13The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. 14But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15and you killed the Author of Life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16And His name — by faith in His name — has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled. 19Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago.
5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above ever name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
12“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster. 14Who knows whether He will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?
15Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.
17Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'”
Song | Blessed Be Your Name — Scripture Inspiration: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Psalm 72:18-19, Psalm 36:8, James 1:17, Romans 5:3-5, Psalm 107:8-9, Psalm 23:4-6, Job 1:21-22, Daniel 2:19-20, John 10:10, Hebrews 3:7-10, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 4:12-19
Song | Your Great Name — Scripture Inspiration: Acts 4:12, Luke 19:10, Psalm 106:8, John 3:17, Romans 8:1, 1 John 4:18, James 4:7-8, Revelation 5:9-10, Philippians 2:9-11, 2 Corinthians 12:9-11, Psalm 107:9, Psalm 68:5, Matthew 4:24, John 11:1-44, Job 19:25, Psalm 103:3, Revelation 11:17, Proverbs 23:11, Revelation 17:14
Song | What a Beautiful Name — Scripture Inspiration: John 1:1, John 10:30, John 1:14, John 1:3, John 1:10, Matthew 6:13, 1 Timothy 6:15, Isaiah 40:18-20, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, John 14:6, Philippians 2:5-11, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:36-39, Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:18, Matthew 27:51, Romans 6:9, Revelation 19:1-6, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:16, Deuteronomy 11:25
Invitation | Come Ye Sinners — Scripture Inspiration: Scripture Inspiration: Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 5:27-32, Romans 3:21-26, 1 Timothy 1:15, James 4:6-10, Luke 15:11-32, Romans 8:18-30, Luke 9:51, Luke 22:39-46, Galatians 4:4-5, Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 1:3-9, 1 Peter 1:17-21
Offertory | It is Well with My Soul — Scripture Inspiration: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, John 14:27, John 16:29-33, Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:14-15, Colossians 3:15, 3 John 2, 1 Peter 5:8, Psalm 66:8-12, Acts 14:22, Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:5-9, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 94:19, Luke 12:22-26, John 3:30, Philippians 4:6-7, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 9:22, 1 Peter 1:2, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Colossians 2:14, Philippians 1:21, Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25, Philippians 3:20, Mark 13:26-27, Acts 1:11, Revelation 1:7, 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Revelation 11:15, Revelation 21:1-4
Song | Worthy of It All — Scripture Inspiration: Revelation 4:10-11, Revelation 7:9-17, Isaiah 53:7, John 1:29, Revelation 5:6-13, Romans 11:36, Malachi 1:11
14And it shall be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove ever obstruction from my people’s way.” 15For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. 16For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made. 17Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart. 18I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, 19creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal him. 20But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. 21There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
Song | Open the Eyes of My Heart — Scripture Inspiration: Ephesians 1:17-18, Psalm 119:18, Isaiah 6:1-8, Matthew 5:8, Job 37:22, Isaiah 60:1, Ezekiel 7:8, Romans 5:5, Revelation 4:8
Song | Great I Am — Scripture Inspiration: Psalm 73:28, Philippians 3:20, 1 Corinthians 15:54-56, Revelation 5:9-13, Psalm 113:1, Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8, 1 Samuel 2:2, Revelation 5:4-6, Revelation 15:3, Revelation 11:17, Exodus 3:14, John 8:58, Psalm 145:18, 1 John 3:16, 1 John 4:13-18, Proverbs 8:13, Psalm 119:63, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Isaiah 64:1, James 2:19, Luke 8:31-33, Luke 10:17, Psalm 76:7
Scripture | Colossians 2:13-15 —
13And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.
Song | Death Was Arrested — Scripture Inspiration: Ephesians 2:1-5, Romans 5:6-8, Revelation 20:14, Revelation 21:1-5, Galatians 2:19-20, 1 Peter 3:18, Romans 5:1-8, Romans 6:15-23, Colossians 2:13-14, John 19:28-30, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Revelation 1:18, Luke 15:11-32
Song | Forever (We Sing Hallelujah) — Scripture Inspiration: Matthew 27:51, Revelation 22:16, 1 Peter 4:6, Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:28, Colossians 2:14, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:45-46, John 19:30, Revelation 1:18, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, Hosea 13:14, 1 Corinthians 15:24-26, 2 Timothy 1:10, Hebrews 2:14, Revelation 5:9-13, Acts 4:33
14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.
