Colossians
NOTES ON COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3
Seek Things Above
Introduction:
1. The doctrinal section in Colossians has come to an end and beginning in chapter three, the practical exhortations begin.
a. Before entering into his practical section on the Christian walk, Paul reminds us all that we DIED with Christ (2:20a) and that we were RAISED UP with Christ (3:1).
b. The exhortations are BASED upon this positional truth about our UNION with Christ in His death and resurrection… and the MYSTERY of us IN Christ and Christ IN us!
c. If this is true (and it is!), then it relates to virtually every aspect of living the Christian life.
d. This positional truth is designed by God to affect the daily condition of our lives.
e. Thus, in the following chapters, Paul relates this important truth (our glorious position in Christ – united with Him in death, resurrection, and ascension) to every facet of our lives on earth: our struggles in the flesh, the home life: parent child; husband wife; master servant; our prayer lives, our responsibility to evangelize, our responsibility to one another and to our ministries in the local church.
2. Hence, our UNION with Christ affects everything in the Christian life.
a. It is not a minor issue as some would have us believe.
b. It was to the apostle Paul that the revelation of the mystery was given… this new relationship that believers of this dispensation have to Christ… as our Risen Head.
c. Hence, it is a major emphasis in his epistles: Rom. 6-8; Eph. 2-4; and Col. 2-3.
d. In each of his major epistles, Paul follows the same pattern:
• First he explains in detail our glorious position in Christ.
• He expounds on our identification with Him in His death, resurrection, and ascension.
• Then, he exhorts them to godly living… and the exhortations are BASED upon their position in Christ.
e. This is not a truth to be trifled with. It is the theological basis of our walk with God in this age!
f. It is vital information for the believer to KNOW if he is ever going to experience the power and the proper motivation for a heavenly mind, heart, and walk.
POSITION: Identified with Christ in His Resurrection
1. The IF clauses:
a. First class condition – a fulfilled condition: this does NOT express doubt.
• This is not a subjective interpretation.
• This is an objective rule of Greek grammar.
• Ei, the particle of a fulfilled condition, followed by the indicative mode = first class condition.
• Wuest: “In view of the fact, therefore, that you were raised with Christ.”
• It is the same class condition he used in 2:20 – if you are dead with Christ (and you are!) why are you subject to earthly ordinances as if you are LIVING in the world?
• I John 4:11 – Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (John was not doubting whether God loved them or not! He KNEW that God did love them… he assumed this condition to be TRUE!)
• Rom. 8:31 – If God be for us, (and He most definitely is!) who can be against us? He assumes the condition to be true… SINCE God is for us… who can be against us?
• NO doubt is implied in this class condition.
• And determining which CLASS condition it is is not subjective interpretation. It is determined by the objective construction: which term for “if” is used and which mood.
b. Second class condition: an unfulfilled condition:
• John 11:21 – Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. (Mary speaking about Lazarus.)
• This IF clause assumes the condition was NOT fulfilled. Jesus was NOT there and so her brother DID die. Hence, the second class form was used.
• Heb. 8:4 -?For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest.
• The author KNOWS that Christ is not on earth… the author assumes this condition is unfulfilled… but it is used as a form of making an argument.
c. Third class condition: assumed as POSSIBLE (ify)
• Matt. 10:13 – And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
• ean and subjunctive.
• This form DOES express doubt.
d. First class condition: a fulfilled condition
• John 13:17 – IF ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
• Ei and the indicative – expresses no doubt.
• Of course they know these things. He just taught them! He assumes that they know these things… no doubt implied here.
• They know these things at least on a superficial basis. In time these truths would sink in deeper—but Jesus does not express doubt here.
• The Greek FORM tells us this… not the interpreter.
• John 13:17 – this is followed by a THIRD class condition: If ye do them – [ean] and present active subjunctive, assumed as possible… it could go either way. There IS doubt expressed in this form.
• The Greek scholars are in agreement on this usage of these different Greek forms which reflect a different KIND of a condition.
2. Why spend so much time making this one point?
a. Because this clause is the BASIS for the rest of the exhortations in the book of Colossians!
b. Because Paul’s argument is based upon CERTAINTY, and if we inject any DOUBT here, his argument isn’t going to make sense.
c. The BASIS for the exhortation and the MOTIVATION for the exhortation are both based upon the CERTAINTY of this truth. It is based upon us KNOWING this fact…
d. Not questioning, debating, or wondering, but knowing!
e. There are certain things we have to KNOW in order to GROW. This is one of them.
f. Faith can only rest upon FACTS… not upon doubts or uncertainty.
g. Injecting an ounce of doubt here nullifies his argument.
h. So while the grammar lesson might SEEM like a waste of time, it is essential to get this point nailed down without any doubt… or there is no point in going on with his argument.
i. All doubt must be erased before we can proceed with the case Paul is making.
j. Paul makes the case for walking by FAITH… and victory over sin by FAITH.
k. And a walk of FAITH is inconsistent with DOUBT.
l. If we are ever going to have victory in our Christian lives, we must KNOW that our old man was crucified. We must KNOW that we have been raised up as new creatures in Christ.
m. Without KNOWING these things… we cannot take a step of faith.
3. If ye then be RISEN WITH CHRIST.
a. We HAVE been risen with Christ. Not only does the grammar of 3:1 tell us so, but the CONTEXT tells us the same thing!
b. 3:1 is to be connected back to 2:11-13.
c. 2:11-12 – we were circumcised (cut off) and buried WITH Christ… and then raised up!
d. 2:12-13 – we were dead in sins, and then quickened (made alive—dead but raised to new life!)
• Obviously this resurrection is not the resurrection of our bodies. That is yet future.
• Eph. 2:4-6 – This is a spiritual resurrection… we were dead in sins but made alive in Christ!
• By faith, we are united with Christ—baptized into His Body—and thus HIS death becomes our death; HIS resurrection becomes our resurrection; HIS ascension brings US into heavenly places in Christ.
e. In 2:11-13 – Paul states the facts.
• We DID die with Christ and were buried with Him. And we WERE raised up with Christ. These are accomplished FACTS.
• This is true of EVERY believer, not just an elite few.
• The cross severed us (cut us off – circumcised) from our PAST life in the world.
• The resurrection brings us into a NEWNESS of life in Christ.
• These are the facts. God wants us to KNOW these facts and to BELIEVE them.
• Our death and resurrection with Christ changed us COMPLETELY… whether it feels like it or not. It is so because God said so.
• When these truths sink in, they are life transforming!
f. Then (after stating the facts) he proceeds to make his exhortations BASED upon those facts.
• IF ye be risen with Christ (and you have been—I just told you so!)… SINCE this is true that you were raised up with Him… THEREFORE… seek things above.
• Chapter 2 emphasizes the effects of our DEATH with Christ (we died to the rudiments of the world; to the worldly forms of religion—traditions, philosophies of men, legalism, mysticism, and asceticism.
• Chapter 3 emphasizes the effects of our resurrection LIFE with Christ—on our entire Christian life—marriage, family, local church, etc.
• Once we become aware of this truth of our position in Christ—know it and believe it—no uncertainty—then it will affect everything we do and are!
• We will SEEK things above because we genuinely BELIEVE that we have been raised above!
CONDITION: Exhortation to Seek Things Above
1. Seek Defined:
a. Defined: try to find; desire; demand; inquire into; investigate; to feel the want of… looking; striving;
b. Present active imperative: we are commanded to keep on seeking… desiring… looking forward to… feeling the want of…
2. Those things which are above…
a. Above = heaven, where Christ is…
b. Continually guide your energy and activities in a new direction: above!
c. Things above = heavenly things; eternal/spiritual things.
d. This includes “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3)
• God said that He has given us ALL riches in Christ and ALL spiritual blessings.
• He has described them in His Word… and He gave it to us!
• Like a great king who has given a pauper untold wealth and has put them in a velvet bag and handed it to him… to look into… to enjoy… to investigate… to seek out. Don’t sit around in poverty ignoring the velvet bag!
• If a great king gave you a bag FULL of untold riches, don’t you think you would want to seek out those riches? Discover them? Look inside the bag?
• We have been given great riches in Christ. Paul tells us to seek those things… look inside the bag… (Word!)—discover them and enjoy them!
e. The things which are above stand in contrast to the things which are here below… the things of the world…
• Rudiments of the world…
• Traditions and philosophies of men here below…
• Earthly ordinances: touch not; taste not; handle not.
• John defines as the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
• Earthly treasures that rust and are stolen…
• Pilgrim’s Progress – muckraker… this pictures the believer who is seeking after the riches of this world… what a pity!
3. Paul emphasizes the fact that WE are to seek things above because positionally, we ARE above.
a. The cross severed us from this world system below
b. The resurrection raised us up into a new heavenly sphere above.
c. Our position has changed. We are no longer a part of the old creation but are part of the new creation in Christ.
d. SINCE this is so (since ye then be risen), THEN SEEK things above!
e. God raised us up into the great riches of Christ. Therefore SEEK after them! Open the bag! Discover untold riches! And don’t ever worry, murmur, covet, or be discontent again!
f. Once it really SINKS IN (who we are and what we have in Christ), we will NEVER look at life the same way again.
g. We won’t look at people the same way… circumstances… trials… success… time… money… service… everything changes!
h. This is our new position in Christ: seated with Him in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6)
• Heaven is our citizenship NOW… not when we experience physical death and resurrection! But now.
• Heaven is our position now… our home now…
• This changes our whole outlook of our present life.
• If your rich uncle died and left you a couple of billion dollars that you would inherit in six months, don’t you think that would change your outlook towards your house that needs repair… and the bills… etc.
• Believing what we are and what we have in Christ—the things above—will enable us to not just to be strengthened unto all patience and longsuffering… but to do so with JOYFULNESS!
i. This truth not only sets us apart from the world, but also from MOST of earthly, religious, Christendom—churchianity as opposed to Christianity.
• For the most part, Christendom has adopted an earthly religion… the rudiments of the world…
• The cross and resurrection changed us completely.
• But today, most of professing Christendom lives like Israel, in PRE-cross conditions.
• There is an attraction for physical symbols, an earthly priesthood, a physical sacrifice, a special building where God dwells, a return to Jewish laws and legalism, the insistence on holy days and Sabbaths, ornate, symbolic worship…
j. The Bible speaks of Israel’s form of worship as EARTHLY.
• Heb. 8:1 – our High Priest is in heaven.
• Heb. 8:2 – our High Priest is ministering in a heavenly tabernacle.
• Heb. 8:4 – He is NOT on earth offering physical sacrifices.
• Heb. 9:1 – He is not in the worldly (earthly) sanctuary.
• Heb. 9:10 – meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. (note the similarity: ordinances; emphasis on meat and drinks; temporary things…)
• Judaism was designed to be a temporary religion of the earth.
• Christianity is not a religion but a LIFE… it is not from the earth but from above… and is not temporary but eternal.
• Most of Christendom today confuses these important issues… with devastating results.
• They confuse:
» Law and grace
» Israel and the church
» The Kingdom and the Body of Christ
» Man made organization rather than spiritual organism
» An over-emphasis on the physical, social, and political sides of life… giving mere lip service to true spirituality.
» Human traditions, philosophies, and ordinances rather than on Divine Scripture.
• Religion of the world does its best to avoid contact with evil in the world (touch not; taste not; handle not)
• But Christianity does much more than avoid contact with evil in the world, it crucifies the world unto us, and brings us into an entirely NEW realm…
4. The church is POST-cross and POST-resurrection.
a. Therefore we are to seek things ABOVE.
b. Our mission as a church is not to fix all the evils in the world down here below. Our mission is to present the gospel that men might be raised up into heavenly places in Christ!
c. Our mission is not to win the war on poverty. Jesus said the poor you will ALWAYS have with you! Our mission is to win rich and poor alike to Christ! In Christ there is no difference!
d. Our goal is not to bring about world peace. Peace on earth, good will toward men will never happen until Christ, the Prince of Peace returns. The church is not the Peace Corps or the United Nations.
e. I Cor. 6:9-11 – Our goal is not to get the drunk to stop drinking… or the thief to stop stealing.
• Our goal is to introduce the thief to Christ that he might have NEW life and so that he is not a thief any more but a saint of God!
• Transforming a drunk into a non drinker is a worldly, earthly goal. It is the best the world can offer.
• Transforming a thief into a non-stealer is the best the world can do.
• These are earthly goals.
• Transforming a sinner into a saint is a heavenly goal… it is infinitely and eternally superior!
• We are to seek things above… above the goals and ambitions of the world.
f. Think of the world as the ocean.
• God did not call us to clean up the pollution in the ocean. He called us to fish men OUT OF the ocean!
• And NOTHING has a greater influence on the world than a transformed life!
• Of course a Spirit filled Christian whose path crosses a hungry man may be led to provide food for the hungry man—but he doesn’t stop there.
• He will introduce the hungry man to the Bread of life… to things above.
• Of course a Spirit filled Christian whose path crosses a poor man will want to help him in some way.
• The world thinks it has done its job by giving the poor man some money. Our goal is to introduce the poor man to unsearchable riches of Christ… things above!
• The world operates as if this world was all there is.
• We seek things above… the heavenly realm is our home.
g. The existence of believers is like SALT to the earth—the church’s presence in the world preserves the world from judgment!
• The tribulation will not fall upon the world until the church is removed.
• Thus, our mission in the world is to function as salt and light…
• Not until the coming Kingdom will Christ return to earth and make all the crooked things straight.
• Trying to FIX a cursed earth without God has been the dream of religious men since the tower of Babel.
• Only the coming of the Lord will reverse that curse.
• The best thing we can do for the world is to BE godly… is to BE like Christ… is to BE salt and light… and to SEEK things above!
What Seeking Things Above Involves
1. Matt. 7:7-8 – Seeking involves PRAYER
a. Seek… and ye shall find.
b. We seek things above in part through our prayer life… spending time in communion with God and His Son.
c. Seek here is the same term as in Col. 3:1.
d. They are also both present, active, imperatives.
• In both passages, we are COMMANDED to keep on seeking.
e. This passage indicates that as we keep on seeking, we will also keep on finding!
• Vs. 8 – As we make it our life’s pursuit to continually seek things above… we will be continually FINDING things above… new riches unfolded to us as the need arises. (Findeth: present indicative; continuous action)
• The one who keeps on seeking will keep on finding!
f. It does not guarantee a YES answer to each and every prayer.
• But it does guarantee that a life that is characterized by continual seeking will also be characterized by continual finding!
• God delights in the persistence of a man, woman, or child who keeps on seeking… keeps on wrestling and doesn’t let go… until he experiences the blessing.
• The one who seeks God with that zeal and that depth of hunger will be satisfied! He will continually find the answers, the strength, the guidance, and the comfort he needs.
• Don’t wait until you die and go to heaven to start seeking things above. We are commanded to seek them NOW… and continually!
2. Seeking things above involves persistence.
a. Seeking things above is a LIFELONG pursuit for the believer.
b. The tense implies continuous action.
c. Seeking things above No one can say, “I sought and I have found things above. My seeking is over.”
d. If that which we are seeking is fellowship and communion with Christ where He is, then there is always MORE to be sought… more to be obtained.
e. We are to continually be seeking things above where Christ is.
f. We are to seek HIM… to know Him…
g. We are to seek to be more LIKE Him in our daily lives.
h. There is no end to that pursuit. (We are not there yet!)
i. Even when we are filled with the Spirit and filled with the fullness of God (godly qualities)—let’s not be so puffed up as to think there is no more to be had!
j. Think of the ocean as the fullness of God. We are a tiny cup… which can be filled with that fullness… but there is so much more available… so much more to seek and discover!
k. Seeking things above will take the rest of our earthly existence… it is a lifelong pursuit.
3. Seeking involves LOOKING…
a. II Cor. 4:18 – While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
• Are we seeking those things that are above… heavenly, spiritual, eternal?
• Do we look longingly to the unseen things above?
• Or are we really looking more longingly to the things of the earth—the big house on the hill… the Lexus… the chalet… the pool… a sizeable nest egg… the big promotion… the corner office… all designed for life in this world…
• God knows our hearts. He knows what we long after… what we are really seeking after in life.
• We LOOK to the things we are seeking after.
b. Heb. 12:2 – Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
• We look above where Christ is… we look at eternal things…
• This is God’s method for running the race—LOOKING unto Jesus… seeking His face… gazing upon His character in the Word…
• As we do, we are transformed into His image.
• Psalm 27:4 – One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
• Seeking involves LOOKING longingly…
• Seeking involves looking without distraction: ONE THING have I desired… to BEHOLD the beauty of the Lord!
• The psalmist chose ONE THING to behold… as Mary chose the ONE THING that was needful… to sit at Jesus’ feet and behold the glory of the Lord.
• Martha was seeking to have her earthly house in order (which was good). But Mary sought fellowship with Christ… the ONE THING that was needful…
• When we have an eye for Christ and things above… we will not have an eye for others… just like a bride who has an eye for her groom. She has no eyes for others.
• Seeking involves LOOKING… with a single eye. When that is the case, the whole body shall be full of light.
• It speaks of the major FOCUS of our life.
4. Seeking involves DESIRE.
a. Psalm 63:1 – O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
• The psalmist speaks of his DESIRE for God like the desire of a thirsty man.
• This kind of desire is all consuming. The man in stranded in the desert with no water can hardly think of anything else other than water!
• The desire is so strong that he begins imagining he sees water… mirage…
• The one with this kind of strong desire seeks EARLY.
• This kind of strong desire MOVES a man to seek water…
• As believers, we should seek things above with the same passion… same desire… same zeal…
• The first thing as we wake in the morning, our minds and hearts should turn to God and think of the Lord.
• Do we?
• If we have been raised up with Christ we should. But it should come without struggle. It is so very natural for the new creature in Christ to DESIRE things above!
b. Matthew 6:32 – (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
• Everybody seeks for something.
• The unsaved seek for earthly things… survival and comfort on the earth. (food; shelter; clothing; toys)
• The gentiles make the pursuit of earthly goods their main object in life.
• This pursuit has the preeminence over all else.
• Some believers live this way too. The pursuit of earthly things… earthly treasures trumps God, the Bible, the local church… everything!
• It appears to be their all in all. It’s all they know; all they have;
c. Matthew 6:33 – But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
• What a great application to us today as Christians!
• In every dispensation, God instructs His people to seek after HIM and that which God has promised…. And to TRUST God for everything until that day.
• To the Jews God promised the earthly, Messianic kingdom and they were to SEEK that Kingdom… and LONG for a character of life consistent with the principles of that kingdom.
• In Matt. 6:33, Jesus told His Jewish disciples to seek after the Kingdom He was offering and to seek after God’s righteousness… and not to try to establish their own righteousness.
• Unfortunately, Israel as a nation did NOT seek after the kingdom, and when it was offered, both the king and His kingdom were rejected.
• Jesus stated that IF they sought after the kingdom, all their earthly needs would be provided. No need to worry about earthly needs.
• Believers are not to worry but to trust.
• The unsaved Gentiles WORRY about food, clothing, etc.
• Believers—whether Old Testament or New Testament saints… are NOT to worry about such things, but are to TRUST God to provide.
• What a testimony when believers living right next door to an unsaved neighbor… going through the same trials and tragedies of life… and yet their testimony is not one of worry, fear, and anxiety—but one of trust and rest in the Lord. That is a powerful testimony!
d. A heart that SEEKS God and LONGS for things above:
• A heart in whom God is delighted.
• A satisfied heart… and a fulfilled heart…
• And is also a testimony before the world!
• God honors a hunger and thirst for righteousness.
5. Seeking things above involves TASTE.
a. When you go shopping for shoes, you SEEK that for which you have developed a taste. (color; style; etc.) Your eyes glaze right over all the other ugly shoes until they light upon that which pleases your taste.
b. Seeking involves taste.
c. Once we get a taste for things above—we lose our taste for things below!
d. Psalm 37:4 – Delight thyself in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
• We will SEEK after that which our heart delights in.
• If we delight in God and things above we will seek them.
• If we delight in things of the world, that’s what we will seek after.
• But when we seek after things above… and delight in the Lord we HAVE the desires of our heart granted!
• We already POSSESS every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. We HAVE the desires of our heart.
• We are already INDWELT with Christ. If He is our delight, then we HAVE the desire of our heart!
• For the hungry believer, seeking to satisfy his taste for things above, fulfillment does not come through OBTAINING something from the Lord.
• Fulfillment comes through FAITH: by BELIEVING that we already possess all we need… Christ is our all in all… all spiritual blessings are ours…
• Believing these wonderful truths will cause our hearts to REST in God’s Word… rest rather than worry! Contentment rather than covetousness!
e. As we continually seek things above, we will be continually filled with things above… as we live down here below!
• God gives us that foretaste of glory divine!
• Once we taste and see that the Lord is good, we want more and more.
• We begin to develop a TASTE for such things. O taste and see that the Lord is good!
• As we keep on seeking, we keep on finding things above. These eternal things of Christ satisfy our souls… satisfy our hunger and thirst…
• We discover that NOTHING satisfies like Christ and the things above.
• Things of earth grow strangely dim… not by law but by the sweet presence of Christ overshadowing all other desires…
• “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness?” (Ps. 107:9)
• Hence, no need for earthly ordinances: touch not, taste not, handle not!
• Things that are HIGHER… things that are nobler—these have allured my mind!
• Just like there is no need for the law for the believer who is filled with the Spirit. (Against such there is no law!)
• Only the Spirit filled believer will ever fulfill the righteousness in the law anyway!
6. Even so, the Spirit filled believer will find many things down here that he chooses not to touch or handle too. There is a lot of evil to avoid in the world.
a. But he does so not because of a set of rules some man handed him… but because he has developed a taste for something higher… something nobler…
• The things of earth grow strangely dim to the one seeking and finding things above!
• Old things pass away!
• As a new creation who has been conformed to the image of Christ, and as one in whom Christ lives, we ought to feel more at home in the heavenly sphere than down here on earth.
• The more we seek things above, the more we develop a taste for it. The more we develop a taste, the more we will WANT to seek it.
• The more we seek things above the more at home we feel there.
• This is the process of spiritual growth.
• The plant grows as it seeks water and nutrients. The believer grows as he seeks Christ and things above.
b. Have you watched the leaves fall off the old oak tree? Most fall off in the autumn (right after you rake the lawn).
• But some stubborn ones stay on all winter! They last through the storms… through the blizzards…
• You could strain your back and try to shake the old oak tree to get those dead leaves to fall off… and maybe a few will fall… but not all.
• The new life flowing through the branch just naturally causes the old, dead leaves to drop off… the new leaves just caused them to drop off naturally!
• Those old dead leaves—like the baggage of our old man are often stubborn.
• Religion emphasizes shaking the tree to rid it of those old dead leaves.
• Christianity emphasizes NEW LIFE in Christ… which causes the old to fall away naturally… without the struggle and the strain.
• The focus is not on those old, dead leaves. The focus is on Christ… and our life in Him! Seeking heavenly things above… like the branch abiding in Him…
• The things of this world begin to lose their appeal WHEN our life is spent seeking things above!
• As we fill our lives with Christ, with His Word, with fellowship, communion, worship, and prayer… His new life pushes away those stubborn remnants of our past life.
• Religion of the world majors on emptying the tree of the old leaves.
• Christianity majors on filling the tree with new leaves!
• Religion of the world says: Touch not, taste not, handle not.
• The young, zealous, but immature believer in his zeal and hatred for sin is likely to be attracted to a form of Christianity that says, Touch not, taste not…
• The religious flesh attempts to empty the cup of all evil the best they can—but even if they were successful, the cup is still empty!
• Christianity fills the cup with Christ and things above:
• The older, wiser, more mature believer is more interested in FILLING the cup: For to me to live is Christ!
• When we are filled with the Spirit and our lives are filled with Christ… there is no room in that life for the things of the world… the things down below.
• We develop new tastes… for things above.
• The indwelling LIFE of Christ is our new source of satisfaction…
• We have often mentioned Christ’s preeminence in this book. Here is a practical way that we LIVE His preeminence by SEEKING things above where Christ is!
• By seeking Him first and foremost in our lives, we are demonstrating a life where Christ is preeminent.
• This is God’s answer to ALL of our besetting sins. Like stubborn oak leaves, they will fall off when our focus is on nurturing our new life… not by trying our best to shake the old oak tree!
Seated at the Right Hand of God
Introduction:
1. Paul states here that Christ rose from the dead and that the believer in Christ shares in that resurrection.
2. The arguments that Paul begins to make in the rest of the book of Colossians are all based upon the truth of the resurrection.
3. Today is the day we as a nation recognize the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
4. As believers, EVERY Sunday is resurrection Sunday!
5. But today is a special day set aside to consider the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
6. And it just so happens that the passage we are presently discussing in Colossians deals with this very issue!
Christ: The Glory of His Person and His Work
A. Who Is Christ?
1. Christ is mentioned twice in this verse.
2. Colossians 1 and 2 describe who He is and what He has done.
3. 1:15 – He is the image of the invisible God. He is God!
a. Image implies visible manifestation…
b. God is invisible. No man can see God and live.
c. But Christ is the image of God – a visible manifestation of an otherwise invisible God.
d. Heb. 1:3 – the express image of the Father.
e. Jesus said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.”
4. 1:19 – all fullness dwells in Christ. (deity)
5. 2:9 – In Him dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily! (deity in human flesh!)
6. 1:16 – He is the Creator of heaven and earth!
7. 1:17 – He sustains the universe. (Heb. 1:3 – He upholds all things by the Word of His power.)
8. 2:10 – He is the head of all angelic powers.
9. 1:18 – He is the Head of the Body, the church.
B. What Did He Do?
1. 1:14 – The Creator of the universe became a part of that creation by becoming a man (incarnation) in order that he might shed His blood to provide forgiveness of sins for those who believe.
2. 2:14 – He is the One who died on the cross and thus paid in full the demands that the Law had against us… nailing it to His cross.
a. The law condemned us all!
b. Jas. 2:10 – whoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all!
c. Gal. 3:10 – cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them.
d. Rom. 3:19 – all the world is guilty before the Law.
e. The law sets forth the infinitely high standard of God’s own holiness and righteousness, demands perfection, and condemns any violation. One violation makes you guilty of all! Continuous obedience and one failure brings you under its curse.
f. The law was designed not to save, but to cause us reveal our sin and our absolute helplessness, and thus to cause us to cry out for mercy… to see our need of a Savior.
g. Jesus died and rose again. He paid the penalty of the law… and redeemed the believer from the curse of the law! That’s good news!
h. Gal. 3:13 – Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse FOR us! He died as our Substitute!
3. 2:15 – He is the One who defeated all the powers of darkness.
a. Satan masterminded the plot to murder Jesus Christ. The powers of darkness worked behind the scenes to scheme to put Him to death.
b. But in the very act of putting Christ to death, Satan and the powers of darkness were themselves defeated!
c. The serpents bite on Messiah’s heel resulted in the crushing of the serpent’s head!
d. Christ was mortally wounded but rose from the dead.
e. Satan was eternally conquered in the very act.
f. The cross was no victory for Satan, but rather, it resulted in his utter defeat!
g. At the cross Christ spoiled the powers of darkness… and triumphed over them in it!
h. Of course, this implies the resurrection… for it was Satan’s goal for the cross to be the END of Jesus Christ.
i. It was God’s plan for the cross to be the BEGINNING of a new, heavenly sphere for Christ and those who trust in Him.
j. Heb.2:14-15 – defeated him who had the power of death!
k. The greatest weapon the devil had to use against us was death, and through the resurrection, Christ conquered DEATH itself!
4. 1:18 – He is the firstborn of the dead
a. He died on the cross for the sins of the world.
b. But death was not the end of Him. He ROSE victoriously over sin and death and hell!
c. He was the first human being ever to experience resurrection!
d. Several others were raised from the dead by the power of God. (Lazarus; Elisha and Elijah raised two boys; etc)
e. However, those people did not experience resurrection, but resuscitation to mortal life. They were raised up in their former, mortal condition—only to die again.
f. Jesus was the FIRST one to be raised up into the glorified state!
g. He is the firstborn of the dead—the preeminent One.
h. I Cor. 15:20, 23 – He is the firstfruits of the resurrection—the very first human being to experience resurrection.
• The concept of firstfruit indicates that there are more to come!
• Christ is the first Man to enter into the glorified state.
• But we too will share in that glory! Believers in Christ will share in God’s great resurrection program!
5. 3:1 – Christ was raised up from the dead and is now seated at God’s right hand.
a. Lazarus was raised from the dead only to face death again. He was raised back into the earthly realm of mortality.
b. Christ was raised from the dead to enter into heaven… to glory… in a glorified human body suited for eternity… at the Father’s right hand…
6. Summary of His Person
a. Christ is God…
• He is the image of the invisible God. God revealed to us!
• The fullness of the godhead dwelt in Him bodily.
• He is the Creator of heaven and earth.
• He is the head of all angelic powers.
b. Christ became a man in the Person of Jesus Christ.
c. Christ died on the cross.
• Christ was able to shed blood and DIE for the sins of the human race because He became a man.
• Thus also, the sacrifice of Christ as God-Man was a sacrifice SUFFICIENT to satisfy divine justice.
• Thus Christ provided redemption for those who believe.
• And Christ defeated Satan and the powers of Darkness.
• Christ fulfilled all the demands of the law and redeemed us from the curse of the law.
d. Christ rose from the dead.
• By rising from the dead Christ not only defeated Satan and the powers of darkness, but He defeated death itself for the believer.
Christ: The Glory of His Resurrection
A. Christ Rose From the Dead To Be Exalted
1. The Eternal Son of God, the Creator of heaven and earth, humbled Himself in becoming a man. (Phil. 2:6-8)
a. Vs. 9 – He died but He was highly EXALTED!
b. He was given a name ABOVE every name… that every knee should bow to Him and acknowledge Him as LORD.
c. Lord: that is who He is… and who He always was and always will be… even though during His earthly ministry He didn’t LOOK like the Lord God Almighty.
2. In taking on human flesh, the Eternal Son of God became LOWER than the angels. (Heb. 2:9)
a. But this humbling of the Eternal Son was only for a little period of time… His earthly life as Jesus the Christ.
b. “For the suffering of death” — And the reason for this period of humiliation was that the Eternal God might experience DEATH in our place.
c. But after His death, He was raised up again… and was CROWNED with glory!
3. Eph. 1:19-20 – the resurrection power of God demonstrated in raising up Christ and seating Him at God’s right hand.
a. Christ was made lower than the angels (principalities and powers) in His period of humiliation… His earthly ministry.
b. But He was raised up FAR ABOVE all principalities and powers!
c. Vs. 22 – and ALL THINGS in the universe have been put under His feet. He is Lord of all.
B. Seated (Col. 3:1)
1. Christ not only rose from the dead, but He ascended into heaven itself for us!
a. Christ did not rise from the dead to remain in the weak, mortal, and earthly condition into which He entered through incarnation.
b. Christ’s period of humiliation ENDED with His resurrection and ascension!
c. Christ rose from the dead to be CROWNED with glory… the same glory He shared with His Father before the incarnation! His eternal glory!
• John 17:5 – And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
d. Acts 1:9-11 – The fact that He was seated in heaven implies the ascension.
• Lazarus was resuscitated to mortal life to walk on earth in the weakness of human flesh to die again.
• Jesus was the firstfruit of the resurrection. He was raised to DEFEAT death… and to pave the way into the eternal, glorified state!
• Christ was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven and was seated at God’s right hand.
• His seat is in heaven. It is not an earthly, Davidic throne of the Messianic Kingdom, but the heavenly throne of Almighty God!
2. Heb. 1:3 – He was seated because His work as Redeemer was finished.
a. His final words on the cross: it is finished!
b. His work as Redeemer is finished.
c. As a priest after the order of Melchizedek, He offered HIMSELF as a sacrifice for sin.
d. His sacrifice was sufficient to PURGE all sins. And because His work was done, He was seated. He rested from His work as Savior. It is finished.
e. The work of purging and cleansing sin—dealing with the sin issue has been forever concluded at the cross. Hence, the seating of the Savior in heaven. Rest!
3. Heb. 10:11-12 – His work is finished, so He could be seated and rest.
a. 10:11 – Old Testament priests offered sacrifices continually!
b. Their sacrifices could NEVER take away sin, therefore there was no end to the offering.
c. 10:1-2 – the Old Testament sacrifices were ineffective and the proof was the continual offering. If they WORKED they would have ceased!
d. 10:12 – But Christ offered ONE sacrifice for sins and sat down, indicating that His work was finished… perfect… nothing needs to be added.
e. 10:17 – Christ provided forgiveness of sins—to be remembered no more!
f. 10:18 – Hence, Christ was seated. There is no more offering for sin… except by those who refuse to believe that what Christ did was sufficient!
g. Hence, every religion of works declares their UNBELIEF… they do NOT believe that what Jesus did was sufficient.
h. Faith BELIEVES that what Jesus did finished the job. Those who believe can enter into REST… seated with the Risen, glorified, exalted Savior!
i. Col. 3:1 – As believers in Christ, we have been raised up WITH Christ! We have been seated in heavenly places IN Christ Jesus!
j. Thus, we SHARE in His heavenly position and glory!
k. In a very real way, HIS resurrection becomes OUR resurrection!
4. Man was made a glorious creature—crowned with glory and honor. (Heb.2:6-7)
a. David stood amazed at the love of God in giving such honor and dignity to man!
b. Man was created in the very image of God! Crowned with glory and honor at creation!
c. At creation, Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earth… co-regents over God’s creation!
• Such honor and dignity given to a mere creature… a speck of dust… caused David to stand in awe.
d. Yet, sin caused man to lose his dominion and crown, and his honor was turned to disgrace.
• We look at what mankind has become and stand in horror.
• When we look at mankind as created by God, David stood in awe! Man was the crown of creation.
• Now he is a fallen creation… lowered into sin, shame, degradation, and ultimately death and condemnation.
e. Therefore, God sent His Son to become a man—to suffer and die—to conquer death—to defeat the devil and bring back dominion over the earth to man—to restore man to a position of glory and honor!
f. But the New Testament reveals that Christ, the Second Adam, MORE than restored to man what the first Adam lost!
• God created Adam to have dominion over the earth. Yet Adam was created lower than the angels.
• But as Christians, by faith, we ROSE with Christ spiritually… and we are raised with Him into a NEW REALM—the heavenly!
• We are not in Adam, but in the Second Adam – Christ.
• And thus, we are seated in heavenly places in Christ… far above all principalities and powers!
g. Christ makes it possible for men to rule and reign over the earth—but to rule jointly with the Son of God!
• Christ makes it possible for men to share in HIS glorious reign in His Messianic Kingdom!
• Christ makes it possible for man’s sin to be forgiven and He also provided for HIS righteousness to be imputed! The righteousness of God is available to all who will believe!
• Jesus rose from the dead and brings believing mankind with Him!
• And one day our bodies will also be raised from the dead into that glorified state!
h. In Christ our position in glory is higher than Adam experienced before the fall!
i. Redemption in Christ does not restore us back to pre-fall conditions. Redemptions brings us higher than Adam ever was—higher than Eden… as far as heaven is above the earth!
j. Resurrection is MORE than a reversal of death.
• In the resurrection, Christ became a New Order of Being… Head of the New Creation.
• As new creatures, we share in this new creation!
• And resurrection of the body doesn’t restore us back to the earthly mortal realm. Resurrection brings us right into the eternal, glorified state!
k. Christ’s earthly body was mortal but was raised to immortality. He died, but is alive forever more!
l. One day, we shall be LIKE Him…
5. Heb. 2:10 – Christ not only ROSE and ASCENDED into glory. He brings US with Him!
a. He brings many sons into glory! (bring = bring to a point of destination; to lead…) He leads His sons home to glory!
b. As believers, we are identified with Christ in His resurrection.
c. We are members of His body. When He rose from the dead, in a spiritual sense, we SHARE in His resurrection.
d. We are now seated WITH Him in glory.
e. He is the CAPTAIN of our salvation!
• Captain = archegos = primarily signifies one who takes a lead in, or provides the first occasion of, anything; pioneer.
• Like a pioneer, the Son of Man “leads the way to heaven!”
• He was the first glorified Man to enter heaven… to be exalted to glory! A man in glory!
• He was the firstfruit of the resurrection…
• As the Pioneer – He paved the way for others. As the firstfruit, He is the assurance that there is more fruit to come.
• Christ was the first human being to experience death and conquer it—and to be exalted to the heavenly realm.
• He paved the way for others to follow… right through death, resurrection, and exaltation!
• He leads many sons… not back to our former earthbound existence, but He leads many sons to GLORY!
C. The Right Hand of the Father
1. Right hand is the traditional symbol of royal power and authority.
2. This is the highest dignity and honor in heaven.
a. Acts 2:33 – the place of exaltation.
b. I Pet. 3:22 – the place of exaltation over the angelic realm. Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
3. Heb. 8:1-2 – The “right hand of the Father” is the place of His High Priestly ministry — We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;? ?A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
a. Christ’s ministry to us today is from the seat of Majesty and glory… and resurrection power!
b. On earth in His period of humiliation, He grew tired; He slept; He wasn’t always nearby His disciples.
c. But from heaven, He is not distant. He ever liveth to make intercession for us! We can come to the throne of grace day or night!
4. Rom. 8:34 – The “right hand of the Father” is the place of His ministry as our Interceder… and Advocate.
a. Isn’t it good to have someone at the Father’s right hand who is our Advocate and is praying for us?
b. In fact, He ever liveth to make intercession for us!
c. When we sin as a Christian, it does not change our position before God. We are still His son and saved. But it does hinder our fellowship and walk.
d. And when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us… and Christ is there as our Advocate to claim the power of His blood to cleanse us from all sin.
e. The devil continually accuses the brethren of sin before God’s throne. Christ is seated there as our continual advocate defending us against all the accusations of our adversary the devil.
f. Mary, the mother of Jesus was a wonderful, godly woman who loved the Lord. But she was a sinner like you and me.
g. I’m glad she’s not my Mediator or Advocate. Jesus Christ is the one in glory pleading my cause before the Father’s throne!
h. He alone can stand before the Father and say, “I paid for that sin. This one has trusted in ME. This one is a son of God. This one is IN Me… and there is no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus.”
i. That’s the kind of Advocate I want… One who is seated because His work of satisfying divine justice with respect to my sin is FINISHED! And One who is seated at the right hand of God—the place of majesty… divine power… omnipotence… authority over all—heaven and earth!
Christ: His Invitation
1. Wherever He was, Christ’s invitation is the same: Come Unto Me!
a. Isa. 55:1 – Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
• If you’re thirsty—then come!
• The water of eternal is FREE, because the price has already been paid!
• The message is simple: Come and drink! How simple is faith—as simple as drinking water.
b. Matt. 11:29 – Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
• If you’re tired and weary of sin and the vanity of life—then COME!
• Christ invites you to come and He will give you REST for your soul!
c. Rev. 22:17 – And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
• If you’re thirsty—if nothing in this life really satisfies your soul, then come and drink freely… and receive LIFE!
• God has done everything needed to bring you into heaven… but He forces no one to come.
• Come is a command—but it requires a response on YOUR part.
• Will you come… or will you not?
• Phil. 2:9-10 – After the cross came the resurrection and ascension. God highly exalted Him… and all men will ultimately BOW before the exalted, resurrected, glorified Savior. Some will bow in heaven… some will bow in hell… when it is too late.
• Won’t you come to Christ today? What better day to be raised from spiritual death than on resurrection Sunday? Come today. Christ rejects none who come in simple faith!
Set Your Affection on Things Above
Set Your Affection
1. Defined: from the verb: φρονέω
a. From: phron = mind; understanding; thought
• Aphron = foolish
• Sophron = wise
b. to mind; to ponder; to think on; to be thoughtful of; to have a thing on one’s mind
2. Translated “affection” only in the King James Version.
a. It is not a textual issue.
b. It is likely it was translated affection in the sense of the affections of one’s mind…
c. In the Bible mind and heart are linked together.
• Affections were linked with the mind as thinking was with the heart in Bible times.
• Ex: Prov.23:7 – as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.
• The heart was considered the organ of thinking as much as the head is today.
• There IS an inseparable connection between our thoughts and our feelings.
d. This translation would not have seemed as odd in 1611 as it does today.
e. But the Greek term itself has to do with THINKING… the mind and not the emotions.
• Set your MIND on things above.
• As we set our MIND on things above, our affections will eventually become attached there too!
• Psalm 1:2 – “His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” He THINKS on God’s law BECAUSE he delights in it!
• Matt. 6:21 – For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
• For what our MIND treasures (values; delights in), it will THINK upon.
• And in time… because of those thoughts, our heart affections will become attached.
• Home is where the heart is. Our home is heaven… and our hearts ought to be there too. Our minds ought to continually go back home… to heaven; things above.
3. Present, active, imperative
a. Imperative: We are COMMANDED to think on things above and are commanded NOT to think on things on the earth.
b. Present: we are to CONTINUALLY direct our minds to things above… and to think from a heavenly perspective.
c. The fact that it is a command and requires continuous attention indicates that this is an ongoing problem in our lives as believers… and thus requires ongoing diligence.
d. God expects us to OBEY this command.
e. God has EQUIPPED us to obey this command.
f. But having a heavenly mindset is NOT automatic in the Christian life.
• There are too many things working against us!
• The world, the flesh, and the devil!
• We are constantly being dragged DOWN to earthly things… bogged down… entangled in the affairs of this life… like an insect stuck in a spider web…
• Therefore we must continually CHOOSE to think on things above. It is an act of the will.
• We can set our minds on whatever we choose to. We can set our mind on planning a vacation. We can set our minds on fixing the fence. We can set our minds on doing our homework if we choose to do so. We can set our minds on things above too… if we CHOOSE to do so.
• What we think on is our choice.
4. In this section which begins a series of exhortations, Paul begins in the head.
a. He tells us what to THINK before he tells what to do and how to behave. (The rest of the chapter deals with behavior.)
b. What is in our heads will control our behavior! The thought life is the best place to start.
c. If we are going to behave properly, we need to think properly.
d. The mind of the careless believer is the devil’s playground.
e. The mind of a thoughtful, godly believer is a taste of heaven on earth!
f. The importance of the MIND.
• The mind affects our feelings and emotions. (Think about your dog who died; think about your upcoming vacation.)
• The mind affects our actions and conduct.
• The mind affects our choices, decisions, goals, ambitions, what we seek after. It all starts in the mind.
g. Thus, before explaining what our behavior ought to be in the Christian home, in the local church, and in the workplace, God tells us what to think… on things above.
Things Above
1. Note that the “things above” in vs. 1 refer to where Christ is… where He is seated… where He is ruling and reigning as Lord… where He is seated in the place of honor and glory… where He has all the preeminence.
2. Things above do not refer to future things that we will experience when we die and go to heaven.
a. Rather, it refers to the SOURCE of power, motivation, and direction in our daily lives on earth today.
b. Our minds and thoughts are to have as their source the NEW LIFE we share with Christ where He is… in heaven.
c. Our new life in Christ generates a new kind of thinking… new goals… new ambitions… new motivations… new desires…
d. And all of these new things are to come from above where Christ reigns! The source is to be heavenly and Christ centered, not earthly, fleshly, or man centered.
3. Our minds are to DWELL on things above… meditate… mull over…
a. Our minds are to reside where Christ is…
b. Our minds are to be occupied with Him… with His place of honor and glory… in heaven… not the Jesus of the gospels.
c. Our minds are to have Christ seated in the place of preeminence.
4. HOW do we THINK things above?
a. The WORD of God is where we learn of things above. Our minds are to be illuminated, enlightened, and taught from the Word… our mind is to be instructed by the mind of God revealed in the Scriptures.
• We are not to invent what “things above” means.
• If our thoughts are to be on heavenly things, we need revelation to tell us WHAT KIND of things to fill our minds with.
b. We are to think of Christ… and fill our minds with Him. We still need the word of God to tell us who He is… and what kind of thoughts we should hold concerning Him.
• Example: Jehovah’s Witnesses may fill their minds with thoughts of Christ… as they have invented Him. But their concept of Christ does not line up with Scripture!
c. Prayer: prayer is thinking on things above. It is placing ourselves before the throne of grace… prayer is seeking for God, His will, His guidance, His wisdom, His presence, His fellowship.
d. Phil. 4:8 – We are TOLD in the Bible exactly what to THINK. This runs contrary to the ways of the earth… to the thinking of the natural man.
e. Phil. 2:5 – let this MIND be in you which was in Christ Jesus (His mindset)
• This doesn’t come naturally. We have to LET it be in us!
• This heavenly mindset of Christ is to be demonstrated on earth daily… selflessness… taking on the form of a servant… willing to suffer for righteousness sake… esteeming others better than self…
5. Rom. 12:1-2 – our minds are to be RENEWED by God’s Word.
a. But BEFORE the renewing takes place, we are to put our all on the altar! (The cross!)
b. No cross… no resurrection! No altar… no heavenly thinking!
c. Until or unless we are willing to come to an end of self—and by faith keep self on the cross—then we are DOOMED to remain earthbound in our thinking.
d. No cross = no resurrection; no cross = no resurrected thought life… no thoughts on things above.
e. It is not until we see ourselves as DEAD to the world… that we will experience the power of the resurrection in our thought lives.
6. In vs. 1, we were commanded to seek those things which are above.
a. Vs. 2 tells us HOW: by directing our mind to things above.
b. When our minds are thinking on things above, our hearts will become attached to them… and then we will SEEK them!
c. What we SEEK after depends upon one’s mindset.
d. Consider the young girl who has been thinking about becoming a nurse. She has been thinking about that for many months now. It keeps on coming into her mind… and she enjoys thinking about it. She pictures herself as a nurse. It is on her mind… and the more she thinks about it, the more she desires to BE a nurse. Over time, that mindset of nursing becomes a PURSUIT. Soon she is actively SEEKING it… calling nursing schools… seeking ways to pursue that goal… and before you know it, she’s a nurse helping people in the hospital!
e. Thoughts affect the feelings and affections… and affections drive our pursuits… what we seek after.
f. Thus, we are command to develop a heavenly mindset… for that will affect our emotions and heart… and ultimately will affect what we seek after… and the zeal with which we pursue it.
g. We seek after the things our hearts become attached to.
7. Constantly be seeking and thinking on things above.
a. What is the BASIS of the exhortation? The fact that we were raised up into heavenly places in Christ.
b. Since we are raised up with Him, then SEEK and THINK that which is consistent with our position in Christ.
• When our life was on earthly BEFORE we were saved, we sought after things of the earth. We THOUGHT like the world. And we pursued the things of the world with all the gusto we had.
• Now, Paul says, seek and think heavenly thoughts with that same gusto… zeal… and drive… and do so because you have been raised!
c. When Jesus was on the earth, His disciples had a unique relationship to Him as Master/disciple. But that relationship has ended. We know Christ that way no more.
d. Christ left the earth and ascended into heaven. If we love the Lord, our hearts and minds will ascend up where He is… and will want to dwell there in His presence.
e. This is the thrust of Paul’s command.
f. Our true riches are in heaven. Our hope is in heaven. Our inheritance is reserved in heaven for us. Our spiritual blessings are in heavenly places. Our citizenship and home are in heaven. But most importantly, Christ, our first love has ascended into heaven. Everything that is near and dear to us as believers is in heaven!
g. Therefore, our MINDS should dwell there! It is only natural that it should! Our feet are on the earth—but our minds should be in glory!
Not the Things on the Earth
1. We are to think on things above and NOT on things on the earth.
a. We are to think on one and NOT on the other.
b. Paul sets forth a clear-cut choice and commands us what to choose to think on.
c. We must choose one or the other to think upon: a heavenly mindset or an earthly mindset.
d. One cannot have TWO masters… it’s one or the other. Our mind cannot have two masters either.
e. We are to be singled eyed. (single minded dedication to ONE thing… to one preeminent thing… to the exclusion of all else.)
f. We cannot have a divided heart… divided affections… a divided mind.
g. He COMMANDS us NOT to constantly think on the things of the earth.
h. We are NOT to be continually occupied with the things of earth.
i. Our continual occupation of mind and heart is to be on Christ and things above.
j. It is morally impossible to have two masters. One HAS to make a choice.
k. It is also impossible to have two mindsets. One MUST make a decision.
l. It is impossible to have two different walks: earthly and heavenly.
m. Pastor Rathbun: When a believer has one foot in the world and one foot in heaven, it makes for a very uncomfortable walk!
2. The things of earth are not necessarily evil or immoral in themselves.
a. But even good things in the earth can be used for evil purposes.
b. But when those things take precedence OVER Christ or His Word or the local church or the things of God… then they become evil.
c. Such pursuits become dangerous when they take us away from the ONE THING that is to be our preeminent pursuit: that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection!
d. Anything that hinders us from our one true pursuit in life… anything that lures us away from seeking and thinking on things above is to be rejected.
e. II Cor. 10:5 – Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
f. Christ is to be LORD of our minds. He is to have preeminence in our thought lives. Anything that interferes is to be cast down and rejected. Our minds are to be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
g. Other mindsets take on a worldly nature… not because they are necessarily evil, but because they stand opposed to our seeking Christ and minding things above!
h. Anything that takes us away from seeking things above, putting Christ first, or minding things above hinders our spiritual growth.
