You Have Been Raised With Christ

“YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH CHRIST” (Outline)

August 16, 2009 --

PENTECOST 11 --

Colossians 3:1-11

INTRO: Today’s scripture text are words specifically pointed at believers. By grace God calls the believer out of darkness into his marvelous light! The life a believer lives after being called to faith is called a sanctified life. The Holy Spirit makes people holy by changing their hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. The Holy Spirit has sanctified the believer by this great change. Believers are made holy (sanctified) to lead and to live holy lives. We live holy lives by the power of Christ living in us. We live holy lives by the power of the resurrection of our Savior living in us. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead"(1 PETER 1:3).

“YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH CHRIST”.

This certain truth of God’s empowers believers to:

I. Put on the new self.

II. Put off the old self.

I. PUT ON THE NEW SELF

A. The power of Christ living in the believer is the power displayed at his resurrection from the dead.

1. Verse 1a. These believers were the first generation to live after Jesus’ life and resurrection.

2. Verse 1b. The resurrection of Jesus and his ascension was to be the focus of their faith.

3. Rather than being caught up in the things of this world the believers were to look up, verse 2.

B. Verse 3. The lives of these believers were dramatically changed. They lived in Christ, not the world.

1. This meant that their lives were now hidden with Christ in God. They had died to sin.

2. Verse 4. These believers were blessed with faith. Their faith would provide a glorious future.

C. Verse 11. In this Christian faith and community there was now no difference among the believers.

1. God’s powerful word brought these various people of various backgrounds into his fellowship.

2. Verse 10. They were renewed in divine knowledge of God, the Lord God Almighty, Creator.

D. Today God’s word is still God’s word. God’s word and its meaning for our lives had not changed and will not change. “You have been raised with Christ”. The power of the resurrection of Jesus, our Savior, continues to live in believers. Daily we are being renewed though outwardly we are wasting away. The truth and the power of God’s word is our strength. "Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (ISAIAH 40:31). This is not physical strength but spiritual. As we grow older our bodies do wear out. As we grow in the wisdom and knowledge of God our souls are strengthened. We are reminded time and again to put our hope in the Lord, not men.

E. “You have been raised with Christ”. The resurrection of Jesus was a marvelous and miraculous display of divine power. It is this very same marvelous and miraculous power of God that dwells in our hearts and is displayed in our lives. God’s power gives us the strength to say “No” to worldliness and ungodliness. We are given power to cloth ourselves with a new creation. This is ours by faith through grace.

"You were taught…to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (EPHESIANS 4:23,24). We are renewed in the knowledge of our Creator. We were created not to look like God but to be like God: in righteousness and holiness.

F. “You have been raised with Christ”. This simple statement reminds each of us of the great and divine power that is alive in us. We cannot live a righteous or holy life on our own. On our own we would only live a depraved life of sin filled with deceitful desires. By grace our Lord God Almighty changes all of that for us forever. "Jesus Christ…gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good" (TITUS 2:14). The children of Christ are “eager to do what is good”. This is not natural. But this quality is learned through God’s word.

“YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH CHRIST”.

With Christ’s power we put on the new self.

II. PUT OFF THE OLD SELF

A. Verses 3,4. Paul reminds the believers of their connection with Christ and his great power in them.

1. Verse 5. Paul lists the wickedness connected with the sinful side of mankind.