At a Glance
Series: Made for More
Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4, Colossians 1:5-11, Colossians 1:12-17
Summary: You Were Made for More Than the Mess is a sermon outline centered on Colossians 3:1-4. Made for More, Week Two Ever noticed how messy life is? Review flags: dated-context, sensitive-topic.
Source: Adapted from Brandon Cox sermon outline notes from 2019. Transcript, audio, and video files were not used for this draft.
Review labels: dated-context, sensitive-topic
Sermon Notes
This resource draft preserves the outline movement of the source file and is staged for Brandon review before any public update.
Extracted Outline
You Were Made for More Than the Mess
Made for More, Week Two
Ever noticed how messy life is?
Things get complicated. Things get messy!
One of our core values is…
We are broken people discovering healing together.
We embrace messy ministry.
We strive to be a safe place for people who are in a mess!
1. Want something better.
Some messes are brought on by circumstances beyond your control.
But many of our messes are the result of the unhealthy, unholy choices we make, often as a result of something broken in us.
Colossians 3:1-4 NIV
[1] Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. [3] For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
You must develop a holy dissatisfaction with the messy life.
• If you’ve trusted Jesus, you’ve now tasted something different.
• You must set your heart (affection) on living a supernatural, redeemed life.
• You must set your mind (thinking) on living a supernatural, redeemed life.
DELCARE: I’m tired of the mess! I won’t settle anymore!
2. Die to your old patterns.
Colossians 1:5-11 NIV
[5] Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. [6] Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. [7] You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. [8] But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. [9] Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. [11] Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
• Our “messes” are all the tangled webs we’ve woven through selfish living.
• God receives us just as we are, but he never leaves us that way.
• We made our mess entirely in our natural, earthly power.
• It’s going to take something supernatural and eternal to break those patterns.
• We must “mortify” or “put to death” the old self.
• What got you into your mess won’t get you out.
The act of turning from your sinful patterns to the new patterns Jesus gives you is called REPENTANCE.
DECLARE: The old ways are over. Who I was isn’t who I am!
3. Put on your new, redeemed self.
Colossians 1:12-17 NIV
[12] Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. [15] Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. [16] Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. [17] And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
• You ARE holy! You ARE loved! You have new clothes at your disposal!
• But you must CHOOSE to put them on, over and over again!
Ever seen those extreme fashion makeover shows? Someone who wears holy sweatpants and never does their hair or brushes their teeth gets presented by the end of the show as a clean cut, fashionable person.
That’s US!!
• But too often, we go back to wearing our old clothes because they seemed more comfortable to us.
DECLARE: In Jesus, I’ve found a new way to live and there’s no going back!
4. Walk in gratitude for the gift of new life!
• When you live in gratitude, you walk in peace.
• When you show gratitude, God gets the glory.
• When God gets the glory, you get more power!
Are you ready to begin that new, supernaturally powered life today? Shake off the mess! Declare the old you dead! Let God recreate you into something new and beautiful.