Worldliness – “When your heart is no longer beating for God.” Cause – “When you stop listening, you will start falling.”

The use of sunglasses To make cute babies cuter  To look good To hide sore eyes  I contracted sore eyes Tuesday night last week! My concern: With a contagious sickness, what can I do so that my family will not be infected.

As a follower of Christ, we have a similar concern: With a world so contagious, what can we do so that we will not be infected by it. The Bible says in 1 John 2:15: “Do not love the world or anything in the world.” The word “world” in this command doesn’t mean the physical world. The “world” we're not to love is the world system – organized system of human civilization that is actively hostile to God and alienated from God. The world God forbids us to love is the fallen world.

If you love the world, you will be eaten up by it! You will fall for sure! You may still be attending church services and practice religious duties but your lifestyle will no longer be different from those who are in the world. Your life will end up just like the rest of them. So we clearly understand from God’s word that we should not love the world, that we should overcome worldliness or else, we will suffer the consequences. But the problem is we are still living in this world. Its system can still influence us. It still can tempt us, contaminate us, infect us. So the question is how can we overcome worldliness. Do we just abstain from certain food or drinks? Or just wear certain types of clothes? Or watch just certain television shows or movies (or not watch at all!)? Should we quit our jobs? Is it just simply following a list of do’s and don’ts? Should we just lock ourselves in our room or go to a monastery a make a huge gap between you and the world? The Colossian believers faced the same concern. That’s why Paul wrote the book of Colossians to address this issue. False prophets are propagating teachings that is contrary to the word of God. They are teaching the Colossians to live according to the standards of this world. Paul refuted these teachings and in Colossians 3:1-17, he taught the believers how they should live holy lives.

Worldliness is not based on external thing. It is an “inside job” and it’s fitting that God revealed to us that we need to look inside us in order to overcome worldliness.

v.1a Paul reminds the Colossians who they are in Christ, that is they have been raised with Christ. And God is reminding us too.

v 1b – “set your hearts on things above” or “keep seeking the things above”. Seek heaven! Illustration: Sunflower – a Heliocentric plant Setting our hearts on things above means we live our lives based on what God desires, not what you desire.

v. 2a – “Set your minds on things above”. Think heaven! Illustration: What’s the difference between people who desired to lose weight and succeeded and people who desired to lose weight and failed? Setting your minds on things above means every decision every thinking moment that impacts your life should be submitted to what God desires. v. 3 – Again, Paul is reminding the Colossians their new identity. Background on the false teachings propagated to the Colossians Their concern is no more about their salvation but more on God’s mission.

v. 4 – “When Christ, who is your life…” Illustration: A person so much in love with another person When the Lord returns, we will be with Christ in heaven Our ending is heaven. You might as well start focusing on it now! vv. 1-4 gives us a perspective on how to be worldliness-proof! We already died to our sinful nature and are now alive in Christ.

v. 5 – “Put to death” or “Consider your self dead to” Your sinful nature, your flesh will always be attracted to the world! Illustration: Plants and Zombies List of do’s and don’ts? I don’t think so.

Illustration: Machine Gun Preacher

LIVE YOU OUT ARE WHO IN CHRIST

3:1-17 1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

3:1-17 1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

3:1-17 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

3:1-17 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

3:1-17 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

3:1-17 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

3:1-17 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

3:1-17 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

3:1-17 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

3:1-17 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

3:1-17 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

3:1-17 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

3:1-17 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

LIVE YOU OUT ARE WHO IN CHRIST

3:1-17 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

3:1-17 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

3:1-17 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

3:1-17 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

3:1-17 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

LIVE YOU OUT ARE WHO IN CHRIST

3:1-17 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

3:1-17 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom

3:1-17 through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

3:1-17 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.

LIVE YOU OUT ARE WHO IN CHRIST