3. Unsaved men in the world think on the things of earth. Naturally. It is the only realm they know. It is their home.
a. Phil. 3:18-19 – the enemies of the cross mind earthly things. (same word)
b. Rom. 8:5 – For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. (same word)
c. The flesh has its own way of thinking; its own mindset; its own attitude… its own intellectual pursuits.
d. This mindset is not always EVIL or immoral. Sometimes it is quite religious.
e. Paul has revealed in the previous chapter concerning the THINKING of men: touch not; taste not; handle not; the philosophies of men; the traditions of men; ordinances of men… all of this is part of the things of the earth.
f. But fleshly, earthly thinking is always contrary to the Spirit.
g. It is always earthly… it thinks like men…
h. Sometimes true believers can THINK like the world.
4. Matt. 16:23 – Jesus sharply rebukes Peter; he can grasp only human thoughts with a focus on earthly life.
a. Savourest: the same word as “affection” in Col. 3:1.
b. Peter was rebuked for thinking about life from earth’s perspective… for thinking like a man… a natural man of the earth.
c. Vs. 21 – Jesus began to tell the disciples that He was going to go to Jerusalem, be crucified and be raised up again.
d. Vs. 22 – Peter’s reaction?
• Peter rebuked the Lord. You don’t rebuke the Lord!
• You don’t call Him Lord and then say NO WAY! You call Him Lord and say, “Yes sir. Thy will be done!”
• Peter said, “This thing shall not be!” You don’t contradict God’s word when He has spoken!
• Peter was acting on his feelings… gut feeling.
• Peter was thinking like a natural man. He didn’t want his friend Jesus to die.
• Peter was not thinking about spiritual realities, but earthly things.
• Peter was NOT thinking about God and God’s will or God’s plan.
• Peter was thinking about the natural realm… earth… his earthly relationship to Jesus Christ on earth, rather than something more important: his spiritual relationship to Him… and God’s eternal plan for the ages… which included the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ!
• We like Peter are also inclined to THINK like men of the world. God help us!
5. We are COMMANDED to think on things above and are also commanded NOT to think on things on the earth.
a. The command is to NOT THINK on things of the earth.
b. But be careful!
c. This is NOT a command to be unconcerned about life on earth at all!
d. It is NOT a command to pay no attention to our job, our family, or your health, or retirement.
e. God does NOT want us to IGNORE life on earth. That is not the point of the command.
f. Our main pursuit in life ought to be things above… storing treasures in heaven. Constantly fill your mind with that!
g. We are commanded NOT to think like the earth dwellers!
h. We are commanded to think from heaven’s perspective from the spiritual and eternal perspective… from God’s vantage point… not from man’s perspective on the earth.
i. Look at your life on earth from the vantage point of our POSITION: seated in heavenly places in Christ.
j. That results in an entirely new outlook on life!
Being Heavenly Minded is Practical on Earth
1. It does NOT mean that we are to so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good!
a. Being heavenly minded does NOT mean that we pay no attention to life on earth. How foolish!
b. Paul is not suggesting that believers withdraw from commerce, from interaction with other people, or that we withdraw from life on earth—as if we were to live in a monastery. Hardly. He just exposed the errors of asceticism.
c. Having a heavenly mindset will cause us to be even MORE diligent and careful about life on earth… not less so!
d. Being heavenly minded means we will be desirous of spiritual fruit and growth.
e. Spiritual growth occurs when we are occupied with things above.
• The branch bears fruit when it is abiding in the Vine. We grow spiritually when our minds and hearts are continually in heaven… where Christ is.
• Dwelling on our heavenly position does NOT make us useless on earth. It makes us FRUITFUL!
• When our mind is in heaven, increasing with the knowledge of God, it makes us fruitful in every good work!
f. When our hearts and minds are saturated with thoughts of Christ and things above… THEN we will be the kind of Christian God wants us to be on earth!
g. Being heavenly minded is the BASIS upon which the following exhortations are made (home; church; real life!)
2. Minding things above means that we view life here on earth from heaven’s perspective… with eternity’s values in mind.
a. We make decisions based not simply on the basis of what is expedient and profitable for this life, but what is best for the glory of God!
b. Ex: a job offer in New Mexico.
• It offers a huge raise… housing costs are much lower… a better standard of earthly living… the school system is superior… lower property taxes… no snow… what’s not to like?
• You’re thinking like a man of the earth… of this world.
• It sounds like Lot’s mindset as he looked over the lush valley of Sodom!
• What should we do? PRAY! Lord, what wilt THOU have me to do? Not my will but thine be done.
• Is there is good, sound, Bible believing church nearby? Have you investigated it?
• Will this move be for the SPIRITUAL good of me and my family?
• It’s a given that it will be to our economic best interests, but what about heavenly things?
• It’s unimaginable to me that a believer with any amount of discernment would ever move to a new area because of its pleasant location, economy, or scenery, just crossing their fingers and hoping that they will find a good, sound church there!
• That’s not living the resurrected life. That’s not acknowledging our position as seated in heavenly places in Christ. That’s savoring the things of men… and not the things above.
c. If you were standing in heaven right now (and suppose you could observe earth) and you were watching your children live their lives on earth… what would you want for them?
• Your STANDING in heaven (if you then be risen with Christ) would completely change your view of what really matters down here!
• From earth’s perspective, our desires for our children’s lives might include: a good job; good health; nice family; comfortable home; prosperous life; no trials or tribulations, trouble free… sugar and spice and everything nice!
• But from heaven’s perspective, we would view life on earth quite differently.
• From heaven we might see that tribulation works patience and patience makes us mature lacking nothing spiritually! (James 1:3-4)
• From heaven we might see that an earthly affliction is GOOD for us spiritually for it keeps us on our knees and our hearts close to God. (Ps. 119:71)
• From heaven we might see that getting our kids into Sunday sachool each week is more important than getting them into Harvard.
• We might see that suffering from an awful disease is really good training for our ministry to others who are also afflicted.
• We might see that the loss of our job was just what we needed to cause us to learn to trust in the Lord.
• We might even come to acknowledge that EVERYTHING we do in this life is designed to prepare us for eternity!
• And if that’s the case (and it is!) then this heavenly mindset will NOT cause us to withdraw from life on earth, but to be FULLY engaged… and to be diligent about all we do here… even the tiny details of life (doing a good job even when the boss is out sick!)
• We will view life in this world as a time of preparation for the Judgment Seat of Christ.
» Are you getting prepared for that day? That’s what life is all about.
» God is preparing us for eternity, teaching us of Himself… conforming us to the image of Christ.
» ALL of our works on earth are going to be evaluated in that day. Hence, heaven’s perspective gives us a GREATER appreciation for the value of life on earth.
3. A heavenly perspective will make us even MORE thoughtful and careful about the details of our lives here on earth.
a. The heavenly minded believer will see every aspect of his life on earth from eternity’s perspective.
b. He will see the spiritual significance of all he does on earth… because it is all going to be evaluated.
c. He will see the VALUE of his life on earth from a new perspective: from heaven’s vantage point.
d. A heavenly perspective will radically change the very WORST of earthly conditions.
e. Consider the servant who had to live through the degradation of slavery.
• Col. 3:22-24 – notice that Paul’s message to the slaves living under this abusive system was not, “Take up your arms and rebel against this injustice.”
• Rather, he said, “Obey your masters, and do so because you fear God not man.”
• Keep a heavenly perspective. Christ is the One you are really serving! Not that earthly master… but the heavenly Master!
• Vs. 24 – And one day you will be rewarded for living a godly life on earth in spite of man’s cruelty. You kept your mind on the heavenly prize and you will be rewarded!”
• Vs. 25 – And by the way, that master will be judged for whatever evil injustice he has imposed too! God is no respecter of persons.
• God is not impressed with wealthy landowners. But He is impressed with obedience and suffering for righteousness sake!
• Paul gives us a glimpse of heaven’s perspective of the evil of slavery that existed in Bible times.
• Having a heavenly mindset gives us a proper picture of what we are enduring here on earth.
• It also enables us to endure suffering and injustice with dignity.
• Slavery is outlawed in our land (thank God!) but we still have many other injustices to deal with in a cursed earth filled with 6 billion sinners.
• Perhaps you have been called to endure suffering for rightesousness sake… called to endure injustice…
• Earth’s perspective will give us one view of the situation… and will make us bitter and angry.
• Heaven’s and eternity’s perspective will give us any view entirely… it will transform us… it enables us to endure with longsuffering and joyfulness!
• God uses suffering, affliction, injustice, and persecution to train us… and to prepare us to stand before the Bema.
• A heavenly mindset FREES us from the drudgery of slavery to an evil master on earth… and enables us to see ourselves as serving Christ… who is seated at the right hand of God…
• And Christ who is seated at the right hand of divine power is not helpless to do anything about this injustice… but rather reigning… ruling… in Divine power and majesty… observing… taking notes… and ready to strengthen… and awaiting the time to reward faithful service… and judge all evil.
• That godly Christian slave of the first century who served an evil master could do so with dignity… with a sense of living ABOVE his circumstances… because he realized he was raised up into heavenly places in Christ… and because he has a heavenly mindset… awaiting the Bema where all the crooked things shall be made straight!
• That principle applies to unhappy marriages… to injustice in society we have to endure… to ill treatment at work because we are a Christian… and 1001 other realms.
• A heavenly perspective will transform it all—our motivation, our attitudes, our choices, our purposes,—everything!
• A heavenly mindset raises a man ABOVE the earth… above wallowing in self pity… ABOVE seeking revenge… ABOVE pettiness… ABOVE jealousy… ABOVE bitterness… ABOVE the ways of the world…
• A heavenly mindset does NOT make a man useless in his life on earth.
» It makes a slave a better slave.
» It makes an office worker the best worker he can be.
» It makes a school teacher diligent in her work.
» It makes a factory worker industrious, even when the foreman is on vacation.
» It makes the business owner honest in all his dealings… the husband faithful…
» The Christian politician a man of integrity…
• And NORMALLY, (all things being equal) that causes a Christian to do WELL in his particular field… because many in the world do not share heavenly values: honesty, diligence, justice, compassion, etc.
• Being heavenly minded will deliver a man from being self indulgent, careless, lazy, and sloppy in his earthly work.
• He will hold heaven’s values—and that will manifest itself in his practical, daily life to the glory of God.
f. Viewing life on earth from the vantage point of our heavenly position will enable us to experience the peace and rest of God where others experience worry and turmoil.
• So you are the low man on the totem pole at work? Such a lowly position could be discouraging if you saw life from earth’s vantage point. But think on things above! Be mindful of your heavenly position in Christ at the right hand of the Father! That’s your real position!
• So you live in a tiny house, drive an old car, and don’t have much money? That could be depressing from earth’s vantage point. But think on things above! In heaven we possess a rich inheritance! Joint heirs with Christ!
• Or perhaps you are doing quite well in this life and have all kinds of money in the bank, a summer home, fancy cars, the big house on the hill, and are in good health. Well, you too are commanded to think from heaven’s perspective! Those earthly trinkets are NOTHING but dust… don’t set your affection on them. The psalmist wrote, if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. Think on things above!
• It doesn’t matter so much what our earthly condition is. It is our heavenly position that matters.
• We are commanded to continually THINK from that position!
• We are commanded to view our earthly condition from our heavenly position. That will put everything in its place… in right perspective.
• From heaven, what matters is Christ. For to me to LIVE is Christ. He is to have all the preeminence.
• Nothing is more practical for life on earth than having a heavenly mindset. THINK on things above.
4. Being in heaven at God’s right hand does NOT mean that His influence in the world has ended. (Eph. 1:20-23)
a. Rather He has been moved to the place of ultimate influence over matters on earth.
b. He is at God’s right hand… the place of authority and power.
c. He is exalted ABOVE the entire angelic realm which exerts such influence on the earth.
• What a stark contrast!
• On earth, we saw Jesus tired, weak, and hungry being tempted by the devil.
• On earth, we saw angels ministering to His physical needs.
• On earth, we saw Jesus suffering because of the demonic influence working behind the scenes to have Him put to death.
• Angels seemed so superior to Him in His earthly weakness.
• Now, Christ is exalted in heaven, in a glorified human body, ABOVE the angelic realm…
• The angels are now in submission to Him as the Lord of heaven.
• No demon can try any servant of God without permission from who is above them all!
• Christ orders the holy angels to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation… and to watch over the churches.
d. He is Lord over ALL. (Eph. 1:22b – He hath put ALL THINGS under His feet!
e. He is also exalted to the place of HEAD over the Body which is on earth… as salt and light… His witness… His evangelists… from heaven Christ the Head directs His Body and members in particular to carry out His will on earth in His absence.
The Hidden Life of a Believer
Introduction:
1. Contemplating the cross, resurrection, and ascension, the Lord said, “In a little while, the world seeth Me no more” (John 14:19)
2. Christ’s ascension into heaven caused Him to be “hidden” from the world.
3. Our new life is hidden with Christ in God.
4. Before we can enjoy this hidden, secret life of intimate fellowship and communion with Christ, (something unknown and unknowable to the world) we must first reckon ourselves to be dead to the world and risen with Christ.
DEAD TO THE WORLD AND HIDDEN FROM THE WORLD
A. For Ye are Dead
1. Lit. = For you died.
a. It speaks of a past event, not a present state.
b. It highlights the fact that at some point in the past (the moment of saving faith) they died with Christ. (Col. 2:20)
c. Their old man was crucified with Christ.
d. This is NOT a command to die to self… or to crucify the old man. Rather, it is a statement of fact. We died.
e. It is not something we are to do. It is something we are to believe.
2. This death severs us from our past worldly life.
a. Col. 2:11 – we were cut off from dominion to the sins of the flesh… and from our old man.
b. Col. 2:20-22 – death severed us from our past religious life… subject to human ordinances and traditions… the commandments and doctrines of men… rudiments of the world.
3. FOR: our death with Christ is given as the REASON that we are to think on things above and to seek things above.
a. We are to think on things above because:
• We died to this world (vs. 3a) and we are raised up in heaven with Christ (vs. 1).
• we have been cut off from things below!
• This world is no longer our home… heaven is.
• We died to this world and the things of this world but are alive in an entirely new realm: above, where Christ is seated. That’s our new home.
• That’s where our new life is—hidden with Christ in God.
4. Because the believer DIED to the world, his new life is hidden from the world. (Gal. 6:14; Col. 2:20) A dead man is buried and hidden from sight.
a. Dead to our former lifestyle (I Pet. 4:3-4; Eph. 2:1-6)
• You are literally hidden from this crowd!
• You’re no longer at the barrooms or the drunken parties.
• Our life in the world as we were ended. Our old friends understand this. The person they once knew, they know no more!
• They think it “strange” (word for foreign)… that we are no longer the same… that we no longer run around with them…
• It doesn’t mean you have no contact with your old friends, but it does mean that you’re hidden from them in that old context.
• Dead to our old habits (I Cor. 6:9-11) “such WERE some of you, but now ye are washed…”
b. Dead to our earthly relationships (Matt. 10:35-37)
• Faith in Christ results in a new life, which is hidden away with Christ… hidden from people of the world.
• Sometimes there can be friction between one whose life is on earth and one whose life is hidden away in God.
• They have two different goals, desires, lifestyles, pursuits, etc…
• The fact that we love the Lord MORE than we love them can be hurtful to them… and puzzling.
• And sometimes we are forced to choose between pleasing them and pleasing the Lord. Putting Christ and spiritual things above our earthly family can cause friction.
• Matt. 12:47-50 – Jesus was told that his mother and family wanted to speak to Him. His response: “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?… For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
• The believer whose life is in heaven is HIDDEN even from his earthly family… if they do not know Christ.
• As important as our earthly families are, there is something MORE important: our new life hidden with Christ in God.
c. Dead to the world’s affections (John 15:18-19)
• The one whose life is hidden with Christ in God lives a life foreign to the folks of this world.
• They know that something changed and often they will hate us for it!
• They can recognize that something higher has captured our minds and hearts… and that we are no longer one of “them.”
• Therefore the world hates us… because our life here ended and we have a new life that they cannot fathom.
• We know we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren… brothers and sisters in Christ! (I John 3:14) Our new love for a new family causes friction with our earthly families at times.
d. Dead to the things of the world
• I John 2:15 – the Spirit filled believer is told to LOVE NOT the things of the world.
• What could be more foreign to worldlings who love the world! They cannot imagine how anything could be more important or more valuable than their earthly gold, toys, and trinkets.
• Matt. 6:19-21 – The believer will spend his earthly treasures in order to store true treasures in heaven.
• The Spirit filled believer will hold the things of earth loosely and will use them for God’s glory rather than hoard them for self.
• This too is absolutely foreign to the earth dwellers.
• To folks in the world, life consists in the things which they possess… even though Jesus said, a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
• They cannot fathom a man whose life consists of something OTHER THAN things of the world: possessions, power, prestige, position…
e. John 17:16 – Jesus said of His disciples: they are not of the world even as I am not of the world.
• As far as the world is concerned, the Spirit filled believer may live IN the world, but we are no longer one OF them.
• We are foreigners… strangers… even enemies at times… an unknown commodity… even a threat.
• When our light shines, it makes them look bad…
• Light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not.
• The oil that keeps our lamps shinning is HIDDEN from them.
5. If any man be IN Christ, he is a new creature… old things are passed away… (II Cor. 5:17)
a. This does not mean that we cloister ourselves away from the world… or retreat to a monastery, or withdraw from society… as some cults have mistakenly done.
b. That’s NOT what hidden with Christ in God means!
c. But for the one who is a new creation with new life in Christ… our former relationship to the world changed. In fact, it ENDED. It passed away.
d. We died to this old world and its ways… and have been raised up into heavenly places in Christ.
e. Now, our new life is hidden away from the world… hidden with Christ in God.
RISEN WITH CHRIST AND HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD
A. Hidden
1. Our old life is over, and our new life is hidden because we are IN Christ.
2. Christ is ascended and seated at the right hand of the Father… and in that position Christ is hidden from the world… unseen and unknown by the world.
a. The world hated Christ. The world persecuted Him throughout His earthly ministry, and ultimately, put Him to torturous and humiliating death of the cross.
b. But He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and is seated at the Father’s right hand.
c. There, He is out of view of the world. Hidden from their sight… and out of their reach…
d. The world will never scourge Him again. They will never spit upon Him again. They will never pull out His beard again. They will never nail Him to a cross again.
e. He is hidden from their sight and touch… in the safety of the courts heaven…
f. And He is seated in the place of absolute divine power and authority.
g. And our life is hidden with Him where He is.
3. Hidden: perfect:
a. Our life was hidden at a point in the past (Spirit baptism).
b. This “hiding” of the life of the believer, which began in the past, is ongoing.
c. We continue to be hidden away in God.
B. Hidden with Christ in God
1. The believer’s life is hidden with Christ in God because the believer was RAISED UP with Christ (Col. 3:1).
a. Christ Himself is safely hidden away from the world that hated Him and crucified Him.
b. Because we are in Christ, we too are in a position where we are hidden from the sight and touch of the world.
c. Our old life on earth ended abruptly. Our new life is now sourced in heaven… and is not able to be seen or understood by men of the earth.
d. As Paul said in Gal. 2:20 – “I am crucified, nevertheless I live.” This new, resurrection life of the believer is our REAL spiritual life, but is hidden.
2. Hidden away in heaven at the Father’s right hand, the believer is also in a position of safety, security and power.
a. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places… at the Father’s right hand… the place of divine POWER!
b. From that heavenly position, we have available to us the resurrection power of God!
c. While we look at our lives from earth’s perspective, we are in a position of frailty and weakness… and often seem to be trampled upon by the world.
d. When we look at lives from the heavenly perspective, we are safe as can be! At the Father’s right hand! In fact we are IN the hands of the Father and no man can pluck us from His hand!
3. What a contrast between these two worlds!
a. Down here we face the world’s wrath, cruelty, and temptations
b. But up there, we experience God’s love, presence, and power.
c. Nothing down here can separate us from the love of God up there! (Rom. 8:35-39) Not even the principalities and powers can touch us at the Father’s right hand. We have been raised up with Christ ABOVE all principalities and powers!
d. Our lives look quite tentative and tenuous down here… but are as safe as can be up there.
e. Our lives may appear to be on the brink of destruction down here, but there is no danger up there… where our REAL LIFE IS!
f. The storms of life may beat against our old body of flesh upon the earth, but our soul, head, and heart can enter into the rest and bliss of heaven… hidden away safely in heaven with Christ in God!
g. “No ill can harm me; no foe alarm me for He keeps both day and night; safe am I… safe am I… in the hollow of His hand.”
h. “Things that once were wild alarms cannot now disturb my rest!”
i. Heb. 6:20 – here the illustration of our safety is that our souls have been ANCHORED to the One who ascended into heaven and has entered within the veil into the very Holy of Holies in heaven: seated at the right hand of the Father’s throne!
• We are anchored to one who is our forerunner… a pioneer—who has paved the way for us to follow one day BODILY.
• Positionally, we are there already!
• But until we actually arrive, we are anchored to the Rock of Ages HIDDEN away, within the veil.
• We are hidden away with Christ in God… hidden away in the very Holy of Holies in heaven!
4. God sees us in the very courts of heaven… and “Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.” (Psalm 92:13)
a. It is a place of safety… a sanctuary where our foes cannot touch us… a place near to the Father… near to the heart of God… a place of resurrection power… a place of spiritual growth… a place where God’s people flourish in the heavenly courts of God…
b. Why would anyone want to leave that place?
5. It is FROM that position of safety, security, and power, hidden away from the world that we experience communion with Christ… FROM WHICH fruit is borne down here on earth!
a. From that position, we become fully engaged in life down here on earth.
b. With out lives hidden away up there… our mind and heart dwelling with Christ where He is… THEN we are able to PROPERLY serve Him on earth!
c. When the mind and heart is in sync with Christ the Head, the Body will function on earth according to God’s will.
d. Not every kind of service that believers do on earth arises from this type of a relationship.
e. MUCH of what is accomplished in the name of Christ arises from the personal ambitions of men… from the flesh… from the desire for empire building… for denominational devotion… the traditions of men… and not necessarily after Christ!
C. Our Resurrected LIVES Are Hidden From the World
1. Our salvation is hidden from the world. (John 3:8)
a. Regeneration is a mystery… unobserved… unseen by the world.
b. They can see the EFFECTS of it in a person’s life… but they cannot see or understand what really happened.
c. The person who has experienced regeneration (born again) is also an enigma to the world. We are a mystery to the world. Everything about our spiritual lives is foreign.
d. The world will never understand what makes us tick. (I Cor. 2:14-15 – a spiritual man is judged of no man on earth.)
e. The world can see religion. It can talk religion. It can understand religion. But it will NEVER understand regeneration or the one who has been born again.
2. Our heavenly thinking is incomprehensible to the world. (I John 4:5-6)
a. John is contrasting the false teachers (them) with themselves, the true apostles and the believers to whom they write. (we)
b. THEY are of the world.
• They (the unsaved false teachers) are natural men who know ONLY the natural realm. This world is their home and is where their hearts are.
• These men are NOT dead to the world. Nor have they been raised up. Nor are their lives hidden away in God. Their lives are in and of the world.
• They speak the world’s language and the world hears and understands them. The world responds to them.
• They seem to do well in the world and gather large followings… because the world understands their language.
• But they CANNOT know the things of God for they are spiritually discerned. Spiritual things are foolish to them.
c. We are of God.
• In contrast, there is the WE (the apostles).
• We know God and His Word. We speak God’s language.
• Those who belong to God… (true believers) those whose real lives are hidden away with Christ will hear us and respond to the message of Christ.
• Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me.”
d. Our lives… our conversations… our mindsets… and our thinking are all FOREIGN to the world.
• They will not and cannot grasp it.
• And it is not because it is too intellectual. It is because it is sourced in heaven… a realm foreign to them.
• We speak a language they cannot possibly understand.
• The things that mean the MOST to a believer cannot possibly be communicated to one who dwells upon the earth.
3. Our source of strength is unknown to the world. (Eph. 3:16-17)
a. God allows believers to experience the very same tragedies in life that our unsaved neighbors face… and for a purpose.
b. God’s purpose is that as we go through a trial or tragedy, we will manifest the indwelling life of Christ to those around us!
c. God’s purpose is that we would learn to lean upon Him… and that the strength of the Lord will sustain us… comfort us… enable us to persevere… endure…
d. It is the indwelling life of Christ… which is sourced from heaven… the place of divine power… that enables the believer to face such trials with poise, grace, and even joyfulness!
e. The world understands well the strength that comes from Jack Daniels or Valium, but not from Jesus Christ.
f. The world understands strength that comes from friends and family… but not the strength that comes from God alone…
g. Our life is hidden above—and strengthened from within by the invisible Spirit… all of which is hidden from the world.
h. Our new life is HIDDEN from them. They know NOTHING of Christ… our Rock… our mighty Fortress… our Strength…
i. That which empowers, strengthens, and enables the believer to endure suffering in this life is HIDDEN from the world. They know nothing of that heavenly source of strength.
j. We are strengthened with all might according to His glorious power… which flows to us from the right hand of God… and our unsaved friends know nothing of this.
k. Our unseen source of strength puzzles them… but can also be used of the Lord to arouse their curiosity to ask a REASON of the hope that lies within us!
l. This is one of God’s main purposes in suffering.
4. Our source of satisfaction is puzzling to the world. The source of our comfort, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment are all HIDDEN to the world.
a. It is hidden because CHRIST is that Source, and He is ascended and hidden from their sight.
b. We are born from above and nourished from above… and the world knows nothing of any of it!
c. Such talk is foolishness to them! Such talk is foolishness to the ignorant and carnal believer too!
d. John 4:14 – But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
e. Psalm 23:1-3 – the Lord is in the business of restoring souls and leading us to the place of nourishment and satisfaction! (Green pastures and still waters!)
f. But our Good Shepherd is in heaven; hidden from the world… our source of satisfaction is thus hidden too.
g. Psalm 42:1-2 – The world cannot fathom such hunger and thirst for God. (“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God!”)
h. The world is scurrying around down here for some source of satisfaction and will never find it. It is hidden away in heaven!
i. It is OUR job to tell them not WHAT will bring satisfaction to their souls, but WHO! That’s the gospel message! Come unto Me and ye shall find REST for your souls!
j. One of the BEST ways we can point others to Christ is for us to EXPERIENCE this rest and peace of mind… and arouse their curiosity!
5. Our desires are perplexing to the world.
a. We dwell above. We seek things above. We think on things above. It is our home.
b. There we have fellowship with Christ, and there in that heavenly communion with Him through His Word and prayer we develop a taste for heavenly things.
c. And the more we develop a taste for heavenly things, the less appetite we have for the things of earth.
d. As we grow in grace, we continue to lose our appetite for the things of the earth.
e. We find nothing here to satisfy our new tastes in life.
f. And the REASON we are not worldly-minded is not because the preacher hammered us over the head saying, “Don’t do this and don’t do that.”
g. It is because we have learned that our life is no longer down here but is above. Our real life is hidden with Christ in God.
h. And Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me.”
i. The more time we spend in fellowship with Christ above, the more our hearts will beat as one with His… the more alike will be our desires.
j. As we spend time in fellowship with Christ above, more spiritual growth, fruit, and Christlike character will be manifested down here below in our earthly lives.
k. In one sense we LIVE up there in heaven. We are seated in heavenly places in Christ. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God up there. And that will RADICALLY transform our earthly lives!
l. And even if our outer man is perishing through age or disease, our inner man is being renewed!
m. And this is an enigma to the world. They don’t understand how such a thing can be. It is because our real life is hidden above.
6. Our motivation is hidden from the world.
a. Living for the glory of God is beyond their capacity to grasp.
b. The world shares Esau’s worldview: I want my porridge now! The world understands a man like Esau.
c. But they cannot understand one who is willing to sacrifice his porridge now for heavenly rewards.
• Our eternal values are alien to the world.
• Our faith (its depth) is bewildering to the world.
• Our blessed hope is mysterious to the world.
d. To the believer whose life is hidden with Christ in God, all things are become new… and completely UNLIKE that which motivates a man of the world.
7. And as puzzling as this is to the unsaved around us, it is the hidden life of a believer that draws men and women in the world to our Savior.
a. It is this very point that arouses curiosity in the minds of those around us to ask a reason of the hope that lies within us.
b. I Peter 3:15 – The hidden life with Christ is nourished, satisfied, joyous, poised, and at rest, even in the midst of turmoil or in a disintegrating body… and at the same time, full of spiritual fruit and Christlike character is the kind of life that attract others to our Savior.
• Some will be completely oblivious to the work of God in your life.
• Others will notice something different and will become curious.
• In others, that curiosity will develop into genuine interest in spiritual things.
• And in some of them, that spiritual interest will bring them to the place of believing on Christ personally and receiving Him as THEIR Savior!
c. That’s what a truly hidden life will do.
• It will function like salt… and make people thirsty.
• It will function like light and illuminate.
• It will arouse curiosity about what makes us tick… and will generate Holy Spirit motivated evangelism!
d. And isn’t that better than marching off in the flesh and knocking down doors which have NOT been opened by the Holy Spirit?
e. Remember, if the Head (hidden away in heaven) isn’t moving the Body, then we can do NOTHING without Him… nothing but make a big mess.
f. Christianity is quite simple. Walk… in the Spirit. Be LED of the Spirit… Dwell above… and Christ the Head will direct our steps on earth… for His glory.
That Which Is Hidden Shall Appear
Christ Our Life Is Hidden
A. Christ Is Our Life
1. Phil. 1:21 – for to me to live is Christ.
2. I John 5:12 – He that hath the Son hath life. John equates possessing Christ with possessing eternal life. He IS our life. He dwells within us.
3. John 11:25 – He is the resurrection and the LIFE.
4. John 14:6 – He is the way, the truth and the LIFE.
5. He is our life… and our life is hidden with Him in glory.
B. Christ’s Glory Was Hidden From the World During His Earthly Ministry
1. Jesus came to earth and didn’t look like anyone special… He had no form or comeliness… He looked like any other man in Israel. (Isa. 53:3)
2. John 1:11 – He came to His own and His own received Him not.
a. They were not looking for a meek and gentle Messiah.
b. They wanted a powerful Messiah with a massive army to overthrow Rome.
c. They thought Jesus might be “John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
3. John 1:10 – He was in the world and the world was made by Him, but the world knew Him not.
4. Christ was in the world in a mortal human body but His true glory as the Eternal Son of God was HIDDEN from most men.
5. His deity was VEILED (covered up) in human flesh. (Veiled in flesh the godhead see! Hail the incarnate Deity!)
6. At His first coming He was NOT seen for who He really is. He was NOT hailed as Deity. He was crucified as a common criminal.
7. On the mount of Transfiguration, the Lord gave His disciples a little GLIMPSE of His glory… but they were told to tell no man.
8. The world did not see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
9. His true identity and glory were HIDDEN from the world.
10. The world looked upon Him as a root growing out of dry ground… nothing comely or special about Him.
a. But Jesus WAS special and unique, whether men in the world recognized it or not! He was the glorious Son of God… Creator of Heaven and earth, but it was veiled in human flesh!
b. Christ was physically present on earth, but His inner glory was veiled… hidden from the world.
C. The Glorified Christ is Presently Hidden From the World
1. Because the world did not recognize Him, they rejected His claims as the Son of God and crucified Him for those claims.
2. But because He WAS who He claimed to be—whether the world saw Him as such or not—it was not possible that He should be held down by death!
3. 3:1 – Christ arose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God.
4. From that heavenly position, He is HIDDEN from the world even further. His inner glory was veiled on earth. Now He is hidden altogether.
a. In heaven, Christ now appears in the full dazzling glory of Deity on God’s very throne!
b. The glory that was ALWAYS His is no longer veiled from sight in heaven. All the saints and angels see Him in His glorified human body… in the full splendor of divine glory… and they worship Him.
c. There is no mistaking who He is in heaven.
d. On earth, Christ’s glory is veiled in mortal human flesh and thus HIDDEN from the unbelieving world.
e. In heaven, that veil of mortality has been removed, and He now appears in heaven in the same glory that He previously shared with the Father in eternity past.
f. His complete glory is fully revealed in heaven, but because He is in heaven, His glory is still HIDDEN from those upon the earth. Natural eyes cannot see into this realm.
g. The unbelieving world cannot touch the Lord any more.
h. He is out of their sight and out of their reach.
i. Christ has not been seen for over 2000 years… in spite of all those who have claimed to have seen Him.
j. He entered within the veil of the heavenly Holy of Holies and is hidden from the sight of us who dwell upon the earth.
k. Paul got a glimpse of the resurrected Christ’s glory on the road to Damascus.
l. The apostle John got a glimpse of the glorified Son of God in Revelation chapter one, and fell down as a dead man.
m. No one has seen Him since. He is hidden.
n. Christ is presently hidden from the world.
• Today some believe Jesus was a great philosopher.
• Some think He was a moral teacher.
• Others think He was a fraud—a charlatan.
• Muslims believe He was a prophet.
• Mormons believe he was a man who became a god.
• Jehovah Witnesses believe He is an Angel.
• Many believe He was a myth… just a nice story.
• The true historic Jesus is hidden from the world today.
o. But He will not be hidden forever.
p. God’s plan is to fully manifest His glorious Son before the world.
But Christ Shall Appear
A. Christ Shall Appear
1. Christ will not be hidden away in glory forever.
a. One day He will be SEEN for who He really is… God Almighty… Creator of heaven and earth… eternally incarnate in glorified human flesh… the God-Man… King of kings… our Savior and High Priest in heaven.
b. That’s who He is… and though this truth is hidden from most men now, His true identity and glory will one day be revealed in an unmistakable and undeniable fashion.
2. At the Rapture Christ Shall Appear to the Church.
a. The Rapture is Christ’s appearing to the Church in the clouds to take His Bride to heaven. (I Thess. 4:13-18)
• At the rapture the dead in Christ are raised up in their glorified human bodies to be joined to their spirit which had been with the Lord since their death.
• At that time, our vile body is fashioned like unto His glorious body!
• At the Rapture, the last generation of Christians will be caught up with them to meet the Lord IN THE AIR.
• WE as members of the Church will see the Lord in that day… and from that day forward, for so shall we EVER be WITH the Lord.
• We are brought to heaven where He has prepared a place for us.
b. I John 3:1-2 – At the Rapture, Christ appears to the church, catches us up to heaven, and we shall SEE Him as He is! He is made visible to the resurrected, glorified church.
• Many understand this to be the meaning of Paul’s words in Col. 3:4.
• This is a common view among dispensationalists because Paul is speaking to the church and our relationship to Him.
• The rapture is Christ’s coming for the church. It is our Blessed Hope! (Titus 2:13)
c. But at the Rapture, the church sees Him as He is, but He is still HIDDEN from the world.
• He comes in the twinkling of an eye for His Bride (I Cor. 15:52)
• He does not descend to the earth but only to the clouds and catches believers up to Him.
• The true church is instantly GONE from the earth and the mother of all harlot religious systems takes over.
• At this point, the tribulation period begins on earth.
• But at this point, Christ and His Body are STILL hidden away in glory from the sight of the world.
• The unveiling has not yet occurred.
d. So if the Rapture is meant in vs. 4, then Paul must be speaking about the appearing of Christ TO THE CHURCH only, for He does NOT appear to the world at that point.
3. At the SECOND COMING Christ Shall Appear to the World
a. Two terms are used in this passage to indicate this contrast
• Hidden (krupto) (vs. 3)
• Appear (phanerow – to make manifest; make visible that which is invisible or hidden). (A synonym for apokalupsis – revelation.)
• The contrast is between that which is hidden (veiled) and that which appears (unveiled).
b. Most of the prophecies of the Second Coming associate it with Israel and the Kingdom. Hence, most commentators assume Col. 3:4 must speak of the Rapture.
c. However, the Bible ALSO states that the Church shares in the glory of Christ’s Second Coming!
d. I Peter 4:12-13 – Believers share in the REVELATION of Christ’s glory.
• When Christ returns at the Second Coming to establish His Kingdom, we will return WITH Him.
• We will REIGN with Him.
e. But more to the point, the Second Coming is a REVELATION… not hidden like the Rapture.
• Rev. 19:11-16 – Christ does not return as the weak and mild carpenter of Galilee, but as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! In full, blazing glory! The veil is removed.
• This occurs seven years AFTER the Rapture… after the Tribulation Period… and just prior to the establishment of the Kingdom.
• He does not return in a secret, hidden fashion, but every eye shall see Him! (Rev. 1:7)
• The last time the world saw Christ was when His beaten, bruised, whipped, bloody dead corpse was being taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb… bleeding and lifeless. His true glory was veiled in weak, human flesh.
• Luke 21:27 – And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
• When He returns at the Second Coming, He comes in a resurrected, glorified human body… through which His inner glory radiates in divine splendor!
• The glory of Christ will not be hidden any longer in that day. It is the day of REVELATION.
f. The Second Coming is completely different than His coming for the church, the Rapture.
• Sometimes distinguished as Rapture and Revelation.
• At the rapture Christ is not seen by the world, but at the Second coming every eye shall see Him.
• At the rapture, Christ does not descend to the earth but only to the clouds to catch us up. In the Second Coming Christ descends to the earth.
• The Rapture is His coming to take His Bride to glory.
• The Revelation is His coming to rescue Israel from the destruction of Armageddon and establish His Kingdom.
• The Rapture is hidden from all eyes on earth. The Second Coming is His revelation of who He is…
• And this Revelation of His divine glory spells destruction to those who reject Him. (II Thess. 1:7-9)
g. At the Second Coming Christ is fully revealed for who He is. The Eternal Son of God is manifested to the world.
We Too Shall Appear With Him in Glory
A. At the Rapture the Church Appears With Christ in Heavenly Glory
1. We shall appear with Him in GLORY in the future.
a. That means that the GLORY of the church is presently HIDDEN from physical SIGHT, but one day will be seen for what it is… and for what we are: sons of God!
b. The church is glorious, whether the world recognizes that glory or not. In fact, the church is glorious even if the CHURCH doesn’t recognize its own glory! Too often we treat it as something common.
c. Our humanness and frailty of the flesh veils the glory that the church is…
2. A certain glory belongs to the believer today.
a. We have already received this heavenly glory positionally.
b. It is as good as ours. (Rom. 8:30)
c. But it has not yet been revealed. The GLORY of the believer is still hidden today.
d. The world doesn’t see anything glorious about us! There is nothing comely about the church in the world. It seems the world only sees the spots and wrinkles.
e. That is because the true glory of the Body of Christ is spiritually discerned… and the natural man cannot discern that which is spiritual. He has natural eyes; but he cannot see the spiritual realm.
f. Neither can the carnal Christian appreciate the true glory of the church! To him it’s a club; a social gathering; it’s a tradition; it’s something we go to when it’s convenient.
3. There IS something glorious about the believer right now… something unknown and unappreciated by the world!
a. We are created in God’s image… and little by little that image, marred by sin, is being restored: from glory to glory.
b. We are indwelt with Deity! Christ lives in us! (Col. 1:27).
c. Our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Ghost!
d. Our sins are GONE!
e. We are new creatures… part of the New Creation…with a new heart…
f. We are citizens of heaven!
g. We are sons of God… born from above… members of God’s family.
h. We are members of the Body of Christ… the Bride of Christ!
i. We possess ALL spiritual blessings in Christ.
j. We are heirs of ALL things… and joint heirs with Christ.
k. We are to reign with Christ in the Kingdom!
l. We have been raised up with Christ far above all principalities and powers.
m. We shall judge the angels one day.
n. We have access for daily living to the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead.
o. We are ambassadors for Christ to beseech men to be reconciled to God.
p. We are chosen vessels to manifest the LIFE of Christ.
q. We are a holy priesthood and a holy Temple of God.
r. II Cor. 4:7 – All that treasure in an earthen vessel!
s. Our earthen bodies veil the glorious treasure within: new creation life!
t. In a similar fashion Christ’s inner glory as Deity was “veiled in human flesh.”
4. There IS something special and even GLORIOUS about the believer in Christ today… but the world knows nothing of it.
a. The natural man can only see the outward appearance.
b. From the outside, we don’t look any different from our unsaved neighbors… from a Buddhist… from an atheist…
c. Just as Jesus came to earth and didn’t look like anyone special… like a root out of dry ground… He had no form or comeliness… He looked like any other man in Israel.
d. But Jesus WAS special and unique, whether men in the world recognized it or not! He was the glorious Son of God! Deity veiled in human flesh!
e. And when viewed by sight, there is nothing special about us as believers as we walk on the earth. We don’t look special. You can’t tell a Christian just by his outward appearance. Christians come in all sizes, shapes, and colors.
f. Our heavenly position in Christ and our resurrection life are HIDDEN today. We possess it all NOW, but it is hidden from the sight of the natural eye.
5. It is understandable when the believer’s glory is hidden from the world. But unfortunately, it is also often hidden from US as believers!
a. The world doesn’t understand or appreciate our glorious position and possessions as believers.
b. But sadly, many Christians don’t understand or appreciate our unspeakable riches in Christ either!
c. Many believers walk about on earth defeated and discouraged as if they were unaware that they are already victors, indwelt, and possessors of spiritual riches untold!
d. God has revealed these riches to us in a book that is hidden from the world… there is as it were a veil over their eyes as they read the Scriptures. Satan has blinded the minds of men to the truth of God’s Word.
e. But our eyes have been opened… and we need to spend TIME in God’s Word and hearing it taught…
f. Eph. 1:18 – Therefore PRAY for one another that God would OPEN OUR EYES to deeper understanding of our heavenly calling. KNOWING this glorious truth engenders HOPE and excitement for the things of the Lord!
g. Some believers do not avail themselves of spending time in the Word or in the local church… and are ignorant of their wonderful position in Christ.
h. And we walk about as if being a son of God was no different than being in the Elk’s club… or going to church was no different than some other chore we have to do.
i. But in spite of our failures and ignorance, there is a day coming when the entire church of God will be called up to glory… at the Rapture… our bodies raised incorruptible… and we shall enter into GLORY!
6. At the Rapture, this glory will be revealed to the CHURCH.
a. In that day it will finally sink in to ALL of us, just how RICH we are in Christ… what it means to be a called, heavenly saint of God… and reign with Christ…
b. In that day the Lord will put an utter END to the ignorance of believers with respect to our privileged position and riches in Christ! We will be in glorified bodies in heaven experiencing it all!
c. Our wavering faith will be replaced by sight.
d. The Rapture will reveal to the CHURCH who we really are. ?
• “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be.” (I John 3:2)
• Presently we ARE in the glorious position as a son of God, but it does not APPEAR to be so.
• Sight doesn’t tell us that… only faith does.
e. At the Rapture, the church is still HIDDEN from the world.
f. The rapture is not a manifestation TO THE WORLD of who we are. It is a revelation to US who we are!
g. It is our privilege as believers to gather together on the Lord’s Day and LEARN about these riches… that we might get excited and appreciative of the supernatural work God is doing IN us… and so excited that we go out from here and tell others what Christ wants to do in them too!
7. Col. 1:27 – Christ in us is the HOPE of that future glory.
a. That is why His indwelling presence is so precious to the believer.
b. His indwelling presence is a constant REMINDER of the hope of our glorious future… which in turn enables us to persevere and endure through hardships down here!
c. Every time we read His Word, pray in His name, have fellowship with Christ, or worship Him, we are reminded that our present earthly condition is but a vapor.
d. One day soon we shall appear with Christ in glory… in the glorified state… in heaven.
e. Christ’s indwelling presence in the believer, experienced through faith, is a foretaste of that glory divine!
f. It could happen any moment!
8. Our Blessed Hope is that Christ is Coming for Us!
a. Then shall we appear with Him.
b. Right now our lives are hidden away like a seed planted and hidden in the ground.
• A seed doesn’t look all that glorious.
• There is nothing attractive about a seed.
• In fact, it’s impossible to tell what a seed will become by looking at it. (weed; flower; maple tree; fruit tree; poison ivy, broccoli?)
• But INSIDE that little seed is LIFE… a treasure waiting to spring forth and grow. That tiny unattractive seed (us!) has all it needs to flourish and become what it was designed to BE.
• But before the seed can grow and be manifested for what it really is… it must first be hidden away in the ground for a season.
• In this earthly life, the believer’s LIFE is hidden from the world… hidden in Christ.
c. But when Christ appears to the world in power and great glory, we shall sprout forth and be SEEN for what we really are!
d. This is the manifestation of the sons of God. We shall be like Him!
e. In that day there will be no mistaking who we are.
f. It will be clear to all who see, both men and angels: we are the sons of God!
g. But at the rapture, that glory is only manifested to US… and not to the world.
B. At the SECOND COMING WE Shall Be Revealed to the World
1. Christ will be fully revealed at His Second Coming—in power and great glory. Every eye shall see Him for who He is.
2. But WE TOO shall be revealed to the world in that day.
a. At the rapture, the glory of the church will be revealed to the church… fully… but still hidden from the world.
b. At the revelation, the glory of Christ AND of His Body will be fully revealed to the WORLD!
c. It is difficult to see how the Rapture FITS into Paul’s argument in Colossians 3.
• The contrast is between (on the one hand) Christ and the believers’ new life HIDDEN from the world’s sight presently… and (on the other hand) Christ and the believer REVEALED to the world’s sight in the future.
• That revelation does not happen at the rapture.
• At the rapture the church’s life is STILL hidden. The Rapture is not an APPEARING of the church. It is the REMOVAL of the church.
• But when Christ returns in power and great glory, we return WITH Him… in our glorified state…
• AND we return with Him to the world… where the sons of God are MANIFESTED to the world for who we really are… and have been all along!
d. Rev. 19:14 – We return with Christ in His glory. We return in glorified bodies… like His!
e. I Peter 4:12-13 – Believers share in the REVELATION of Christ’s glory.
f. So Paul takes us full circle with Christ.
• We were with Him in His death, we were with Him in His burial; we were with Him in His resurrection; we were with Him in His ascension, we were with Him in His being seated at the Father’s right hand, we are with Him while He is presently hidden from the world.
• And finally, we will be with Him at the REVELATION to the world… sharing in His glory!
g. Rom. 8:18 – now we suffer, but one day GLORY shall be REVEALED in us.
• Today the believer appears to be weak, suffering, beaten down by the world—defeated.
• But in that day, the believer will be seen for what he is: MORE than a conqueror in Christ! Victorious! Glorified! Ruling and reigning with Christ! Sons of God!
• Today we suffer. Today we are despised and rejected of men. Today we are pilgrims and strangers on earth.
• But in that day, we return with Christ, sharing in His glory… to rule and reign upon the earth! No more strangers and pilgrims, but glorified Kings and Priests unto God!
• Christ returns in power and glory and the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ… and we reign with Him!
• Whatever suffering we experience today will be completely overshadowed by the glory to be revealed in us then!
• That’s why today we can run the race with patience, looking unto Jesus… keeping our eyes upon Him and the glory to come will enable us to persevere today!
h. Rom. 8:19 – Creation awaits the revelation of the sons of God.
• Why? Because when the Revelation comes (of Christ and of His Body), THEN the kingdom is established, and the curse on the earth begins to be lifted.
• There will be a future regeneration of the earth too. That is what the creation (figuratively speaking) awaits eagerly.
• This revelation of the believer has to do with the Second Coming… when we are manifested… revealed to the world.
• The terms revealed (vs. 18) and manifestation (vs. 19) are the same Greek term (noun and verb form) of apokalupsis (the name of the last book of the Bible) It is a final UNVEILING of Christ’s glory.
• We are hidden… veiled from the world today.
• When Christ returns in power and great glory He reveals who HE is…
• AND He reveals who His BRIDE is! That’s us!
• Lightfoot says: “The veil which now shrouds your higher life from others, will then be withdrawn. The world which now persecutes, despises, ignores now, will then be blinded with the dazzling glory of the revelation.”
3. God WANTS us to know who we are in Christ.
a. God wants us to know of our glorious position in Him.
b. God wants us to be aware of His indwelling presence… the GLORY of our calling…
c. Because in the next section, He tells us to LIVE as if we really believed it!
d. Nothing will motivate us to holy living… like KNOWING who we are in Christ!
e. Nothing will motivate us to evangelize the lost than a fresh glimpse of the riches in Christ available to whosoever shall call upon His name…
f. Nothing will give us more determination to endure trials, forbear slights and insults, love our enemies, and to look past the spots and wrinkles in the body and see the indwelling glory of Christ… more than having our eyes opened to this glorious truth… Eph. 1:18 – that ye may KNOW what is the hope of your calling!
g. And lest this talk go to our heads, and we get puffed up thinking that we are rich, powerful, and important… remember that we are NOTHING on our own… but COMPLETE in Him.
