And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. – Luke 12:15

Text: Colossians 3:1-3,8-10; Luke 12:15

Prop: a new piece of clothing

Summary: To be a Christian is like a person who puts on new clothes. We take off our former way of life and put on new godly habits.

Look at this new pair of flip flops (sandals). I decided to buy new sandals to wear this summer. Do you like to wear new clothes? (Yes.) Some of you may get new clothes on holidays, birthdays, or when it is time to go back to school. I like to wear new clothes. Today I want to read from the Bible about how our lives change when we become Christians. We are like people who put on new clothes. We take off the former way of life and put on new godly habits.

(Read Colossians 3:1-3,8-10.)

The Apostle Paul said we should set our minds on heavenly matters and not on earthly things. When we become Christians, God makes us into new people. Before we can put on new clothes, we must take off our old clothes. To become new people in Christ, we must take off our old ways and put on God’s ways. Paul said we should get rid of our anger, our rage, and our desire to do bad things. He said we should not say bad things about other people, should not say bad words, and should not tell lies. Those were the old ways of the people we used to be.

Another old way of life is greed. The Lord Jesus said we must not be greedy. He said a man’s life does not depend on the many things he owns. (reference Luke 12:15)

After we have taken off our old ways, God can clothe us with His ways. We can love one another and be kind, courteous, obedient, and helpful. We can become more like the Lord Jesus every day.

Let us pray. Dear Lord Jesus, help me to change and become more like you every day. Amen.

©2004 by Jim Kerlin. All rights reserved.