Wk 3 // July 26 & 27
Wk 3 // GOD WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD
July 26 & 27, 2025
Small Group Study
SERMON RECAP
Spend a few minutes recapping this week's sermon together.
TAP HERE TO VIEW THE SERMON NOTES.
INTRODUCTION
Paul began his letter to the Colossians by proclaiming the truth about Jesus Christ and warning believers against false teachings. In the final chapters, he instructed believers how to live out the new life in Christ. He explained the difference Christ should make in our lives and exhorted his readers to display that change in their lives.
UNDERSTANDING
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ COLOSSIANS 3:1-4.
Paul’s statement, “You have died” (v. 2), seems contrary to fact—we’re still living and breathing. He was referring to believers’ participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus (Col. 2:12-13; Rom. 6:1-11). In his letter to the Galatians, Paul explained, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:19-20). We have died to sins, so we might live for righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24).
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ COLOSSIANS 3:5-10.
We are to put to death what belongs to our worldly nature (v. 5). In Greek, this command is literally to put to death “the earthly members.” We are to do away with the ungodly characteristics and affections that were formerly a significant part of who we are.
As we look to Christ, our minds are renewed in knowledge. This frees us to put off the old practices that were concerned with satisfying our worldly appetites and criticizing others for our own benefit. We are instead to become more and more like Christ.
We are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ, but we operate in two dimensions: in Christ (spiritually) and in the world (physically). Only when we get to heaven will we be free from the propensity toward sin that remains with us daily.
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ COLOSSIANS 3:11-17.
When the word of Christ takes root in individual believers and in the community of faith, there will be teaching (positive instruction), admonishing one another (negative correction), and thankful worship, evidenced by songs and expressions of gratitude.
APPLICATION
PRAYER
Ask the Lord to help all to live the new life of purity, unity, and thankfulness for all He has done for us.
—----------------------------------
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY
[for further reading on this passage]
COLOSSIANS 3:1-17
3:1-2. The phrase “if you have been raised” connects what follows with “if you died with the Messiah” in Colossians 2:20. The word “if” has the force of “because.” Believers had died to sin’s rule and had been raised with Christ to new life. Thus, they were to seek (go on striving for) what is above—the lofty qualities of character that Christ revealed. He is seated at God’s right hand, the position of honor, majesty, and power. Believers consistently were to make the victorious, reigning Christ their priority—to center their lives in Him. Believers were to set their minds on what is above. The Greek word translated set your minds on has the idea of continually focusing total attention on something. Such focus involves affections, will, and intellect. The phrase “what is above” essentially refers to Christ’s character traits. The words what is on the earth refer to worldly goals and values.
3:3. Believers had died spiritually to their old, sinful way of life. Because of that complete break, their lives were hidden with Christ in God. Three interpretations of Paul’s statement are possible. (1) He may have had in mind their spiritual safety and security. (2) The words could have pointed to Christ as the Source (whom the world could not see) of believers’ new quality of life. (3) Paul may have meant that in the present, they could not grasp the fullness of their life in Christ. In light of verse 4, a combination of (2) and (3) seems likely.
3:4. Believers’ lives were to demonstrate love for and faithfulness to Christ. His being revealed referred to His return, when all people will acknowledge His lordship (see Phil. 2:9-11). Also, Christians will realize the fullness of their new life in Christ. The phrase “in” glory refers to more than Christ’s (and believers’) radiant splendor. The term glory indicates God’s character revealed as redemptive. All people will see Christ for who He is and will recognize believers as reflecting His character. We live in accordance with new life in Christ when we consider Him and base our actions on what He has done and will do for us. For us, “living is Christ” (Phil. 1:21).
