As Christians, our “old life” was marked by sin and unable to live for God. But being made alive in Christ gives us a new life, a new identity, and a new way to live. Living into our new identity through the power of the Holy Spirit allows us to become more like Jesus and to live the Christian life marked not by sin, but by righteous living! --- Self-help, self-promotion, and self-preservation are dominating themes in our culture today that have affected the church and its witness in the world. As it was true in the early church, it remains true today that self-centered philosophies diminish the gospel of Jesus Christ. The book of Colossians serves to confront false teaching and deceitful philosophies by leading us to a proper understanding of what it means to live in Christ unblemished by the world.
Colossians 3:1-11 ESV
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. 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.
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1. A Heavenly Mindset
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Colossians 3:1-4 ESV
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.
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Matthew 6:10 ESV
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
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Matthew 6:21 ESV
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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2. An Old Life Left Behind
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Colossians 3:5-9 ESV
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
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Colossians 2:12 ESV
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
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Romans 6:4 ESV
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
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Matthew 5:29-30 ESV
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.
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Romans 6:11-14 ESV
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
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Psalm 51:10 ESV
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
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3. A New Life to Live
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Colossians 3:10-11 ESV
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.
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2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
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2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
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Application:
We become more like Jesus when we leave our "old life" behind and embrace our "new life" in Christ that is being conformed to the image of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.