This is a copy of my talk given at Ayia Kyriaki (x 2) and Saint Stephen’s in the Anglican Church of Paphos on Sunday 3 August 2025. The Bible reading was Colossians 3:1-11.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your word.
By the power of Your Holy Spirit,
May You speak to my heart,
And change my life.
In the precious name of Jesus I pray.
Amen
1) Set Your Hearts On Things Above vs 1-4
In chapter one, Paul commended the Colossians for their faithful witness. In chapter two, he warned them to beware of false ideologies. In the text for today, Paul encourages them to embrace new life in Christ, vs1. “So, if you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
The operative word is “if” … if then you have been raised with Christ …” If is one of the most daunting words in the English language. The implication is this: If you have been raised with Christ, what follows is for you; if not, nothing I, or anyone else, will say will make any difference. Ask yourself: Have I been raised with Christ? Have I been born again? Am I being transformed into the image of Christ?
In vs2, Paul writes: Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Paul wants us to recognise that our lifestyle should mirror that of Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of God. There’s no doubt that many Christians fall away/backslide, simply because their minds have wandered off onto other things. Paul wants us to see that if we move away from God in terms of behaviour, our faith will become increasingly fragile – Paul reminds us that we constantly need to guard our hearts and minds so that doesn’t happen to us.
A decision has to be made to commit yourself both emotionally and intellectually to follow teachings of Jesus or the ways of the world. We can be sure that any restrictions, perhaps a better word would be standards, Jesus puts in place are there to release us to live a satisfied and complete life: John10:10: “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.”
Paul wants us to look forward to something much better, vs4: When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Paul wants us to adopt a ‘glory’ or ‘kingdom’ perspective in our lives. We are meant to live in a way that is pleasing to God (Romans 12:1). Not because he is a puritanical God glaring down at us, ready to wave his finger at us when we do wrong, but because His glory awaits us.
2) It’s A Sin! vs 5a
Colossians 3 is an uncomfortable passage to read, because Paul is highlighting what some people might call ‘sin’ – that dreaded, not very politically correct, word. In the past, the word ‘sin’ would strike fear into the heart of almost everyone. It was something they wanted to avoid at all costs, something dreadful and dangerous. Now, it has changed from a Rottweiler into a Poodle. ‘Sin’ has been calmed down, domesticated, almost neutered, and is not the offensive word it used to be – or maybe it still is, I may be mistaken. But ‘sin’ is just something we don’t talk much about today – whereas the Bible, and Jesus, talks about it all the time.
It seems to me that, nowadays, the word ‘sin’ is usually spoken with a slight smirk or a heavy dose of irony. Describing something as sinful usually means we think it is, in the words of the advert for cream cakes a few years ago: ‘Naughty … but nice.’ ‘I know I shouldn’t really, but it will be fun and I’m sure it won’t do any harm.’
In the past, the word ‘sin’ had a ghastly aura about it. It wasn’t a harmless transgression of some random moral code invented by repressed and frustrated followers of Jesus, such as the Apostle Paul. However, ‘sin’ described a pattern of life that was quite simply destructive. It destroyed families, friendships, happiness, peace of mind, innocence, love and, most importantly, our bond to our creator. 1 Peter 2:11 talks about ‘sinful desires, which war against your soul’. That sums it up pretty well – sinful patterns of behaviour are, quite literally, self-destructive.
Paul says that Christ died for our sins, and His death is our own death to sin. Now we are charged to make this death to the old life real in our everyday living. The phrase Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature suggests that we are not simply to suppress or control evil acts and attitudes. We are to wipe them out completely.
3) Relationships vs 5b-6
Now, if you know Paul, you know he’s not about to stop here. And so, after encouraging the Colossians to look above to this new life in Christ, he warns them not to revert back to their worldly nature. He says, vs5-6 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
The Roman Empire was legendary for sexual excess. There’s no doubt the Colossians grew up in a climate of sexual distortion – it’s hardly surprising that Paul would want to warn his flock about the dangers.
Sex, for many people, can be an embarrassing and uncomfortable subject to talk about – least of all to mention in a sermon! Some of you may be squirming in anticipation of what you think I’m going to say. But sex was God’s plan for his creation going back to Genesis, it’s part of the words of the Marriage Ceremony: Marriage is a gift of God in creation through which husband and wife may know the grace of God. It is given that as man and woman grow together in love and trust, they shall be united with one another in heart, body and mind, as Christ is united with his bride, the Church.
It’s worth mentioning that chastity was one of the virtues that Christianity brought to the ancient world. The idea that you should/could, be chaste before marriage, and faithful afterwards, was astonishing to many people then and even in today’s world. We have forgotten that singleness and abstinence are valuable, spiritual and Biblical choices where people can live a fulfilled life in which celibacy is seen as a gift from God. But, as is often the case, Christians who stand for Biblical morals/values are either jeered or ignored.
4) More Practical Guidelines vs 7-9
What Paul mentions in vs5 characterises pre-Christian experience, vs7: “You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived” further emphasising that this kind of lifestyle belongs to the past. Just to make sure they get the point, Paul gives another list of attitudes and actions that are not acceptable as a Christian, vs8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. This is not because they break religious rules, but because they are the opposite to the love that Jesus implants in our hearts when we trust in him.
I’m sure most of you remember Kim and Aggie’s How Clean Is Your House or Stacey Solomon’s Sort Your Life Out. Each of us will have a routine of clearing away our rubbish. The tradition for many is to inspect our houses every spring of things that not needed and throw them away. We clean our garages and gardens. And it’s not just our houses, defragment our computers and smart phones etc. How satisfying and therapeutic it is to have a good sort out in our own lives and throw the rubbish away in order to make our lives clean and tidy! Now, we shouldn’t think we can perform this on an annual, bi-annual, even monthly basis. It is something we must do daily.
If you’re not sure how to do that, can I encourage you have a look at my ‘Prayers for the Armour of God’ webpage and download a copy of the prayers to your laptop, tablet or phone.
5) Family Likeness vs 10
Paul goes onto say, vs10, put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. There’s no doubt that most people enjoy looking at family photographs and portraits. It’s not long before someone says: doesn’t Ben look like his father? I can see his father in him, can’t you? For some that might be Ben’s looks (he certainly doesn’t have my nose), for others it maybe my personality (poor him), the way his vocabulary is laced with Mackem pronunciations but, whatever it might be, people see a similarity between Ben and I. They know he’s my son and that I’m his father. We should be living in such a way that others can see the family likeness of our Heavenly Father in what we do and say.
6) Christ Is All And Is In All vs 11
The gift of new life in Christ is inclusive of all those God calls and who are willing to repent of their sins and walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Paul makes it clear, vs11, Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Can you imagine how this must have sounded to the Colossians? Gentiles and Barbarians! This idea was shocking in the first century and is still a challenge to us in the twenty-first century: in God’s new creation, the ethnic and cultural barriers that divide humanity have no place. In Christ there are no distinctions. Young and old, rich and poor, black, white, immigrant or migrant. Jesus, now calls his Church to make disciples of all nations and to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Conclusion
As you reflect on Colossians 3:1–11, ask yourself:
- Are there areas of my life where I’m still clinging to the old self?
- How can I actively set my heart and mind on Christ each day?
- What steps can I take to live out the unity and love that Christ brings to His Church?
Let this passage inspire you to live as one who truly has a ‘New Life In Christ’ displaying His character in every area of your life.
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER The text contained in this sermon (except where stated) is solely owned by its author, Revd Paul A. Carr. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name.
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