09/27/2026 AM - Living the New Life

Colossians 3:1–17

Last Sunday we saw Paul's wonderful declaration in Colossians 2:10: “And ye are complete in him.”

We don't have to add our efforts or religious accomplishments to Christ's finished work to make ourselves acceptable to God.

But being complete in Christ doesn't mean there's nothing in our lives that needs to change.

It means we have a new life from which genuine growth can take place.

And if we're honest, sometimes our conduct hasn't caught up with what we know to be true.

We can be patient with someone at church and strangely impatient with the people at home.

We can sing about the grace of God and then spend the afternoon nursing an offense.

We may recognize an old habit, promise ourselves we'll respond differently next time, and find ourselves doing the same thing again.

Paul speaks directly to that in Colossians 3.

He doesn't begin by telling us to manufacture a new life.

He begins with what Christ has already done.

Verse 1 says, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

And verse 4 gives us the expression that holds this message together: “Christ, who is our life.”

Our burden this morning is this: Because Christ is our life, every part of our lives should increasingly reflect Him.

So how should that new life change our thinking, our conduct, our relationships, and the way we make everyday decisions?

I. Set Your Mind on Christ

vs. 1–4

A. Seek Things Above

Paul says in verse 2, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

He isn't telling us to neglect work, family, bills, school, or the responsibilities God has given us.

Later in this same chapter, he addresses those responsibilities directly.

He's telling us to view them as people whose lives belong to the risen Christ.

Our thoughts have a way of becoming occupied with whatever is loudest or most urgent.

A difficult conversation plays over and over in our minds.

A disappointment changes our mood for the entire day.

We get absorbed in what we want, what we fear, or what somebody else thinks of us.

Then those thoughts begin shaping our choices.

Paul calls us to deliberately direct our minds toward Christ and what matters to Him.

A father still needs to make decisions for his home, but now he asks what would please the Lord.

A young person still makes plans for the future, but those plans are held under Christ's authority.

A believer facing a frustrating day remembers that representing Christ matters more than winning every disagreement.

Romans 12:2 speaks of being transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Romans 12:2 KJV

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We can't expect our conduct to become increasingly Christlike while we continually feed our minds things that pull us in another direction.

B. Remember Your New Identity

Verse 3 says, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Verse 4 adds, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

Paul reminds us of our union with Christ before giving us commands about our behavior.

Everything is tied to that…it roots our efforts in Him not in our trying harder.

We've died with Him, we've been raised with Him, and our future is bound up with Him.

This isn't a new identity we're trying to earn by behaving well.

It's the identity from which we're called to live.

That matters when we struggle with an old response.

You may recognize something in your life that has been there for years.

Don't excuse it, but don't conclude that change is impossible either.

Christ has given you new life, and His Word tells you how to live consistently with it.

That's why Paul's next command is so serious.

II. Put off the Old Life

Vs 5–11

This is vital if we are going to grow in Christ.

It is a conscious decision!

To put off the old life, means we need to …

A. Put Sin to Death

Verse 5 begins, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.”

Mortify means to put to death.

But what does that look like when temptation actually comes?

Is this simply recognizing that we're dead to sin, or is it something we do?

It's both, in that order.

Romans 6:11 says,

Romans 6:11 KJV

11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

To reckon is to regard what God says as true.

When a sinful desire rises, I can acknowledge, “That may be an old pattern, but I belong to Christ; I don't have to obey it.”

The very next verse says,

Romans 6:12 KJV

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Recognition must lead to a choice.

Suppose someone says something that makes you angry.

You feel the frustration rising, and you're already preparing a cutting reply.

Putting that sinful response to death means refusing to hand control over to it.

You may still feel upset, but you don't have to obey that feeling.

Paul names fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which he calls idolatry.

He isn't describing harmless preferences; he's naming desires and practices that must not govern those who belong to Christ.

Verse 7 says these things characterized the Colossians' former walk.

They shouldn't direct their present one.

And if something continually feeds a particular temptation, we must deal with that source rather than keep inviting it in.

Romans 13:14 says,

Romans 13:14 KJV

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

For one person, that may mean changing what he watches or what he allows himself to dwell upon.

For another, it means stepping away from a conversation that's turning into gossip.

For another, it means putting the phone down and praying before sending an angry message.

And we aren't left to do this by sheer determination.

Romans 8:13 says,

Romans 8:13 KJV

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

We acknowledge what's wrong, depend on the Lord, refuse to feed the sin, and obey what He has said.

B. Put Away Sinful Attitudes and Speech

Verse 8 continues, “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”

Verse 9 adds, “Lie not one to another.”

Paul moves from sins of desire to the ways we treat people.

We can be very watchful about certain outward wrongs while excusing the temper our families see every day.

