Set Your Sights, Put Off, Put On
First B Jackson
2022-07-03

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Alright. Good morning, church. How are doing this morning? It's almost the July 4 already. Can you believe that?

Wow. Hey. Would you stand and and let's let's warm up to the Lord in song? Here's a a good word from Psalm 150 to lead us into worship. It says this, let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Do do do a favor with me. Well, let let's do this together. Take a deep breath in. Exhale. That's us, isn't it?

We can praise the Lord. Amen. Song in my soul. You can have a seat for a moment. Blake's got a couple of announcements for us.

Good morning, church. Just a few announcements. Usually, have this service, our 11AM service, and then also Monday nights at First View, which is off tomorrow for the holiday. And happy July 4. Speaking of July 4, you can join us for the parade.

The parade route is just right there on Glenwood Street on the side of, this building. So if you need a place to watch the parade, please come join us. Carl's ordered a lot of bagels, so we'll have food, snacks.

Yep. Bagels and coffee.

Bagels, coffee.

Join us on the lawn right over on that side.

Happy birthday, America. And a prayer group you can join every Wednesday here in the church office at 07:30AM. And you've seen this slide a couple of times, and it is now July. So we're taking a break from Sunday school in the mornings. So we won't dismiss the children.

They'll be up here with us, but that's okay because Carl has one of my favorite chapters of the whole Bible set out and it's very appropriate for all audiences. And then coming to the end of the announcement, this week here at Firstbee was very busy. It was VBS here at Firstbee and Casey has a quick recap for us.

Okay. So last week, guys saw we had a huge Christmas tree on the stage. We had a Christmas themed vacation Bible school this week. We had about 90 kids every day here, and we had about 20 to 30 volunteer staff. So about a 120 people here every single day.

It was really awesome. Yeah. It was. So Liz Owings is in the head over our Sunday school. She was in charge of the VBS.

She did an awesome job with everything. The mission every every year when we have VBS, we usually pick one mission as a goal to raise money. The kids bring in little offering every day, and we have a little competition. And this year, the mission was, some of you know that the Lamp of the Blocks and the Tulsans went to Mexico during spring break and worked with a group of people that had a water purification, plant, near Chichen Itza, Mexico. And they have those big five gallon water bottles.

I think you guys are familiar with them that you can fill up at the grocery store. So those are $5 in Mexico, and a lot of families cannot get clean water because they can't afford the $5 jugs. So we challenged all the kids to bring in money. Literally, kids emptied out their whole piggy banks. They had lemonade stands.

I think they were charging, like, $10 for a Dixie sized cup of lemonade. I mean, they were really gung ho on raising money. Typically, we raise around $500 during VBS from the kids. This year, we raised $1,500 and we were able to purchase 300 water jugs. So that's 300 families that get water.

So that's really exciting. So that's VBS in a nutshell. It was super, super fun. There's a picture of the kiddos.

Thank you, Casey. And can if anybody was here during the week to volunteer, would you just stand up for just a just a moment so we can recognize you? Thank you guys so much. I think I counted some 20 volunteers, and they just they just worked their hearts out. It was so good.

It was so good. I wish you could've seen it on Friday. This this whole stage was transformed into to Christmas. It threw up Christmas up here. It was so good.

Hey. Should we continue to worship in song? Amen. Would you stand with me and sing? From Psalm 62.

Yes. My soul find rest in God. My hope comes from him. God, it is good to be here as a family of believers, and thank you, God, for your spirit. Yes.

Thank you, God, for your spirit so much. We give you praise. Amen. Christ's name. Amen.

So here's a a good word from Hebrews 13. It says this, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,

and forever. Amen.

Ain't that good news? Yes. As things are always changing, life is always swirling. Jesus is the same. Amen.

Yesterday, today, and forever. Amen. Amen. You can have a seat for a moment. This is the worship through giving part of the service, and I'll invite the the ushers to come on forward.

We're gonna sing psalm and two. We're gonna sing a song. A song to be sung on the Sabbath. It says, it is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the most high. But before we sing, I'd like to to just pray and take a moment and and give thanks.

