Colossians Chapter 3:1-11
A1 Scripture
B1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God. Whenever Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of which things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: wrath, anger, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have laid aside the old man with his practices, and have put on the new man who is renewed in full knowledge according to the image of Him who created it, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. (Colossians 3:1-11, EMTV)
B2 You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory! You must put to death, then, the earthly desires at work in you, such as sexual immorality, indecency, lust, evil passions, and greed (for greed is a form of idolatry). Because of such things God's anger will come upon those who do not obey him. At one time you yourselves used to live according to such desires, when your life was dominated by them. But now you must get rid of all these things: anger, passion, and hateful feelings. No insults or obscene talk must ever come from your lips. Do not lie to one another, for you have put off the old self with its habits and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in his own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself. As a result, there is no longer any distinction between Gentiles and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians, savages, slaves, and free, but Christ is all, Christ is in all. (Colossians 3:1-11, GNB92)
A2 Outline
B1 Resurrected with Christ
B2 Resolved on Christ
B3 Responsibility with Christ
B4 Renewed in Christ
A3 Notes
B1 Raised (Colossians 3:1)
C1 This has to do with our spiritual resurrection.
D1 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4, EMTV)
D2 "Having been buried together with Him in baptism, in which also you were raised together through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12, EMTV)
D3 This is the resurrection of a new life. The old fleshly heart that sought to live according to self, now is a new heart that seeks to live according to God's rules.
D4 This only happens to those who believe God and have been given a new heart.
C2 Physical resurrection
D1 This happens to both the unsaved and the saved.
E1 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear His voice and shall come forth--those who have done good, to a resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to a resurrection of condemnation." (John 5:28-29 EMTV)
E2 "Having hope in God, which even they themselves are waiting for, that there is going to be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." (Acts 24:15 EMTV)
E3 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22 EMTV)
D2 The unsaved
E1 "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt."
(Daniel 12:2 NKJV)
E2 "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth— those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." (John 5:28-29 NKJV)
D3 The saved
E1 "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt."
(Daniel 12:2 NKJV)
E2 "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth— those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." (John 5:28-29 NKJV)
E3 "Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." (Philippians 3:21 NKJV)
E4 "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
(1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 NKJV)
B2 Above (Colossians 3:2)
C1 We are to seek the things which are above.
D1 This would be God's rules from God's kingdom--the Kingdom of Heaven.
D2 The seeking is important. What we seek for is what we desire. If we desire the things of heaven, it will change us. If we desire the things of earth, it will leave us where we are.
C2 Sitting at the right hand of God
D1 Identifies the "above."
D2 Jesus is a separate person from the Father
D3 This is heaven itself
B3 Set your mind (Colossians 3:2)
C1 Infers continuous thinking about.
C2 Infers a high priority.
C3 What we think about is important
B4 Not on things of the earth (Colossians 3:2)
C1 We do think of things on the earth as food, clothes, etc.
C2 We have a priority to think about heaven's things.
C3 Thinking about heaven's things often provides a solution for the problems we face on earth.
D1 We may be despondent, but we can pray.
D2 We may be sick, but we can rejoice that someday we will not.
D3 We may be threatened, but we can forgive our enemies, pray for them, and be kind to them.
B5 Why are these things so? He is referring to Seeking and Setting our mind. (Colossians 3:3)
C1 "You died and your life is hidden with God."
D1 When Christ Jesus died, we died with Him.
D2 It refers to the old heart, the old man, the old nature that died.
D3 The new heart is the new creation of God. (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17, EMTV)
C2 Christ is coming back again.
D1 He promised. (who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you watched Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11, EMTV).
D2 We will find ourselves with Him. (Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17, EMTV).
D3 We will not be living here anymore.
C3 We are citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom, so we might as well start living by the rules of that kingdom while we are living on earth. (For our citizenship exists in heaven, from which also we eagerly await for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subject all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20-21, EMTV).
B6 Put to death (Colossians 3:3)
C1 So that the following things will not be seen in our life.
C2 If I put to death a drug addiction, say, then that addiction has died.
B7 Appear (Colossians 3:4)
C1 This must be read with Colossians 3:3.
C2 Jesus is going to come back again.
C3 Since He died and was raised to life. we also die and must be raised to life.
C4 If rising again, then we will appear alongside Jesus.
D1 "But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who belong to Christ at His coming." (1 Corinthians 15:23 EMTV)
D2 "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall by no means precede those who are dead. Because the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 EMTV)
B8 The list of some things we must put to death (with God's help). (Colossians 3:5)
C1 Sexual immorality--both in the mind and in body.
C2 Uncleanness--anything that dirties our minds, souls, and bodies. This could be physical as in sexual, mental as in porn, spiritual as in idolatry.
C3 Passion--refers to a zest, impulsiveness, and non-thinking spontaneous activity to anything God would disapprove of as sexual, assault, etc.
C4 Evil desire--desires, wishes, etc. that God does not approve of as hurting someone, lying about someone, etc.
