Contemporary Worship || "Hesed" in Self

Change stands all around life, even in Arizona, where the seasons move from “surface of the sun hot” to “just plain hot.” God’s steadfast love stays unchangeable, unmovable, unbendable, even when bodies age, kids grow up too fast, churches change, and the world feels chaotic. The unhealthy response either throws up its hands and gives up, or grabs for control and says, “I’ve got this.” The lie of control sounds reasonable until it runs into spouses, kids, opinions, conflict, money, health, and relationships that cannot be managed into peace.

Christ comes as the anchor in that sea of chaos. Jesus is not the anchor dragging anyone down, but the one giving stability when everything else moves. Paul tells the Colossians, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above.” Colossians speaks into a church pressured by false teaching, religious options, and a Jesus-plus-something-else way of thinking. Paul answers with the gospel: Jesus is enough. Jesus created, redeemed, and holds all things in his hands.

Baptism becomes the place where Paul says the old way died and new life was given. A dead person cannot raise himself. God raises the dead. God raises sinners with Christ, not because they have controlled the chaos, outsmarted others, or performed well enough, but because he acts upon them in mercy. That means the Christian life starts with gift, not pressure. “You have been raised with Christ” comes before “seek the things above.”

Paul is not telling anxious Christians to despise the earth. Money, rest, vacations, family, and creation can be good gifts. The danger comes when fallen-world things become the sole focus and turn into idols. “Seek” and “set” do not mean working harder to control the outcome. They mean resting attention on Christ, because Christ is responsible for conquering the chaos, and he already has.

Mary and Martha show that anxiety gets crowded with many things, while faith sits with the one thing needed. Martha is worried and upset about much. Mary sits at the feet of the Master, stares into the eyes of the Savior, and listens to the Lord of the universe. The blessing over children says the same thing to parents: not “parents, you’ve got this,” but “God’s got them.”

Key Takeaways

• 1. Change is real, God is steady Change is not an interruption to life. It is part of life, from children growing older to bodies getting stiffer to churches becoming more complex. God’s steadfast love does not bend with those changes, and that steadiness exposes both panic and control as false saviors. [32:09]
• 2. Control promises peace, then fails The need to fix the spouse, manage the kids, explain every opinion, or plan away every surprise reveals how deeply the heart wants to say, “I’ve got this.” That sentence feels strong until life proves otherwise. The collapse of control is not only painful, but also merciful, because it opens the heart to say, “God’s got this.” [39:21]
• 3. Jesus plus nothing is enough Colossians refuses every version of Jesus plus something else. False religion always adds one more requirement, one more badge, one more burden, but Paul brings the anxious heart back to Christ alone. Jesus is not part of the answer; Jesus holds all things in his hands. [42:13]
• 4. Baptism means God acted first Paul’s baptism language leaves no room for spiritual self-rescue. The old way dies, and a dead person cannot raise himself from the dead. New life rests on the powerful working of God, which means Christian confidence begins with what God has done, not with what anxiety can manage. [43:16]
• 5. Only one thing is needed Martha’s anxiety had many objects, but Jesus narrowed the room to one need. Mary’s place at the feet of Jesus was not laziness or escape; it was the posture of someone who knew where life comes from. The anxious heart does not need a tighter grip first; it needs the Master’s voice. [52:43]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [31:29] - Seeing Change Through Steadfast Love
• [32:09] - Life Is Full of Change
• [33:18] - Giving Up or Grabbing Control
• [34:18] - Complexity Inside the Church
• [36:56] - Chaos in the Wider World
• [38:12] - The Lie of “I’ve Got This”
• [40:10] - Jesus Is the Anchor
• [40:32] - Paul’s Word to Colossae
• [42:40] - Raised With Christ in Baptism
• [45:09] - Set Minds on Things Above
• [47:39] - Rejecting Jesus Plus Something Else
• [50:23] - Resting in Steadfast Love
• [51:40] - Mary, Martha, and the One Thing
• [55:03] - Releasing Children Into God’s Hands

1. In Colossians 3:1-2, what two actions does Paul call believers to do, and where does he say their attention should be directed?
2. What kinds of changes in everyday life were named as reminders that change is normal in this world? [32:09]
3. What are the two unhealthy reactions to chaos and change that were described, and how are they different from each other? [33:18]
4. In the story of Mary and Martha, what does Jesus say Martha is full of, and what does he say is the one thing needed? [52:43]

1. Colossians says, “you have been raised with Christ” before it says, “seek the things that are above.” Why does that order matter for understanding the Christian life? [48:52]
2. If baptism means a person was buried with Christ and raised through the powerful working of God, what does that say about self-reliance and spiritual control? [43:44]
3. Paul says to set the mind on things above, not on things on earth. If earthly things can still be good gifts, what makes them become a problem or an idol? [46:28]
4. Jesus says Martha is anxious about many things, while Mary chooses the good portion. What does that contrast show about the difference between a distracted heart and a trusting heart? [53:27]

1. What is one area of life right now where the heart keeps saying, “I’ve got this”? Is that showing up in marriage, parenting, work, money, health, or relationships? What might it look like to say instead, “God’s got this”? [39:21]
2. When anxiety rises, is the usual response more like giving up or grabbing control? What clues help reveal which one is happening? [33:34]
3. “Seek the things above” does not mean working harder to force life into place. What helps turn attention back to Christ when the mind is stuck on outcomes that cannot be controlled? [49:32]
4. Jesus is the anchor in the middle of chaos. When life feels unstable, what practices actually help a person rest in him instead of just thinking about resting in him? [40:10]
5. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha was crowded with many concerns. What are the “many things” most likely to crowd the heart this week? What would making room for the “one thing needed” look like in a real and simple way? [53:32]
6. Good gifts like family, money, rest, and health can slowly become ultimate things. Which good gift is most likely to take over the heart, and how can it be received as a gift without making it everything? [45:58]
7. Parents are not asked to control how their children’s whole story turns out; children are placed into God’s hands. For those with children, or for those caring for others in any way, what burden needs to be released today? [55:27]