Galena Bible Church

Colossians: "Jesus and..." - Why religion cannot save.

Colossians 2:16-17  Therefore let no one
pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a
festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things
to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.Every
society ever discovered has some form of religious practice. The action
of doing certain things, or not doing certain things in an effort to
please a god or gods. If your faith is in what you do, rather than
repenting in light of what Jesus did, your faith is in religion, and it
will not save. In this text we look at how Paul calls the Colossian
believers to fix their hope on Christ and not on any religious practice
as their source of salvation security.Delivered to the Galena Bible Church, Sunday June 28th, 2015.

Colossians: Beware the false gospel

Colossians 2:8  See to it that no one
takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human
tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not
according to Christ.Paul
agonized for this little church because of the man centered false
gospel that was being taught there. Like a salesman selling a lead vest
as a life preserver, a false gospel has the trappings of what we want,
but the inability to actually save. The Gospel of Jesus is our only
hope.Sermon Delivered to the Galena Bible Church, Sunday June 21st, 2014

Colossians: Christ in you the Hope of Glory

Colossians 1:27  To them God chose to
make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of
this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.There
is a mystery in the work of Christ that is not revealed in nature. It
must be revealed through a supernatural move of God. Paul says that he
has revealed this mystery to the Gentile churches through two means: a
stewardship of suffering, and fully and faithfully preaching the Gospel.
In this sermon we look at Colossians 1:24-29 and see how we can reveal
Christ in us, the hope of Glory.Delivered to the Galena Bible Church, Sunday June 14th, 2015.

Colossians: Prominent VS Preeminent

Colossians 1:16  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.There's a big difference between someone being prominent vs being preeminent. If you say something is in your top five that's prominent. But if I were to say that about my wife...well it wouldn't go so well for me. Preeminent, first, above all others. There's an eternal difference between Jesus being prominent in your life and being preeminent. In this sermon we'll look at Colossians 1:15-20 were the Apostle Paul teaches about the preeminence of Christ.Delivered to the Galena Bible Church, Sunday May 24th, 2015.

Colossians: Willing, Walking, and Knowing

Colossians 1:9-10  And so, from the day
we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be
filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully
pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the
knowledge of God. Who
was the church in Colosse? They were a mixed bag of ethnicity,
religious upbringing, conservative, liberal, and struggling group of
people who desperately wanted to follow Jesus. It sounds a whole lot
like the church in Galena. Maybe yours too. Join us as we begin this
study into the book of Colossians and begin to see what it means to have
Christ be preeminent in our affections, actions, and thought.Delivered to the Galena Bible Church by Pastor Chris Kopp, Sunday May 17th, 2015.

Jesus Questions: Do you love me?

John 21:15  When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?"  I
can't imagine what the the disciples must have felt when Jesus died and
then came back to them. The emotional roller coaster of sorrow, grief,
joy, uncertainty, doubt must have been exhausting. In that environment
Jesus lovingly calls Peter back to the time when Jesus called him as a
disciple. He also called him back to a coal fire where Peter cursed him.
To both these memories, Jesus asks "Do you love me?" Jesus reminds us
that he called us when we've gone astray, but he also reminds us that he
loves us at our most unlovable moment. He asks you today,
"____________, Do you love me?"Delivered to the Galena Bible Church, Sunday May 10th, 2015.

Jesus Questions: Why do you call me good?

Mark 10:18  And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.Are
you good? For most people this is a pretty easy questions for them to
answer: "Of course I'm good." Isn't it interesting that our standard of
goodness is always low enough that we manage to fit in it? Jesus'
standard of goodness was God. I think we may need to raise our
standard. Sermon delivered to the Galena Bible Church Sunday May 3rd, 2015.

Jesus Quesions: What does it profit to gain the whole world?

There's a lot of "10 steps to a better you" books on the market today. So here's three steps to gain the whole world: 1. Never deny your pleasures, 2. Avoid
all discomfort, 3. Follow your heart. (***Disclaimer: you will lose
your soul following this***)What does Jesus mean when he says, "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" The American dream continually leads us to believe that our life is all about us and our ability to have more. Yet Jesus stood in stark contrast to that reality. There was nothing that we could give in exchange for our soul. But God gave himself in exchange for our soul!Delivered by Pastor Chris Kopp to the Galena Bible Church, Sunday April 26th, 2015.

Jesus Questions: Do you not yet understand?

Mark 8:21  And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"Jesus had a very hard question for his disciples that started with them arguing about who was supposed to bring some bread for lunch. Why did it escalate from the disciples discussing bread to Jesus asking them if they had hard hearts? Because the sin of hypocrisy sneaks into our lives is subtle ways and we end up hiding behind a mask of self reliance or religious practice, rather than pursuing Christ for who he is. In this sermon we look at Mark 8:11-21 and ask our self the question, "Do you not yet understand?"Delivered to the Galena Bible Church, Sunday April 19th, 2015 by Pastor Chris Kopp.

Jesus Questions: Which is harder to say...Which is harder to do?

Luke 5:23  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?The scene must have been a bit comical. There Jesus sits teaching a crowded Bible study and a little plaster falls from the ceiling. Then more, and more until a ray of daylight slips through the ceiling. Does Jesus stop teaching? Do the people stair as slowly the hole gets large enough for four friends to lower their paralyzed friend before Jesus. What did they want? Physical healing for their friend. What did Jesus do? He healed his soul. "Your sins are forgiven." In less than a minute he would heal the man physically, but it is a reminder for us that the most important thing we need from Jesus is that which he could not say into existence, but that for which he had to die to purchase for us. Delivered to the Galena Bible Church by Pastor Chris Kopp, Sunday April 12th 2015.