Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Col. 3: 1-11 Oct. 12, 2025

Message: “Setting Your Mind on Christ!”

by Pastor George Gnade

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Introduction:

1. Last week we were told that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are to be found in Christ. In fact, He is the fullness of God in bodily form. Therefore to know Christ is to have the fullness of God in us.

2. That is not what the world wants us to believe. The philosophies of this world are anti-Christ. In fact, that is why the world constantly takes Jesus’ name in vain. It wants you to only think of Him as a cuss word. His name is used along with all kinds of foul language for the same reason. 

a. The world’s philosophies want you to believe in the stars or to talk to your ancestors or even angels – anything to take your eyes off of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

b. To put it another way, the world wants to “disconnect you” from Christ. 

3. That is what was happening to many of the people in Colosse. They were being “disconnected from the Head, from whom the whole body…grows as God causes it to grow” (Col. 2:19). 

a. The church is the body of Christ. As people commit themselves to Christ, the church grows. 

b. God’s Word is the means by which the Holy Spirit fills our minds with the teachings and thoughts of Christ. If we don’t have devotions or go to church, then it is hard to feed our minds and hearts. 

c. Most people spend hours on end either playing on their computers or listening to television. They are not dwelling on Christ and His Word. The less we think about Christ, the more worldly thoughts and teachings fill our minds instead. 

4. Beware of the danger of becoming disconnected from the Head.  That is where Col. 3 comes into the picture.

A. In Col. 3:1 -2, we are commanded to “set our minds and hearts on the things that are above where Christ is.”

1.  Vs. 3 reminds us that Jesus represents us who believe in Him. So when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, in God’s eyes, we died with Him. And now that Jesus has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, our lives are now hidden in Him.  

a. A true Christian, spiritually speaking, is living and reigning with Christ at the same time that we are down here doing our best to live for Christ.

b. It reminds me of Rom. 12: 1-2 where it says: “I beseech you, therefore brethren, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and presentable to God…  And be not conformed to the world but be transformed by renewing your minds and you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

2. True Christians are expected to change how they are thinking. We must learn how to think like Christ and in the process learn how to live for Christ.

B. To think like Christ, we must “put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature” (Col. 3:4).

1. Then Paul lists examples of sins of the flesh such as “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed.” 

a. He reminds us that is why the wrath of God is coming. He says: “You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourself of all such things.”

b. Then the list continues, including “anger, rage, malice, slander, and all filthy language from your lips.”

2. I think we all get the picture. There is no end to the sins we could list.  But once we ask Jesus to forgive us and come live in our hearts, we are to put these behaviors “to death.” 

a. Jesus said: “If your eye offends you, cut it out!” We are not to take that literally. But it certainly illustrates the point. 

b. He already died for us. Now the least we can do is discourage wrong behavior and replace it with godly behavior. 

3. In Col. 3: 9-10, it says to “put off the old self with its practices and to put on the new self” which is like Jesus.

To do this, we all must learn to think and act differently. With His help, we can do it.

C. Finally, having told us to stop doing all the wrong things, in Col.3:13, Paul writes: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly beloved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

1. Paul is teaching us how to please the Lord Jesus Christ. It is like changing your clothes. It is like taking off behavior that dishonors the Lord and replacing it with behavior that honors the Lord.

a. In real life, when we work hard and get dirty, we can’t wait to get cleaned up. We want to take off our dirty clothes and put on clean clothes. It is a deliberate choice.

b. So is the Christian life. If you meant it when you asked Jesus to forgive your sins and come and live inside of you, then with His help, God wants you to take off all wrong behavior and replace it with godly behavior. 

c. It is just as simple as changing your clothes.

2. I promise you by pleasing Jesus, He will help you feel a lot better about yourself.  Becoming the person God wants you to be will help you discover why God created you and made you. 

a. Remember, Jesus created us so we may live for Him (Col. 1:16). 

b. So clothing ourselves in godly behavior will bring out the best in us. It will also change how people think about us.

3. This is not always an easy choice to make. Our feelings often get in the way. Our sinful natures still like the old ways. When people hurt us, human nature wants to hurt them back.

a. But in Col. 3:13, we are reminded that we are to forgive others the same way we wanted Jesus to forgive us.

Many times we struggle with this simple concept. 

b. Of course, we want to be forgiven, but to forgive someone who has hurt us seems different. Almost uncon-sciously, our minds start saying to ourselves: “He thinks he can get away with this, I’ll show him a thing or two.” 

c. It is so easy to see the faults in others and not recognize the faults in ourselves. 

4. Always remember the price Jesus paid to forgive and save you. Secondly, always remember God’s promise: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

a. God’s first choice is always to forgive.

b. But God reserves the right to punish to Himself.

c. Getting even interferes with God. It is playing God. 

5. As we learn to live the Christian life, we must learn to leave the punishing up to God. Our job is to forgive as Jesus forgave us. You will be surprised how much better we will feel when we do the loving thing and leave the rest to Him.

In Conclusion:

1. John the Baptist and Jesus both came preaching repentance for the forgiveness of our sins. 

Clearly, we are all called to take off all our sinful behavior and to clothe ourselves instead with the love of Christ.

2. With the help of the Holy Spirit of Jesus, we can do it.