Lord, it is good to give thanks thanks to you. Indeed. I'm full up. I just feel like I'm gonna cry. Truly, you are good to us.

Amen. You are. Colossians reminds us today, always be thankful, and we are. For the 100 plus kids, witnessing that on on this this last week, running around the building, some have heard the gospel for the very first time of good news of your love and forgiveness. For the very first time, We give you thanks.

Pray for each and every one of those kids today, God, that came to to VBS this last week, that the seed that was planted in their hearts would take root, and it would grow, and it would flourish. Thank you that we get to be a place that nurtures that spiritual growth. And thank you, God, for the resources. We often take them for granted, the resources to be able to do so, for the gifts, the talents, and abilities that you have given each one of these members of the body to serve, to advance your kingdom. God, we ask that you would continue to do your work and your way, and would you do it through us, your willing and obedient servants.

In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Watch. There's a couple of Psalm references that I just really appreciate from that that video there.

This one from from Psalm twenty seven thirteen. And Blake, let me see if this guy is working right here. There it is. It's yet I'm confident that I'll see the Lord's goodness while I'm here in the land of the living. While I'm here.

I love that one. And then this other one from Psalm 123. I lift my eyes to you, o God, enthroned in the heaven. But the idea here is shifting our gaze and setting our sights on the realities of heaven. Not just not just temporal things, but eternal things.

That's where Colossians three is pointing us this morning. Ray is at home with his family. He sent a picture. He looked really, really sweaty this week because he's in Georgia, and it's extremely hot. And I think he even gets a Sunday off from preaching this morning.

Usually, when he goes to his home church, they immediately ask him to preach in his in a small church, which he's glad to, but I think he got a Sunday off. So but Ray, if you're watching, can we just can we just let him know how much we love him? So it's a it is a privilege for me to be able to to to be able to be up here. It's a little strange to go from here to here. Usually I'm kind of in the music mindset, but now it's it's it's music and preaching together.

The heading in my Bible this morning is living the new life. There are three imperatives that stand out to me in in in this text and they are set your sights, put off, and put on. That's what I've got for us. Set our sights on heaven, put off the old nature, and put on the new. It's contrasting the old way of life before a relationship with Jesus to the new way of life in a relationship with Jesus.

Are you with me so far? Colossians is such a great book because continually brings us back to the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus. That Jesus rules and he reigns and we're complete in him. So let me just show you from from Colossians two what exactly does that mean. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God and the human body.

So you are also complete through your union with Christ who is the head over every ruler and authority. That's a huge statement about Jesus. Is it not? I mean, that is huge. And that's exactly what this letter to the Colossians was designed to do.

It was designed to show us that we have everything that we need in Jesus and combat anything that would add or take away from his message. So in today's text, Paul reminds us, hey, church, keep your head up. Keep your head up. Think about the things of heaven. Walk out this new life in Christ.

Put off the old selfish nature. Put on the new nature that Jesus gives. So this is all coming from Colossians three one through 17. And I would like to encourage you to read it throughout the week again because there is so much here. It's hard to really touch on all of it.

And God may reveal something to you in Colossians this week in your own study that just might hit you square. Something that I might not even mention. So here it is, Colossians three:one-seventeen. The words will be on the screen as I read. Blake will track with me here.

And here's what it says. Since you've been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life and your real life is hidden with Christ and God. And when Christ who is your life is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

Verse five. So put to death the sinful earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires. Don't be greedy for a greedy person is an idolater worshiping the things of the world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.

You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, dirty language. Don't lie to each other for you've stripped off your old sin nature and all its weakness. Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn't matter if you're Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free.

Christ is all that matters and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowances for each other's faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony, and let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.

For as members of one body, you are called to live in peace and always be thankful. Let the message about Christ and all its richness fill your lives. Teach teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom that he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the father.

So there it is. Colossians three one through 17. That's a lot. That's that's quite a bit to chew on, isn't there? May I pray first?

And let's let's ask God to illumine this for us. God, we pray just that, that you would illumine your word, shine light on it. More than that, God, shine light in our hearts. Would you give us ears to hear, a mind to understand, heart to receive what you're showing us here in Colossians? This is so rich and so good.

