Raised with Christ: Living the Resurrection Every Day

Devotional

Day 1: The Resurrection Shapes Daily Christian Reality

The resurrection of Jesus is not merely a historical event but an ongoing reality that transforms every moment. It assures forgiveness, secures eternal hope, and empowers believers to live with purpose. This truth reorients priorities, infuses ordinary days with eternal significance, and calls for continual surrender to Christ’s lordship. Let this reality anchor your identity and fuel faithful obedience. [39:11]

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What practical habit could help you intentionally remember the resurrection’s daily significance this week? How might this habit reshape your perspective in moments of stress or decision-making?

Day 2: Fixing Our Minds on Heavenly Truths

Earthly distractions compete for our attention, but Christ’s resurrection invites us to focus on eternal realities. Like astronauts gaining perspective from space, believers gain clarity by fixing their gaze on Christ’s supremacy. This intentional focus renews our minds, guards against worldly anxieties, and aligns our desires with God’s purposes. [47:34]

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: Which recurring thought or worry most often pulls your focus away from eternal truths? How could meditating on Christ’s victory today redirect that pattern?

Day 3: Putting to Death Earthly Desires

Sin’s power over believers was broken at the cross, yet daily choices still matter. Putting off old habits—like anger, greed, or dishonesty—requires ruthless honesty and dependence on Christ’s strength. This isn’t self-improvement but a response to the new life already given through resurrection power. [51:03]

“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Romans 6:6, ESV)

Reflection: What specific attitude or behavior have you tolerated that contradicts your identity in Christ? What step will you take this week to “burn the ships” and cut off its influence?

Day 4: Clothing Ourselves in New Identity

In Christ, believers are not reformed versions of their old selves but entirely new creations. This identity demands daily “putting on” compassion, kindness, and humility—traits that reflect Jesus. Just as we choose clean clothes each morning, we actively choose Christlike character through the Spirit’s power. [49:42]

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: Which Christlike quality (patience, forgiveness, etc.) feels most challenging to “wear” in your current relationships? How might embracing your new creation status change your approach?

Day 5: Active Pursuit of Christlike Love

The resurrection life culminates in love—the virtue that binds all others together. This love isn’t passive emotion but deliberate action: bearing with others’ flaws, forgiving freely, and prioritizing unity. Such love testifies to the risen Christ’s transformative work in a fractured world. [01:00:02]

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience… And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:12,14, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life most needs to experience Christ’s love through your actions this week? What tangible gesture (a conversation, act of service, or prayer) could demonstrate that love?

Sermon Summary

Colossians 3 anchors Christian life in the reality of the resurrection. Paul treats Christ’s rising not as a holiday memory but as the decisive, historical act that reigns over creation and reorders human existence. Because Christ sits at the Father’s right hand, followers receive a new standing: they have been raised with him, they have died to their former way of life, and their true life now rests hidden in Christ. Those truths reframe daily priorities, calling minds and affections upward rather than toward earthly distractions.

Paul draws four concrete truths from that reality: being raised with Christ, having died to the old self, possessing a life hidden with Christ, and the promise of appearing with him in glory. Each truth carries present power: spiritual newness, freedom from the enslaving grip of sin, an identity sealed by God’s presence, and sure future vindication. The letter exhorts readers to set their minds steadily on heavenly realities so those realities shape thought, speech, and action.

That identity produces specific moral demands. Paul insists on mortifying what belongs to the former life—sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, anger, slander, lies—and then on intentionally putting on Christlike virtues. The practical list includes compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and above all, love, which binds the community in harmony. Spiritual growth becomes a daily pattern of putting off the garments of the old self and putting on the garments of the new.

The gospel supplies both the call and the power: the resurrection secures forgiveness, imparts new life, and promises eventual completion of God’s work in believers. The text challenges those whose faith remains a part of life rather than its center to surrender fully, and it urges committed followers to remove persistent hindrances—burning the ships—so the race ends by God’s grace. The passage closes with an invitation to confess, repent, and receive the risen Lord, urging immediate, tangible steps of accountability and repentance so the resurrection shapes every hour of existence.

