Colossians 3:1-11; New Life In Christ

New Life In Christ

Well, good morning 

How’s everybody doing today? 

Well its been about a month since I was up here last hope everybody’s been doing OK 

You know, I was gonna open up with a joke about the heat, but I think we may have just

Caught a break this weekend!

But on another note,

How many are ready for our kids to be heading back to school

You know funny story

And I’ll be honest I am wondering if my daughter is my daughter right about now

Because my daughter is absolutely excited and estatic to be going back to school

Anyone else just find that weird,

I keep telling her I think she is from an alien planet or something

No I’m kidding

hey at least stay for some of us parents will not get that moment of peace

From about 8 in the morning to about 3 pm

Amen… count the small blessings

Either way it is good to be with you all

I gotta be honest I am actually very excited to preach Colossians chapter 3 today 

You know I remember the first time that I heard a sermon

Preached on Colossians 3

I remember how much it impacted my life

and I remember thinking that this a sermon that I want to preach

that this a sermon that I want to bring to the people of God

because there is something about this collection of verses here

that just changes your life if you really take some time to apply it . 

And so I truly hope you all enjoy the message

As much as I enjoyed preparing it

So without further to do

Colossians 3 vs 1 -11

Colossians 3:1–11 (NLT)

1Therefore, Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 

2Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 

3For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 

4And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. 

5So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 

6Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 

7You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 

8But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 

9Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 

10Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 

11In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

Well how many of you all remember my rule of studying Paul and studying the Bible? 

Not seeing to many hands 

Well if you re-call we talked about the fact that Paul is writing a letter.

And so in each one of his epistles or letters

we see Paul writing words of encouragement,

instruction,

sometimes giving us  very detailed doctrinal understanding and explanation of our faith

and sometimes even he even openly chastises the church he is writing to as is the case in Corinth. 

And so if you recall the advice I had given about reading a letter…

don’t just read a chapter

but read the whole letter.

Remember you wouldn’t read the first paragraph of a letter from your mom

or your spouse and then put it away,

no you’d read the whole thing and

so do that with Paul as well. 

But then if you recall

I also taught a cardinal rule in Bible study

and that’s if you see a therefore

make sure you understand or find out

what the therefore is therefore.

Makes sense. 

Because if you see a therefore

then you have to realize

that the author is putting his next topic of discussion

on the weight of the previous point he just made 

Does that make sense?

And so in a passage like today that type of understanding is absolutely vital

because as you will see Paul centers his advice,

his admonishment,

and his instruction

entirely on the motivation that you gain from understanding his previous point. 

and so just briefly lets go over what Paul is referring here to

Because it will help you understand

Why Paul is telling us to shed

the behaviors of this world

And the start living in this new identity that we have in christ

To start living a life that is representative of who you are

And what you have been promised… make sense

So if we read Pauls letter

The first thing we notice

Is that the first chapter is centered on hope. 

And a focus on how often he prays the church

But then he continues Telling his audience about the excitement that he has

because of the shared that he has with them as they have

Embraced the hope of the Gospel…

And the truth of what awaits us once we pass from this life to the next 

And let me just stop right there for just a moment because

if I can get you to focus on this one point,

I think I might truly be able to get you to understand the core motivation

behind the effort and sacrifice of every one of the apostles.

The promise of eternal life

The guarantee that once we pass from this life and on to the next

Everything gets infinitely better

It is this guarantee that has

Always been what has motivated true believers throughout the centuries

But then Paul tells us that this confident hope doesn’t just renew our outlook in life

but in fact is changing lives in a way

that people are no longer living for themselves

but living for God

in order that we might please

the one to whom we will eventually spend eternity with,

But then Paul does something that is just phenomenal

as he goes into one of the most accurate and detailed depictions of who Christ really is.

I mean if you had any doubt about the divine nature of Jesus,

if you had any doubt about the creation of the world

the fulfillment of prophecy,

if you had any doubt about who Jesus is,

this is where Paul just breaks it down for you

And let me just read a few verses here because I don’t know it just helps

the reader truly understand the point that Paul makes in chapter 3 and so starting at verse 15 - 20. 

Colossians 1:15–20 (NLT)

15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 

16for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 

17He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 

18Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. 

19For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 

20and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Now if you notice the final verse there

Paul takes the idea that everything is now reconciled unto himself

and connects it to the final passage of our

study today by telling us that this reconciliation

or this right standing with God

now benefits all of us!

No longer is salvation thought of as just a Jewish thing

But this is something that everyone

All of mankind can benefit from… Amen

But then Paul interestingly explains this as a mystery

Or Gods mysterious plan

that is seen only through prophecy and fulfilled in the cross.

And if you’re a bible student you will understand how Pauls uses

The word mystery here throughout his letters

To help us understand God’s ultimate plan regarding salvation.

Salvation that tells us that God’s plan

since the beginning of time has always had our salvation in mind

A plan that tells us

That just when you think things are out of control meaning the cross

He is ultimately showing you He is in control

And everything is going to be ok…

Doesn’t that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

The crazier things get, the more you know God is at work!

But then chapter 2 Paul is urging us

pleading with the reader

to be encouraged in all things and to focus on the hope of the Gospel

To not be fooled by the philosophies,

the temptations,

and the religious systems of this world

but to hold fast to the faith

and he is doing this because men are coming behind Paul

and adding to the doctrine or even taking away from the doctrine that Paul is teaching

and leading people astray

Sound familiar to today?

