Bismarck Community Church Sermon Podcast · Jim Ellis

Put On Love | Colossians: Joy In the Mystery (Feb 22, 2026)

·24 min·2 clips

Three times Paul says 'above' in Colossians 3, culminating in 'above all these put on love'.

The episode is a sermon from Bismarck Community Church, part of a series on the Book of Colossians titled 'Joy In the Mystery'. The speaker begins with a lighthearted story about why he doesn't own a cowboy hat, using it as a metaphor for how people put on clothing with or without understanding its purpose. He transitions to discussing Colossians 3, which repeatedly uses language of 'putting on' and 'putting off'. The speaker provides context: Paul is writing from prison to a church plant in Colossae (modern-day Turkey) that he has never met, encouraging them to stay true to Jesus amid competing teachings. The sermon recaps previous weeks in the series: week one emphasized Jesus as fully God and fully human, the cosmic supreme; week two focused on the mystery of union with Christ; week three discussed walking in the way of Christ. Today's text, Colossians 3:1-14, highlights the word 'above', which appears three times. The speaker notes that verse 1 says 'seek the things that are above', verse 2 says 'set your minds on things that are above', and verse 14 says 'above all these put on love'. He explains that 'putting on love' is the supreme command that binds all other virtues like humility and patience together. The speaker lists specific things to 'put off' from verses 5-9, including sexual immorality, anger, and lying, and things to 'put on' from verse 12, like compassion and kindness. He then asks practical questions about what it means to 'put on love' today, sharing responses from community members: a child said it means not punching your sibling; another person said helping someone with car trouble; a parent said saying no to candy before bed; a two-year-old said 'cars'. The speaker reflects that 'cars' could symbolize being vehicles of God's love to the world. He defines the Greek word 'agape' as love that lays down one's life for another. The sermon concludes with a prayer and an invitation to read Colossians, contemplate union with Christ, and practice spiritual reflection.

As heard by us

A warm Colossians 3 sermon that treats love as a shared way of life, not just a feeling.

This sermon opens with a playful run at cowboy hats, belt buckles, and bolo ties before moving into Colossians 3 and the call to love. Its clearest strength is the steady reminder that those who have received Jesus in faith are being asked to live a shared way of life: seeking…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a plainspoken sermon that makes Colossians 3 feel immediate.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Bismarck Community Church Sermon Podcast