Sermon Notes - Colossians 3:1-11 - Littleby Baptist Church - June 19, 2022

1.     Overview

a.      Jesus is creator and sustainer. 

b.     We are to be rooted in His word.

c.      Be steadfast in our faith.

d.     Trust in Jesus, who died for us and erased our sins.

e.      Don’t trust in traditions and philosophies.

f.      Don’t put our faith in a bunch of rules.

g.     Jesus’ intent was to point to Love and Truth.

h.     The Love that drove our Savior to the cross.

i.       And His truth that is our ultimate guide.

j.       Salvation comes from what our Jesus did, not by anything we can do.

2.     Colossians 3:1

a.      Since we have been given a new life with Christ.

b.     As a New Creation!

c.      A follower of Jesus.

d.     We should seek the things of above.

e.      Setting our minds, our thoughts, our actions in alignment with things that God would want.

3.     One thing that I think about when I think about seeking the things above, is the Lord’s prayer.

a.      Matthew 6:9-10

                                                    i.     We should seek our Lord’s will on this earth.

b.     He has told us to Love Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength… we should give it our all.

c.      He has told us to be witnesses and to make disciples… we should share the gospel with others.

d.     When life gets the best of us, we need to remember that we will spend forever with our King in a place that is more magnificent than we can imagine.

e.      Focusing on the things above helps us be His to love others and it helps us to get through those times that knock the breath out of us.

4.     Colossians 3:2

a.      Focus on the things of God.

b.     2 Corinthians 4:18

c.      Paul is reenforcing the statement from verse 1.

d.     Not to be repetitive, but to clearly emphasize that life in this world will be better if it is lived for God.

e.      Life on earth will be better if the Holy Spirit is at work in us.

f.      If our focus is on the things of our Lord Jesus and the Hope, Joy, and Love He gives us we will see God at work.

g.     When we see God at work it is easier to remember what He has done and will do for us.

h.     Doesn’t mean things will be easy, but remind us that our future is magnificent.

5.     Colossians 3:3

a.      When we give our lives to Jesus our old self dies.

b.     Along with that, we are hidden with our Lord.

c.      We are given that new life, but we are not in Glory forever yet.

d.     So we are hidden, waiting, like Jesus is waiting for the day when He will return.

e.      We are waiting for the day we will be in His presence.

f.      Another aspect about our salvation being hidden, also means that it is secure.

                                                    i.     The devil cannot take it away from us, because he cannot get to it.

                                                  ii.     We and the promise we have been given is beyond His reach.

6.     Colossians 3:4

a.      We died with our Lord Jesus, but it never stops there.

b.     We will be with our Lord forever.

c.      1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

d.     When He calls His church home, we will be with Him.

e.      Does not matter if we have already passed or if we are still walking this earth.

f.      When Christ calls us; we will be with Him in Glory!

g.     We tend to focus on the our sins, the failings we see in the world, and the struggles we are dealing with.

h.     Instead of focusing on those things… we should be looking up and looking forward to our time with our Lord.

i.       Focusing on our Lord, focusing on the promise, and focusing on what is to come.

j.       If our focus is on Him and what our future holds, it is easier to find Hope, Joy, and Peace.

7.     Colossians 3:5

a.      If your old sinful self died when you repented of your sins and turned to Jesus.

b.     Put it to death.

c.      Don’t wait for next week, month, or year. Don’t wait for things to get better.

d.     If you have died with Christ, put to death those things that keep pulling you away.

e.      Behaviors that are contrary to God’s intention for His creation, should be put to death.

f.      If we are honest with ourselves all of us have things we have not put to death.

g.     Here is the kicker.

                                                    i.     They have already been put to death.

                                                  ii.     Jesus did that for us.

h.     Romans 6:5-14

i.       If Jesus already put these things to death.

j.       We need to count on it.

k.     We need to trust in what Jesus did for us.

l.       We need to act accordingly.

m.   We are human, we are going to faulter, but we need to do out best to walk away from the sin in our lives.

n.     The list of sins in these verses is not all inclusive, but it does cover a lot of things.

o.     We need to ensure we turn away from these things.

p.     Why?

8.     Colossians 3:6

a.      Because humankind embraces these behaviors, judgement is coming.

b.     When people choose to live with their eyes focused on the here and now, they are choosing judgement.

c.      That is why our eyes need to be looking up and looking forward to our time with Jesus.

9.     Colossians 3:7

a.      We are sinners and before Jesus, before we died and were born again.

b.     We lived these things.

10.  Colossians 3:8-9

a.      As followers of our Lord Jesus, we are to rid ourselves of these types of behaviors.

b.     Some one who is always angry, who lies about things all the time, or uses foul language constantly… are not characteristics that we would expect to see in a Christ follower.

c.      These are behaviors that do not fit with someone who has died with Christ and rose as a new creation.

d.     These types of actions hurt our witness.

e.      James 1:21

f.      Rid ourselves of the moral filth and evil.

g.     Fill ourselves with the Word of God which brings salvation.

11.  Colossians 3:10

a.      New creation.

b.     New way of life.

c.      How about a new disposition on how things are playing out around you?

d.     As a follower of Christ, we are being renewed, not once but always as we embrace the knowledge that comes from the Lord.

e.      Romans 12:2

                                                    i.     We are to be transformed by the reviewing of our mind.

f.      We are being renewed in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

g.     As we draw closer to our Lord, our knowledge of Him grows.

h.     We were created in the image of God.

i.       That image has been tarnished through sin.

j.       As we spend time with our King, that tarnished image is repaired or renewed as we become more like our Lord.

k.     Won’t be perfect, but day by day, choice by choice, we grow to be more like Jesus.

12.  Colossians 3:11

a.      What country we came from, does not matter.

b.     What religion we used to belong to, does not matter.

c.      Our cultural background does not matter.

d.     Our social economic situation does not matter.

e.      What matters is that we choose Jesus.

f.      2 Corinthians 5:17

g.     With Jesus we become new creations.

h.     The things of the world no longer define us.

i.       We are children of God.

j.       ‘Christ is all and in all.’

k.     Meaning that in the eyes of God we are all the same once we have been born again.

l.       1 Corinthians 15:49

m.   If Jesus is in each one of us.

n.     If it is His blood that washes away our sins.

o.     If we are grafted into the family of God.

p.     Through His sacrifice we are all equal.

q.     Because of His gift to us, we need to do away with our sinful ways.

r.      We need to strive to live according to the new life we have been given.

13.  Galatians 2:20

a.      With Jesus we are no longer those sinful beings

                                                    i.     Because our Lord Jesus lives in us.

b.     The life we live, is to be by faith in Jesus.

c.      Trusting in His love for us.

d.     Trusting in the Hope of an eternity in Glory through His sacrifice.

14.  As followers of Jesus, we need to let go of our past and embrace our future.

15.  We do not have all the answers, but Jesus does.

16.  We are going to faulter, but our God continues to erase our sins.

17.  We are to look to our future and trust in our Jesus.