Let me ask you,

Do we have a problem with false teachers in the church today?

and so then the remainder of the chapter

goes into an encouragement

to make Christ the foundation of your life,

to push away and against the religious systems

and beliefs of this world,

and to enjoy the freedom you have in Christ,

to reject the legalization of religion

to reject the immorality of other pagan religions

and to ignore the well thought out and crafted debates

that pull you away from your faith

but rather focus entirely on Christ

so that you can resist every form of evil

or religious legalism

but rather realize and enjoy the freedom you have in Christ through the finished work of Christ on the cross. 

Then in chapter 3 you see Paul

opening his statement with therefore. 

Therefore since you understand the hope,

therefore since you have faith in Jesus

who is the exact image of God,

therefore since you have a new found freedom in Christ

and are guaranteed a spot in heaven,

therefore since you’re a citizen of heaven

and have everything to look forward to

and the future is bright,

and since you have found a new life in Christ,

set your sights on the realities of heaven,

where Christ

(who is your motivation who is your savior, who is the reason you have freedom and are guaranteed a spot in heaven)

Therefore since you have all of this added as an eternal benefit

Put away the behaviors of this world and put on

take hold of your new identity in Christ!

Do you see how important that is!

This is why reading the entire letter is so important

So what’s the next line,

what instruction does Paul give the reader 

Set your sights on the realities of heaven.

Paul is stating here

that since you no longer belong to this world

Everything in you ought to

be entirely focused on how to get home

About how to reach your eternal destination

This is the hope folks, this is the thought process of every New Testament author

This is what gave every matyr in history their motivation

Its the single minded focus of knowing that one day

You and I will be with Christ in eternity

So start living, thinking, and behaving in a manner that is representative of who you belong to

And the reason Paul does this is because Paul also knows

What he is asking you to do

Because the next couple of lines

are gonna focus on the very embodiment

Of what leads us away from Christ

And what being a Christian requires us to pull away from

Because Paul is going to require us to pull away from every form of sin

And Sin that is so attractive

So enticing

That dare I say they are usually the downfall

of every man

Every woman throughout history

Sin that is so desirable, that dare I say they can and often do

Become the downfall of empires

I mean we are talking about sins that are so attractive

They are almost impossible to resist without the assistance of the Holy Spirit

In fact, I’m gonna argue that if this list of sins is not attractive to you, then you are not human

Its why I focused so deeply and intently on the truth

Of the Pauls therefore logic

Because what Paul is going to encourage us to do

is to focus on eternity

rather than the momentary pleasures of this world

To behave in such a way

that you can be called the citizen of heaven

To behave in such a way

that the day you stand before the Almighty

You don’t have to be ashamed.

To behave in such a way

That when the world looks at you,

they look and they say Jesus is the center of that person‘s life.

And I want what he has

Does that make sense?

And so lets just take a look here

Colossians 3:5–6 (NLT)

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 

Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.

Colossians 3:8–9 (NLT)

But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 

Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.

I think if we are being honest with ourselves

I think we could easily say that each of us struggles with at least one of not all of them

And what unique is that

If we lose control of one of these points

If we lose control and allow one of these sins to become who we are

We can in fact lose control of our entire lives

And Paul is saying that as a Christian, we ought to be identified with self control

We ought to be identified With behaviors that represented in heaven.

Not behavior that are glorified in this fallen world

You know as a chaplain, do you realize I have a job

Because of these sins

Nearly every single time a soldier comes to me for help

It is because they have lost control in one or all of these areas

Think on this,

some of the most prolific men in our faith that have fallen victim to these sins,

That have watched their entire career,

their entire reputation

everything that they are

has collapse because they fell victim to the pleasures of this world

To the very sins that Paul is urging us to avoid

It’s the very reason

Paul is telling us here

that since you have been made new in Christ

your life ought to resemble something entirely different 

To be focused on your new nature

to be focused on the realities of eternal promises

eternal blessings

Your life ought to be focused and entirely engaged on what makes us different 

Final point here and its gonna be a quick one,

I want you to recognize the spirit or the urgency of Pauls encouragement here

within these verse that we are studying today

and I want you to really think on this…

If there is any man in history that fully understood and embraced the Great commission

It is Paul

And when you understand the underlying motivation behind his statements here

They are so relevent to our modern day efforts

Paul is saying here in this final section,

You are the people of God

You are Christs ambassadors and everyone is watching you

His underlying missional statement for all of us

Is that people will judge Christ based upon who you are

And how you present yourself to the world

Think on it

Am I wrong?

How many times have you heard of people walking away from Christ

Or the church

Because of our behavior or what we say or even how we gossip.

You must be beyond reproach because people will see you

As the embodiment of Christ

You are the church

So behave as though He is your king

Behave in such way that everyone knows who your master is

Present yourselves in such a way that people are jealous

And want what you have…

Folks each of us has an opportunity to participate in the mission of God

Simply by living a life focus on heaven.

As we close today and get ready for communion

Let me just read Pauls final instruction here

In this section of Scripture

Because I truly feel I’d be failing you if I didn’t finish off Pauls thought here.

Colossians 3:12–17 (NLT)

12Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 

13AS A CHURCH…. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 

14Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 

15And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 

16Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 

17And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Let’s close in prayer

Now as we transition to a time of communion

Ushers can you come forward please and begin to pass out the elements

As the ushers are passing the elements around

Please take this time to prepare your heart

Maybe the sermon hit you different today

Maybe you have been struggling with sin

Maybe life just has been going the way you wanted

And you’re ready to surrender

Now is that time, so lets just take a moment to pray silently

Then I will read a passage and we will take the elements together.

Matthew 26:26–29 (NLT)

26As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 

27And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 

28for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 

29Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

If we could please remain standing for the benediction

Numbers 6:24–26 (ESV)

24The Lord bless you and keep you; 

25the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 

26the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.