We say, “That's just how I am,” or, “I wouldn't have said it if they hadn't pushed me.”

But Christ doesn't give us permission to keep what He calls us to put away.

This doesn't mean every feeling of anger is the same or that we should pretend hurt doesn't exist.

It means our feelings can't excuse a sinful response.

And familiar responses can be hard to change.

When we repeatedly react in a certain way, our brains can strengthen the neural pathways associated with that response.

An angry outburst may even bring a temporary rush or feeling of relief, and that can reinforce the habit.

Gossip or retaliation may feel satisfying for a moment too.

But feeling rewarded isn't the same as becoming more like Christ.

Sometimes the right response feels harder at first: holding our tongue, choosing patience, or refusing to rehearse an offense.

But the good news is even seculary science has proven that we can rewire the brain to right responses!

We can retrain neural pathways to do the right thing, through repeated purposeful choices.

That's why we need more than a promise to stop.

We need to practice what God tells us to do instead.

C. Live as the New Man

Verses 9 and 10 say that we've “put off the old man with his deeds” and “have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”

Verse 11 reminds us that in this new life our standing isn't determined by the old distinctions people use to elevate one person over another; Christ is all, and in all.

The new man isn't a religious appearance we put on to impress people.

He's the new life Christ has given us, now being renewed after His image.

But if we concentrate only on stopping the wrong response, we can leave an empty place that the old pattern easily fills again.

Stopping harsh speech is necessary; learning to speak graciously is the replacement.

Stopping selfishness is necessary; learning to serve is the replacement.

Paul doesn't leave us with a list of things to remove.

He tells us what belongs in their place.

III. Put on Christlike Character

Vs. 12–14

[Begin wearing the first jacket. Remove it here.]

Paul uses a picture we all understand: putting off one garment and putting on another.

These old responses are not things we're supposed to keep ready for the next time we think we need them.

We're to put them off.

[Put on the second jacket.]

But notice that Paul doesn't stop with the removal.

He tells us to put on mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forgiveness, and love.

Now, changing this jacket hasn't changed who I am.

I'm the same person underneath.

And if Christianity only changes what people see on the outside, we've missed Paul's meaning.

He's already said we've died and been raised with Christ.

We're not dressing up to become new people; we're putting off the old ways because Christ has already given us new life.

And we don't put this on for Sunday and take it off when we get home.

The patience we show here should be present around the dinner table.

The kindness we show a visitor should be heard by the people who live with us.

The forgiveness we speak about should shape the way we handle a real disagreement.

So Put on Christlike Character…

A. Show Mercy and Kindness

Verse 12 begins, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.”

Notice again: Paul tells believers who they are before telling them how to act.

God's people are to treat others in a way that reflects the God who has loved them.

Mercy sees another person's need rather than only the inconvenience he creates.

Kindness acts for that person's good.

Humility keeps me from assuming that my preferences ought to govern everybody else.

Meekness isn't weakness; it's strength brought under God's control.

These qualities matter most when people are difficult.

It's easy to sound kind when no one has interrupted our plans.

It's in those inconvenient moments that Christlike character becomes visible.

Another way we can show Christlike Character is to…

B. Practice Patience and Forgiveness

Verse 13 says, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

Paul expects believers to have grievances with one another at times.

He doesn't describe a church where nobody ever disappoints anybody.

Forbearing means bearing patiently with one another's weaknesses and difficulties.

Forgiveness refuses to keep an offense alive for the pleasure of holding it against somebody.

That doesn't require pretending wrongdoing never occurred; sometimes there needs to be an honest conversation, repentance, accountability, or appropriate boundaries.

But bitterness must not become our chosen home.

The measure Paul gives us is Christ's forgiveness toward us.

Think about what replacement looks like in an ordinary week.

If I'm putting off gossip, I can speak something helpful about that person or decline the conversation.

If I'm putting off an angry reply, I can answer truthfully and gently after I've listened.

If I'm putting off selfishness, I can look for one concrete way to serve someone else.

Ephesians 4:28 gives a wonderful example:

Ephesians 4:28 KJV

28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

The thief must stop stealing, work honestly, and have something to give to someone in need.

He goes from taking to giving.

That is more than restraint; that's a new pattern of life.

There are many areas we can put on Christlike character—but Paul says there is something even more important…

C. Above All, Put On Love

Verse 14 says, “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

Love holds these qualities together.

Without love, we can turn even good conduct into another form of outward performance.

We may appear patient while quietly resenting someone.

We may do the right thing while wishing everybody would notice how much it cost us.

But Christ is changing more than our outward behavior.

He's shaping the heart from which that behavior comes.

And that's why this matter of replacement is so important.

