mattered to God.
    Before sin entered the world, Adam was given work to do.
    Work itself is not the curse.
    The curse is the frustration, toil, exhaustion, and brokenness that now surround work.
    And here in Colossians, Paul addresses servants and masters—the workplace structure of the ancient world.
    Paul says..
    Colossians 3:22–4:1 ESV
    22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. 1 Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
    Paul starts again in reverse order… bond-salves… before masters..
    Paul speaks directly to them ..flips the model..
    It would never happen Ed in the Roman’s world
    The truth is Throughout history…Christianity had brought dignity into places where society often withheld it.
    Paul brings Christ into the workpace....
    Paul shows us that Christ is not only Lord of worship services—He is Lord of Monday morning.
    He influences how we
    work… How we lead… How we treat people… How we respond when work is difficult… And even the attitude we carry into ordinary tasks.,
    —Paul teaches that work has a spiritual dimension to it…
    “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord…”
    Work becomes part of our spiritual service or worship
    This transforms ordinary work into sacred service.
    Whether:
    farming,
    construction,
    teaching,
    parenting,
    management,
    maintenance,
    ministry—
    all work can honor Christ.
    Paul gives THREE PRINCIPLES in regards to work..

    1. Work with sincerity

    Not merely when people are watching.
    Integrity matters.

    2. Work with excellence

    “Heartily.”
    Not laziness.
    Not bare minimum effort.
    Christians should reflect diligence.

    3. Work with eternal perspective

    “You are serving the Lord Christ.”
    Even difficult work gains meaning when connected to Christ.
    Serving the Lord.”

    CLOSING

    There is a story..of a family visiting the Grand Coulee Dam in WA .
    It’s one of the most powerful hydroelectric dams in the world.
    As they toured the site, they decided to stop by the visitors’ center.
    But when they walked in, something felt wrong.
    Even though it was a bright sunny day outside, the inside of the building was dark.
    At first, they assumed it was designed that way—maybe tinted glass, maybe a dim exhibit for effect.
    But as they walked further in, they realized something surprising:
    nothing was working. No displays.
    No lights. No energy at all.
    And then they learned the reason.
    There had been a technical issue, and the visitors’ center
    -standing only a short distance from one of the greatest power sources in the region—had no power flowing into it.
    So close to the source… and yet completely disconnected.
    And that is the danger Paul is warning us about - in
    Many people want peace at home, purpose at work, and healthy relationships
    —but without ever truly yielding their lives to Christ…
    — Real power comes when we are connected..
    set our affections on the things above… and not on this world..
    But Paul’s order matters.
    Christ above all. Set your mind on Him.
    His peace rule in your heart.
    His Word dwell richly within you.
    It is about being connected to Him.
    What influences you today?
    let’s pray..

    The bottom lines … is that God… influences every aspect if our lives.

    Inner and outer world
    The Gospel changes ordinary life.
    It changes:
    marriages,
    parenting,
    attitudes,
    work ethic,
    conversations,
    and the atmosphere of daily life.
    The Christian faith moves from:

    doctrine → heart → home → work → witness.

    Here is the thing..…
    When Christ is influences our lives..
    Personally — give meaning and purpose…
    Real transformation..
    Romans 12:1–2 ESV
    I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

      • Colossians 3:1–2ESV

      • Colossians 3:10ESV

      • Colossians 3:12–14ESV

      • Colossians 3:18–21ESV

      • Colossians 3:10–11ESV

      • Ephesians 5:25–27ESV

      • Colossians 3:22–4:1ESV

Richvale Community Church
brendenbridges@gmail.com
5308453694
http://richvalechurch.com
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