3:5. Because believers’ lives centered on Christ, they were to put to death (completely break with) worldly elements in their lives. They had to remove every facet—every expression—of the old, sin-dominated life. Worldly values, goals, attitudes, and actions were incompatible with their new life in Christ. Paul addressed sexual immorality and listed five vices believers were to eliminate from their lives. In his day, sexual promiscuity among pagans was rampant. Believers were to make a complete break with an immoral lifestyle. The Greek word translated sexual immorality was an umbrella term for all sinful sexual activity, whether by married or unmarried people. The word impurity expanded the range to include unclean thoughts and words as well as actions. Here, the term rendered lust has the sense of uncontrolled sexual urges. The phrase evil desire includes sinful sexual desire and broadens the scope to all evil passions. The word translated “greed” has the idea of a feverish desire for something someone else has or for something not yet obtained. Here, the term probably refers to unrestrained pursuit of sexual pleasure. Such greed is idolatry. Self becomes the center of life, and life’s energies are focused on self-gratification.
3:6-7. The vices listed bring God’s wrath on people who habitually practice them. God’s wrath is His settled opposition to sin, not the emotion of anger. If people choose to disobey God and insist on their sinful course, He will give them over to their choice. Evil, however, has within it the seeds of its own destruction and will work its way out to its inevitable result: death. Disobedient people make themselves God’s enemies. Before the Colossian believers became Christians, they practiced the vices Paul listed. The word “walked” means “lived.” The five sins were characteristic of believers’ former lifestyles. The phrase “when you were living in them” may refer to the inner principle of evil that generated their sinful practices.
3:8. The words “but now” contrasted believers’ old lifestyles to their new life in Christ. Paul listed five elements believers were to put away (lay aside, as soiled clothing). Three sins pertain to attitudes, and two concern speech. Thus, Paul emphasized that sinful attitudes and words are as serious as sinful acts. The Greek term translated “anger” is the same word Paul used in 3:6 for God’s wrath. When it refers to a human attitude, it has the sense of a continuing, seething resentment toward others. The word rendered “here” as wrath also can be understood as “rage”—a sudden, heated outburst of temper that dies down quickly. The term rendered malice conveys the idea of ill will that awaits an opportunity to inflict intentional harm. These attitudes have no place in believers’ lives. Paul urged believers to get rid of two kinds of speech. The Greek term translated “slander” means “speaking critically of another person with the intent to hurt.” The Greek term rendered “filthy language” has the sense of obscene and abusive speech.
3:9-10. Paul stressed that truthfulness was to be a mark of the believers’ lifestyle. The phrase “do not lie” can have the force of “stop lying.” The Colossian believers’ relationships with one another and their witness to unbelievers required truth and honesty. Lying, dishonesty, and deceit had characterized their pagan lifestyles; but because they had put off the old self (nature), they were to shed these practices (habitual actions) as they would discard old, ragged, filthy clothing. At conversion, believers had put on (as new, clean clothing) the new self (nature). In Greek, the tense of the verbs translated “put off” (3:9) and “put on” (3:10) convey once-for-all action. When believers placed their faith in Christ, He gave them a new nature governed by His grace. The new self is (continually) being renewed (transformed in quality) in knowledge. Christ works in believers to facilitate a process of renewal—of their continuing to gain new insights into and understanding of God’s will. False teachers in Colossae offered secret knowledge they claimed was necessary for people to be fully Christian. Paul countered that Christ in believers was progressively supplying them with the knowledge they needed. He was nurturing them in the process of spiritual growth.
3:11-12. The phrase “in Christ” refers to God’s new people. The phrase “there is not” has the force of “there cannot be.” It expresses the impossibility of humanly devised barriers among God’s new people. Christ is all and in all. He is the sphere in which all believers live, and He is all that ultimately matters. Also, He lives in each Christian, who represents Him to all other believers. Thus, faith and love remove earthly categories in God’s new people. The result is His people’s oneness. New people in Christ were to put on certain virtues as they would don new clothes. Paul addressed them with three descriptive terms. They were God’s chosen ones. Through faith in Christ, they had taken their place among God’s people. Believers were holy—set aside for God’s service and for moral purity. They also were loved; they lived in God’s love. Paul listed five attributes of believers as new people in Christ. The phrase “heartfelt compassion” conveys the idea of feeling so deeply with others who are hurting that a person shares their pain. The Greek word translated “kindness” has the idea of goodness, of considering others’ good to be as important as a person’s own. Humility is a healthy view of oneself in which a person thinks neither too highly nor too negatively of self. It also involves a willingness to forgo rights and privileges to help others. Gentleness has the sense of strength that is controlled and channeled constructively. Patience literally is “long-suffering.”
