Out With The Old
Colossians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Pray
Pray
Heavenly Father, speak to us now. Holy Spirit, soften our hearts and illuminate our minds through Your Word in the Scriptures. Cause us to hear, receive, and believe. Let Your Word transform us today. Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your work on the cross for us and that You are actively interceding on our behalf… Humble us, teach us, shape us, mold us, and conform us into Your likeness — for Your glory and for our good.
We pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Welcome
Welcome
Good morning, Edgewood church family, it is so good to be together today and worship. I also want to extend a very warm welcome and good morning to our sweet Edgewood brothers and sisters in the Malibu of the Midwest — our Sheboygan Campus — who are tuning in today as well. We are excited about what God is doing out there and we are keeping you and all of our brothers and sisters at our Fond du Lac and Beaver Dam Campuses in our prayers — that the Lord would bless and move powerfully in each community.
Just in case we haven’t met yet, my name is Mitchell Olthoff, and I am so grateful to be serving here as the Campus Pastor at our Waupun Campus.
Well, 10 years ago, my life was changed forever.
One concept changed my life in 2015, and I have never been the same since.
In 2015, I was wrestling with how to be a Christian in a non-Christian world. How does following Jesus change my every day experience in this world?
We live in a consumeristic culture where everything is all about “me”, the American Dream is all about living for yourself and building up your own success; all for you…
It seemed like — as I looked around — everything was about what career you choose, how much money you make, how to really live for yourself — like, how you can you accomplish your goals, how can you get your dream house, your dream car, enjoy your dream vacations, and get the most out of this life… all for you!…
It was easy for me to get caught up the things of this world… consumerism, wanting more stuff, or just wanting the next best thing… the newest and best quality of fill in the blank…
For me, the never-ending comparison with others, “keeping up with the Jones’”, per se, was all too natural…
This life of comparison is a heavy weight to carry.
Discontentment is exhausting.
Discontentment is also an insult to God…
It says to God “what you have given me isn’t good enough”.
It also completely ignores so much of God’s teaching through the Bible that we are to live to further His Kingdom… to be on mission.
It’s also no way to live… there is no joy in living discontent like this… and the Christian life is meant to joyous! It really is!
Well, one simple but profound concept completely changed my life.
My mentor told me “eternal desires > earthly desires”.
This concept is from Colossians 3:2…
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
This verse and concept literally changed my life in that very moment.
I can tell you — honestly — that, to my best recollection, every single day since that day in 2015, Colossians 3:2 has been swirling in my mind and has affected my daily life in some capacity… both in the normal day-to-day life and in the big-picture “what is the meaning of life? and what am I supposed to do in my life?”
— trust me. Just ask my wife.
J.R.R. Tolkien is credited with saying “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”.
But the deeper question is…
What is the motivator?
Where are our decisions coming from?
What is driving us?
Here’s why the Colossians 3:2 concept changed my life…
It is a conscious and daily turning from the world and turning towards Jesus.
Living my life with eternal desires radically changes the way I live my life on this earth day-to-day.
This perspective shift requires a changing of the mind… a re-wiring…
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
I needed to change the way I thought…
I needed to set my mind on things above not on earthly things… to set my mind on the things of God, not on the things of earth.
This changes everything.
The original Greek in Colossians 3:2 is echoed exactly in Colossians 3:5 — which is where our passage begins today.
Because this concept is the key to carrying out what God is calling of us in our passage today.
So, if you’re feeling stuck in your fight against sin, if you’re feeling consumed with the things of this world, tune in. God has a Word for us today.
[Thesis] When we embrace our identity in Christ, we are compelled and empowered to kill the sin in our life — for His glory and for our good.
I know we don’t normally do this, but I want to invite you to stand for the reading of God’s Word today…
Passage
Passage
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 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.
This is the Word of the Lord
Would you respond with me by saying “thanks be to God”?
— thanks be to God!
You may be seated…
Introduction
Introduction
Alright, so I realize there are a lot of football fans in the room… and by football fans I mean Green Bay Packers fans because who else would you root for in Wisconsin?!
Any Chicago Bears fans in the room?
Alright, I’m alone in that. Thanks. Hey, I can’t help where I was born and raised!
