Gospel Project

Experiencing New Identity. Colossians 3:1-17

INTRO:

Split into 4 groups

Things people worry about

Things people dream about

Things Christians should worry about

Things Christians should dream about.

Discuss:

What were the similarities between our lists?

Are the things we worry about and the things we dream about similar?

Should the lists between Christians and Non-Christians be the same or should they be different and why?

Colossians 3:2 says

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things...”

There is a biblical call for us to think differently. To worry and dream differently.

But what is that call and what does that look like?

How is our identity different now as a believer?

Let’s dive into Colossians 3 this morning and look at this deeper.

Colossians 3:1–17 (ESV)

3 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you 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.

5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, 7 and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. 8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your[c] Creator. 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.

The Christian Life

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,[d] singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him..

Last week we discussed Saul and how his life was changed.

How God confronted him on the road to Damascus and humbled Him.

How God humbled both Ananias and Paul so that God’s glory could be shown.

Both men were used by God to change the world for Christ.

- After Paul was saved, was he the same man he was before Christ?

- How was he different?

What was your favorite Halloween costume from growing up?

Or did you have something you remember dressing up as all the time at home?

My nieces are much more into playing dress up

But my boys occasionally will dress up as an astronaut or a fireman and run around the house.

The funny thing is, once a kid dresses in a costume, say a cowboy, how does the kid change?

He starts talking, acting, and running around acting like a cowboy!

Without dressing up, sometimes Roman will go and get in the dryer and pretend he is taking off in a spaceship!

But it’s even better when he puts on his astronaut costume!

Once the costume is on, typically the actions and tone of voice follow!

However, eventually, a kid takes off the costume and continues being himself.

In Christ, that’s what happens to us.

We walk around in our bodies and we can listen to the desires of our body, or we can choose Christ and what he says.

Put to death the old self.

Look at vs. 5. “Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature...”

What is that?

If you open your computer and open WORD or if you open notes on your phone, as soon as you start typing, what pops up on the screen?

words… yes.

Now what font are those words?

Whatever font is the default font right?

If I want the font to look differently, I’ve got to go in and change the default setting to another font.

Our default setting guys is sin. vs. 5 and 6, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, and idolatry.

As human beings, when we open our eyes everyday, this is your default setting.

Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, this is now how we are programmed every day when we wake up.

However, as believers, we are called to put off our default setting and put on something else.

Some false teachers in Paul’s day are similar to the teachers of our day too.

Some said that to overcome sin, you just have to behave better.

A false gospel is focusing on what humans can do to save ourselves.

The True gospel puts to death what I can do and trusts fully in what Christ has DONE!

What are some other ways people try to find salvation apart from Jesus now days?

Any message that puts the focus back on you is false.

Any message that says look deep inside yourself…

Do this and then your true self will be revealed… That’s false!

Why?

Because look at what Paul wrote!

Put off all these things!

put off the old self! Sin! Get rid of it!

Your default setting every day, we gotta wake up, go into setting real quick, and change our default setting before we start the day.

But how do we do that?

2. Put on the New Self!

- How do we do that?

“Being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

No racism or hierarchy (gentiles and jews)

No salvation earning religious practices (Circumcision or uncircumcised).

no slaves or free men.

BUT CHRIST IS ALL AN DIN ALL!

Now that’s not pantheism ok that God is in the tree therefore, don’t cut the tree down.

or God is in the cockroach, so don’t step on the cockroach in your house or you’ve hurt God.

NO!

vs. 11 is saying that God’s fingerprints are on EVERYTHING in creation!

So like we discussed last week, Paul came face to face with His creator and humbled himself!

what about you?

Are we so arrogant that we think we can just ignore God’s fingerprints that are all over creation and think we will be ok?

That we can ignore God our entire lives and live a peaceful, worry free life?

I’m not that arrogant!

But my default setting wants me to be!

My default setting wants me to say Hey Ben, Your enough…

But Jesus says no…

Put on Me…

Put on

- compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another… Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you forgive…

Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Are we doing that daily?

Are we running to Christ daily so that he can change our default setting to be this kind of person?

Let’s talk about that last one for a moment…

Love… the perfect bond of unity.

We hear alot about love now days… but the problem is nobody knows what it is.

Is it loving to wave at our neighbors every day, yet we know they are unchurched and living a life that is condemning them to hell?

Is it loving to see our friend happily living a sexually immoral life, yet we never tell them about Christ’s redemption?

Is it loving to join with our friends on our little idol factories known as phones and never consider how much time we are wasting on them?

Is it loving to partake on hours of social media when we know it’s filling us with envy and desiring the life others have that we don’t?

Is it loving to let your friend do what makes her happy, even though her happiness is leading to destruction?

NO!

That’s the hard part about love guys!

Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is the hard thing.

A few years ago I started running. This was in 2019.

I ran for about 6 months and lost about 30 pounds.

The whole time I told myself “I want to love running.” I’m going to love running one day! It’ll be great!

But you know what I found out… After 6 months, I still hated running. Every minute of it.

And I got out of the habbit.

About a month ago I decided I gotta lose weight again and change my died to get healthy.

So, I’ve been working pretty hard at it.

As hard as I can with little kids and everything going on here too.

However, you know whats different this time?

I have decided that as long as I can, I’m going to just run even though I hate it.

I have no desire to love running, but running will help me be healthy.

I also don’t really care what I eat truly.

But I’m going to eat healthy stuff.

To say that differently.

Rather than try to make myself love something I hate, I just decided you know what…

I’m just going to do what’s hard.

why not?

Just do hard things. Take it one step at a time and just do it!

The only thing easy is nothing.

Getting in shape is hard, don’t love it, just do it!

If we love our friends, we must accept love is hard.

It’s not easy having a tough conversation with your friend… It’s going to be hard.

But if your friend is really a friend, they will listen.

If we really believe Jesus and in heaven and hell…

Isn’t it more unloving to let our friend live a lifestyle that’s condemning them to hell?

So how do we stop them from doing so?

The hard thing…

We talk to them…

We live in this world now where we think Love is always, always happy, beautiful, and the end of the movie!

But Love is also the cross.

Did we forget that?

The most loving act in all of history was God doing the hardest thing ever done.

“let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”

Yes AMen!

I only have peace in Christ because God did the hardest thing that’s ever been done…

I’m so thankful every day that God didn’t look down on us and say, well hopefully they will find me one day.

I really don’t want to hurt their feelings though by going down and confronting their lies…

Yeah… I’m not doing that… One day they will find me.

NO!

Jesus said today!

When I put on Christ, I live in freedom only because of the hard work he did!

DO you realize who you are?

How valuable you are to Him!

That you were worth doing the hard thing for!

That when you ignore Him or are apathetic to Him, You were still worth it!

3. Feast on the word.

The best way to have your default setting changed every day is to let the Words of Christ dwell in us richly.

Are you feasting on God’s word?

Are you reading it? Doing what it says?

Are you being taught from it more than just Sundays or Wednesdays!

If you were here last week, you may have heard from Annagayle who is going to Alaska this summer with

Campus crusades for Christ.

She’s going to share the gospel!

Thank God he is using her to do that!

I hope God calls you to do the same!

How are you choosing to put on Christ this week in hopes he will call you too?

If you aren’t feasting on the word, I wouldn’t bank on a Paul on the road to damascus moment.

Don’t miss your opportunity to live for Christ today!

Put on Christ.

Throw off what doesn’t matter.

DO today something that will matter in eternity.

Let’s live for Christ today!