IF YOU ARE NOT BORN AGAIN…
1. These riches in Christ are available to you too.
2. But God wants you to first see what you are apart from Christ: a sinner, condemned to the Lake of Fire, unable to save yourself.
3. God also wants you to know that on the cross, Christ died for YOU… and paid the penalty for all YOUR sins. The work is finished.
4. And God offers eternal life to you… IF you will come to Him His way: through faith. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Mortify Your Members
The Basis of the Command: Therefore
1. Thus far, Paul has been speaking of our glorious heavenly position with Christ. (Risen with Christ; seated with Him; affections above; our life hidden with Him above).
2. In vs. 4 Paul emphasized the day of manifestation for the sons of God!
a. This is a day when we will finally be manifested before men and angels for what we really ARE! Sons of God!
b. The world does not recognize who we are today. Presently our real life is hidden away in heaven with Christ… unseen and unknown by the world.
c. But a day is coming when Christ shall return in POWER and GREAT GLORY! And we shall share in that glorious return… and we shall share in the day of REVELATION… of who HE is and who WE are!
d. Today the world hates us, tramples over us, ridicules and persecutes believers… because they do not know and do not appreciate the glorious, privileged position we hold.
e. Today we are scoffed at for following Christ… considered fools…
f. In that day, at the Second Coming, the entire world will be forced to recognize what a GLORIOUS thing it is to be a son of God and so closely associated with Christ… and His glorified state… and His reign!
g. We will return with Christ in the day of REVELATION.
• Christ returns not as the weak Carpenter of Galilee, but as the King of Kings!
• We too return with him… not in our present vile bodies, but in bodies fashioned like unto His glorious body! We shall be LIKE HIM in that we too will be glorified.
h. Even TODAY, it is an AWESOME thing to be a son of God, but nobody in the world knows it. In that day, everyone will know and be forced to acknowledge the glory that is ours.
i. But, WE should know it! That is what Colossians has been about so far: Christ and His glory as Creator, Savior, Reconciler of the world… and the glory of our new life in Him… and our heavenly position with Him.
j. KNOWING this truth and BELIEVING it will transform our earthly lives. It will MOTIVATE us to want to be LIKE HIM now… not just when we get to heaven!
k. It is our privilege to be in the process of being transformed into His glorious image today! (II Cor. 3:18)
l. KNOWING our glorious position as blood bought sons of God, part of the New Creation, partakers of the heavenly calling, sons of God soon to manifested with Christ in His glory… will continually remind us that it is only FITTING for us to live in such a way that is appropriate for one in such a position!
m. Certain behavior, attitudes, language, and deportment might be expected from a street urchin or a gang member, but NOT from a member of a royal family… not from the son of the King of kings!
3. THEREFORE a son of God, one who is raised up with Christ in heavenly places and possesses all spiritual blessings in Christ should behave differently from those who only know the natural, earthly realm.
a. We are DEAD to the world and its ways (Col. 3:3).
b. Therefore, don’t behave like those who are alive to the world and its ways.
c. The behavior, language, and lifestyle of a citizen of heaven ought to be DIFFERENT from the unsaved men of this world, whom John refers to in Revelation as earth dwellers.
d. THEREFORE: because of the GLORY of our position as sons of God, we should mortify our earthly members.
e. Therefore means BECAUSE we possess such an exalted position in Christ, there OUGHT to be a correspondence between our heavenly position and our earthly condition.
f. They are not to be considered totally separated and unrelated. Position affects condition. (The reverse however, is not true.)
g. The objective truth relating to our position in Christ brings with it (as all truth does) subjective responsibilities. All truth (when understood) makes us responsible and accountable!
4. The gracious Pauline style of exhortation:
a. Eph. 4:1 – Therefore… (because of your heavenly calling in Christ described in ch.1-3)… walk worthy (their walk should be consistent with the position)
b. Rom. 12:1 – Therefore… (because of the mercies of God you have already received)… present your body
c. Col. 3:1 – Therefore… (because you died to the world and were raised up with Christ)… mortify your members upon the earth…
• The “therefore” tells us that Paul’s command to mortify your members is based upon the position of the believer in Christ.
• Paul spent two chapters dealing with Christ’s Person and work as Redeemer, Reconciler, and Savior… as well as the believer’s position in Him… indwelt… victorious… free from bondage to the law… forgiven… risen and seated in heavenly places with Christ.
• Therefore — because of what Christ has already accomplished for us and in us… it is only fitting that we put to death the gross sins of the flesh.
• So as we go through the remainder of the exhortations in this book… keep in mind the BASIS for all of those exhortations is our calling! This is the case as Paul addresses children, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, masters, servants, and members of the Body of Christ.
The Command: Mortify Your Members
A. Mortify
1. Defined: to put to death; to make dead; to slay.
a. It speaks of personal responsibility.
b. It speaks of decisive action.
c. It speaks of finality of intent.
2. Tense and mood: aorist imperative. (To be done with decisiveness.)
a. Paul uses a second command which has a similar meaning in vs. 8 – put off… like dirty garments, get rid of them!
b. It is a command, and one to be conducted with decisive action.
c. The aorist does NOT mean “once for all.” It speaks of action that could be illustrated by a dot rather than a line.
d. Paul is simply saying, “DO IT!” Mortify!
e. IN fact, elsewhere (Rom. 8:13) Paul says we are to CONTINUALLY mortify the deeds of the flesh. This is an ongoing battle… continuing conflict…
f. Don’t ever assume because you SLAYED the sin of fornication yesterday that it won’t crop back up tomorrow!
g. The soldier of Christ is to be continually on guard against his enemy… especially the enemy within! The fleshly SELF life!
3. We are to seek things above and set our affections on things above. But we are not to forget about the real life battles down here!
4. To some, all this talk about resting in Christ and our identification with Christ in His death, resurrection, and ascension might sound too nebulous, lofty, ethereal, and not much earthly good!
a. To those folks Paul would reply, “You couldn’t be further from the truth!
b. That talk of our heavenly position is the BASIS or the foundation for the exhortations to godly living that follow!
c. The wonderful truths concerning our position are not just doctrinal creeds to be filed away somewhere, and dusted off once a year, but are to be put into practice in daily living.
5. After having laid the heavenly foundation of our faith, Paul now gets right down to the nitty gritty battles of daily living on earth in a body of flesh!
a. Paul commands the Colossians to put to death the sins of the flesh.
b. This is a command to DEAL with sin… to say NO to sin… not to tolerate sin in our lives… to slay it… extinguish it…
c. In one sense, Colossians and Romans are similar.
• They both deal with the issue of sanctification… mentioning the old man and the new man…
• They both base the exhortations of our glorious position in Christ.
d. But, in another sense, Colossians is quite different from Romans:
• Romans spends three full chapters dealing with the whole process of sanctification. Colossians spends only a few verses.
• Romans deals with the “how to’s” of sanctification… the spiritual mechanics of how it all works. Colossians deals with none of that. Colossians just says, slay those sins… put them off…
• Romans emphasizes sin (fallen human nature) while Colossians emphasizes sins (evil deeds). Romans with deals the root… Colossians with the fruit.
• Romans 7 tells us the wrong way to be sanctified.
• Romans 8 tells of the power of the Spirit available to walk in newness of life: the Spirit of LIFE in Christ Jesus!
• Romans dedicates 3 chapters to that which Colossians only dedicates a portion of one small chapter.
e. There is also a comparison to be made between Colossians and Ephesians when it comes to the subject of dealing with sin.
• In one sense they are similar: they both deal with the same subject, base the exhortations on our heavenly position, they both mention the old and new man, and discuss putting off certain sins and putting on the deeds consistent with a heavenly life.
• However, there is one huge contrast too:
» Ephesians dwells upon the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. It speaks of being filled with the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, access to the Father through the Spirit, sealed with the Spirit, the Spirit’s role in working in each member of the Body, the Sword of the Spirit, the unity of the Spirit, supplication in the Spirit, the possibility of grieving the Spirit, etc.
» In Colossians, the Holy Spirit is mentioned only once in the introduction, and never mentioned again.
f. We have to conclude from this that each epistle speaks of the exact same doctrine of sanctification, but from a slightly different angle… as the gospels all speak of the earthly ministry of Christ, but from different perspectives.
• Each of these epistles introduces the subject of sanctification in the same way: by instructing us on our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
• The different angles highlight different aspects of an exceedingly complicated working…between a sovereign God who works IN us… and the responsibility of us as His creatures and sons.
• The different aspects highlighted in the various epistles should not be considered contradictory, but complementary. (As the sovereignty of God and the will of man.)
• An OVER emphasis on one aspect of this truth will create a false picture… a distortion of the truth… a caricature of the truth… even doctrinal error!
• Romans explains all the characters involved and the spiritual mechanics of how it all works. Paul presents a rational, logical treatise for the doctrine of justification by faith AND the same for the doctrine of sanctification by faith.
• Ephesians emphasizes the ministry of the Holy Spirit who fills us and enables us to walk worthy of our high calling.
• Colossians is beautiful in its own right. And its beauty lies in its simplicity. Put it to death! Colossians highlights human responsibility.
• Colossians emphasizes Christ, who is our LIFE which is hidden away in heaven as the source of living on earth.
• That’s what we are going to highlight as we look at this subject from the vantage point taken in this epistle: Christ our life and human responsibility in sanctification.
6. After speaking about our glorious POSITION for two chapters, now Paul turns to our earthly CONDITION and gives us some rather blunt commands.
a. The condition of our daily lives needs to be consistent with the position we have in Christ.
b. This is a growth process. It is also a spiritual battle.
c. It is like armed conflict, in which we are to be ACTIVELY engaged in the battle of putting to death these sins of the flesh.
7. There is a wonderful BALANCE in the Christian life.
a. Balance ought to characterize the one in whom Christ lives… and who knows His Word.
b. Even good truths can be taken to the extreme…
c. Our position in Christ and all related truths are glorious… but ONLY when accompanied by appropriate practice.
• Doctrine demands deeds. Creed determines conduct.
• Truths should be translated into daily living.
• Faith should be followed by works.
d. Learning more about our heavenly position in Christ ought to have a transforming effect on our earthly condition.
• If it doesn’t have an effect on the way we live, then it is nothing but head knowledge… and theory…
• If it doesn’t have an effect on the way we live, then we can’t really say that we KNOW that truth… at least we don’t know it experientially.
e. What a glorious contrast we have among these epistles!
• Romans has the mechanics of how it all works, and there is enough in chapters 6-8 to keep the most astute theologians busy studying and digging!
• Colossians, which is written by the same author (Holy Spirit under Paul’s pen) outlines the very same plan as Romans… only the simplified version!
• Colossians simple command can be understood by a born again second grader! And, at any given moment, obeyed perfectly… because that born again second grader is COMPLETE in Christ.
• It is helpful but not necessary to understand all the revealed mechanics of how sanctification works. Ultimately, it is supernatural and there are elements we could NEVER fathom (how God can transform the likes of me into the image of His glorious Son!)
• But even if those chapters are not understood, a new born babe in Christ is ABLE to have victory over sin… by believing God and acting accordingly… trust and obey for there’s no other way!
• God is gracious to His children. He KNOWS when the heart is right… and when the heart truly desires to glorify God… and to that heart, God enables and the result is victory!
• It is sanctification by FAITH… faith resting on God’s Word…
B. Members Defined
1. Members defined in the context of Col. 3:5.
a. Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, etc. may well stand in apposition to members.
• It indicates that the term “members” here is used as a synonym for sins listed.
b. Bullinger provides an alternate grammatical rule to account for Paul’s language.
• He lists this as an example of a figure of speech called a catachresis, which is defined as “one word changed for another only remotely connected with it.
• If so, then the sins of the flesh listed are summarized and described the term “members” in that the physical members of our bodies are used to commit those sins.
c. Which ever rule of grammar one uses to describe Paul’s terminology, the meaning is exactly the same.
• The term members = the sins listed.
• There is such a close connection between the members of our bodies and the sins they are used to commit, that Paul speaks of them both as if they really WERE the same!
• Jas. 4:1 – members and the lusts which war in those members are closely related.
2. It is best to understand the term “members” here as the members of our body when yielded to our sinful nature.
a. Members could NOT refer to:
• Our old man. He is already put to death! (Rom. 6:6)
• Sin, the fallen human nature. That will not be put to death until this life is over. We can’t put our sin nature to death in this life. If any man says he has no sin (nature) he is a liar according to John.
b. They are our members which are upon the earth.
• Members = members of our bodies: our hands, feet, ears, tongue, body, mind, etc…
• This stands in contrast to our LIFE which is in heaven…
• In context, it would refer to members of our body which are being used for sinful practices.
• It is clear that the term is used in a negative sense, for we are told to put them to death!
c. This is not a command to literally cut off our hands or pluck out our eyes.
• But it IS a command to deal with the issue of sins in our lives.
d. We mortify those members when we deprive them of power… render them inoperative.
• Our members are used for evil purposes when empowered by the indwelling sin nature.
• The sin nature can do NOTHING if it has no member through which to express itself.
e. The real ROOT of the problem is indwelling sin.
• And that sin nature will be with us till we die!
• There is no avoiding that fact.
• It cannot be eradicated, extinguished, or killed once and for all. It’s here for good.
• The way we deprive our members of sinful power and practices is to get to the ROOT of the problem.
» The problem of lust is not an eye problem, but a SIN problem.
» Stealing is not a problem with the hand… but indwelling sin.
» Lying is not a problem of the tongue, but of the sinful heart… depraved, fallen human nature.
• We put to death our members… and render the sin nature inoperative by FAITH… (Rom. 6:11).
• THEN comes the battle of yielding (Rom. 6:13).
• Rom. 12:1 – We mortify the members of our body when we present (same word as yield in 6:13) them as a living sacrifice… when placed on the altar. There, they are put to death as a slain sacrifice… put to death with respect to sinful practices….
f. Yet those hands and tongues are ALIVE unto God for His use and service. A living sacrifice… dead, but alive.
3. Putting those members to death
a. This command is not given to the indwelling Christ or the indwelling Spirit. It is addressed to US!
b. In Colossians God sees us as risen ones who have LIFE… and it is WE who are to put to death these sins… to slay them… to mortify these earthly members.
c. Romans 6 gives us the spiritual mechanics of how this all works.
d. Ephesians 5 would tell us about the role of the Spirit of God.
e. But in Colossians, Paul does not give us the mechanics here, nor does he mention the role of the Holy Spirit. He simply gives us the command to DO IT!
An Old Testament Illustration
1. Josh. 1:3 – God promised them victory; and victory was assured IF they would simply march forward, following His commands!
a. God promises us ultimate victory too! Sin shall NOT have dominion over you! No condemnation! Walk in the Spirit and ye shall NOT fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
b. Victory was promised over the Canaanites, even though the Canaanites had been dwelling in cities, with every possible advantage over the Jews: armies; weapons; fortified cities; chariots; etc.
c. But the Israelites had a HIDDEN secret weapon: Jehovah God! Omnipotence was on their side.
d. Even if their enemies were more powerful, better equipped, trained, etc… they were no match for the Living God on Israel’s side.
e. Even if you are experiencing a struggle in the flesh that is bigger than you are… more powerful than your weak flesh… just remember, God promised us VICTORY! And victory is ours, if we will just take God at His word and proceed on that basis.
2. They had to proceed by faith.
a. Faith must stand behind EVERY victory that comes from the Lord.
b. They were given a promise, and had to ACT on that promise. Their actions… heading off into the battle was based upon faith in God’s promise.
c. Our victory over sin and every enemy we face is based upon faith in God’s promises too.
d. God said our old man is dead and that we died to sin and thus we are no longer enslaved to sin. We can now say NO to sin… and act accordingly!
e. That is walking by faith… fighting the good fight BY means of faith.
f. It is folly and presumption to attempt such a conflict WITHOUT a promise of God to rest in… but we as Christians DO have a promise we can trust in… have faith in… even rest in….
g. And yes, by faith, we can REST in the midst of a battle!
3. BUT, they had to enter the land, face their foe, take out their sword, engage in the battle, and SLAY the enemy!
a. God didn’t send fire from heaven to kill the enemies FOR them. God didn’t open up the earth to swallow up their enemies. THEY had to do it.
b. That is NORMALLY the way God works: through us, not for us or instead of us.
c. Dr. Whitcomb: economy of miracles (raising of Lazarus) man had to roll away the stone; unwrap Lazarus, God did the supernatural work.)
d. And at the same time, they were to do so REALIZING that it was GOD working in them and through them that would bring about ultimate victory.
4. There were some skirmishes the Israelites lost…
a. They lost the battle at Ai when they should have had an easy victory, because they were trusting in their own strength.
• Josh. 7:4-5 – they faced the foe, but lost!
• Why? Because they did not follow God’s plan… there was sin in the camp.
• When sin is tolerated in the camp, the camp cannot expect God’s power on their side!
• The Jews were defeated at Ai because of some OTHER sin…
• Perhaps you and I could be defeated in one area of life because we refuse to clean up another area… or because we coddle sin and learn to put up with it!
b. Haven’t we all lost some battles in the Christian life that surprised us how EASILY we fell into sin and were defeated!
c. Those defeats are actually GOOD for us… for they are graphic, painful reminders of the frailty of the flesh and the futility of trusting in self.
d. And every defeat is a reminder of how much we are DEPENDENT upon the Lord… and dependency upon God IS our strength!
e. So after losing a skirmish, the Israelites kept on marching throughout the land… and they continued to engage themselves in the battle.
f. After we lose a battle here and there, God expects us to get back up, brush off the dust, and keep on fighting! Don’t sit around and sulk and lick your wounds. Get back up and keep on marching!
g. Prov. 24:16 – For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
h. When we fail, we are not to stay down in the dirt… assuming that all is lost… that God will never use me again. No! We are to get back up… because we are ALIVE unto God… our LIFE is hidden away in heaven…
i. NOTHING on this earth can permanently keep us down: neither tribulation, distress, persecution, or famine, nakedness, or peril, or sword!
j. No defeat in any of these earthly skirmishes need keep us down….
k. The door of repentance is ALWAYS open… I John 1:9 is always available… and the throne of grace is always accessible in time of need.
l. We will sin and fail, and even fall flat on our faces… but God doesn’t ever cast us out.
m. When we repent of our sins and come to Him, He picks us up, restores our souls, and equips for victory in the next skirmish…
5. Josh. 1:7 – they were to be strong and courageous, and not turn to the right or the left… but march straight ahead… and God would prosper their efforts.
a. They were not to allow fears and worries to dominate. This was a COMMAND.
b. Their strength and courage were to come from the Lord!
6. Josh. 1:8—they were to meditate on the word day and night as they followed the Lord’s leading.
a. Then they were assured of good success.
b. Assurance would give them boldness in facing the foe in the next conflict!
c. What folly on our part to attempt to live the Christian life and fight the Christian battles apart from spending time each day in God’s word!
d. The Word of God is our bread… our necessary food for the soul.
e. No soldier can expect to do well in a battle if he doesn’t eat! Imagine facing an enemy that is bigger and more powerful than you… having to face a Goliath… and you haven’t eaten in five days!
f. Imagine trying to face a serious temptation and you haven’t read God’s Word all week?!
7. Josh. 1:9 – they were cognizant of God’s presence. (Christ in you, the hope of glory!)
a. And isn’t this thought highlighted in Colossians!
b. We have a chapter dealing with who Christ is… His person and His work!
c. We have Paul’s revelation of the mystery: Christ in you!
d. We are reminded that Christ is our LIFE… and we are hidden with Christ in God!
e. Wherever we go and whatever we do on earth, it is to be done IN LIGHT OF those facts. That’s Paul’s point in this chapter!
f. Illustration: A father gives his 10 year old son a command: Don’t play soccer in the back lawn. I just planted grass there.
• In which circumstance do you think this boy is most likely to obey his father’s command?
• When his father is sitting in a lawn chair in the back yard.
• When dad flies out to Texas for a week on a business trip?
• If he thinks his father is DISTANT, the temptation to disobey becomes greater… perhaps overpowering!
• When he is out of sight and out of mind… the heart sets itself to do evil.
• Being CONSCIOUS of His presence will have an effect on obedience. That’s life.
• Christ in you isn’t just a dusty old doctrine that is to be learned and stored away. It ought to STAY WITH US every moment of every day!
• The indwelling presence of Christ in our lives will have a transforming effect on the way we live!
• No wonder we are to dwell above where He is! Heaven is our home and where our mind and heart ought to be living daily and it will radically transform our lives down here on earth!
8. But the Jews had to pick up their sword and actually FIGHT the battle!
a. God didn’t do it for them. It was their personal responsibility…
b. OR they would suffer the consequences: defeat!
c. Cf. Josh. 10:20,30,32,35,37,39 Cf. Josh. 11:10,11,12,14
d. The sword of the Jews is mentioned OFTEN! Because they had to put their enemies to death.
e. Joshua commanded his armies to face the enemies and FIGHT the battles.
f. We are told to FIGHT the good FIGHT of faith!
g. We are told to mortify our members on earth, namely, the SINS manifested through those members… and in particular SEXUAL sins.
9. And lest we begin to take glory to ourselves and TRUST in our own strength, there must be an acknowledgement that any victory is the result of GOD working in us!
a. Ps. 44:2 – WHO drove out the Canaanites? I thought in Joshua it said that the JEWS took out their swords and killed them, defeated their cities and drove them out? But it was the Lord working IN and THROUGH them as they took Him at His word!
b. Ps. 44:3 – it was NOT the Jews military might or strength that brought victory.
c. Hence, WE don’t need to be STRONG ourselves to defeat sin and impurity in our daily lives. But we DO need the power of God working in us… and that is exactly what we have!
d. God isn’t impressed with how strong our personal will power is. He doesn’t need any strength in producing a victory.
e. God can give victory to the WEAKEST believer when he is yielded to an omnipotent God! So you can’t use personal weakness as an excuse any more.
f. It isn’t MY strength PLUS God to fill in the gaps and shortfalls. Rather, it is HIS strength working in and through my yielded members!
g. Psa. 44:3 – It was THROUGH God they advanced to victory… a perfect mingling together of the will of man wedded to the will of God and the sovereignty of God!
h. Psa. 18:29-34 – For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall… He teaches my hands to war… He is a shield… my strength… girds me with strength… makes my feet like hinds feet… He keeps my feet from slipping… He keeps me from falling!
i. Rom. 8:13 says that WE mortify through the Spirit the deeds of the flesh!
j. The lesson they learned: use your sword, but don’t trust in it!
• BOTH the sword AND God are needed!
• The battle won’t be won if we simply pray and trust God but refuse to pick up the sword and fight!
• Nor will the battle be won if we pick up the sword and leave God out!
• Both are needed for victory.
• God doesn’t fight FOR us (instead of us) and we would be fools to fight without Him!
k. The lesson for us: face our foes and temptations and exert as much will power in the effort that you can… but be COGNIZANT of the fact that the victory has nothing to do with our will power, but with Christ in you!
l. Be aware of God’s presence.
• He is not only with us, Christ dwells IN us! Everywhere we go!
• Every battle we face! Every temptation we face!
• Through God we can leap over a wall. Through God we can mortify the deeds of the flesh.
• DO you believe that?
• If so, and you ACT upon that… whether you are new believer or a mature believer, you ARE walking in newness of life.
m. This is the same plan of sanctification as recorded elsewhere in Scripture!
• This IS the pattern in Romans six: sanctification by faith!
• This is the pattern in Ephesians five: the filling of the Holy Spirit!
• This is the principle in Romans seven: refusing to trust in our own strength.
• This is the principle found in Romans 8: the spirit of LIFE in Christ Jesus enabling the yielded believer to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit…
• This is the same principle in Galatians five: walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
• Just as we can look at the plan of salvation from all different angles… so too we can look at the plan of sanctification from different angles; every angle sheds light.
• So dig into God’s Word. Fill your mind and heart with it… and learn to experience GOD’S victory in your mortal flesh! Life a resurrected life!
AND IF YOU DO NOT KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR…
· Walking with God must be preceded with receiving LIFE!
· Dead men can’t walk.
· The Bible says apart from being BORN again, you are still dead in your sins.
· But Christ died for you… and offers you LIFE… through faith.
· This is the necessary FIRST STEP of a worthy walk. It must begin with the new birth.
· Come to Christ and He will give you eternal life.
Sins of the Flesh
Review:
1. Chapter three begins the practical side of Colossians.
a. Chapters 1-2 dealt with our position in Christ: redeemed; reconciled; died with Christ; risen with Him; and seated with Him, hidden with Him now, but soon to be manifested with Him in glory.
b. Then, on the basis of our glorious position, Paul challenges his readers to LIVE like it!
c. The law said, “Walk worthy, and you will be blessed.” Grace says, “You have already been blessed. Therefore, walk worthy!”
2. A knowledge of, and a belief IN our POSITION should have an effect on the CONDITION of our daily lives.
a. SINCE you have been raised with Christ, seek those things which are above!
b. SINCE you died with Christ, mortify the sins of the flesh!
c. Since we are the sons of God… citizens of heaven… certain types of behavior are inappropriate!
d. The first thing Paul tells us to do in this context is to put to death the sexual sins listed here.
• Eph.5:3 – But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.
• Cf. Eph.4:19 – Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
e. He is speaking to the SAINTS in Colossae… such sins are unbecoming a saint of God!
f. Committing these sins of the flesh (which relates to the corruption of the original creation under the first Adam’s curse) is completely inconsistent with our position as heavenly sons of God… who are part of the new creation in Christ, the Second Adam.
Mortify the Sins of the Flesh
A. The Possibility of Sins
1. What an incredible contrast! Paul has described the believer’s position:
a. On the one hand, the believer’s glorious, heavenly position is extolled:
• Redeemed and forgiven! (1:14)
• Indwelt by Christ (Col. 1:27)
• Complete in Him! (2:10)
• All our enemies defeated! (Col. 2:14-15)
• Risen with Christ (3:1)
• A new life hidden with Christ in God (3:4)
b. And yet, on the other hand, to THOSE privileged, blessed, saints, Paul has to warn about committing sexual sins!
• At first glance, from a heavenly position, it might seem unnecessary to warn those indwelt by Christ not to commit fornication… but it IS necessary, because it happens!
• This is a real life issue every one of us has to deal with… every day…
• Vs. 8 – he also has to warn about anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy communication!
• Our privileged position does not exempt us from the battle. It ought to ENGAGE us in the battle between the flesh and the Spirit.
• Being heavenly minded does not mean that we have our head in the clouds and are uninterested on the things of the earth.
• Rather, being heavenly minded should give us a solid, concrete foundational motivation and source of resurrection LIFE for OBEDIENCE down here on earth!
c. From an intellectual, rational, cerebral-only perspective, these commands concerning sexual sins might seem quite unnecessary, but ONLY IF:
• Puffed up in pride and self righteousness.
• We grossly underestimate the vile, hideous nature of our own fallen flesh!
d. Take heed to the lessons Paul learned concerning the frailty of his flesh in Rom. 7:15, 18, 24!
• Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall!
• The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
• Thank God we don’t have to rely on the strength of our flesh. We can rely upon the power of God working IN and THROUGH us to give victory over the flesh.
• The fruit of the Spirit is temperance… self control.
B. The List of Sins to Mortify
1. Fornication
a. Defined: illicit sexual intercourse; illicit sexual acts of a general kind that includes many different types of immoral and unnatural behaviors. It is a broad and general term.
b. I Cor. 5:1 – “such” fornication indicates that fornication is a term broad enough to include a wide range of illicit sexual sins: adultery; incest; homosexuality; bestiality; pedophiles; etc… and any other abominable practice.
2. Uncleanness
a. akatharsia, a + word catharsis or “?cleansing.”
b. Defined: 1a physical. 1b in a moral sense: the filth and impurity of lustful living… associated with a loose lifestyle.
c. Impurity would include impure thoughts AND deeds.
d. II Cor. 12:21 – used in a context of sexual uncleanness or impurity.
e. I Thess. 4:7 – it is the opposite of holiness… purity.
f. Rom. 1:24 – uncleanness is what God gave the gentiles up to through the lusts of their own hearts. It leads to dishonoring the body.
g. Matt. 3:27 – it is the term Jesus used of the inside of a coffin… dead man’s bones and all uncleanness! Rotten, corrupted flesh! That graphic illustration is a picture of what moral uncleanness is like.
h. The term uncleanness is used of moral impurity which excludes man from fellowship with God (opposite a????)
• In the Old Testament the concept of unclean referred to ceremonial uncleanness that excluded Jews from fellowship. It was a picture of the unclean nature of sin… which excludes us from fellowship with God.
• However, Paul does not use it in the sense of ceremonial uncleanness, but of moral uncleanness.
• Moral uncleanness is not ceremonial uncleanness but is GENUINE uncleanness. Ceremonial was the shadow. This is the substance of uncleanness! It excludes man from fellowship with God.
3. Inordinate affection.
a. Sexual perversion, erotic passion; sexual passion; lust.
b. Rom. 1:26 – for this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature.
c. I Thess. 4:4-5 – know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;? 5?Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.
4. Evil concupiscence.
a. Strong’s: Deep desire, craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden, lust.
b. Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament: To greatly desire to do or have something.
c. The term “evil” before it indicates that it is an unrighteous desire.
d. The context indicates that it is an illicit sexual desire.
e. Used in II Tim. 2:22 – flee youthful lusts.
f. Inordinate affection and evil concupiscence are virtually the same.
• They both speak of lust.
• Some have distinguished them this way:
» Inordinate affection are lusts which arise from the body
» Evil concupiscence are lusts which arise from the mind.
5. Covetousness
a. Strong’s: Greedy desire to have more, covetousness.
b. The term itself does not mention anything about the object desired.
c. It can be a strong desire for ANYTHING: sex or material goods.
d. It occurs 10 times in the New Testament and its usage is evenly divided between the two meanings: material goods or sexual pleasure.
e. The context in Col.3:5 seems to indicate that the greedy, insatiable desire is for sex.
f. Ex. 20:17 – “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”
g. The term is used several times in that sense.
• Eph. 4:19 – Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. (Given to lust to work uncleanness WITH covetousness!)
• Rom. 1:29 – fornication, wickedness, covetousness, (same setting here too!)
h. Our minds and bodies are both influenced by strong desires for sexual pleasure… and more and more. Face it—this is how it is.
• It is a sin that comes at us from two different directions: body and mind… inner man and outer man.
• It is a very real and unrelenting battle each day… to be admitted… and thus to deal with appropriately.
• It is an insatiable desire. Giving in to greed does not satisfy greed. It FEEDS it… and you want more and more!
• Giving in to and committing sexual sin does not satisfy the desire. It FEEDS the desire for MORE!
• The desire for more is insatiable, and marriage is God’s only method of satisfying the desire.
i. Covetousness is idolatry.
• The particular KIND of covetousness here is sexual sin.
• Sexual sin was associated with idolatry in the Old Testament—when the Israelites committed fornication with the women of Moab and bowed down to their idols.
• Covetousness is idolatry in the heart because it in essence worships things that can be seen or felt… down here on earth, as opposed to worshipping God who is invisible… and in heaven.
• Coveting ANYTHING could be idolatry!
• Eph. 5:3-5 – Paul seems to equate fornication and uncleanness with covetousness… greediness. And then he connects this kind of covetousness to idolatry… as he does in Col. 3:5
• Sex can be an idol. It can be virtually worshipped as god, instead of the Father. It can be given preeminence over Christ. It can be filled with lust instead of the Holy Spirit.
Our Responsibility to Mortify the Deeds of the Flesh
1. These sins are to be put to death.
a. Mortify your members which are upon the earth… (vs. 5a)
• Mortify means to put to death. Serious language.
b. There is no justification for such lust.
• Don’t assume that because you did not commit the ACT of fornication, that a little lust is therefore OK… as long as you don’t hurt anybody.
• It is not OK. It is sin!
• Jesus equates lust with the act itself… it is the same sin! (Matt. 5:28)
c. There is to be no coddling or pampering of lustful thoughts and feelings.
d. We are not told to keep lust under control. We are commanded to put it to death.
• Putting to death is a much more serious method of dealing with lust than controlling it.
• Controlling implies that it is tolerated up to a certain level; it just needs to be kept under control.
e. Death means zero tolerance for such sins.
f. We are to put to death the ACTION of fornication.
2. Get to the root of the problem.
a. Matt. 5:27-29 – Jesus taught that we are to get to the root of the problem… hyperbole. Bodily mutilation was NOT His intent.
b. The root of the problem of lust is not the eyeball. It is the heart… the mind. Blind men can still lust in their hearts!
• Matt. 15:19 – evil thoughts… adultery… fornication come from the heart.
• Gal. 5:19 – fornication and lust are the works of the flesh… the fleshly nature… our old sin nature.
• Thus, to deal with the sins of the flesh, we have to go to the ROOT of the problem: our hearts and minds.
c. II Cor. 10:3-5 – Here Paul is speaking about the philosophies and teachings that can enslave a believer’s mind.
• Paul sees EVERY attack of the adversary as a spiritual attack…
• It might APPEAR to be a battle with the flesh, but in reality, it is a spiritual battle.
• Since it IS a spiritual battle, warring after the flesh would be futile.
• The world has come up with all kinds of earthly, carnal methods of dealing with sexual sins: from lobotomies, to drugs and medication, to psychological therapies, to castration!
• That is not God’s plan. God’s weapons are not earthly or carnal, but mighty and spiritual.
• In fighting against the false teachers, Paul told his readers NOT to attack the people personally, but to fight the battle in your own MIND and HEART!
• Cast down imaginations… deal with your own mind… don’t allow those foreign thoughts to fill you mind. Cast them out! Put them to death!
• And then fill your mind with truth.
• The same is true in dealing with the sins of the flesh. They too begin in the mind and heart.
• To properly deal with these issues, get to the ROOT of the problem: cast out those imaginations which LEAD to lust… which leads to immoral DEEDS.
d. We are to put to death the state of mind and attitudes that LEAD to the act.
• The way to deal with the act of sexual sin is to first deal with the mind and heart before it boils over into action.
• And the easiest way to deal with those thoughts and feelings is to nip it at the bud!
• Prov. 17:14 – Solomon gives us an illustration of how to deal with feelings that easily get out of control.
» He is speaking about anger and strife…
» However, lust works the same way.
» They are both works of the flesh… that begin small and if left unchecked can become overwhelming and overpowering… quickly rage out of control, and leave us virtually helpless!
» Solomon illustrates how if there is a crack in the dam, it is easily plugged up if dealt with immediately.
» If the crack is ignored and water is allowed to trickle out… soon it will be flowing out… then it will break open the dam and it will never be stopped! There is a point of no return.
» That’s Solomon’s point. Nip such feelings, emotions, and desires at the bud BEFORE they get out of control… when they are ABLE to be dealt with.
» Deal with the ROOT of the problem immediately!
» Cast out those imaginations… which stir up lust… which leads to fornication.
» Don’t allow those thoughts and feelings to fester and take root. It’s easy to pull out a tiny sapling. It’s virtually impossible to pull out a full grown oak tree.
e. Solomon gives another helpful illustration in dealing with the sin of lust.
• Prov. 6:25-29 – Pampering lustful thoughts and thinking we can handle it is like putting burning embers of coals in our clothing and thinking it won’t burn us! It WILL!
• The man that takes fire in his bosom and discovers that his clothes are burning would be a fool to hold on to the coals and at the same time, try to extinguish the fire!
• First get to the ROOT of the source! Get rid of the coals… then you can put out the burning clothes.
• Rather than constantly dealing with the outward sin of adultery or fornication, deal with the issue of your heart!
• If your sink was left on and running over onto the floor, FIRST you turn off the water… then clean up the floor.
• Deal with the ROOT of the lust… rather than its FRUIT… the external sins.
• Prov. 4:23 -?Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Dealing With the Baggage of Your Past
Introduction:
1. Paul has made his case for the believer walking WORTHY of his calling.
a. Col.1:9-10a – Paul prayed that they would have the knowledge of God’s will and spiritual understanding THAT they might walk worthy of the Lord.
• Col. 3:1, 4 – Paul then reminds them of their glorious heavenly calling… because of which they are to walk worthy. A heavenly calling, a heavenly citizenship, and a heavenly position DEMAND a heavenly walk! Nothing less is a worthy walk!
• Col. 3:5 – then he makes his exhortation BASED upon his prayer… based upon God’s will… and based upon their position in Christ. PUT TO DEATH the sexual sins listed.
b. Col. 3:7 – then after PRAYING for their worthy walk… EXHORTING them to a worthy walk… he reminds them of their former walk.
• Now the contrast here is between our former walk and a worthy walk.
God’s Wrath on the Uncleanness of the World (vs. 6)
A. Children of Disobedience
1. Lit: sons of disobedience.
2. Disobedience: ?pe??e?a
a. Strong’s: obstinate opposition to the will of God.
b. Zodhiates: unwillingness to be persuaded.
c. It is disobedience in this sense: it is a refusal to be persuaded… even by evidence or the Holy Spirit.
d. It is disobedience to the command of God: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved!
e. Hence, it is virtually the same as unbelief…
3. This speaks of the unsaved… unbelievers.
a. It is the expression used of Paul in Eph. 2:2 – enslaved by sin, Satan, and the world.
b. This is the way EVERYONE walks… except the believer in Christ… whether he acknowledges it or not.
c. The whole world has rejected God’s light, and chose to walk in darkness… blindly following the system established by Satan.
d. Thus, because they REFUSED to be persuaded by light, they are blinded, under the power of darkness, and are spiritually DEAD in their sins.
e. Cf. Acts 26:18 – they NEED to be TURNED from that position.
f. Acts 17:30 – God at one time winked at the ignorance of the gentiles, but now has COMMANDED all men everywhere to REPENT.
g. God has called the whole world to repent… to change their mind… from obstinacy and unbelief to FAITH in Christ Jesus.
h. However, very FEW respond. Most choose to remain as sons of disobedience… refusing to be persuaded by the overwhelming evidence of the light from creation, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the inspired Scriptures, fulfilled prophecy, and 2000 years of Christian testimony of changed lives.
i. John 16:7-8 – But most importantly, such men are sons of disobedience because they refused to be persuaded by the Holy Spirit… who convicts the WORLD of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
4. The lifestyle of the children of disobedience:
a. Paul states here that the sins listed in vs. 5 characterized the lifestyle of the sons of disobedience… of unbelievers.
b. It is the way of the world… the way of those who refuse to come to the light… it is a lifestyle characterized by moral and spiritual darkness… and the sins of the flesh.
c. Vs. 5 is the way the unsaved world LIVES.
d. Some might strongly object to Paul’s statement here. For many folks in the world have NOT committed sexual sins… have never committed adultery… have never had an illicit sexual relationship.
e. Matt. 5:28 – Jesus stated that LUST in the heart is the same sin as the act of adultery! No one can claim innocence here.
f. Jas. 2:10 – James teaches us that in one sense, it doesn’t matter WHICH point of the law is violated. The one who violates the law is a lawbreaker… and thus guilty of ALL! You broke the LAW!
g. The children of disobedience speaks of the WHOLE WORLD of unbelievers.
• Every last one of which walked in the FLESH and pleased the FLESH.
• They were not born of the Spirit…
• They did not walk in faith and thus could not please God.
• Their lifestyle was characterized by satisfying the flesh without regard to the truth of God’s Word.
• Light came into the world and these men loved darkness rather than light.
5. Summary: the children of disobedience is an expression used of the unbelieving world… the world that rejects the convicting work of the Holy Spirit… refuses to be persuaded by the light of creation, and the preaching of the gospel message.
a. They are unbelievers… unsaved… dead in their sins… unwittingly following the godless world system established by Satan… the course of this world… and condemned to an eternity in the Lake of Fire.
b. The children of disobedience will be forever condemned apart from being SAVED from that awful predicament by the SAVIOR, Jesus Christ… the Savior of the world… offered to the world… and for the most part, rejected by the world.
B. God’s Wrath
1. Paul states that the wrath of God is coming for these men and women.
2. Wrath: God’s anger, indignation; it also speaks of God’s punishment which will be poured out upon the wicked… judgment. It is God’s outrage and indignation against sin and all unrighteousness.
3. Cometh: present tense… = is coming…
a. God’s wrath… His judgment against sin… is coming for the sons of disobedience.
b. John 3:36 – His wrath presently abides over them continually… and will remain there unless they believe on Christ and get saved.
c. But in addition to having God’s wrath hovering over their heads every moment of every day… one day the day of God’s wrath will COME…
d. As the truth rejecter continues to live in unbelief, he is treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath… in which he will be judged according to his evil works. (Rom. 2:5)
e. At the Second Coming, God’s wrath is poured out upon a Christ rejecting world.
f. II Thess. 1:8-10 – in that day Christ will return to earth and those who OBEY NOT the gospel (refuse to be persuaded by the gospel) will face His wrath and will be punished with everlasting destruction!
4. God’s wrath will one day be executed against the children of disobedience…
a. Those whose lives are characterized by the sins of the flesh… whether the outward acts or the inward impulses…
b. They WALKED in the flesh…
c. Eph. 5:3-6—same context—fornicators, those who are unclean in their minds or bodies, those whose minds are filthy, tell and listen to foolish jesting (dirty jokes), whoremongers, etc… God’s wrath comes upon those children of disobedience!
d. And lest we begin to think that this refers only to the Hitlers and Stalins of the world, consider the following…
• Eph. 2:1-3 – EVERY believer in Ephesus was included in the group (children of disobedience) before their salvation.
• From the prostitute and the sweet little old lady who made cookies for the neighborhood kids… it goes for the religious and irreligious… the moral and the immoral man…
• ANYONE who refused to be persuaded by the gospel and is thus not born again is in this group!
• Don’t say, “That doesn’t apply to me. I got saved in the third grade! I haven’t committed such sins!
• Let’s not think like the Pharisees whose evil hearts were exposed by Jesus. They said, “I thank God that I am not like other men: extortioners, unjust, adulterers!”
• Jesus said that that the sin of lust of the same sin as the act. We are ALL like other men!
e. Apart from the new birth, we were ALL enslaved by the Satanic world system, dead in our sins, and walked in such a way so as to fulfill the lusts of the flesh… and thus were children of disobedience… and children of wrath!
• It doesn’t matter which side of the track you grew up on; it doesn’t matter who your father was; it doesn’t matter whether you ended up on skid row or whether you got saved in your third grade Sunday school class…
• BEFORE we were saved, we ALL lived to fulfill the desires of the flesh… to one degree or another… and were all children of disobedience!
f. God’s wrath will one day be executed against all children of disobedience.
• The believer will not face that future day of wrath. We have been saved from the day of wrath.
• However, the believer who continues to live in sexual sin WILL be chastened… not the wrath of a Judge, but from the broken heart of a loving father. (Heb. 12:6)
• God hates sexual impurity in the world. It is FAR WORSE for a believer to commit such sins. We are sinning against greater light…
5. FOR: “for which things sake the wrath of God cometh…”
a. Paul mentions the wrath of God as a REASON WHY the believers in Colossae should PUT TO DEATH the sins of the flesh.
b. Put them to death FOR God hates them! God’s wrath is coming against them! Therefore, put them away!
Your Former Walk (vs. 7)
A. You and I Lived and Walked in Such Sins Before Salvation
1. In the which ye also walked.
a. In the which refers back to the sexual sins of vs. 5.
b. Paul stated that the unsaved world walks in the sins of the flesh… fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.
c. Then Paul states that the Christians in Colossae (and Salem for that matter) weren’t any better than the unsaved! They too walked in the very same sins.
d. We are all cut from the same sinful mold… the same fallen flesh… and we too walked in the same sinful desires.
e. We WALKED in such sins of the flesh… it characterized our daily lives…
f. And as we walked in that spiritual darkness, along with countless other children of disobedience, it didn’t seem so bad… everyone’s doing it… we thought nothing of it!
g. This is especially so of young people in the world today. Sexual sins are more common than ever…
h. People who come to know Christ as Savior today will be coming into the church with a LOT of baggage from their past…
• Well, there’s good news for such folks:
i. Forgiveness and grace extend to ANY kind of sin! Sexual sin is not the unpardonable sin.
• And it IS possible to MORTIFY the deeds of the flesh… and to WALK in newness of life.
• Salvation in Christ means FREEDOM from slavery to sin… any sin!
• And if you have been involved in such sins, and wondered whether God would ever save you, there’s good news for you too! He turns none away who come to him in faith.
• I Cor. 6:9-11 – Consider the types of people God saves: The list included fornicators, adulterers, and homosexuals!
• They were justified, washed, and sanctified through Christ!
j. Paul states that their FORMER lifestyle can be PUT TO DEATH!
• In fact, it MUST be put to death.
• This is a command, not a suggestion!
• Paul said, “Such WERE some of you… but NOW ye are washed.”
• They WERE involved in gross sins, but when they came to Christ, they put it away.
• After a person comes to Christ, he is expected to PUT TO DEATH his former sinful lifestyle!
• The filthy baggage has to go…
• There can be no thought whatsoever of a “gay church”… though some have been promoting such an idea. That’s like a church for practicing thieves, or a church for practicing liars.
• God saves the sinner FROM his sin. He doesn’t save the sinner so that he can continue IN his sin.
• Rom. 6:1 – shall we continue in sin? God forbid! We are now DEAD to sin!
B. Such a Lifestyle Is Inconsistent With Your Position in Christ
1. In context, Paul’s point is that our former lifestyle is completely inconsistent with who we are NOW in Christ…
a. We WERE sons of disobedience, but are now sons of God!
b. We WERE dead in trespasses and sins, but we now have eternal life.
c. We WERE alive in the world and dead to God; now we are alive unto God and dead to the world.
d. We WERE children of darkness, but now we are children of light.
e. We WERE children of wrath; now—no condemnation.
f. We WERE children of the world system, unwittingly following the course set by Satan, the god of this world; but now we are citizens of heaven, united to Christ our Head… following Christ as sheep follow a Shepherd.
2. I Pet. 4:3-5 – A new creature is to have a new lifestyle!
a. We are no longer to live in the flesh to the lusts of men.
b. That lifestyle is not acceptable but is understandable for those who live in darkness… but NOT for those who know the Lord!
c. Vs. 4 – God expects that we RUN NOT with them any more! We have a new life and a new lifestyle!
d. Eph. 4:17 – walk NOT as other gentiles… and as you USED to walk! It doesn’t matter if everyone in the world does it!
3. Once again, Paul is giving the Colossians (and us!) a REASON to put to death the sins of the flesh.
a. We should mortify the deeds of the flesh because they characterized our OLD MAN… and he is dead.
b. Therefore, we should put off his dirty, old clothes!
c. Therefore, we should put to death our former lifestyle… because we are NEW creations in Christ.
d. The former lifestyle is unbecoming one who is now a saint; child of light; one’s whose new life is hidden with Christ in God; seated in heavenly places!
Practical Ways to Put to Death Your Former Walk (vs. 5)
There are some practical things we can DO to avoid sexual sins. We have MIGHTY SPIRITUAL WEAPONS which are able to tear down the strongholds established by the flesh. (Nip it at the bud; cast down imaginations; etc.)
1. Walk in the Spirit – Spirit Filling.
a. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit… who enables us to plug up that dam…
b. Gal. 5:19 – sexual sins are the works/fruit of the flesh.
c. Gal. 5:23 – self control is the work/fruit of the Spirit
d. Gal. 5:17 – the flesh and Spirit are in a continual battle for control of us… of our minds, hearts, and bodies. There is constant opposition. Get used to it. The Christian life IS a battle… warfare.
e. Gal. 5:16 – but if we WALK in the Spirit, the flesh is powerless!
• Our weapons and source of power are SUPERIOR!
• Victory is ours any time we CHOOSE it… and walk by faith.
• We can never say, “The devil made me do it.” Or “I couldn’t help myself!” Yes we can!
• Are we willing to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God?
• Walk in the Spirit and you will NOT FULFILL the lusts of the flesh.
• That is a promise to be believed and PRACTICED.
• God always keeps His promises.
• Failure is never because of a lack of power… it is never the fault of the Spirit, but of our flesh. We CHOOSE to walk in the flesh…
• Failure is due to a lack of faith… a refusal to BELIEVE God’s promise.
• If we in faith, trusting God, CHOOSE to mortify the deeds of the flesh, God’s power will be more than sufficient!
f. But this only begs the question: HOW do we CHOOSE to mortify the deeds of the flesh?
• Rom. 7:18 – for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. We can all relate to Paul’s dilemma!
• Nevertheless, we are COMMANDED to put those deeds to death… to MORTIFY fornication, uncleanness, etc.
• It boils down to a matter of a yielded heart… surrendered to God… our bodies presented as a living sacrifice… yoked together with Christ… not my will but thine be done!