So, last weekend, the Pittsburg Steelers played the Green Bay Packers. That was a big deal because the former star of of Packers was Aaron Rodgers and now he plays for the Steelers. It was Aaron Rodgers’ first time playing against his former team… the team he had so much success with and made so many memories with.
Now, imagine with me… the game begins, the Steelers take offense, Aaron Rodgers snaps the ball, and then runs the opposite direction towards the wrong end zone…
We’d say “What in the world are you doing?! That makes no sense! You don’t play for the Packers anymore! You play for the Steelers now! Play for the team you’re on, not for the team you used to be on!”
Or think of Micah Parsons who got traded to the Packers from the Cowboys.
What if Micah Parsons all of a sudden turned against the Packers mid-game and started sabotaging the Packers’ game plan and started playing for the Cowboys?
Y’all would lose your minds!
Seeing how passionate Packers fans are around here, I could only imagine what the outrage would be against Micah Parsons… what, slashed tires? Banned from buying brats? Banned from Mars Cheese Castle?
All jokes aside, believe it or not — that’s the posture of this passage… What are you doing?! You’re not of the world anymore — You’re on Team Jesus!
However, this is much more serious than sports, of course.
This passage was written originally to the Church in Colossae… meaning, this was written to people who follow Jesus.
It’s a call to live in light of your identity in Christ. You’re on Team Jesus now.
If you’re here and you’re not a follower of Christ, thank you for coming — we are so glad that you’re here. Our passage today is a taste of God’s playbook and you get to see the whole thing.
The fact is — when we embrace this identity in Christ, the change in our life happens from the inside out.
Just as our team jersey has changed — so, our game plan and actions must change… and it happens the same way we were saved to begin with… by grace.
When we read the passage we can pretty much clearly see the message and intent of it…
It’s a command to the Christ-follower to kill sin.
And it is because of these sins that the wrath of God is coming.
Don’t get too comfortable or complacent with sin. Actively kill it.
Our sin is exactly why Jesus died on the cross for us…
And this reality motivates and empowers us to live differently.
As verse 7 reminds us… don’t forget that you too once walked in this lifestyle of sin. You once were living this way before you were saved.
So in verse 8 — the Apostle Paul writes “put them all away”. Don’t let a single one of these sins remain.
Off with the old — in with the new.
Put on your new jersey and play for your new team.
And, let that outward clothing represent what’s going on inwardly… otherwise, you’re going to start playing for the wrong team.
Remember last weekend, here at the Waupun Campus, we celebrated baptisms?
The picture of baptism — as noted in Romans 6:3-5 — is that we are dying to our sin and our sinful ways as we are lowered into the water — this is us “united with Christ in His death”, and then we are raised to new life in Christ as we are raised up out of the water — uniting with Christ in His resurrection.
So, we have put our old self to death and we are a new person in Christ now!
Jesus calls this being “born again” in John 3.
So, now being born again, we don’t live like the world lives, but we live according to the new identity we have in God.
Your first birth: you were born into sin.
With our football illustration, maybe we could say your first birth was in the Dallas Cowboys…
Your second birth / your new-birth: you are a new creation in Christ.
So now your re-birth is with the Green Bay Packers.
When you were with your first team, you played according to their playbook.
Now that you play for a new team, you play according to this playbook.
For Micah Parsons to now play for the Packers, there is going to be a re-wiring of his brain in order to play effectively for his new team.
By default, he knows his old team’s playbook.
He knows how they approached the game, and what their game plans were, and what their plays were.
But, now that he plays a new team, there needs to be a re-wiring of his brain, or a re-learning, of sorts…
When his assumption is to respond to a certain situation in a particular way because that’s how he played with the Cowboys, he shouldn’t play that way anymore — rather, he needs to know how to play for the Packers…
When a particular scenario comes up in the game, maybe the Cowboys always responded with a cover 2 defense… but, now that he’s on the Packers, when that scenario comes up, the Packers always respond with an all-out blitz…
When we played for our old team — Team Satan — we lived according to Satan’s playbook — we lived according to the desires of our flesh.
For example…
Feeling sexual lust? — Satan’s playbook says to pursue it… watch pornography, pursue homosexuality, follow your feelings…
Feeling angry? — cuss, yell, get it out! Feed your anger and let it grow into hatred… you’re justified anyways!
