https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Renewed.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Colossians 3:1-11<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. At times we stop and sigh. Wouldn’t it be nice to return to the days of childhood, when\nwe didn’t have a care in the world? When we were ignorant of all the problems in the\nworld and unacquainted with sin? – Matthew 18:3\n A. In our reading, Paul speaks about the change that Christians should experience\nnow that they have committed their lives to Christ\n
B. “Raised up with Christ” in Colossians 3:1 refers to baptism – Romans 6:3-7<\/p>\n C. Too often we think that all the effort to change comes before baptism, but change\ntakes time and it takes effort\n D. Interestingly, Paul calls it a renewal. We are returning to the state that we once\nhad – Ecclesiastes 7:29\n
1. The world and its sins have pulled us away from God – Isaiah 59:1-2<\/p>\n
2. But Christ is putting us back into a right relationship with God<\/p>\n
3. This puts a hole in the idea that we are born sinful. <\/p>\n
4. We are born righteous and become<\/i> sinful – Romans 5:12<\/p>\n
E. Being a Christian is about returning to the righteousness we had as children<\/p>\n
II. You cannot be renewed if you are carrying your past sins with you<\/p>\n A. Being a Christian doesn’t stop the temptations, but we have to consider ourselves\ndead to sin – Colossians 3:5\n B. In other words, it doesn’t matter how much I want to sin, the decision was made\nto leave sin behind in the watery grave of baptism – Romans 6:8-14\n C. It is sin that got us into the mess our lives once were. Holding onto sin will lead to\nretaining God’s anger against us – Colossians 3:6-7\n
D. So we must lay aside our sins – Ephesians 4:21-22<\/p>\n
III. But renewal implies that we learn what we are to become<\/p>\n
A. Look at again at Ephesians 4:21. The truth teaches us how to change. <\/p>\n
B. It requires a renewal of how we think about things – Ephesians 4:23; Romans 12:2<\/p>\n
C. We are born again by God’s Word – I Peter 1:22-25<\/p>\n D. The Spirit who guided the writing of the Bible gives us the roadmap to how we\nchange – Romans 8:2\n
IV. Change without a target is dangerous – Proverbs 24:21-22<\/p>\n
A. We are to be renewed according to the image of God – Colossians 3:10<\/p>\n
B. In the likeness of God – Ephesians 4:24<\/p>\n C. We are children of God and we should want to become like our Father – I Peter\n1:14-16\n
D. Thus, as Christians, we are transformed – II Corinthians 3:18<\/p>\nV. When each of us change to be like God (and God is one) then the result is that we become\none as well\n
A. There is no longer a distinction – Romans 10:12<\/p>\n
B. That was Jesus’ prayer – John 17:20-23<\/p>\n
C. Are you being renewed?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-11 I. At times we stop and sigh. Wouldn’t it be nice to return to the days of childhood, when we didn’t have a care in the world? When we were ignorant of all the problems in the world and unacquainted with sin? – Matthew 18:3 A. In our reading,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[52,913,674,390,50],"class_list":["post-33786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-baptism","tag-bible-study","tag-change","tag-conversion","tag-repentance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15168,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/doesnt-colossians-212-clearly-show-that-baptism-is-a-work-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":33786,"position":0},"title":"Doesn’t Colossians 2:12 clearly show that baptism is a work of God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 25, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Doesn't the following verse very plainly show that baptism is not a work of man, but rendering obedience to God's will? \"buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead\" (Colossians 2:12).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":85095,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/obervations-on-the-significance-of-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":33786,"position":1},"title":"Obervations on the Significance of Baptism","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Nathan Smelser I have a few observations on the oft-overlooked significance of baptism in the New Testament. When Paul writes to the saints and faithful brethren in Colossae, he repeatedly contrasts their formerly dead state with their present life in Christ. For example: \"...having been buried with Him in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55578,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/circumcision-proves-the-necessity-of-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":33786,"position":2},"title":"Circumcision Proves the Necessity of Baptism","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 7, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kent Heaton The apostle Paul appeals to the \"saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse\" to discharge the philosophies of men and embrace Him who has the preeminence in all things (Colossians 1). The church at Colosse had been troubled by the teachings of men that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29351,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/seeking-the-things-above\/","url_meta":{"origin":33786,"position":3},"title":"Seeking the Things Above","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-4 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So often we focus on winning souls for Christ that we lose sight that conversion is not the goal but the first step in a life long process of change - Colossians 2:6-7 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To stay with Christ, to live with him, is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36356,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/spiritual-junk-food\/","url_meta":{"origin":33786,"position":4},"title":"Spiritual Junk Food","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 2:8-23 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are always those who will try to destroy the work of God, offering up human derived philosophies to override God given truth - Colossians 2:3-4, 8 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0While sounding plausible, they are in fact empty - Ephesians 5:6 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yet, these ideas, empty\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":641,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/arent-the-references-to-baptism-just-symbolic\/","url_meta":{"origin":33786,"position":5},"title":"Aren’t the references to baptism just symbolic?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 25, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: When looking at Galatians 3:27 or the Romans passages, doesn't it make better sense to understand the word immerse or immersion literally? I am immersed into Christ, immersed into death in spiritual realms. I am clothed with Christ in a spiritual realm, not putting on holy vestments. I am\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33786\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}