SERMON SERIES · BELIEFS AND BEHAVIORS

Put On Christ: Colossians 3

You can have right theology and still be a wreck in your relationships. Paul says that cancels itself out. This message walks through the new wardrobe every Christian is told to put on and never take off.

We need to know the mystery of the Trinity and we need to know how to treat each other. You cannot have one without the other.

WHAT THIS SERMON IS ABOUT

The Christian Wardrobe You Never Take Off

Most of us know Christians who can quote chapter and verse and still leave a wake of broken relationships behind them. Colossians 3 says that posture is not actually Christian. Right doctrine paired with heretical relationships cancels itself out. Valor Church is an expository, Bible-teaching church in northwest Arvada, Colorado, serving Westminster, Broomfield, Five Parks, and Candelas. Sundays at 10am at Excel Academy, 11500 W 84th Ave.

Paul writes to the church in Colossae and uses clothing language on purpose. In Colossians 3:12 he tells God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. The verb is a Greek metaphor for clothing yourself, the way royalty would dress to signal identity and status. Paul is saying your behavior is the uniform of who you already are in Christ.

The sermon walks three movements. First, the virtue of relationships in verses 12 through 14, where compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and love hold the church together. Second, the virtue of corporate worship in verse 16, letting the word of Christ dwell richly among us through teaching, admonishing, and singing. Third, the virtue of honoring the Lord in verse 17, where everything you do in word or deed is done in the name of Jesus.

The application is uncomfortable on purpose. Dad on stage has to be dad at home. The Christian on Sunday has to be the same person on the I25 commute. Jesus does not get one compartment of your life. He gets all of them. God will humble you, or if you refuse, he will humiliate you. Plan A is better. Come put it all under his authority.

A new church plant in NW Arvada.

Sundays at 10a at Excel Academy. Expository preaching, real community, a clear next step.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

A 7-DAY DEVOTIONAL

Go deeper with this message all week.

Seven days of Scripture, reflection, and prayer drawn from this sermon. One a day. Read it in five minutes. Carry it the rest of the day.

DAY 1

You Are Already Chosen

Colossians 3:12

Paul does not start with the behavior. He starts with the identity. You are God’s chosen one, holy and dearly loved. The virtues that follow are not how you earn that status, they are how you wear it. Beliefs lead to behaviors. The order matters because performance without identity collapses every time.

Prayer
Father, let the truth that I am chosen and loved be the soil my obedience grows out of today.

DAY 2

Compassion That Moves You

Colossians 3:12

The Greek word here is gut-level. The old translation reads bowels of mercy. This is not polite sympathy. It is a deep feeling that hits you hard and moves you to act. Compassion that never costs you anything is not the compassion Paul is talking about.

Prayer
Lord, give me the gut-level mercy that actually moves my hands and my schedule.

DAY 3

Forgive Fast

Colossians 3:13

If anyone has a grievance against another, forgive, just as the Lord has forgiven you. The standard is not how sincere their apology sounded. The standard is the cross. Refusing to forgive a brother or sister while clinging to the forgiveness of Christ is a posture the Christian cannot hold.

Prayer
Jesus, soften me where I have gone stubborn. Help me release what you have already released.

DAY 4

Love Is the Bond

Colossians 3:14

Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. This agape love is warmth and goodwill toward the people Christ died for. Blood is thicker than water, and we are bound by the blood of Jesus. The church’s highest impact on a city is not its branding, its worship team, or its website. It is the affection believers have for one another.

Prayer
Lord, give me real affection for the people you have placed beside me on Sunday.

DAY 5

Let the Word Dwell Richly

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you. The gathering is not a box to check. It is holy ground, an expectation that Jesus will change you when his people meet. Strip the building, the sound system, the coffee. If the hearts in the room are ready, the room will be on fire.

Prayer
Father, give me an expectant heart before I walk in the door this Sunday.

DAY 6

Sing and Speak Jesus

Colossians 3:16

Teach and admonish one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Faith is personal but it is also communal. You do not need to be a theologian to encourage a brother who is doubting his salvation with Romans 10:9 or Ephesians 2:8-9. If Jesus is everything, we should be able to speak of him freely and often.

Prayer
Lord, loosen my tongue to speak your word into the people around me.

DAY 7

No Compartments

Colossians 3:17

Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. The Christian who is warm on Sunday and cold at home is not the Christian Paul describes. Every moment, every commute, every conversation belongs under the authority of King Jesus. There is no compartment off limits to him.

Prayer
Jesus, take the parts of my life I have kept off limits and put them under your rule today.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

For your small group, family, or personal reflection.

Before this sermon, had you ever thought about right theology and right relationships as both required, not either-or?
Which of the five virtues in Colossians 3:12 is hardest for you to put on right now: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, or patience?
Is there someone you have refused to forgive while still clinging to the forgiveness of Christ? What is keeping you stuck?
Justin said the church’s highest impact is not the branding or the building but the affection between believers. Where does Valor pass or fail that test in your experience?
What does an expectant heart look like for you on Saturday night and Sunday morning before gathered worship?
Who in your life needs you to teach or admonish them with the word right now, the way Ryan’s group did for him?
Name one compartment of your life that is not under the authority of Jesus. What would it look like to put it under his rule this week?

Want to work through these with others? Small groups at Valor meet throughout the week. Find a Group

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Questions people search for. Here are honest answers.

What are the characteristics of a biblically-based church?

A biblically-based church preaches the Bible plainly, lets Scripture set the agenda rather than chasing relevance, holds to clear gospel teaching, baptizes professing believers, and shapes its relationships by the same word it preaches. Colossians 3 says right theology without right relationships cancels itself out. Valor is an expository, Bible-teaching church in northwest Arvada built on both.

How to know if a church is a good church?

Watch how the people treat each other. A good church has expository preaching that lets the Bible speak, a plurality of qualified elders, baptism by immersion of professing believers, and a culture where compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience are not slogans but practice. Plan your visit to Valor and watch us in person before you decide.

How do I find a local church to help me become a Christian?

Find a church that preaches the gospel clearly, opens the Bible verse by verse, and where the people will sit with you in your questions instead of rushing you to a decision. If you are in NW Arvada, Westminster, Broomfield, or the surrounding area, we would love to walk this with you. Talk with a pastor or come this Sunday at 10am.

Find churches near me with a strong emphasis on biblical teaching.

Valor Church preaches through whole books of the Bible verse by verse, and our current series Beliefs and Behaviors is walking through Colossians line by line. We gather Sundays at 10am at Excel Academy, 11500 W 84th Ave in Arvada. Come hear the Bible taught the way it was written.

How can I find a church with solid children’s biblical education programs?

Look for a church where the kids’ teaching is the same gospel the adults are hearing, taught by leaders who know your child by name. Valor’s children’s ministry teaches the Bible to kids from infancy through fifth grade every Sunday at Excel Academy. Plan your visit and we will walk you through check-in your first Sunday.

GOT QUESTIONS?

Talk with a pastor.

Whether you are wrestling with what you just watched or with what life is throwing at you. A pastor will reach out within 48 hours.

TALK WITH A PASTOR

JOIN US SUNDAY

Sundays at 10a in NW Arvada.

Excel Academy, 11500 W 84th Ave. Come as you are. A friendly face will save you a seat.

PLAN YOUR VISIT