• If the heart is yielded and surrendered to God and we are filled with the Spirit… the body will be characterized by self control.
2. Col. 3:6 – develop a fear of God: the wrath of God is executed against the children of disobedience.
a. Fear is a legitimate emotion. It is God given.
b. God’s wrath CONTINUALLY comes (is coming…) on the children of disobedience. (unbelievers)
c. This is a revelation of who God is… and His infinite hatred for sin… and in particular these sexual sins.
d. Since God’s wrath is upon those sins, put them to death!
e. The believer should want nothing to do with that which brings down God’s wrath.
f. The wrath of God is meant to evoke a FEAR of God.
g. Prov. 16:6 – by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.?
h. Hence, when we get to know who God is… as we learn of His wrath toward sin, His infinite hatred of sin, and fear Him for it, we will depart from it!
3. Develop a fear of the consequences of sin.
a. Adultery is like taking burning clothes in your bosom. You WILL get burned eventually!
b. Fear chastening.
• Fear is a legitimate emotion. Fear displeasing God.
• It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God!
• Fear the Father’s chastening hand. It can be SEVERE!
c. Fear the consequences of sexual sins:
• Prov. 5:8-12 – lost honor; lost wealth; irreversible regret; body consumed.
• Prov. 6:32-34 – he destroys his own soul… dealing with the regret and broken pieces of one’s life… broken families… wound and dishonor that will not be wiped away… rage of third party!
• Prov. 7:22-23 – to the slaughter… stocks… a dart through his liver…
• The consequences of sexual sins should cause us to FEAR getting involved in it.
• Fear bringing a life into the world illegitimately.
• Fear aids and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• This fear is legitimate before God.
• Eph. 5:6 – Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise!
» Paul warns the Ephesians about believing people who would say to them that there are no consequences to sexual sins. There ARE!
» Men tried convincing believers of this in the first century… and they are still up to it today!
» Today men argue that ancient religious forbade fornication because they didn’t have birth control, but it’s ok today!
» Men argue that sex is OK if it is consensual… or if it is safe… as long as nobody gets hurt.
» Whether someone gets hurt or not is not the point. It is wrong because God—the Author of Life—the Moral Standard of the Universe—said so! It’s wrong because it is disobedience to Him!
» And there ARE serious consequences… not just earthly… God’s wrath stands against such sins.
• God told the Jews to go into the Promised land and PUT TO DEATH all the Canaanites. If they did not put them to death (but hid them away in a far valley) they would come back to haunt them… and to be thorns in their sides!
4. Think rationally and thoughtfully about what sexual sin really is for the Christian.
a. I Cor. 6:18 – The horror of what sexual sin means for the believer.
b. As Christians, WE are members of the spiritual Body of Christ… the church. WE (bodies, souls and spirits) are members of the Body of Christ… and UNITED with Christ Himself.
c. This is an AWESOME privilege!
d. Sexual sin UNITES the two people involved. It is not a marriage union, but it is a union.
e. Sexual union unites the whole person… not just the body.
• Being male or female involves the whole person, not just the body. (thinking; emotions; attitudes; viewpoints; desires; etc.)
• Sex does not merely join one BODY to another body; it joins a male and female PERSON to each other… a union of body, soul, emotions, heart, mind…
• It is in a real sense a UNION of BOTH parties involved.
• Therefore, for a believer to join his body to a harlot for a few moments of sexual pleasure… ought to be UNTHINKABLE!
f. It is a union that involves MORE than his body. It involves his whole PERSON to that harlot… and since he is a member of Christ, it joins CHRIST to that harlot!
• Paul says that that believer is joining a member of Christ’s Body to a harlot!
• Sexual sin in some sense involves bringing the Lord into an illicit union.
• How much MORE hideous and unthinkable is such a sin!
• It is like joining Christ Himself to an harlot.
• It does not taint His character or His person, but it does taint His reputation and testimony!
• It profanes and disgraces HIM! It is the ultimate act of irreverence and disrespect; an utter disregard for the Person of Christ.
g. Sexual sin is FAR WORSE for a believer than for an unbeliever.
• The thought ought to be so REPULSIVE to a believer that it would never occur. It ought to send shivers of HORROR down our spines…
• Those thoughts of holy horror will be more effective in removing lustful thoughts than a cold shower!
• THINKING about what sexual sin is in God’s sight is an effective means of turning away from it.
h. Vs. 18 b – It is sinning against one’s own body.
• Most sins involve that which is without (outside the body). (Stealing, idolatry, murder, etc.)
• But sexual sin arises from within the body… and comes right out of the body.
• Illicit sexual activity is a degradation or a corruption of the body… it is using the body for something it was never intended to be used for.
• I Cor. 6:13 – the body is NOT for fornication (illicit sex), but was created FOR the Lord… for His honor and glory.
• It is sinning against one’s own body… a corruption of the body’s God-given purpose.
• I Cor. 6:19-20 – As a Christian, our bodies are not our own.
» Our bodies were created by God; redeemed or purchased by God; and indwelt by God; and for God.
» Thus, God OWNS our bodies, souls, and spirits.
» Hence, we cannot do with them as we please.
» He owns them and dwells in them… as His temple.
» The body is a holy Temple. Joining it to a harlot is like the sin of profaning the Temple of God!
» It is like turning the holy Temple of God into a house of ill repute. It should be unthinkable!
» We are to GLORIFY God in our bodies… and committing sexual sins does not glorify God.
i. Tempted? THINK about what you are about to do… and you just might change your mind!
j. Vs. 18a – When a believer THINKS about what this kind of sin means, he should FLEE fornication!
5. Rom. 13:14 – make no provision for the flesh.
a. This principle implies that the believer is AWARE of how easily his sinful flesh can be stirred up.
b. The alcoholic who wants to make no provision for his flesh will go the extra mile to avoid temptation. He will walk an extra five blocks to avoid having to smell the barrooms.
c. The glutton will not hang around the bakery… but will avoid situations that will stir up his appetite.
d. The believer will do whatever it takes to avoid the temptation of sexual sins too… he will avoid that which stirs up his sexual appetite.
• This speaks of a whole lifestyle.
• Computers are part of daily life in the 21st century. I use it to study the Bible and prepare sermons. It is a great tool.
• But the danger is that it puts every one of us just a mouse click away from the most defiling forms of pornography…
• If you are having a problem with pornography on the computer: make no provision for the flesh! Put in a filter… or get rid of the computer if you have to!
• If you watch TV—use the remote often… mute the ungodly music and turn off the wicked pictures.
• If it is an old illicit relationship that continually stirs up your flesh AVOID that person. Burn the bridges.
• And ladies, be sensitive to the fact that your bodies stir up the flesh in men. Be careful about what you wear… and the way you carry yourself!
• Avoid PLACES that stir up the flesh… avoid MUSIC that stirs up the flesh… avoid ANYTHING that stirs up the flesh!
• You know yourself. You know your limits. You know what stirs up your flesh. Make no provision for it!
» Story: little boy bringing his fishing pole to Sunday school.
• We too make provision for the flesh. God’s Word says, MORITIFY it… put it to death… don’t hide it under the seat… or bury it under a tree… or put it on the back burner. Put it to death! And make no provision for the flesh.
6. And if you find yourself in a situation that you know puts you in a compromising situation… facing temptation, God has another tool to use: RUN!
a. Flee fornication! (I Cor. 6:18)
b. Flee youthful lusts! (II Tim.2:21)
c. Gen. 39:7-13 – Consider the example of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. He ran because he was afraid of what might happen!
d. He knew how easily his flesh could get stirred up. He didn’t have time to think… no time to plan something clever to say… he just ran!
e. Was he demonstrating that he was a weak man in running? Yes… an honest man who KNEW of his weakness. Hence, he ran. And in running… in acknowledging the weakness of his flesh, he demonstrated spiritual STRENGTH! (II Cor. 12:10)
7. Another powerful weapon against fornication given to the believer is MARRIAGE! (I Cor. 7:2)
a. To avoid fornication, get married!
b. It is better to marry than to burn in lust! (vs. 9)
c. This is the God given outlet for a very normal and natural desire.
d. In the bonds of marriage, the sexual relationship is honorable and pure… (Heb. 13:4)
e. Outside of marriage, it is dishonorable, impure, and worthy of divine judgment!
f. Marriage is God’s means to AVOID fornication… illicit sexual contact.
g. Marriage legitimizes the sexual union.
Put Off The Old
Introduction:
1. After presenting the believer’s glorious position in Christ, Paul uses that positional truth as the REASON or BASIS for the following exhortations to a worthy walk.
2. The first exhortation was to mortify the sins of the flesh. (vs. 5)
a. Because God’s wrath is executed against such sins. (vs. 6)
b. Because it was part of your former life and is not consistent with your new life in Christ. (vs. 7)
3. The second exhortation was to PUT OFF ALL these sins!
a. The first exhortation was to “put to death.” This exhortation is to “put off.”
b. The wording is different, but the meaning is the same. Such sins are not to be tolerated by the believer in Christ.
c. Paul changes his wording here because he is about to relate our responsibility with ANOTHER aspect of positional truth: the fact that our old man has already been put off, and our new man has already been put on.
4. Paul uses TWO positional truths as a basis for a worthy walk… intended to have an immediate effect on our earthly lives.
a. Our old life came to an end and our new life is hidden with Christ in God in heaven (3:3)
• THEREFORE put to death that which characterized our old fleshly life on earth. (3:5)
• This is a contrast between two kinds of LIFE- our heavenly life and our earthly life.
b. Our old man has been put off (3:9b) and our new man has been put on (3:10a).
• THEREFORE put off the dirty garments of our old life.
• This is a contrast between two PERSONS… our old man and our new man.
» The Holy Spirit places this exhortation on a mighty powerful foundation: we are a new kind of person with a new kind of life!
» Such a radical change of position (death to life; earth to heaven) DEMANDS an appropriate change of behavior.
5. Paul then lists several examples of sins to be put off. (vs. 8)
a. While the first exhortation was quite focused on one particular kind of sin (sexual sins), this is a much broader exhortation to put off ALL sins.
b. The list he gives seems to lend itself to being divided into two main groups: sins of the temper and sins of the mouth.
6. Next week Lord willing, we will look in more detail at the positional truths behind the exhortation.
a. This morning we want to look at the exhortation itself: to put off all these sins: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, and lying.
Put Off All These
A. Put Off – Defined
1. Strong’s: to put off; lay aside.
2. Zodhiates: To renounce, lay off or down.
3. Dictionary of Bible Languages: To place in another location; figuratively = to get rid of.
4. Lindell & Scotts Greek/English Lexicon: to put away from oneself, lay aside, of arms and clothes.
5. Used in various ways:
a. Acts 7:58 – the men laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet.
b. Rom. 13:12 – cast off the works of darkness.
c. Heb.12:1 – let us lay aside every weight…
d. Eph.4:22, 25 – putting off our former conversation… and putting away lying…
e. The Ephesian usage of the term is identical to that in Colossians.
6. It speaks of putting off the sins of our former lifestyle in the language of a man putting off his dirty clothes.
a. Behavior or character is often described in the Bible as “clothing.”
• Job 29:14 – ?I put on righteousness, and it clothed me.
• Ps. 35:26 – let them be clothed with shame and dishonour.
• The Christian soldier’s armor is a clothing descriptive of his behavior and character… righteousness, truth, peace, etc.
• The believers in heaven are pictured clothed in fine linen, clean and white. (Rev. 19:8)
b. “Putting off” implies putting off the dirty clothing of your past life.
• In vs. 12 we are told to put on the clean clothing fit for our new life in Christ.
• Thus, the terms Paul used picture the believer putting off the sins of the old man in the same way we take off soiled, smelly clothes.
• The dirty garments refer to the unrighteous lifestyle of the old man we used to be. They are to be put off! Get rid of them… put them to death.
c. That clothing was suited for our past life of sin… dirty… offensive to God… but is to be removed and renounced once saved.
B. ALL These
1. In Col. 3:8, Paul commands the believers to put off ALL these sins.
a. 3:7 – Paul just reminded them of their former lifestyle before they came to know Christ as Savior.
• They USED to live in sin… in all kinds of sins.
• Living in sin is natural for the natural man. That’s the only realm in which he is ABLE to walk.
• The natural man has not been born again. He does not have a new nature.
• He CANNOT walk in newness of life.
b. All the old man possesses is the old nature… the sin nature… fallen, corrupt human nature, inherited from his parents…
• The sin nature, the fleshly nature can be moral, have high standards, sophisticated, educated, cultured, polished, and even religious, but it CANNOT please God.
• The flesh CANNOT step outside the realm of sin…
• Even his moral or religious efforts to produce good works flow from his corrupt human nature.
• The fountain is corrupt and everything that comes from that fountain is corrupt.
c. Eph. 2:1, 3 – We were DEAD IN SIN. Sin is the realm in which the unbeliever lives—spiritual death—separated from God. In that realm we “had our conversation”… we walked… we lived.
• We were slaves to sin… and unable to redeem ourselves from that slavery.
• The unbeliever WALKED in the flesh… which was always contrary to the Spirit. (The flesh is contrary to the Spirit).
• It is understandable that an unbeliever would live in sin and walk in darkness.
• That’s all he knows. That’s all he is capable of doing.
C. But Now
1. Paul states in vs. 7-8 that the Colossians USED to live that way at one time, BUT NOW… put off all these!
a. But now = indicates that a CHANGE has occurred.
b. But now = now that you are saved… regenerated!
c. Now that you have been raised up with Christ into heavenly places!
d. Now that you are a new creature… indwelt by God…
e. Now that you have a new nature and you are now ABLE to walk in newness of life…
f. THEREFORE… put of ALL these… not just the sexual sins… but ALL of the sins Paul lists in vs. 8-9 too!
g. It is understandable that the unsaved man walks in such sins. BUT NOW that you are saved, it’s time to put off those all those kinds of sins!
h. Col. 1:26-27 – BUT NOW Christ dwells in us. His presence in us… should CHANGE the way we live… the way we think… every aspect of our behavior…
2. The sins associated with our former lifestyles are to be put off as one would put off dirty clothes…
a. Reason: because those dirty clothes are not fitting for one in our new position—a life hidden in heaven!
b. Illustration: The laborer in the coal mine is grimy all day long at his job. His clothes are dirty… even when washed! If that laborer is given a promotion to work in the front office, he is expected to put away the grimy, dirty, old, clothes as unfit and inappropriate for his new POSITION.
c. It would be an insult and an embarrassment to the manager who PUT you in that new position, for you to show up in the office in your dirty clothes.
d. His position determines his clothing!
e. Application:
• Our new position in Christ demands that we discard the dirty clothing of our past. They are unfit and inappropriate for our new position in heavenly places in Christ.
• It is an insult to God for one of HIS children and representatives to be seen in such dirty clothing!
• Our position in Christ determines our clothing/behavior too…
• These are ever the expressions of gracious exhortations to holiness… in the age of grace.
Anger, Wrath, and Malice
A. Introduction
1. Paul separates the two lists of sins. They are two different categories of sins.
2. The first list (vs. 5) all spoke of sexual sins.
3. This next list (vs. 8-9) speaks of sins that “lash out at people”… either with our temper or our mouth.
B. Anger Defined
1. Anger is a chronic attitude of smoldering hatred.
a. Wuest: “an abiding, settled, and habitual anger that includes in its scope the purpose of revenge.”
• This is the term that is translated “wrath” in vs. 6.
• This term is used of God. God possesses a settled, habitual anger of smoldering hatred against all forms of unrighteousness.
• It is right for a believer to also have a controlled, settled sense of indignation against sin too.
b. But this is not what Paul is speaking about here.
• He is speaking about a sinful anger we allow to simmer in our minds and hearts…
• This is a smoldering hatred for a person… or even against God Himself!
2. This kind of smoldering hatred can fester in the heart for a long time… even for years!
a. Ex: Absalom – II Sam. 13:22-23 –
• This may have BEGUN as righteous indignation against the sin.
• Absalom held in his wrath… and never dealt with it the proper way. He should have gone to his brother and confronted him… man to man.
• But instead, he didn’t talk to his brother, and allowed his anger and hatred to simmer in his heart for two full years.
• In time, he plotted to murder his brother.
• This was not a quick outburst of anger, (a crime of passion), but a slow, simmering wrath that was allowed to continue on and on… (Premeditated).
• Anger is behind a crime of passion. Wrath is behind premeditated murder.
b. Ex: someone says or does something that gets you angry, and it gets under your skin and eats away at you.
• You are furious, but you don’t blow up, you hold it all in… perhaps for years.
• As a believer, if a brother in Christ offends us we are to go that brother and straighten it out… face to face.
• We are to deal with it SOON… and not allow the sun to go down upon our wrath.
• But often we don’t… and let it eat away at us… and ruin our fellowship.
• Allowing anger to continue to simmer slowly in our hearts is SIN.
3. It is the kind of anger, which instead of exploding, implodes.
a. It is all held in… pent up feelings of anger…
b. It is anger that is kept under control, but tolerated.
c. It can be behind a long-standing grudge… a family grudge… (McCoys and the Hatfields) even a church grudge…
d. A person becomes angry, and does not deal with his anger, and chooses instead to file it away on the back burner… and there is sits for years!
e. Everything the believer does while he allows the sin of smoldering anger in his heart is wood, hay, and stubble!
4. Maybe YOU have a pot of resentment or bitterness sitting on your back burner… slowly cooking… or perhaps it is a grudge against a brother… a co worker… a spouse!
a. God says “Get rid of it!” It is completely unbecoming for a child of God.
b. Eph. 4:26-27 – wrath is to be dealt with each day.
• Don’t allow it to fester into the next day.
• When that becomes one’s habit, anger begins to pile up day after day.
• Confess it as sin every night… and wake up clean and with a clear conscience to start off the new day.
c. Anger in the heart not dealt with not only interrupts and harms interpersonal relationships, but FAR more serious is its effect on our relationship to GOD!
• Simmering anger tolerated in the heart separates us from fellowship with God in the same way any other sin does… even the sins of the flesh mentioned in vs. 5!
• Sin is sin. There are no venial sins.
• Unless the sin of smoldering anger in our heart is dealt with, God will not hear our prayers. He will not accept our fellowship because we are walking in darkness!
• God does not accept our worship until it is made right… confessed and forsaken.
• Prayer and worship are empty shams… hollow forms unless our hearts are right. Worse then empty… it is evil to approach an infinitely holy God… the One who rules the Universe… with unconfessed sin in our hearts. God knows our hearts.
• Men can easily SEE the sin of drunkenness or HEAR the sin of cursing. But slow, simmering anger often goes unnoticed by men—and we think we are getting away with something. God sees our hearts.
• Sin tolerated is repulsive to God… and more so when we feign to worship Him in such condition.
C. Wrath
1. Wrath – (thymon) rage; an outburst of anger.
a. Wuest: “the boiling agitation of the feelings, a sudden violent anger.”
b. This is the type of anger that explodes rather than implodes.
c. This is the type of anger that the Greeks described as straw in a fire: it goes up in a blazing fury, but is over quickly.
d. This is the type of anger that causes us to punch a wall… swear… throw whatever is in your hand at the wall… yell…
e. It is the type of anger that arises when someone cuts you off in traffic… when you hear some bad news… when your nerves are frazzled and your six year old does something stupid…
2. Often the thumos anger explodes BECAUSE the orge anger had been simmering beneath the surface and was just waiting for an opportunity to explode!
a. If we CHOOSE to allow orge anger to simmer, we are NOT walking in the Spirit but are walking in the flesh.
b. When walking in the flesh, expect an outbreak of the flesh at any moment!
c. If we tolerate orge… slow simmering anger to fester in our heart, then don’t be surprised if it boils over at some point into an outward outburst!
d. But if we walk in the Spirit, we are NOT willing to tolerate anger at any level… and we will NOT fulfill the lusts of the flesh… including explosive anger.
e. We will DEAL with anger in our heart before it boils over and manifests outwardly.
f. Keep your heart with all diligence!
3. Examples:
a. King Asa – II Chron. 16:7,9c,10
• Asa did not have a hearing ear.
• Vs. 9 – He was rebuked by Hanani, a prophet of God for relying on Syria rather than relying on the Lord.
• Vs. 10 – because of your folly you will have continual wars!
• Kings were not accustomed to be spoken to that way… and Asa flew off the handle and went into a rage.
• This was no slow simmer. This was an outburst of rage and anger… he blew up.
• He put the prophet into prison.
b. What Asa did you and I have done scores of times!
• Unfortunately we know all too well of the sin of flying off the handle… blowing up and saying and doing things we regret later…
• Each explosion is sin and is to be confessed and forsaken as sin.
• And the sin of anger can arise at any moment… unprovoked! Be ready to confess and forsake… day after day… and don’t grow weary of dealing with sin!
• The outward sins are relatively easy to deal with. The sins of the inner man we will have to deal with for the rest of our days.
• But DEAL with it we must! Don’t make excuses for it. Don’t brush it under the rug. CONFESS it as the awful sin that it is!
• Make things right with God AND man.
• But as time goes on, though we will never in this life be sinless… as we mature, we can sin LESS… less frequently…
D. Malice
1. “Malice” (kakian) – ill-will, desire to injure, wickedness, a general term of all that is bad or evil…
a. Titus 3:3 – before salvation, we LIVED in malice… ill will towards others.
b. Admit it—we have all had ill feelings towards others… a desire to injure them… or a desire to see something bad happen to them… and then a little gloating over their misfortune!
c. When someone gets us angry, it is natural to want to get even… to want to harm them… a desire to injure them.
d. It is natural—and that is the problem. It is part of the natural man… the old man… the person we were in Adam BEFORE we were saved!
e. That’s the way we were—BUT NOW—now that we are saved, we are to put off malice… ill will towards others.
f. The word malice appears in the New Testament in a couple of passages where we are told what to DO with malice.
• Jas. 1:21 –
» Naughtiness = same word as malice
» Lay apart = same word as put off in Col. 3:8… put off malice like old dirty clothes.
» Lay apart all malice and RECEIVE the engrafted word which is able to SAVE your soul
· James is not writing to unbelievers, but believers.
· He is not telling them how to be saved or justified, but how to be delivered from the sins mentioned: filthiness and malice!
· We are delivered from such sins by receiving the Word…
• I Peter 2:1-3
» Lay aside = same word as “put off” in Col. 3:8.
» Lay aside all malice… put it off like a dirty rag…
» Once off, DESIRE the sincere milk of the word… that ye may grow thereby!
» Malice in the heart hinders spiritual growth and progress as believers. Get rid of it!
» Such malice is childish… BUT keep on filling your mind and heart with the Word… and you will grow to maturity!
» Malice is evil intent towards others. God’s Word will fill our minds with the Person of Christ… of whom it was said at His coming into the world: good will towards man…
» The more the mind of Christ is developed in our minds… the more we will think and behave like Him. That IS spiritual growth!
• In both passages, using the same verb as Col. 3:8, the Word of God is mentioned as God’s answer to malice in one’s life.
» Desire it like a baby desiring his milk… develop a hunger and thirst for God’s Word.
» RECEIVE it… take it in. Satisfy that desire!
» A mind and heart that is filled up with God’s Word… saturated with it… is less likely to be seeking ill will toward a brother!
» Nor will that man be as likely to break out into a rage… or to tolerate slow simmering wrath.
» If you have TASTED that the Lord is gracious, KEEP ON tasting!
» The one who is filled with Christ, His Spirit, and His Word will not be filled with lust, anger, or malice!
» The answer isn’t found in psychology. But the answer IS found in the BIBLE.
Blasphemy, Filthy Communication, Lying
1. Blasphemy: (blasphemian, “slander, evil speaking”).
a. Wuest: slander, detraction, speech injurious to another’s good name
b. This would include blasphemy against God…
• Referring to oneself as deity is blasphemy. That is what Jesus was accused of.
• But it is blasphemous to use the Lord’s name in vain too! That too is sin.
• It has become popular today—especially with young girls to say, “O my God” as if it were an interjection.
• God’s name is HOLY. It is not an interjection. It is a precious name to used with great care… and not in vain (empty; no purpose).
• Do not blaspheme… speak evil… by using God’s holy name in a casual manner.
c. While the term blasphemy is used as evil speaking against God, in writing to believers, it is more likely Paul had in mind evil speaking against men.
• We have all been guilty of this sin too: speaking evil of others… slander… saying things about a person that was intended to hurt them… to damage their reputation… make them look bad before others…
• This is malice coming forth out of the mouth!
• If malice is in the heart… and a slow simmering anger against a person is in our heart… then eventually it will come out of our mouths… in the form of evil speaking!
d. Blasphemy… ALL evil speaking… is to be put off like a dirty rag. It is unbecoming for a saint of God.
2. Filthy communication (aischrologian) is shameful, indecent, dishonorable, or abrasive speech.
a. Wuest: foul sneaking, low and obscene speech.
b. This term speaks of foul language… swearing… cursing… a dirty mouth…
c. The Christian is a new creature, and should develop a new vocabulary!
• Some words may not actually be curse words… but they might not be fitting for a believer.
• Some terms might be insensitive, coarse, tactless, rude, vulgar, or offensive.
• The believer ought to be CAREFUL about the very words we choose to speak.
• Remember, we are going to be judged by our words… every idle word spoken will be evaluated at the Bema seat of Christ.
• Matt. 12:36 – But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
d. Eph. 5:4 – Paul expands this to foolish talking or jesting.
• Filthiness – obscene speech; shameless speech or conduct. (Cf. Eph. 5:12 – a shame to speak of some things!)
• Jesting = (lit = good + turn… twisting words and meanings around to make it funny)… joking around.
» But Paul is not forbidding joking in general. He is forbidding jesting “which is not convenient — fitting, becoming a saint.”
· Note that Paul uses the very same REASONING here as in Colossians.
· The REASON not to use coarse language is based upon our position.
· If you are born again, you are a saint of God. Your speech should reflect your position!
» Good clean jokes are good, clean fun.
» But beware because good clean jokes in a time of laughter can easily and quickly degenerate into that which is no longer good clean fun.
» When that occurs, walk away. Don’t get caught up in that frenzy… and find yourself laughing at clever, but filthy jokes!
» Dirty jokes… even off colored jokes… questionable jokes… or jokes designed to hurt people… are UNBECOMING a saint of God.
» And don’t tell jokes that on the edge of being dirty… or ambiguous in meaning… shady…
» If you wouldn’t tell the joke if Christ were standing next to you, then don’t tell it ever… because Christ lives IN you!
• Our speech should be PURE… clean… holy… honorable… glorifying to God.
• In this context, Paul says that THANKSGIVING is fitting for the believer. Replace the coarse, vulgar speech with thanksgiving.
• Eph. 4:29 – let NO corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth… but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister GRACE to the hearers.
• This is a command to be OBEYED!
3. Lying (Eph. 4:25) for truthfulness is essential in followers of the One who is “the Truth” (John 14:6)
a. Defined: to lie, to speak deliberate falsehoods; to deceive one by a lie.
b. Lying is more than just an inaccuracy. It is the MOTIVE that makes it a lie… the INTENT to deceive.
c. You’re not lying if you give inaccurate information, but you THOUGHT it was true. It is a lie when you give inaccurate information and intend to deceive and mislead.
d. Thus, because it involves our intentions, we can lie in lots of ways… not just speech… in writing… in what we leave out of a conversation… through innuendo…
e. Wuest: “Lie” is present imperative in a prohibition, forbidding the continuance of an action already going on.
• It is, “Stop lying to one another.”
• Yes even believers lie… and it is always sinful.
• We are to put it to death… put it off like a filthy garment.
• What could be more contrary to our position in Christ, who is the TRUTH?!
Seeing Ye Have Put Off the Old Man with His Deeds
1. Here Paul continues his exhortations based upon our position.
2. The old man is the man we were in Adam.
a. It stands in contrast to the new man we are in Christ. (vs. 10)
b. The old man is the unregenerate you… the unsaved you… the person you were before you came to Christ for salvation.
c. That person was dead in sins… enslaved to sin… only had one nature: a sin nature.
d. Therefore, the old man LIVED in the kinds of sins listed.
e. These sins were characteristic of his lifestyle.
3. He states that the Colossians had already put off the old man.
a. The old man is crucified… dead… mortified… put off (Col. 2:20; Col. 3:3; Rom. 6:6).
b. This is not a command to put off our old man. It is a statement of fact. He is dead already!
c. This is true of EVERY true believer in Christ.
d. That means that the person we USED to be… the one who was ENSLAVED to sin and had no choice is now DEAD. He died with Christ!
e. We have been set FREE from bondage and slavery to sin. We don’t HAVE to live that way any more!
f. The liar died with Christ! Praise the Lord.
g. The blasphemer died. The man with the dirty mouth died. The man who led an unclean, lascivious, and covetous life is dead.
h. Therefore, don’t behave like that old man. Put off his dirty clothing… his bad behavior.
i. BUT NOW we are saved! BUT NOW we are new creatures! BUT NOW our old man is dead…
j. Therefore, behaving like that dirty old man is unbecoming one in our glorious heavenly position!
k. We have a new position. God expects us to wear the new clothing… white linen… clean and white… the righteousness of the saints. We should be CLOTHED with righteousness… in mind, heart, speech, and behavior.
l. And this command is to be OBEYED… NOT in order to BECOME a saint of God… but because we already ARE a saint of God… a new creature!
m. Our new position as a redeemed son of God, as a citizen of heaven, as one who is risen with Christ and seated in heavenly places, ought to have an effect on our thinking, our attitude, and our behavior!
• It should CHANGE the condition of our daily lives… and make us more like Christ!
• If it doesn’t change us, then it really hasn’t sunken in yet!
Position Determines Practice
Put Off Blasphemy, Filthy Communication, Lying
1. Blasphemy: blasphemian, “slander, evil speaking”, speech injurious to another’s good name.
a. This would include blasphemy against God…
• Referring to oneself as deity is blasphemy. That is what Jesus was accused of.
• But it is blasphemous to use the Lord’s name in vain too! That too is sin.
• It has become popular today—especially with young girls to say, “O my God” as if it were an interjection.
• God’s name is HOLY. It is not an interjection. It is a precious name to use with great care… and not in vain (empty; no purpose).
• Do not blaspheme… speak evil… by using God’s holy name in a casual manner.
b. While the term blasphemy is used as evil speaking against God, in writing to believers, it is more likely Paul had in mind evil speaking against men.
• We have all been guilty of this sin too: speaking evil of others… slander… saying things about a person that was intended to hurt them… to damage their reputation… make them look bad before others…
• This is malice coming forth out of the mouth!
• If malice is in the heart… and a slow simmering anger against a person is in our heart… then eventually it will come out of our mouths… in the form of evil speaking!
c. Blasphemy… ALL evil speaking… is to be put off like a dirty rag. It is unbecoming for a saint of God.
2. Filthy communication (aischrologian) is shameful, indecent, dishonorable, or abrasive speech.
a. Wuest: foul sneaking, low and obscene speech.
b. This term speaks of foul language… swearing… cursing… a dirty mouth…
c. The Christian is a new creature, and should develop a new vocabulary!
• Some words may not actually be curse words… but they might not be fitting for a believer.
• Some terms might be insensitive, coarse, tactless, rude, vulgar, or offensive.
• The believer ought to be CAREFUL about the very words we choose to speak.
• Remember, we are going to be judged by our words… every idle word spoken will be evaluated at the Bema seat of Christ.
• Matt. 12:36 – But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
d. Eph. 5:4 – Paul expands this to foolish talking or jesting.
• Filthiness – obscene speech; shameless speech or conduct. (Cf. Eph. 5:12 – a shame to speak of some things!)
• Jesting = (lit = good + turn… twisting words and meanings around to make it funny)… joking around.
» But Paul is not forbidding joking in general. He is forbidding jesting “which is not convenient — fitting, becoming a saint.”
· Note that Paul uses the very same REASONING here as in Colossians.
· The REASON not to use coarse language is based upon our position.
· If you are born again, you are a saint of God. Your speech should reflect your position!
» Good clean jokes are good, clean fun.
» But beware because good clean jokes in a time of laughter can easily and quickly degenerate into that which is no longer good clean fun.
» When that occurs, walk away. Don’t get caught up in that frenzy… and find yourself laughing at clever, but filthy jokes!
» Dirty jokes… even off colored jokes… questionable jokes… or jokes designed to hurt people… are UNBECOMING a saint of God.
» And don’t tell jokes that are on the edge of being dirty… or ambiguous in meaning… shady…
» If you wouldn’t tell the joke if Christ were standing next to you, then don’t tell it ever… because Christ lives IN you!
• Our speech should be PURE… clean… holy… honorable… glorifying to God.
• In this context, Paul says that THANKSGIVING is fitting for the believer. Replace the coarse, vulgar speech with thanksgiving.
• Eph. 4:29 – let NO corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth… but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister GRACE to the hearers.
• This is a command to be OBEYED!
3. Lying (Eph. 4:25) for truthfulness is essential in followers of the One who is “the Truth” (John 14:6
a. Defined: to lie, to speak deliberate falsehoods; to deceive one by a lie
b. Lying is more than just an inaccuracy. It is the MOTIVE that makes it a lie… the INTENT to deceive.
c. You’re not lying if you give inaccurate information, but you THOUGHT it was true. It is a lie when you give inaccurate information and intend to deceive and mislead.
d. Thus, because it involves our intentions, we can lie in lots of ways… not just speech… in writing… in what we leave out of a conversation… through innuendo…
e. Wuest: “Lie” is present imperative in a prohibition, forbidding the continuance of an action already going on.
• It is, “Stop lying to one another.”
• Yes even believers lie… and it is always sinful.
• We are to put it to death… put it off like a filthy garment.
• What could be more contrary to our position in Christ, who is the TRUTH?!
Seeing Ye Have Put Off the Old Man with His Deeds
1. Here Paul continues his exhortations based upon our position.
2. The old man is the man we were in Adam.
a. The old man stands in contrast to the new man we are in Christ. (vs. 10)
b. The old man is the unregenerate you… the unsaved you… the person you were before you came to Christ for salvation.
c. The old man was who we were in Adam. (I Cor. 15:21-22)
• We are all related to Adam through physical birth.
• Because of Adam’s sin, those who were IN Adam have his sin imputed to our account.
• The result is physical death and the second death… condemnation.
• Those IN ADAM share Adam’s fallen nature and his condemnation.
d. I Cor. 2:14 – the old man was a natural man.
• He did not have the Spirit and was 100% ignorant of spiritual things—though he may be fluent in religion.
• He cannot understand spiritual things for they are spiritually discerned, and he is spiritually dead—and does not have the Spirit of God.
• He cannot know God or His Word.
• He is very much ALIVE to the natural realm and may excel in the pursuits of an earthly life: education, politics, religion, culture, moral living without God.
• But he is DEAD to the spiritual realm. He cannot enter it… he cannot fathom it… it is foolishness to him.
• Like the false teachers I John 4:3 describes, “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.”
• The natural man is conversant and skillful in this natural realm… but unable to perceive… unable to enter… unable to know the spiritual realm.
e. That person was dead in sins. (Eph. 2:1)
• He was dead in sins.
• He did not possess eternal life.
• He had not been regenerated.
• Thus, he did not have a new heart. He had only had one nature: a sin nature.
f. He was enslaved to sin.
• Rom.6:6c – we served sin as slaves to it.
• Rom. 6:14 – Sin had dominion over our old man.
g. Col. 3:7 – Therefore, the old man LIVED in the kinds of sins listed.
• These sins were characteristic of his lifestyle.
• He LIVED and WALKED in them.
• He knew no other walk… he had no other life.
h. Summary of the description of the old man:
• In Adam, and possesses Adam’s fallen nature and condemnation.
• Dead in sins—unregenerate—unsaved
• Alive only in the natural, earthly realm
• He does not have a new nature—he has only the old nature, and is thus “enslaved” to it.
• Thus, he lives and walks in the natural realm… the realm of the flesh.
• He is shackled by his fallen, sinful, human nature, which is his because of his physical birth… in Adam.
3. He states that the Colossians had already put off the old man.
a. This is not a command to put off our old man. It is a statement of fact. He is dead already!
b. The old man is crucified… dead… mortified… put off.
• Col. 2:20 – dead with Christ to the world. (Gal. 6:14)
• Col.3:3 – Since ye are dead with Christ…
• Rom. 6:6 – your old man was crucified with Christ
c. This is true of EVERY believer in Christ… from the babe in Christ to the mature believer… from the carnal believer to the spiritual believer…
4. This is our new POSITION in Christ.
a. Col. 2:12 – By means of Spirit baptism, we were immersed or placed IN Christ.
b. In Christ, we are thus identified with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. His death becomes our death.
c. Hence, our old man is DEAD… because we died with Christ.
5. The significance of this truth:
a. This means that the person we USED to be before salvation is dead.
• The old unsaved person… the old unregenerate you is dead!
• We now have ETERNAL life and can never revert back to the position of being DEAD in sins. That man is dead!
• We no longer are the man who existed only in the natural realm and was enslaved to sin.
b. We are NOT that person any more! We have been set FREE from bondage and slavery to sin.
• That means that we don’t HAVE to live that way any more!
• The liar died with Christ! Praise the Lord.
• The blasphemer died.
• The man with the dirty mouth and a dirty mind died.
• The man who led an unclean, lascivious, and covetous life is dead.
c. Our past life is OVER—gone and buried. Don’t dig it up. Don’t try to relive it.
• Don’t gloat over past accomplishments in the flesh. They are but dung apart from Christ.
• Don’t waste time weeping over past failures.
• BELIEVE that our past life is GONE… dead and buried… and put out of sight.
• This is the BASIS for a Spirit filled walk of faith: knowing and believing that our old IS dead… and thus we don’t have to live that way any more!
d. Therefore, don’t behave like that old man.
• Put off his dirty clothing… his bad behavior.
• Don’t use your past life as an excuse for NOT walking in the Spirit today…
• Modern psychology makes us VICTIMS of our past.
» They say, “We can’t help our behavior. It’s not our fault we are this way. We have been abused in the past.
» Or, “I can’t help it. I have addictions. I’ve always been an addict.”
» “I can’t help it. I have been permanently scarred from my past.”
» Or “I can’t help it. This is the way I’ve always been!”
• God’s Word to such folks is clear: the abused person is dead! The addict is dead! The man with scarred past is dead!
• And to the man who says, “I can’t help it. This is the way I’ve always been” God says, CHANGE! Put off those dirty clothes.
• To the man who says, “I can’t help it. I’m addicted” (alcohol, sex, smoking, drugs, etc.) God says that the addict is crucified!
• To the one who is struggling with scars deep in their soul from the past God says, “I am the Great Physician. I am the Author of life. I am the Good Shepherd who restores souls. If I can create the universe, I can heal a scar! Trust Me.”
• God’s Word to such folks is clear: the abused person is dead! The addict is dead! The covetous man is dead. The man with scarred past is dead! The old man who was enslaved to SIN died!
• Such WERE some of you, but now ye are CLEANSED!
• And to the man who says, “I can’t help it. This is the way I’ve always been” God commands us to Put off those dirty clothes. CHANGE!
• “I can’t” is not part of the vocabulary of the believer walking in the Spirit.
• If we were left to ourselves that is the right answer. But it is GOD who works in us both to will and to DO.
• I’m sure Moses felt like saying “I can’t” make water come out of the rock… and I surely can’t part the Red Sea!” I’m sure Peter felt like saying, “I can’t” when Jesus told him to walk on the water!
• It doesn’t matter how powerless or hopeless we FEEL. What matters is what God said… and whether we are willing to believe Him or not.
• When we believe, God does a supernatural work in us… like enabling Peter to walk on water… Moses to part the Red Sea… or enabling US to have victory over the sin that used to enslave us!
e. Perhaps some of us here have been struggling with the sins listed here by Paul: sexual sins, anger, wrath, lying, covetousness, .
• They can control a person’s life. Perhaps they controlled your old life.
• But now you are saved… and the Spirit of God seeks to control your life and WILL—if we trust God… yield to Him… and BELIEVE God.
• God said that the old man who was enslaved to those sins is dead. We don’t have to live like a slave to sin any more.
• God said that we are a new man in Christ and he is ABLE to walk in newness of life and experience victory.
• Do you believe God? (That’s the real question!)
6. Victory is through faith.
a. Faith demands that we BELIEVE what God said about our old man. Faith is believing what God said… even if our feelings tell us otherwise.
b. We walk by FAITH, not by sight or feelings… the measuring yards of the OLD man.
c. God says that that man is dead! Do you believe Him?
• The person who was enslaved to sin is DEAD.
• The person who lived only in the natural realm… in the sins of the flesh… with an untamed temper… is dead!
d. When we say, “I can’t help it” we are declaring to God that we do NOT believe Him when he says that the person who was enslaved to sin is dead.
• Chains have been torn asunder! Praise God for that!
• As long as we refuse to believe God on this point, we are DOOMED to a miserable life of relentless frustration and failure. (Romans 7)
e. The new birth radically changed us, whether we know and appreciate it or not.
• We are NOT the same person anymore.
• The person we USED to be died… we are no longer enslaved to sin.
• The past is behind us. If we sin now, it is our choice.
• Believe God and we are on the way to victory.
f. Refuse to believe God—and we are stuck in perpetual immaturity, carnality, discouragement and defeat. (the slough of despondency)
• What a miserable way to live—to be enslaved to our past.
• What makes this miserable life even worse is when we have been set free and yet we don’t believe it!
g. Illustration: Shetland collie on his run…
h. We have been set free from sin and don’t HAVE to live that way any more… but we do. It is such a habit… and we are reluctant to believe God.
• Faith will set us free. Knowing and believing the TRUTH will set us free.
j. Unbelief will keep us enslaved to our past life… our former lifestyle… to the ways of our old man.
And Have Put On the New Man (vs. 10)
A. The New Man Described
1. New Defined (there are two words for new in Greek)
a. Neos: New, recent. New in relation to time, that which has recently come into existence or become present.
b. The new man is a new person. He recently came into existence.
c. This person did not exist before salvation.
2. The new man is a new creation in Christ. (II Cor. 5:17)
a. Note that the new creation is so because he is IN Christ.
• In Christ, the believer died and rose again.
• Our old man DIED with Christ.
• A new man AROSE with Christ… as a new creation.
b. Creation is a supernatural work that only God can perform.
c. Salvation is a supernatural work in which God makes us a NEW man… a new creation… a new person.
d. The old man is the kind of person we were IN Adam (dead in sin; enslaved to sin; condemned by sin; one nature = sin).
e. The new man is the kind of person we are IN Christ (alive unto God; free from sin; with a new nature… a new heart… a new mind… justified!)
f. God does a supernatural work of eternally CHANGING us the moment we receive Christ as Savior. We are a NEW man… although it may not be apparent to onlookers.
g. We look the same; talk the same; we live in the same body; our voice doesn’t change; our Social Security # is the same; our address is the same; in one sense we are the SAME person.
h. But in another sense, we are a completely NEW person: we don’t have to sin… AND we are ABLE to walk in newness of life!
3. “Putting on the new man” is NOT a command.
a. It is a statement of fact. Every believer has already put on the new man.
b. At the moment of saving faith, the old man is put off, and the new man is put on.
c. This is not something to strive to accomplish. It is something revealed by God and is to be BELIEVED.
d. It is the BASIS upon which God commands us as believers in this age.
e. Because we ARE a new man… because we ARE a new creation, we are thus ABLE to walk in newness of life!
B. God Addresses the New Man in Christ
1. God gives impossible commands to this new creature.
a. He commands us to mortify the sins of the flesh, which previously enslaved us! (fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, anger, wrath, malice, filthy speech, and lying.)
b. These were sins that the old man could NEVER put away.
• These were impossible commands to an unsaved man… to our old man.
• He was enslaved to them.
• He had only one nature: SIN!
c. But the new creature in Christ is a new kind of person.
• The new man has a new nature… the divine nature.
• He died to sin and is set free from bondage to sin. He doesn’t HAVE to sin.
• He is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and Christ Himself!
• He has all the power of the resurrection available to enable him to DO whatever God has commanded.
• He not only has the will but the ability to perform God’s good pleasure.
• He is seated in heavenly places in Christ and blessed with all spiritual blessings and enablements.
• Yes he still has the fallen nature inherited as a son of Adam, but he also has a new nature that is his because he is regenerated and is in Christ…
• He has a new mind, a new heart, and a new will.
• He is ABLE to walk in newness of life.
• That means that there are no excuses for lying, anger, fornication, covetousness… or any other sin.
• Now that we are saved, now that God has given us new life, He expects a new lifestyle…
• And God has provided everything necessary for that to be a reality in your life and mine.
• The new man (and only the new man) is capable of understanding God’s Word and doing God’s Word.
• Apart from the commands to be saved, all the appeals in the New Testament are addressed to the new man.
• The new man now has a choice: to walk in the flesh or in the Spirit.
2. BUT NOW we are saved! BUT NOW we are new creatures! BUT NOW our old man is dead…
a. Therefore, behaving like that dirty old man is unbecoming one in our glorious heavenly position!
b. We have a new position. God expects us to wear the new clothing… white linen… clean and white… the righteousness of the saints. We should be CLOTHED with righteousness… in mind, heart, speech, and behavior.
c. And this command is to be OBEYED… NOT in order to BECOME a saint of God… but because we already ARE a saint of God… a new creature!
d. Our new position as a redeemed son of God, as a citizen of heaven, as one who is raised with Christ and seated in heavenly places, ought to have an effect on our thinking, our attitude, and our behavior!
• Our position determines our clothing!
• Our position should CHANGE the condition of our daily lives… and make us more like Christ!
• If it doesn’t change us, then it really hasn’t sunken in yet!
• DWELL on it; meditate upon it; study it; enjoy it;
• As we ABIDE in that glorious position where we have been placed, we will bear fruit… like the branch that abides in the Vine.
• As we abide in Him, we are ABLE to walk in newness of life; ABLE to have a victorious Christian life.
The New Man
The New Man Defined/Described
A. The New Man
1. He is NEW in every way, spiritually.
a. New birth (John 3:3)
• A born again person – a spiritual birth.
• Regenerated– a new life entered the world.
• Spiritually, the person born (again) did not exist before the new birth.
• The new birth brings into existence a new man.
b. New life… (John 10:28)
• Eternal life
• Resurrection life
• His new life is hidden with Christ in God
c. New creation (II Cor. 5:17)
• Creation is a supernatural work that only God can do.
• Only God can create a person.
• This new creature did not exist before the supernatural work of salvation.
• He is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Eph. 4:24)
d. New nature (II Pet. 1:4)
• New mind
• New heart
• New will
• The moral law of God is etched in our hearts in such a way that it becomes the driving force of the believer… it is the believers NATURE to love God, seek God, serve God, etc.
• The new nature is implanted in the believer at the moment of saving faith.
• It is God’s work and it is perfect.
e. New power (Rom. 15:13)
• Indwelling Holy Spirit.
• The power of the resurrection.
• He is able to walk in newness of life.
f. New position
• This new man is IN Christ… in His Body.
• Seated in heavenly places.
• Redeemed, justified, reconciled, saved, regenerated.
• Blessed with all spiritual blessings.
• The list describing this new position is VERY extensive… and all new.
• You did not possess this position before your salvation. It is the new position of the new man.
g. New in time (Col. 3:10)
• New = neos = new in time (kairos = new in quality).
• The new man is a man—a person who did not exist before the miracle of the new birth.
• Jim Delany existed before my salvation, but I was a very different KIND of creature.
• At the moment of saving faith the Christian becomes a “NEW man”… a new man with respect to time.
• This man did not exist before the miracle salvation.
h. All of this indicates that PUTTING ON the new man is God’s work, not ours.
• God does the putting off and putting on of the old man and of the new man.
• It is a supernatural work involving placing the believer IN Christ, placing Christ in the believer, the new birth, creating life, supernatural resurrection power, etc.
• We couldn’t possible MAKE ourselves a new man… or PUT ON the new man.
• That is what religion vainly attempts to do. The best they can do is dress up the old man…
• The new position of the new man is God’s work for us. God makes the believer in Christ a NEW man!
2. The new man is in another sense, the very same person.
a. The new creature is not new physically.
• He bears the same name.
• He is the same age physically.
• He has the same old body.
• He looks the same; same voice; same height; weight; same color; same health.
• He lives in the same house; same earthly family.
• He works at the same job; pays the same bills; has the same Social Security Number.
• He is still a citizen of the same city and country.
• He still has that same mole on his back.
• No one would ever be able to tell by looking at him that he is a new man… but he is.
• Physically, he is the same person.
3. In one sense (physically), the new man is completely the same; and yet, in another sense (spiritually), he is completely new.
a. The new man is new in time. He did not exist before salvation.
b. The new man is new spiritual. He is ALIVE; saved; etc.
c. The new man has a new nature and new power.
d. The new man is in a new position: IN Christ.
e. The new man is complete. He has everything he would ever need to know God, to love God, to serve God, and to walk with God.
f. All of this is BRAND new at the moment of saving faith and is entirely God’s work on our behalf.
g. Gal. 2:20 – I am crucified, nevertheless I live.
