Out with the Old
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | August 3, 2025
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Read Colossians 3:1 – 11 (NIV)
Our New Testament lesson today comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church at Colossae. It was written around 60 A.D. while Paul was being held as a prisoner in Rome.
This letter was initially written to address the wrongdoing that was taking place within the church... but also to show the believers that they already had everything they needed in Christ… they did not, and we do not, need to look anywhere else... because the reality is that if there is anything that is NOT in Christ... it is safe to say that we definitely don’t need it.
To put things into a little context... there are four chapters in the Book of Colossians. The first two chapters highlight what Christ has done for us... while the second two chapters explain what we are supposed to do in turn… how we should live our lives in response to Christ’s love and ultimate sacrifice... and just what it means to be real Christians and followers of Christ.
And as we think about what it means for us to live our lives as true disciples of Christ... let me suggest that there are some things we will need to let go of... some behaviors we will need to change as we learn to live more like Christ... and so, this morning, let us focus our attention on the subject: OUT WITH THE OLD.
I want to invite us to listen to the text again, this time as it is found in the Message Paraphrase:
So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.Perhaps it would be helpful to put this into a little different perspective…
Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.
Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.
There may be times in our lives when we find ourselves going down the wrong road… heading on a path that leads to destruction… holding onto behaviors and attitudes that do not exemplify what it means to be followers of Christ… that is the moment when we need to let it all go... when it’s time to say OUT WITH THE OLD.
And that means whatever we were doing before we came to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior (and perhaps even after that) ...whatever causes division and discord in our homes, on our jobs and in the church… whatever wreaks havoc on our relationships with family, friends, and coworkers… whatever creates hostile and toxic environments wherever we go… whatever puts us in the position to fall prey so easily to sin and temptation…
Simply put, whatever keeps us from living a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God… whatever it may be… we need to make a clean sweep of it... because living a Christlike life means the time has come to go OUT WITH THE OLD.
And trust me, I understand that it can be so much easier said than done...
Some of the things we have been doing are simply old habits that feel like they are too hard to break. Some of the things we have been saying just come up and out of our mouths before we even realize it. Some of the things that we are thinking seem to just come out of nowhere... as if we have little or no control over those unkind, critical, and judgmental thoughts.
But if we want to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord... we have to look at things from the mindset that it is OUT WITH THE OLD. And while it is sure to be difficult if we are trying to do things in our own strength... we have the assurance that we are not alone... and we do not have to do any of this by ourselves.
Listen to what Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church:
Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:7 – 10).Add to that what Paul wrote to the Philippian Church:
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:12 – 13).In other words... whether it is in good times or in bad, we can make it through any and every situation... not because of anything we can do on our own... but because of Christ who gives us the strength to endure. It is all because of God’s grace, that we already have everything that we need through our Lord and our Savior, Jesus the Christ.
But we need to be clear, the Lord never promised that it would be easy... in fact Jesus said it Himself, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
In spite of the fact that we will have trials, tribulation and trouble in this world... the Lord has promised to be with us through it all… to never leave us nor forsake us… to be with us always, even to the end of the age.
And it is because of the Lord’s promise to be with us that Paul could offer encouragement to the Colossians (and to us) to set our hearts and minds on the things above… to think on eternal, not temporal things… like all the craziness we see happening in the world around us.
Paul encouraged his readers to have “the same mindset as Christ” (Philippians 2:9) …to put our priorities in order, focusing not on the things of this world, on this life that is filled with uncertainty and insecurity... but to keep our eyes fixed on the best that is yet to come… everlasting life in the kingdom of God.
Unfortunately, it can be all too easy to get caught up with those earthly things... not just the glitz and glamour but also the devastation and destruction that so cunningly cause us to take our eyes off of the ultimate prize.
In his letter to the Philippians (3:14), Paul wrote, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
This should serve as encouragement to us that there is nothing that this life has to offer that can ever compare to the life that is to come… although that does not mean that there won’t be a few enticements along the way.
