Last week we began a 3-week sermon series in Colossians 3 examining what the apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian church on what it means to be a new person. Last week we focused on verses 1 – 9 and we unpacked what it means to be a new person with a new mind-set who puts off the old person. This week we are going to focus on verses 10 – 14 and we are going to unpack what it means to be a new person who puts on the new person.
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What does it mean to be a Christian? To be a new person? Colossians 3:1 – 17 is a treasure trove of practical theology of what it means to be a new person in Christ Jesus. So let’s submit what we think to what the Lord says through the apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossian church.
Think back to your earliest memories of your biggest heroes. Who were they? What was it about them that made you admire them? Why did you want to be like them? What similarities did you have in common with them? What was it that was lacking in you that seemed not to be lacking in them? Here’s what I want to propose… I believe our greatest heroes reveal some of the weaknesses, fears and desires that are buried deep within our hearts and souls.
When I was young, my sister was a dancer. She did jazz, tap and ballet. I remember, with some level of angst, all the hours spent with my mom waiting in the car or in the hallway while my sister engaged yet again in another dress rehearsal for some major performance that was imminently coming in the next few days.
We all make plans. Some of us even make plans for the plans we make. We premeditate and obsess over what we want, why we want it, what we will do to get it and how we will do what we need to do to get it. The questions we need to ask as we examine this passage today are: What do our plans reveal about what we really want? What do our plans reveal about the condition of our hearts? In what ways do our plans bring honor or dishonor to the Lord? What will you do when you realize that all of your best-laid plans intersect with the plans of the cross of Christ?
In this passage Jesus is telling his disciples that they can have the assurance of his second coming and that they need to get ready for his return. Assurance and readiness are the themes of what we will study today. Just stop and ask yourself if you live with the reassurance of Christ’s return and then ask yourself what you need to do to get ready for Jesus to come back. Are you living with the assurance of Christ’s return today? Are you ready for Christ’s return today?
I have nearly a million pictures in my phone. The reason I have so many pictures in my phone is because my kids love to steal my phone and take selfies. While this can be frustrating sometimes… I really do love looking at the many pictures they leave for me because it reminds me of how much we love each other.
Before diving into preaching this text I want to set the scene a little by letting the cat out of the bag so-to-speak by explaining that over the next few weeks because of the breakdown of the text we will be focusing heavily on a theology of eschatology which is to say that we will be examining what the Bible teaches us in regards to what will happen as the end of the world and Christ’s return draws near.
There are people that I don’t admire and never want to be like. But there are also people that I do admire and do want to be like. This is the warning and the invitation of this text. The warning of our text is to beware of this. The invitation of this text is to be like that. Beware of the scribes and be like the poor widow!
Today as I speak, the political scene in the United States is like a ticking time bomb. Christians in America are becoming more & more marginalized. People in our culture live in open hostility to the gospel while they totally embrace what God says is evil. Good is called evil and evil is called good. The talking heads on our news feeds spread deceptive propaganda. Our social system is a basket case. The church throughout our country suffers from so-called Christians with lazy hearts & itching ears. The institution of the family is broken. Our culture is permeated with a victim mentality that has undermined accountability and empowered people to believe they are entitled to handouts. Self-expression is valued over self-denial. Self-esteem is desired over God-esteem. The times we live in seem dismal & scary but the truth of this passage is that… “In the midst of a hostile & deceptive world, Jesus is the answer that silences the opposition.” Continue reading