A New Self
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Faith, Hope & Love
Colossians 3:1-17 (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.
12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Sermon Outline
Love pulls together (v14) the pieces of the growing new “self” (v10) that is oriented towards Jesus (v2).
1. The Old Self
v9 “you have put off the old self with its practices”
v5 “put to death… what is earthly in you”
idolatry (v5) and deception (v9)
2. The “Being Renewed” Self
v10 “the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator”
v14 “above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”
3. The New Self
v12 “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved”
v1 “seek the things that are above, where Christ is”
v3 “for you have died”; v1 “if then you have been raised”
v4 “When Christ, who is your life… you… will appear with him in glory”
Prayer of Confession
Our Father, you offer us life, but instead of faithfully drawing near to you, we stay where we are or retreat back to our old ways. The power of idolatry and deception is strong. We are too weak to persist in the vulnerability of living new lives. We seek many things, but few of them where Christ is seated. Forgive us for feeding our earthly desires and for continuing the practices that bring division and harm. Thank you for setting your love on us. We didn’t earn it and we don’t deserve it. We have not been so lovely that you had to love us, yet you have loved us, and that love binds everything together in perfect harmony. Help us to understand something more of how our lives are hidden in Christ. May we confidently and joyfully set our sights on Christ and put on love over all things. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Where do you desire change in your life?
What makes change hard for you? What are the particular challenges?
How does watching Jesus and listening to his teaching expose areas in our lives that are problematic? Does anyone mature to the point where they no longer discover the presence of flaws and sin?
Is the Christian life inherently discouraging? What is it about Jesus and the life he calls us to the enables us to move forward and grow? What can we hold on to when we are discouraged about the need for change or the challenges of changing?
In what ways do you feel like you are currently in transition? What encourages and motivates you? How do you make sense of unknowns and things you can’t control? What role does faith, hope and love play?
Why are various forms of sexual immorality and lust connected with idolatry? How are things like anger and slander connected with deception?
How is love an alternative to idolatry and deception?
What does it mean to seek the things that are above, where Christ is? How do you do it? What does this look like as you live your life?
In the same way that a blue print or rendering both directs the steps and also inspires during the process, how can setting our minds towards Christ direct us and motivate us?
How can belief that our lives are hidden in Christ provide assurance and motivation for an active Christian life in the present?