• Paul acknowledges here that in one sense he died (the old Saul) when he came to Christ in faith. The person he was in Adam died.
• Paul also acknowledges that in another sense, he still lives… as a new man in Christ.
• Physically he is the same, but spiritually, he is completely NEW. “I died… yet I live.”
• If you are born again, all of this is true of you.
h. Col. 3:3 – ye are dead but yet you are alive in a new realm… your new life is hidden with Christ in heaven.
• The person we USED to be died. That old man is dead.
• But in another sense WE still live … as a new man.
• Our new life is hidden with Christ in God… hidden away from the world.
• The world cannot SEE the change outwardly… the world may think this talk is quite foolish… but God says it is reality.
• Sometimes when temptation is strong, or when we fail and fall flat on our faces, it is hard even for us as believers to BELIEVE what God said: your old man is dead and you are a NEW man in Christ!
• But regardless of what our senses, feelings, sight, and even experiences tell us… just believe God!
• Believing God on this point is the BASIS for a victorious Christian life.
4. The new man is the REGENERATED person.
a. The new man is the person we are when God saves us.
b. It is the PERSON we are in Christ.
c. It is an entirely NEW position… NEW life… and hence, a NEW person.
d. This person did not exist before the miracle of the new birth.
e. He is not the old man improved… cleaned up… or restored.
• He is a completely NEW man.
• Eph. 4:22 – The old man and his old manner of life was CONTINUALLY in the process of corruption.
» God determined that he was incorrigible.
» God chose not to fix or renovate the old man up. He chose to put him to death.
» The old man was worthy of death, was condemned, and was put to death: crucified.
» What we were in Adam had the sentence of death placed upon it and was executed at Calvary.
• First the old man was put off and THEN the new man was put on.
» Of course, this all happens instantaneously at the moment of saving faith.
• Our point is that the new man isn’t the old man with some new clothes. He is a NEW man… new in time and new in quality of life.
B. The Old Man
1. The old man is the person we WERE in Adam.
2. The old man is the PERSON we were before salvation.
3. The old man is the UNREGENERATE person… condemned.
4. We can NEVER become that old man again. He’s dead and buried.
5. We can never revert back to the unregenerate state. That position has been changed eternally because the old man really is DEAD!
6. The new man did not exist BEFORE the new birth.
7. The old man does not exist AFTER the new birth. (He is history.)
8. The old man died and the new man took his place.
9. The KIND of person you were before salvation does not exist any more. The KIND of person we are in Christ has replaced that person.
10. The new man has replaced the old man.
C. The Man Distinguished from the Nature (Old or New)
1. It is at this point that much confusion arises.
a. Sometimes we are sloppy in our use of terms and cause confusion.
b. Many theologians do NOT make a distinction between the old man and the old nature. That causes confusion.
c. Some popular preachers today teach that the old NATURE died and that the believer has only ONE nature… which is continually improving!
d. Nothing could be further from the truth. The sin nature is incorrigible!
e. That false teaching arises from confusing the old man and the old NATURE.
f. Yes our old MAN (the unregenerate person) is dead. But that does NOT mean the old NATURE (sin nature) is dead. It is very much alive!
g. John tells us that if any man says he has no sin (nature) he has deceived himself and the truth is not in him!
2. There is a difference between a person and his nature.
a. A person HAS a nature, but a nature is not equal to a person.
• The new man is a regenerated man, and he has a new nature… he is a partaker of the divine nature. (II Pet. 1:4)
• That new nature is God’s moral standards etched so deeply in the heart of the new man by the supernatural work of regeneration, that it is his nature.
• That new nature is IN the new man, but that new nature is equal to the new man.
b. The new man is being renewed.
• The new PERSON is improving in quality and character… gradually, from glory to glory. He is becoming more and more like Christ… growing in grace and the knowledge of Christ.
• However, the new NATURE (God’s moral laws imprinted in our hearts that loves truth, righteousness, holiness, and God) can never be improved.
• When the new nature is in control, the believer will ALWAYS do that which pleases God.
• The divine nature needs no renewal.
• The new nature ALWAYS loves God; ALWAYS thinks pure thoughts; ALWAYS says kind, truthful, gracious words; ALWAYS seeks things above.
• The new man (the born again person) however, does not. The regenerated person needs much improvement.
• The regenerated person STILL often yields to the flesh and allows his old nature to be in control.
• The fact that the new MAN is being renewed and the new NATURE does not need to be renewed makes it clear that they are not the same.
c. The Bible states that the old man is dead. But the old nature is very much alive!
• Never are we told that our old nature is dead.
• The old nature is fallen, corrupt, human nature: called the sin nature, or SIN.
• Sin (the nature) did not die. We died to sin. (Rom. 6:2)
• The old MAN is dead. He died the moment we were saved and we can never be that old, unregenerate man again. Thank God!
• The old NATURE is alive. It will be with us until death or until Christ returns. Even so come Lord Jesus!
• The fact that one is dead and one is alive clarifies the fact that they are not the same!
d. Failing to distinguish between the MAN and his NATURE has led to all kinds of errors: sinless perfection; eradication of the sin nature; one nature of the believer; etc. (Reformed Theology; MacArthur; and others…)
D. The New Man Distinguished from the Old Man
1. Two natures – old and new
a. The old man had only ONE nature: sin.
• His mind was affected by his fallen nature.
• His heart was affected by his fallen nature.
• His will was enslaved by his fallen nature.
• Every part of his person (intellect, emotion, and will) was affected by sin. He is totally depraved; he NEEDS a Savior!
• The source of ALL of his thoughts, words, deeds, and motives originated in the only nature he had: sin nature!
• Hence, NOTHING this man could offer God was of any merit before God. The source of it all was totally corrupted.
• That old sin nature, the flesh, is incorrigible. God chose NOT to try to improve it or fix it.
• God’s method was to condemn it…
b. The new man has TWO natures: Adam’s nature and the divine nature… the old nature and the new nature.
• It is the new nature in this person that makes him NEW!
• The new nature affects for the good every part of this new person: intellect, emotion, and will.
• New mind – not a new physical brain, but a new capacity to know God and understand spiritual truth.
• New heart – an innate, inner love for God and His Word
• New will – a new capacity to seek God and choose to obey—a desire and a thirst to obey.
2. Two Choices:
a. The old man had NO choice.
• He had only one nature: a sin nature.
• Everything he did and thought was sourced from that fallen human nature, called the sin nature.
• He was a slave to sin and sin had dominion over him. (Rom. 6:6, 14)
• The old man / the unregenerate man has NO choice.
• He has no power, no capacity, and no desire to obey. He LIVES in the realm of sin… and is unable to extricate himself from that position.
• His only hope is to vainly attempt to improve the old nature… which is no hope at all because it always results in miserable failure.
• Even if that old unregenerate man was religious and moral and tried his hardest to improve his nature and do good, the Lord’s answer to him is: “Depart from Me. I never knew you.”
b. The new man now has a choice.
• He has been set free from the bondage of sin—he is no longer under its dominion.
• Therefore he is able to choose to sin or to choose to obey.
• And he has new life, new power, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and thus, is ABLE to walk in newness of life.
• It is THIS POINT that most prominently distinguishes the old man from the new man in Paul’s writings.
• And can’t you see how important this is with respect to sanctification?
• An exhortation to holiness to a man who is enslaved to sin and has no choice is an impossible command doomed to failure.
• An exhortation to holiness to a man who has a new mind, new heart, new will, and power to obey… and has the CHOICE of obeying to disobeying is no longer an impossible command!
• For that man, victory is available and possible… by faith… IF he believes that he truly is a new man… believes that he is ABLE to walk in newness of life… and chooses to take a step of faith. God will hold him up.
The New Man Has Been Put On Already
A. Putting Off and Putting On Occur at Salvation
1. The putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man is a figure of salvation.
a. That’s what salvation is in this age.
b. The old condemned sinner becomes a new creature.
c. This is a supernatural transaction that only God can do. It is His work on our behalf when we trust in Christ.
d. It is an instantaneous change of position:
• A change from being unregenerate person to being regenerate person.
• A change from being the old man in Adam to being the new man in Christ.
• It is a change from condemnation to justification.
• A change from death unto life.
• And this change can NEVER be reversed.
e. This is what God does to every believer at the moment of saving faith, whether we understands the theology behind it or not.
f. Becoming saved is becoming a new man.
2. This occurs at the moment of saving faith.
a. The old man is crucified – put off/dead. (Rom. 6:6)
• Paul addresses ALL the believers in Rome—immature and mature; spiritual and carnal.
• The only thing ALL the believers in Rome shared equally was salvation!
• The old man doesn’t need to be put off repeatedly. He is put off once and for all at the moment of saving faith.
• When a sinner comes to Christ in faith, a miracle occurs. The person he was in Adam DIES! The old man is put off.
The new man is already put on—for any one IN Christ. (II Cor. 5:17).
• In other words, since EVERY believer of this age is in Christ, every believer has already put on the new man.
• The figure used here is that of creation. God brought something into existence that did not exist before! A NEW creation! (New in time Col. 3:10 – new in quality II Cor. 5:17).
• Creation is not a process, but is instantaneous. God SPOKE the universe into existence.
• Salvation is likened to creation in II Cor. 4:6.
» God spoke and creation occurred!
» Creation of the world and creation of the new man in Christ are alike: the supernatural, creative work of God.
» A transformation occurred: from darkness to light… from death to life…
» Suddenly, supernaturally, and instantaneously, a new creation came into existence.
» In that moment one moment of time, the old man was put off and the new man was put on… once and for all and forever.
• Salvation is not a process. It happens in one moment of time… the instant we trust in Christ as Savior.
• In one moment’s time, we are supernaturally transformed from the old man in Adam to the new man in Christ. In an instant, we are not the same person any more.
B. Putting Off and Putting On Are Not Commands
1. Col. 3:10 and Eph. 4:22 compared.
a. Col. 3:9-10 – clearly states that every believer has already put on the new man.
• Both verbs (vs. 9-10) are aorist participles.
• The sense of the sentence is this: stop lying to one another, SINCE ye have already put off the old man and have already put on the new man.
• These are not commands, but statements of fact.
b. Eph. 4:22-24 – Paul states the same thing in this passage, but the wording is open to interpretation.
• “Put off” or “put on” in English CAN be either past, present, or imperative.
» Yesterday I put on my shoes; today I put on my shoes; put on your shoes!
» The wording in the original Greek is equally difficult. It is an infinitive… which has MANY usages.
» The Greek scholars are NOT in agreement as to whether it is to be understood as a command OR whether it has the sense of a past tense.
» Grammatically, it can go either way. Hence, it is a matter of interpretation, not grammar only.
• Various translations deal with this issue differently:
» Most translations translate the infinitive as a command, but not all.
» Darby: 22namely your having put off according to the former conversation the old … 24and your having put on the new man, which according to God is created in truthful righteousness and holiness.
» Wuest: you heard and in Him were taught just as truth is in Jesus, that you have put off once for all with reference to your former manner of life the old self who is being corrupted according to the passionate desires of deceit; moreover, that you are being constantly renewed with reference to the spirit of your mind; and that you have put on once for all the new self.
» Darby and Wuest I believe have the right interpretation, and their translations reflect their interpretation.
» The KJV handles it masterfully, in that it translates it in such a way as to be accurate AND it omits interpretation. Just as the Greek can be understood as either a command or a past tense… and so is the KJV often understood either way.
• There are FOUR good reasons to understand these words with the sense of a past tense.
» Consider the whole sentence: (vs. 21-22) “Ye have heard (past) and have been taught (past) THAT ye put off the old man… and have put on the new man (vs. 24).
· Paul isn’t commanding the Ephesians to put off the old man and put on the new man.
· Rather, he is reminding them that he had already taught them that they put off the old and put on the new… long ago!
» Secondly, this is a parallel passage to Col. 3:10.
· In fact, it is almost identical in thought.
· Vs. 24-25a – you already put off the old man, wherefore stop lying!
· It hardly seems likely that Paul would tell the Colossians that the old man has been put off and on already… and then tell the Ephesians to PUT off the old man!
· These are parallel passages, saying the same thing.
» Thirdly, consider the MOTIVATION factor.
· In both chapters, Paul is using the language of GRACE.
· The command is not “put on the new man.”
· Rather, the command is, “put away lying and speak the truth!”
· What is the motivation behind the command? You already have put off the old man, and you are a new man ALREADY… WHEREFORE… on that basis, therefore, stop lying.
· This is exactly what Paul is saying in Col. 3:9-10; “lie not one to another SEEING THAT YE HAVE put off the old man and put on the new man.
· Because of your position… change your condition!
· Your position is: your old man is dead (you don’t have to lie) and your new man is put on (you CAN speak truth).
» Fourthly, putting off the old man and putting on the new is a figure of salvation itself.
· That would be tantamount to telling them to save themselves…
· It would be a command to change their position from unregenerate to regenerate!
· Only God can change our position. Only God can make us a new person.
C. But there ARE Commands!
1. Paul explains in this context how COMPLETELY God has changed us!
a. From death to life; from the old man enslaved to sin to the new man who is ABLE to walk in newness of life.
b. God did not renovate the old man; He put him to death.
c. In his place, God raised up a NEW man… who is ABLE to know God, seek God, hunger after God; he understands God’s Word, able to walk with God, able to obey…
2. On that BASIS, Paul gives the Colossians (and us) a whole litany of commands!
a. Mortify the sins of the flesh! (Vs. 5)
b. Put off all these: anger, wrath, etc. (vs.8) Stop lying! (Vs. 9)
3. And to WHOM are those commands given?
a. Not to the old man!
• That kind of person couldn’t POSSIBLY put off the deeds of the old man. He IS the old man!
• The old man was a slave to sin. Sin had dominion over him. He was powerless before sin.
• These are quite impossible commands to the old man.
• The heaven high commands of grace are far beyond the ability of the unregenerate man to perform.
• No wonder the unsaved aren’t too crazy about reading the Bible! What could be more frustrating and irritating?
b. These commands are addressed to the NEW MAN.
• The new man has a new nature; he is indwelt.
• The new man has a new mind; new heart; new will.
• The new man is FREE from bondage to his old nature.
• The new man is ABLE to walk in newness of life!
• This is the BASIS for all the exhortations to holiness in this book!
c. If you are a true believer in Christ, then you are a NEW MAN!
• That should affect your WHOLE LIFE!
• You can and should experience victory over the sins of the flesh.
• Vs. 18-25 – to the new creatures God commands to have a holy home life!
• This is not the norm in the world full of old men… related to Adam.
• But it SHOULD be the norm for the new man in Christ.
• Nothing is more practical than KNOWING and BELIEVING that we are indeed a new man in Christ!
• If we are unsure of this, a worthy walk will be a vague dream… an ethereal pie in the sky.
• But if we KNOW and BELIEVE… all things are possible.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR? Through simple faith, God will give you a new life… make you a new person… IF you come to Christ and BELIEVE.
The Renewal of the New Man
The Fact of Renewal
A. The New Man Is New Already [Positionally]
1. At the moment of saving faith, a new man is created. He is a new creation.
2. He has experienced a new birth; a new nature; a new heart; a new mind; a new will; a new family; a new position in Christ; free from the bondage of sin; new abilities; new power because of the indwelling Holy Spirit; etc.
3. He is different from the old man. He has TWO natures and is able to choose to obey and able to walk in newness of life, IF he chooses to walk by faith, trusting God to work in him.
4. The new man has already been blessed with all spiritual blessings.
5. At the moment of saving faith, the new man is complete.
6. At the moment of saving faith, in one instant of time, God FINISHED His work of creating a new man and that new man is completely new.
7. He is complete in Christ. He lacks nothing. Nothing new needs to be added to him.
B. The New Man Is Undergoing Renewal [Conditionally; Experientially]
1. The term renewal
a. Two words for NEW in Greek.
• Neos = new in time (new man)
• Kairos = new in quality (renewed)
b. Anakainow = make new in quality… + ana = again, hence RE-new.
c. The verb form used here is only found twice in the New Testament: here and in II Cor. 4:16.
d. In Col.3:10, Paul combines the two terms for new: καινος [kainos] to that of νεος [neos] just before.
e. Thus, this renewal is a continual refreshment of the new man in Christ Jesus.
f. The term renewal can also convey restoration.
• In Adam, the image of God was marred by sin… and every human being is made in the image of God… but the image is smashed by indwelling sin.
• In Christ, the Second Adam, that image of God is in the process of being renewed… restored…
g. This is the renewal of which Paul speaks here.
• A born again person is a new man.
• Instantly upon conversion the old man dies and a new man replaces him. That new man is complete and is completely new in Christ.
• That new man begins a life-long process of renewal and transformation… spiritual growth… more and more into the image of God.
The Process of Renewal
A. The New MAN is Being Renewed, Not the New Nature
2. The new NATURE, is not undergoing a renewal.
a. Let’s keep the person (the man) and his nature separate.
b. The new nature needs no renewal.
c. It always does that which is right and holy.
d. When in control, the new nature always causes us to love God; to seek God; to obey God; to serve Him; to know Him; draw near to Him; to bow before Him;
e. The new nature is always INCLINED towards holiness.
f. The new nature is part of the new creation.
g. It is God’s work and it is perfect. No renewal is needed.
3. But the new MAN does need to undergo a renewal.
a. The new man is the regenerate person… a born again person.
b. That new person… that new man has TWO natures and hence, has the capacity to CHOOSE which nature (old or new) will control his life.
c. He can choose to obey the flesh and walk in the flesh OR he can choose to obey the Spirit and walk in the Spirit.
d. When he chooses to follow the dictates of the old nature, the spiritual growth of that new man is stunted… hindered…
• He is a new man positionally, but conditionally, he is like a branch out of communion with the Vine.
• Without Christ he can do NOTHING of any value spiritually.
• The best he can produce is rotten fruit… wood, hay, and stubble.
• He manifests his ugly self when the old nature is in control.
• His behavior is no different from the old man… an unsaved person. He looks, sounds, talks, walks, and behaves just like the old man.
• Onlookers could never tell the difference between a new man who walks in the flesh (carnal believer) and an old man (unregenerate person).
• The wheat and the tares look very much alike.
e. But when the new man chooses to follow the dictates of his new nature, he will grow more like Christ and will manifest the sweet character of Christ.
• The new nature will always transform the new man’s behavior more and more like then Savior.
• The new nature will prompt the new man to put into practice that which he reads in the Word.
• The Holy Spirit works in the new man through his new nature… and transformation occurs.
• Hence, the spiritual life that new man is being renewed… like the strength and ability of an athlete as he practices…
f. The new man is a PERSON… and it is the PERSON who is being renewed.
• This person has intellect, emotion, and will.
• Every aspect of this person is being made new… renewed daily as he walks with God.
• His MIND is undergoing transformation… renewed in knowledge…
• His HEART is undergoing transformation… renewed in his love for God… love for God’s people… increase in compassion for the lost.
• His WILL is undergoing transformation… more and more he chooses to reject sin and obey God.
• The Holy Spirit transforms the mind, heart, and will of the new man… the PERSON is being transformed… and made more like Christ… after the image of Him who created him.
B. Passages Which Speak of This Renewal
1. II Cor. 5:17 – a new creation —
a. New creation = kainos
b. AND all things are become new!
• Become: perfect—he STANDS as a new creature. He was made new and remains new.
• New: (Kainos – new in quality)
c. He begins a new life at salvation…
• He begins to demonstrate a new quality of life.
• He begins seeing everything from a new set of eyes… with a new heart… he begins to LIVE anew!
• Just like a newborn baby. He is a completely NEW baby at birth… and with great potential to INCREASE in the quality of his life as he grows.
• Like a seed planted in a new sphere… where it is expected to grow and bear fruit…
• The new man receives LIFE and is planted in Christ… with such potential for INCREASE and growth.
d. The new man is created as a new creation in an instant, but over time, he gradually grows and matures in the demonstration of a new quality of life: Christlikeness!
• God’s purpose for that new creature is to be pressing toward the mark of the prize of his high calling in Christ!
• He is new, but is also BEING renewed.
• The renewal (his condition) is to be making progress toward his high calling (position) in Christ.
2. Titus 3:5 – a regenerated person receives:
a. The washing of regeneration (born again)…
b. And also experiences a RENEWAL by the indwelling Holy Spirit…
• This renewal (noun form of verb in Col. 3:10) is a process that continues throughout his life until glory!
c. Note here that Paul states that BOTH regeneration and renewal are part of salvation.
• There is no such thing as being saved or born again and omitting sanctification!
• They are part of the same package.
• How can we who have died to sin LIVE any longer therein?
• He who began a good work in you WILL perform it until the day of Jesus Christ!
• Regeneration INTRODUCES us into this new life of holiness and righteousness.
• Renewal continues the work of transforming us… more and more into Christ’s image.
3. II Cor. 4:16 – This is the only other occurrence of the term renewal which appears in this passage as in Col. 3:10.
a. In context, Paul has shared his personal experience as an apostle who has suffered much tribulation in the Lord’s service.
b. His physical body was deteriorating as a result.
c. As time goes on, our bodies DO deteriorate, whether through persecution or just the natural ravages of life in a cursed earth!
d. But for the believer, the INNER MAN—the kind of person you are on the inside is being renewed!
e. This is only true of the believer in Christ… a regenerated person… a new creature in Christ… the new man.
f. Paul makes a few important notes about this renewal in this passage:
• The renewal is inward…
» The new man is renewed on the inside…
» It is a change in his character… his behavior… his thoughts, words, deeds…
» All of which originate on the inside…
» It is a gradual change of character… attitudinal changes… world view changes… changes in goals… pursuits… changes of inward affections…
» In time these inward changes will eventually manifest themselves in outward behavior…
» Religion works on the outward only (white washes the sepulcher).
» God’s work always begins on the inside…
» And if God is working on the inside—before long, changes will be seen on the outside too!
• The renewal is immaterial… (on the immaterial part of man)
» It stands in contrast to the outer man, the body.
» The NORM for the believer is that the older, sicker, and weaker our body gets as time goes by, the more mature, stronger, and healthier we become spiritually!
» Time destroys the material part of a Spirit filled new man; but time enhances the immaterial part of a Spirit filled new man!
» The declining changes in our bodies are visible and seen… our body can be measured; we know our weight, height, our hair color, and general overall condition of our health.
» But the inward renewal occurring in us cannot be measured by any technology known to man.
» However, it IS being observed and measured by God.
» God is working IN us… in our soul… mind, heart, attitude, etc… and a transformation process is underway.
» Because it is inward, much of this renewal is not seen by men.
» Because it is not always seen, one might conclude that it is not occurring… but God says it is… whether we see it or not.
» Trust Him. He never stops working IN us for His glory.
» This is why we can trust our children to God’s care too. If they are born again—even if they are presently living in sin—God has not stopped working in them… even if we don’t see that work.
• The renewal is gradual…
» It occurs day by day…
» Day by day indicates a continuous, but very gradual renewal process is occurring.
» And again, changes that occur so slowly are usually not detectable to us as we observe.
» Does the oak tree in front of your house look bigger today than it did yesterday? But it is growing!
» The physical growth of our children occurs day by day too… and we don’t notice the changes day by day. They are not noticed until we take out some old pictures!
• The renewal is unrelated to circumstances.
» Vs. 8-9 – consider Paul’s outward circumstances… they were quite miserable.
» Consider II Cor. 11:23-27 –
» No wonder his outer man was perishing!
» His outward circumstances gave every indication that he should collapse on the inside… or would require therapy… a prescription…
» But inwardly, Paul was being renewed!
» The good work of making Paul more like Christ was begun, and NOTHING in this life could ever thwart God’s work in this new man!
» Nothing you or I face need hinder the inward work of renewal God is doing in our lives too!
» Rom. 8:38-39 – For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,? ?nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
» Phil. 1:6 – He that hath begun a good work in YOU will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ! (True of you and every other genuine believer in Christ!)
» Maybe you know a believer who is out of fellowship… someone who is walking in the flesh… and from outward appearances, it seems like God gave up on him!
» That never happens to a child of God. God never gives up on His own… and neither should we!
» God says of His own, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”
4. Phil. 2:13 – God’s work in us is continuous.
a. It is God who WORKS (present active participle).
• This states that God is CONTINUALLY working in us.
b. What is the result of that continual inward work?
• God is continually working on our WILL that we might DESIRE that which is pleasing to Him.
• God is renewing our desires… so that we want what He wants!
• That makes our choices so much easier…
• He changes us our inward desires so that we learn more and more to LOVE righteousness and hate iniquity!
• God changes our will so that we learn to DELIGHT in the Lord!
• Ps. 37:4 – delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart!
• God transforms our wills.
• As a young man, I never would have dreamt in my wildest imagination that I would go to church in the morning, and then WANT to come back for another church service at night! And then prayer meeting!
• God changed my will… and He isn’t done yet!
• There are many more changes in my will that need to occur too!
c. And God continually changes our ability to PERFORM… to will and to DO!
• The renewal God does in the inner man of the new man… does not stop with desires and will.
• It transforms the DEEDS too!
• The new man is going to WANT to shed himself of the dirty clothes of the old man… the dirty clothes of his old life… sinful behavior!
• That’s regeneration!
• God gives the new man new desires… and He enables that new man to walk in NEWness of life!
• The new desires (new will) and new ability to DO (new resurrection power) give the new man the desire and the ability to PRACTICE a new kind of life.
• As he practices walking this new walk, a renewal process occurs within. He is being transformed.
5. II Cor. 3:18 – here the Holy Spirit’s work of renewal is called “transformation.”
a. Changed = Metamorphow – (Eng = metamorphosis)
• To transform, transfigure, to change condition.
• Used of the transfiguration of the Lord –
b. Tense: present passive participle
• This is an ongoing work…
• It is an inner work…
• It is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit…
• It is the work of changing us—restoring us unto the image of Christ which was marred by sin.
c. This change is once again described as gradual… from glory to glory…
d. The ultimate goal of this change is the image of Christ.
6. Repeatedly, the renewal of which Paul speaks is described as an ongoing PROCESS in the life of a believer.
a. “Renewed” is a present passive participle
• Present tense speaks of continuous action…
• The new birth or the new creation occurs in an instant, but the renewing is a lifelong process that is never finished until we arrive in heaven.
• It is passive – indicating that the work of renewing is not performed by the individual (us), but by an outside source—namely, God!
• It is God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
• In particular, it is the work of the Holy Spirit according to Titus 3:5 and II Cor. 3:18.
b. The new man comes into existence in an instant. It is a sudden, supernatural, instantaneous creative work of God.
c. But for the rest of his days on earth, that new man is to undergo a renewal process that will not be finished until glory.
d. Renewed” is a present participle – “who is constantly being renewed.”
e. Illustration: a baby enters the world all of a sudden! But once that baby enters the world, a long process of growth, maturity ought to follow. This is the renewal process.
7. The old man undergoes a similar process in reverse. Eph. 4:22
a. The old man is BORN totally corrupted and totally depraved.
b. He sins right from the womb! (Psalm 58:3)
c. However, as an infant, that person (though possessing ONLY a sin nature and thus a slave to his sin nature) is not yet very EXPERIENCED in sin.
d. Little children learn how to lie at an early age.
• However, as time goes on, and they practice those sinful things, they become more experienced and SKILLED in sin!
• They learn how to become really GOOD liars!
• The little boy caught red handed with his hand in the cookie jar will say, “I didn’t do it,” but it isn’t a very sophisticated lie.
e. As a little child they can be quite hurtful with their evil thoughts that pour out of their mouths… right to your face! (You’re ugly and I hate you!)
• But as time goes on, that child learns the subtlety of hypocrisy.
• He learns to THINK those same thoughts, and cover it up with a smile or flowery words… or to say it behind your back.
• By the time he’s 75, if he doesn’t get saved, he becomes really GOOD at lying… exceptionally skilled in the fine art of deceit!
f. A little child is selfish and learns immediately. Some of his first words are ME… and that’s MINE!
• But as he grows up, he learns how to cover up his selfishness and self-centeredness behind a façade…
• When he gets older, in the office he learns how to smile at his coworker and at the same time stab him in the back in order to get the next promotion.
g. A little child is born covetous (MINE).
• He wants the biggest and best toys in the nursery for himself.
• This process of corruption continues throughout his years… and he learns to covet for more and more…
• Later in life, he learns how to keep up with the Joneses… and have the biggest house on the block… the newest, fanciest car… etc.
h. A little child is born a thief.
• They steal toys from the other kids in kindergarten.
• Nobody taught them. They know innately… instinctively. You didn’t teach them that.
• But when they grow up and get caught robbing a bank, they are cast into prison with other corrupted sinners.
• And there they develop their skills in stealing and other crimes to a whole new level! They learn all the tricks of the trade.
i. The old man… the unsaved person… is BORN corrupt… but through experience and practice, he GROWS in corruption.
• It is the same kind of corruption we are all born with… but as a child, we are green behind the ears.
• It takes a long time to become as a corrupt as sophisticated 70 year old lady who has many years of practice—who has learned how to master the English language and use it in conversation to say things that sound quite proper…but are cutting to the bone and hurtful to the hearer.
• You don’t get that corrupt morally over night. It takes practice!
j. A little child is corrupt morally and spiritually—a sinner by birth. But he has to LEARN the fine art of sinning by watching us adults—experienced, skillful sinners—and imitating us.
• They are keen observers and fast learners… but it is a process of corruption. And with a little study and practice, they too will become skilled sinners…
k. The sinful nature is passed on from parent to child (we inherit our parent’s fallen, corrupted human nature).
l. And the process of corruption continues as we learn by experience, practice, and observation how to become more and more learned, educated, experienced, sophisticated, and even religious in our corruption.
m. That is exactly the reason the Lord Jesus rebuked the Sadducees and the Pharisees with such vigor—they were not only corrupt, but had become EXPERTS at moral and spiritual corruption… and covering it up with religious ceremonies and traditions of men!
n. In other words, the old man is BORN totally corrupt (corrupt in every part of his being: intellect, emotion, and will)… but through practice, observation, knowledge, and experience, the process of corruption continues.
o. The sinner is born in total depravity… corrupt.
p. But over many decades of practicing sin… the character of this man has undergone years of corruption and his character is far worse at age 50 than he was at age 2 or 3!
8. The character of the new man undergoes a transformation too.
a. He is continually being renewed.
b. But because the new man has two natures, not every born again Christian matures at the same rate.
c. Some new creatures in Christ CHOOSE to be submissive to God, His Word, and His Spirit.
• This is a spiritual man.
• The longer he remains filled with the Spirit—the healthier he is spiritually.
• In that spiritually healthy condition, he GROWS more like his Savior.
• Over time, his character IMPROVES.
• He still sins, but he sins less frequently.
• By God’s grace and strength he learns to be more kind… to show love to others more… to be selfless… He learns to control his tongue. He demonstrates more compassion for the lost… He becomes more generous… more thoughtful of others… He becomes wiser and more discerning…
• In other words, he becomes more Christlike.
• If he walks many years as a Spirit filled believer, his character, his wisdom, his discernment, his thoughtfulness, his selflessness will be FAR greater than when he was a babe in Christ!
• If he walks with God, but sporadically… an up and down spiritual life—bouncing back and forth between spiritual and carnal, his progress towards Christlikeness is hindered… stunted…
• Just as it takes time for a 2 year old sinner to become a hardened criminal (years of practicing sin and walking in the flesh)… it takes time for a babe in Christ to become Christlike!
• In fact we’ll never be finished in our striving for Christlike perfection in this life! There’s always room for improvement…
• And this too is LEARNED by observation… LOOKING unto Jesus… beholding His glory in the Word, we are transformed into His image!
d. The longer we walk by faith, yielded to God, and filled with the Spirit (the longer we remain in a spiritually healthy condition—like a branch remaining on a vine)… the more fruit, growth, and transformation will take place!
e. This is a lifelong, supernatural process of renewal by the Holy Ghost.
f. Regeneration introduces us into this life… renewal causes us to grow in newness of life.
g. The goal is Christlikeness… and with that as our goal—we’ve all got a LONG way to go.
h. Hence, keep on striving… pressing toward the mark… looking unto Jesus… and as we do—God will work in us—and our lives will be CHANGING for the glory of God!
i. We should be growing in grace and graciousness as time goes on. We should be kinder… more tenderhearted…
j. Christ should be to us… sweeter as the days go by…
k. Our desire, hunger, and thirst for Him should be increasing day by day…
l. More and more, the inward transforming work of God should be evident in our daily walk… in our outward behavior…
m. More and more the daily condition of our lives should be brought closer and closer to our glorious position in Christ.
n. Is that true of your life? Can others see Christ in you? Is self decreasing and Christlike character increasing?
o. That’s the norm for the Christian life.
IF YOU ARE NOT BORN AGAIN…
· Don’t try to change your character before you come to Christ.
· Don’t try LIVE the new life.
· You first need to RECEIVE new life—through regeneration… being born again! (John 1:12)
· If you will trust in the finished work of Christ on Calvary, God will GIVE you new life…
· And it is an abundant life!
Renewed in Knowledge
New Knowledge
1. There are two main passages in which Paul teaches us about the renewal of the New Man. (Eph. 4 and Col. 3)
a. The first thing Paul says about the new man in BOTH passages where this figure appears is that the new man is characterized by a new knowledge…
• As a new man, he has a new MIND… a regenerated mind… one that is ABLE to know and understand God and spiritual things.
• Col.3:1-2 – the new man is risen with Christ and is told to set his MIND on things above. (affections = mind)
• Col. 3:10 – the new man is being renewed in knowledge.
• Eph. 4:22 – it is a renewal of the spirit of his mind…
b. In some way, the MIND is central in the LIFE of a new man in Christ. It is the ground zero of our spiritual battles.
• The new mind of the new man is featured in these central passages… even more than his WORKS!
• It is not so much what he DOES… or doesn’t do…
• It is not what he wears…
• It is not what he says…
• It is not what he feels…
• It is not what he possesses…
• Rather, it is primarily the way he THINKS that best reflects this new quality of the new life.
• As a man thinketh, so is he!
• Our thinking is a reflection of the KIND of person we are.
• The new regenerated man has a new heart attitude towards everything. He is being renewed in the spirit (attitude) of his mind.
• It is not the outward man, but the INNER man who is renewed day by day.
• Ultimately of course, a new MIND will be manifested in new WORKS… in words and deeds…
• But those words and deeds are but an expression of the thoughts and intents of the heart and mind.
• A person who thinks differently will behave differently.
c. The new man has a new mind—in contrast to the old man who does NOT have a new mind. (I Cor. 2:9-16)
• This does not mean that the new man has a new brain! His body is the same… even deteriorating.
• But he has a new MIND… a new capacity to know and understand things in the spiritual realm… a capacity the old, unregenerate man never had nor could have.
• Vs. 9 – revelation did not originate with man.
• Vs. 10 – rather, divine truth is divinely revealed.
• Vs. 11 – it takes the Spirit of God to know the things of God.
• Vs. 12 – believers have the Spirit of God and are thus able to KNOW the things that are freely given to us from God—namely, divine revelation.
• Vs. 13 – the apostles spoke these things and recorded them in Scripture.
• Vs. 14 – The unbeliever does not have the Spirit and is thus UNABLE to receive or to know spiritual things. The natural mind of the old man CANNOT know the things of God.
• Vs. 15 – but the spirit filled new man has a new mind and he is ABLE to discern all things.
• Vs. 16 –we have the mind of Christ… we have a new capacity to THINK the way Christ does.
• But that mind needs to be renewed day by day… it needs to grow in knowledge… and experience…
• Increasing in the knowledge of God is IMPOSSIBLE for the old man, but is possible for the new mind of the new man.
• When the flesh is in control, the believer will manifest the mind of the old man… a carnal mind.
» He will think they way he used to think… just like an unsaved man!
» The carnal Corinthians WALKED like men because they THOUGHT like men too.
» Don’t be surprised when evil thoughts pop into your mind.
» It doesn’t mean you are not saved. It means that at that moment, the flesh is in control of your thought life!
» Cast down imaginations and every thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God! Don’t tolerate such thoughts.
• When the Spirit is in control, the believer will manifest the mind of Christ… a new mind…
» The Spirit filled believer will think like a new man.
» He will think on things above… things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report…
» He will be able to grow in the knowledge of God and understand God’s Word… discern all things.
• Paul laments the reality of a conflict in his mind. (Rom. 7:25)
» Dwight Pentecost’s paraphrase of this verse: “With the new mind I serve the law of God, but with the fleshly mind I serve the law of sin.”
» The old way of thinking is not eradicated when we get saved… because we still have the old nature.
» When the flesh controls our mind, we are capable of thinking some pretty terrible thoughts… evil… cruel… immoral… violent… malicious… vile… nasty, and sinful…
» And when those thoughts are dwelt upon, tolerated, even enjoyed, they bubble over into in action… sin! That’s the carnal, fleshly mind.
» But with the new mind, the new man serves God and submits to His Word… His moral principles.
» A spiritual battle rages fiercely in our minds, does it not?
» Hence, a renewal process is in order for the new man to be victorious experientially.
» He needs a constant renewal… a refreshing in knowledge… in his mind.
2. The Term KNOWLEDGE: epignoskw
a. Defined:
• Strong’s: a full, precise, and correct knowledge—an intensified form of gnosis—knowledge.
• Zodhiates: it expresses a more thorough participation in the acquiring of knowledge on the part of the learner… a knowledge which includes PERSONAL involvement.
b. This term is chosen because of the cult that had infiltrated the church at Colossae. (Later became the Gnostics.)
• The cult claimed to have a special, superior knowledge that only the initiated few in their ranks could obtain.
• But the knowledge they had did not satisfy the soul.
• Like any other false teaching, it soon became old, dry, crusty, and stale… disappointing.
• But the Christian is being renewed and refreshed DAILY in the perfect, full knowledge of Christ… the Bread of life.
c. In reality it is true knowledge of the true God that separates Christianity from the pagan world.
• They are children of darkness… wandering in darkness and spiritual ignorance. The same is true of the lost today.
• We are children of light… enlightened by the Holy Spirit… the light of the gospel shined in our hearts.
• There is no advantage to ignorance. Light is superior to darkness; knowledge is superior to ignorance.
• II Cor. 4:4, 6 – at salvation, God opens the mind and heart of the repentant sinner and gives him LIGHT… light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
• From that point on, the Spirit filled believer is to be constantly growing in the KNOWLEDGE of Christ.
• KNOWLEDGE is necessary for good, consistent, steady growth to occur.
» We must KNOW these facts. (Rom. 6:6-11)
» We must KNOW the purpose of trials or they will crush us! (James. 1:2-4)
» We must KNOW the Word of God or we will be deceived and led away into error.
» We must KNOW God’s will for our lives… or we will do our own will.
» There are countless things that are necessary for us to KNOW if we are to GROW.
» Just as a plant does not grow well in darkness… a believer does not grow well if he remains in ignorance.
» Light is needed… the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!
d. The knowledge of God is limitless… infinite.
• Rom. 11:33 – ?O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
• Thus, the renewal process is never finished.
• Paul had not attained this full experiential knowledge of Christ.
• There is always MORE… fresh things to learn about Christ… and about how to manifest His life to others.
Renewed in Knowledge
1. Renewed in knowledge. (in = eis… unto)
a. UNTO knowledge (eis) –
• Eis: The primary idea of motion into any place or thing; also of motion or direction to, toward or upon any place, thing.
• The renewal is in the direction of a full knowledge of God through Christ…
• The ultimate goal of renewal is the image of God.
• But the first step in this renewal is in the area of the knowledge of God.
• Renewal begins in the mind of the new man in Christ.
• We NEED knowledge… knowledge of Christ and His Word.
• And from that point renewal in the image of Christ begins.
• Without this knowledge, renewal and sanctification are greatly hindered… spiritual growth is stunted.
2. Rom.12:1-2 – there is a battle going on in the mind of every believer.
a. It is a battle between the carnal mind which relates to the world and the spiritual mind of the new man which relates to God and spiritual things.
b. The world attempts to CONFORM us outwardly to its ways.
• It cannot transform a true believer in its ways.
• The world system CANNOT change who we are in Christ.
• But it CAN and often DOES cause us to be outwardly conformed to its ways… and especially to its way of THINKING… its world view (grab for all the gusto!)
• The world influences our thinking every day… from the things we see, read, hear, watch on TV, our interaction with its people, living in its system.
• We are commanded NOT to allow it to outwardly conform us to its ways. That takes effort on our part.
c. God’s MEANS of keeping us from worldly conformity is through the renewing of the mind.
• Transform: a change of outward expression which comes from and is representative of one’s inner being… a change from inside out… so that the outward behavior is truly representative of what the person is on the inside.
• The word is used in Matthew 17:2 where it is translated transfigured.
• Transformation occurs BY MEANS OF the renewing of our minds…
• Renewing of our minds comes from spending time with Christ… in His Word… abiding in Him and His word abiding in us.
• It is a work of transformation that begins on the inside… the inner man… and especially the MIND.
• THEN it will manifest itself outwardly… in PROVING the will of God in our daily lives.
d. Change is constant in the life of a believer: either we are being conformed or transformed.
• We are constantly changing… moving… in one direction or another. Either we are going on to forward on to perfection and are being transformed in the image of Christ OR we are going backwards and are being conformed to the world.
• There is no such thing as being in neutral in the Christian life.
• Hence, it is a constant battle… like swimming upstream every day.
• The moment we stop advancing and growing in the knowledge of Christ and transformed… we begin to drift backwards to the ways of the world.
• The MIND is at the center of it all.
» Whether it is salvation or sanctification—everything has to first be filtered through our minds.
» We must UNDERSTAND truth before it can affect our heart and thus manifest itself outwardly.
» Knowledge is KEY to the Christian life.
» Knowledge has ALWAYS been central to a relationship to God… and continues to be central if we expect to be transformed into the image of Christ.
» The little glimpse we have of the early church tells us what they did when they met: they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ DOCTRINE (teachings).
e. Adam sinned and the image of God in man was defaced… marred.
• What was Adam’s sin? He ate of the tree of KNOWLEDGE of good and evil.
• Adam disobediently chose an unlawful knowledge and the image of God in man was marred.
• All those in Adam are still in the image of God, but it is defaced by sin.
• As a result, all those who are in Adam today have NO access to the true knowledge of God in Christ. They cannot know God or His Word.
• All those in Christ are being renewed in the image of God AND have ACCESS to the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ!
• We have a new mind and can know God… a true spiritual and experiential knowledge of Christ is ours!
• We are being renewed UNTO the kind of knowledge that God WANTS us to have… the knowledge of His Beloved Son!
• The spiritual new man discerns all things.
• The natural old man cannot understand the things of God, they are foolishness to him.
f. It is (epignosis) the full and deep knowledge of Christ that renews and transforms the new man. Nothing else will do. (not a superficial knowledge; not psychology; philosophy; religion; new age teachings).
• The new man undergoes a LEARNING process.
• He INCREASES in his knowledge of God, His Word, and spiritual things.
• He knows Christ at salvation, but is constantly being renewed and refreshed in that knowledge… and getting to know Christ in a deeper and deeper way.
• There is no end to this process… even in heaven we will continue to be learning of Christ and His infinite glory.
• We can begin beholding His glory as in a glass today! (Bible)
g. Phil.3:8 – the knowledge of Christ radically changes the kind of person we are.
• When it sinks in who He really is, the knowledge of Christ will make us willing—yea joyous and eager—to exchange the riches and pleasures of this world for the knowledge of Christ!
• Through the eyes of the new man, it is but dung in comparison!
• This is the thinking of a new man… one who no longer has the worldly attitude of the old man—a this life only attitude Paul decried in I Cor. 15.
• The new mind filters everything in this life through the reality of resurrection life: this life is a vapor… this world is not my home… my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue!
• The new man thinks on things above. He dwells above. His home and heart are above.
• Phil. 3:10 – that I may KNOW Him! (Even if it includes the fellowship of His sufferings!)
• The knowledge of Christ, knowing Christ… is worth forsaking all to achieve… it is worth suffering to obtain.
• And it is the only way we grow and mature as believers.
• Don’t ever be satisfied with your present knowledge of Christ!
• HUNGER and THIRST for more and you will be filled!
h. Col. 2:3 – we are renewed in knowledge… and all knowledge resides in Christ.
• Thus, as we abide in Him, we are being renewed in knowledge… filled with the knowledge of Him and His will…
• He is all we need for this renewal to occur.
• He is sufficient for ALL of our needs… sufferings… sorrows… He is the Savior!
• Just as a branch finds the Vine all sufficient, and as the branch abides in the vine, it is constantly being renewed by virtue of the fact that it is resting IN the vine, so we are constantly being renewed as we abide in Christ.
• The more we learn of Him by reading His Word and experientially through practicing His Word, the more we are transformed into His image.
• And it is by ABIDING in Christ that we learn of Him… and learn of His mind… we will experience by practice His attitude… let this mind be in you…
• If we abide in Him and His word abides in us, a transformation occurs:
» His will gradually becomes our will…
» We begin to THINK like He thinks…
» The more we abide in Him, the more of His thinking is reflected in us…
» The mind of Christ is that humble, selfless, willingness to suffer and serve for the good of others… the mind or attitude of Christ demonstrated in the incarnation.
» When yielded and filled with the Spirit Christ’s attitude will be our attitude.
• Spending time in the company and fellowship of an infinitely Holy One will change the way we think. It has to!
» There is a difference between being a student of the Word, and spending time in His presence.
» It is the difference between spending time in a book and spending time with a Person.
» A student of the Word isn’t necessarily being renewed by the knowledge of God he receives from the Word.
» He may well be simply adding data to his brain.
» But the student of the Word who studies the Word SO THAT he might spend time in communion with Christ WILL be renewed by the knowledge he receives.
» It is possible to know the book, but have little experiential knowledge of the Person of Christ.
» It is possible to know the Word of God and not know the God of the Word!
• God USES knowledge of Himself and His Word to renew us and make us more like Christ… but knowledge alone will not renew.
i. As a newborn babe DESIRE the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby!
j. Job had the right idea: He saw the word of God as more important than his necessary food!
• Renewal of the inner man is based upon taking in the knowledge of Christ and exercising ourselves in it… just like refreshment of the body is based upon our taking in food and exercise.
• If you don’t eat and exercise, you will be might sick physically. If you don’t eat the Word of God and be exercised thereby, you will be mighty sick spiritually too!
3. The new man is given many COMMANDS with respect to filling his mind with the knowledge of Christ.
a. Col. 3:2 – We are commanded to set our MINDS or THINK on things above.
b. Col. 1:9 – PRAY to be filled with the KNOWLEDGE of His will.
c. Rom. 12:2 – Be ye transformed (metamorphosis) by the renewing of your mind
d. Eph. 4:23 – renewed in the spirit of your mind
e. Phil. 4:8 – THINK on these things…
f. I Pet. 1:13 – gird up the loins of your mind.
g. II Pet.1:5 – give all diligence to add to your faith knowledge!
h. II Pet. 3:18 – we are commanded to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
i. OH how we need to faithful every day in our time in the word!
The Goal of Renewal in Knowledge: The Image of Christ
A. The Past
1. Rom. 8:29 – before the foundation of the earth, God determined that SOME men would be conformed to the image of His Son.
2. Gen. 1:26-27 – we were CREATED in God’s image.
3. Then sin entered the world and everything changed.
B. The Future
1. I John 3:2 – we shall be like Him. This is a marvelous promise from God.
a. But this promise is far greater than we might think at first.
b. This is not a promise that one day we will be like Adam was before the fall. That would be great enough.
c. But this is a promise that we shall one day be like the resurrected Christ who is glorified and seated at the Father’s right hand!
2. The future image of God into which we are being transformed is far SUPERIOR to the image of God we lost in Adam.
a. I Cor. 15:49 – We shall bear His image in every way.
b. Christ, the Second Adam is far superior to the first Adam!
c. What we are in Christ is far superior to what we were in Adam.
d. The image of God reflected in those who are in heavenly places in Christ is far superior to the image of God reflected in Adam who was on earth… even before the fall.
e. Christ does not simply restore to the image man had before the fall… He restores us to a far greater image of God in the Person of Jesus Christ… the perfect image of the invisible God!
C. The Present
1. God determined in eternity past that some would be like His Son.
2. God began that good work in us the moment we were saved.
3. God promises in the future the work of transformation will be completed… and all true believers will be like His Son.
4. He who BEGAN a good work in you WILL perform it until the day of Jesus Christ—the rapture at which time we will be LIKE Him.
a. The transformation process into the image of Christ WILL occur in the life of every believer.
b. That is something we can REST in because it is a promise of God.
c. But we are not there yet.
