Christ Above Self: Colossians 3:1-11

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-11

Main Theme:

The believer’s new identity in Christ calls for a radical transformation in thought, action, and attitude. We are called to put off the old self and put on the new self, continually seeking the things above where Christ is seated in glory.

Introduction:

Story

When I first went to college, I was excited. But instead of being excited for my classes or the friends I would make, I was excited to be in a brand new place with the opportunity to make a brand new me.

Instead of the awkward, goofy, often annoying, high school me, I could be someone cool and desirable. Someone that people wanted as a friend and someone that people wanted to be around. Someone who wasn’t so awkward, and let’s face it, rather weird.

Now, as many of you have gotten to know me over the past year and a half, I’m sure you’re beginning to realize, I simply am a bit awkward and weird.

I have a tendency to over-share when it comes to talking about the Bible, theology, or church history.

I get a little too competitive and trash talky during board games.

When someone wants me to answer open ended questions for a party game, my first thought for an answer is always “hypostatic union.” I honestly cannot tell you why, but when I’m trying to teach my babies words I go from “can you say ‘da-da’?” to “can you say ‘hypostatic union?’” I’ve already done so with Christiana and she’s only 5 days old!

I’m a weirdo, and I’ve come to happily accept that over the past decade, but back when I first went to college I wanted to change that fact about me.

I tried to put off my old identity and put on a new one. The problem was that I was trying to put on a new identity that was focused on me and my ideals, not on Christ.

Context:

We have reached the third chapter of Colossians and

Paul’s letter to the Colossians emphasizes the supremacy of Christ and the sufficiency of His work.

In chapter 3, Paul shifts focus to practical exhortation—how we live in light of our union with Christ.

The call to set our minds on things above flows from our new identity: we have died with Christ and are raised with Him. Therefore, our lives should reflect this profound change.

Transition: In Colossians 3:1-11, Paul addresses both the inner transformation (new mind and desires) and the outward expression of that transformation (putting off sinful behaviors and putting on righteousness).

1. The If, the Then, and the Why (1-4)

In 10th grade geometry I was taught a logical statement that is often used in math called an “if/then” statement. Now this is simply a cause and effect statement.

If x is true, then y is true.

If Sally is hungry, then she will eat a snack.

If the weather is nice, then we will have a picnic.

If I watch the most recent Peanuts Movie, then I will be crying like a baby by the end.

The reason I bring this up is because Paul begins this section in verse 1 with one of these statements. “If you have been raised with Christ, then seek the things that are above.”

Let’s begin with the “if”

(1) If - You have been raised with Christ…

Right here at the beginning of this section, Paul lays the foundation by saying something we often blaze right past.

If you have been raised with Christ

This is tied directly to the previous passage because only about three verses earlier Paul gives another if/then statement.

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, then why do you act as if you were still living under their authority? - Col 2:20

And this was really the summation of the whole passage of verses 16-23. Why do we submit to these man-made, or worse, demon-made religious systems as if they have authority over us if we have joined with Christ in death to this world? If with Christ you died to the world, why do you still submit yourself to the world?

And this is why this next “if” here in chapter 3 is foundational.

“If you have been raised with Christ...”

So if we are still submitting to the things of earth, then the question we should ask is, “Have I died with Christ and been raised with him?

Am I a Christian? Loving him, trusting him, submitting to him and forsaking the things of earth? Or am I more focused on the kingdoms of earth than the Kingdom of Heaven?

“If you have been raised with Christ...”

If this is not true, then nothing else matters. Nothing else in the Scriptures will help you and nothing else will save you.

If you have not died with and been raised with Christ, then you are still under the wrath of God for your cosmic treason.

So we know from the last passage that If we have died to the things of the world, then we should stop submitting to the things of the world. But If we have been raised with Christ, then what should come of it?

(1-2) Then -

Paul continues in verses 1-2 by saying that if you have been raised with Christ, then bring your eyes up off of the things of earth and put them on Christ! Seek and set your mind the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

If you really have been raised with Christ, then you must set your eyes on him and not on the things of the world. This is the whole point of the entire book of Colossians! Take your eyes off of yourself and realize that your focus on all the earthly things around you is the very reason you are sinful, stressed, and scared.