3:13-15. Paul added two character qualities to his list. The Greek term rendered “accepting” means “putting up with.” Believers were to endure offenses patiently. Forgiving has the sense of pardoning others as a gift of grace. If a believer had a complaint (grievance) against another Christian, the offended person was to take the initiative to forgive the offender as (in the same manner) the Lord had graciously forgiven the one offended. Christians were to take the initiative to forgive others because of their personal experience of Christ’s forgiveness. Above all, literally is “over all.” As an outer garment covering the items Paul had listed, believers were to put on love—agape, determined goodwill that seeks others’ best interests. Such persistent goodwill is the perfect bond of unity. Christ had called believers to His peace—spiritual wholeness under His lordship. The phrase in one body implies believers’ oneness under Christ’s rule as the Head of His body, the church. They were to allow Christ’s gift of spiritual health to exercise control (literally, “act as an umpire”) at the center of their lives (in their hearts). Gratitude was to be a continuing characteristic of their life together. The exhortation to be thankful applied especially to corporate worship.
3:16. Christ’s word—the genuine message as opposed to the false teachers’ empty substitute—was to continue to have priority in the church. The word “richly” has the idea of flourishing or being abundant. Paul pointed to three ongoing activities that should issue from Christ’s indwelling word or message. Teaching referred to instruction in Christian living. Admonishing involved warning against false teachings and encouraging one another. Mutual instruction and encouragement were to be offered in all wisdom—carefully, tactfully, and with the right motive. Singing joyfully expresses worship and praise. Psalms were Old Testament songs of faith that originally were sung to musical accompaniment. Hymns were songs of praise and probably were Christian compositions. Spiritual songs may have been spontaneous melodies or compositions similar to today’s gospel songs. Believers’ joyful singing was to express to God the constant gratitude that flowed from their hearts.
3:17. Paul urged believers to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. “Name” is a synonym for person. Thus, the phrase is the same as “in Christ”—in close relationship with Him. The words “in the name” of can mean “in the authority or power of.” Jesus supplies power for Christian living. The title “the Lord Jesus” stressed that they were to represent their Savior and Master well in their daily lives. Paul again emphasized believers’ expressing gratitude to God the Father. God was the believers' Father in the sense that they were members of His family through faith in Christ. Their joyful gratitude was channeled through Christ, who made possible their relationship with the Father. We live in accordance with new life in Christ when our behavior reflects our relationship with God. He provides us with daily power to live for Him.
July 26 & 27, 2025
Small Group Study
SERMON RECAP
Spend a few minutes recapping this week's sermon together.
TAP HERE TO VIEW THE SERMON NOTES.
- What was one takeaway from this week's sermon for you?
- Were there any stories, ideas, or points that stuck out?
- Was there anything that challenged you?
INTRODUCTION
- What would you say are the “typical” results of following Jesus Christ? How does this compare with the results we ought to see?
- What dramatic results would we see in “before-and-after” spiritual photos of some of the people at our church?
Paul began his letter to the Colossians by proclaiming the truth about Jesus Christ and warning believers against false teachings. In the final chapters, he instructed believers how to live out the new life in Christ. He explained the difference Christ should make in our lives and exhorted his readers to display that change in their lives.
UNDERSTANDING
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ COLOSSIANS 3:1-4.
- What does it mean to seek what is above? How do we do that? How should our future hope change our day-to-day focus?
