Title
CONTINUE 继续
Date
01/25/2026
Description
Colossians 2:6: So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him
歌 羅 西 書 2:6: 所以，正如你们接受了耶稣为基督和主一样，你们应该继续生活在他之中。(page 1910)
Heb 2:1 - We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
希 伯 來 書 2:1: 因此，我们必须更加重视所听的道，
以免随流漂去 (page 1940)
Galatians 3:2-3: Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
加 拉 太 書 3:2-3: 我只问你们一件事：你们是通过遵守律法，还是通过听到并相信福音才领受到圣灵的恩赐的呢？ 3 你们真会这么蠢吗？你们以圣灵开始了你们生活，现在想要靠自己的力量来继续它吗？ (page 1887)
Psalm 119:130: The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
詩 篇 119:130: 你 的 言 语 一 解 开 就 发 出 亮 光 ， 使 愚 人 通 达 。(pg 1010)
Hebrews 4:10,11: For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. 希伯来书 4:10,11: 因为那进入 神安息的人，就歇了自己的工作，好象 神歇了自己的工作一样。所以，我们要竭力进入那安息，免得有人随着那不顺从的样子就跌倒了。(pg 1943)
歌 羅 西 書 2:6: 所以，正如你们接受了耶稣为基督和主一样，你们应该继续生活在他之中。(page 1910)
Heb 2:1 - We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
希 伯 來 書 2:1: 因此，我们必须更加重视所听的道，
以免随流漂去 (page 1940)
Galatians 3:2-3: Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
加 拉 太 書 3:2-3: 我只问你们一件事：你们是通过遵守律法，还是通过听到并相信福音才领受到圣灵的恩赐的呢？ 3 你们真会这么蠢吗？你们以圣灵开始了你们生活，现在想要靠自己的力量来继续它吗？ (page 1887)
Psalm 119:130: The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
詩 篇 119:130: 你 的 言 语 一 解 开 就 发 出 亮 光 ， 使 愚 人 通 达 。(pg 1010)
Hebrews 4:10,11: For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. 希伯来书 4:10,11: 因为那进入 神安息的人，就歇了自己的工作，好象 神歇了自己的工作一样。所以，我们要竭力进入那安息，免得有人随着那不顺从的样子就跌倒了。(pg 1943)
Creator
Pastor: Mike Koger
Contributor
Hillside United Methodist Church
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
Transcription
CONTINUE
Living From the Finished Work
Colossians 2:6
(I believe in the power of new beginnings, but…)
Every morning when you wake up, you don’t start your life over.
You don’t reintroduce yourself to your family.
You don’t relearn your name.
You simply step back into the life you already have.
You don’t earn the new day — you receive it.
The sun doesn’t ask whether you’re ready.
It rises because that’s what it does.
And grace works the same way.
You don’t wake up each morning to become a Christian all over again.
You wake up to walk in what you already received.
That’s why Paul says: “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to start something one way…
and then slowly switch methods?
You begin relaxed. You begin trusting. You begin hopeful.
And somewhere along the way, without realizing it,
you begin trying harder, managing more, and carrying weight you were never meant to carry.
Paul is writing to believers when he says this — not to unbelievers.
And what he’s really asking is simple:
Why would you change the way you live,
when the way you began was working?
We should live each day with Presence, Peace & Purpose
Col 2:6: In the same way you received Jesus our Lord and Messiah by faith, continue your journey of faith, progressing further into your union with him!
Let’s pause there for a moment - How did you receive Christ?
Not with a plan. Not with all the answers. Not with everything cleaned up.
You received Him by:
• trusting
• opening your heart
• admitting need
• letting go
You didn’t negotiate grace. You didn’t earn forgiveness.
You didn’t prove anything. You simply received.
And Paul says: “That way right there — don’t abandon it.”
Heb 2:1 - We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
When you look at today’s key scripture, you recognize that it is a verse that contains a gentle caution:
“As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
Walking speaks of daily life.
Ordinary moments. Normal pressures. Real relationships.
Paul is saying: “Don’t switch systems after salvation.
Don’t trust Jesus for eternity and then trust yourself for today.
Don’t receive grace freely and then live under pressure.”
Walking in Him means:
• the same dependence you started with
• the same openness
• the same receiving heart
Grace is not just how we enter the Christian life.
Grace is how we continue.
Here’s the drift most of us don’t notice:
We don’t reject grace — we just somehow try to supplement it.
We start saying things like:
• “I should be stronger by now.”
• “I should know better.”
• “I shouldn’t still be struggling with this.”
And suddenly the weight is back on us.
But striving doesn’t make us mature — it makes us tired.
…And tired hearts don’t flow well.
That’s why Paul warns elsewhere: “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by the flesh?”
