Resetting Priorities | FOUNDRYsermon 12.10.17

Have you ever tried to fix something? I typically end up trying a few different things before the issue is actually resolved. At that point, I don’t know if it can actually be called a repair or it was simply a half-way successful adaptation of trial and error.

This week we are talking about Resetting our Priorities.

And it is a little different than we might expect. We’ve all see the “10 way to Rock the New Year” listicles on Facebook. They end up a crapshoot, figuring out if we sort all the right things, we can eventually call it a success. The problem with that generic approach is we far too often never get to the actual root of the problem.

Resetting The First Thing Resets All The Things

Paul, an early church planter and missionary, wrote a letter to his friends. They were sorting out priorities. He had some stuff he wanted to tell them to help out.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Ephesians 1: 3-14

Paul focused them on on the first thing. The whole thing. And it isn’t just our first thing…but the very first thing we have in this whole life with Jesus. God had a first plan. And when we understand what that looks like, it helps all of the small stuff that worry us fall into place.

Let’s all reset a few priorities. And it’ll be easier than you think.