Feeling jealous? Discontent? — Satan’s playbook says to lie, be deceitful, chase money, neglect your family (and justify it by saying you’re being a good role model by working 24/7 to support your family), chase your career… be the best… survival of the fittest.
But, how do we learn this new playbook? God’s playbook? Well, it’s radically different than Satan’s playbook — to say the least.
In one sense we learn God’s playbook similarly to how Micah Parsons would learn the Packers playbook.
He studies.
And he has team members and coaches around him to tell him, teach him, guide him, encourage him, and hold him accountable.
He needs the team around him to help him and point him in the right direction.
He needs community to show him the new way to live.
How do we play for Team Jesus?
Oh, and just in case I’ve given this impression — this is not just for new Christians. We all need this.
Remember, the root of sin is pride. Don’t tune out because you think this doesn’t apply to you.
So, how do we play for Team Jesus?
We need to do three things — and it’s a nice alliteration… Assess, Attack, Abide.
Assess
Assess
We need to assess ourselves.
Humbly and earnestly pray Psalm 139:23-24…
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Humbly ask that God would show you what you need to see… and then ask Him to lead you in the way everlasting!
Look at our passage today… (leave these two passages on the screens while I talk about them…both passages on one slide)
5 …sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
8 …anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk… 9 Do not lie to one another…
How are these things true for you?
The first list has to do with sexual sin…
Why would God point out sexual sin in particular here?
Consider the context… you’re a born-again Christian… you’re a new creation… Christ is in you and you are in Christ.
Sexual sin is destructive.
It’s destructive against your partner, and/or your future partner,
It’s an outrage of sin against God — who created sex to be the union between one husband and one wife in the context of a loving marriage.
You’re sinning against yourself and Christ who is in you — whose body is a temple of the Holy Spirit — who dwells inside of you.
You are a new creation — made pure and cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
The second list of sin has to do with our actions and attitudes towards others…
As we are a new person in Christ, we are to radiate the love of Christ in all that we do.
15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
I said this a few months ago while preaching on The Great Commission in Matthew 28… we are to sweat Christ. The aroma of Christ should emit from our pores.
How is that happening if we are filled with anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and lying?
This is not only poison for our own soul, but it is a disgraceful witness for Christ to the world.
In assessing ourselves, we need to look for where this sin exists in our own life…
Just as coaches come together to assess the opponent before creating a strategy for the game, we must assess the Enemy and his schemes.
Paul wrote of Satan in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that “we are not ignorant of his designs”, so we, Christians, should be aware of the schemes of how Satan deceives us… and we must be proactive against sin — not just reactive.
If you have fallen into pornography…
Take note of the time, circumstance, and methods by which you were tempted and gave in to it so you can better prepare for the future.
I’ve heard numerous cases of people getting rid of their smartphone and getting a simple flip phone as a way to make pornography that much more difficult to engage in.
If you are prone to outbursts of anger against your wife or children, you need to reflect on the situation and the events that triggered this in you…
Look for where you’re committing idolatry…
Think: control. Is your anger rooted in a need for control? Is your need for control rooted in insecurity? Is your insecurity rooted in trauma from your past?
Are you over-compensating because you feel like you’re failing in other parts of your life?
If alcohol is your downfall, you need to remove yourself from situations that alcohol would be involved…
Don’t go to the Packers game,
Don’t go to the UW game,
Don’t hang out with the friends that cause you to drink,
Go straight home after work.
But go deeper too… get to the root…
What are you escaping from when you consistently over-consume alcohol?
What pain are you numbing?
How about slothfulness / laziness? Carelessness? Indifference?
If comparison with others leads you to discontentment — which is actually saying to God “what you have given me is not enough. Your provision is not good enough for me.” — this idolatry… and this is pride causing you to approach God in this way…
Get off social media… don’t just remove the app from your phone, but go into your account settings and delete your account completely. Be done. Quit messing around with sin and anything that leads you away from God. Take sin seriously.
Didn’t Jesus say in…
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
We are to take drastic measures to kill sin.
