Zoe Mazi - Col 3

Opening Question: What has God been teaching you this past week?

Prayer and then Directly into Worship (Jess)

Recap/ Rewind

Recap

Place- Colosse is in modern day Greece

Purpose - address issues in this early church plant

Syncretism - mixing of religions

Gnosticism- that you needed to know some secret knowledge to truly be Christian

Spiritual powers and forces had more influence on their lives then God- fear

Angel Worship

The Letter so far-

Christ is supreme - above all and all is created for him.

Chapter 2 - “Don’t Be fooled”

Philosophy

Cerimonialism

Asceticism

Angel Worship

In chapter 3 Paul begins to describe the positives of Christian living he paints a picture of what it looks like to follow Jesus!

Pray before we dive in!

Walking Through the Text

Read Passage 3:1-17

Initial Reaction- this is hard and honestly I dont like rules/ being told what to do!

I think we can often breeze through texts like these, but tonight lets sit, discuss, put ourselves under Christ’s Lordship

Break down this passage section by section!

Keep your hearts and minds on things above

Paul is saying a few things in the first couple verses.

Keep your heads in the clouds if you focus on earthly things thats what you will see.

Thats one of the problems there are spiritual forces at work here.

Your life is above with Christ, that is where your life is at.

Transition: if your life is above you need to put to death what reflects below.

Put to Death- 2 lists of vices sandwiched here.

First list is in verse 5-7 they have to do with sexual immoralities.

Its interesting that Paul also lists greed here (sexual) greed is the root of idolatry because we start wanting something and then it quickly becomes a bigger and bigger part of our lives until it becomes an idol.

“Wrath” - Paul writes that we need to stop these things because God’s coming wrath, but this is not an arbitrary anger, but a commitment to justice.

All of these sins particularly sexual ones hurt people and cause injustice. God is about people and desires to set things right.

Second list of things we must put to death are found in vs 8-9 (Sins of Speech) - things that often come out when we are anger!

Both of sex and speech can be seen as something that you could say are private issues, but paul is arguing that these a public issues that must be address because they damage the community so deeply!

Time to Change clothes!

paul says we must take off our old nature and put on our new nature with is continually being renewed to Christs image!

This language might be rooted in a early church practice where they would be baptized in old clothes and then be given new clothes after their baptism.

This way of thinking makes sense and is quite practical! (some situations require different dress and different behaviors)

Think going out to eat with your friends vs being a guest at a wedding.

Paul writes in verse 11 that Christ breaks down all labels and hierarchies

Paul continues the clothes analogy and tells the church to put on what I like to call “Jesus Clothes”.

These are the things that Jesus brought with him wherever he went!

Compassion, kindness, humility ,gentleness, and patience!

Forgive as God forgave you in other words- big hearted and quick to forgive.

The final piece that holds the outfit together is love. Love is the one thing that binds all of the things we should put on together!

Fruit and Mindset of a community rooted in Christ- each of his final statements is rooted in an aspect of Christ!

Hearts rooted in the peace of Christ- when paul says to be thankful its an extension of that peace because you cant complain when you are full of thanksgiving.

Word of Christ- that should be the foundation of all of our teaching in the church. Jesus.

Your work should be done in the in the name of Christ-

not for your name, your church’s name, or denominations name!

I think sometimes its easy to do “Jesus things” (Church, Mission work, serving and volunteering) but what about the other parts of life or the other things we do? (Hobbies, Workplace, ect)?