Paul’s statement, “You have died” (v. 2), seems contrary to fact—we’re still living and breathing. He was referring to believers’ participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus (Col. 2:12-13; Rom. 6:1-11). In his letter to the Galatians, Paul explained, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:19-20). We have died to sins, so we might live for righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24).
- What are the benefits of seeking what is above? What are the pitfalls of keeping our minds set on the things of the earth?
- What worldly distractions can get in the way of believers keeping their focus on Christ? What are some practical ways to keep our thoughts focused on Christ as we fulfill our earthly obligations?
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ COLOSSIANS 3:5-10.
- What do the sins listed in verse 5 have in common? What do they reveal about our hearts?
- Why did Paul say greed was equivalent to idolatry? What do we worship when we are greedy?
We are to put to death what belongs to our worldly nature (v. 5). In Greek, this command is literally to put to death “the earthly members.” We are to do away with the ungodly characteristics and affections that were formerly a significant part of who we are.
- What do the negative attributes in the second list (in verse 8) have in common? What do they reveal about our hearts?
- How do these verses show the tension between the change in who we are (and whose we are) and the changes that still need to take place in our thoughts and actions?
- What is the connection between renewing our minds and transforming our behaviors?
As we look to Christ, our minds are renewed in knowledge. This frees us to put off the old practices that were concerned with satisfying our worldly appetites and criticizing others for our own benefit. We are instead to become more and more like Christ.
- What is our part in this transformation? Can we accomplish this by our own human effort alone? Explain.
- From verse 10, what is God’s part in our renewal? What does this verse reveal about the goal of our renewal?
- Which sins and attitudes of the old self do you think are most difficult to leave behind? What does it take to find the desire and discipline to put off the old ways?
We are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ, but we operate in two dimensions: in Christ (spiritually) and in the world (physically). Only when we get to heaven will we be free from the propensity toward sin that remains with us daily.
HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ COLOSSIANS 3:11-17.
- What barriers are represented in verse 11? How does our culture deal with them? As believers, how should we view them?
- Why should there be no barriers of segregation or prejudice among God’s new people?
- What virtues does Paul name in verses 12-14? How would it transform our church if we all worked to emphasize these qualities in our relationships with one another?
- How might our groups look different if we all lived out these commands in verses 15-17? What sometimes seems to be missing in our Christian lives?
When the word of Christ takes root in individual believers and in the community of faith, there will be teaching (positive instruction), admonishing one another (negative correction), and thankful worship, evidenced by songs and expressions of gratitude.
APPLICATION
- Do your words build up or tear down others? What would make your words and thoughts more pleasing to the Lord?
- Which attitudes and behaviors from verses 12-14 do you need to cultivate to more fully display Christlike character?
- How well do we make the story of Jesus Christ the center of our teaching and worship at our church? How can we make it more fully the topic of our conversation and our praise?
PRAYER
Ask the Lord to help all to live the new life of purity, unity, and thankfulness for all He has done for us.
—----------------------------------
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY
[for further reading on this passage]
COLOSSIANS 3:1-17
3:1-2. The phrase “if you have been raised” connects what follows with “if you died with the Messiah” in Colossians 2:20. The word “if” has the force of “because.” Believers had died to sin’s rule and had been raised with Christ to new life. Thus, they were to seek (go on striving for) what is above—the lofty qualities of character that Christ revealed. He is seated at God’s right hand, the position of honor, majesty, and power. Believers consistently were to make the victorious, reigning Christ their priority—to center their lives in Him. Believers were to set their minds on what is above. The Greek word translated set your minds on has the idea of continually focusing total attention on something. Such focus involves affections, will, and intellect. The phrase “what is above” essentially refers to Christ’s character traits. The words what is on the earth refer to worldly goals and values.
3:3. Believers had died spiritually to their old, sinful way of life. Because of that complete break, their lives were hidden with Christ in God. Three interpretations of Paul’s statement are possible. (1) He may have had in mind their spiritual safety and security. (2) The words could have pointed to Christ as the Source (whom the world could not see) of believers’ new quality of life. (3) Paul may have meant that in the present, they could not grasp the fullness of their life in Christ. In light of verse 4, a combination of (2) and (3) seems likely.