What about the little bit of pride creeping in right now as you think “I don’t think I’m doing too bad”…
Be aware of that thought, take it captive, and kill it.
After we have assessed the enemy and identified how we’re tempted to sin, we now need to attack sin…
Attack
Attack
We attack sin and kill it from a posture of victory because of the victory of Jesus’ resurrection!
Remember this glorious reality!
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
So, we are able to fight the schemes of Satan and kill our sin from a posture of victory because Jesus has already won and He is taking us with Him to His Kingdom forever!
So, what’s the first step in the attack plan? It might seem counter-intuitive…
We need to repent. Don’t get puffed up with pride. Be humble and repent.
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.
See how Psalm 32 begins? We repent in light of God’s faithfulness to forgive.
It’s from the posture of repentance that we can kill sin.
After repentance, we kill sin with the Word of God.
Just as Jesus fought Satan in the wilderness with the Word of God, we too, must fight Satan with the Word of God.
How?
Meditate and memorize Scripture passages that you can fight Satan with…
You fight the condemnation of Satan with…
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
You fight Satan’s attack on your assurance of salvation with…
13 … when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance …
You fight Satan’s attacks on your identity in Christ and your life’s purpose in Christ with…
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
How else do we combat Satan and his schemes?
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Take note of how that passages ends…
We must pray for each other.
Life Groups: pray for each other. Don’t let people share something and let the opportunity to pray for them pass…
In general: when someone shares a prayer need with you, resist the urge to say “thanks for sharing, I’ll be praying for that”… that is good and well, but how often do we forget to pray for them later? And, how power is it when God’s people pray together?
Seize the moment — no matter how uncomfortable it may feel — and pray for them right then and there.
I’m preaching this to myself too.
We kill sin in our life by…
repentance,
the Word of God,
prayer.
Be proactive.
The phrase in verse 5 “put to death” is not re-active — rather, it is pro-active.
It’s not defensive, but rather it is offensive.
Take the initiative.
Don’t just react to sinful temptations.
Look to kill it at its root.
Ultimately, the root of all sin is pride. It’s choosing to follow the desires of our flesh rather than the desires of God.
Kill pride with all that you’ve got.
Here is a bonus way to kill pride… and it is extremely important…
Worship.
Christ-Centered Worship.
We cannot worship ourselves when we are worshiping God.
Christ-centered worship kills pride.
When we cast our mind on Who God is and what He has done, pride cannot exist in us…
Because we realize…
Jesus lived the life we couldn’t live,
Jesus died the death we deserved,
Jesus resurrected from the dead on the third day,
Jesus alone gives us forgiveness of sins and our eternal inheritance,
and Jesus alone deserves all glory, honor, and praise!
Oh, so we fight and kill sin with the power of the Gospel!
It is grace that we have been saved, through faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
Acknowledging that, believing that, and embracing that kills the pride in our hearts.
Look at God’s beautiful and profound grace in the last verse of this passage…
11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Among Believers, there must be no division among us. We are on an equal playing field. Christ unites us and only Christ matters.
Remember how I said earlier that Micah Parsons learns his new Packers playbook by having a team around him?
We need each other.
Look around the room. This is your church family. Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We are here to support each other and point one another to Jesus.
Think about how Micah Parsons has coaches… consider that for yourself: who in your life can be a mentor for you? A particular person who knows you a bit deeper? One who you can confide in and go the extra mile with? … someone who knows exactly what questions you need to be asked.
We need each other. We need to be a team together.
And, together, we find peace, rest, and strength in the last 6 words of this passage… “Christ is all, and in all.”
We abide in the sufficiency of Christ.
Abide
Abide
In all things, Christ is enough.
There is not a sin that you have committed that the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse.
“Oh, but you don’t know what I’ve done” you say… — but, what the Bible says is “look at what Christ has done”.
If killing sin has been discouraging for you in the past, maybe you’ve been trying to kill it in your own power… and maybe you’ve just been going after symptoms and not the root…
The Bible says…
4 …for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
It’s also not by power nor by might — but it’s by the Spirit of the Living God.
You can’t kill sin in and of yourself. But, He who is IN you is GREATER than he who is in the world.
In John 15 Jesus says…
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
In the 7 verses of our passage today, arguably the most important word in the whole thing is found in verse 5 and it is the word “therefore”.
