Colossians 2:16 – 3:17 Christ is preeminent - Change your clothes

Identify the job based on the people’s clothes

Each of these clothes are vital to who they are. To be effective. To be safe. To carry out their responsibilities.

Reverse the thought process for this last picture. What clothes would they wear – if someone is a ------ Christian.

Too often we treat being Christian as something that is totally inward. It has not impact on our lives.

Paul disagrees.

Because we have been given a new life we must now live a new life.

He would say Change your clothes

Put on this new life / put on a new wardrobe

If Christ is Preeminent we must change our clothes

Act out the life of righteousness that we have already received.

Live righteous because we have been declared righteous

Live out who we are.

I. Change your clothes: Shadows of the truth come short

A. Shadows are partial truths Col 2:16b, 17

((ESV) Colossians 2 16 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. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

1. Problem is to focus on the shadow instead of the full truth – the partial rather than the real thing

2. Jewish system – symbols of what was to come – When it came the emphasis moved beyond the symbol

a. Jewish law (in view here) – acts that point to Christ

B. Shadows alone are inadequate Col 2:16a, 17

((ESV) Colossians 2 16 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. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

1. Contains some truth but can mislead

2. The full truth becomes unimportant as the shadow takes the scene, mixes with the false and creates something totally different than real truth

a. True for the Pharisees – external over internal

b. Other mixtures of Jewish pagan – something new and different and false

c. Pre Gnositcs – later flesh doesn’t matter – either deny it / or embrace it

3. Today

a. A system of love – a response that is valid

b. A system of rules – a denial of sin that is good

c. A system that merely talks about Christ – a truth that is real

d. End up replacing the true Christ / True living placing Him as preeminent

4. Shadows are only an appearance of help Col 2:18, 20-23a

((ESV) Colossians 2 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,

((ESV) Colossians 2 20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings?

((ESV) Colossians 2 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

5. More than the physical

6. More than doing right things

7. All these appeal to the flesh / pride / doing for myself

8. Shadows are unable to change lives Col 2:23b

9. Don’t have any real value

10. Doesn’t penetrate to the heart – the source of the problem

C. Shadows point to the real thing - Christ Col 2:17, 19

((ESV) Colossians 2 17 These are a shadowof the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

1. The fullness of truth

2. What the shadows point to

3. The desire is to find the true object – Christ Himself

A. Compare: Growth comes in Christ

((ESV) Colossians 2 19 (these are sensually minded people) and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

1. He feeds the body

2. He causes real spiritual growth

3. He holds together all the parts

4. He causes the body to function properly

5. Uses the parts of the body to accomplish this growth as it all fits together and accomplishes its individual roles

II. Change your clothes: A new life has begun

A. Past – A new existence Col 3:1b

(ESV) Colossians 3 1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

(ESV) Ephesians 2 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

1. Assumed true – since you have been raised with Christ – there are certain implications that should be now assumed

2. Have a new life – more – we exist in a new place

3. We exist already in heavenly places

4. We exist in the presence of God Himself – seated with Christ

B. Present – A new security Col 3:2-3

2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

1. Life now has been engulfed in the life of Christ

2. Absolutely secure – hidden with Christ / in the Father

3. Double security – totally consumed – like being surrounded by an ameba

C. Future – A new purpose Col 3:4-5

4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:

1. A future existence in the glory of God – will be for His glory

III. Change your clothes: Put off the old ways

A. Put away old life Col 3:4-5

4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: …

B. The uncontrolled passions Col 3:5

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry

1. Immorality

2. Impurity

3. Passion

4. Evil desire

5. Covetousness / desire to have

C. The previous outflow of the heart Col 3:8-9a

8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, …

1. Mouth sins

2. Lying

D. Because this is no longer who you are Col 3:6-11

1. The old paths are deserving of wrath it - not you any longer

6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: …

2. You have in one sense put them away in a new life – and now are you continuing to be renewed and made into Christ’s image – keep it up / cooperate

9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old selfwith its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

3. The new life is all about Christ – breaks the old differences

11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

4. New life

5. Continuing to be renewed

6. No distinction any longer – all acceptable to God – all God’s people

IV. Change your clothes: Put on new responses

A. Set your will on things above Col 3:2-3

(ESV) Colossians 3 1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

B. Be Christlike toward others Col 3:12-14

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

C. Be inwardly transformed by Christ Col 3:15-16

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishingone another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

D. Doing everything for Christ Col 3:17

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.