3:4. Believers’ lives were to demonstrate love for and faithfulness to Christ. His being revealed referred to His return, when all people will acknowledge His lordship (see Phil. 2:9-11). Also, Christians will realize the fullness of their new life in Christ. The phrase “in” glory refers to more than Christ’s (and believers’) radiant splendor. The term glory indicates God’s character revealed as redemptive. All people will see Christ for who He is and will recognize believers as reflecting His character. We live in accordance with new life in Christ when we consider Him and base our actions on what He has done and will do for us. For us, “living is Christ” (Phil. 1:21).
3:5. Because believers’ lives centered on Christ, they were to put to death (completely break with) worldly elements in their lives. They had to remove every facet—every expression—of the old, sin-dominated life. Worldly values, goals, attitudes, and actions were incompatible with their new life in Christ. Paul addressed sexual immorality and listed five vices believers were to eliminate from their lives. In his day, sexual promiscuity among pagans was rampant. Believers were to make a complete break with an immoral lifestyle. The Greek word translated sexual immorality was an umbrella term for all sinful sexual activity, whether by married or unmarried people. The word impurity expanded the range to include unclean thoughts and words as well as actions. Here, the term rendered lust has the sense of uncontrolled sexual urges. The phrase evil desire includes sinful sexual desire and broadens the scope to all evil passions. The word translated “greed” has the idea of a feverish desire for something someone else has or for something not yet obtained. Here, the term probably refers to unrestrained pursuit of sexual pleasure. Such greed is idolatry. Self becomes the center of life, and life’s energies are focused on self-gratification.
3:6-7. The vices listed bring God’s wrath on people who habitually practice them. God’s wrath is His settled opposition to sin, not the emotion of anger. If people choose to disobey God and insist on their sinful course, He will give them over to their choice. Evil, however, has within it the seeds of its own destruction and will work its way out to its inevitable result: death. Disobedient people make themselves God’s enemies. Before the Colossian believers became Christians, they practiced the vices Paul listed. The word “walked” means “lived.” The five sins were characteristic of believers’ former lifestyles. The phrase “when you were living in them” may refer to the inner principle of evil that generated their sinful practices.
3:8. The words “but now” contrasted believers’ old lifestyles to their new life in Christ. Paul listed five elements believers were to put away (lay aside, as soiled clothing). Three sins pertain to attitudes, and two concern speech. Thus, Paul emphasized that sinful attitudes and words are as serious as sinful acts. The Greek term translated “anger” is the same word Paul used in 3:6 for God’s wrath. When it refers to a human attitude, it has the sense of a continuing, seething resentment toward others. The word rendered “here” as wrath also can be understood as “rage”—a sudden, heated outburst of temper that dies down quickly. The term rendered malice conveys the idea of ill will that awaits an opportunity to inflict intentional harm. These attitudes have no place in believers’ lives. Paul urged believers to get rid of two kinds of speech. The Greek term translated “slander” means “speaking critically of another person with the intent to hurt.” The Greek term rendered “filthy language” has the sense of obscene and abusive speech.
3:9-10. Paul stressed that truthfulness was to be a mark of the believers’ lifestyle. The phrase “do not lie” can have the force of “stop lying.” The Colossian believers’ relationships with one another and their witness to unbelievers required truth and honesty. Lying, dishonesty, and deceit had characterized their pagan lifestyles; but because they had put off the old self (nature), they were to shed these practices (habitual actions) as they would discard old, ragged, filthy clothing. At conversion, believers had put on (as new, clean clothing) the new self (nature). In Greek, the tense of the verbs translated “put off” (3:9) and “put on” (3:10) convey once-for-all action. When believers placed their faith in Christ, He gave them a new nature governed by His grace. The new self is (continually) being renewed (transformed in quality) in knowledge. Christ works in believers to facilitate a process of renewal—of their continuing to gain new insights into and understanding of God’s will. False teachers in Colossae offered secret knowledge they claimed was necessary for people to be fully Christian. Paul countered that Christ in believers was progressively supplying them with the knowledge they needed. He was nurturing them in the process of spiritual growth.