(1-4) Why -

Why must we raise our eyes and our minds up to the things above?

Because that is where Christ is! And he is seated at the right hand of God! Why would we take so much time to focus on earthly worries when we have something glorious to set our sights on? Set your focus on the things above, because Christ is above it all! He is the glorious king who rules! Our Focus must be on him or we can get sidetracked into all sorts of things, from work and pleasure, to politics and family.

If you have been raised with Christ, then set your mind on the things that are above, not the things of earth, because that’s where Christ is! You have died to the things of earth, but that doesn’t mean you have no life! (2-3)

On the contrary, your life is secured with Christ in God, where nothing can ever take it away or destroy it! (3)

And we can trust that when Jesus appears again physically in his return, that we who have hidden our lives with Christ are promised that since Jesus is sustaining our lives in himself we will appear and live once more in glory! (4)

Our true identity, our true self, is hidden with Christ in God, meaning our security and future are tied to Him. When He appears in glory, we will share in that glory!

The life of the believer is fundamentally united with Christ! If we forget this and let our gaze shift from the things above to the things below, then we are choosing to shift our very foundation for life!

As the election is coming up in just a few weeks, we have to remember this.

Our hope can not be in earthly powers and authorities.

The church is not lost if our candidate for president loses.

The church has always and will always be saved and sustained by Christ alone and no earthly power will supplement or supplant him as her provider.

But it is so easy to forget. Brothers and sisters, if you find your eyes are constantly drifting to the things of earth you are far from alone in this. But what is the remedy for our drifting focus? To force back onto Christ and His kingdom through prayer, studying and obeying the Scriptures, and constantly turning our minds and hearts to worship him and him alone.

Are you overwhelmed with everything that is happening in your life? Set your eyes and your mind on Christ, who is above it all.

Put off the old self (5-9)

And Paul continues explaining what it looks like to put our eyes on Christ he turns to some very practical instruction that is very hard to put into practice. He says in verses 5-9:

Colossians 3:5–9 ESV

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 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: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices

So what is it that we must do if we wish to set our minds on the things above? We must put off the old self: all the sinful desires we have because if we do not we will have to face God’s wrath. (5-6)

So what is it that we must do? We must kill sin.

Kill Sin: Put to Death What Is Earthly (v. 5-7)

Put to death-

Nearly 400 years ago a book was published called, “The Mortification of Sin.”

In it the author, John Owen, makes a famous statement.

Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.

The Christian life involves a continual battle against sin. We are called to actively kill sinful behaviors and desires that belong to the old self.

List of sins: In these verses Paul shows how sin is not simply action. It affects your heart. He highlights both the sins of the heart (evil desire, covetousness) and the body (sexual immorality, impurity). All sin stems from idolatry—placing anything above God in our hearts and minds.

What is the greatest commandment?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength.

When have you ever done that for one second of your life? Never! Your sin is more serious and more widespread than you give it credit for.

The wrath of God: And God's righteous judgment is coming against these sins. This is reality and you have to live in light of this reality.

The only rescue from God’s wrath comes through Christ and his perfect life, substitutionary death, vindicating resurrection, and his intercession for us before the Father.

So then, in verses 8-9 Paul shifts the focus from internal sins to external sins.

Put Off the Old Self: Laying Aside Sinful Behavior (v. 8-9)

Put them all away: Paul says to put away all your interpersonal sins that destroy Christian fellowship—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk. These are inconsistent with the new life in Christ and they are a cancer in the body of Christ!

Put off the old self: The imagery here is the idea of taking off an old set of clothes and then leaving them off.

Think about what would happen if a professional athlete switched teams, but sometimes decided he liked his old team’s colors more and wanted to wear that uniform for games.

What a ludicrous thought!

And yet this is exactly what we are doing when we indulge ourselves in our sin whether it is sin of the actions, the heart, or relationships.

And be careful if you think you stand (1 Cor 10:12) because you too can fall. Your sin is so much more serious than you think and the sins of your heart are just as bad as the sins of the hands of your neighbor.

We must burn our old jersey! Don’t keep it around to try it on every once in a while! Put your sin to death!

Application:

John Owen gives some practical advice in his book in ways to put our sin to death. I thought they were excellent and would be helpful to you.

