New Clothes

Put on the New Self 


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 yourlife 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.  Colossians 3:1-17 
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Every single day we are faced with choices.  Opportunities to choose between right and wrong, and our characters, the very essence of who we are, are shaped by those decisions.  And all the while--outsiders are watching.  As a Christian, your life is magnified.  One slip of the tongue, one snide comment, one dirty look, one failure, makes people not only question you, but also your Savior.  Sometimes our choices lead to failure; other times we choose Christ and taste moral victory for a moment.  But, thankfully as followers of Jesus we are not left to battle evil in our own strength.  We can rely on God's power.  


How Christ centered is your life? 


The church as a whole is a reflection of Christ in each of us.  How are we making Him look?  


When Christ died, He died for the penalty of sin, and to give power over sin.  So, when we trust in Christ we no longer have to pay the penalty, it's been taken care of, it's done.  And while most of us shout hallelujah at this point, we go on living and forget the second point.  ...Power over sin.  Not only did we die with Christ (baptism illustrates this point) but we were raised to live in Him--and He in us.  He is our life now.  We don't have to wait for Heaven to gain abundant life, we get a glimpse of it here, because He is our life.  He is our life here, He is our life forever.  And He, Who lives in us, gives us power over sin.  


Throughout Colossians, Paul discussed the idea of dying with Jesus.  This was important for the believers in Colossae, because they struggled with false teachings surrounding them.  They needed to be reminded of what living for God looked like.  So do we.  


Paul used the phrase "put to death" (v5) to describe a behavioral change that must take place in our lives.  And then look what he says in v6--these things bring God's wrath.  These things do not make Him happy.  Most of us would agree.  These are sins that destroy us, most of them in pretty obvious ways.  Using our bodies to sin, practicing idolatry, these are things that most good people with stellar church attendance would say is a bad list.  


But...then look at the next list.  (v7-9) Paul gives us an image of changing clothes.  Putting the old clothes away.  These are sins that damage us.  These sins at first glance look "ok" or excusable.  But it is a very dangerous thing when we become casual with sin in the church.  When we are not surprised that there is gossip in the church, or bad attitudes, or someone can lost their temper and we call it righteous indignation--then we are walking on very thin ice.  It's sin.  It has no place in the church.  And it has no place in our lives.  


Paul says put these things away.  Never to be brought up again.  


God takes these things very seriously.  They betray His salvation.  V7 you once walked in these things--when you were living in them.  Not anymore!  Christ is in you now.  He has redeemed you of these things.  Why are you still living in them?  You are being renewed in the image of your Creator, you've been saved from those things.  That's not "just the way you are"--you've been set free from "just the way you are"  God help us not to give satan so much credit--we are not that way anymore.  Or at least we don't have to be.  Christ is in us.  He lives through us.  Don't be content with who you were before Him.  


Thankfully, Paul gives us new clothes to wear!! He tells us what we should "put on."  V12-15.  I love at the end of V15 he tells us to be thankful.  It's almost like an after thought.  But oh how being thankful can change our attitude.  He closes out this section telling us how important the Word is and how it is to be used.  He tells us how important it is to worship together.  And then verse 17 is almost a definition of true authentic worship.  


Worship is life.  Every single thing we do can be an act of worshipping God--if we've followed the advice above and "put on" the right clothes.  Work can become worship.  School can become worship.  Cleaning the house can become worship.  It can all be done for His glory.  


We will still fail.  We will never see the completion of our salvation this side of Heaven--but we can certainly make a bigger difference if we fix our eyes on Him.  And clothe ourselves in Christ.  Day by day people--decision by decision.  


We are not required to do this on our own--We have the power of Christ IN us.  


Which clothes are you wearing?