SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 2/2/25
All obedience begins here—a thankful heart for God’s redemption. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: Colossians: Alive in Christ
TEXT: Colossians 3:12-17
TITLE: Putting On Our New Life in Christ
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Because we are Alive in Christ, we don’t just stop living for the world; we live according to Christ.
POINTS:
1. A New Life
2. A New Wardrobe
3. A New Vision
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Look at verse 12—Put on then, now before [Paul] tells them WHAT to put on, he does what he has already done in 1-4 and 10-11—he reminds them WHO they are—as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.”
“This is identity language from the Old Testament—Deuteronomy 7:6-8—You are a holy people—The Lord has chosen you—The Lord loves you. Like He chose and loved Israel, God chose the Colossians. Like He chose the Colossians, He chose you. You are holy because He has set you apart as His. You are beloved because God has lavished His love upon you. All of this is at God’s initiative alone, IN Christ alone.”
“All obedience begins here—a thankful heart for God’s redemption. In 15-17, Paul calls us to be thankful three times, each connected somehow to God’s provision through Jesus. Thankfulness reveals that you get the gospel.”
“The reminder is critical because while we are commanded to live a new life, we cannot create one. Our responsibility before God is to be who we have already become. This is the difference between Christian obedience becoming duty or delight, frustration-filled or faith-filled, works of the hands or worship from the heart.”
“It’s human nature to give ourselves to mechanical obedience, self-sufficiency, and personal achievement. But those are ways we mix worldly thinking into our Christian life—Just Do it. If it's to be, it's up to me. Hold my drink; I’ve got this. That’s the old man talking. Hard work and ambition are good, but they are not mediators between God and man. The new man begins with the person, provision, and power of Christ.”
“Now we are ready for the putting on.”
“In 5-9, Paul gave a representative list of the sins that belonged to our old self. Before our conversion, we were ruled by the passions and desires that give way to those sins. But in Christ, we put them off.”
“As important as putting off sin is, it’s not sufficient. God is not interested in moral neutrality: He demands righteousness—Be holy as I am holy, 1 Peter 1:16 says. So we put off sin and put on righteousness.”
“The phrase Put on means clothe yourself. The imagery is something we do every day—get dressed. So let’s take a look at the wardrobe in 12.”
“Put on compassion: Compassion is a genuine concern and tenderness toward others who find themselves in difficult and trying circumstances. Put on kindness: Kindness is goodness and generosity toward others motivated by genuine care and interest. Put on humility: Humility is a willingness to consider the interests of others by putting away selfish ambition and recognizing others as more significant than self. It’s not a graveling servility usually rooted in pride, but it is the opposite of self-exaltation. As Phililippians 2:4 says—counting others more significant than yourself. Put on meekness: Meekness is a gentleness that doesn’t assert itself over others but judges charitably and serves graciously while trusting God with situations. Put on patience: Patience is long-suffering with others in a way that endures wrongs and refuses to judge or exact vengeance.”
“Each one of these is a reflection of our Savior. To put these qualities on is to put Christ on. We aren’t perfect. We still sin. The penalty of sin due us was paid, and the power of sin over us was broken at the cross. But on this side of heaven, the presence of sin remains around us and within us.”
“There is an enemy within our hearts—Sin! That’s why the only place in Scripture Christians are called to be violent is with our sin. That’s the command of 5. Sin is serious. It’s a bully that never takes a break. We cannot consent to it. We must kill it.”
“And we can. The Christian life is a victorious life. The strength we have is the Spirit. Our tools are prayer, the Word, and fellowship. The promise we have is the one we look up to is always interceding for us. So, as we Look Up to Christ, eyes always on him, who he is, and who we are in him compels us to put off the garments of sin and put on the garments of righteousness, bringing our lives in line with who we are in Christ in a way that reflects who he is and what he is like.”
“That, my friends, has a huge implication. Notice what 15 says—you have been called into one body. The righteousness of Christ you put on every day is meant to bear fruit beyond your own life—read 13. The consequence of living in line with who we are in Christ is harmony with other believers—enduring with and forgiving one another.”
“Everything Paul has said, he now holds it all together with love—read 14. In other words, none of them matter without love. As it says in 1 Corinthians 13—Without love, we have nothing. Love keeps them in the proper perspective. Love completes them. Love validates them as genuine. Love ensures harmony.”
“What unifies and binds us together isn’t philosophy or personal convictions. It’s not experience or expertise. It’s not social or economic status. It’s not the way we educate our kids or view dating. What unifies and binds us together is the love of God in Christ—the Gospel!”
“In three phrases, Paul shows us the key to the new life in Christ. First Phrase (15) Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Second Phrase (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Third Phrase (17) Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
“For Christians, when it comes to the heart, we are to allow the gospel truth to call the shots. What does that mean?
Rest in the free justifying grace of Jesus, not circumstances
Find personal contentment and worth in being hidden in Christ, not a familial role or earthly ambitions.
We call sin sin instead of sugarcoating or normalizing it with worldly ideas and cultural norms.
It means when I want to lash out in anger at Donna, I put my anger off, put on humility and patience in love because Jesus loved me by humbling himself to the point of death on a cross for me, and every day, he patiently works to make me more like him.”
“God’s Word, and in particular, that which Paul called of first importance in 1 Corinthians 15:3—the gospel—is to find its home in your heart. To occupy and live in your heart.”
“Old saying—What comes up in the bucket is what’s down in the well…What’s in your bucket? It’s a silly but important question because the bucket's content reveals what’s in the well of your heart. Over and against secular philosophy and worldly perspectives, we are to let the gospel take over our hearts so that it’s what comes out of us as we fellowship with, give counsel to, and encourage one another.”
“This is why we encourage one another to be in God’s Word. It’s why your pastors continually encourage you to read Christologically rich-books. It’s why our CG is about leading you to the cross, where you meet the love and kindness of God. Corporately speaking, if you're visiting, it’s why we preach Christ, counsel Christ, and sing Christ. He is our all-in-all! Resolve today to Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”
“[Verse 17] is the exclamation point on 1-17. Live your life because of Jesus, for Jesus, in the strength of Jesus, for the glory of Jesus. Whether in the home, at work, at church, with our money and possessions, relationships, competition, you name it—the glory of God in Christ is our highest priority.”
“Every day, we choose to either put on the garment of sin or the garment of Christ’s righteousness. When the gospel rules what goes on inside of us, when it permeates what comes out of us, and when Christ is our highest purpose, by His grace, we will choose righteousness, living more and more as people truly Alive in Christ.”
QUOTES:
David Garland - “Our holiness will not come from our futile attempts to comply with an arbitrary list of observances and taboos. Our godliness is not measured by the things we do not do. It comes from being in Christ, dying with Christ, and being raised with Christ.”
G.K. Beale - “Bearing with one another and forgiving one another is the atmosphere that saturates the five virtues of verse 12. These virtues are all linked to bearing with and forgiving.”
John Woodhouse - “The image here may be of an overcoat which is to be put on over all the other garments already mentioned. It holds them all perfectly together.”
Douglas Moo - “These virtues attain their full power only when they are unified and empowered by love.”
APPLICATION:
- Do you have a hard time forgiving others? Are you quick to judge rather than bear with someone? What do you need to put off and put on? Here’s the good news—You have victory over sin in Christ. Kill it. And put on the heavenly quality of life you now have in Christ.”
- What rules your heart in conflict? Prosperity? Moment of sexual temptation? What calls the shots when someone offends you? Resolve today to Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts
SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Sing
It Was Finished Upon That Cross
Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus
There is One Gospel
NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 3:18-21
THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:
