God Gives Hope to Enable Love 
Colossians 1:1-5a

1. There Is Nothing New Under the Sun 
There is a universal tendency to add something to Jesus. 
Colossians was written to emphasize the sole sufficiency of Christ. 
Fallen humanity is not content with who Jesus is. 
Fallen humanity is not content with what Jesus has done. 
When we try to add anything to Jesus, we actually subtract. 
Jesus plus anything equals nothing. 

2. We All Know the Law's Demand 
Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor. 
But, because of sin, we are unable to fulfill it. 
The Bible has been summarized this way: 
You must. 
Because of sin, you cannot. 
In Christ, God did. 
In Him, you can.

3. Where Can We Find the Power to Obey? 
Some turn to legalism or moralism (Colossians 2:21). 
Some turn to paganism (Colossians 2:18). 
God has given us hope in Christ to enable us to love. 
Hope is future-oriented faith. 
Aspects of the hope laid up in heaven: 
Sharing the glory of God. 
Seeing the risen Lord.
Being freed from sin and sickness. 
Enjoying eternal life.
When we have this hope, we are enabled to love. 
We are freed from self-focus to focus on Christ and others.

4. Heavenly-Minded and Earthly Good 
It is only those who have confident hope who are able to love. 
Will you give yourself to Christ and hope in Him in order to love?