March 5, 2025
TEXT:  Colossians 3:1-17

I. Fasting and Praying helps saved people desire spiritual things (vv. 1-2)
A. If a person is saved, they need to focus on things of God
B. If a person is saved, they need to focus on our Saviour
C. If a person is saved, they need to focus on things of Heaven
1. Fasting and Praying helps us focus on spiritual things instead of carnal
2. Fasting and Praying helps us focus on things of God over things of our flesh
3. Fasting and Praying helps us focus on things of Heaven not of this world

II. Fasting and Praying helps us keep hiding with Christ in God (vv. 3-7)
A. We hide with Christ in God when we trust Christ as our Saviour (v. 3)
B. We need to keep hiding more with Christ until we get to Heaven (v. 4)
C. We hide deeper with Christ in God by resisting our flesh (vv. 5-6)
D. We need the help of the Holy Spirit to not slip back into old ways (v. 7)
1. Fasting and Praying helps us benefit from the Holy Spirit’s power to live life
2. Fasting and Praying helps us yield to the Holy Spirit to grow spiritually
3. Fasting and Praying helps us be filled with His Spirit and not our carnality

III. Fasting and Praying helps us keep maturing spiritually (vv. 8-14)
A. Putting off more of the old man of our flesh being in control (vv. 8-11)
B. Putting on more of the new man in the holiness of God developing (vv. 12-13)
C. Putting on more of God’s love in our life displayed as His child (v. 14)
IV. Fasting and Praying helps us benefit from sensitivity to God (vv. 15-16)
A. Being submitted to God’s peace warning us of our life offending Him (v. 15)
B. Keeping Scripture in our inner being helping live in God’s wisdom (v. 16)
C. Seeking to do all things to the glory of God so He can bless it and us (v. 17)