August 3, 2025 Sermon Notes

Eyes on Heaven, Victory on Earth (Colossians 3:1–10)

In criminology, the “Broken Windows Theory” suggests that a single, unrepaired broken window can invite disorder and decay into a whole neighborhood. This principle holds a profound truth for our souls. What small, unrepaired window is in your heart? Perhaps it’s a lingering grudge, a habit of gossip disguised as a prayer request, or a seed of jealousy that sprouts when you scroll through social media. If left untended, these small cracks can shatter our fellowship and our peace.

God’s Word in Colossians gives us a clear command: we must take off our old self. We are to “put to death” the earthly nature within us—the anger, impurity, greed, and slander that belong to our past. It is like taking off filthy clothes after a long, muddy journey.

But how do we do this? We cannot succeed by sheer willpower. The secret is not in trying harder, but in looking higher. The Scripture commands us, “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”

Think of a fighter pilot who discovers a mouse in his cockpit. He doesn’t land the plane to fight it on the ground. He does the opposite: he climbs. He soars to a higher altitude where the air is thin. The pilot has his oxygen mask, but the mouse cannot survive. It simply perishes. Our sins are like that mouse. If we try to fight them at ground level with our own strength, we will become exhausted. But if we raise our spiritual altitude—if we fix our hearts and minds on Christ in heaven—those old desires cannot survive. They suffocate in the pure atmosphere of God’s presence. So today, do not stay on the ground wrestling with your brokenness. Lift your gaze. Raise your altitude. Set your mind on Christ, and live in the victory He has already won for you.