And while there are those who would have us live by the mantra that “if it feels good, do it” ...suffice it to say, not everything that feels good really is good.
That is why in our text, Paul says to, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed…” In other words, all those things that may feel good in the moment but are sure to bring heartache and despair later…when it comes to all of that... it has to be OUT WITH THE OLD.
And it is more than just the things that may make us feel good in the short run... Paul also encourages believers to get rid of “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from [our] lips.” …all those negative and hurtful emotions and behaviors.
Talk about a tall order…
“Anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language” are often our default mechanisms when things do not go our way… when that driver cuts us off in traffic or takes that parking space we were about to pull into… when our spouse or significant other keeps pushing our buttons, seemingly on purpose, to get on our last nerve… when those elected officials keep putting their personal agendas ahead of the good of the people they have been called to serve… when everything we see on the news puts our blood pressure on boil...
If anger, rage, and bitterness have become our go-to response for all that is happening in the world around us... let me suggest that we need to take a page out of Paul’s book and recognize that it is not only OUT WITH THE OLD... it must also be IN WITH THE NEW.
We need to take off the old self and put on the new self as Paul describes it… that new self that reflects the image of Christ… that new self that understands and accepts that we have ALL been made in the image and likeness of Christ… that new self that follows Christ’s command to love God with all of who we are and love our neighbor as we love ourselves… that new self that is willing, just like Christ, not to be served but to serve (see Mark 10:45).
As Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthian Church (2 Corinthians 5:17), “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
And I don’t know about you... but I think we could use a little newness in our lives right about now.
Now, I want to shift gears for just a moment... as we think about OUT WITH THE OLD and in with the new... it reminds me of a strategy that can be helpful in decluttering one’s home. For every new item that we bring in... we ought to get rid of at least one or two old things to make room for what we have just bought. For example, for every new pair of shoes we buy... we should be donating at least one or two pair to the St. Pauly shed or Goodwill or some other organization.
That is one of the ways we can avoid the tendency to become hoarders... um, I mean collectors... gathering more stuff than we need or could ever possibly use... after all, we only have one pair of feet... just how many shoes do we really need?
The reality is that we can find ourselves accumulating things we have very little use for simply because clever marketers have convinced us we cannot live without them. So, that practice of OUT WITH THE OLD and in with the new can be very helpful as we are decluttering our physical spaces.
But that idea of decluttering has practical application in other areas of our lives as well.
There are times when we get stuck in habits and behaviors that are based on what we think we are supposed to do because of the actions and expectations of the people we have surrounded ourselves with.
We form relationships that are toxic and dysfunctional because the idea of being with someone, anyone, seems so much better than the prospect of being alone.
But we do not have to settle for things in this life that are empty and meaningless, with no eternal value… We do not have to put up with attitudes and behaviors (ours or anyone else’s) that are neither pleasing nor acceptable to God.
And we do not have to settle for relationships that are harmful and distressful simply to avoid being alone… because the fact of the matter is that we are NEVER alone… remember, the Lord has promised to be with us ALWAYS, even to the end of the age…
So, it’s perfectly okay to stop carrying all of that baggage from the past... OUT WITH THE OLD... no more shame, embarrassment, and humiliation...
In with the new... the peace, joy, contentment, acceptance... and so much more that can only come from the Lord.
God gave us His Son to be our Lord and Savior which means we really do have all that we need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:19).
Jesus came and gave His life in exchange for ours so that we would have life and have it to the full (see John 10:10).
And He has also given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to teach us, guide us and remind us of all that Jesus has promised… including His promise of peace that surpasses all understanding.
With all of that... I think it is safe to say that we really do have everything that we need. So, it should not be all that hard for us to let go of the past... to declare OUT WITH THE OLD way of life... and to embrace the new life that comes when we make the decision to follow Jesus.
And let me just say the decision to follow Jesus is the best decision we will ever make, because as the last line of our text reminds us, “Christ is all, and is in all.”
And if you have already made that decision to be all in with Jesus or you are ready to make that decision right here and right now... I want to invite us to stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus #344. Back