C5 Greed, which is idolatry--money becomes first place in a person's life. It is was they think about and seek first of all. It is unfulfilled, there is never enough. It can be money, lands, houses, or things.
B9 Wrath of God (Colossians 3:6)
C1 He disapproves of these things, which are listed.
C2 See Exodus 20:1-17, the Ten Commandments.
B10 Walked in them (Colossians 3:7)
C1 This is the way we lived either in person or in our minds.
C2 The word walk has the idea of living or lifestyle.
B11 Sons of disobedience (Colossians 3:6) Instead of being sons of God, they act and truly are sons of disobedience.
C1 "In which you formerly walked according to the age of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the senses, and were by nature children of wrath, as also the rest." (Ephesians 2:2-3, EMTV)
C2 God's wrath is not something to be slighted. ("...then he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out undiluted in the cup of His wrath. And they shall be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb." (Revelation 14:10, EMTV)
B12 Put off. (Colossians 3:8) It is not enough to stop some sins but all sins.
C1 No one can do this perfectly, of course, for we all have sinful thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.
C2 But it is the goal of the Christian to be less like that then the day before, the year before, and the decade before.
C3 We are to grow daily. This is done by Bible reading, study, memorizing. Prayer and worship are also important. These need to be done every day.
B13 The other things to be put off, that is, discarded, thrown away, buried, burned, and so forth. (Colossians 3:8)
C1 Wrath
D1 A very strong emotion of displeasure. and as the Scripture says, "...for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:20, EMTV).
D2 The word means a raging emotion of displeasure.
D3 We must remember, however, the Scripture which says, "...for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:20, EMTV).
D4 Example--"And looking around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other." (Mark 3:5, EMTV)
C2 Anger
D1 The word means to breath hard. It is used when really angry.
D2 We can see the great anger in this use of the word. Speaking of Jesus, "So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rising up they threw Him out of the city; and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, in order to throw Him down." (Luke 4:28-29, EMTV). It is not best for anyone for God to be angry with them.
C3 Malice
D1 The word means a wish of ill will towards another with a desire to hurt someone.
D2 For example Simon the Great (Simon the magician, Simon Magnus) Repent therefore from this your wickedness, and make petition to God, if perhaps the intent of your heart will be forgiven you. (Acts 8:22, EMTV)
C4 Blasphemy
D1 Disrespectful speech which might include lies, character misrepresentation, mocking, and cursing.
D2 For example, "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His dwelling, and those who dwell in heaven." (Revelation 13:6, EMTV)
C5 Filthy language out of your mouth
D1 The word has to do with obscene speaking.
D2 The would also include verbal abuse.
C6 Do not lie to one another
B14 Since (Colossians 3:9)
C1 This is the reason to lay aside, stop doing, these things.
C2 The old man has been put away.
C3 Since we now have a new created heart (spiritual heart, 2 Corinthians 5:17), we now do not do these.
C4 The old is gone.
C5 "...knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, so that the body of sin may be done away with, that we should no longer serve sin." (Romans 6:6, EMTV)
C6 "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts." (Galatians 5:24, EMTV)
C7 F. B. Meyer in his comments on this passage writes, "In Christ we profess to have put off the old man, i.e., the habits of our former life, Col_3:9; now let us actually do so, in the power of the Holy Spirit. We profess to have put on the risen Christ, Col_3:10; now let us don the attire and habits of the new man. Too many Christians resemble Lazarus, quickened from his death-sleep, but still arrayed in grave-clothes. Too few array themselves in the radiant beauty of the risen Lord, which is the common heritage of all who believe in Him, whatever their rank or nationality."
B15 Image (Colossians 3:10)
C1 Adam was created in the image of God, so all humans. Adam corrupted this image by sinning.
C2 Christians are recreated in the image of Jesus Christ. Jesus never corrupted this image because He never sinned.
B16 Neither Greek nor Jew, etc. (Colossians 3:11)
C1 We are all Christians.
C2 There are no longer Jewish Christians, Russian Christians, Indian Christians. We are all Christians no matter what language, what nationality, what culture we are one created in the image of Jesus Christ.
C3 Greek nor Jew
D1 The two great divisions according to the Jews.
D2 Jews were special to God and elected to perform a certain ministry.
D3 Gentiles are everyone else.
C4 Circumcised nor uncircumcised
D1 The Jews and Gentiles again.
D2 No special distinguishing mark between them now.
C5 Barbarian
D1 An uncultured person.
D2 As opposed to a cultured person (as Greeks, Romans, etc.)
D3 These would not be considered highly cultured.
C6 Scythian
D1 A nomadic people.
D2 Instead of a settled people.
C7 Slave nor free
C8 Christ is all and in all
D1 This is the wonderful part of being a Christian.
D2 It doesn't make any difference if one is
E1 Rich of poor
E2 Cultured or non-cultured
E3 Intellectual or common
E4 Nobility or peasant.
E5 Or any other comparison.
E6 We are have one leader, one head of the church--Jesus Christ.
E7 We are all the servants of Jesus.