16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. 18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
18For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Christ Has Come – Week 3Episode Title: The Promised King & His Gift of JoyLuke 1:39–56In this Advent episode of Christ Has Come, Keith Harris turns to Luke 1 and invites us to slow down and listen to the joy that begins stirring before Bethlehem. Long before angels sing to shepherds, joy breaks the silence in the hill country of Judea—through a Spirit-filled confession, a leaping child, and the worshipful song of a young woman who trusts the promises of God.Together, we explore:What biblical joy is—and what it isn’t, distinguishing it from fleeting happiness or emotional highs.How joy appears before the word is even spoken, as John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of the unborn Messiah.Why Mary’s joy is rooted not in circumstances but in God’s mercy, as she magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God her Savior.The meaning and message of the Magnificat, a Scripture-saturated song that celebrates God’s great reversal—lifting the lowly, filling the hungry, and humbling the proud.How Mary’s joy points beyond herself to Jesus, the promised King who fulfills God’s covenant promises and secures lasting joy through His saving work.This episode reminds us that joy is not something we manufacture—it’s something we receive, and it grows wherever Jesus is trusted. Advent teaches us that true joy is found not in having life figured out, but in the presence of Christ and the mercy He brings.If you would like to see a written version of this study, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
1I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. 2O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
4Sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name. 5For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” 7By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face; I was dismayed.
8To You, O LORD, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: 9“What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it tell of Your faithfulness? 10Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!”
11You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
Song | Graves Into Gardens (w/ How Great Thou Art) — Scripture Inspiration: Psalm 34:10, Isaiah 55:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3, Luke 15:11-24, Romans 6:23, John 6:26-35, Revelation 7:13-17, Matthew 11:28-30, 1 John 4:8, Psalm 51:10, Jeremiah 24:7, Ezekiel 36:26, Romans 12:2, Psalm 37:4, Exodus 8:10, Deuteronomy 3:24, Jeremiah 10:6, 1 Samuel 2:2, Isaiah 40:18, Romans 5:6-8, Psalm 138:8-9, 1 Kings 8:39, 1 John 3:20, John 15:15, Psalm 139:7-12, Hebrews 4:13, Psalm 30:11, Isaiah 62:2, Galatians 2:19-20, John 14:6, 1 Corinthians 15:20-49, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Exodus 14:1-31
Song | Jesus Paid It All (O Praise the One) — Scripture Inspiration: Matthew 11:28-30, John 19:30, Colossians 2:13-14, 2 Corinthians 4:15, Hebrews 12:28-29, Isaiah 1:18, Jeremiah 13:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 11:19, Revelation 4:10-11, Romans 6:4, Revelation 5:9-10
Scripture | John 1:1-5, 9-14 —
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
…
9The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. 11He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. 12But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Song | What a Beautiful Name — Scripture Inspiration: John 1:1, John 10:30, John 1:14, John 1:3, John 1:10, Matthew 6:13, 1 Timothy 6:15, Isaiah 40:18-20, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, John 14:6, Philippians 2:5-11, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:36-39, Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:18, Matthew 27:51, Romans 6:9, Revelation 19:1-6, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:16, Deuteronomy 11:25
Song | Ain’t No Grave — Scripture Inspiration: John 8:34, Romans 6:6, 1 John 4:8, 1 Chronicles 28:20, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 1 Corinthians 15:50-56, John 8:44, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelation 12:9, Genesis 3:15, Ephesians 6:11-18, Isaiah 25:8, Hosea 13:14, 2 Timothy 1:10, Hebrews 2:14, Revelation 5:5, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
Christ Has Come – Week 3Episode Title: The Promised King & His Gift of JoyLuke 1:39–56In this Advent episode of Christ Has Come, Keith Harris turns to Luke 1 and invites us to slow down and listen to the joy that begins stirring before Bethlehem. Long before angels sing to shepherds, joy breaks the silence in the hill country of Judea—through a Spirit-filled confession, a leaping child, and the worshipful song of a young woman who trusts the promises of God.Together, we explore:What biblical joy is—and what it isn’t, distinguishing it from fleeting happiness or emotional highs.How joy appears before the word is even spoken, as John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of the unborn Messiah.Why Mary’s joy is rooted not in circumstances but in God’s mercy, as she magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God her Savior.The meaning and message of the Magnificat, a Scripture-saturated song that celebrates God’s great reversal—lifting the lowly, filling the hungry, and humbling the proud.How Mary’s joy points beyond herself to Jesus, the promised King who fulfills God’s covenant promises and secures lasting joy through His saving work.This episode reminds us that joy is not something we manufacture—it’s something we receive, and it grows wherever Jesus is trusted. Advent teaches us that true joy is found not in having life figured out, but in the presence of Christ and the mercy He brings.If you would like to see a written version of this study, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved….[1]