The word “therefore” points us to what is said prior… what is said prior?
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. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
This is the foundation that our whole passage sits on today.
How to kill sin? — set your mind on things above.
Set your mind on this: verse 4 is a promise! — we “will appear with Him in glory”!
Find joy in this promise!
[Thesis] When we embrace our identity in Christ, we are compelled and empowered to kill the sin in our life… for God’s glory and for our good.
Living a godly life honors the Lord, it is truly what’s best for us, and it serves as a witness to the world.
Remember: As Christians, we are accepted, therefore we obey. — not the other way around.
We are on Team Jesus, therefore we play on His team.
On Team Jesus, there is no 53-man roster. There’s no limit to this team. There also no practice squad. We’re all on the field.
We’re on Team Jesus together and we fight sin from a posture of victory — because Christ has already won the Super Bowl!
And… if you’re sitting here today and you’re not on Team Jesus, I have good news for you…
There is no try-out.
no audition.
just believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.
Put your trust in Him and you’ll be welcomed onto the team with open arms.
Embrace your identity in Christ. Set your mind on things above.
Eternal desires > earthly desires.
It will change your life.
Pray
Pray
Father, we thank You for the glorious reality that by Your grace we are cleansed, by Your grace we are forgiven, by Your grace we have a future in heaven with You… We have been saved by grace and we grow by grace… The only way we can honor You with our life is by Your grace growing us, guiding us, sanctifying us… conforming us into the image of Your Son… We know that You don’t only call us to live this way for Your glory — though that certainly would be enough reason — but, You call us to live this way for our good… You know what’s best for Your children… and, we thank You for that.
Help us to fight the sin in our life from a posture of victory — by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the Name of Jesus.
Draw us to repentance. Draw us to Your Word. Draw us to seek You in prayer — and to pray for others. Draw us to worship… which kills the pride in our hearts.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Communion
Communion
The Gospel is: Christ came to pay a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt that we could not pay.
As we set our mind on things above, not on earthly things, we set our mind on that… the Gospel… we set our mind on the victory of Jesus in His life, death and resurrection.
The Lord Jesus has given the Church two ordinances to celebrate the Gospel and strengthen the Church in the Gospel: baptism and communion.
Baptism — front door into the household of faith. It’s a picture of what Jesus has done for us through His death and resurrection.
Communion — we are continually invited to the Table as Believers in the household.
We take of the bread — representing Christ’s body that was broken for us.
We take the cup — representing Christ’s blood that was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.
Are you in the household of faith?
To know the answer to that you must ask yourself “do I trust in Jesus’ work on the cross for salvation from my sin?”
Ask yourself “Do I trust in my work or Jesus’ work?”
If you trust in what Jesus has done for you — that He died physically, bodily, and that He resurrected from the grave physically, bodily — then you are saved. Welcome to the family.
If you are not at that point yet, we ask that you would allow the plate to pass over you when it comes your way. The Lord’s Supper is the communion of Believers and it’s a special time for us to honor what Jesus has done for us.
If you are just visiting with us today and you are a Christian, you are certainly invited to participate in the Lord’s Supper with us.
When the elements are served and the plate is passed down your row, please grab both cups. I call this the double-decker method…
The juice is on top and the bread is in the cup underneath, so please be sure to grab both, then hold the elements until we take them together.
A gluten-free option is in the middle of the tray.
I’d like to invite the servers to come up front now…
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Let’s take the next few moments to examine ourselves, reflect on what Christ has done for us, and pray.
…
Father, we thank You… that loved us so much that You sent Your Son Jesus to come to live, die, and rise again to save us from our sin… It is because of what Jesus has done that we are forgiven, cleansed, and redeemed. We remember what Jesus has done for us on the cross…
Let’s take the bread… Christ’s body broken for us…
Let’s take the cup… Christ’s blood shed for the forgiveness of sins…
Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!
Closing
Closing
If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, our GriefShare Ministry is putting on a great event called “Surviving the Holidays” on …
If you need prayer, we’d love to pray with you now, so as we conclude the gathering you’re invited to come forward and we can pray with you…
Brothers and Sisters: you are loved.
Have a great week.
