Colossians 3:12-15 | It’s never easy to forgive someone when they’ve hurt you. We tend to replay the mean things they said and did to the point that it can become a consuming and unwelcomed memory. In this message we will learn how to forgive others and the benefits that come when we walk away from the desire to retaliate.

In this life sometimes we live as if the world revolves around us, and we have to constantly remind ourselves that it’s not about us. It’s about Jesus. But in Heaven, we will see reality as it really is and we will never have to correct our thinking, because we will not see ourselves as the most important thing. God made us to love Him and to love others, and Heaven will be our living these two calls perfectly.

When God does what God has promised to do, His people always celebrate!

Waiting on God is difficult. He doesn’t always do what we want when we want it. The people of God went through generations of waiting and it often challenged their faith. In the middle of the dark night, there is always hope that light will dawn. The challenge is learning how to hold on to that hope.

God’s promises are something we need to know and build our lives on. There has been no greater promise than the one that God would send His own Son to restore and redeem His people. That promise was for everyone, including you.

Young parents learn early on that it’s sometimes difficult to love our kids. We also learn that unconditional love is a choice, not a feeling. The Biblical doctrine of justification is about God’s choice to eternally love us and free us from the punishment we deserve as law-breakers.

It is God’s desire to work every day in our lives to purify us from the corruption of sin. The challenging part of that work is that we continue to make sinful choices as he cleans out our hearts. Mature believers recognize their need to partner with God in that process by making holier and healthier decisions.

Baptism provides a clear stopping point and starting point in the life of a Christian; we are buried to sin and raised to a new life, thus beginning a fresh start in a new direction. In that very moment, God begins to regenerate our hearts and minds, washing us clean from the pollution and contamination sin creates.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he left his followers with clear instructions about where to go and what to do. His plan was to plant and multiply healthy churches in every town in every country. At Southland, we want to leave the state of Kentucky in better shape than we found it in and we believe the way to accomplish that goal is by imitating what the first followers of Jesus did.

There should be no difference between someone on staff at a church and the members of the church, because everyone’s baptism was their call to ministry. Every believer has a spiritual gift that was meant to strengthen the church and we need to be reminded of our Kingdom responsibilities no matter what occupation we choose in life.

The Son of God took on the role of a servant at his final meal with his best friends. He washed dirty feet and encouraged his followers to do the same for others. There are over 200 titles given to Jesus and all of them accurate and well deserved, but Jesus repeatedly chose one for himself that wasn’t flattering and it was Son of Man.

Finishing strongly can be a rarity in life, but it doesn’t have to be. Finding the strength to keep going until the very end is the key to leaving this life satisfied.