Change: Becoming who we are in Christ
Colossians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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What do I believe God wants us to know? To grow into who God has us to be means we need to change by seeking Him, setting our minds on Him, and changing our clothes
Why? We all want to change to be more like Jesus
What do I believe God wants us to do? To seek Him continually, set our minds on Him, put to death sin, and change our clothes.
Why? We will be like Jesus
ME/WE
One the desires we all have, it is a God given desire is to change some area of our life....We want improvement
For some of us it is our health. We would like to be a little thinner or healthier
For some of us it is our finances….we would like to have more money in our bank account at the end of the month.
For some of us it is our house….our house either needs an upgrade or SPRING CLEANING
For all of us who are Christians…we say the same thing about our Spiritual Life….we would like some things to change to be more like Jesus….nobody would say, “yes I am totally like Jesus now!”
The question is how do we change the things we want to change?
To change were we are we need to change the things we are doing.
If nothing changes we will not change.
We cannot be surprised or shocked if the weight on the scale is not moving if we are not changing our eating or exercise.
Our current actions our producing the results we are receiving.
If we want more money in our bank one or two things must happen.
Change your spending habits that ypu are spending much less than you make.
Change your income. You need to make more money.
The question is how do we change our SPIRITUAL LIVES?
WE need to change what we are doing
PAUSE before we get there. Let’s talk about the SPEED OF CHANGE
SPEED of CHANGE
How fast is CHANGE sometimes? It is like watching a TREE grow….that makes sense because wants us to be OAKS of RIGHTEOUSNESS
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
One degree to the next.
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
WE SOW IN ONE SEASON AND REAP IN ANOTHER
What do we need to change or for some of us keep doing?
Some of us it is bigger change and some of us it is little changes
2 degrees off and you are almost 100 miles away
Almost distance between Cleveland and Columbus
Change what we are seeking
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
If you have been raised with Christ. If you are believer.
God says
SEEK…what does it mean to SEEK something?
- Try one day a week to seek someone every week to seek something?
Would you say I am seeking financial freedom? NO…you would say these are probably the actions that got you in trouble in the first place.
No SEEK: means to intentionally pursue and prioritize the realities of heaven—
ON a continual on going bases
What are we to seek? THIHGS THAT ARE ABOVE?
What are things above? God’s values, God’s kingdom purposes and principles, the ways of the kingdom, character of Christ, and Jesus.
The WAYS and FACE of JESUS
Micah 6:8 spells out some of the ways this looks
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Do justice…Justice is a part of the KINGDOM of GoD…justice is innacted everywhere.
To love KINDNESS…..to be kind to one another, treat people with love, respect, and honor….to be present
Walk humbly with God…and with are with Him seeking Him we receive, love, grace, mercy, kindness and those rub off on us to those around us.
First thing for us to grow Spiritual we have to CHANGE or KEEP seeking things that are above.
2. Change your mindset
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Second thing is we need to CHANGE OUR THINKING or KEEP our THINKING UPON HIM.
How many times have we had this experience. We SET our minds on STINKING THINKING and what does it produce?
depression
darkness
feel worthless
participate in sinful habits
But when we set our minds on things above
We get light, we get peace, we get
What does it mean to SET our MINDS on something? Think about it for a moment and then we are done?
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 30.20 φρονέω; φροντίζω; σκοπέω; μελετάω
to keep on giving serious consideration to something—‘to ponder, to let one’s mind dwell on, to keep thinking about, to fix one’s attention on.’
What are things that are above?
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Why? When we change our thinking it changes everything around us and inside of us.
The light becomes bright
joy
We have experienced this…when our mind changes…everything changes.
1. Change our seeking: Seek God
2. Change our thinking: Set minds on things above
3. Put to death Sin
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
AMAZING PROMISES…our POSITION and IDENTITY has CHANGED…we are new creation.
3. Put to death sin.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Put to death…what does it mean to put something to death….do not let it RESURRECT itself.
One of things we can do at times is we will not put some of these things to death…instead we hid them…we let them be our weekend friends….
God says they must DIE
I like how Paul first writes what we call “really” bad sins, yes, totally agree and then writes about what our world sometimes calls “lesser” sins.
anger
slander
obscene talk
lying
HOW do we put those to DEATH.
By the power of Jesus
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
Written and living Word
Our will
and the church
And James says you want to know what will help you put to death the sinful deeds of the mouth and anger?
Mouth need to James 1:19
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
listen
wait to speak
slow to become anger
How many of us have jumped to conclusion and not heard the whole story or weighed out what was being said?
What about the sin that is all over our culture and almost every culture has struggled with it to one degree or another.
The sin of highest level of physical interaction between two people?
A sin were 9 out of 10 men and 3 out out of 10 women struggle with viewing online or on their phone?
Put it to death by fleeing
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
You don’t say…God give me the strength to stay on my phone or computer. you turn the computer or phone off or flee.
As a young man would do this from time to time…I would flee by going on a walk or to friends house.
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Seek things above
Set minds on things above
Put to death sin
Cloth yourself with Christ
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
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.
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
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.
Put on Jesus.
How do we do this?
By being with Jesus and doing what was already said above
SEEK things above
SET your mind on things above
PUT to DEATH SIN
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Be people of the world
Teach and advice one another
Sing psalms and hymns
By thankful
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
God is calling us to be more like him
1. Change What You Seek and Set you mind on things above
Do you need to Build new habits that help you seek and set—daily time in Scripture, journaling, listen to Christian podcast or books praying, choosing worship over worry.
2. Kill Sin
Are there specific sins God is asking you to put to death?
3. Put on Christ
Seek, him, be with Him, and His bride, the church.
CHANGE IS POSSIBLE, WE JUST NEED TO CHANGE WHERE WE ARE TO BECOME WHO GOD WANTS US TO BE.
IT WILL NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, IT TAKES TIME , BUT IT IS A CHAGNE THAT WILL BRING PEACE, JOY, HAPPINESS, AND LIGHT TO YOU AND TO ALL AROUND YOU.
And let us never forget:
Jesus is the one who began this change.
He took us from being AGAINST GOD and made us beloved children of God.
That’s the power of grace. That’s the hope we live in.