In Jesus' name, amen. So here it is again. Colossians three, living the new life. Set your sights. Put off, put on.

Starting with set your sights. So I like to run. But to clarify, I I wanna I wanna clarify here. Not like Jackson ultra marathon kind of running. Alright?

Like, I feel like you have to do that in Jackson. When you say like, hey, I climb or hey, I run, you have to clarify because someone is probably, you know, a champion. Oh, I've climbed the Grand several several times. You know, like yeah. So that's this is not me.

Like me, my style is more like a couple couple miles at a time, Run. Walking. Mostly walking.

Seriously, this

shirt used to fit a lot looser. Anyway, the Alcrafuge Road. This is one of my favorite places to do that. And one of those reasons is because I just like to pick a point and run. And maybe that sounds weird but it just helps.

I just look straight on, pick a point, run at it. For me it just helps me to keep my head up and just run at that destination. I'm not looking at my feet. I'm not distracted by obstacles. I'm just running toward the goal.

I like it. So Colossians reminds me of that a bit when Paul says, since you've been raised with Christ. Since you've been raised with Christ. That's the motivation here, by the way. And Colossians two twelve, it illustrates this beautifully.

It says, for you were buried with Christ when you were baptized, and with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God who raised Christ from the dead. So buried with Christ in baptism and raised to new life. So I wanna take just a minute here just to say this. If you have made a profession of faith in Christ And you have not taken that step to be baptized, that little step of obedience that Jesus commands in scripture to be baptized, would you come see Ray and I, please? It's an outward sign of inward faith.

And I wanna say this too. It is a huge encouragement. You think maybe it's such a simple thing. I mean, come on. It's just you dunking a person in the water.

They come they go in. They come out. No. It it is a huge encouragement to both you and to the body of Christ when you are baptized because this verse right here is what it represents. Buried with Christ when you're baptized, raised to new life.

The symbolism is just profound. All right. Because you have been raised to new life in Christ, what do we do? Set your sights. Think about things of heaven, not the things of earth.

There is a singleness of mind about this verse here that picks the kingdom of God and it's running toward it. You know what I mean? That's the sense I'm getting here. Not getting caught in distraction, not excuse me. But focused on the realities of heaven, on eternal things.

And it's not to say we're so heavenly minded we just stop looking for God's goodness on earth. No. This is why this is one of my favorite psalms. I'm confident I'll see the Lord's goodness while I'm here in the land of the living. We're still here.

This is home for now. It's a temporary home but it's home for now. And we can see God's goodness here. But it's keeping ever before us the reality. There is a heaven.

There is eternal life. And we've been raised to new life in Christ and to keep walking in that direction. Keep walking it out. First Peter says it this way. And the reason I use so many scriptures is because they say it better than I can.

In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish or spoil or fade. That is where Paul is telling us to set our sights on Jesus, on the kingdom of heaven, on that spiritual rebirth that we've been given through faith in Christ, on the fact that Jesus has rescued us from death, hell, and the grave, he's transferred us into the kingdom of heaven. Because of that, because of that, we are to put off, to put to death the old nature. And he gives some specifics. Sexual immorality, sex outside of marriage, impurity, Lust.

I'm just going to give us a little tiny definition of each one. Lust. Depraved passion or emotions that aren't guided by God. Evil desires. Desires that aren't inspired by God's persuasion.

Greed, lusting for temporal things that have no eternal value. Idolatry, worship that isn't directed toward God. But you see a theme in here. I see a theme. That all these are just strong desires aimed in the wrong direction.

That's what I see in there. No doubt about it. God has created us to be passionate people with strong desires. That's a good thing. I think the question here, as we look at these, I think the question is what or whom are those passions and desires aimed at?

What are they aimed at? To love, serve, and glorify self? Is it all about me? Or to love, serve, and glorify God? Where am I gonna aim those passions and desires that God has given me?

This quote by C. S. Lewis has always struck me. It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak. We are far too easily pleased.

Does anyone ever feel that way? I I sure do. I mean, could it be that our desires, they're not too strong but that they're too weak. Like they have been misplaced. That they need to be redirected to be set on the realities of heaven.

