COLOSSIANS | Week 8 | Chapter 3:1-4
Colossians is broken into 3 sections.
In chapters 1 and 2 we see the gospel both PROCLAIMED, (the supremacy of Jesus,) and PROTECTED, (the sufficiency of Jesus.) As we come to chapter 3 and through the rest of the book, we will see the ways that we are encouraged to PRACTICE the gospel. How does the good news of Jesus Christ look applied to my daily life? What things should I pursue in my walk with Christ?
Open your Bible to Colossians 3 and join us as we continue to see how it’s all about Jesus!
Date: March 7, 2021
Series: Colossians
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Sermon Extras
Pastor’s Comment
Thank you so much for listening in here at West Side. We often say that we love the word of God because it points us to the son of God. We hope these messages encourage you and equip you to love Jesus more. We also want you to be apart of a local church, we believe these messages are only supplemental, being apart of a local church is essential. Blessings.
SERMON NOTES
Colossians 3:1-4 “Living our new Life in Christ”
REVIEW: I want to take a quick moment a review where we have been. Today we enter into chapter 3 of the book of Colossians and it’s a pivotal point in the letter. A rough outline of the book could look something like this:
- Chapter 1: Proclaiming the Gospel
- Chapter 2: Protecting the Gospel
- Chapter 3-4: Practicing the Gospel (Christ, Church, home Work, etc)
ILL> I’ll never forget a conversation that I had with my father when I was a young 20 something. I had been kicked out of college and was living a chronic life of sin. My Dad sat me down and said that in our home we don’t live that way and that if I chose to live that way, I couldn’t do it there. He was telling me that our family lived by a certain identity.
CONTEXT> Colossians Chapter 3 is that pivotal point in the book and everything else in the book flows from verse 1 of Chapter 3 “If then you have been raised with Christ…” What he is saying is, “You have a new life now, live this way.” Just like my father was telling me, “Jason, that’s not who you are, don’t live that way, we don’t live this way in this family.”
Big Idea > Purse to the life Jesus has purchased for you.
APP> So what does it look like to pursue the life Jesus has purchased for us? What are we pursuing? We are pursuing two major things I see in the passage: 1) Pursue the right Identity 2) Pursue the right mentality.
- Pursue the right Identity.
- Before we dive into the new identity that Paul is talking about in these verses I think it’s helpful and more impactful to compare and contrast False Identity’s that we create for ourselves and operate out of:
I am…
- what people think of me.
- my performance.
- my possessions.
- my positions.
- my past.
John Chryssavgis “Unfortunately, the reality is that we tolerate being less than we are called to be. Pride is not the ultimate sin; forgetfulness of our origin and destiny is, in fact, the ultimate tragedy.” Light Through the Darkness: The Orthodox Tradition, Orbis Books, 2004, p.65.
- That is what Paul is saying in these verses. Our identity isn’t built on any of those other things, in fact I want to show you this. In 4 verses Paul mention’s Christ 5x. v1 “with Christ” v1 “where Christ” v3 “with Christ” v4 “when Christ” v4 “with him” APP> Our identity is not something that we achieve, it is something that we receive.
Our Identity in Christ:
- We died with Christ “For you have died” v3” When by faith you surrendered your life to Jesus, there was a part of you that died. Show that graphic again about our false Identities, every time we encounter these things, “I am dead to that” *ILL> Working at the funeral home you get to experience some crazy things. One of the craziest things was when I did a “Disinterment” -is the act of digging a corpse up from where it was buried. APP> Why do you keep digging up what God has buried?
- We are raised with Christ. “If then you have been raised with Christ.” v1 The translation here is better rendered “Since you have been raised with Christ. Paul says that this is an accomplished fact. Everything that Jesus has he offers now to us!
- We are secure in Christ. “your life is hidden with Christ, in God” v3 The word “hidden” here means “safe”. Isn’t that Good news! Question, how secure is Jesus with his Father? *ILL> Colored Sand Illustration.
- We will be gloried with Christ “you will appear with him in glory”v4 Wow! This is the future hope of the believer. We are waiting on this day!
“It is my conviction that our heavenly Father says the same to us every day: ‘My dear child, you must always remember who you are.” – John Stott
APP> What does it mean to live this out? Next Point…
2) Pursue the right mentality.
Paul tells us two things that we can do to pursue the right identity, it’s to have the right mentality and there are two primary ways we can do this:
- By seeking v1 “Seek the things that are above…” This word seek here is a present tense verb, meaning “keep on seeking” Why don’t we do this enough? APP> You won’t seek heavenly things until you’re sick of earthly things.
- By setting. v2 “Set your minds on things that are above..” Again, this is a willful, repeated choice to set my mind on the things of God.
APP> Nobody drifts towards godliness.
Heavenly Habits:(Help From Desiring God article)
- Start your day in God’s Word.
- Start your day in silence and prayer.
- Pray the Lord’s Prayer 3 times a day. (Morning, Noon, Evening)
- Meditate on God’s Word throughout the day. (Word, phrase or sentence)
- Make it a priority to gather with God’s people weekly.
APP> We don’t do these things so God will love us. We do these things to expose ourselves to God’s love for us!
Big Idea > Purse to the life Jesus has purchased for you.
Close with story of Krista buying me a birthday present and it coming late and me going looking for it.
