Put Off, Put On

In one paragraph

The pastor opened in Luke 11 before moving to Colossians 3, tracing a single line of thought: the kingdom of God is right in front of us, and the question is whether we will turn from the old life and put on the new one. He was honest that the Colossians passage had been sitting heavy on him all week, including his own struggle with anger. The sermon was less a tidy outline than a working-through...

Read together

1. John 3:16 opened the service as the gospel in one verse
2. Psalm 27:14 cited before the offering song as its source: wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart
3. Luke 11:9-10 ask seek knock, with emphasis on continuous present-tense action
4. Luke 11:13 how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
5. Luke 11:14 Jesus casting out a mute demon, the crowd amazed
6. Luke 11:15 some said he cast out demons by Beelzebub
7. Luke 11:17 every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste
8. Luke 11:18 if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand
9. Luke 11:19 by whom do your sons cast them out, they will be your judges
10. Luke 11:20 if I cast out demons by the finger of God, the kingdom of God has come upon you
11. Luke 11:21-22 the strong man guarding his house, someone stronger overpowering him
12. Luke 11:23 the one who is not with me is against me, the one who does not gather with me scatters
13. Luke 11:24-26 unclean spirit returning to a swept house and bringing seven worse spirits
14. Colossians 3:1 if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God
15. Colossians 3:2 set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth
16. Colossians 3:3 you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God
17. Colossians 3:4 when Christ who is your life appears, you also will appear with him in glory
18. Colossians 3:5 put to death whatever is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness which is idolatry
19. Colossians 3:6 on account of these things the wrath of God is coming
20. Colossians 3:7 in these you too once walked when you were living in them
21. Colossians 3:8 put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk
22. Colossians 3:9 do not lie to one another, having put off the old self
23. Colossians 3:10 put on the new self, being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator
24. Colossians 3:11 no Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, Christ is all and in all
25. Colossians 3:12 put on as God's chosen ones compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience
26. Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another, forgiving each other just as the Lord has forgiven you
27. Colossians 3:14 above all put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony
28. Colossians 3:15 let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you are called into one body, and be thankful
29. Colossians 3:17 used as benediction: whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him

Talk about it

1. The pastor walked through Luke 11 and the call to 'be asking, be seeking, be knocking' as ongoing habits rather than one-time requests. What is the difference in your own life between asking God for something once and staying in constant communication with Him about it?
2. When Jesus cast out the demon, some in the crowd immediately said He did it by the power of Beelzebub rather than celebrate the man being healed. The pastor asked whether we can fall into that same mindset as church people. Have you ever found yourself more focused on who got the credit for something good than on the good thing itself?
3. The pastor talked about the passage where the unclean spirit returns to find the house swept and put in order, and connected it to behavior modification without reliance on God. Where have you seen willpower alone fall short, either in your own life or in watching others?
4. The list in Colossians 3 covers things to put off, including settled anger, and the pastor said he spent more time angry in the past couple of weeks than he usually does. He described anger as something that keeps raising its head like a horror movie villain. What makes it hard to put off anger, even when we know we are called to?
5. The pastor closed on the 'put on' list: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness and above all love. He said forgiving each other 'just as the Lord has forgiven you' is the standard. What does it actually look like in a practical, day-to-day situation to use God's forgiveness of you as the measure for forgiving someone else?