Complete part 6

Colossians 1 and 2 are full of glorious truths and explain the gospel, but in chapters 3 and 4 Paul gets practical and looks at how we connect what we believe with how we behave.

Colossians 3:1-11

Three things that we are to do in light of what we believe:

1. Savour who we are in Christ
   • Colossians 3:1-4
   • Savour means to enjoy the taste, let something linger. Paul is encouraging the Colossians to live in the light of who they are in Christ and to do that we savour, linger, meditate on who we are in Christ.
   • The key is in verse 2, we’re to have our feet on earth and our minds in heaven, we need to be on earth who we are in heaven.
   • This week savour who you are in Christ every day.
2. Slay the old way of living
   • Colossians 3:5-11
   • Paul is making it clear that we need to deal with our fleshly earthly desires.
   • How do we slay these desires? By taking off the old self and putting on the new self.
   • The Greek tense in verses 9-10 also tells us that this has already happened. When we became a Christian the sinful self was dealt with and we became a child of God. That happened once and for all, but as seen in verse 10 there’s an ongoing renewing to become more like Jesus.
   • To deal with our sinful desires it takes decisive action to take them off and put on your identity in Christ.
3. Strengthen ourselves in Christ
   • Colossians 3:10-11
   • The more we get to know Jesus the more we become like him. Being a Christian is about having a relationship with Jesus and to strengthen the relationship we need to spend time with him, talk to him, in the good and the bad times.
   • In Genesis we see that we were formed in God’s image, but because of sin we became imperfect, but Jesus came and transformed us into God’s image and the more we spend time with Jesus the more we become like him
   • Romans 12:2
   • Verse 11 tells us that we’re all one in Christ, different nationalities, economic status, genders etc. Christ is all and in all.

May still be asking – why do I still battle with my sinful self, when I became a Christian didn’t I get a new identity? Yes you did, but earthly desires still come up and in those moments you have to make a decision, will you take the sinful desire and clothe yourself in it or will you clothe yourself in your new identity in Christ? We have to be ruthless and slay these earthly desires and live in our new identity in Christ.

In Christ you are complete and in light of this, savour who you are, slay your old way of living and strengthen yourself in Christ.