Sermon Prep (Read Col 3:1-14)
SERMON PREP! (Colossians 3:1-14)
I want you to imagine something with me. Let’s say you are working outside in the yard in the Texas summer heat. It is 110 degrees in the shade, and you are sweating like a pig outside a BBQ. The sweat has soaked through your clothes and now they are covered not only with grass clippings, dirt, bugs, but also your stench. You smell like a high school boy’s gym locker that hasn’t been touched for a whole season with a dash of yard nasty. After a long day working in the sun, you can’t wait to get out of your nasty, stinky, filthy clothes and get a nice shower to wash off all that dirt and grime. You go and take your shower, and you throw your dirty clothes in a pile next to the door. They are so filthy that the pile begins to mold immediately.
Okay, now here is the part I want you to really focus on. After your shower, do you put those old, nasty, stinky clothes back on or do you put on some new clean clothes? It would make no sense to get all cleaned up only to put back on those same dirty clothes. You need an outfit that goes with how clean you are now, not how dirty you once were. This is what Paul is getting at in our passage for this week. This is where he is reminding us that our new life in Christ has an actual impact on our daily lives. Since our life is now hidden in Christ, we need to set our minds and our hearts on things above and put to death those things that used to belong to our old nature. But it is not enough to simply put things off, we must put things on. We need to put on things that reflect our new identity in Christ. One of the things we will discuss on Sunday is how idols cannot simply be removed, they must be replaced.
As you go through this text, make sure that you read it in the context of chapter 2. This is not simply about trying to become a better and more moral person by your own power or by external rules and regulations, but rather about becoming a new creation. As you read this, focus on how this change happens, the impact it has not only on your life but on your relationship with others. Think about how even though we put on “new clothes” there is still a struggle with old habits and ways. As you study this passage, think of how verse 3 and verse 14 sums up everything else.
November Sermon Series
Jesus is Lord: A Study of Colossians
11/8 Religion-less Religion Colossians 2:6-23
11/15 Off with the Old and On with the New Colossians 3:1-14
11/22 How to Let the Peace of Christ Rule in Your Heart
Colossians 3:15-17
11/29 Lessons for Living Colossians 3:18-4:6
Updates, Thoughts and More
Combined Worship. On November 29th, we will have a combined worship service where we get to come together as one body to worship together. This is the first Sunday of Advent so it will be a very special day. Let me get on my soapbox for a moment…I know that some of you do not like traditional worship and some of you do not like contemporary worship, and you don’t attend the combined service because it is not the service you like. Please remember, you do not come to worship for the music, for the preaching, or for the readings…you come to worship your Lord and Savior. Plus, on this day you will get to see your church family together. Make it a point to be here at 10 am on November 29th to worship together as one body. There…I’m off my soapbox.
Memory Tree. Many of you have never heard of a memory tree service, but it is something I have done in the past and it has always been a powerful worship service. It is very similar to the “Blue Christmas” service but is more uplifting and encouraging. For the memory tree, what we do is that I invite you to bring an ornament of your choosing that best represents a loved one you are missing this Christmas. For example, I typically will hang an ornament of a Navy ship in memory of my dad and a Cracker Barrel ornament in memory of my mom. I will have you fill out a card that tells who is hanging the ornament, who it is in memory of, and then a brief description of the ornament. During the service, we will have a chance for you to come and hang the ornament on the tree and afterwards, we will have the tree displayed and a list of all the names and descriptions for all to see. After Christmas, you can pick up your ornaments. What I have found is that there is so much joy in searching for the right ornament that best represents your loved one and the service gives us a tangible expression for our grief at Christmas. The service will be on Wednesday, December 16th at 5 pm in the White Chapel. We will have the cards available once Advent begins.
Grief Group. Over the past few weeks, we have had so many people struggling with different events in their life that no one should have to go through alone. Talking with others, we have a huge need for a grief support group in our church. I have found someone to take the lead in the new year to head up this ministry. If you are interested in helping to get this ministry going in the new year, please let me know.
Football picks.
Kentucky ran into a buzzsaw last week at Tennessee. I really dislike Tennessee. Orange is an ugly color. Especially Tennessee orange. Yuck.
This week will be better. Kentucky plays Florida and we typically have done great against Florida in the recent past. I think Kentucky wins this one by 2 touchdowns. The other two games that will be fun to watch are Missouri at Georgia. If Georgia plays the way they have been playing, the game will be over by halftime. Yet, Missouri has a great QB and they can get hot real fast. This should be fun to watch. The other fun game will be Texas and LSU. LSU is a different team when they play at home at night. I am not sure Archie Manning is ready for a 100,000+ drunk Cajuns screaming at him. I think LSU runs wild on Texas.
As far as A&M goes, I am hoping they pull off the upset and make the Tennessee fan base cry like I cried last week. I really don’t like Tennessee.
What’s Going On This Week
Sunday (11/15)
Worship Services 9 & 10:30 am
Monday (11/16)
Alzheimer’s Support Group 10 am
Stitching Angels 1:30 pm
Church Council 6:30 pm
Tuesday (11/17)
Men’s Bible Study and Breakfast 7:30 am
Trish Bassett’s Bible Study 10 am
Wednesday (11/18)
Prayer Warriors 9am
Sip And Share 10am
Table Talk (C.S. Lewis Study “Narnia Series”) 5 pm
Youth 5 pm
Bell Choir
Choir Practice
Thursday (11/19)
Davelyn Hays Wisdom of Solomon 9 am
Important Upcoming Dates
11/22 Angel Tree Christmas Gifts begin
11/29 Combined Worship Service
11/29 Decorating the Church for Christmas
12/6 Children’s Christmas Play
12/16 Memory Tree Service
12/13 Acton Music Academy Christmas Recital
12/24 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Joke of the Week
A husband and wife are in church. The preacher notices that the husband has fallen asleep and says to the wife, “Wake your husband up!” The wife answers, “You're the one who made him fall asleep, you wake him up!”
Memory Verse of the Week
Colossians 3:3 (NIV84)
3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Quote of the Week
If your life is not rooted in the story of Jesus – his life, death, and resurrection – then it is rooted in another story, like it or not.
- Robert Bilmont
