Follow Along with the Message

Focusing In (Part 1)

Pastor Tom Lundeen

...what we're focused on impacts  about our lives personally, internally, spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. 

Note Colossians 3:1-4

So, what are the  Jesus followers wearing?

First of all:

1. There's an Old Wardrobe to  

Note again Colossians 3:1-4

Paul uses the imagery of clothing to help us see that following Jesus means an entire wardrobe .

Jesus...knows there are old, tattered and  attitudes and behaviors that genuine Jesus followers need to discard.

And the power to do this isn't self- and self-...but it's really possible because Jesus has done it all for us.

The   wardrobe Jesus followers are to discard are primarily divided into two sections:

A.   sins (note Colossians 3:5) - sexual immorality =  =  sexual intercourse (any kind of sexual intercourse outside of God's  for one man/one woman committed/covenant marriage relationship); impurity (not just sexual intercourse outside of God's design of one man/one woman committed/covenant marriage, but other sexual  not involving a husband-wife relationship); lust/passion =  = uncontrolled illegitimate desire (note Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28; Titus 3:3a); evil desires = all forms of ; greed = the desire to have more that  the rights of others. It's the  and ruthless assumption that all other persons and things exist for one's own benefit (Caird)...it becomes  because greed puts self-interest for illicit/immoral desires, things, and even people, in the place of God. We serve an idol to get what we want rather than embrace and follow God's .

B.  sins (note Colossians 3:6-9) - anger (settled attitude...an angry person ); rage (wrath/passionate /short fuse); malicious behavior (the desire to inflict  with words/gossip); slander (abusive words to  the good name/reputation of someone); filthy language (not only obscenities, but also  and suggestive expressions [coarse humor] which cover underlying impurity); lying = includes deliberate untruths, half-truths (that create a false impression/narrative), and  (distorts reality and paints a false picture).

Am I focused up?

• What's the common ?
• This old, tattered and useless wardrobe impacts all our  (with God and others).
• You can only get rid of this old wardrobe by first saying 'YES!' to Jesus as Lord (note Colossians 3:1, 3).
• And if we have said 'YES!' to Jesus as Lord, what rotten, useless  are we still hanging on to/hiding in our closets?

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