Key Takeaways

1. Resurrection is present historical reality Paul insists the resurrection happened in history and continues to exercise authority over creation. That single event guarantees forgiveness, secures future inheritance, and provides the power to live now under Christ’s reign. Belief in a living Savior reorients fear, hope, and daily choices toward eternity rather than temporary gain. [38:57]
2. Identity: raised, died, hidden Being raised with Christ changes legal standing and inner status: the old self died, and the new life hides in Christ. That identity frees moral imagination from mere effort and redirects it toward participation in God’s life. When identity shifts, habits follow; identity governs endurance, purpose, and belonging. [48:24]
3. Put off the old; put on new Spiritual growth takes concrete action: remove practices of the former life and intentionally wear virtues of Christ. The text frames holiness as daily wardrobe changes—mortify what enslaves and dress in compassion, humility, patience, and love. This dual movement reshapes community dynamics and personal witness. [60:24]
4. Holiness flows from gospel power The passage refuses moralism and anchors transformation in what Christ has done and continues to do. The gospel declares inability and supplies grace: God begins the work and carries it to completion. This truth invites either wholehearted surrender or honest confession and accountability for those still clinging to the old life. [75:59]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[38:57] - Resurrection as Foundational Reality
[40:03] - Reading Colossians 3:1-4
[46:16] - Seek the Things Above
[48:24] - Four Truths of Identity
[52:11] - Life Hidden with Christ
[56:24] - Fixing the Mind on Scripture
[58:50] - Put to Death: The Negative List
[60:02] - Put On: The Positive List
[68:38] - Burn the Ships: Radical Commitment
[73:30] - Invitation: Confess and Receive
[77:22] - Prayer and Response

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Colossians 3:1-17 (ESV)
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. [...] 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. [...] 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. [...] 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Observation Questions

What two contrasting lists does Paul give in Colossians 3:5-14, and how do they reflect the “old self” versus the “new self”?
According to Colossians 3:1-4, what four truths define a believer’s identity in Christ?
The sermon compared spiritual growth to changing clothes ([01:01:04]). How does Paul use similar imagery in Colossians 3:9-10 and 12-14?
What specific actions does Paul command believers to take in verses 5, 8, and 12?

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul emphasize setting your mind on things above (Colossians 3:2) as a daily practice? How does this connect to the idea of the resurrection being a present reality?
The sermon mentioned that “sin is serious” and that believers must “burn the ships” to avoid returning to old habits ([01:08:38]). How does Colossians 3:5-8 support this urgency?
Paul says believers’ lives are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). What does this mean for how we view our struggles, failures, or temptations?
How does the command to “put on love” (Colossians 3:14) tie together all the other virtues listed in verses 12-13?

Application Questions

What is one specific “earthly” habit or attitude (e.g., anger, gossip, jealousy) you need to “put to death” this week? Who could you ask to hold you accountable in this?
The sermon compared daily spiritual growth to changing clothes ([01:01:04]). What practical step could you take each morning to “put on” Christlike qualities like kindness or patience?
If your life were a “letter” others read ([53:59]), what would it clearly communicate about your priorities? What needs to change for Jesus to be unmistakably central?
The “burn the ships” story ([01:08:38]) challenged listeners to remove anything hindering their walk with Christ. What is one compromise or distraction you need to eliminate permanently?
How could you intentionally “set your mind on things above” (Colossians 3:2) when facing stress, conflict, or temptation this week?
The sermon urged believers to see themselves as “dead to sin” ([51:03]). How might this truth change your response when temptation arises?

Sermon Clips

37s

“The tomb is empty. They’ve never found the body. And his followers for the rest of their lives would go to their grave testifying that they saw the risen Jesus. They had every opportunity to hey we just we just made it up. It’s not, we’re just kind of kidding. But all of them went to their grave. Many of them killed for the testimony that they had seen the risen Jesus. He is alive. This is a reality in history. It’s the most consequential event that has ever occurred on the face of the earth.”

28s

“You don’t put back on the old clothes. That would have defeated the purpose of taking the shower. And this is what Paul is telling us is that you have been cleaned. You’ve died to your old way of life. You’ve been raised to new life. Therefore put on the clothes that correspond with new life in Christ. There ought to be a response to the reality of the resurrection in our lives. So here’s what we do. We put off what is earthly.”

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Raised with Christ: Living the Resurrection Every Day

Devotional

Day 1: The Resurrection Shapes Daily Christian Reality

Day 2: Fixing Our Minds on Heavenly Truths

Day 3: Putting to Death Earthly Desires

Day 4: Clothing Ourselves in New Identity

Day 5: Active Pursuit of Christlike Love

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Raised with Christ: Living the Resurrection Every Day

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