I included a Put Off / Put On chart in your sermon notes this morning.

If you'll look at it, you'll see a number of common sinful attitudes and behaviors alongside the godly responses Scripture calls us to develop in their place.

There are Scripture references and a brief practical explanation for each one.

I don't intend to go through the entire chart this morning, but I hope you'll take some time to look through it during the week.

It's meant to help us move beyond simply recognizing what's wrong and begin thinking about what obedience should look like instead.

If you recognize a pattern of complaining, what would it look like to deliberately practice thankfulness?

If you're struggling with bitterness, what steps can you begin taking toward forgiveness and tenderheartedness?

If your words regularly tear people down, how can you begin using those same words to encourage and build others up?

And remember, we're not using this chart as a checklist to earn God's approval.

We're already complete in Christ.

We're learning to live consistently with the new life He's given us.

I'd encourage you to look through the chart prayerfully and identify one area where you need to grow.

Don't try to work through every item this afternoon.

Begin with something specific.

Recognize the old response, identify what God's Word calls you to put in its place, and ask the Lord to help you practice that new response.

And don't forget to pray.

We need the Lord's help to live the new life He's given us.

That leads naturally into Paul's final instructions.

How do we continue making these choices when the familiar response keeps pulling at us?

IV. Let Christ Govern Your Life

Vs. 15–17

Paul gives us two “Let” statments that speak to areas we need to Yield to Christ’s governing in our life…then he adds one Do statement.

Let’s look at those…

A. Let His Peace Rule

Verse 15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

In context, Paul has just spoken about patience, forgiveness, and love among believers.

God's peace is to govern our hearts and the way we respond to one another.

That doesn't mean a peaceful feeling proves every decision is right; the Word of God remains our guide.

Suppose someone says something hurtful.

Your first instinct might be to fire back or replay the offense until you're thoroughly angry again.

Instead, stop before responding and pray.

Ask what would honor Christ and what would make for peace without hiding the truth.

You may still need to address the problem, but you can do so without trying to wound the other person.

Paul adds, “and be ye thankful.”

Gratitude helps us resist making one frustration the whole story of our day.

The second “Let” statement he tells us is…

B. Let His Word Dwell Richly

Verse 16 begins, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.”

God's Word isn't meant to be a visitor we entertain on Sunday and forget the rest of the week.

It ought to have an established place in our thoughts, conversations, and choices.

What does that look like?

We make our Bible time a priority in our day.

Read it, remember it, and respond to it.

Suppose you read Colossians 3 in the morning, and in the afternoon your patience is wearing thin.

The command to put on longsuffering comes back to mind, and it changes what you say next.

Or you're tempted to nurse a grudge, and you remember, “even as Christ forgave you.”

Now the Word is dwelling in you, not merely sitting in a notebook.

Choose one verse from this passage this week.

Read it in the morning, consider what it teaches throughout the day, and look for an opportunity to obey it before the day is over.

Paul also connects the Word with teaching, admonishing, singing, and thanksgiving.

Let it shape what we bring into our homes and what we share with one another as a church.

C. Do Everything in His Name

Verse 17 says, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

To act in His name is to act as someone who belongs to Him and represents Him.

That reaches much further than what we do in a church building.

Before sending that message, ask whether the words you are sending represent Christ well.

Before repeating a story about someone, consider whether it's truthful, necessary, and gracious.

When making a decision about your time or money, ask what His Word teaches and what would honor Him.

And consider Paul's final words about giving thanks.

Can I sincerely thank God while doing what I'm about to do?

That's a useful question for an ordinary Tuesday.

We won't always respond perfectly, but Christ's peace, Word, and name give us direction when an old response is pulling at us.

CONCLUSION

Let's return to verse 4: “Christ, who is our life.”

Paul doesn't ask us merely to admire the idea of a changed life.

He calls us to live the life Christ has given us.

Our minds are to turn toward Him, our sinful ways are to be put off, His character is to be put on, and His peace and Word are to govern our choices.

What old response has the Lord brought to your attention this morning?

Perhaps it's the way you speak when you're tired, a grudge you've kept alive, or a temptation you've continued to feed.

Don't leave with only a vague intention to do better.

Name what needs to be put off, identify what Scripture calls you to put on, and ask the Lord to help you obey when the next opportunity comes.

If you fail, confess it and return to Him rather than defending it or giving up.

And if you've never trusted Christ, changing your conduct can't give you the new life Paul describes.

You need the Savior who died for your sins and rose again; turn to Him in faith.

Come and speak to me or my wife after the service and we can show you from the Bible how you can become the child of God.

For those of us who know Him, let's take the next step of obedience in the life He's already given us.

Because Christ is our life, every part of our lives should increasingly reflect Him.