Used to love, serve, and glorify God rather than just love, serve, and glorify self. That's the old nature. Along with these, there's more in the list. Anger. Anger is when we swell in opposition.

Rage. Outburst of wrath. That's what rage is. Malicious behavior. Catch this.

This is vicious disposition even if not outwardly expressed. So we can be malicious on the inside. Slander. That's abusive language. It's what God calls right, it calls wrong.

Dirty language speaks for itself. Lying to each other speaks for itself. Paul's saying, remember. He's telling the Colossians, remember, church, those things were buried with Christ in his death. We died to that old nature.

Let's not go digging that up again. Now we're living in a new nature. A nature that's being guided by the power of the Holy Spirit. It's a new nature. It puts on new clothes.

Okay, what are those clothes? This is the good stuff right here. What struck me is I could hear Jesus speaking in every single one of these in the gospel. I could just hear Jesus' words in every single one of these in the gospel. For example, tender hearted mercy.

So that's compassion, truly feeling someone's difficulty or misfortune. So think about this, all right? Think gospel for a minute. Jesus saw Lazarus' sister weeping after she loses her brother. What did Jesus do?

It says, Jesus wept. He was deeply moved in his spirit and he was greatly troubled. As I read these, let's be asking ourselves, am I clothed with these? So I'll ask me, you ask you. Am I clothed with tender hearted mercy?

Do I truly feel someone's difficulty, misfortune? Do I put myself in a place to mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice? Or have I learned to tune people out? I mean, where are we at? Let's take an honest evaluation here.

Tender hearted mercy. Here's another. Kindness. Kindness is meeting real needs in God's way that's not harsh or cruel. So think of Jesus in John eight.

Here's the example. Jesus says, Let the one who's never sinned throw the first stone. And when the accusers heard this, they dropped their rocks and they slipped away one by one. They were going to stone a woman. And Jesus stood up and he said to her, where are your accusers?

Didn't even one of them condemn you? No, Lord, she said. And Jesus said, neither do I. Go and sin no more. Kindness.

Meeting real needs in God's way that's not harsh or cruel. How are we doing? Am I clothed with that? Here's another. Humility.

That's living in complete dependence on the Lord with no reliance on self. Think of Jesus praying in the garden. What does he pray? Father, not my will but yours be done. Humility.

Gentleness. That's gentle strength. Think of Jesus saying this. Come to me all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I'll give you rest. Jesus is gentle but strong enough to carry our burdens.

Do we practice gentle strength? Patience. Patience is being long tempered. It avoids improper anger. So think of this example.

So Jesus' interaction with Philip. And Jesus says, I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. And then Philip says to him, well, can't you just show us the father? Can't can't you just show us the father and then I'll believe you? So does Jesus let him have it?

No. He says, Philip, don't you know me, Philip? Even after I've been among you for such a long time, he was patient with him as he's patient with us. How are we doing? Forgiveness.

That's extending favor and pardon to others like God's extended to us. So think of this. Jesus is being nailed to the cross. Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing.

Forgiveness. I mean, can't you just hear Jesus in every single one of these new pieces of clothing that we're to put on? The point is, when we have been raised to new life in Christ, now we're wearing his clothes. Now we're wearing his clothes. Now we're wearing his nature.

Now we're wearing his spirit. Now we're wearing his love. That's what's true. Verse 14. Above all, clothe yourselves with love.

That's the keyword that encompasses all of this new nature right here. That's God's self giving, others focused love. It prefers what God prefers. Verse 15. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.

What is peace? Peace is God's gift of wholeness. Calling the shots in our hearts. So it's like an umpire who enforces the rules. We let God's gift of let God's gift of peace umpire or call the shots in our hearts.

For as members of one body, you're called to live at peace. So speaking of peace, I want to take a moment just here. This I'd like to read a prayer of peace written by Saint Francis long time ago. If you'd like to, close your eyes for a moment. But I would like to make this prayer our prayer.

And here's what it says. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console others. To be understood as to understand others.

To be loved as to love others. For it is giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we're born to eternal life. Amen. Isn't that such a profound prayer? It is so good.