Colossians 3:9-12
17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.[2]
Christ Has Come – Week 3Episode Title: The Promised King & His Gift of JoyLuke 1:39–56In this Advent episode of Christ Has Come, Keith Harris turns to Luke 1 and invites us to slow down and listen to the joy that begins stirring before Bethlehem. Long before angels sing to shepherds, joy breaks the silence in the hill country of Judea—through a Spirit-filled confession, a leaping child, and the worshipful song of a young woman who trusts the promises of God.Together, we explore:What biblical joy is—and what it isn’t, distinguishing it from fleeting happiness or emotional highs.How joy appears before the word is even spoken, as John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of the unborn Messiah.Why Mary’s joy is rooted not in circumstances but in God’s mercy, as she magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God her Savior.The meaning and message of the Magnificat, a Scripture-saturated song that celebrates God’s great reversal—lifting the lowly, filling the hungry, and humbling the proud.How Mary’s joy points beyond herself to Jesus, the promised King who fulfills God’s covenant promises and secures lasting joy through His saving work.This episode reminds us that joy is not something we manufacture—it’s something we receive, and it grows wherever Jesus is trusted. Advent teaches us that true joy is found not in having life figured out, but in the presence of Christ and the mercy He brings.If you would like to see a written version of this study, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
Y’all, I had a really clever introduction to this week’s Bible study. It was so clever that I was proud and sure that it would be quite convincing. Then, I was convicted. The Bible does not need me to be clever to make it living, active, and sufficient (Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16); it is all those things and more because it is the Word of God. As my pastor says, if you win someone with an argument (or clever in this case), you will have to keep them with an argument, but if you win them with Christ, He will keep them.
Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with cleverness. The issue, as I mentioned a few Bible studies ago, is pride. I like to write. I know God can use these Bible studies to help people. I like being clever, from time to time when I can actually pull it off, but it is inherently foolish for me to think that a quippy well-written introduction is going to convince you to either live the way the Bible teaches if you are saved or, if you do not know Christ, come to Him. His Spirit through the preaching, teaching, writing about His Word does the work. What is inherently wrong with my approach is in how it is similar to the way contemporary churches approach the work of the Word. We believe the Bible has these lists of things we should not do. We are good at telling people that. But our lives simply do not match with what the Bible says life in Christ looks like. That is a problem.
I have also found it very difficult to get this particular Bible study out to you. I toiled over it for a few weeks because I wanted to make sure I was carefully communicating the message. Then, we had to move out of our house for a few weeks while our air conditioning was being repaired, meaning that I was away from my usual means of producing these Bible studies. That led me to look at it more and more and essentially just accept that it was not yet the right time for this Bible study to be published. Thankfully, it is time – the right time – for us to dive into these texts.
So, rather than the song and dance of my clever introduction, I think it wiser to just go for it: Who are you?
Seriously, who are you? Whose are you?
The answer to those questions matters. Who and whose you are is answered in today’s passage which bridges the sinful-things-to-take-off section (Colossians 3:5-9) with the upcoming Christlike-things-to-put-on section (Colossians 3:12-14). Lord willing, today we will see and come to understand that those who are in Christ have a “new self” made “after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9-10), see who we are not as a lens for whose we are (Colossians 3:11), and realize all those who are in Christ are “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” (Colossians 3:12).
I Am a New Creation (vv. 9-10)
When I think of new life in Christ or being a new creation, I am always reminded of Paul’s words to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Those words, along with “new self” in v. 10 and Ephesians 4:24, give us a picture of what Jesus has done for those who have confessed Him as Lord and believed in Him: they are born again.