5. Presently God is slowly, gradually making that transformation an experiential reality in your lives and mine…. grace upon grace… from glory to glory…
6. Warren Wiersbe: We were formed in God’s image, and deformed from God’s image by sin. But through Jesus Christ, we can be transformed into God’s image.
D. The Image of Him Who Created Him
1. It was GOD who created man. (Gen. 1:1) The New Testament states that it was Christ who is Creator.
a. Christ is the image of the invisible God. (Col. 1:15)
b. We are in Him and associated with Him.
c. We are being transformed into the image of Christ… and thus into the image of God…
2. II Cor. 3:18 – states that as we behold His glory, we are being transformed into the image of Christ—by God’s Spirit.
a. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to renew the child of God.
b. As we behold His glory by reading and meditating upon the Word, we grow in the knowledge of Christ.
3. Gal. 4:19 – Christ is being formed in us. (His character)
a. As we are transformed into His image, His character and His LIFE will be manifested through our mortal bodies.
b. The marred image of God in man is gradually being restored in the new man in Christ.
c. Regeneration began the process. Progressive sanctification continues that process.
d. Christ is being formed in us… His glorious character is reflected through our lives as we increase in the knowledge of Him.
e. The greater our appreciation of Christ, the greater will be our appreciation for this marvelous work of God in us.
f. This is the goal of the Christian life… the goal of the renewal of which Paul writes… and that for which we should strive.
g. But it all requires KNOWLEDGE of God… to know Him… and to INCREASE in the knowledge of God.
h. Are you GROWING in the knowledge of Christ?
i. Are you PRAYING to be filled with the knowledge of His will for your life?
j. Are you being conformed by the world or transformed by the renewing of your mind?
k. Brother – in what direction are you traveling in your Christian walk?
l. Do we really manifest the mind of Christ in our daily lives?
m. Are we manifesting the savor of His knowledge every place we go?
n. Are we becoming more and more heavenly minded or is our mind worried and tangled and choked by the cares of this life?
o. Maybe it’s time to pause and ponder the path of your feet.
p. And our feet are only going to go where our head directs.
q. What really goes on in your mind throughout the day? What do we really fill it with each day?
r. Can we say with the psalmist, “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day long?”
s. Ps. 119:113 – “I hate vain thoughts but thy law do I love!”
t. Ps. 119:127 – “I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.”
u. A transformation in the way we THINK will at once be a transformation in the way we LIVE.
The Hindrances to Renewal: The Old Adamic Nature
A. Indwelling sin nature
1. Refusal to present one’s body as a living sacrifice
2. Refusal to cast down imaginations
B. The world Appeals to Our Old Nature
1. Setting our affections (minds) on things of earth
2. Loving the world
3. Refusing to be different from the world
C. The Devil Appeals to Our Old Nature
1. Caving in to temptations from the Devil…
2. Filling our minds with false doctrine…
Renewed After the Image of Christ
1. The meaning of the image of God.
a. The term defined:
• Image = eikwn – to be like, resemble. A representation, an image.
• Used in Mark 12:16 – the image of Caesar stamped in a coin. The coin was made in the image of Caesar. When you looked at the coin, in a sense, you could see Caesar.
• Used in Col. 1:15 – Christ is the image of God. When you see Christ—you see the Father. (John 14:9) Christ is the image of God. To see Christ, in a sense, is to see the Father.
• Used in Rev. 13:14 – the image of the beast. A statue is made of the Antichrist which bears his image. To see the statue, in a sense, is to see the Antichrist. The statue is the image of the Antichrist. (the term is used MOST often in the New Testament of the Antichrist in Rev.)
• Used in II Cor. 3:18 – here the image speaks of the reflection of a person in a mirror. To see the reflection in the mirror is to the see the person the mirror is facing.
• Thus, the term image speaks of a likeness, a representation, a resemblance, or a reflection of something or someone.
b. God made man to bear a resemblance of Himself… to be a reflection of His glory…
• Hence, in some sense, to see a human being we SHOULD see a reflection of who God is.
• We should see a resemblance of His character… His virtue…
• We SHOULD see love, grace, kindness, holiness, purity, righteousness, etc.
• That is exactly what we would have seen had we seen Adam in the garden before the fall.
c. God created man with capacities that reflect his own capacities: intellect, emotion, and will… and an aptitude for moral and spiritual things.
• Man is created with the same capacities, but obviously to an infinitely lower degree.
• God created man for communion with Himself… and hence, man had to be in the image and likeness of God in some way for that to occur.
» God created man with an intellect to KNOW God and spiritual things…
» God gave man emotions that he might LOVE God and have heart to heart communion with God.
» God created man with a will—that He might willingly CHOOSE to follow God… choose to love Him, trust Him, and obey Him.
• Thus, in some way, man reflects God’s character. He is made in the IMAGE of God.
2. Rom. 8:29 – before the foundation of the earth, God predestinated some to be conformed to the image of His Son.
a. Predestinated: prohorizw: to predetermine, decide beforehand, appoint beforehand.
b. The goal of this predestination is conformity to the image of God.
c. An omniscient and omnipotent God would not allow sin or Satan to interfere with His plan.
d. God wanted mankind to reflect His glory and with whom He could commune.
e. He determined before He created the world that SOME of mankind WOULD in fact be conformed eternally and perfectly to that image.
f. Had God NOT made that determination ahead of time, it would not come to pass.
g. There is much we do NOT know and COULD not know about this decree of God, but we DO know what He has revealed.
h. God was DETERMINED to have human beings perfectly reflect His glory… and was also determined that NOTHING would ultimately interfere with His eternal plan.
3. Gen. 1:26-27 – we were CREATED in God’s image.
a. After the decree or determination of the Godhead to do so, God brought that plan to pass by creating man in His image.
b. The Persons of the Godhead discussed this before creation. They determined to create man in the image of God and during creation week, it came to pass.
c. Man in Gen. 1:26 = adam…
d. It speaks of the man adam—and the term links man to the earth (adamah)… made of the dust of the earth.
e. But is also a generic term for mankind—including both male and female (vs. 27)… linking all human beings to Adam.
f. God possesses both strength and beauty… reason and emotion… and both men and women reflect His image… perhaps a little differently…
g. God’s IMAGE is in man…
• Just as when you look in a regular mirror, your image is there. The mirror reflects your image.
• We were created to be like a mirror for God. God’s image is to be reflected in us.
• We were created in His image… as a reflector of His image… a bearer of His likeness.
• This image is to be reflected in the way we think, the things we set our affections on, the things we do, and the choices we make.
4. Ecc. 3:19-20 – man is NOT like the animal kingdom.
a. The animals turn to dust and that is the end of them.
b. Man’s spirit lives forever.
c. Science will NEVER be able to prove or disprove that man’s spirit lives forever and the spirit of a beast ends at his death.
d. This is a revelation from God that we take it by faith.
e. God brought all the animal kingdom before Adam and there was nothing there that corresponded to him… no heart to heart communion… no fellowship. (Sorry pet lovers—it is a one way street with animals!)
f. Men and animals may be alike with respect to bodies. But that is the end of it.
g. Our inner man has nothing in common with the animal world.
h. Men and God have much MORE in common. Men can fellowship with God… commune together…
i. No animal was made in the image of God. Not even the angels… but God made MAN in his image.
j. The human race is the special object of God’s love and concern.
• Not the angels or the animals.
• MAN alone was made in the image of God.
• Man alone is offered redemption.
• Christ became a man, not an angel.
5. Man was created a little lower than the angels…
a. Ps. 8:5-8 – Man was crowned with glory and honor and given dominion over the earth!
b. The term “angels” in this passage is Elohim (God).
c. Man was created a little lower than Elohim… lower than God… or lower than the angels as the translators interpreted it.
d. However, the point being made here is David’s awe over the EXALTED position, which God gives to man in making him the crown of creation! Dominion over the entire earth! What is man?
e. Man was given dominion over the earth… as God’s representative. He is lower than God but has dominion over everything else on earth as God’s representative.
f. Man is made in the image of God… man was created to be an earthly reflection of who God is and what He is like.
6. Then sin entered the world and everything changed.
a. Adam sinned and the image of God in man was defaced… marred… disfigured.
b. Gen. 5:3 – after the fall, Adam’s son was born in the image of Adam… who was now a sinner by nature… that son born possesses Adam’s fallen nature… and a defaced image of God.
c. That fallen human nature and a defaced image of God is passed on from Adam from generation to generation and includes the entire human race.
d. All human beings today are made in the image of God—saved or unsaved. (Jas. 3:9; Gen. 9:6)
e. But that image is tarnished… like a broken mirror.
f. A broken mirror still has the capacity to reflect… but the image is broken… fragmented… unclear.
g. An unsaved man is made in the image of God, but he gives forth a distorted image of who God is.
h. When we see a fallen human being today, instead of seeing God’s love, grace, compassion, righteousness, and purity, we see something quite different.
• There may be momentary flickers of human love and a sense of righteousness… but it is fatally marred by wrath, malice, pride, and impurity!
• Instead of being a faithful reflection of Christ, who is the image of God, the unsaved are a faithful reflection of Adam in his fallen condition… a broken mirror at best.
• When sin entered the world, Adam became SELF-centered rather than God centered.
• The image reflected was no longer that of a holy God, but of a fallen man.
7. That is a summary of man in relation to Adam.
a. Adam was created in God’s image—and was a perfect reflection of godly qualities.
b. But sin entered the world and that mirror reflection was broken…
c. Every human being since has been born in the image and likeness of fallen Adam… and we are born in the image of God, though severely defaced by sin.
d. The image of the Creator is distorted today… and try as he may, man is hopelessly unable to piece together all those broken fragments of the mirror and thus restore that image.
e. Every single human being is born a sinner. Every single human being reflects Adam’s fallen nature… and is a DISTORTED reflection of God. Every single human being is worthy of eternal condemnation.
f. This is the sad history of man created in the image of God.
g. This is the present condition of mankind in Adam under the first creation.
Recreated in the Image of God
1. God COULD have ended the story right there.
a. He could have condemned the entire fallen race to eternal condemnation and would have been JUST and HOLY in doing so.
b. But God is not willing that ANY should perish.
c. God, who is rich in mercy…
d. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
e. God had already determined before the foundation of the world that regardless of the sin and failure of mankind, SOME would ultimately be conformed to the image of His Son.
f. NOTHING would hinder God’s plan for His creation—neither sin nor Satan could prevent thwart God’s plan to have sons in His own image and likeness.
2. God who knows the end from the beginning, planned from the beginning HOW to deal with the fall of mankind.
a. Phil. 2:6-8 – God became a man in the Person of Jesus Christ to demonstrate what a human being OUGHT to look like…
b. Christ was made in the likeness of men, but was also made in the image of God… in fact, the express image of the Father!
c. Even in the incarnation, Christ demonstrated HOW a human could perfectly reflect the image of God.
d. He came in His Father’s name… to do the works of His father… to declare His Father…
e. Christ came to manifest the Father… to do the will of the Father… to do the work of the Father…
f. On the cross He demonstrated the love of the Father… the righteousness of the Father…
g. Jesus said to Phillip, “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”
h. “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father!”
i. Christ is the express image of the Father… a perfect mirror image of the Father.
j. Christ was the perfect image of the Father through incarnation.
3. Heb.10:4-7 – God knew that one day a human body would be prepared for His Son. Christ would be made in the likeness of man.
a. The human body that was prepared for Christ was the perfect sacrifice to provide redemption for fallen man…
b. The life of Christ in human flesh was given as a sacrifice to human sin.
c. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross eternally satisfied the justice of the Father and paid in full the penalty of human sins… the sins of the whole world!
d. For God so loved the world that He gave…
e. In becoming a man, Christ demonstrated the ultimate revelation of who the Father is. On the cross Christ reflected the righteousness and love of His Father.
4. Notice how Paul describes redemption in Colossians:
a. IN Christ we have redemption (Col. 1:14)
b. We have redemption IN the One who is the IMAGE of God (Col.1:15).
c. All those IN CHRIST not only partake of redemption and forgiveness of sins, but also are part of the NEW CREATION! (II Cor. 5:17).
d. Previously, we were IN Adam as part of the original creation. And in Adam the image of God was defaced.
e. Now we are IN CHRIST, and the image of God is restored… because we are part of the NEW CREATION.
f. The image of God was defaced in the original creation. Man was no longer able to accurately reflect the character of God.
g. The image of God is recreated in the new creation. The born again person is now ABLE to accurately reflect the image of God.
h. The man in Christ has been REDEEMED from bondage and slavery to sin. He has been redeemed and set free!
i. Thus, when this new man is filled with the Holy Spirit, the true image of God is reflected through him… and to the world.
j. He is thus able to demonstrate not just natural affection, but Divine, agape love! He is able to love righteousness and hate iniquity as the Father does! He is able to show compassion on the lost… to become a servant of men… to be selfless in showing grace to others…
k. All that is because Christ is IN HIM… and His life and resurrection power enable him. The result is the fruit of the SPIRIT… genuine fruit for God’s glory.
l. God’s true character is accurately reflected through such a man—exactly as God originally intended.
m. Isn’t that awesome?! Adam lived in a perfect world and FAILED to be a mirror image of the Father. We live in a cursed and corrupted world—and by God’s grace—are ABLE to walk in newness of life and to accurately reflect God’s character to those around us!
n. It is only so because it is GOD who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
o. The unregenerate man in Adam possesses a defaced image of God and is unable to accurately reflect God’s character.
p. The regenerated man in Christ has the image of God RE-created in him… and God lives in him that he might ACCURATELY mirror God’s character to the world around him. Praise God for that!
5. Eph. 4:24 – the new man – part of the new creation in Christ is created in righteousness and true holiness!
a. Righteousness and true holiness is what SHOULD have been reflected through Adam and those in Adam…
b. It was God’s intention for him to be an ACCURATE reflection of who God is.
c. However, sin changed all that and those in Adam have a marred image.
d. But those who are CREATED IN CHRIST as a new man… part of the new creation… are able to accurately reflect the image of God to the world.
e. The new man with a new nature has a new capacity to be what God always intended man to be: the image of God… a reflection of the moral qualities of the heavenly Father… His rightousness, holiness, love, grace, mercy, purity, truth.
f. We have been RECREATED in God’s image and are already part of the new creation in Christ.
g. We don’t have to wait for the actual creation of the new heaven and the new earth off in the future.
h. We can enjoy the inward spiritual blessings TODAY!
i. We have been created in Christ to reflect TRUE righteousness and holiness.
Renewed in the Image of God
A. Regeneration and Sanctification
1. Regeneration BEGINS the process of renewing the image of God.
a. Without regeneration being renewed in the image of God is impossible.
b. Regeneration brings us INTO this new life as new creatures in Christ.
c. We are born COMPLETE in Christ… and thus ABLE to accurately reflect the image of God. We have all we need to do so in Christ.
d. In the natural birth we were created in His image… but that image was defaced.
e. In the new birth we were RE-created into His image.
f. We were CREATED in righteounsess and true holiness… just like our heavenly Father.
g. Consider the analogy of the birth of a baby in the natural realm.
• At birth that baby is alive and complete.
» He receives genes from his father.
» He looks like dad; walks like dad; talks like dad.
» He is the spitting image of his father… by BIRTH.
» He was born or created in his father’s image.
» It is a genetic likeness… due to birth. Even if his father died and he never met him, he would still look, talk, and walk like his dad.
• But there is also another sense in which a son GROWS into the image of his father.
» Since he spends so much TIME with his dad, he becomes like dad in other ways too: LEARNED behavior… not a genetic likeness, but a learned likeness.
» He watches dad fix cars and learns to fix cars like dad.
» He watches dad play tennis and develops a love of tennis.
» He watches how dad treats his mom and learns how to treat women.
» He watches dad go to work and learns diligence.
» He listens to the way his dad talks and learns how to commune with other people.
» He goes to church, Sunday school, and prayer meeting with his dad and learns the importance of the local church from his dad.
» He spends time fishing with his dad and develops a love of fishing.
» After spending so much time in his father’s presence and listening to his father’s voice, he LEARNS to BE like his dad… to love what he loves and hates what he hates.
» Unfortunately as human fathers, our kids pick up both our good and bad qualities!
h. In the spiritual realm, something similar occurs.
• The difference, our heavenly Father has only GOOD qualities!
• We are BORN AGAIN with our heavenly Father’s spiritual “genes.”
• We are born again a NEW nature… partakers of the Divine nature.
• We have a heart for God, His Word, and spiritual things.
• We have a new mind to know God… a new will to choose God and spiritual things over the things of the earth.
• We are CREATED in righteousness and true holiness… into the image of our heavenly Father.
• But we are also being formed PROGRESSIVELY into the image of God.
• We are created COMPLETE at the new birth… but that only BEGINS the process.
• But as we spend TIME with God, we LEARN to love the things He loves. We learn to HATE the things He hates.
• Over time, as we spend much time in worship, prayer, and communion with our heavenly Father, we are progressively GROWING more and more into His image.
• We are LIKE Him at the moment of saving faith (in His image; His nature; His heart; the mind of Christ; etc).
• But we GROW more and more into His image by spending time with Him.
• More and more we LEARN to love what He loves and HATE what He hates.
• More and more we LEARN of His ways… His mind… His heart…
• More and more HIS love for others is manifested THROUGH us… because it is GOD who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
• More and more His compassion for the lost is reflected through our mortal bodies.
• More and more His holiness is demonstrated in us… and in the choices we make…
• We are CREATED at the moment of saving faith in the image of Christ.
i. We GROW more and more into His image throughout our earthly lives.
• And we all have a LONG way to go!
• All those IN Christ have begun the process of RENEWAL and growth into the image of Christ.
B. The Image of Him Who Created Him
1. It was GOD who created man. (Gen. 1:1) The New Testament states that it was Christ who is Creator.
a. Christ is the image of the invisible God (Col.1:15)
b. We are in Him and associated with Him.
c. We are being transformed into the image of Christ… and thus into the image of God…
2. II Cor. 3:18 – states that as we behold His glory, we are being transformed into the SAME image of Christ—by God’s Spirit.
a. The illustration of a glass (mirror; looking glass)
• The believer is like a mirror… a looking glass…
• A mirror reflects whatever it faces.
• And that mirror… looking glass is facing the Lord as we behold His glory in the word.
• If I face a mirror towards my dog, my dog’s reflection will appear in the mirror. As the front of that mirror beholds my dog… Mac’s image appears on the mirror.
• Here the illustration is the believer facing the Lord… and as the believer (the mirror) beholds the Lord… the image of the Lord is formed in that mirror.
• In some sense, that is what happens to us as believers as we look at Christ… face Him… behold His glory… as we are looking unto Jesus… Christ is being formed in us.
• This is God’s means of renewing His sons into the image of Christ.
• God does all the supernatural work of transformation and renewing us. Our only responsibility is to BEHOLD Christ… facing Him… looking unto Jesus.
b. As we do, the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to renew the child of God.
• As we behold His glory by reading and meditating upon the Word, we grow in the knowledge of Christ.
c. Those in Christ have the capacity to turn that mirror away from self and towards Christ.
• As we BEHOLD the glory of the Lord… His image is reflected in our lives.
• As we are LOOKING unto Jesus, His character and resurrection life are manifested in our mortal bodies.
• As we ABIDE In Christ, and continually come to His throne of grace, He fills us with Himself… and the fruit of the Spirit—Christlike character—borne in us.
• We were created to be like a mirror to reflect the image of God.
d. Mirrors always work. They never malfunction.
• If you want the image of your dog in the mirror, you have to face the mirror towards the dog.
• If works with a coffee mug, a chair, a tree, or your new car… but the mirror needs to be facing whatever image you want to be reflected in it—and voila!
• It works every time.
• The only thing that would PREVENT an image from appearing in a mirror is pointing the mirror in some OTHER direction.
e. That is true in the spiritual realm as well.
• When we as a mirror face inward toward self, (me, myself, and I) we reflect the sinful, fallen character of Adam.
» The world will see Adam in us… the effects of the Adamic nature.
» We too will see Adam’s nature manifesting itself in us…
» When we dote over self… our problems… our struggles… our pains… our trials… our troubles… our chores: the picture is not pretty.
» That brings discouragement and causes our faith to diminish.
• When we as a mirror face upward toward Christ, we reflect the image of God, for Christ IS the perfect image of God… the express image of the Father.
» The world will see Christ in us!
» When we spend time beholding HIS glory… His character is reflected through our lives…
» That brings fruit… victory… cause for encouragement… and a hunger for more… a desire to keep on beholding His glory!
» And the renewing process continues—from one level of glory to another higher level of glory.
3. Gal.4:19 – Christ is being formed in us. (His character)
a. As we are transformed into His image, His character and His LIFE will be manifested through our mortal bodies.
b. The marred image of God in man is gradually being restored in the new man in Christ.
c. Regeneration began the process. Progressive sanctification continues that process.
d. Christ is being formed in us… His glorious character is reflected through our lives as we increase in the knowledge of Him… which occurs as we behold Him!
e. This is the goal of the Christian life… the goal of the renewal of which Paul writes… and that for which we should strive.
f. But it all requires KNOWLEDGE of God… to know Him… and to INCREASE in the knowledge of God.
g. Are you GROWING in the knowledge of Christ?
h. Are you PRAYING to be filled with the knowledge of His will for your life?
i. Are you being conformed by the world or transformed by the renewing of your mind?
j. Are you caught up in the love of Christ…desiring to spend more time with Him… or are you caught up with yourself… spending your time meditating upon me, myself, and mine?
k. We are transformed in KNOWLEDGE… and the knowledge of God comes from beholding the glory of Christ in the Word and in spending time in communion with Him.
l. A transformation in the way we THINK will at once be a transformation in the way we LIVE.
m. Are you REALLY Christ centered? Or are we earthly success centered? Job centered? Money centered? Family centered? Aches and pains centered? Education centered? Music centered? Sports centered? Entertainment centered?
n. It doesn’t take long to repent… or to change. The moment that mirror is turned around… another object becomes the center of its reflection.
o. Take that mirror off yourself and turn it back to Christ… and begin to enjoy Him all over again!
p. The process of transforming you into the image of Christ will continue immediately.
4. Warren Wiersbe: We were formed in God’s image, and deformed from God’s image by sin. But through Jesus Christ, we can be transformed into God’s image.
5. I John 3:2 – one day we shall be like Him. This is a marvelous promise from God. One day the transformation will be complete.
6. Until then, we need to be faithful in pointing that mirror towards Christ…
Christ Is All and In All
Dead to Earthly Distinctions
A. Earthly Distinctions
1. Greek or Jew – a NATIONAL distinction.
a. Jews and Greeks were not the best of friends.
b. Jews were a thorn in the flesh to the Greek speaking world… and the feeling was mutual.
2. Circumcision or Uncircumcision – a distinction in CUSTOMS.
a. Different nations and cultures had developed their own customs, many of which were related to their religion.
b. The Jews practiced circumcision and looked down upon those who did NOT practice this ritual.
c. You often read about the uncircumcised Philistines!
d. Paul makes it clear that in Christ there is no advantage in BEING a Jew.
e. Now he states that there is no advantage in BECOMING a Jew.
f. Christianity does not revolve around a nation, a set of Laws, or rituals, but it centers on a Person: the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Barbarian or Scythian – a CULTURAL distinction.
a. Scythian denotes a group of tribes who lived north and east of the Black Sea.
b. The Greeks and Romans consider the Barbarians, well, barbaric… uncultured… uncivilized… crude… the bottom of the barrel culturally.
c. The Barbarians considered the Scythians even worse! If the Barbarians were the bottom of the barrel, the Scythians were the scum on the bottom of the bottom of the barrel.
d. Herodotus said of them: They drank the blood of the first enemy killed in battle, and made napkins of the scalps, and drinking bowls of the skulls of the slain. They had the filthiest habits and never washed with water.
4. Bond or Free – a distinction of SOCIAL STATUS
a. The ancient world was divided into bond and free.
b. This was especially so in the Roman Empire.
c. Slavery in the New Testament had nothing to do with race, but with power.
d. The wealthy and powerful could afford servants.
e. The poor and weak found it necessary to sell themselves into slavery or were taken as slaves by a powerful invading army.
f. Of course the Bible NEVER condoned slavery. But knowing human nature, God regulated it to prevent abuse. Slavery certainly was not God’s idea!
g. This distinction existed too often in the world. But in Christ, God doesn’t even recognize that distinction.
B. We Died to the World and Its Earthly Distinctions
1. Col. 3:3 – we died with Christ.
2. Gal. 6:14 – we were crucified to the world.
a. That death separated us from our former relationship to the world. Thus, this world is not my home…
b. We don’t march to their drummer any more. We don’t think that way any more. Even our speech is new.
c. Our old man thought just like the world. We all had our biases and prejudices.
d. But that old man died and we are new creatures in Christ.
e. In Christ we died—separated—from all those former earthly hang-ups, phobias, and prejudice.
f. Nationality, race, customs, culture, education, and social status mean absolutely nothing to a dead man!
3. Positionally, NONE of these earthly distinctions have any significance in the Body of Christ. They are entirely meaningless.
a. Differences exist here on earth. We don’t deny their earthly existence. Yes, on earth there IS male and female… black and white… rich and poor.
b. This has been the cause of many wars, bloodshed, and hatred over the centuries.
c. But in Christ those distinctions are meaningless… not even a consideration.
5. Everyone enters the Body of Christ in exactly the SAME way:
a. I Cor. 12:13 – Jew and Gentile; bond and free—all baptized.
b. Nationality doesn’t help or hurt. Circumcision doesn’t help or hurt. Being wealthy or poor matters not. Social standing is not a consideration.
c. The only thing that matters is Christ: have you trusted in Him or not? Are YOU born again?
Alive Unto Heavenly Distinctives
A. The New Man is Alive In a New Realm: In Christ
1. WHERE
a. ‘Opou = where… which or what place.
b. Metaphorically it is used in a wider sense including time, manner, circumstances (Col. 3:11; 2 Pet. 2:11).
c. In Col. 3:11, Paul is not speaking about a literal place or location that could be pinpointed on a map. He is speaking of a place metaphorically—a set of circumstances.
d. Wuest translates this as “in which state.”
e. In context, the apostle is speaking about the new man in Christ who is experiencing this inner renewal into the image of God by means of the Holy Spirit.
f. The significance of ‘opou: In other words—a born again person—IN Christ—who is filled with the Holy Spirit… and in whom the fruit of the Spirit or Christlike character is being manifested.
g. In THAT state… there is neither Greek nor Jew… etc.
2. The New POSITION of the New Man In Christ
a. Gal.3:27-28 – these distinctions do not exist in the Body of Christ positionally.
b. As God looks at His Body, He makes no such distinctions.
c. In Christ speaks of our heavenly position…
d. In Christ EVERY believer shares exactly the SAME position.
e. There is no advantage to being rich; skin color; social background etc.
f. Paul told Philemon, concerning his slave Onesimus, after his slave got saved, that he is no longer to view him “as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved.”
g. In Christ we are all ONE.
3. The CONDITION of the New Man In Christ.
a. Unfortunately, there are born again people, members of the Body of Christ, who are justified by faith, saved to the uttermost… and yet they still MAKE those distinctions!
b. The condition of those in Christ does NOT always match their position.
4. Problems of the earthly church: It took a while for their NEW POSITION to sink in and have an effect on their behavior.
a. Acts 6:1-3 – a controversy arose in the early because this positional truth was not being practiced.
• This was a matter of prejudice over ethnicity.
• The Greeks and the Hebrews were disputing.
• The Greeks (including Hellenistic Jews) were upset because the Jewish widows from Jerusalem were getting preferential treatment over their widows.
• What a terrible picture this sent out to those observing the early church.
» God said the body was ONE—but observers would never see that.
» God said that there was neither Greek nor Jew in Christ—but observers would never see that.
» God said that those who are being renewed by the Spirit in Christ are DEAD to all earthly distinctions… but onlookers would never know that.
» God said that the church was without spot or wrinkle positionally… but the wrinkles were sure showing here!
» The CONDITION of this church was sending out a completely distorted picture of their POSITION in Christ.
» It is a much more serious matter than that of hurting people’s feelings, of being unkind.
» It was a fundamental, doctrinal matter. It got to the very heart of what the church IS and its PURPOSE in the world!
» This was no trivial matter… which is WHY it is recorded in the Scriptures for us.
• Vs. 2 – the apostles themselves heard about this conflict and told them how to resolve the conflict immediately.
• Vs. 3 – they were to appoint men who were FILLED with the Holy Spirit.
» The men chosen were not just men in Christ, but new creatures in Christ in whom the renewing work of the Holy Spirit was taking place!
» These were the men chosen to oversee this important matter.
• Vs. 5 – the list of Spirit filled men is given. Note that most of the names are Greek… displaying the grace of the Jews.
• Vs. 7 – they resolved the matter and God BLESSED that assembly!
» Evidently, His blessing was being withheld as long as there was ethnic bias in the Body.
» Prejudice HINDERS the work of God.
• Had this issue not been dealt with properly in the early church, we could have ended up with the churches divided along ethic lines.
b. Acts 15:1-2 – Yet another dispute arose in the early church: prejudice over religious customs.
• Vs. 1 – Some men came into the church and began teaching that it was necessary for GENTILES to submit to Jewish rules (circumcision) in order to be saved.
• This pitted Jewish rituals and customs against pagan rituals and customs.
• Vs. 2 – When Paul and Barnabus heard of this, they were outraged and immediately determined to go to Jerusalem and deal with this issue before it spread.
• This issue nearly divided the church. We almost had TWO churches: one Jewish and one Gentile.
• Paul realized the significance of this issue and held a church council in Jerusalem to settle it once and for all.
• Gal. 6:15 – ?For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
• Earthly rituals mean nothing to a heavenly people.
• There were several elements to this error.
» It related to soteriology: salvation. (Was the work of Christ enough? Faith alone or faith plus works? What IS the gospel message?)
» It related to legalism: is the Mosaic Law over or isn’t it? Are believers of this age expected to keep the Law of Moses?
» It related to the ecclesiology: church truth: what IS the church? Is it a body of Jews and Gentiles on equal footing or isn’t it? Is the church a New Testament Israel or is it a new Man entirely? Is the church ONE Body or not?
• The PRACTICE of the early church in this instance was a very POOR reflection of what the church IS.
» Bias for one’s own traditions and customs divided the church.
» Their behavior BELIED their glorious position in Christ… where there is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision.
» They weren’t behaving in a manner that accurately reflected who they WERE in Christ.
» Paul traveled there in order to adjust the condition of the church to match its position.
c. Jas. 2:1-10 – James had to deal with that unfortunate situation: prejudice over wealth.
• Those in Christ positionally—where there is neither rich nor poor—were BEHAVING as if there WAS a distinction between them!
• Showing respect of persons in practice is virtually a denial of what the church IS!
• It is a serious violation of truth! It is a distortion of the marvelous work of God in the Body of Christ!
• Vs. 4 – they are judges of EVIL thoughts!
• Vs. 5 – the poor in Christ are actually quite rich!
• Vs. 6 – the condition… the practice of these believers was interpreted by God as “despising” the poor!
• Vs. 6b-7 – He shows the folly of assuming that earthly wealth denotes a superior quality of life.
• Vs. 8 – the royal law of love makes NO distinctions between rich or poor… Jew or Gentile… etc.
• Vs. 9-10 – making distinctions in the Body of Christ is called transgression… and makes a person a lawbreaker… putting him in the same category as an adulterer and a murderer!
• God hates bigotry, racism, and social prejudice much more than we might think!
• It should be treated in the same way in the local church as adultery or murder. Unless there is repentance, that member is to be rejected from the fellowship of the saints!
• That biased Christian may be in Christ positionally, but his behavior is sending out a most distorted picture of who Christ is and what His Body is.
• That biased believer is NOT undergoing the renewal process spoken of in Col. 3:10. He is NOT being renewed in the image of God.
• He is being outwardly CONFORMED to the world and its ways!
• That is worldliness to the core—and it has no place whatsoever in the Body of Christ.
d. The prejudices over ethnicity, over customs, and over wealth nearly destroyed the early church.
• It painted the wrong picture of what the church is.
• They belied their position of unity in Christ.
• Paul states that in Christ NONE of those earthly distinctions apply. They are not recognized.
• Those are distinctions of the earth… of the world system… that’s the way the OLD MAN used to think and behave.
• But we are NEW CREATURES in Christ and are DEAD to that kind of thinking.
5. Risen with Christ (Col. 3:1)
a. We are seated with Him at the right hand of God!
b. The rich don’t get special box seats in that throng!
c. We are not going to be divided according to race, ethnicity, social standing, or gender.
d. Rev. 5:9-10 – Before the throne of God the redeemed are from EVERY kindred, tongue, people, and nation! They are ALL kings and priests!
e. When believers divide over such issues on earth, God’s purpose for the existence of the church is frustrated!
f. Eph. 3:10 – God’s grace is seen in Jew and Gentile fellowshipping together!
• Red, yellow, black, and white!
• Palestinian and Israelis worshipping side by side!
• Indian and Pakistani!
• Red Sox fans and Yankee fans!
• Young and old… farmers and lawyers…
• Things that never occur in the world ought to occur naturally in the Body of Christ.
• Therein lies the power of our witness before the world: a supernatural work of God in the hearts of men… powerful enough to erase centuries of hatred!
• Imagine the impact on observers to see Jews, Greek, Barbarians, Scythians, bondmen and free, all singing together with one united voice… and partaking of communion together!
• No sermon by Apollos would have nearly the impact that that scene would have on a visitor!
• John 13:35 – “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
• In a simple gathering of saints, fellowshipping together (it need not be an auditorium of 5000), men witness that which the United Nations has failed to accomplish; the Peace Corps has failed to accomplish; that which the New Deal has failed to accomplish; that which Communism and Capitalism have failed to accomplish; that which international summits and peace treaties have failed to accomplish; that which Vatican councils have failed to accomplish: TRUE unity around the TRUTH!
• It absolutely blew the minds of observers in the first century to hear of Gentiles sending a financial love offering to the Jews in Jerusalem during their famine.
• It is a powerful witness today too when believers who shouldn’t be able to get along… DO! And genuinely love one another.
• Col. 2:2 – knit together UNTO the full assurance of understanding… experiential knowledge that comes through learning to function together as a body…
• In the Body, they are not just STUCK together and bearing up with one another. They are knit together in love!
6. Our new life is hidden with Christ (Col. 3:3)
a. This is the new life of a new man.
b. It is hidden away in heaven… its source is not from the things of earth, but from heaven itself.
c. The world does not understand such things, nor can they.
d. The spiritual man is discerned of no man.
e. The body of Christ was designed by God to be unique, unusual, eye catching, to arouse curiosity, and as such, be a witness of God’s power and grace to men and angels.
f. But in reality, when men and angels observe, they are usually quite disappointed by what they see.
7. We have been raised up ABOVE all earthly distinctions.
a. We are “seated in heavenly places.”
b. There, none of the earthly distinctions make one speck of difference.
c. Do you really think that the saints around the throne of God in heaven are lined up according to who went to Harvard? How much money they had in the bank on earth? The color of their skin? What political party they belonged to? Their ethnicity or their ethnic traditions of food, clothing, or holidays? Social status on earth?
d. The new man in Christ is to LIVE that way NOW.
e. The church is to FUNCTION according to this truth.
• What a travesty when we DIVIDE the body according to color, ethnicity, or social status! What a mixed message that sends to men and angels observing!
• Service and leadership in the local church have NOTHING to do with any of those earthly distinctions.
• In the church, the state governor has no advantage over the chimney sweep—if they are both saved and members of the same church!
• We should witness to ALL those God puts in our pathways—regardless of these earthly divisions! Thus, a church should look like the demographic region in which it is found.
• The knowledge of our position should affect our earthly condition!
B. Christ IS All
1. Christ is what matters in the Body. (Col. 1:18)
a. It doesn’t matter what your position in the world is. As believers we share exactly the SAME position in Christ.
b. It doesn’t matter what your ethnic background is. As believers we share the SAME Christ.
c. If you have Christ, it doesn’t matter what we possess in the world, does it?
d. If you have Christ, you are rich indeed. It doesn’t matter what kind of earthly treasures we have. We have a rich inheritance reserved in heaven for us!
e. If you have a deep, experiential knowledge of Christ you are an educated man! It doesn’t matter if you have a degree from Harvard or not. Lots of Harvard grads are quite ignorant when it comes to the knowledge of Christ… the knowledge that counts for eternity!
f. If you have Christ, your national heritage doesn’t matter. Your Savior is the Savior of the world. He is the King of ALL kings of the world. And you know Him! And I have access to Him 24-7.
g. Col. 3:4 – For the regenerated, Spirit filled believer, Christ is not an important part of our life. He IS our LIFE.
2. That which men glory in on earth (riches, might, power, prestige, social status, etc.) has NO GLORY compared to Christ.
a. Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:? 24 ?But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. (Jer. 9:23-24)
b. It is like the dazzling noon day sun which outshines all other stars in the heavens. They are still there… but they have no glory. The presence of the sun obliterates it all.
c. What a silly thing to glory in your Cadillac when you have Christ. Glory in Him!
d. What a foolish thing to boast that you are Jewish, or Italian, or Brazilian… when our real glory is the fact that we are Christians in Christ! Glory in Him!
e. Phil. 3:4-8 – What folly to glory in earthly status—when compared to the knowledge of Christ, they are but dung!
3. The illustration of the mirror.
a. We are like a mirror… and a mirror reflects the image of that which it is facing.
b. When we, like a mirror, point towards the Lord Jesus… beholding His glory as in a glass, HIS glorious image is reflected in us.
c. When that is the case, we discover that He is ALL. He fills all our vision. He is all we need… sufficient for whatever may befall us on earth… because our life is hidden with Christ in heaven… safe as can be.
d. When our attention and affections are single-mindedly focused on Christ… His image is reflected in us… and He is then our ALL in all.
• Fill all my vision, Savior I pray; Let me see only Jesus today;
• When thru the valley thou leadest me, Give me Thy glory and beauty to see.
• Let me see only Thy blessed face; feasting my soul on Thine infinite grace.
e. When Christ does fill all our vision… His grace and strength fill our souls… and we are thus equipped and ABLE to walk in newness of life… regardless of our earthly condition.
f. But when we are focused elsewhere… when our mirror is pointed at all the problems in our lives (finances; health; family; job; etc.) we will not be experiencing the closeness of Christ.
g. When Christ does not appear in our mirror, we might be tempted in our trials to cry, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?”
h. With a simple attitude adjustment… refocusing that mirror on the Lord Jesus… and suddenly, there He is where He has always been… right by our side… closer than ever… we sense His presence and discover anew His grace is all sufficient.
i. He never moves. He never leaves us. But WE often turn our faces away from Him… towards sin… self… problems… the world… and the longer we do, the harder our heart grows towards Christ.
j. But what JOY and POWER is ours when we realize each morning that Christ is our ALL… we need nothing else.
C. Christ is IN All
1. Christ indwells EVERY single believer.
a. Col. 1:27 – Christ in you, the hope of glory!
b. Every believer is equally indwelt by Christ… no one has any advantage in this: Jew, gentile, rich, poor, etc…
c. THAT is what we should glory in.
d. And when we DO glory in Him, we will be LOOKING unto Jesus… our affection will be on things above where He is… our eyes and hearts will be focused on Him.
e. Paul put it this way in II Cor. 3:18 – as we BEHOLD the glory of the Lord as in a glass…
• When that is the case, we, like a mirror, are pointed towards Christ, the SAME image—HIS image is reflected in us.
• When that is the case, when other see us, they will see Christ, not self.
• When the whole body practices this… we are being RENEWED into the SAME image.
• In other words, we will all begin to be ALIKE—yes, red, yellow, black, and white will all begin to walk, talk, and think like Christ!
• Rich and poor; educated and uneducated; all become likeminded… the mind of Christ…
• We will look at each other in a different light too… not according to how much gold you wear, or your skin color, or how big your house is… but we will see Christ… as our all in all.
• All earthly distinctions melt away into nothing. The things of earth grow strangely dim… in the light of His glory and grace!
• When we live as if Christ IS our life… we discover that in Christ, we are much more ALIKE than different.
• We are one in hope and doctrine, one in charity!
• Eph. 4:4-6 – One body, one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all…
2. In Christ, this is all TRUE. This is our glorious position in Him.
a. In our daily condition, this is not always the case.
b. Failing to acknowledge this position has been a serious BLIGHT on Christian churches for many centuries.
• Segregated churches in the South… shame!
• Ethnic churches that minister only to their own kind: shame!
• Churches where the wealthy donors are treated differently: shame!
c. When the TRUTH of all this really SINKS IN… we will begin to PRACTICE it in our daily lives.
d. As we ABIDE in our heavenly position in Christ… learn of that position… learn to love and appreciate it… dwell in it… and most importantly BELIEVE it, it will change our behavior.
e. If we BELIEVE we are superior to another ethnic group, that our race is superior, that our culture is superior, we will BEHAVE according to those beliefs.
f. When we BELIEVE that as Christians NONE of those earthly distinctions hold, that too will be manifested in our behavior.
3. When we are feasting on our heavenly position (unity; no bias or division), then it will MANIFEST itself in our practice down here on earth!
a. If there is any trace of bigotry in your heart, put it off like the dirty garment of the old man that it is! (Cf. vs. 8)
b. If there is any trace of superiority or inferiority in the Body of Christ… put it off like the filthy garment of your old life that is really is.
c. One man wrote: the foot of the cross is all ground level!
d. We are ONE in Christ. Believe God.
The CORPORATE sense of the new man.
1. Jew and Gentile united in the church = the new man corporately (Eph. 2:15).
2. The Body of Christ as a corporate body is also undergoing a process of being brought to the stature of the fullness of Christ – at least this is God’s goal.
3. The church corporately is a NEW Man… which consists of individual new men… new creations.
4. The fact that we are a new man in Christ indicates that we are part of something NEW God is doing.
5. When Adam, the Head of the old race sinned, the image of God created in man was marred.
6. The Second Adam, Christ, the Head of a new humanity… the new man… head of the Church… died to redeem men and restore the image of God…
7. God’s work of salvation not only saves us from hell, and enables us to go to heaven, we are part of the NEW creation… citizens of the heavenly city… the New Jerusalem!
8. A new Jerusalem, a new heaven and a new earth, will be eternally inhabited with new creatures with eternal life—an eternal city wherein dwelleth righteousness… inhabited by men created in righteousness and true holiness positionally… and conditionally are presently being prepared for that new creation…
9. In this new creation, ethnicity matters not; Christ is all and in all! (Col. 3:11)
The Garments of a New Man
Context:
1. Our position in Christ (vs. 11)
a. We died with Christ to the world (2:20; 3:3)
b. We have put off the old man at the moment of saving faith (3:9)
c. We rose with Christ to new life (3:1, 4)
d. We have put on the new man (3:10)
e. This new man is completely new, yet is in a process of constant renewal… spiritual growth and progress (3:10)
f. This new man is IN Christ (in the Body) where worldly, earthly distinctions are meaningless. (3:11)
2. Paul has finished the section on positional truth, and begins to make exhortations BASED upon that glorious position.
a. After teaching the Colossians of their position in Christ, he begins to exhort them to behavior that is BEFITTING such a high calling!
b. We saw a few weeks ago that SINCE the old man is dead, it is only fitting that the dirty garments of that old man be PUT OFF (3:8-9).
c. Paul informed them that the new man has been PUT ON at the moment of saving faith (3:10). They ARE a new creature in Christ… a new man.
d. This morning we want to look at the exhortation Paul makes IN LIGHT OF that fact.
e. SINCE you are a new man, PUT ON garments (outward behavior) that is befitting such a position!
Those Being Addressed
A. The Elect of God
1. Elect Defined: ἐκλεκτός – picked out; chosen;
a. It is a noun in the nominative case – indicating the PERSONS being addressed (elect ones; chosen ones)
b. From ἐκλέγω – (ek = out of) – To choose out, select out, choose out for oneself,
• This term does not necessarily imply the rejection of what is not chosen, but speaks of displaying favor to the thing chosen.
• It involves preference and selection from among many choices.
c. The verb in Col.3:12 is used in Eph. 1:4 – chosen before the foundation of the earth.
• Therefore, it could not be based on merit.
» We had not yet been born. We had not yet DONE anything.
» It was based purely on God’s goodness and grace
• Deut. 7:7-8 – God CHOSE to place His love on Israel. That’s why they were the elect of God.
» God delighted in choosing Israel, not because of any seen or foreseen merit in the nation, but because it PLEASED the Lord to do so.
» That is exactly why WE too are the elect of God.
• Rom. 9:22 – the two unborn sons of Isaac and Rebecca (Jacob and Esau) illustrate this truth.
» One was chosen, one was not.
» The choice was made BEFORE they were born.
» The purpose of the choice was to make it crystal clear that the choice was NOT made on the basis of works.
» The choice was made according to God – “Him that calleth… that chooseth.” It was His choice, His will… because it pleased Him.
» Election makes it clear that GOD is the One who does the choosing… not the one chosen.
• Eph. 1:5, 9, 11 – God predestinated us, according to His own good pleasure… according to His own good purpose and His own will.
» We all have many questions about God’s sovereign choices… there is much we are not told.
» But one thing we DO know: He chose us because He WANTED to… it pleased Him…
» That’s about the most definitive answer one will find in the pages of the Holy Scripture.
» The gospels contain a similar expression several times: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
» God does that which seems good in His sight.
» We ought to be able to leave it at that and trust Him.
» His choices are based on what HE deems best… One who is omniscient and infinitely good has made the choice. We don’t need to know all the details. Trust Him.
» II Tim. 1:9 – “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”
• In fact, this thought brings great comfort. God chose me—not because there was anything good in me, but because He wanted to.
• God chose to place His special care upon us for reasons He is not pleased to reveal… reasons known only to Himself.
2. Rather than wander out of the context of Paul’s argument in Colossians 3, it would be best to consider election here as follows:
a. Paul is highlighting to the Colossian believers that they were hand picked by God!
b. They are in a unique and glorious position… as the elect of God.
c. They didn’t need to understand all the ramifications of election (we’re still just skimming the surface of that subject today!)… but they DID need to BELIEVE it.
d. God chose them… and if saved, God chose us!
e. It is designed to evoke from the readers a sense of gratitude and appreciation for God’s marvelous grace.
f. They didn’t DESERVE to be the elect of God, but God chose them anyway! (us too!)
g. They DESERVED to be rejected by God for their sin and rebellion like the rest of the masses of humanity… but God chose them anyway!
h. The very concept of being “chosen out of” the masses ought to humble us… and cause us to stand in awe of God’s amazing grace…
i. We will be learning about God’s elective decrees throughout eternity. We don’t need to know them all right now. But for now, we do well to shout out THANK YOU Lord and sing a chorus or two Amazing grace!
B. Holy
1. Again, this speaks of the POSITION of the Colossian believers.
a. He is not saying, “Be ye holy” or to “Put on holiness.”
b. Rather, he is stating a fact. They ARE holy ones… saints.
2. Holy = separated unto God.
a. That which is set apart for sacred use…
b. This very same term is often translated “saints” (holy ones; those set apart for God).
c. It is similar in concept to a marriage, where the bride has been set apart to their husband.
d. It is used of the temple, of a mountain.
e. Matt.2 3:16-17 – the gold in the Temple was set apart unto God’s service—sanctified—consecrated to God.
• When that gold was “elected” or “selected,” it was then placed in the Temple as a spoon, or vessel, or part of the gold furniture.
• Once that gold was set apart unto God, it was considered “holy” or “sanctified” – set apart for His use.
• Being in the Temple did not change the condition of the gold. It looked the same as ever. It still had the same chemical make up.
• But it was DIFFERENT because it was set apart—in a new position—it was in God’s Temple for God’s use.
• It was no longer ordinary, common gold, but special gold—consecrated unto God.
• Believers have also been set apart from the world UNTO God and for His service.
• In that sense, we are positionally HOLY. At the moment of saving faith, God SEPARATES us from the world and separates UNTO Himself.
f. The priesthood in the Old Testament was consecrated to God too. It was called a “holy priesthood” because those men were in a unique position in Israel as priests.
• Priests were set apart for God’s service. It was a privileged position… a special calling.
• Not all the priests in Israel were holy in practice! (Consider Eli’s sons!)
• I Peter 2:5 – In the New Testament, EVERY believer in Christ is a priest! And we too are called a “holy priesthood.”
• I Peter 2:9 – We are also a holy nation… set apart FROM the world and set apart UNTO God.
• The privileged position brought with it certain responsibilities too!
• . It is the same word as is often translated “sanctified”. (Heb. 10:10 – sanctified once and for all by the blood of Christ)
g. Every true believer in this age is HOLY positionally.
• Hence, Paul addresses the Colossians as “holy ones.”
• The fact that they were IN CHRIST tells us that they were holy – set apart from the world.
• God sees us as HOLY ONES because He sees us in His Son!