Galatians 3:2,3: “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
So what does this look like practically? It looks like:
• bringing weakness to God instead of hiding it
• trusting grace in the middle of the day, not just on Sunday
• letting Christ be the daily source, not just a one-time Savior
(HE is the Vine)
Psalm 119:130: The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
We need compounded interest – and compounded trust
Psalm 23:1: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…
This is not just about provision (although that is included) but it is also about identity.
Jesus said in John 15:8: When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father!
It’s all about abiding
It’s waking up each day and saying: “Lord, I’m still receiving today.”
Not dramatic. Not complicated. Just honest.
Hebrews 4:10-11: For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.
And when we live this way:
our hearts stay soft - joy stays near - flow continues
This week, there’s no new technique. No added burden.
No spiritual upgrade required.
Just this invitation: Live the way you started.
The irony is: Living this way actually facilitates our spiritual growth.
Grace is not static—it develops as you walk faithfully with God.
As favor increases, so does responsibility, visibility, and reach.
God expands your capacity so your life can serve more people for His purpose.
As you received Him — with trust, humility, and open hands —
- so walk in Him.
Because we don’t graduate from grace. We learn how to live from it.
“As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
Lord, thank You for reminding us that the way in is also the way forward.
Help us to stop striving where You invite us to trust. To rest in your strength
Teach us to walk the same way we received — dependent, open, and at rest in You.
Amen.
Living From the Finished Work
Colossians 2:6
(I believe in the power of new beginnings, but…)
Every morning when you wake up, you don’t start your life over.
You don’t reintroduce yourself to your family.
You don’t relearn your name.
You simply step back into the life you already have.
You don’t earn the new day — you receive it.
The sun doesn’t ask whether you’re ready.
It rises because that’s what it does.
And grace works the same way.
You don’t wake up each morning to become a Christian all over again.
You wake up to walk in what you already received.
That’s why Paul says: “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to start something one way…
and then slowly switch methods?
You begin relaxed. You begin trusting. You begin hopeful.
And somewhere along the way, without realizing it,
you begin trying harder, managing more, and carrying weight you were never meant to carry.
Paul is writing to believers when he says this — not to unbelievers.
And what he’s really asking is simple:
Why would you change the way you live,
when the way you began was working?
We should live each day with Presence, Peace & Purpose
Col 2:6: In the same way you received Jesus our Lord and Messiah by faith, continue your journey of faith, progressing further into your union with him!
Let’s pause there for a moment - How did you receive Christ?
Not with a plan. Not with all the answers. Not with everything cleaned up.
You received Him by:
• trusting
• opening your heart
• admitting need
• letting go
You didn’t negotiate grace. You didn’t earn forgiveness.
You didn’t prove anything. You simply received.
And Paul says: “That way right there — don’t abandon it.”
Heb 2:1 - We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
When you look at today’s key scripture, you recognize that it is a verse that contains a gentle caution:
“As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
Walking speaks of daily life.
Ordinary moments. Normal pressures. Real relationships.
Paul is saying: “Don’t switch systems after salvation.
Don’t trust Jesus for eternity and then trust yourself for today.
Don’t receive grace freely and then live under pressure.”
Walking in Him means:
• the same dependence you started with
• the same openness
• the same receiving heart
Grace is not just how we enter the Christian life.
Grace is how we continue.
Here’s the drift most of us don’t notice:
We don’t reject grace — we just somehow try to supplement it.
We start saying things like:
• “I should be stronger by now.”
• “I should know better.”
• “I shouldn’t still be struggling with this.”
And suddenly the weight is back on us.
But striving doesn’t make us mature — it makes us tired.
…And tired hearts don’t flow well.
That’s why Paul warns elsewhere: “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by the flesh?”
Galatians 3:2,3: “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
So what does this look like practically? It looks like:
• bringing weakness to God instead of hiding it
• trusting grace in the middle of the day, not just on Sunday
• letting Christ be the daily source, not just a one-time Savior
(HE is the Vine)
Psalm 119:130: The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
We need compounded interest – and compounded trust
Psalm 23:1: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…
This is not just about provision (although that is included) but it is also about identity.
Jesus said in John 15:8: When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father!
It’s all about abiding
It’s waking up each day and saying: “Lord, I’m still receiving today.”
Not dramatic. Not complicated. Just honest.
Hebrews 4:10-11: For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.
And when we live this way:
our hearts stay soft - joy stays near - flow continues
This week, there’s no new technique. No added burden.
No spiritual upgrade required.
Just this invitation: Live the way you started.
The irony is: Living this way actually facilitates our spiritual growth.
Grace is not static—it develops as you walk faithfully with God.
As favor increases, so does responsibility, visibility, and reach.
God expands your capacity so your life can serve more people for His purpose.
As you received Him — with trust, humility, and open hands —
- so walk in Him.
Because we don’t graduate from grace. We learn how to live from it.
“As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
Lord, thank You for reminding us that the way in is also the way forward.
Help us to stop striving where You invite us to trust. To rest in your strength
Teach us to walk the same way we received — dependent, open, and at rest in You.
Amen.