This is more than just church-talk, this is how Jesus Himself described what being saved is in John 3:1-21. Unless one has been “born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Because of His great love (Ephesians 2:4), God sent His only Son to be lifted up to die in our place on the cross – taking our sin and bearing the wrath of God due it (Romans 5:8-9), and “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). This is more than vivid imagery or something that preachers use to get people to walk an aisle; it is real and really happens in the lives of those who are saved by grace through faith in Christ.
Some misunderstand this or underestimate God’s power to change people based on the way that some church folks masquerade as Christians. In fact, the word Christian has little to no real meaning in some places because of how it gets linked to the way Christian is used in some cultures or politically. To understand what Christian means and how it came to be used to describe those who had been saved, we need to look at how the Bible uses it. Did you know that the word “Christian” was first used in Antioch as a hateful slur and derogatory term for Christ-followers (Acts 11:26)? And did you know that “Christian” only appears three times in the Bible?
It appears in Acts 11:26 where we learn of its origin when those who were part of the church in Antioch were mocked for believing and called little Christs, which is what the word literally means.
It is next used in Acts 26:28 after Paul had poured out his heart in sharing the gospel to King Agrippa who responded: “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul’s response to the king showed the heart of Christ as he said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am – except for these chains” (Acts 26:29). He wanted them to have all of Christ and none of what he was suffering.
Finally, it appears in 1 Peter 4:16 where Peter tells these exiled Jewish Christians that “if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” Peter was writing to people who had been dispersed across Asia-Minor who, if they genuinely bore fruit of Christ making them a new creation, would stick out from the extremely religious pagan society like sore thumbs and draw attention to the difference between knowing Christ and merely calling oneself a Christian (Ephesians 4:20-21).
In each of those instances, those who were known as Christians – by reputation not identification – had been recognized for being like Christ. Now, their reception by the world was not good or pleasant – but it was the same way they the world treated Jesus (John 15:18-25)! I have shared several times over the past few Bible studies how there is grace despite our sin and not dependent on our perspective, but it needs to be said without any condemnation that there should be some Christ visible in your life. Those who are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit bear fruit of the eternal life that is reminiscent of the life Christ lived on (Galatians 5:22-23, John 15:5). But, as I mentioned above with people masquerading as Christians, there is little Christ to be seen in some who claim to be little Christs. It should not be so.
If one is in Christ, the old is supposed to have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). The sin in the lives of Christians is to be put to death (Colossians 3:5) and/or put away (Colossians 3:8). Our testimony should be that we “once walked” in these sins (Colossians 3:7) because we should “no longer walk in them” (Ephesians 4:17) – “that is not the way you learned Christ” (Ephesians 4:20)! This is not judgment, speaking out of a place of negativity, or me trying to bash your life. This is me begging from the depth of my spirit for people who claim Christ to inspect the fruit in their lives. I beg, remind, and plead because it really is eternal life or death. And it is truly a gift to have “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Look at the way Paul described it to the church at Colossae. He told them that there should be a difference in the way that they spoke to one another before and after. He told them in v. 8 that they needed to put the sin of “obscene talk” from their mouths and reminds them in v. 9 that they should not “lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices”. He is communicating to the Colossian church that when they sin, they should recognize it the same as they would if they were wearing disgustingly filthy clothing: take it off (repent) and “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:10). Essentially, this looks like searching within ourselves and removing everything that does not resemble Christ and putting on everything we can that does resemble Christ. If this is something you balk at or think is useless, there is a problem. If you have been convinced that Christianity is merely fire insurance and that no change happens, there is a problem. Perfection is a pipe dream, yet we should seek not to sin; the differences is that when those who are in Christ sin, they “have an advocate”: “Jesus Christ the Righteous” (1 John 2:1)! The new life lived comes from Christ. The power and drive to live it comes from His Spirit within those who are saved. That is not perfection or our own righteousness; it is a life that points to Jesus, even when we fail.
Look at the way Paul described it to the church at Ephesus. He told them that their former manner of life was to be in the past with all its ignorance, distance from God, and callous attitude toward others (Ephesians 4:17-19). It almost reads like sarcasm when Paul tells them that continuing to live as they did before Christ is “not the way [they] learned Christ! – assuming that [they had] heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:20-21). Essentially, Paul presents it as either a before picture or an after picture. You are either in Christ, putting off your “old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires” or you are putting on the “new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteous and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). If you are all former and nothing new is within you, there is a problem.
