Colossians 3:5-14

 

Bg Idea: God is calling you to intentionally live out your new identity in Christ by putting off your old self and putting on the character of Christ. 

 

  1. Put off your old spiritual clothes (vv. 5-9). 
    1. Sins of the body. … Your body is not your own; it belongs to Christ. We are told to avoid sins of the body like sexual immorality, lust, and greed.  
    2. Sins of the mind. … Anger, wrath, and malice affect us and those around us. And they aren’t characteristics that God wants us to have. 
    3. Sins of the tongue. … Telling lies or using foul language helps no one.  
  2. Remember who you are in Christ (vv. 10-12a). 
    1. You are being made new. … We are being renewed in the image of our Creator. This is what we mean by the word “sanctification.” From the moment we are saved (which is justification) to the moment we die, we are going through this process of sanctification as the Holy Spirit tugs and pulls and prods us to be better, to be a new creation. 
    2. You are a member of Christ’s team. … When people go from high school to college, they (generally) stop wearing their high school logos and colors and start wearing clothes with their college logos and colors. Those who were rivals in high school can join the same team in college. It doesn’t matter what our backgrounds are, those who are saved are on Jesus’ team. 
    3. You are God’s chosen and dearly loved. … These are the same words used to describe God’s people in the Old Testament. We are chosen and loved like Moses, Daniel, David, Joseph, and many others. 
  3. Put on your new spiritual clothes (vv. 12b-14). 
    1. Compassion … The ability to feel for others.
    2. Kindness … Seek to be considerate and helpful. 
    3. Humility … Put others before yourself. 
    4. Gentleness … “Strength under control” - Chuck Swindoll. Gentle people exude calmness and are strong but keep it in check. 
    5. Patience … Our culture doesn’t help with this. We are conditioned to want everything instantly. But sometimes we must be patient. God doesn’t work on our schedule, He works on His own time. 
    6. Forgiveness … Just as we’ve been forgiven, we’re told to forgive others. 
    7. Love … “The perfect bond of unity.” Love ties it all together. 

 

We don’t care how you dress in our church; everyone is welcome.But believers should be putting on these spiritual clothes daily.