About Us

TEXT:  Colossians 3:4-17

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  ⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming^{] 7} You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.  ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

I:     There is a blessing in negatives

A.    You and I can’t see what is controlling us during times of ease and when everything is going our way

B.     It takes negatives to come against us to put away anger and rage.  You can’t put away anger and rage if nothing is coming that upsets us.

C.     You won’t need to put away slander if you don’t have those juicy back biting gossip issues to spread. 

D.    It is unlikely for us to lie when telling the truth is easier than telling a lie. 

E.     It takes negatives, temptations, and trials to test our obedience.  To test our “New Self”

F.      The New Self needs negatives so that it can operate in the supernatural.  .  Let me explain:  Jairus daughter had to die.  Because of her death we beheld Jesus raising her to life again.  The ten lepers had to first become lepers before we can celebrate Christ miraculous healing power.  Lazarus was dead for 4 days so his corps stank, all to prove that with our Lord nothing is impossible.  Jesus raised Lazarus to life again, and it is recorded in scripture so we will learn it is never too late for God.  It takes the negatives in life to behold the positive power of God.  You need negatives in your life to learn how to flow with God.  The New Self is design to live in total dependency on Jesus

II:       Our New Self is being educated by the image of its Creator

A.    Who wants to admit that they have been miss-educated?  Consider the possible years of thinking you are right when you’re actually wrong.

B.     There is a New Self stated very clearly here in scripture, but that old self was miss-taught.  Your old self learned the wrong things, the wrong way, for the wrong reasons. 

C.     Our New Self learns truths that are eternal in value, more precious than gold, and more beautiful than diamonds. 

D.    Our old self is dead, why draw direction from the grave.  Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

III:  The New Self clothes himself

A.    God’s Word is very clear, when He means for us to do something He clearly states it.  We are not to pray about it we are to do it

B.     So the Word of God tells us in our New Self to clothe ourselves……with

C.     Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

D.    We are also to bear with each other, and forgive each other

E.     But the most important garment we must put on is Love!

IV:  God wants you to look at the New Year in your New Self

A.    The New Self won’t allow past mistakes to defeat it

B.     The New Self relies on Jesus Christ alone and therefore experiences continual victories

C.     The New Self won’t give up, no matter what comes, and no matter what goes the New Self never gives up, no never.  You see the New Self is educated after the image of Him who created him.  Your New Self is motivated by eternal power, and to quit does not compute!  A quitter is motivated by the old self, the New Self never quits, never gives up, always trust, always believes; the New Self will never fail hallelujah!!!!

D.    This same can be true for a congregation…………..