Hey everyone and welcome to Refinery Life Church.

This week we continue our series titled “The book of Colossians”

A devotional study of the Bible, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, has the potential for bringing great blessings into the lives of those who participate.

These messages from Colossians will take us from now through to the end of the year on Thursday nights.

Today we are talking about From Shadow to Reality.

Many today want the good life, they want it apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ.

It has been written.

Ethics without religion has little power to endure.

The French Revolution began by hitting the idealistic notes of liberty, equality, and community, but it was no deeper than idealism.

Its power for good was quickly exhausted, and uncontrolled violence broke out.

When man has no more than his own spirit to rely on, his goodness turns sour.

He needs divine support.

He will live most meaningfully when he responds to the goodness of God.

People want the results of religion without the discipline and commitment.

Paul cautioned the Colossian Christians against having this attitude.

He had just demonstrated how Christ had set them free by His death on the cross from all things that would enslave and destroy them.

But people were coming along behind Paul, teaching the people that there were certain matters of Jewish practice they had to keep, certain observances they had to maintain, certain ways of looking at life and religion they had to adopt.

Paul replied that these things were only shadows, the real thing was Christ.

We too are often tempted to take the shadow and pass up on the reality.

But we are to go from the shadow to the reality, to Christ.