Remember Renounce and Renew
Living Thanksgiving • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Have you ever put on the wrong clothes on… worn two different socks or shoes.
You feel weird because you know you are not dressed right.
Have you ever over dressed or under dressed for an event.
You feel very self aware and you feel pretty sure that someone is laughing at you or talking about you. Wearing the right clothes is important.
In our text this morning Paul refers to renouncing the old and putting on the new but in order to do that, we have to always remember that Jesus came to make that possible.
This leads us into our series on Living Thanksgiving because it’s so much more then positive thought or inspirational speech. Living thanksgiving is impossible unless we put our faith in what Jesus already made possible for us. When Jesus died and resurrected from the grave new life became possible. Jesus Christ offers us a gift that we must receive in faith and abide in HIS love every day. Living thanksgiving can become a natural outflow of Jesus transforming our life.
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.
PRAY
We must remember that Jesus came to renew us so we can renounce those things that hold us back from perusing Jesus and put on the new self that is being renewed every day to make us more and more like Jesus. This doesn’t just happen automatically, this can only happen when we become intentional.
Remember our identity is now in Jesus
Remember our identity is now in Jesus
We have been raised with Christ…
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.
Jesus is seated at the right hand of God… Jesus has full authority, power and dominion over everything.
Jesus has power and authority over everything… every worry, every fear… everything that causes anger and frustration.
Remember that Jesus is Lord over it all.
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.
Have you ever forgot something? Could be an appt… a payment… return something that you borrowed… a tool, carpet cleaner, money…
It’s easy to forget something. It’s important to set up reminders so you don’t forget. I use my phone to either set up reminders or to schedule it in my calendar.
The less things I have in my brain, the better off that I am.
Paul tells us to adjust our thinking from earthly to heavenly… set our mind on things above and not on earthly things.
Remember… you died so that Christ can live in you and through you.
Remember that Jesus is coming back for a church that is ready for HIS return. If Christ is your life, you will appear with HIM in glory.
Don’t forget, always remember…
Renounce your love for the the flesh so you can delight in the eternal
Renounce your love for the the flesh so you can delight in the eternal
In order to put on our new self we have to crucify the old.
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Remember that Jesus was crucified so we can live dead to sin and Jesus conquered death so that Christ can now live in us.
Jesus came to set us free from the sin that destroys us but we have to make a choice… death or life.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Remember that this would not be possible without Jesus. New life could not be an option without Jesus.
Now, we are faced with a choice… life or death. Jesus is the only one who can give us real life because Jesus conquered death but there has to be a death before real life is truly possible.
We have to take off (or crucify) the old self in order to put on the new.
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
In order to put to death those things that enslave us we must remember that when Jesus was crucified our old self was crucified with HIM. Death has no hold on you… you are no longer enslaved to sin… Jesus already paid the price for your freedom…
Renouncing sin can only be possible through Jesus.
When lust and sexual passion creep up in your mind renounce it and remind your self that Jesus already paid for that.
When you covet what someone else has and desire the comforts and luxuries that someone else enjoys… when you don’t live content with what God has blessed you with… remind yourself that Jesus already paid for that… I’m not bound by idolatry any more… I’m not bound by covetousness anymore…
God has always been better then good enough so I will live in the joy of the Lord instead of the fleeting worldly passions.
6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
Paul says that these are the things that fuel God’s wrath. Paul is saying to the church that before you knew Jesus and surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus, that’s how you used to live.
BC you were under God’s wrath but now you are under God’s grace.
Life or death is a daily choice… Jesus said that there is a cost when it comes to following Jesus.
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
The cost is real… it doesn’t get any more costly then everything… the price doesn’t get any higher then everything.
Take the world, give me Jesus…
We may want what we want and when we don’t get what we want how do we respond? Do we it cover up… we get angry… are we are quick to slander…
8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
The day by day routine in life requires sacrifice and tough choices.
Remember that Jesus already made new life possible so don’t try harder but start surrendering to Jesus.
The more you surrender to Jesus the less you have to prove, the less arguments you have to win, the less people you have to try to convince, the less shame you carry, the more you will be able to forgive, the more blessings you will see, and the more life you will enjoy.
Jesus isn’t going to force us because we have been given free will. We must choose to surrender. The more you surrender to Jesus the more that Jesus will renew you.
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.
Surrendering to Jesus makes us part of that renewal process.
Renewal doesn’t happen immediately but it’s a process that takes a lifetime.
“The New Self is being renewed in the knowledge of the image of its creator.”
As long as we have breath we are in the process of putting on that new self that looks and acts a whole lot more like Jesus.
Let Jesus Renew you so living thanksgiving everyday is possible.
Let Jesus Renew you so living thanksgiving everyday is possible.
Take off the old clothes and put on the new clothes. The new clothes are so much better then the old. The old clothes are heavy and draining. The new clothes are light and freeing and life giving.
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.
We are chosen by God… we are loved by God… and we are made holy. As we know that our identity is now in Christ we identify with Christ as Christ followers. We reflect Jesus by putting on Christ’s identity every day.
Compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Be quick to forgive.
Bearing with one another as we deal with conflict by talking about them, setting up boundaries, not gossiping or slandering but forgiving one another the way Jesus forgave us.
vs. 13 “Forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Love is the glue that binds us together.
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.
As we learn the gift of forgivness and love and we put them on...
We will live in peace as Christ rules our hearts.
Peace is not the absence of conflict or avoiding conflict. We can have peace dealing with conflict as Christ is ruling our hearts.
When the old self creeps up and shows his ugly head, call it out, speak the truth and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
We can have supernatural peace even in the midst of great conflict.
Living Thanksgiving is possible when wear the right clothes.
Off with the old, on with the new, everyday it’s a choice and it’s not always easy but it’s always worth it.
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.
Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. At church, every day… get in the Word, learn from God’s Word and pray.
Teaching one another and praising and worshiping God together.
Community is so important in the new life process.
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.
Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus…
In the things that we say let Jesus be glorified by giving God thanks in everything.
Take Away:
Remember who you are in Christ
Renounce your old self daily
Let Jesus Renew you as you put on the new self every day