Who are you? Whose are you?
Wrapping Up
I mentioned in the introduction how the time just was not right for this Bible study to be published over the past few weeks. I am thankful for that time to reflect on my own life in Christ and to prayerfully work through what it is to be a new creation – to plead and encourage people to do the same in their own lives. Then, last Sunday morning, my pastor, John Goldwater, was preaching from Matthew 22:1-14 regarding the parable of the wedding feast and the application and invitation struck me. John paused at the man who showed up to the wedding feast in inappropriate attire – how he should have been properly clothed in wedding garments (that can only come from being in Christ). I was reminded how today’s and next week’s passages fit in between the sin we need to take off and the Christ-likeness we need to put on – how our sin poorly clothes us but Christ covers us.
Check out how John put it:
My point is [Jesus] wasn’t talking about clothes. He used clothes as an illustration. They all understood if he was going [to the wedding feast from] working out in the field and … was dirty, messy – that you would go by the house – you’d clean up – you’d put on different clothes before you came to the wedding feast. Well, this man, he got into the wedding feast, but he didn’t have wedding garments on.
And here’s the difference. This is what he did. He tried to get into God’s party still wearing fig leaves like Adam and Eve because he hadn’t been by God to get the skins of covering (Genesis 3:7, 21).
He tried to come into the wedding feast his own way.
He tried to be like Joshua, the son of Jehozadak (Zechariah 3:1-10) – high priest during the time of Zechariah, who was covered in filthy clothes with the devil at his right hand accusing him of all these things until God said, “Devil, shut up; take those dirty clothes off him and give him clean clothes.”
You know where we get our clean clothes from? We get our clean clothes…. We don’t get them at Stubb’s, although that’s a fine place to get clothes. We don’t get them at Walmart, although that’s a fine place to get clothes. We don’t get them at Goodwill over in Oxford, although that’s a fine place to get good, affordable clothes. We get them when we have our meeting with God and … confess our way is sinful, and He takes off our old clothes and … gives us new.
He tells us in Colossians (ch. 3:5-14) – and we’ve been hearing this … from Keith, we’ve been reading it – that we put off the old man, we put off the old ways, and we put on Christ.
In Romans chapter 13 … [v]erse 14 says this: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. That’s what He’s talking about.
You wanna know what He’s talking about with these clothes? He’s talking about 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful, He is just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
You don’t get to set at the table before you visit the Savior and He changes your clothes. He changes your heart, changes your mind, saves your soul.
You don’t get there just cause you heard the invitation. You gotta receive the invitation. Come to Him for cleaning and made fit for the Kingdom of God, and nobody can make you fit for the Kingdom of God but Him.
So, here’s what I want to know. Today, have y’all – as a church, have you? as an individual – have you answered the invitation of grace, not taken it lightly, not decided to put it at the back of the line – the … back burner and put it out of your mind at the bottom of everything. Have you answered and taken [it] seriously – the invitation of grace to be saved … – that invitation and be glad about it? Have you come to Jesus and allowed Him to change who you are? To make you born again?
That idea of new clothes, it’s not just about taking one system off and putting a new system on. It’s about a new heart. It’s about a new soul. It’s about a new you. It’s about being born again.
You see, asking yourself who you are or whose you are is not to be taken lightly. It is more than simply stopping certain sins and starting certain acts of righteousness. It is about coming to Christ and Him saving you – Him making you born again – Him making you a new creation.
You might be wondering why this is such a big deal to me or why I am digging into this so much. I do not want you to be able to get the impression that being a Christian is something you can do. It is not humanly possible. I do not want you to get the idea that the works – both sins you quit and righteous ways you live – earn anything. They are proof, fruit, of what He has done inside of you.
If you read this and know you are His, but your life is steeped in dirty laundry, confess your sins to Him, repent of them, and He is “faithful and just to cleanse you of all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Trust that His ways are best and that He can produce His works, His fruit, in your life.
But if you read this and realize that you are not saved – that you have never been born again, that is not necessarily bad news. It means that there is an opportunity to come to Christ, for Him to save you. If you have questions about what it is to be saved or how to be saved, I would love to talk with you or point you to someone in your area who can show you in the Word how to be saved. If you have questions, I would love to help point you to Christ and see what His Word says. Who are you? Whose are you? I pray that the Lord helps you answer these questions today.