I needed to hear that. If it wasn't for you, it was for me. 15 ends with, And always be thankful. Thankfulness. In this case it means being grateful for God's grace, working out what is eternally good.

So let me just say this. We may not always be thankful for our circumstances. But we can be thankful in them. We can be thankful in them. Why?

This just told us that God is working out what is eternally good. Even if we cannot see it right now. And most of the time we won't and we can't. Not right now. But to know that God is working out what is eternally good.

I'd like to just pray for a moment in that thought. Let me just pray for a minute. God, may we be a church that is thankful for your grace working out what is eternally good. Even if we cannot see it right now, I do pray, God, for the wherewithal to trust that you're sovereign, that you're good, and that you're working out what is eternally good. Would you help us?

Would you give us the grace that we need in the moments that we need them? In Jesus' name. Amen. Verse 16. I'm almost finished here.

And let the message about Christ in all its richness fill your lives. So where it makes its home in our hearts, where it lives there, where it abides there. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom that he gives. So what does that mean? That means to reason with one another, urging one another to choose God's best.

You say, okay, how can we teach and counsel one another? Right here, as a body of Christ. How do we do that? We reason and we urge one another to choose God's best. That's how we that's how we teach and counsel each other.

We reason from the scripture, from Jesus' words. We urge one another to choose God's best. Does that describe us? Does that describe our new clothes? And sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

I like that one. You could imagine why. What does that mean? We glorify God. We lift him up.

We make much of him. We express our gratitude for raising us to new life in Christ. And then we'll end with verse 17. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the father. In all things, in every aspect of life, we're representatives.

Representatives of Jesus. Now as I read that this week I thought, you know, that is wonderful and it's terrifying at the same time. And I'm serious because we can be excellent representatives and yet we can also be awful representatives. True? I think we need these new clothes.

I mean I think it's absolutely necessary. It's imperative that we're wearing these new clothes. If we're out there and everything we say and do representing Jesus, which I'm going to blow it, I can tell you that, I need new clothes. I really do. The nature, it needs to go.

And when it's creeping up, put it to death. You're not welcome here anymore. That's not who I am. That's not who I am. My new identity is in Christ.

I was raised to life. I was buried and through that baptism, raised to new life. What I love about Colossians is it reminds us of our true identity. Who we really are and what we really wear since we've been raised to new life in him. So that's what Colossians three:one through 17 has for us today.

I'll invite the band to come back up here and we're going to end by singing a spiritual song with grateful hearts. But may I encourage us, may I encourage us, simple message this morning, to set our sights on the realities of heaven, on Jesus, on his kingdom, on the spiritual rebirth that he gives us through faith into a living hope that can never perish, spoil, or fade. To put off, put to death the old nature that prefers self when we see it, feel it creeping in. To be intentionally asking God, God, I don't like this. I don't like what it does to me.

I don't like how selfish it makes me. May it, would you please put that to death? Put that to rest so that I can put on the new clothes. Preferring what God prefers. And what is that?

It's love. It's God's brand of love. That self giving, others focused kind of love. That's the banner over everything here. As we put on the new nature and we are being renewed.

It is continuously and ongoing. Friends, let me just say something here. We have not arrived yet. We cannot say, Oh, I've done that already. Oh, I figured that out already.

I've already been away. I've been No. No, no, no. This is we are a work in progress. Can I get an amen there, please?

We are a work in progress. And there are things day by day, moment by moment, that need to be put to death. Lord, help us. Lord, help us. Really.

We want to be good representatives in a time where people are skeptical of stepping back into a church, where they have been hurt. God, would you renew their confidence in the church because they're seeing us, your believers, your body of Christ, acting it out. God, could we be the kind of church that gently corrects one another to teach and counsel each other by reasoning with one another and urging one another to choose your very best. We need your help in this. We need your new clothes.

In Jesus' name. Amen. All right. I'm going to switch spots again. I miss Ray so much.

Alright. First Peter. Here it is. Praise be to the God and father of the Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy, he's given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.

Shall we sing of it? Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with grateful hearts. Think Blake's got a little benediction here as we part.

And that last verse that we covered is a great benediction to walk out with Jesus, throughout this week. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the God the Father through him. Have a great week.