1. Be deadly serious about the severity of sin and its consequences

The longer you struggle with sin, the harder it is to kill.

The more you indulge in sin, the stronger its hold on you.

Do not make excuses, do not justify your sin, and do not be too quick to apply God’s grace and mercy to yourself.

That’s a good way to get a hardened heart and conscience.

And sin is dangerous.

Sin poses the danger of masterful deception,

the discipline of God

the loss of peace and strength

and the danger of eternal destruction

If you continue in sin, you may prove that you have never been a Christian, someone who has been given a new heart.

You must put off the old self, put it to death!

2. Be convinced of your guilt and desperately desire deliverance

3. Understand where you are more naturally inclined to sin

4. Kill sin at its first signs and run from situations that spark your sin

5. Be slow to comfort yourself

6. Meditate on God’s Glory

Though we may experience guilt and conviction over sin, we shouldn’t assume the sin is defeated. Sin is deceitful, and it can trick us into thinking we’ve dealt with it decisively when we have not. Owen warns us not to speak peace to ourselves before God speaks it (Jer. 6:14), but rather to “examine [ourselves], to see whether [we] are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5). He warns we may console ourselves falsely if we treat the process of repentance lightly, don’t show concern for other sins, or if our consolation “is not accompanied by the greatest hatred imaginable of that sin.”

Are there sinful patterns in your speech or attitudes (anger, slander) that need to be put away?

Community impact: How we treat others, all others, but especially within the church body matters.

Sinful speech and attitudes (whether face to face, behind backs, or online) damage relationships and hinder our witness to the world.

Theological Emphasis: Sanctification involves not only growth in holiness but also the intentional killing of sin. This is not done in our own strength but by the Spirit's power through our union with Christ.

The Christian life is a process of putting off the old, sinful self. And this will have to continue happening until Christ returns or calls us home.

It must be a battle that is fought daily. While we have decisively died to sin in Christ, the daily outworking of that involves continual repentance and renewal.

But we are not left with simply removing and killing sin from our lives. Paul does not only instruct his readers to put off the old self. He continues in verses 10-11.

3. Put On the New Self:

Being Renewed in the Image of Christ (v. 10-11)

Colossians 3:10–11 ESV

10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Explanation:

Put on the new self:

Believers are called to "put on" their new identity in Christ. This new self is in the process of being renewed, pointing to the ongoing nature of sanctification.

Renewed in knowledge:

This renewal involves growth in the knowledge of God and Christ, leading to a life that reflects God's image. This echoes the original creation mandate—humans were created to bear God’s image.

Unity in Christ:

In Christ, all distinctions (ethnic, social, religious) fade. Christ is central and supreme in the new creation, and His work unites all believers.

Application:

The knowledge of God is what helps us kill our sin.

Why would I stress so much the importance of actually reading, understanding through deep study, and responding to the Word of God? Because this is best way to know God! It is his gift to us! The knowledge of God, really knowing him and loving him, is the fuel that empowers us to take off the old jersey and put on the new one!

Are you growing in the knowledge of Christ? Are you seeking him more often than just on Sundays?

How are you actively seeking to be renewed in your thinking, desires, and actions?

Unity in Christ: How does your view of others in the church reflect the reality that in Christ, all barriers are broken down?

Theological Emphasis: The new self is a gift of grace. Sanctification is a gradual, Spirit-led process where we are conformed to the image of Christ. The church is the community where this transformation is lived out in unity and love.

Conclusion: Living Out the New Life in Christ

Reiterate:

If we have been raised with Christ, we are called to set our minds on Christ and him alone who is above all our earthly desires and distractions.

We are called to mortify sin, put off the old self, and put on the new self in Christ.

Key Points to Remember:

Our new identity in Christ calls us to seek heavenly things and put to death earthly sin.

Reflect on your union with Christ and its implications for daily life.

Sanctification is both a mortification of sin and a renewal into the image of Christ.

Engage in the battle against sin, trusting in the Spirit’s power.

Christ breaks down every division and unites believers in His body.

Strive for unity and love within the church, recognizing that all are united in Christ.

Closing Prayer:

Ask for grace to seek the things above, to kill sin, and to be renewed in the image of Christ.

Colossians 1:21–23 ESV

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.