The sermon opens by contrasting unstable “anchors” people often rely on—such as entertainment and other earthly supports—with the only anchor that always holds: Jesus Christ. Because Christ is “the same yesterday, today, and forever,” the preacher emphasizes that believers do not need to fear whether their spiritual foundation will collapse over time. With the church gathered during what he calls the “forgotten week” between Christmas and New Year’s, he frames the moment as a providential opportunity to avoid “stumbling” into the next year without purpose. The central burden becomes a call to enter the coming year with clear spiritual vision, grounded not in emotion or cultural momentum, but in full commitment to Christ—not “half in, half out.”

The main text is Colossians 3, where Paul addresses believers as those who have been raised with Christ. The preacher highlights that Paul’s “if” is not questioning whether Jesus rose, but whether the listener is truly in Christ. From that foundation, Paul commands Christians to seek the things above and set their affections—their settled mindset—on heavenly realities rather than earthly ones. The message insists that spiritual growth is impossible without the right starting point: a genuine relationship with Christ that produces a new direction in life. Paul’s emphasis that “your life is hid with Christ in God” and that “Christ…is our life” becomes the sermon’s controlling idea: real discipleship means Jesus is not an accessory to one’s plans, but the defining center of one’s identity and decisions.

From there, the preacher explains why the Colossian church struggled: they were a carnal church, meaning they lived to satisfy the flesh, and they allowed outside influences—philosophies, man-made rules, mixed religion, and worldly traditions—to infect their faith. He points to Colossians 2:8 as a warning against being “spoiled” through worldly thinking rather than Christ-centered truth. The problem was not a lack of religious activity, but split loyalties: trying to keep Christ while clinging to competing influences. In response, Paul moves from doctrine to practice—showing not only what Christians believe, but how belief must reshape daily life. The preacher underlines this by stressing that knowing doctrine is not the goal; the real question is: How are you living it? Church participation alone, he argues, is not proof of spiritual maturity—it can be mere activity without transformation.

A major theme is redefining what “all in” means. The preacher clarifies that being all in does not mean being perfect or having “arrived,” but it does mean fully submitting to God’s leadership and committing to real growth. The decisive test of submission, he says, is whether God can take away the thing you want most. Using Abraham and Isaac as an example, he argues that God sometimes exposes what is truly ruling the heart, not because He intends harm, but because He demands undivided devotion. The logic is pointed: if a person will not surrender what they love most to God, then God is not what they love most. This becomes the sermon’s definition of split loyalty—claiming Christ while reserving the “driver’s seat” for self.

The sermon then lays out a practical framework from Colossians 3 for what all-in Christianity looks like. First, “all in starts with your direction.” Direction begins with position: being “risen with Christ.” If someone is not saved, they cannot live the life Paul describes because they are not in the right spiritual position to pursue it. For believers, direction also requires the right affections—the settled mind. The preacher explains that setting affection means intentionally choosing what shapes your desires, rather than being controlled by impulse. He uses everyday examples to show how goals require deliberate reorientation: if someone wants to live healthier, they must set their thinking toward choices they would not naturally prefer. He connects that directly to spiritual life: many claim they want change, but they keep feeding themselves influences that weaken spiritual appetite. When a person continually takes in what they should not—worldly thinking, corrupting patterns, sinful indulgences—they lose desire for worship, lose hunger for God’s Word, and then wonder why there is no victory. The sermon’s blunt conclusion is that you cannot expect good outcomes while feeding yourself bad influences.

Alongside direction is the call to a right pursuit. The preacher pushes against shallow goals such as “I just want to be a good person,” arguing that goodness alone is not the biblical standard and can exist even without salvation. Paul’s command is to seek—to pursue and strive after—things above consistently, not minimally. This pursuit must also be driven by the right motive: “Christ…is our life.” The preacher challenges motivations that appear spiritual but are ultimately self-serving—going to church to appease others, to maintain an image, or to support routine. Instead, he calls believers to come because they genuinely desire to please Christ and grow in Him. He warns that even ministry can be fueled by pride, where someone’s hidden motive is admiration and personal recognition. True all-in devotion is not “look at me,” but “look at Christ.”

Second, the sermon teaches that “all in kills the old life.” Paul’s word “mortify,” the preacher explains, means to put to death—to treat as dead—the earthly members and sinful patterns that once defined the believer. He walks through Paul’s lists of sins and behaviors that must be put off: not merely moments of failure, but identities people settle into—living as a liar, living as an angry person, living in filthy speech, excusing sin as personality or upbringing. The message draws a sharp distinction between occasionally struggling and continually being characterized by the old man. The preacher stresses that excuses like “I grew up this way” do not remove responsibility; a persistent pattern reveals a heart issue. If the old life remains embraced, the new life cannot be lived. Therefore, all-in commitment requires identifying the specific sin or disobedience that is holding someone back, cutting off its supply, changing habits, and yielding to Christ. The warning is that the longer someone holds onto sin, the more stagnant they become, and the harder it is to recover spiritual vitality.

Third, Paul describes what replaces the old life: the virtues of the new man. The sermon highlights Colossians 3:12–14 as the wardrobe of the renewed life—mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, patience with others, and forgiveness. The preacher is careful to define these virtues. Mercy is not weakness, but strength—choosing compassion even when someone does not deserve it. Kindness is portrayed as a hallmark of true transformation, while harshness, tearing others down, and constant judgment reflect the old life. Humility is explained not as self-pity or saying “I’m a failure,” but as moving beyond self-centeredness. He illustrates how pouting—whether in adults or children—is often not humility but obsession with self: “all I care about is how I feel.” The call is to grow up spiritually, stop living by personal emotion, and adopt Christlike character.

A strong emphasis is placed on forgiveness. The preacher confronts the statement “I can never forgive,” insisting that believers cannot cling to unforgiveness while claiming spiritual maturity, because God has forgiven them of every sin. In his framing, refusing to forgive becomes proof of bondage to the old man and guarantees continued spiritual immaturity. Above all virtues, Paul commands charity—love—which the preacher links back to affection: what you set your affection on will shape what you love. If affection is set on things above, love will align with Christ and detach from what is harmful.

Finally, the sermon concludes that all-in Christianity will show itself in relationships, not only in church settings. From Colossians 3:16–23, the preacher stresses that yielding to God touches every sphere: home, parenting, and work. In marriage, he emphasizes the paired responsibilities: wives are called to submit, and husbands are commanded to love and not be bitter. He argues that bitterness in a husband signals immaturity and failure to lead with Christlike care. Husbands must listen, make their wives feel seen, and set affection toward them; love should produce an environment where submission is possible. In parenting, children are instructed to obey “in all things,” while fathers are warned not to provoke their children to anger or discouragement. The message applies this also to workplace integrity: believers should work not as eye-pleasers trying to look good in front of supervisors, but as those who work for God, remembering that God sees all corners people try to cut.

The sermon ends with a sober call: the Christian life is real, not a game, and it demands both removal and addition—cutting out what corrupts, embracing what renews. The preacher urges listeners to examine whether they are truly all in or divided by competing loyalties, reminding them that choosing self ultimately brings consequences, while yielding to Christ brings direction, renewal, and consistency. In the invitation, he prays that the church would not remain “more me than You,” but would sincerely say to the Lord: “There’s not much of me to give, but I give it all.”