1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.
3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, He also appeared to me.
Song | What He’s Done — Scripture Inspiration: Matthew 7:33, Mark 15:22, Luke 23:33, John 19:7, Matthew 26:26, Colossians 1:19-20, 1 Peter 1:19, John 8:36, Isaiah 53, Psalm 147:3, John 3:16, John 15:13, Romans 8:5-8, 1 John 1:9-2:2, Acts 4:12, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, Hebrews 2:14, Philippians 2:5-11, 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, Revelation 4:1-11, 1 John 5:4, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 5:12, Philippians 4:8
Song | Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me) — Scripture Inspiration: Daniel 7:13-14, Psalm 51:3-5, Isaiah 7:14, John 1:14, Romans 15:1-3, John 1:4-5, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, John 10:11, Romans 6:6-7, Psalm 103:12, Romans 3:21-26, Revelation 22:20, Luke 23:33-34, Colossians 2:13-14, Psalm 22:16, Isaiah 53:3-4, Isaiah 53:12, John 20:1, Matthew 28:7, 1 Corinthians 15:16-20, Acts 1:9-11, Acts 2:24, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Revelation 11:15-19, Matthew 24:27, Revelation 1:7
Scripture | Titus 3:3-7 —
3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we might become His heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Song | His Mercy is More — Scripture Inspiration: Lamentations 3:22-23, James 2:13, Romans 5:20, Hebrews 8:12, Isaiah 40:28, Hebrews 4:13, 1 John 3:20, Micah 7:18-19, Exodus 34:6, Psalm 145:8-9, 1 Timothy 1:15, Luke 14:21, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Colossians 2:13-14, Psalm 107:9, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Galatians 2:20-21
Song | In Christ Alone — Scripture Inspiration: John 14:6, Ephesians 5:8, Psalm 28:7-8, Psalm 40:3, Ephesians 2:19-22, Matthew 7:24-27, Romans 5:1-8, Joshua 1:9, 2 Timothy 1:7, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, 1 Corinthians 15:28, Philippians 2:16, John 19:38-42, John 8:12, John 3:19-20, Acts 3:15, Acts 4:33, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Romans 6:15-23, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, Galatians 3:13, Revelation 21:3, Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Romans 8:1-2, Romans 1:16, Deuteronomy 4:39, Psalm 115:3, Isaiah 43:13, Daniel 4:35, Ephesians 1:11, Matthew 16:17-19, Romans 8:35-39, John 10:28-30, Psalm 115:18, Revelation 5:9-13, Luke 9:23-26, Philippians 2:5-11
Invitation | Come Ye Sinners — Scripture Inspiration: Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 5:27-32, Romans 3:21-26, 1 Timothy 1:15, James 4:6-10, Luke 15:11-32, Romans 8:18-30, Luke 9:51, Luke 22:39-46, Galatians 4:4-5, Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 1:3-9, 1 Peter 1:17-21
Christ Has Come – Week 3Episode Title: The Promised King & His Gift of JoyLuke 1:39–56In this Advent episode of Christ Has Come, Keith Harris turns to Luke 1 and invites us to slow down and listen to the joy that begins stirring before Bethlehem. Long before angels sing to shepherds, joy breaks the silence in the hill country of Judea—through a Spirit-filled confession, a leaping child, and the worshipful song of a young woman who trusts the promises of God.Together, we explore:What biblical joy is—and what it isn’t, distinguishing it from fleeting happiness or emotional highs.How joy appears before the word is even spoken, as John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of the unborn Messiah.Why Mary’s joy is rooted not in circumstances but in God’s mercy, as she magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God her Savior.The meaning and message of the Magnificat, a Scripture-saturated song that celebrates God’s great reversal—lifting the lowly, filling the hungry, and humbling the proud.How Mary’s joy points beyond herself to Jesus, the promised King who fulfills God’s covenant promises and secures lasting joy through His saving work.This episode reminds us that joy is not something we manufacture—it’s something we receive, and it grows wherever Jesus is trusted. Advent teaches us that true joy is found not in having life figured out, but in the presence of Christ and the mercy He brings.If you would like to see a written version of this study, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
Just Keith Harris 