3:11-12. The phrase “in Christ” refers to God’s new people. The phrase “there is not” has the force of “there cannot be.” It expresses the impossibility of humanly devised barriers among God’s new people. Christ is all and in all. He is the sphere in which all believers live, and He is all that ultimately matters. Also, He lives in each Christian, who represents Him to all other believers. Thus, faith and love remove earthly categories in God’s new people. The result is His people’s oneness. New people in Christ were to put on certain virtues as they would don new clothes. Paul addressed them with three descriptive terms. They were God’s chosen ones. Through faith in Christ, they had taken their place among God’s people. Believers were holy—set aside for God’s service and for moral purity. They also were loved; they lived in God’s love. Paul listed five attributes of believers as new people in Christ. The phrase “heartfelt compassion” conveys the idea of feeling so deeply with others who are hurting that a person shares their pain. The Greek word translated “kindness” has the idea of goodness, of considering others’ good to be as important as a person’s own. Humility is a healthy view of oneself in which a person thinks neither too highly nor too negatively of self. It also involves a willingness to forgo rights and privileges to help others. Gentleness has the sense of strength that is controlled and channeled constructively. Patience literally is “long-suffering.”
3:13-15. Paul added two character qualities to his list. The Greek term rendered “accepting” means “putting up with.” Believers were to endure offenses patiently. Forgiving has the sense of pardoning others as a gift of grace. If a believer had a complaint (grievance) against another Christian, the offended person was to take the initiative to forgive the offender as (in the same manner) the Lord had graciously forgiven the one offended. Christians were to take the initiative to forgive others because of their personal experience of Christ’s forgiveness. Above all, literally is “over all.” As an outer garment covering the items Paul had listed, believers were to put on love—agape, determined goodwill that seeks others’ best interests. Such persistent goodwill is the perfect bond of unity. Christ had called believers to His peace—spiritual wholeness under His lordship. The phrase in one body implies believers’ oneness under Christ’s rule as the Head of His body, the church. They were to allow Christ’s gift of spiritual health to exercise control (literally, “act as an umpire”) at the center of their lives (in their hearts). Gratitude was to be a continuing characteristic of their life together. The exhortation to be thankful applied especially to corporate worship.
3:16. Christ’s word—the genuine message as opposed to the false teachers’ empty substitute—was to continue to have priority in the church. The word “richly” has the idea of flourishing or being abundant. Paul pointed to three ongoing activities that should issue from Christ’s indwelling word or message. Teaching referred to instruction in Christian living. Admonishing involved warning against false teachings and encouraging one another. Mutual instruction and encouragement were to be offered in all wisdom—carefully, tactfully, and with the right motive. Singing joyfully expresses worship and praise. Psalms were Old Testament songs of faith that originally were sung to musical accompaniment. Hymns were songs of praise and probably were Christian compositions. Spiritual songs may have been spontaneous melodies or compositions similar to today’s gospel songs. Believers’ joyful singing was to express to God the constant gratitude that flowed from their hearts.
3:17. Paul urged believers to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. “Name” is a synonym for person. Thus, the phrase is the same as “in Christ”—in close relationship with Him. The words “in the name” of can mean “in the authority or power of.” Jesus supplies power for Christian living. The title “the Lord Jesus” stressed that they were to represent their Savior and Master well in their daily lives. Paul again emphasized believers’ expressing gratitude to God the Father. God was the believers' Father in the sense that they were members of His family through faith in Christ. Their joyful gratitude was channeled through Christ, who made possible their relationship with the Father. We live in accordance with new life in Christ when our behavior reflects our relationship with God. He provides us with daily power to live for Him.