October 16, 2022
Morning Service

Through the first two chapters of the Colossian letter, Paul has given us a clear revelation of the divinity of Jesus.  All things were created by Him and for Him; He is indeed Lord of all!  He also explained to us that Jesus is preeminent in our salvation and through Him we are made complete (2:10).  We were buried with Him in baptism and rose again being forgiven our sins to become a new creation.  Paul explains this transformation like this to the Corinthian church:

2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

            In our study of the letter to the Colossians, we reach a shifting point here at the end of the 2nd chapter.  Paul’s focus has been on shining the light on Jesus, but now he turns the light upon us.  What does this “New You” look like?  What changes will occur as we honestly, diligently begin to follow Jesus and seek to do His will in our lives?  It begins with a revelation that we have been set free from the law and the traditions of religious worship.

 

 Col 2:16-23 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, (17) which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.  (18)  Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, (19) and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.  (20)  Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— (21) "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," (22) which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men?  (23)  These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

            Becoming new means leaving the “old things” behind you and embracing the “new.”  Moses’ law was full of “do and don’ts” for God’s chosen people as far as what you could eat and how and when you should worship.  We have been freed from that legalistic bondage.  Those traditions or disciplines appear to put on display your religious commitment but reread verse 23 again.  What you eat and drink and even when and where you worship are acts of the flesh and play no part in your spiritual wellness (you are complete in Christ).  The religious leaders at this time adhered strictly to the rules according to their outward actions thinking that was true religion.  Jesus however revealed them for what they were, hypocrites, by calling them “white washed tombs full of dead man’s bones.”  They went through the motions, but did not have the inner change that drove them to this action.  It was pride not love that motivated them. The “New You” is not defined by your strict adherence to a set of rules, but is now driven from the inside out as your heart belongs to Jesus and you simply follow your heart motivated by you love for Him.  Don’t get me wrong, there will be changes in our outward actions, but they will be driven from the inside out as we “abide in Christ” and draw our nourishment from Him we will be changed.  We act because we want to not have to.  You are not simply “following the rules” but it is who you are, the “new you.”  Notice it begins with a whole new perspective.

 

Col 3:1-4 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  (2)  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  (3)  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  (4)  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

            The NLT translates verse 1 as; “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ set your sights on the realities of heaven.”  The “New You” has been given a fresh perspective of what reality is.  We have died to the things of this world and have been risen to know the reality of the spiritual world.  Our goals are no longer to succeed and be happy in this world, but to “set our mind on things above, not on things of the earth.”  Our focus changes from the temporal to the eternal.  We have died to this world and to ourselves to live for Christ.  We now see ourselves and the world through Jesus’ perspective.  We are in this world, but we are not of this world.  We begin to see the spiritual side to everything including our own actions and a change occurs because of it.  We see the evil in our “old self” and now strive to move away from those sinful actions.  Paul makes this easy for us to examine ourselves as he lists the things we need to “put to death.”  As we read these list, look into your spiritual mirror and examine if you have allowed these sins to creep into your life, or maybe you never have removed them from the “new you.”

 

Col 3:5-7 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  (6)  Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, (7) in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

            This is a list of sins that displease God.  Notice the root of each of these comes from the heart, our desires (lust/greed).  We must clean ourselves up from the inside out by considering ourselves dead to these things.  Sexual intimacy is reserved only for a married couple and any desires or fantasies (including pornography) that we have outside of that relationship need to be “put to death.”  They along with covetousness (greed/love of money of things) become a stumbling block to our spiritual growth; they are sinful in God’s eyes.  We must make a daily conscious decision to remove anything that feeds these desires from our life.  As Jesus says; “If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.” (Matt. 18:9) He was not being literal, but meant don’t go places of do or watch things that stir up those desires.  If you are serious about your walk with the Lord, these are things we have to be working on “putting them to death.”  He will not bless disobedience, but will chastise you for it.  The list is not finished as Paul now continues and gets a little closer to many of us.

 

Col 3:8-9 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.  (9)  Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,

            These are all things that we have died to in the waters of baptism.  They are not to be part of the “New You.”  If you have trouble with anger, forgiveness, or being spiteful to those who have wronged you, you must change that.  Our motto can no longer be, “I don’t get mad, I get even,” it becomes “I don’t get mad, I forgive as I have been forgiven.”  You can’t make this change in your own, but through the power of yielding to the Holy Spirit all things are possible.  Pray earnestly about it and confess it when you fall short and sin.  It may not come instantly, but follow the process and keep fighting it don’t ever accept it as “me being me.”

 Don’t be casual about the words you say and get caught up talking like the people of this world.  I cringe at the sound of so much profanity in our society especially on television and in movies.   We have turned off many shows that had a great plot but the language ruined it for us.  Those types of words have no place in our “new” lifestyle.  I can’t curse and praise God with the same voice, He is not pleased by that.  Your words reveal what is in your heart.  If there is a problem with your words, start with an examination of your heart.

  We also must speak truth and never lie.  Deception and lies are the tools of our enemy and they are not part of the “New You.”  The truth sometimes comes with consequences that we try to avoid by lying, but in reality we all know lies have a snowball effect.  I always told our boys that the truth and ownership of a sin is punished far less than a lie included with the action.

If you find any of these sins in your life now, action is required.  First off ask God for forgiveness with true repentance (a desire to change).  Admitting there is sin is the first step to overcoming it; bring it into the light and out of the darkness.  Pray about it and confess it to a close friend who will help you hold yourself accountable for your actions.  Be open and honest with yourself, God and that close friend that you still have some of the “old man” living in you.  Set your mind on things above by reading His Word and He will help to replace those evil desire with a desire to be all that He designed you to be.  Next week we will see what that “New You” will begin to look like.

 

Heavenly Father we stand before you open and honest confessing that we fall short in some of the areas this morning.  We ask Your forgiveness and grant us the courage and desire to put these things to death in our lives.