• God placed us in His Son and in doing so, set us apart from the world to Himself.
• We are thus eternally set apart unto God.
• This too was part of the Colossians’ glorious position… and ours too!
h. So Paul addresses the Colossian as “holy ones.”
• It is exactly the same Greek word as is translated saints in Col. 1:2, 4.
• A saint is one set apart unto God.
• What a privileged position!
C. Beloved
1. This is the third of three nominatives used to describe the Colossian believers.
a. The Colossians were chosen ones, holy ones, and now beloved ones!
b. ἠγαπημένοι – perfect passive participle – from agape
• Means: love; God’s love.
• Perfect – God placed His love upon these folks in the past and His love remains upon them. They STAND as loved ones of God.
• Passive – it was GOD who performed the action of loving here. He first loved us!
c. Like the other descriptions of the believers, this too speaks of their POSITION. They stand as the beloved of the Father!
d. Of all the people in the world, God chose to pour out His eternal love on the believers in Colossae… and on the believers in Salem Bible Church! That means YOU if you are born again!
2. Divine love is bestowed in grace… not to the deserving, but to the undeserving!
a. We love Him because He first loved us!
b. When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!
c. There was nothing lovely in us that merited His love.
d. He chose to bestow His everlasting love upon us NOT because we were worthy, but because it was His good pleasure to do so. He WANTED to.
e. He chose to save us and to set us apart from the world and to place us IN His Son… in the Body of Christ.
f. He sees us IN His Son… of whom the Father said, “This is my BELOVED Son… in whom I am well pleased.” (same word)
g. God sees us in His BELOVED Son and refers to us as BELOVED ones!
h. Be grateful. Praise Him for it. Thank Him every day.
D. Summary
1. Paul addressed the Colossians by reminding them once again, in a new and fresh way, of their glorious position in Christ.
a. They were elect – chosen—hand picked by God—not because of any merit God saw in them, but simply because it pleased God to make them the recipients of His amazing grace!
b. They were holy—saints—set apart by God to Himself—once and for all by the blood of Christ. They were placed by God in the unique position as a holy nation… a holy priesthood consecrated to Him… saints! And all of this too was God’s gift to undeserving sinners. God took a sinner and made him a holy one… a saint!
c. They were beloved ones of God—God bestowed His everlasting love upon those who deserved His wrath.
2. Their position: elect ones, holy ones, beloved of the Father.
a. This position was God’s doing and it is forever.
b. Eph. 2:4 – recipients of God’s love and mercy
c. Eph. 2:7 – recipients of God’s kindness and grace.
d. These folks were the recipients of everlasting love, Divine mercies and had experienced the kindness of God through salvation in Christ.
e. Eph. 2:8-9 – every aspect of their salvation was by grace… and they had NO reason whatsoever to boast. No flesh should glory in His presence!
f. We were ALL dead in sins (Eph. 2:1).This is true whether you were saved in the kindergarten or were saved after ending up on Skid Row.
g. There is no difference in sinners from God’s perspective. For ALL have sinned and come short of God’s glory!
• It requires INFINITE grace to save ANY sinner!
• And each one saved is saved the same way: by grace!
• In Adam, all are in the same boat… undeserving sinners…
• In Christ, all are in the same boat… undeserving sinners… but saved by grace! For there is no difference!
• Each one in Christ was chosen, sanctified, and was showed in God’s love—for one reason: GRACE!
• Whether Jew or Greek, circumcision or uncircumcision, Barbarian or Scythian, bond or free… there is no difference in Christ.
• The foot of the cross is ground level.
h. Before this series of exhortations, Paul lets the believers know where they stand in Christ.
i. Regardless of earthly distinctions, in Christ—each one is but a sinner saved by grace… no special status in the Body of Christ…
The Exhortations
A. The Basis of the Exhortations
1. Paul uses two terms (therefore and as) to tie the following exhortations into the context.
2. THEREFORE:
a. You are in Christ, where there is neither Jew nor Greek, Barbarian or Scythian, etc. THEREFORE, put on kindness to those in the Body who may be quite different from you!
b. Rest assured that the Jews and Greeks differed on LOTS of issues in life! Different customs, practices, etc.
c. The slave owner and the slave would certain look at earthly things differently… especially the economy!
d. But the Bible is not a book on social engineering or political science. It is a spiritual book, and hence tells ALL of the various groups in the Body to be KIND!
e. BECAUSE there is no difference spiritually… from heaven’s vantage point… be KIND to one another on earth… and display a HEAVENLY attitude!
f. Their heavenly position should affect their earthly condition and behavior!
g. Their position was the basis of the exhortations that follow.
3. AS:
a. Paul just reminded these believers that they were elect, set apart for God, consecrated as priests of God, and beloved of the Father.
b. Their behavior should be AS their position.
c. They were exhorted to show mercy and kindness to others AS those who were recipients of God’s mercy and kindness!
d. As someone who is BELOVED of God (not on the basis of merit, but by God’s grace)… they too should chose to place their love and mercy on others… without regard to merit!
4. These exhortations are Pauline Expressions of Grace.
a. The Colossians WERE in Adam… and God transformed them INWARDLY to new men in Christ.
• This was God’s work in them… pure grace.
• They are no longer the old man they used to be, but a new man… indwelt by the Holy Spirit and Christ.
• BECAUSE they are a new man, they should BEHAVE in a manner fitting who they are!
• The inward work of God – the miracle of regeneration—if GENUINE—will manifest itself outwardly.
• Hence, these exhortations—if you are a new creature in Christ—then wear new clothing!
b. The Colossians were chosen by God, set apart by God unto Himself, (saints) and showered with God’s love—pure grace.
• Hence, they were to show mercy and kindness to others, NOT in order to become saints or to obtain God’s love… BUT because they already ARE saints and already ARE recipients of God’s love!
• The motivation is thus love and gratitude… grace.
c. The more we dwell upon what God has done for us, (our position) the more motivated we will be to do unto others (our condition)!
d. And when we CHOOSE to do unto others because we WANT to (not because we have to), then the power is not human willpower, but the resurrection power indwelling LIFE operative in the life of a Spirit filled believer who is yielded to God.
e. That is the rule of life in the age of grace… Christ’s character is being manifested through us… freely, willingly, for His honor and glory… as a powerful witness to the world!
B. Put On
1. ἐνδύω = to put on; to put on clothes or be clothed with (in the sense of sinking into a garment).
a. Used in Matt. 6:25 – Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.
b. It is used metaphorically too—especially in the sense of “putting on character”… deeds, good works, holiness, etc.
c. That is the sense in which it is used in Col. 3:12
d. It was used in the negative in Col.3:8 – put off bad behavior… like one would take off his dirty clothes.
e. Good behavior is spoken of in the Bible as fine white linen. Unrighteous deeds are described by Isaiah as “filthy rags.”
f. In vs.12, Paul tells us to PUT ON clean clothes… mercy, kindness, humility, etc…
g. Putting on these qualities by practicing them is the effect of this RENEWING process Paul mentioned in vs. 10.
h. The more mercy, kindness, humility, etc. that we put on, the more we are growing in the image of Christ!
2. Imperative – it is a COMMAND!
a. It is our responsibility
b. The old man has already been PUT OFF. (3:9)
• But it is OUR responsibility to put off the SINS that characterized the old man… (3:8)
c. The new man has already been PUT ON (3:10)
• And it is OUR responsibility to put on the VIRTUES that should characterize the new man in Christ.
• It is not enough to put off the old vices. They are to be replaced with virtues!
d. This is Paul’s command in vs.12 – PUT ON the virtues listed here.
e. Of course we do this by reckoning self to be dead and by yielding our members unto God to used as instruments unto righteousness.
f. As we do that, we are filled with the Holy Spirit… and GOD works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
g. If we yield our members to God, He will surely use them as instruments of righteousness.
h. God will take those members and use them to show mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering to others! This is the wardrobe of the saints!
i. God doesn’t do this FOR us or INSTEAD of us. Rather, He works THROUGH us.
j. He works through clean, yielded, surrendered, consecrated vessels… vessels for the master’s use… channels only.
C. Put on Bowels of Mercies
1. Bowels: it was used of the intestines, liver, and the inward parts.
a. Used of Judas: he was hung and all his bowels gushed out
b. Used figuratively of the seat of emotions, affections, and passions, the mind and heart… the inner man.
c. Paul uses it in that sense here too.
2. Mercies
a. Oiktirmós is the pity or compassion which one shows for the sufferings of others… tender compassion… mercy…
b. II Cor. 1:3 – God is called the Father of all mercy.
• Every believer has received infinite mercy from the heavenly Father in saving us! (Titus 3:4)
• His mercies are new every morning!
c. Rom.12:1 – we are urged to yield ourselves to God because we have all been the RECIPIENTS of God’s mercies.
d. When we present ourselves to God—He will FILL US with His mercies to show to others.
3. We are commanded to PUT ON bowels of mercies.
a. Those who have been the recipients of Divine mercy have a responsibility to show mercy to others.
b. Luke 6:36 – “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” Mercy is a family trait in the family of God.
c. We are to be ROBED in mercy… like a garment…
d. Phil. 2:1 – if you have been the recipient of God’s mercies, it is our responsibility to SHOW mercy to others! If so, we should learn to be likeminded… to be of one accord with those with whom we might otherwise not get along.
4. Consider how VITAL this exhortation must have been to the members of the first century church!
a. God was saving folks from all different walks of life… all different backgrounds…
b. How needful was it for these folks to show MERCY to their brethren!
c. How important for the Gentile majority in the church in Colossae to show MERCY and pity to the relatively small number of Hebrew Christians in their midst! They might be shunned in the city, but not in the local church!
d. How important for the slave masters to show MERCY to those who were in bondage to slavery! What a testimony to the power of God! That kind of mercy didn’t occur all that often in the world!
e. And for the educated, sophisticated, cultured Greeks to show mercy to the relatively uncivilized but saved Barbarians and Scythians in the Body!
f. When the Body functioned in that manner, it was an expression of the mercy of CHRIST through His Body.
g. It was not merely a display of humanitarian efforts or philanthropy.
• Remember, the purpose of the local church is not just to improve the earthly conditions of men.
• That’s the ultimate goal of man made religion… to help others… to feed the poor… to improve the earthly conditions of those who are oppressed.
• It is humanism… it sees no further than the earth… and in the end, it brings glory to man.
h. The Body of Christ was designed to manifest divine, indwelling LIFE to men and thus magnify Christ who from heaven orchestrates it all through His Spirit!
i. This is heavenly in nature and glorifies the Lord.
j. Cf. vs. 11 – Jews and Greeks! Masters and their slaves! Rich landowners and poor farm workers! Barbarians and Scythians!
• Some might say, what FRICTION that must have created!
• That is so, but it is also true that it created OPPORTUNITIES to manifest the mercy of God!
• When one member suffers, ALL the members suffer with it… and hence, discover ways to SHOW mercy!
• That’s how a body works. (broken leg…)
• While all the different backgrounds of folks in Salem Bible Church CAN be cause for much friction here, it SHOULD be the cause of many opportunities to show MERCY to one another!
• LOOK for opportunities to show MERCY to a brother or sister in Christ in need!
• Opportunities abound for those with eyes to see!
• God allows His saints to suffer (in part) as an opportunity for other saints to manifest the mercy of God before men and angels as they SHOW MERCY to a suffering brother in Christ.
• Of course, it requires sacrifice too… and therein is manifested the mercy of God to men and angels!
D. Put on Kindness
1. Kindness: χρηστότης – gentleness; kindness.
a. This term is listed as part of the fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5:22, translated gentleness.
b. As believers, we have all been recipients of God’s kindness and gentleness.
• Titus 3:4 – But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared…
• Eph. 2:7 – That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
c. Zodhiates: defines the term as the grace which pervades the whole nature, mellowing all which would be been harsh and austere.
• He cites an interesting use of the term in Luke 5:39: No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
• “Better” = the word for kindness… gentle… the wine mellowed with age. It is better… less harsh…
• A form of this word is used in I Cor. 13:4 – Charity suffereth long, and is kind.
• This calm, kind, and gentle spirit should be exhibited in DEEDS of love… That’s how we PUT ON bowels of mercy.
d. Jesus used this term to describe His yoke. (Matt. 11:30) “My yoke is EASY and my burden light.”
• Trying to pull the weight of religion is burdensome… it is an impossible task.
• But the yoke of Christ (discipleship) is relatively easy. It is “less harsh” than the unending burden of religion that can NEVER purge the conscience or give rest to the heart!
• Even though the requirements of discipleship are costly, they are less harsh than religion… for Christ works IN us to bear the load… rather than struggling to bear it alone… in our own strength.
2. We are commanded to PUT ON kindness… to wear it as a garment befitting a new creature in Christ.
a. HOW to put on kindness?
• It is a fruit of the Spirit.
• It will flow NATURALLY from us when our heart is surrendered to God and our members are yielded to God. When we submit to Christ’s yoke—regardless the price…
• The kindness of GOD will be manifested TO us and THROUGH us to others.
• The Spirit filled believer WILL be kind… and this kindness is genuine, not forced.
b. It is manifested more often and flows out of one’s life more naturally in MATURE believers… who have grown in grace and become more kind… less harsh… mellowed over time!
• Like new wine, a new believer often tends to be a bubbly and excited…
» And perhaps at times he is a bit caustic in his approach to others… like vinegar.
» He may be excited about the truth and speak the truth with bubbly zeal… but has not yet learned to speak the truth in LOVE…
» He may be bubbly and blurting out things that are true… but has not yet learned to be tactful… and considerate… and thus he leaves sour taste… like vinegar.
• Like aged wine, a mature believer has learned to be a bit mellower in dealing with his brethren.
» He has learned to let his speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt…
» He has learned that a soft answer turns away wrath… and enables him to be a peacemaker with others in the local church who may be of a different background… where there might be a potential for friction.
» The mature believer who is KIND… gentle… mellow… has learned not to overreact during unpleasant or disagreeable circumstances that occur…
» As the hymnwriter wrote: “Things that once were wild alarms cannot now disturb my rest. Closed in everlasting arms, pillowed on thy loving breast.”
3. Kindness; gentleness: what a valuable and necessary quality in times of turmoil and trouble in the local church!
a. Upsetting things DO happen in the Body of Christ.
b. People problems do arise. Controversy IS stirred up from time to time…
c. But when the members of the Body have been practicing putting on KINDNESS… gentleness… a mellow spirit… their soft, gentle answers go a long way in putting out the flames of wrath that seek to devour the church!
d. I’m sure some of the habits of the Barbarians could easily have stirred up anger on the part of the cultured Greeks in the assembly… but it didn’t have to if they were KIND… and gentle!
e. A harsh tone is a sign of the flesh and tends to dissolve the mortar that holds the House of God together.
f. A mellow, gentle spirit is the fruit of the Spirit… and that is like the glue… the mortar that holds the House of God together.
g. We are living stones… each one of us making up the House of the Living God… the church.
h. No two stones are exactly the same. Christlike character—especially KINDNESS… gentleness… is the cement that BINDS us together to form a STRONG Temple… a strong church through which the Lord seeks to manifest Himself.
4. What a testimony to the world! People with such varied backgrounds showing KINDNESS and a gentle spirit one to another!
a. Luke 6:35 – God is KIND even towards the unthankful and evil!
b. We should be gentle and kind—even when folks don’t deserve such treatment… because that’s the way God treats us!
c. This kind of kindness and gentleness requires the power of God.
d. It is SUPERNATURAL… and hence, it sends forth a compelling witness to the power of God operating in the Body of Christ to both men and angels.
e. God’s power is so great it enables a Jew to be kind to a Gentile! A cultured Greek to be kind to a Barbarian! And you to be kind towards me… or some other Barbarian in the church!
f. Men are watching. Let’s yield ourselves to God and manifest CHRIST… not our fallen flesh!
g. Christ is in heaven and the world cannot see Him. But His Body is on earth, and they are watching. As we display His mercy and kindness… men and angels see Christ in us!
IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED… you too can experience the mercy, love, and kindness of God!
Titus 3:4-6 – But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Put on Humbleness of mind
Humbleness of Mind Defined & Described
1. Defined:
a. Ταπεινοφροσύνη – (Ta-pay-nof-ros-oonay)
• The prefix means of low not high; a low estate.
• The root is the term for “mind”…
• The entire word speaks of a lowly attitude of mind… an attitude of lowliness.
b. Strong’s: having a humble opinion of one’s self. 2a deep sense of one’s (moral) littleness. 3modesty, lowliness of mind.
c. Zodhiates: esteeming ourselves as small, which is the correct estimate of self.
d. Humbleness of mind is the attitude that ought to characterize every believer in Christ.
e. It is the RIGHT concept of oneself – for when we see ourselves before God, we are but dust… and dust has no right exalting itself before God… or other pieces of dust for that matter!
2. Christianity has a completely different mindset than the world.
a. In ancient Greek culture, humility and lowliness were considered to be terms of derision and contempt.
b. Weakness and lowliness were repulsive in Greek thought. They gloried in strength, power, and assertiveness.
c. That’s the way the world thought in Paul’s day – that was the spirit of the age… the course of this world.
d. But the Christian is not to be conformed to the world or the mindset of the world, but is to be transformed by the renewing of his mind.
e. The Christian is to separate himself from the world’s view of life, from the world’s way of thinking.
f. The believer is not to glory in that which the world glories in. We are to glory in that which God glories in.
g. God has always stood opposed to the world’s view on strength and might…
• Jer. 9:23 – Let not the mighty man glory in his might!
• Matt. 18:14 – Jesus spoke of childlike humility as the greatest quality in His kingdom. This was shocking to the culture of that day.
• The world disdained weakness, but Paul wrote, “when I am weak, then am I strong!”
• The world disdained lowliness, but God said “whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)
• Paul took the Greek term of derision and promoted it to the position of a virtue in Christian thinking.
3. Used to describe the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. Matt. 11:29 – He was lowly in heart.
• LOWLY = same word as humbleness of mind.
• His yoke was easy… (Same word as kind in Col. 3:12.)
• Christ Himself was humble. This was the character of the Man, Christ Jesus.
• Christ submitted completely to the will of His Father. He walked humbly on earth before God.
• If HE (the spotless Son of God; the God-Man) was of a humble mind and heart, then certainly WE should be!
• Note the dual command: (1) take my yoke and (2) learn of Me.
» The yoke spoke of abject subjection… complete submission to… not my will but thine be done.
» Christ challenges His followers to SUBMIT to His yoke… humble submission to His authority.
» And when we do… we will LEARN of Him.
vii. Learn = Manthano (to learn) is a form of mathetes (disciple, or learner).
» The only way we are going to LEARN of Christ (grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ) is to first SUBMIT to His yoke.
» We learn of Christ by submitting to the rigors of discipleship.
» No submission, no learning. (just head knowledge)
» And we will learn of One who is LOWLY in heart (humble).
» In other words, Christlike humility is only learned through experience… submitting to Him and being WILLING to abase oneself.
» That’s how we experience humility… and that’s how we become more like Christ… growing in His image.
• There is no true humility apart from first bowing before the Lord and yielding over our neck to the yoke of Christ…
» The yoke means the END of self-will… absolute surrender. Not my will but thine be done!
» When the animal submits to the yoke, he then has to do what the master directs him to do.
» He is no longer free to roam and wander where he wants. It is a big decision to TAKE on the yoke of Christ…
» We learn of Christ and experience humility when we SUBMIT… are teachable… able to be led by the Spirit… willing to learn… pliable… willing to place ourselves in a very vulnerable position: in the yoke of Christ.
» HE is then MASTER… LORD… in charge.
• This SHOULD BE the NORM for the believer—not just the missionary who travels to foreign lands… or the martyr who submits to the sword rather than deny Christ. This is the norm for EVERY one of us!
» Either we bow to that yoke in abject submission to Christ… or we are resisting in pride and self will… regardless of the good show we might put on.
» The opposite of bowing to the yoke, is described in the Bible in another figure: stiffnecked…
» II Chron. 30:8 – Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD.
» There are only two options:
i. Either we submit to His yoke
ii. Or, we are resisting Him and His will.
• Yieldedness to Christ’s yoke is true HUMILITY before God.
» Anything less is a false humility… an outward appearance of humility.
» But if we TRULY humble ourselves in God’s sight, then that will be manifested in humility towards one another too.
» One who sees himself as the chief of sinners… or as dust in God’s sight, isn’t going to be puffed up in the presence of another sinner!
» True humility is LEARNED behavior. It doesn’t come naturally. It isn’t genetic. It is learned… and we learn it by practice… bowing to Christ’s yoke!
» THEN and only then we learn of the One who is lowly in heart… and we will be transformed into His image.
b. Phil. 2:6-8 – Christ humbled Himself… even to the point of the humiliating death of the cross!
• Vs. 6 – Christ in His inner essence was DIVINE.
• Yet this was not something He felt he had to hold on to. He was willing to let go of the outward display of His divine glory for a time… that He might become a man.
• He made Himself of no reputation – He emptied Himself of all self-interest for the good of others.
• He humbled Himself as an act of obedience to His Father’s will… even to the death of the cross.
• That is the ultimate in submission to a yoke… willing to submit regardless of the personal price…
• The incarnation is the ultimate example of selfless humility… Christ humbled Himself… made Himself lowly… from glory to a dirty manger stall.
c. Phil. 2:7 – He became a servant of men…
• Matt. 20:28 – Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
• John 13:1-10 – Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. His earthly station as teacher was laid aside, and He demonstrated humble service to His disciples.
4. Col. 2:18, 23 – it is often artificially contrived by the religious crowd and false teachers.
a. Paul warned of a false humility.
b. Jesus warned of the same thing—folks who disfigured their faces to make themselves LOOK like they were fasting… poor… contrite… devout… etc.
c. We too can put on a phony facade of humility when we try to APPEAR to be poor, lowly, humble…
d. A worthy walk is characterized by genuine, not phony humility!
5. Humility is often misunderstood and mistreated.
a. Jesus suffered reproach because He humbled Himself and because of His humble position in the world.
• Christ humbled Himself and became a man… born to a poor family…
• His lowly birth and background did not go unnoticed by the proud religious leaders who heard His claims of being Messiah.
• Mark 6:3 – Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
• John 9:29 – We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
• The religious leaders of His day thought just like the world and assumed that nothing good could come from a poor little back country town in Galilee.
b. We too may suffer when genuine humility is exhibited in our lives.
• People will take advantage of those who are genuinely humble. Let them. Suffer yourselves to be defrauded.
• The world glories in self assertiveness and taking care of number one…
• Those who are genuinely humble sometimes get trampled over in the world… and don’t always make it up as far on the social ladder.
• When your life is characterized by esteeming others better than yourself, you don’t always succeed in business or in politics or in other endeavors… (There are exceptions… but few.)
• When you in humility turn the other cheek, you run the risk of having that cheek slapped too.
• When you in humility esteem others better than yourself, some folks will take you up on that.
• In other words, there is often a price to pay in demonstrating humility.
• But GENUINE humility is willing to stick its neck out anyway… even if there is a good chance of getting it chopped off!
• It is costly to follow the example of Christ’s selfless humility… in putting others before oneself.
• It may cost us down here on earth, but in doing so, we are heaping up treasures in heaven!
• That’s the price of investing in our eternal future. It costs us reproach on earth for a time, but it pays eternal dividends in glory.
6. It is essential for the unity of the Body of Christ.
a. Eph. 4:2 – lowliness characterizes a worthy walk.
• In other words, where there is NO humility, our walk is UNWORTHY of our high calling (vocation) in Christ!
• We have been called out of the world and INTO Christ… and are seated with Him in heaven positionally.
• Our new life is hidden away in heaven with Christ… that is the source (or should be) of our earthly lives.
• Could you imagine a sinner saved by grace standing up before God’s throne and exalting himself… boasting of his goodness or accomplishments?
• It would be so out of place… not fitting one in that heavenly position… unworthy behavior for a saint.
• From God’s perspective, it is just as unworthy for fallen flesh like ourselves to exalt self on earth.
• A walk worthy of one’s high calling in Christ is a lowly walk… walking humbly with God.
b. Rom. 12:16 – condescend to men of “low estate” (root word – without the word for “mind”.)
• Condescend does not mean to be condescending and to treat others as lowly… by patronizing and being snobbish!
• The Greek word means to be carried away with something… and is used here in the sense of being caught up with humility… let humility move you… change you… cultivating humility.
c. How appropriate for the cultured Greeks to practice with respect to the relatively uncivilized Barbarians and Scythians!
d. Men in the local church today come from all different social levels too… but those all disappear in the Body of Christ!
e. The rich, educated, and powerful are to condescend—put themselves on the same level as those who do NOT enjoy their privileged earthly position. But they DO share the same heavenly position in Christ.
f. Phil. 2:3 –lowliness of mind.
• It is the opposite of vainglory – glorying in self.
• It esteems others better than self
• Lowly thinking isn’t anything like the mind of the world. It is “the mind of Christ.” (vs. 5)
• Let this MIND be in you! A command.
• Be CLOTHED with this mind of humility… put it on!
vi. It is an expression of godliness… an evidence of growing in the knowledge of Christ… and into His image.
Putting on Humbleness of Mind
1. I Peter 5:5 – be clothed with humility.
a. This is essentially the same command as Paul gives in Col. 3:12, Put on humbleness of mind!
b. It takes conscious effort on our part to put on humility. It does not come naturally.
c. PRIDE comes naturally. Humility does not.
d. Mohammed Ali used to say, “It’s hard to be humble when you’re the greatest!”
e. It IS hard to be humble… because it is our nature to be the opposite.
f. However, humility is the CLOTHING God wants His children to wear.
g. This is what makes a Christian look good in God’s sight—not beautiful earthly clothes… but heavenly virtue.
• The world glories in strength, wisdom, and riches. They robe themselves in the garments of earthly glory—and from earth’s perspective, they think it makes them look good! They try to impress one another with such beautiful garments.
• God’s people are to glory in humility… that is the garment that makes the new man in Christ look good from heaven’s perspective!
2. Abasing Oneself
a. Rom. 12:3 – not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. (soberly)
b. When we compare ourselves to other men we might exalt ourselves (if we carefully select the men to whom we compare ourselves… and carefully select the criteria for comparison).
c. But when we compare ourselves to God—we are abased!
• Gen. 18:27 – Abraham saw himself as dust and ashes before God.
• Luke 5:8 – Peter saw himself as a sinful man before Christ.
• I Tim. 1:15 – Paul—the chief of sinners.
• Judges 6:15 – Gideon: Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
• These were men who knew how to humble themselves before God.
• They did not think of themselves more highly than they ought… but they thought SOBERLY of themselves.
• Sober: sane, of sound judgment, moderation, – it speaks of a healthy balanced view of oneself.
• As Christians we should see ourselves as sinners, but sinners eternally saved by grace!
• We should see ourselves as but dust and clay… an old clay pot… but a clay pot in which Christ lives!
• We should see ourselves as men and women with a vile sinful nature…
• We should see ourselves as defiled and fallen creatures, but fallen creatures that are in the process of being renewed into the image of Christ!
3. If we see our real life as hidden with Christ in heaven, then our earthly circumstances (rich or poor; president or chimney sweep) will seem comparatively insignificant.
a. How could we be proud of an earthly house, when we are seated in heaven?
b. How can we think we are important, when we see ourselves as seated before the throne of God? etc.
4. Heavenly mindedness always results in humility with respect to our earthly situation. It puts everything into proper focus.
a. That’s why Paul begins this section by saying, “Set your affection on things above!”
b. Viewing life on earth from heaven’s vantage point puts the chimney sweep and the President on the same footing.
5. The OLD proud man we were in Adam died.
a. That old man—the one who thought he was so important, good looking, intelligent, powerful, popular… the one who gloried in his position at work… his fancy house… and who reveled in his bank account. He died.
b. We put on humbleness of mind when we RECKON that to be so… NOT by trying to ACT humble…
c. By FAITH we believe what God said… and yield our necks to God’s yoke… and GENUINE, Spirit wrought humility will be evidenced in our lives… not forced and phony… but genuine fruit of the Spirit.
6. How could anyone who is genuinely dwelling in the heavenlies, ever glory in earthly “things”?
a. How could anyone whose treasures are in heaven glory in his earthly riches?
b. How could anyone who experiences the resurrection power of God glory in his earthly, physical might? (A 1000 years is a day with the Lord… from that perspective, how strong will you be in three hours from now?)
c. When we see ourselves IN CHRIST… on equal footing with our brethren, there is no room for PRIDE over position. Our position in Him is ALL of grace.
d. There is no room for exalting self above another in Christ.
e. It must have been quite humbling for the sophisticated Greeks too learn that in Christ they are on equal footing with the Barbarians… or the slave masters to realize that in God’s sight their slaves were on equal footing with them…
f. But regardless of what conditions on earth might have been, they were to BELIEVE what God said… there IS no difference between Jew and Gentile, red, yellow, black, or white… rich or poor!
God Knows How to Humble Proud Flesh
1. Nebuchadnezzar in the hanging gardens of Babylon (Dan.4:30-33)
a. Nebuchadnezzar engaged his country in massive building projects… for which he took all the glory.
b. God smote with him insanity… and he was cast out of the throne to the ground… and lived like an animal for 7 years… until he was humbled and acknowledged the God of heaven. (vs. 34-35)
c. God knows how to knock us down off our high horse too! He knows how to ABASE those who exalt themselves.
2. Paul’s thorn in the flesh (II Cor. 12:7-10)
a. Paul was smitten with a thorn in the flesh to PREVENT him from becoming proud.
b. He prayed 3 times for it to be removed, but God’s answer was NO each time.
c. This physical affliction was designed to KEEP Paul humble, and thus a useful vessel in God’s hand.
d. Paul learned to GLORY in his weakness and infirmity… in being LOWLY… for then was he STRONG spiritually.
e. Remaining LOWLY in the sight of God and men facilitates the believer to be more TRUSTING in God’s power… and therein is the source of his real strength.
f. Spiritual strength and power come from being made low… and remaining there!
g. God used affliction to KEEP Paul humble and thus useful.
3. Children of Israel in the wilderness. (Deut. 8:16-18)
a. God led them out of Egypt, (by God’s might), and eventually INTO the Promised Land to give them victory over their enemies (by God’s might) into a land flowing with milk and honey.
b. And lest they should be puffed up in pride, God HUMBLED them in the wilderness through affliction. (vs. 16)
• He humbled them to PROVE them (test).
• Would they walk in humble obedience or would they lift up themselves in pride and independence of God?
c. Vs. 17 – God was well aware of the influence of Egypt in their hearts… worldly thinking… it’s human nature!
• Imagine the audacity of a people who saw what Israel saw (Red Sea; walls of Jericho; defeat of Canaanites; etc.) and puff themselves up as if it were their might, skill, and wisdom that accomplished it all?
• That’s the way the world thinks. Men take all the glory to themselves.
• Whatever is accomplished, God is left out and self is exalted.
• We are SO inclined to lift ourselves up in pride…
• And God is STILL ABLE to abase all human pride.
• God spent 40 years of Israel’s history in the wilderness humbling this proud people.
vii. God knew how to humble that generation of proud men.
viii. He knows how to humble you and me too. If it takes 40 years, so be it.
• God will get His way in the end. Proud flesh will not be allowed to exalt itself forever.
d. Fleshly pride is nauseating to God.
• Prov. 25:27 – It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory. (What is the connection between the two sides of this proverb? They are both sickening and could make you vomit!)
• Luke 18:14 – the proud Pharisee would one day be abased by God Himself… if not in this life, in the life to come. It is the spirit of that proud man that God especially hates… corrupting, rotten flesh exalting itself in the sight of an infinitely holy God!
• And He doesn’t think any more highly of the nauseating pride in my life or yours!
4. God resists the proud. (Jas. 4:6)
a. Resists: to arrange; To set an army in array against, to set oneself in opposition to or in array against, to resist.
b. Present tense – continual opposition on the part of God.
c. When we take our head out of God’s yoke, and attempt to push our own agenda forward in pride, we will discover we are pushing against God Himself… and if God be against us, look out!
d. Almighty God and the armies of heaven are set in battle formation against us… and we will never win that conflict.
e. We can fight against Him for the next 50 years if we so chose, but it is a losing battle.
f. God wants us to surrender… submit… humble ourselves before Him… before His authority… before His Word.
g. THEN we shall be strong spiritually… and not a second before.
h. Is there some area of your life where you have not surrendered over to the Lord? Are we still stiffnecked? Unsubmissive? Proud and independent?
i. It makes so much sense to surrender to Him… it is such reasonable service to present our bodies to Him…
j. It is so foolish to continue flattering self into thinking that self can win in a battle against God…
k. If God has pricked your heart about some area where you need to humble yourself before Him—today is the day to wave the white flag… to surrender to Christ… to humble self before Him.
l. Quit behaving like the proud, arrogant, self willed, defiant old man that you were in Adam, and start behaving like the new man in Christ… like Christ Himself: who humbled Himself for us and became a servant of men!
m. God knows how to humble us, but He would much prefer that we humble ourselves before He has to!
n. Put on humbleness of mind.
God Knows How to Exalt the Humble
1. Jas. 4:10 – God lifts up the humble…
a. Lift up = To heighten, raise high, elevate
b. The world says we need more self-esteem.
c. God says the opposite. We need to humble ourselves, and allow GOD to lift us up!
d. I Peter 5:6 – God will exalt you in due time. (Maybe not today, but in His good time! That’s a promise)
2. Jas. 4:6 – God gives grace to the humble… (present tense)
a. Grace from God doesn’t come our way by standing tall and beating our chests about all of our good deeds and accomplishments.
b. Grace comes from God to those who bow down low before Him…
c. Ps. 138:6 – though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
d. Isa. 66:2 – but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
e. Isa. 57:15 – For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
3. Summary: Which would you rather have?
a. God regarding your cause? God showing respect to you and your condition? God dwelling with you?
b. OR God and the hosts of heaven arranged in battle array to oppose your pride and resist your every move?
c. Then put on humbleness of mind! Bow before Him lowly… bend the knee… submit to His yoke… even if it involves eating some distasteful humble pie…
d. And you will discover that His yoke is easy… less harsh than life apart from God’s fellowship!
e. You will discover God’s grace in your life… He will lift you up… if you will bow down before Him.
IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED… you need to come to Christ first as Savior.
Matt. 11:28-29
It is humbling to acknowledge that we are sinners; unable to save ourselves; spiritually destitute apart from God; and in NEED of a Savior.
But believe God, and COME to the Savior.
He will give you eternal life.
Put on Meekness
Context:
1. Paul has been exhorting the believers in Colossae to a worthy walk on the BASIS of their worthy position in Christ.
2. He reminded them that their old man has already been PUT OFF the moment they trusted Christ (3:9).
3. He reminds them that the new man has already been PUT ON the moment they trusted Christ (3:10).
4. Then, on that basis, he proceeds to encourage them to PUT ON for themselves garments FITTING such a glorious new position.
a. They themselves were to PUT OFF the old, dirty clothes they used to wear (vs. 8-9a)
b. They were also to PUT ON new, clean clothing fitting for a new man in Christ (vs. 12…)
c. In the last few weeks in Colossians we discussed putting on kindness, mercy, and humbleness of mind.
d. This morning we want to consider the exhortation to put on meekness… another fresh, clean article of clothing worthy of a new creature in Christ.
Meekness Described & Defined
A. Meekness Defined
1. Strong’s: gentleness, mildness,
2. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: “mild and gentle friendliness,” is the opposite of roughness, of bad temper, or of sudden anger.
3. Zodhiates:
a. Not in a man’s outward behavior only, nor in his relations to his fellow man or his mere natural disposition.
b. Rather, it is an inwrought grace of the soul, and the expressions of it are primarily toward God.
c. It is a condition of mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness, but in power. It is a balance born in strength of character.
4. Trench: That temper of spirit in which we accept God’s dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting.
5. Meekness is NOT the result of weakness.
a. We often think of meekness as a Melba Milk toast kind of temperament… someone who is overly shy, timid, afraid to speak up, afraid of his own shadow, soft spoken, bashful, inhibited, and introverted. That is NOT the meaning of this term.
b. In fact, meekness is strength under control! Meekness is not weakness. It is an inner strength of character that enables a person to restrain self.
c. Example: A soft answer turns away wrath.
• A weak person gives a soft answer out of fear, intimidation, shyness, or even cowardice. His soft answer is due to personal weakness. He is spineless.
• A meek person gives a soft answer out of strength. He possesses the boldness, and the strength to retort sharply, but out of strength of character, he chooses NOT to. He CHOOSES to answer softly… His softness is strength under control.
• Outwardly, a weak person and a meek person might appear to be the same, but they are not.
• Unfortunately, we usually judge by outward appearance. God sees the heart… the inner man.
6. II Tim. 2:24-25 – (compare gentle and meekness) –
a. Expositors says that gentle (vs. 24) implies gentleness in outward demeanor.
b. Meekness (vs. 25) speaks of a gentleness of inward disposition.
c. Of course it is possible to have a meek and gentle OUTWARD demeanor, and to be snarling and resisting on the inside… not a meek disposition.
d. Just as there can be a false humility, there is also a false meekness… that is on the outside only and does not correspond to a gentle, meekness on the inside. That is hypocrisy… a façade.
e. Think of the sweet little old lady who has such a meek way about her… but on the inside she roars in defiance against God!
f. Then there is the case of the rough and brazen truck driver with a gravely voice and coarse mannerisms… but he MELTS in submission whenever God’s Word speaks to his heart! No one would ever think of this guy as being meek… but God does. It is the inward work of the Holy Spirit, not a natural temperament.
g. Or the case of the loud talkative woman with a naturally loud voice and loud laugh whose natural temperament is not at all shy.
• She is often criticized by the ladies in the church because she doesn’t fit their concept of a “meek and quiet spirit.”
• But a meek and quiet spirit does not refer to a NATURAL temperament… or personality… but the inward spirit—that God conscious part of man.
• A meek and quiet spirit is what she is before GOD, not men.
• That same woman who seems so bold and loud before men may like the truck driver absolutely MELT before God… bow in surrender to Him and His Word… meekly willing to receive His correction… His instruction… His will.
• That’s meekness. It is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, a gentle spirit that bows before God… not a natural disposition or temperament before men.
• A woman who outwardly speaks with a quiet tone of voice to men, and has a naturally meek temperament may be anything BUT meek on the inside!
• Don’t judge a book by its cover. Don’t confuse natural temperament with supernatural fruit of the Spirit.
• Many unsaved folks have the natural temperament of what we call meekness… not one ounce of which was produce by the Holy Spirit.
• God sees the heart and HE alone is the Judge of who is and who is not MEEK before Him.
7. Gal. 5:23 – it is the fruit of the Spirit.
a. Meekness is not something that we can conjure up ourselves.
b. It is NOT a personality trait… it’s not a natural temperament of an individual.
c. In our flesh dwells no good thing…
d. It is supernatural… the work of GOD in our hearts.
e. Only a Spirit filled believer can be MEEK in this sense.
f. Every other form of meekness (in the eyes of the world) is man made… the work of the religious and moral flesh, but NOT the work of God.
g. True meekness is the work of the Holy Spirit reproducing the life and character of Christ in and through us… it is HIS meekness manifested in our mortal bodies!
h. It has nothing to do with personality or natural temperament.
i. That’s how we usually judge meekness—by that which is outward—when true meekness is inward before God.
j. Meekness is not a quality we should try to conjure up in the flesh. Rather, it is what the Holy Spirit will produce in us as we yield to Him.
k. When it is genuine, it is the fruit of the SPIRIT, not the fruit of our own efforts.
l. All the flesh can produce is an superficial outward show of meekness in the sight of men…
The Meekness of Christ
A. Meekness Before the Father
1. Matt. 11:29 – Jesus was MEEK and lowly in heart (same two terms as Paul uses in Col. 3:12 – humbleness of mind and meekness).
2. Matt. 21:5 – He presented Himself as Messiah in meekness.
a. It was predicted that when the Messiah came, it would be in meekness… not in a violent revolution… not with an army poised for war…
b. He stood in stark contrast to the Zealots of the first century.
c. He could easily have come with the armies of heaven and waged a war… but He chose to come in meekness.
3. Matt. 5:3 – He taught about the blessedness of meekness as a quality of life that should characterize those who anticipated the coming Kingdom: Blessed are the meek.
a. Just as Jesus taught that childlike humility is greatness in the coming Kingdom.
b. Here He teaches that meekness is blessed in the kingdom… and is a quality of life that will characterize the godly in the coming Kingdom.
c. Paul tells us in Colossians that we too as Christians should value and PUT ON meekness!
4. Remember the definition of meekness:
a. It is an inwrought grace of the soul, a gentleness primarily toward God.
b. It is the acceptance of God’s dealings with us.
c. Meekness is strength under control! Meekness is not weakness.
5. Christ was meek before His Father… and meekly surrendered Himself to His Father’s will… regardless of the cost.
a. John 18:3-13a – Perhaps the best example of meekness is found in the account of the Lord Jesus being taken away by the Roman soldiers.
• His was infinite strength under control.
• He spoke and the soldiers fell to the crowd.
• He could have called 10,000 angels.
• He didn’t put up a fight. The only one he opposed was Peter who was trying to fight the soldiers.
• In meekness Christ surrendered to the soldiers, but NOT because He was weak or overpowered, but because He was inwardly surrendered to His Father’s will.
• It was His Father’s will for Him to be taken away to suffer the awful death of the cross.
• Christ did not go kicking and screaming.
• He did not put up a fight.
• He restrained His infinite power and willingly gave Himself over to the soldiers—in pure meekness.
b. Isa. 53:7 – He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
• Before the judges, Christ opened not His mouth—not because He couldn’t think of anything to say… or because He was afraid to speak up! He opened not His mouth in meekness… because He knew they would not hear… and because He knew the cross was His Father’s will.
• Christ was omnipotent, yet He willingly allowed mere mortals to lead Him to the slaughter of the cross.
• He went with these soldiers, not because He lacked the strength, opportunity, or ability to escape… but He in meekness RESTRAINED omnipotence for the good of others.
• He restrained omnipotence because He fully accepted the circumstances as being ordained of the Father.
• Are we meek? DO we accept the circumstances of life God has put on our plate?
c. I Peter 2:21-23 – Christ’s example of meekness.
• He did not sin, and was suffering for righteousness sake.
• He was reviled (reproached) and suffered… yet in perfect control… He restrained his power to strike back… that’s meekness.
• He is our example of meekness too.
• The next time someone strikes out at you… remember meekness.
• The next time someone lashes out at you with their tongue… open not your mouth…
• The next time someone seeks to draw you into an argument… be conscious of God… and in meekness surrender to God’s will…
• Any fool can strike back.
• But it takes strength of character—an inner Holy Spirit produces strength to restrain the power of the fist or the tongue… and respond in a soft answer.
d. Remember the definitions of meekness:
• It is a condition of mind and heart, which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness, but in power.
• That temper of spirit in which accepts God’s dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting.
• The next time God allows unpleasant circumstances for you to have to deal with… accept God’s will in meekness… thank Him for what He seeks to do IN you through it… and surrender like putty in His hands.
• That is true strength of character…
• Oh that that kind of meekness would be seen in us!
• This is the work of the Holy Spirit that should characterize our lives as we, like branches, abide in Christ the Vine.
• HIS character will be manifested through us…
• More like the Savior, I would ever be. More of His meekness, more humility!
e. Christ was the perfect example of meekness… a meekness before His Father and His Father’s will for His life.
B. BOLDNESS toward men.
1. Examples:
a. Matt. 3:7 – He stingingly called the Pharisees “vipers.”
b. Matt. 23:13 – He referred to the religious leaders as hypocrites.
c. John 2:15 – and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables.
d. John 8:44 – He said of the religious leaders: Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do!
e. When it came to accepting abuse against Himself, he meekly submitted. But He boldly stood up for His Father’s house… and the truth.
2. Christ was always meek before His Father… He was putty in His Father’s hands. But He was not always meek towards men.
a. And that is the way we should be too.
3. Meekness towards God is a fruit of the Spirit.
a. Spirit filled men will always be meek towards God and His will.
b. Spirit filled men will always meekly submit to the circumstances of life God has ordained for us… as Christ did to His… even to the death of the cross.
4. But Spirit filled men are NOT always meek towards men.
a. Acts 4:8-13 – In fact, Spirit filled men prayed and God granted them BOLDNESS towards men! Peter was BOLD towards men.
b. Acts 4:29-31 – they prayed for boldness towards men and God granted it to them!
5. There are times to be meek towards men and there are times when boldness is needed.
a. But we should ALWAYS be meek towards God.
b. Christ was meek towards His Father’s will… and bold towards men. So were His students… the disciples.
When Meekness is Especially Needed in Our Lives
Introduction:
1. The Bible uses the term “meekness” in several different contexts, and each context gives us a different REALM in which meekness is needed.
2. There are 5 specific circumstances in which meekness needs to be displayed. We will see how many we can look at this morning.
A. When facing conviction from God.
1. Jas. 1:21 – We are to be MEEK when confronted directly by the Word of God.
a. James says that we are to receive the Word of God with all meekness.
b. Reading God’s Word daily puts us in contact with God and His will daily.
c. Sometimes the light of God’s Word shines in our hearts and points out the dirt.
d. Meekness RESPONDS to God’s Word in humble submission… with no arguments and no excuses.
e. Sometimes a message from God’s Word in Sunday school or in the church services… or on the radio might prick your heart and call attention to an area that needs change.
f. Meekness is an inner attitude of gentleness towards God… no resistance… no battle… no struggle… just meekly RECEIVING the Word.
g. Meekly receiving the Word causes this response: Yes, Lord.
2. Sometimes God uses His Word directly to speak to us, and sometimes He uses people to speak to our hearts…
a. However God chooses to speak to us, He expects us to RECEIVE His word in all meekness…
b. Consider the example of David…
• David was a brave soldier… a mighty warrior, but he was MEEK before God.
• This doesn’t mean that David was perfect or sinless… but when he DID sin, he responded in meekness to the Word of God.
• He received the Word in all meekness.
3. II Sam. 16:11 – David dealt with INSULT in meekness.
a. II Sam. 16:5-8 – SHIMEI insults the king publicly and throws stones at him!
b. Shimei was a Benjamite – the tribe of king Saul.
c. The nation had experienced a bloody civil war… and this man cannot accept the fact that David will reign as king.
d. He comes running alongside the king, insulting him and hurling stones… a form of suicide.
e. Vs. 9- one of David’s soldiers awaits instruction to cut off his head.
f. David had plenty of power to kill this man… but restrained himself…
g. David put the whole situation in perspective. He knew the frustration of this man…
h. David also recognized the voice of God in this man’s cursing… to humble David…
i. David saw God working in his life through this whole situation… and didn’t want to hinder God’s work.
j. David meekly submitted to God’s dealing with him in his life.
k. And how many other times did David have the POWER to lash out at his enemies, but in meekness he restrained his power… that’s meekness!
l. How do WE respond to rebuke from God? Do WE listen? Do WE meekly submit to His working in our lives through insult?
m. OR do we demonstrate a weakness of character and lash out at those who insult us?
4. I Sam. 24:3-7 – David meekly refuses to seek REVENGE.
a. Consider Saul in the cave at Addulam.
b. Saul entered the cave alone… a cave in which David and his men were hiding!
c. Vs. 4 – David’s bodyguards were drooling over the opportunity kill Saul.
d. Then David, at their coaxing, cut a button off Saul’s garment… without Saul knowing it.
e. Vs. 5 – But even this tiny act caused David to be convicted… because he was MEEK before God… and thus sensitive to God and God’s Word.
f. God’s Word said NOT to seek the harm of the Lord’s anointed… one ruling in the position of King…
g. David COULD have killed the man who was seeking to kill him, and would have been justified in the eyes of men.
h. But in meekness before God, he submitted to God’s will. “I will not touch the Lord’s anointed.”
i. That is pure meekness… power under control!
j. It is the strength of character that refuses to seek revenge.
5. I Sam. 25:13-17 – David demonstrated meekness in controlling his ANGER.
a. After David and his men risked their lives to protect the region, the fool Nabal would not help him or his soldiers.
b. Nabal insulted the king and his men. (vs. 10-11)
c. At first, David was not very meek. He was furious and ready to fight. (vs. 21-22)
d. Then Abigail explained to David that Nabal was a fool… a man cannot speak to him.? (vs. 25, 28-31)
e. Neither Nabal NOR David showed meekness at first.
f. But at least David was willing to listen, give up his anger and pride, and meekly submit to the wisdom of Abigail. (vs. 32-35)
g. He had the power to destroy Nabal—and in the eyes of most men, justification for it.
h. But David was meek before God… he restrained his strength for the glory of God.
i. David began to become angry… but restrained his anger in meekness to the wisdom of God that came to him through Abigail.
j. David did not want to tarnish the reputation of God…
k. In meekness, he humbled himself, changed his mind, admitted before his men he was wrong, and demonstrated meekness… the POWER to restrain anger.
l. A soft answer turns away wrath. But it takes strength to respond with a soft answer.
m. Do WE have the inner Holy Spirit produced strength to restrain anger? Even when we think our anger is justified?
