Christ at the Centre of our Faith

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:1–14 (NIV)

Introduction

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Over the next four weeks, we’re journeying through Paul’s letter to the Colossians. I thought it was about time I had a crack at doing a sermon series since it’s one thing we haven’t really done while I’ve been your pastor. Sometimes, the lectionary gives us several consecutive weeks in a book of the Bible, so all we’re doing is focussing especially on the New Testament readings that are set for us.

Colossians is one of the apostle Paul’s shorter letters. He writes from prison to a church he’s never visited, in the small city of Colossae, a city in what we now know as Turkey. Once a thriving centre of trade, it’s now a town overshadowed by its larger, wealthier neighbours. As a trade city, the population was multicultural—Greeks, Romans, Jews, and Phrygians.

The Christians there are dealing with pressure from all sides: ideas drawn from local religions, mysticism, and strict religious practices. Their young faith is at risk of becoming distorted—mixed with philosophies and behaviours that look spiritual but have lost their centre.

Paul had not personally visited Colossae (Col 2:1). The church had likely been planted by Epaphras, a co-worker of Paul who had come to faith during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus (see Col 1:7–8; Acts 19).

So, Paul writes to re-centre them. To remind them that Christ is enough—not just for salvation, but for all of life.

That’s the title of our little series: Christ at the Centre. Being God’s people is not just about theology or church behaviour—it’s about what it means for Jesus to be at the very heart of our lives: our identity, our decisions, our relationships, and our future.

Today, we begin by considering faith. What does it mean to have faith that is truly centred on Christ? And what happens when it’s not?

We can talk about faith, act like we have faith, and even be known for our faith—and still live with something else at the centre. Today we’re going to look at the difference, and the fruit that grows when Christ is truly at the centre of our faith.

1. Sunday Habit or Daily Life?

Whether you’re a farmer, a home gardener, or just an average Joe like me, we all know the impact of a dry spell. Even with a bit of rain, we’re still seeing it around the place now. The soil dries out. Growth slows. Fruit goes bad before it ripens. Even the hardiest plants eventually suffer from the lack of nourishment.

Faith is the same. If it’s only fed on Sunday, it can become dry and disconnected. It might still be there—but it won’t be living, growing, or fruitful in the way God intends. In much the same way that paddocks with irrigation are kept green in the dry spells, faith needs a constant source of nourishment.

Paul gives thanks that the Colossians’ faith is anything but dry. It’s alive. It’s “bearing fruit and growing,” he says—not just in them, but “throughout the whole world.” Their faith isn’t a private habit or a religious label—it’s something seen in the way they live and love. It’s producing endurance and joy in the middle of ordinary life.

Moses speaks in the same way to God’s people in Deuteronomy: the Word is not far off, not locked away in heaven or hidden across the sea. “The word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.” God never meant for faith to stay confined to the temple—or to the church building.

When Christ is not at the centre, faith becomes a Sunday habit—something visited but not lived. When Christ is at the centre, faith bears fruit every day.

It makes me think of Psalm 1:

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

Psalm 1:3 (NIV)

2. Checklist or Relationship

We all know what it’s like to treat something important as a checklist. You do the task, tick the box, and move on. It’s efficient—but often shallow. The goal becomes completion, not connection.

That’s exactly what the expert in the law does in Luke 10. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” he asks. He’s after a checklist. When Jesus points him to the heart of the law—loving God and neighbour—he follows up with another box to tick: “And who is my neighbour?”

In response, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. It’s not a checklist—it’s a relationship. A man sees someone in need and is moved by compassion. He stops. He helps. He pays the cost. This is not a man going through religious motions—this is love.

Paul prays that the Colossians wouldn’t settle for surface-level faith either. He asks that they would be filled “with the knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” so that they might live lives worthy of the Lord—bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

This kind of faith can’t be reduced to a set of religious tasks. It’s not about knowing the right answers. It’s about walking with God in trust and love—what Psalm 25 expresses so simply: “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.”

When Christ is not at the centre, faith becomes a set of duties. When Christ is at the centre, faith becomes a relationship that shapes how we live and love.

3. Burden or Strength?

I don’t know about you, but I find being a Christian so tiring. It’s heavy. It demands constant effort. It leaves me wondering if I’ve done enough or if I’m doing it right. I might look disciplined on the outside, but underneath I’m just driven by fear of getting it wrong and guilt when I do.

God doesn’t mean for life in Him to be a burden—I make it that way myself.

Paul doesn’t want that for the Colossians. He prays that they would be “strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that [they] may have great endurance and patience.” Not just to get through, but to do so “joyfully giving thanks to the Father.”

Joyful strength. That’s the mark of a faith with Christ at the centre.

Paul goes further: this isn’t just strength to carry on—it’s strength grounded in grace. The Father has already qualified them. Already rescued them. Already brought them into the kingdom of His Son. They don’t have to earn their way in or hold it all together by their own strength.

Psalm 25 speaks of that same kind of faith: “Good and upright is the Lord… All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful.” We walk with God not as servants under pressure, but as people led by grace.

When Christ is not at the centre, faith becomes a burden—something we carry, unsure if we’re doing enough.

When Christ is at the centre, faith gives strength—because we are carried by the One who has already done enough.

Living in faith is not about trying harder. It’s about trusting deeper.

Conclusion

When Christ is not at the centre, faith can become a habit, a checklist, or a burden. It may still look like faith—but it’s disconnected from the One who gives it life.

But when Christ is at the centre, everything changes. Faith becomes a living relationship that bears fruit. It moves beyond Sunday into every corner of the week. It stops striving to prove itself and starts growing in love. It is not about what we achieve, but about what Christ has already done—and what He is still doing in us.

That’s what Paul celebrates and prays for in Colossians. And that’s what God desires for us too.

Jesus has already rescued us from the dominion of darkness. He has already brought us into His kingdom. He has already redeemed us and forgiven our sins. That’s not something we work toward—that’s the starting point.

So, we don’t centre our faith on ourselves—our effort, our performance, our religious habits. We centre it on Him. The One who calls, who strengthens, who sustains.

Let your faith grow in Him. Let it bear fruit in your life. And let it give you joy and strength—not just for today, but for every day He gives you. Amen.