Colossians 3:1–11

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 10and 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.

You have been raised with Christ.

Man, I need the power of the resurrection in me today, how about you? Being buried and raised with Christ is an amazing truth that I need to preach to myself non-stop. This  truth reveals a power that is key to our daily walk of faith. This power is the means by which we can draw near to God and put our old ways to death. This power causes good to grow in me while eradicating the grip of sin from the inside out. We’ve died with Christ and have been raised with Him in resurrection power.

Friends, now more than ever we need this power. These are the days when our spiritual strength is truly revealed. It’s in these days when the pressure mounts, control is lost, and the goalpost keeps moving that our flesh tries to rear its ugly head. So, perhaps today is the day you say, “Not today flesh, not today devil.”  No matter what’s happening in the world, I’m not going to get sucked in; and I’m certainly not going to make excuses. This weekend is not just a Sunday to declare victory, it’s a Sunday to be driven by it.  Because we’ve already been declared victorious, we can enter the spiritual battle ready to fight. But to enter the battle as a good soldier, it is important that we enter the fight with a strategy.

That’s what this week’s message in our Centered series is all about. It’s about learning how to win the battle between the spirit and flesh. The message is called Christ-Centered Purity. This week, we are going to learn how to practically overcome the sin in us so that we can live out the victory that our Christ-centeredness can bring.

I love and miss you all very much. Sunday is still my favorite day because it is when I feel the closest to you.

Here are the songs we’ll be singing to help you prepare for worship.

Love you,

SUNDAY PLAN
9:00 AM  – Worship Service
10:15 AM – Meet in Small Groups on Zoom
10:15 AM – Guest Connection

SUNDAY RESOURCES
Everything below and more is available both on our mobile app and on our website.

Mission Kids Resources – Click Here

Sunday Online Only Worship Service at 9:00 AM

Online Giving – mission-church.com/give-now

Friendship Register – Click Here

Bulletin – Click Here

Zoom App for any device– Click Here (to prepare to connect to Small Group, Student Ministry, and Prayer Online Gatherings – individual links will sent each week by small group and student ministry leaders) 

Need a Small Group? If you are not connected with a Small Group, please click here to email Lisa Self, our Ministry Director of Hospitality & Assimilation.  She will connect you with a group for Sunday morning.

Small Group Discussion Questions

  1. Have you ever bitten into your favorite piece of fruit, only to find it soft and mushy inside? How did you react?
  2. In verse 5, Paul call us to decisive action. In your own words, what does “put to death” mean and why are these sins to be confronted with such decisiveness?
  3. What typically happens when we aren’t decisive?
  4. Why is it important to examine the roots of our lives in taking deliberate action against the list of sins?
  5. Read Colossians 3:1-4. In Christ, we live “from victory.” Why is it so important to establish these things as the foundation of our ability to gain victory in our lives where temptation seems to win?