6. II Sam. 12:13 – David deals with the embarrassment of being CAUGHT IN SIN in meekness.
a. David had clearly sinned against God. He committed adultery with Bathsheba.
b. For over a year, God was dealing with David… making life miserable for him. (That’s what happens when a son of God disobeys his heavenly Father!)
c. God sent the prophet Nathan to David with a message to convict his heart: THOU art the man.
d. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD.”
e. David meekly submitted to God’s dealing with him concerning his sin with Bathsheba.
f. He did not make excuses. He did not seek to justify himself.
g. As king he could easily have had the prophet executed. Other kings did! (Ahab had Michaiah put in prison!)
h. Not David. He opened not his mouth except to say, “I have sinned.”
i. In meekness, he received the Word… even though it brought great conviction and grief to his heart.
j. He accepted God’s prophetic word against him. That’s meekness.
k. David, who was bold as a lion before Goliath, was MEEK as a lamb before his God.
l. When God’s Word came to David, he melted. That’s meekness.
m. Meekness is needed in receiving God’s Word.
• Sometimes it HURTS… it is painful to see ourselves as God sees us… in all our sin.
• But God resists the proud who refuse to acknowledge their sin.
• But He does lift up the meek and humble.
• Meekness is greatness in the Kingdom of Christ. It is not considered greatness in the kingdoms of the world today… but it SHOULD be considered great among God’s people in the church today!
7. It takes great strength of character… to demonstrate meekness in the face of insult, rebuke, situations where we might otherwise seek revenge, circumstances that arouse anger in us.
a. This kind of inner strength will never come to us by mere human effort.
b. It is our NATURE to lash back… with our fist or our tongue… or to hold grudges… or to become bitter… cold and hard.
c. But when we yield to God… surrender to Him and His will, the Holy Spirit will produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives: meekness!
d. When that is the case, we are growing in the knowledge of Christ… more like our Savior.
e. He was meek and lowly in heart… when insulted in evilly treated, He opened not His mouth. He had the power to lash back… but submitted to His Father’s will…
f. May we all be more like the Savior… more of His meekness, more humility.
IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED…
1. Come to the One who is meek and lowly in heart, and He will give you rest… the rest of eternal life! (Matt. 11:29)
B. The tragedy of a man without meekness before God.
1. A man who cannot control his strength is weak indeed! (Prov. 25:28… no rule over his own spirit…)
C. When facing opposition to doctrine.
1. II Tim. 2:25 – teachers are to instruct those who oppose in meekness.
2. In the Lord’s work, in the local church, there will be from time to time, those who oppose the teaching of Scriptures… this doctrine or that doctrine.
3. Paul writes to Timothy to warn him to instruct those folks in MEEKNESS.
a. Paul also said, “?These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” (Titus 2:15)
b. Lest Timothy, functioning as a pastor in Ephesus should take this as a green light to be pushy, demanding, abrasive, and rude in dealing with those who oppose, Paul tells Timothy to instruct in MEEKNESS.
c. The scene Paul describes here seems to be a one-on-one situation… not preaching before a congregation.
d. If an individual doesn’t want to listen to the truth, increasing the volume doesn’t help.
e. Insulting the PERSON doesn’t help. Ridiculing his beliefs doesn’t help.
f. Truth doesn’t need our help. Just teach it… in a Christlike spirit of gentleness and meekness.
g. The power is the WORD of God, not in the presentation.
4. I have heard fundamentalists teach in an abrasive manner… rudely ridiculing the opposition… attacking their character… etc.
a. We need to point out error.
b. We need to point out those promoting error.
c. But the MANNER in which it is done is also important.
d. In MEEKNESS instructing those who oppose.
e. Don’t argue. Don’t fight. Don’t be abusive or abrasive.
f. In teaching God’s Word, we are to be gentlemanly and courteous.
g. In attempting to communicate truth, our BEHAVIOR and DEMEANOR are important parts of that communication process.
h. Speak the truth, but speak the truth in love… and in meekness.
• Some weeks back there was a radical group of protesters from a church in Kansas that came to Massachusetts to protest the marriage.
• While their message had an element of truth in it, their outlandish approach undermined the message they tried to communicate.
• They spoke the truth, but were a disgrace to the cause of Christ. (shouting; insulting; using derogatory, offensive, inflammatory terms, etc.)
• They certainly were NOT instructing the opposition in meekness!
D. When facing believers in need of rebuke.
1. II Cor. 10:1 – Paul exhorted the Corinthians in the MEEKNESS of Christ.
a. Christ’s meekness in Paul was expressed to those in Corinth who needed rebuke.
b. Paul had some difficult issues to deal with in Corinth.
c. Vs. 2 – He besought them (to make a request, ask as an inferior of a superior). The great apostle humbly and meekly pleaded with them to repent…
d. He much preferred meekness over the rod.
2. I Cor. 4:21 – What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
a. Paul asked them to think about the manner in which he should approach them as their apostle: with a rod or in meekness?
b. Obviously, they would prefer meekness. So would Paul.
c. Note also that he possessed the strength, boldness, and authority to use the rod.
d. Meekness was strength under control.
e. Paul meekly sought to restrain the use of the rod… he sought to restrain the application of his apostolic authority.
f. He never sought to throw his weight around. “Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.” (I Thess. 2:6) That’s meekness.
g. Admittedly, sometimes I get frustrated with people. You FEEL like using a 2×4 on the back of somebody’s head. But Christlike meekness is a much more godly and effective approach.
3. Gal. 6:1 – since it is a fruit of the Spirit, it enables the Christian to correct the erring brother without arrogance, impatience, or anger.
a. Paul speaks of a situation where a brother has been overtaken in a fault… a sin.
b. This is not a premeditated plan, but rather an instance where the brother, in a moment of spiritual weakness, let his guard down, and stumbled into sin.
c. Those who are spiritually minded are to come to the aid of that brother… and RESTORE him. (Mend as a broken limb or a broken net.)
d. Paul emphasizes the ATTITUDE that should characterize a Spirit filled man: meekness!
e. The restoration process is to occur in an atmosphere of meekness… the spiritually strong brother realizing—but for the grace of God, there go I!
f. He is not to beat up the brother, scold, ridicule, or kick. He is to restore… and to do so in meekness!
g. There might be a lot of things you COULD say… there may be a lot of verses you COULD use to really make him feel bad…
h. If the brother WANTS to be restored, you don’t threaten him with the rod.
i. The purpose is not to keep him down. The purpose is to build him up… to restore such a one!
j. But restoration and help can be offered in a variety of atmospheres: coldness (I told you so!)… guilt (thou shalt not!)… OR in meekness (You know brother, I used to have the same sin problem… and here’s how the Lord gave me victory…)
E. When facing persecution from the world
1. I Pet. 3:14-15 – even in times of persecution, we are to answer our persecutors in meekness.
a. When persecution strikes, our natural inclination is to strike back… or to cower away in fear.
b. Peter tells us to do neither.
c. We are NOT to fear or cower before our adversaries. They were not to be troubled.
d. Nor are we to strike back in defiance.
e. Rather, we are to demonstrate meekness and fear: before God.
• And remember – they were specifically told NOT to fear men.
• But they were to fear God… and to be meek before God.
• In boldness they were to speak up before men at the appropriate time.
• Meekness before God—receiving His Word—would give them boldness before men.
f. Meekness before God… and appropriate boldness before men is part of our witness for Christ.
F. When facing an unsaved spouse
1. I Pet. 3:4 – a meek and quiet spirit should characterize the godly woman.
2. Notice that the woman’s adornment is a meek and quiet spirit… (not necessarily a quiet voice)… but the INNER MAN of the heart is MEEK.
a. Her CLOTHING is meekness…
b. She is to PUT ON the garment of meekness… and wear it around the house.
c. Her beauty does not lie in her outward appearance so much as her inner beauty: a meek and quiet spirit.
d. And note also that Peter says this meekness and quietness is a beauty “in God’s sight” of great price.
e. A woman who is MEEK before God will be submissive before her husband… and loving, gracious, and will show him reverence.
f. A woman with a meek and quiet spirit knows how to be still before God… she has learned to be still and know that HE is God… and that God can do ANYTHING.
g. In that condition she is best suited to deal with her husband… and perhaps lead him to the Lord… as he is attracted to her inner beauty…
G. When facing daily life! Meekness should characterize the Christian life.
1. Eph. 4:2 – it is characteristic of a worthy walk.
2. Titus 3:2 – meekness is to be shown towards ALL men… (since we are to be filled with the Spirit at all times)
3. I Tim. 6:11 – meekness is to be pursued by the man of God.
4. Jas. 3:13 – our works should be characterized by “meekness of wisdom.”
H. The tragedy of a man without meekness before God.
1. A man who cannot control his strength is weak indeed! (Prov. 25:28… no rule over his own spirit…)
Put on Longsuffering and Forbearance
Introduction:
Paul has told us that our old man is dead and that we are to PUT OFF the dirty garments that we used to wear.
Then he tells us that we are now a new man in Christ. Therefore, we are to PUT ON new, clean clothing fitting for our new position in Christ.
This morning we want to look at two more articles of clothing mentioned in vs. 12: longsuffering and forbearing.
PUT ON LONGSUFFERING
A. The Term μακροθυμία
1. Long + wrath – some have called this term long fused… one who goes a long time before blowing up! (Don’t be short fused!)
2. It is the opposite of one who is easily irritated, irascible, hot tempered, testy…
3. Zodhiates: long–suffering, self–restraint before proceeding to action.
4. Dictionary of Bible Languages: Calm patience.
5. According to Trench (Synonyms of the New Testament, 189), the difference between hupomone (“patience”) and makrothumia is that makrothumia expresses patience in respect to persons, and hupomene in respect to things or circumstances. (that rule doesn’t always hold however…)
6. It refers to one who restrains wrath and anger.
7. It is self-control—only self-control in a specific area: anger!
8. James 1:19 describes this concept in his command: Be slow to wrath!
B. God’s Supernatural Work in Us
1. Ex. 34:6 – it is God’s character to be longsuffering. (Num. 14:18)
a. The longsuffering that God wants manifested in our lives flows from who HE is!
b. We are to be holy, because HE is holy!
c. We are to love one another, because HE is love.
d. We are to be longsuffering with one another and with circumstances in our lives because HE is longsuffering.
e. This is what it means to be godly… being LIKE God!
2. Joel 2:13 – And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
a. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the words “slow to anger” reflect the underlying Greek word “makrothumia.”
b. God is makrothumia – slow to anger.
c. If we are ever going to SHOW longsuffering in our lives towards others, we must have an experiential knowledge of GOD’S longsuffering in our lives.
d. Here, God again revealed that it is His nature to be slow to anger… longsuffering.
e. God endures much grief from our waywardness… daily.
f. Sin causes grief to you and to me to a small degree. But to an infinitely holy God, sin causes Him infinite grief… and He endures that grief from us daily… He is slow to anger… longsuffering with us.
g. The more we learn of who God is, and the more we grow spiritually, the more we realize just how sinful we really are… and how far short of His glory we fall.
h. The closer we get to God, the more sensitive to sin we become. And the more sensitive to sin we become, the more we appreciate HIS longsuffering with out seemingly endless failures!
i. God is longsuffering TO US…He could chasten us at virtually any moment of any day for something… He has ample cause to judge us for our sin… but He is gracious… slow to anger… longsuffering with us. Thank Him for that.
j. A shallow concept of sin and holiness will never result in a genuine appreciation for God’s longsuffering towards us.
k. But a DEEP understanding and appreciation for God’s longsuffering towards us will have a profound effect upon us.
l. This appreciation for divine longsuffering comes ONLY when we rend our hearts and turn to Him.
• It was the custom in ancient Middle Eastern culture to demonstrate remorse and repentance by rending (ripping) one’s outer garment.
• This outward expression of grief over sin and repentance towards God was also sometimes used as a pretence for GENUINE repentance.
• Many Jews outwardly manifested repentance by tearing their garments so everyone would THINK they had repented, even though inwardly they had NOT repented.
• But God sees the heart. He knows the difference. Here the prophet Joel encourages the people to GENUINE remorse for their sin and genuine repentance… not just an outward show.
• The REASON he gives is that it is God’s nature to be slow to anger… longsuffering. God is WAITING for that kind of genuine repentance!
• When God’s people genuinely repent of their sin and turn from their sin to the Lord, they then EXPERIENCE God’s grace and longsuffering… in a new level of depth.
• We realize how LONG God waited for us to turn to Him.
• We realize how much pain and grief we caused the Lord during that period of time He waited…
• We realize that God had every right to judge us, but He chose to wait… to be slow to wrath… longsuffering towards us.
• We realize afresh how much He LOVES us… as we consider how long He waited.
m. A DEEP understanding of and appreciation for His longsuffering towards us will be reflected in our willingness to show longsuffering towards others… who have sinned against us.
n. AND a DEEP understanding of and appreciation for His longsuffering towards us will also be the most powerful MOTIVATION in causing us to repent of our sin and turn to Him to experience MORE of His grace and longsuffering.
o. It is GOOD to meditate on who God is: gracious and longsuffering!
• Meditating on God’s character will have a spiritually wholesome and healthy effect on us.
• If we are presently living in known sin, it will motivate us to repent… FOR He is gracious and longsuffering… willing to receive us back… waiting for us… like the father of the prodigal son…
• If someone has sinned against us, thinking about God’s nature as longsuffering towards us will motivate us to SHOW the same towards others.
• How ungrateful if we don’t!
3. Matt. 18:26 – God’s longsuffering towards us DEMANDS that we be longsuffering towards others.
a. Jesus illustrated this truth in a parable.
b. Here a servant cried for his master to have patience (same word) with him.
c. Vs. 23-25 – a certain king was owned 10,000 talents and since he could not pay, he was sold into slavery.
• This pictures all of us as sinners: an incredible debt of sin we could NEVER pay!
• The result: we are slaves to sin awaiting execution.
d. Vs. 26-27 – the servant fell down and pleaded for the king to be longsuffering towards him (same word)… and the king was moved with compassion and FORGAVE him the entire debt!
• This pictures God the Father forgiving us our debt of sin when we come to him in faith.
• God forgave us an INFINITE debt… one we could never pay.
e. Vs. 28-29 – Then that same servant went out to one his servants who owed him 100 pennies, and demanded instant payment of the debt. His servant fell down and pleaded for him to be patient (same word – longsuffering) with him and he would repay it all.
• This pictures the way WE often treat others.
• God has forgiven us an INFINITE debt, and we then refuse to forgive (comparatively speaking) a minor debt!
• Those 100 pence may have seemed like a lot at the time, but compared to the 10,000 talents, it was nothing!
• We read this story and instantly recognize what an ungrateful wretch this servant was… until God brings to mind a situation in our lives where we have done the same… and God puts His finger on our heart and says, “Thou art the man!”
• Those who have been recipients of God’s infinite longsuffering have a responsibility to manifest the same to others!
f. Meditating on God’s character and God’s mercy and longsuffering towards us SHOULD move us to be godly towards others… slow to wrath… longsuffering… willing to wait…
4. It is not our NATURE to be longsuffering.
a. Isn’t it more like us to grab the one who sinned against us by the neck and make demands of him… right away?
b. Isn’t it more like us to be SHORT fused with others… but expect others to be LONG fused with us?
c. Human nature is short fused… unwilling to wait it out… unwilling to suffer long…
d. This poor trait is in part behind so many broken relationships.
e. It destroys friendships… people get angry FAST over foolish things often… and because we are short fused, we blow up… and on the other side… the one at whom we blow up may also be short fused… unwilling to suffer long… and so they never speak again… sometimes for years.
f. It ruins marriages. Look at our divorce rate. Because folks are unwilling to suffer for a long time until difficult problems are resolved, marriages break up… With a short fuse, they say, “I’m out of here! I’m not putting up with this.”
g. It destroys churches too. Christians are people too, and it is our nature to have short fuses as well. When problems arise in the local church, too often we are inclined to blow up… and because we don’t like to wait it out until the dust settles… because we are NOT inclined to suffer long… churches split… people leave… without ever resolving the problem.
h. We all know the dangers and the consequences of a lack of control over our anger… but anger comes so easily to us.
i. But HOW do we control our anger? HOW do we become longsuffering? When something gets us angry, we FEEL like we have no power over anger… being longsuffering seems like a distant ethereal dream…
j. Our nature is to be short fused. Being long fused seems so unobtainable at times!
k. We, like Paul, probably often feel like crying out, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?!”
l. We ALL have to deal with anger. It touches every one of us.
5. Longsuffering is a supernatural work of God in us.
a. Col. 1:11 – it is only divine might and power that results in this kind of longsuffering…
• A worthy walk that is pleasing to God is one that is FRUITFUL.
• The only kind of fruit that is pleasing to God is the fruit that is produced by the Holy Spirit.
» Gal. 5:22 – longsuffering is a fruit of the Spirit.
» I Cor. 13:4 – love is also a fruit of the Spirit… and love suffers long (makrothumia).
» But this kind of fruit—longsuffering… being slow to anger… being able to restrain wrath… requires more power than is humanly possible.
• Hence, God PROVIDES the power we need!
» The worthy walk is one that empowers with ALL might according to HIS glorious power!
» We don’t need to rely on OUR measly power. We are to walk by faith… trusting in HIS glorious power!
» God has ample power to enable us to control our anger.
• If we DON’T control our anger, it is a SPIRITUAL problem.
» We don’t need therapy or a prescription for Valium… or a course on anger management. We need a course on the filling of the Holy Spirit!
» If we walk DAILY… moment by moment yielded to God, God will FILL us with the controlling power of His Spirit… to give us the power to control our anger… temperance… to be slow to wrath… longsuffering.
• And note the PURPOSE of the power: (vs. 11).
» UNTO – having power is not an end unto itself.
» It is a means to an end. The end is patience and longsuffering.
» Patience = endurance (hupomene – bearing up under)—not caving in under the heavy load… under the pressures of life.
» Longsuffering is the result of DIVINE power working in us… not mere natural self discipline or natural self control.
» This is the purpose or the goal of God making His divine power available to us: perseverance and longsuffering…
» This power will enable us to keep on going… it will enable us to keep on walking that worthy walk… that we neither cave in or blow up!
» Life CAN become quite unbearable at times.
» The burdens can cause us to cave in—but God provides patience—not caving in under the heavy load… under the pressures of life.
» Problems with people and circumstances can get under our skin—and cause us to become irritable, touchy, short fused, and angry.
» But if we come to an end of trusting in ourselves, and cast ourselves upon the Lord in total dependence upon Him—He will fill us with His Spirit… who produces patience and longsuffering we need to handle the people or circumstances that are before us.
» Instead of blowing up in anger, frustration, we can be longsuffering… and experience a peace that defies explanation—apart from God.
• And it gets even better! Not only does God enable us to ENDURE and to manifest longsuffering when facing situations and people that would normally drive us off the deep end… He goes way BEYOND mere endurance. God enables us to experience patience and longsuffering with JOYFULNESS!
» This is not a Stoic resignation, or an unhappy, forced submission to circumstances beyond our control, but a joyful acceptance of the will of God.
» God gives us the power of the resurrection that we might find ourselves in this place… where we are no longer slaves to irritability and anger…
» And He expects us to be there! We are COMMANDED to PUT ON longsuffering!
» That takes divine power… and if we are willing, the divine power is provided!
6. Longsuffering is powerful weapon in fighting the good fight of the faith!
a. I Thess. 5:14 – we are commanded to be patient towards all men (same word – longsuffering).
• And let’s face it: some men are pretty hard to deal with.
• Some people get us angry EASILY. Some are mean, nasty, cruel, and irascible!
• But even toward that one, we are to be longsuffering… patient… willing to be long fused…
• God allows us to come in contact with such men to TEST our faith: will we obey God or cave in to our natural impulses to strike back and blow up?
b. Prov. 14:17 – ?He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly.
• The man who is NOT longsuffering, but is soon angry—short fused… deals foolishly.
• He does foolish things…
• Anger leads us to do the most infantile things…
• Anger leads us to say things we wish we never said… do things we wish we never did… make choices we wish we never made.
• But once the foolish words are belted out in anger, there is no chance given to un-ring the bell… to undo the deeds.
• The damage, pain, and consequences of our anger may go on for many days, weeks, months, and even years.
• There are a lot of people in prison right now because they would not control their anger…
• I saw a news clip of an excavator operator who was so mad at his ex-wife that he used his excavator to tear down her house!
• A short fuse leads to all kinds of folly and sin.
c. Prov. 15:18 – A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
• We live in a world full of strife. Strife and conflict are everywhere.
• A wrathful man—one who is NOT longsuffering… one who does NOT have control over his anger, only ADDS to the strife—like stirring up a hornet’s nest.
• But the man who is SLOW to anger (longsuffering), appeases strife! (Appease – the state or condition of tranquility.)
• What a powerful tool! It enables us to act as cold water on a fire that is able to spread!
d. Prov. 16:32 – ?He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
• The person who is slow to anger (longsuffering) has an advantage over a man of great might, strength, and power…
• In other words, conquering oneself is a greater feat than conquering a city!
• The man who controls his anger is in a superior, safer, more valuable position than the great army general who conquers a city.
• Men have achieved great exploits in the world, only to see their personal lives crumble because of a lack of self control… because they were short fused and a slave to their anger and emotions.
• Men have spent years establishing a thriving business… only to bring it to ruin because they did not have control of their anger and nobody wanted to work for them.
• Men have spent years caring for and nurturing a family, only to see it fall apart because they lacked the fruit of longsuffering.
• Families have spent years ministering together in a local church, only to see it crumble because of members with short fuses… who stirred up strife.
• Oh what follies we can avoid if we would simply PUT ON longsuffering as God has commanded us!
• He provides all the power and is more than willing to work longsuffering in us, IF we will rend our hearts and turn to Him in faith…
• The capacity to be slow to anger… to control our spirit is a more powerful tool than all the weaponry of the mighty soldiers who conquer great cities.
• Without longsuffering, without the capacity to control our anger, we can destroy lives and cause unspeakable pain.
PUT ON FORBEARANCE
A. The Term Defined
1. Spoken of circumstances: To hold up; to bear up;
2. Spoken of persons, to bear with, have patience with in regard to the errors or weaknesses of anyone; showing tolerance; putting up with.
3. This is the God given ability to accept the weakness of others… and not be picky over every little infraction.
4. Some of the proverbs describe forbearance for us.
a. Prov. 10:12 – Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. (Cover – to cloth; cover; conceal.)
b. Prov. 12:16 – ?A fool’s wrath is presently? known: but a prudent man covereth shame.
c. Of course Solomon is NOT speaking about hiding our OWN sins… or condoning or hiding the gross sins of others. He also wrote: ?He that covereth his sins shall not prosper.
d. Forbearance doesn’t tolerate gross sin, but it does not attack every little indiscretion of others.
e. Prov. 19:11 – The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
f. In other words, WISDOM and discretion demand that we not become persnickety… that we learn to be forbearing with one another in all of our shortcomings.
g. A man without wisdom will POUNCE all over the tiniest of infractions… and end up with no friends… for he usually overlooks no infractions but his own.
h. A man who possesses wisdom and discretion will learn when, where, under what circumstances to over look the indiscretions of others.
i. There will be times when they need to be confronted, but there are many times when it is best to let love cover it… to pass over a transgression.
j. It is not necessary to confront every word spoken out of line; every rude action; every impolite deed; every dot and tittle.
k. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes: there is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak. Wisdom knows the difference.
5. Forbearance is also a fruit of the Spirit. Gal. 5:22
a. When we are yielded to God, we will be highly critical of self, but we will be much more forbearing with one another.
b. We saw that love suffers long (longsuffering). Love also BEARS all things (similar in concept to forbearance).
c. Love is forbearing of the sins of others. Love covers all sins.
d. Eph. 4:2 = forbearing one another in LOVE. Love is also a fruit of the Spirit… and genuine love leads us to be forbearing with others.
e. We all have our own peculiar quirks, idiosyncrasies, and areas of weakness.
f. It probably takes a lot of forbearance for an English teacher today to read a paragraph written by a member of the email generation…
g. It takes a healthy dose of forbearance to have a successful marriage. If you are rigid and unbending, and unwilling to be forbearing with the weaknesses and flaws of a spouse, do everybody a favor… and DON’T get married!
h. It takes forbearance for a parent to bring up a two year old! They are going to break things, drool, mess, throw food, spill their milk, write on the wall… all the things 2 year olds do.
i. It takes forbearance in dealing with new believers in the local church too… and with others who may not be growing at the rate we would like to see.
j. It takes forbearance in the work place… in school… in your neighborhood… with your family…
k. It is not our nature to be willing to put up with all the shortcomings of others… but when filled with the Spirit of God, we will BE forbearing!
6. What destruction and damage is caused by a lack of forbearance!
a. When a father is not forbearing with a child, it can be crushing!
• Either parent can be guilty, but it is worse for the dad.
• He’s not home as much… and in the short time he sees the kids if he is constantly hounding them for the tiniest infraction, they will be turned away…
• The father shouldn’t be a drill sergeant. He should be a dad!
• He should be forbearing… and understanding… realizing that kids are kids… he shouldn’t set expectations that are beyond their reach…
b. When a husband or wife is not forbearing with their spouse, it can be disastrous!
• Either parent can be guilty of this, but it is especially so with the wife…
• She can lack forbearance… and be constantly picking on every little infraction in the home.
• A lack of forbearance leads a woman to become a constant nag to her husband…
• A lack of forbearance with her kids can lead her kids so seek acceptance elsewhere… which usually spells trouble.
• She too can be a drill sergeant—no way to run a home!
c. When a teacher is not forbearing with a student, it hinders the learning process!
d. When a boss is not forbearing with his workers, it can undermine their drive to do well.
7. We are COMMANDED to put on forbearance…
a. It should characterize our walk. (Eph. 4:2) – forbearing one another in love.
b. It speaks of learning to live in an imperfect world with imperfect sinners and learning to put up with the shortcomings of others.
c. And boy do we need wisdom and balance to know WHEN an issue needs to be confronted… and when we are to bite our tongue and forbear it.
d. God gives us that wisdom as we yield to Him. Forbearance is the fruit of the Spirit.
8. God was longsuffering and forbearing with us, wasn’t He?
a. I Tim.1:16 – God showed longsuffering towards Paul.
b. Think of how patient God was… how LONG He suffered waiting for Paul to believe on Him!
c. Paul was there when Steven was stoned to death… and God waited for the right time to deal with him.
d. Paul was hauling Christians to prison to be punished… and God was longsuffering…
e. Paul’s conversion is a PATTERN of our salvation… how longsuffering God was in waiting for us to acknowledge Him… and to turn to Him in faith.
f. II Pet. 3:9 –God is longsuffering; not willing that any perish.
• Vs. 15 – the longsuffering of God equals SALVATION!
• He waits upon us to believe and be saved…
• For some He waits a long time… and suffers in grief over our sins a long time.
g. Rom. 3:25 – God was forbearing with the sins of the world all throughout the Old Testament period.
h. Acts 17:30 – God winked at the ignorance of us gentiles during the Old Testament but NOW has commanded all men everywhere to repent!
i. God is longsuffering… but His longsuffering won’t last forever. We don’t know HOW LONG His longsuffering is.
j. If you are alive right now and breathing, God is demonstrating His longsuffering and forbearance towards you… and offers eternal life to you… at the cost of His Son.
k. But one day JUDGMENT will come… and His longsuffering will be overshadowed by justice.
l. We beseech you—if you are not saved—to trust in Christ TODAY—as your Lord and Savior.
Forbearing One Another
If Any Man Have A Quarrel
1. Quarrel Defined: Complaint; reason for a complaint; find fault; grievance.
2. IF – Third class condition: assumed as POSSIBLE (ify)
a. Ean and subjunctive. (potential action)
b. Paul is not stating for a fact that there WERE quarrels there, but assumes that it is quite possible.
c. I’m not sure if Paul meant this IF to be a tongue in cheek IF, but he certainly must have known that quarrels WOULD come to these folks in time!
d. So he gives instruction “should” any quarrels come their way!
e. Should any quarrels come OUR way… we have some divinely inspired instructions on how to deal with them!
3. That is a pretty fair assumption to conclude that in any assembly of believers there will be quarrels.
a. This is because the church at Colossae was full of men and women who were saved… but saved folks are still SINNERS…
b. Sinners saved by grace, but sinners who nonetheless still get angry, still hurt the feelings of others, still offend, still cause trouble…
c. The church at Colossae was full of folks who still had a SIN nature… which means there is bound to be friction.
d. The fact that we are born again does not exempt us from people problems… trials… offences… grievances… complaints against other believers.
4. The early church had its share of quarrels among believers.
a. There arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected. (Acts 6:1)
b. Paul had a sharp quarrel with Barnabus. (Acts 15:36-39)
c. Paul and Peter had a spat. (Gal. 2:14)
d. The Corinthians had quarrels among themselves. (I Cor. 1:10-12; 6:7)
e. The apostle had to rebuke Euodias and Syntyche for their quarrel. (Phil. 4:2)
f. Unfortunately, such quarrellings have continued throughout the church age. Believers don’t always get along!
• It destroys Christian fellowship.
• It ruins marriages.
• It divides churches… splits…
g. This is exactly what our enemy wants: divide and conquer!
h. We will have quarrellings in our midst too. Controversy is bound to arise.
5. Life is FULL of quarrels, conflicts, offences, and hurts… which leave scars and deep wounds.
a. And sadly, it seems that the people we love the most, we hurt the most… whether in the home… in the local church…
b. As sinners, we sin against God; but we also sin against each other.
c. Jas. 3:2 – In MANY things we ALL offend! This is a cold, hard fact of life. We all have tongues and we all have tempers… a dangerous combination.
d. And even Christians do this!
e. Let’s admit it. We have all BEEN offended by a brother, and we have all OFFENDED a brother… and probably many times over!
f. This can be shattering to a new believer… who wrongly assumes that once he is saved, life is going to be a pathway of roses. Not so. Roses come with thorns.
g. The abundant life in Christ has its trials and people problems too…
h. Insults, hurts, injuries, abuse, offences, quarrels, and trespasses WILL come our way… and sometimes through believers! There is not avoiding them entirely.
i. But HOW we DEAL with them when they do come is what really matters!
Forbearing One Another
1. Defined: to sustain, to bear, to endure; to hold back; to bear with, have patience with in regard to the errors or weaknesses of anyone; to put up with.
2. Present participle.
a. This indicates that the action of forbearing is to occur simultaneously with the “putting on” of the mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering.”
• In other words, being forbearing with one another is not to be done in a proud, arrogant manner. (How long must I put up with this fool?)
• Rather, it is to be accompanied by meekness and humbleness of mind… and mercy and kindness… a Christlike spirit.
• It is possible to be forbearing by biting one’s tongue, grinding one’s teeth, and scowling on the inside… looking down upon another person as an inconvenience… like putting up with mosquitoes!
• It is possible to be forbearing because we HAVE to… as a DUTY…
• But as we saw last week, just as God gives us the power to be longsuffering with JOYFULNESS, He also gives us power to be forbearing in humility and kindness!
• Forbearance is to be manifested IN CONJUNCTION WITH the other qualities we are to PUT ON.
b. The present tense also indicates that forbearance is to be an ongoing attitude of the believer…
• We can’t say, “O I tried being forbearing with that guy, but it didn’t work.”
• It doesn’t matter whether it “works” or not. God says to do it!
• The purpose of being forbearing is not to CHANGE the other guy… but to change SELF!
• God commands ME to be forbearing with those who sin against me… whether the offending party responds or not!
• Forbearing is what I am to BE. It is not a tool I am to use to manipulate someone else… or to cause them to change their behavior… or to change the circumstances.
• We are to be continuously forbearing with the one who offends us, insults, hurts, or sins against us.
• But what if the hurt and the offense continue all year long? Be continually forbearing!
• But what if it is a grievous offense against me and it is tearing me apart on the inside? Be continually forbearing.
• But what if I’m innocent and it’s all their fault? Be continually forbearing. That’s what the verse says.
3. Some of the proverbs describe forbearance for us.
a. Prov. 10:12 – Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. (cover – to cloth; cover; conceal)
b. Prov. 12:16 – A fool’s wrath is presently? known: but a prudent man covereth shame.
• Of course Solomon is NOT speaking about hiding our OWN sins… or condoning or hiding the gross sins of others. He also wrote: ?He that covereth his sins shall not prosper.
• Forbearance doesn’t tolerate gross sin, but it does not attack every little indiscretion of others either.
• Prudence is needed (wisdom; discernment; discretion). The wisdom to know WHEN an indiscretion needs to be overlooked and covered… and when it needs to be dealt with.
• If a brother insults you – most of the time it is best to bury it.
• If it gets under your skin and you are losing sleep over it, or it is affecting your spiritual life, then confront the brother. But otherwise, it is usually best to cover it up… be forbearing.
c. Prov. 19:11 – The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
• In other words, WISDOM and discretion demand that we not become persnickety… that we learn to be forbearing with one another in all of our shortcomings.
• A man without discretion will POUNCE all over the tiniest infraction… and end up with no friends… who wants to be around a person who has zero tolerance for our shortcomings? (I don’t—because I have a lot of shortcomings!)
• The kind of person Solomon describes in this proverb is one who usually overlooks no infractions except his own.
• A man who possesses wisdom and discretion will learn when, where, under what circumstances to overlook the indiscretions of others.
d. Prov. 17:9 – He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.
• LOVE is sacrificing self for the good of others. Forbearance by its very nature is an aspect of love…
• It takes self-sacrifice to be forbearing… to put up with the unkindness of others… to turn the other cheek… rather than retaliate…
• When you are having a quarrel with someone, it makes SELF feel good to reveal and repeat their faults and make them look bad… but LOVE sacrifices self for their good.
• A prudent man will realize the consequences of NOT being forbearing… of NOT covering up the faults of others… of the broken friendships and relationships that might result… and will choose to BURY it… cover it… rather than separate friends.
• Think of JOSEPH when his brothers were before him.
» They sold him into slavery…
» Then, he rose to be Prime Minister of Egypt… and they came to him in a time of famine begging food.
» He COULD have said, “Now I have you right where I want you!”
» He could have broadcast their sin all over Egypt and made an example of them… and had an elaborate execution of them…
» But instead, he buried it.
» He said, “Now therefore, be not grieved, nor angry with yourself that ye sold me hither… for God did send you before me to preserve life.” (Gen. 45:5)
» After all the years of hurt, loneliness, misery, grief, and sorrow they caused him, he was willing to bury their sin…
» Solomon wrote: He that covereth a transgression seeketh love.
» Joseph sought love… brotherly love… love bears all things… even decades of wrongful imprisonment and slavery! That’s forbearance… holding back… when he could have let them have it!
• And in a marriage, it is vital for us to SEEK LOVE by covering transgression…
• After you have been married for a while, you know HOW to get your spouse angry.
• Over time, you learn what buttons to press and when to press them.
• And all you have to do is start pressing those buttons to make them feel miserable…
• Forbearance is holding back… even though it might feel good to press that button…
• Seek love… love bears all things…
e. And forbearance is NOT being SOFT with sin.
• It is simply acknowledging that GOD is the judge of all sin, and all sinners… not us.
• It is acknowledging that it is not up to ME to correct all the wrongs in the world… or to make all the crooked things straight.
• The Lord will do all that according to His timetable.
• Until then, we need to learn to be forbearing with others.
f. There will be times when sin needs to be confronted, but there are many times when it is best to let love cover it… to pass over a transgression.
• It is not necessary to confront every word spoken out of line; every rude action; every impolite deed; every dot and tittle.
• Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes: there is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
• Wisdom knows the difference… when to be forbearing and pass over an insult or a transgression against you, and when to confront the offender.
• And OH would our lives be much improved if we all had that kind of prudence, discretion, and wisdom!
4. Forbearance is also a fruit of the Spirit. Gal. 5:22
a. When we are yielded to God, we will be highly critical of self, but we will be much more forbearing with one another.
b. I Cor. 13:7 – We saw that love suffers long (longsuffering). Love also BEARS all things
• This is not the same word for “forbearing” but is similar in meaning.
• Bears defined= στέγω – Strong’s: to protect or keep by covering, to preserve. 2to cover over with silence. 2ato keep secret; to hide, to conceal the errors and faults of others.
• Love covers up the faults of others… as opposed to uncovering and revealing them.
• Love is forbearing of the sins of others. Love covers all sins.
c. Eph. 4:2 = forbearing one another in LOVE.
• Love is also a fruit of the Spirit… and genuine love leads us to be forbearing with others.
• We all have our own peculiar quirks, idiosyncrasies, and areas of weakness. We want others to be forbearing with us. We need to be forbearing with them.
d. Do you want to seek to promote love?
• Rather than constantly pointing out the indiscretions of others, cover them up!
• Don’t keep on picking at them… don’t keep pointing to them… don’t keep pecking at them… hold back… forbearing one another in love.
5. It takes a very healthy dose of forbearance to have a successful marriage.
a. If you are rigid and unbending, and unwilling to be forbearing with the weaknesses and flaws of a spouse, do everybody a favor… and DON’T get married!
b. When sinners live under the same roof, quarrels and controversy is bound to arise…
c. If you are unwilling to be forbearing towards the foibles and frailties of your spouse, your marriage is doomed to failure!
d. If you are unwilling to allow LOVE to cover up the sins and shortcomings of others in the home…
e. If you demand justice against every little infraction that occurs in the home, your home isn’t going to last.
6. Most often in the home, it is the husband who lacks longsuffering and is short fused.
a. Most of the proverbs that deal with anger speak of men.
b. A wrathful man stirreth up strife.
c. He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly.
d. A furious man aboundeth in transgression.
e. A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment.
f. Make no friendship with an angry man.
g. Women are guilty of this too, but lacking longsuffering (short fused) seems to be a worse problem for us men.
7. But a lack of forbearance seems to be a worse problem for women.
a. Prov. 21:19 – It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.
• Contentious: disputes; contentions; — one who keeps on picking a fight… stirring up contention…
• Angry: often translated “provoke”—used often of provoking the Lord to anger.
• Solomon describes the woman who has a knack for starting fights and provoking anger.
• Forbearance involves holding back… instead of pouncing on every infraction… holding back.
• Instead of being forbearing and putting up with the weaknesses of her husband, she provokes him to anger by picking… she doesn’t hold back.
• Solomon said that such a man will conclude that it is better to live in the wilderness alone than to have to deal with that!
• In his comments of the proverb, Matthew Henry summarized: NO company is better than bad company!
b. Prov. 27:15 – A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.
• How are they alike?
• In Bible times, the roofs were often made of sod, which would absorb most of the rain in a small shower.
• But on a very rainy day they would become saturated.
• And long after the storm ended, the saturated sod would continue to drip… drip… drip… Even when the clouds are gone and the sun is shining, it is still raining and dripping inside… and driving the occupants crazy!
• A nagging wife is like that. Long after the fight is over, she will continue to bring it up again… and again… and again… continual nagging… like the continual dripping…
• “I thought you were going to fix the fence last week. And you left your dirty socks on the floor again… I bet Jane’s husband doesn’t do that… and you were supposed to pick up milk on the way home… I suppose you forgot again…”
• And the man who has been under pressure all day at work… and expects to come home for some peace and quiet he may not be able to handle that.
• To him, living in the wilderness might be preferable!
• Of course Solomon is not suggesting that. It is sort of a tongue in cheek proverb… but there is truth to it.
• If a wife wants a happy home, she needs to learn to be forbearing.
• If the fence needs painting, mention it once and drop it… and then just pray and leave it to God to bring it to his mind. He walks by the fence every day. He knows the paint is chipping off. When he’s ready, he’ll paint it. If not, it’s better to let the fence fall apart rather than have the marriage fall apart.
• Be forbearing. Learn to put up with things you don’t like… Nagging isn’t going to get the fence painted any faster.
c. It takes forbearance for a parent to bring up a two year old!
• They are going to break things, drool, mess, throw food, spill their milk, write on the wall… all the things 2 year olds do.
• If you are unwilling to be forbearing—don’t have kids!
• If a parent is NOT forbearing, but comes down hard on every little infraction from their children, they will provoke those kids to anger!
• They will assume that NOTHING can please dad or mom, so why bother trying?
• Husbands are told to dwell with their wives according to knowledge. It’s a good idea to dwell with our children with knowledge too… knowledge of where they are mentally, socially, and spiritually…
• Parents need to be forbearing, or their children will become frustrated and angry…
8. Forbearance is needed in the local church ministry too.
a. It takes forbearance in dealing with new believers in the local church too… and with others who may not be growing at the rate we would like to see.
• We would all like to see instant maturity, but it just doesn’t happen that way!
• Just as a toddler might drool and trip a lot when he tries to walk, so too, spiritually, a new believer will drool and trip a lot… doing the things new believers do.
• We need to be forbearing with one another… understanding of where they are spiritually; at what level of maturity… etc.
• If we are overly zealous, critical nags to new believers, we will drive them away!
• Like the husband who concludes that it is better to live alone in the wilderness than to dwell with a brawling nagging wife… these new believers will conclude that it is better not to go to church at all than to go to church with folks who continually pick on every tiny issue in their lives… especially if they are not mature enough to understand WHY they are being criticized.
• Be forbearing. Be gracious. Learn to WAIT upon the Lord. It is GOD who gives the increase… which results in spiritual growth.
b. I Cor. 4:11-13 – forbearance is needed in the ministry.
• Paul stated that in spite of the awful treatment he received, he said, “we suffer it.” (same word as forbearing).
• Paul realized that if he was going to serve the Lord, there WOULD be many difficult times… difficult people to deal with… difficult trials to face.
• But he demonstrated forbearance… he put up with a lot… because he knew it was the LORD’S work and it was worth it!
• We can have our feelings hurt a LOT in serving the Lord… even in the local church… some of our worst wounds are received in the local church…
• But forbearance is needed. It is required. It is commanded.
• When we are convinced that what we are striving towards is of great VALUE (as Paul did in the Lord’s work)… we will persevere and be forbearing… willing to put up with a LOT… unwilling to quit.
• As good soldiers of Jesus Christ we are to endure HARDSHIPS. That’s what good soldiers do… when their cause is deemed to be worthy!
• Any goal worth achieving is worth putting up with the inconveniences and discomfort of getting there!
• If your goal is to climb a mountain… you have to be forbearing with respect to your sore knees and feet.
• If your goal is to build a church building, it is worth putting up with all the cost and inconvenience of erecting it!
• And if your goal is to be used of the Lord as Christ builds His church… the assembly… it too is worth putting up with the personal cost and inconvenience along the way… (the insults; slights; mistreatment; gossip; stepping on toes; being ignored; etc.)
• Forbearance requires patience, waiting, and a willingness to sacrifice… something we as Americans don’t do well with. We want everything to go our way and to go our way right away.
• We don’t like to put up with things… we like everything quick and easy… but life isn’t like that. The Lord’s work isn’t like that.
• It requires FORBEARANCE on our part… and not just “putting up with people”… but doing so in a spirit of meekness, humbleness of mind… and the JOY of the Lord!
c. It is not our nature to be willing to put up with all the shortcomings of others… but when filled with the Spirit of God, we will BE forbearing!
• If we are willing to yield ourselves unto God, He will fill us with the controlling power of His indwelling Spirit.
• When we are filled with the Spirit… the Holy Spirit produces Christlike fruit in us… love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,? meekness, temperance.
• This is CHRIST being manifested in our mortal bodies. This is God’s purpose for this age… it is the GLORY of the local church…
• This goal is WORTH putting up with a lot.
• Are you mountain climbers willing to put up with sore feet to be able to reach the glorious summit, and then to sit and REST upon the peak of that mountain… and breathe in that fresh mountain air…
» There is something very satisfying about putting up with discomfort in order to achieve such a goal.
» Dwelling in that high place even for a little while is WORTH putting up with all it took to get there.
• Are YOU servants of Christ willing to put up with insult… hurt… unkindness… cruelty… persecution… in order to be to reach new heights of spiritual maturity… and to experience that inner REST that only comes from yielding to God… and to dwell in heavenly places… breathing in that heavenly air?
» Hebrews tells us that it takes LABOR to enter into God’s rest… putting self aside by faith… willing to let self suffer… allowing self to put up with a lot… for a greater goal—to manifest Christlike qualities in our mortal flesh.
» There is something much MORE satisfying about putting up with all the difficulties it takes to walk worthy of the Lord…
» Dwelling in heavenly places in our daily lives is WORTH putting up with whatever it takes to get us there… and it takes FORBEARANCE.
» Paul said: I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.
• Forbear one another. Love bears all things.
God Was Forbearing with Us
Rom. 2:4 — Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? He is putting up with a lot of grief from sinners, WAITING for men to repent…
Rom. 3:25 — Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. God was forbearing with respect to judgment on sin all throughout the Old Testament period… or men would have instantly been cast into the Lake of Fire.
II Pet. 3:9 — The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God IS forbearing and longsuffering… but His longsuffering will not last forever.
One day judgment will come. The day of grace will come to a close.
Are you ready to meet God? You can meet Him as your Savior today… He is forbearing… waiting… inviting you to come in faith.
OR you can meet Him later as your Judge… when it is too late…
Forgiving One Another
Why, What, Who, and How
WHY: Quarrels
1. Forgiveness is needed because believers don’t always get along. Sometimes we fight and quarrels arise.
2. Last week we looked at quarrels that arose in the early church.
a. Quarrels arose over widows being neglected.
b. Conflict and division around personalities.
c. Evidently some quarrels were so severe they went to court.
d. There were quarrels that resulted in church splits; sometimes over huge issues such as the gospel and doctrine; other times over foolish issues (who got the biggest slice of ham at the church dinner!)
e. Some quarrels resulted in divorce; broken friendships and broken fellowship.
f. Paul and Barnabus fought; Paul and Peter had a spat; Euodias and Syntyche fought; etc.
g. God’s Word reveals MANY quarrels among believers. The Bible speaks the truth. It does not sugarcoat anything to make Christians look good. Sometimes even godly men behave very poorly.
3. We need not spend a lot of time on the WHYS of forgiveness.
a. We are all too aware of WHY the command is given.
b. We are painfully aware of the kinds of quarrels that arise in life.
c. We saw in James 3:2 that in many things we ALL offend! All of us have been guilty of offending others… and we have all been offended by others.
d. We have a lot of experience in quarrels.
4. What we are not as experienced in is RESOLVING those quarrels in a Biblical manner.
a. Resolving quarrels does not always mean that I get my own way… or both parties will eventually see eye to eye on the issue.
b. Resolving quarrels does not mean that we will necessarily live happily ever after.
c. Resolving the issue Biblically MAY mean that we have to suffer a long time through it (longsuffering)… and that we may have to put up with a lot… (forbearing)…
d. And through all that longsuffering and forbearance… God is at work changing ME… even if the circumstances never change!
e. God works in us THROUGH the unfavorable circumstances that precipitated the quarrel to make us more like Christ.
f. We are going to see a little later on that quarrels come for a God given purpose… to put us to the test and help us learn to appreciate our forgiveness in Christ.
g. And if quarrels and controversy result in accomplishing THAT… it is WORTH putting up with it all… and suffering… even for a long time!
h. ALL things work together for good to them that love God… even quarrels among the saints can result in GOOD… IF we learn to forgive as Christ forgave us.
i. Quarrels initiate this… and if we are wise and Spirit filled… the end result will be Christlikeness manifested in YOU… whether or not the outward circumstances change.
j. God’s purpose for His people is not to transform our circumstances and make life in this world sunny and wonderful.
k. God’s purpose is to transform US into the image of His Son… and sometimes, that’s tough work… but WORTH it!
l. How much do you love Christ? How much do you want to see HIM magnified and glorified in and through you? Then how much are you willing to suffer? How much are you willing to bear? How much are you willing to forgive?
m. All of this is a test of our love for Christ.
5. So WHY do we need to practice forgiveness?
a. Because quarrels WILL come; therefore, we need to learn to forgive. It is God’s means of resolving quarrels… and so making peace.
b. More importantly, we are to forgive because God SAID so.
6. This comes in the form of a command, though not in the imperative.
a. It is SIN NOT to forgive another…
b. Matt. 6:12-14 – if we don’t forgive others, God will not forgive us! (family – relational forgiveness)
c. If we refuse to forgive, we too are living in sin… just like the party that sinned against us! We are no better than they!
d. If we refuse to forgive, we are holding a grudge, and that is sin… harboring SIN in our hearts and God will not hear our prayers.
e. We are walking in darkness and have no fellowship with God… even if we FEEL justified in our actions.
f. A refusal to forgive carries with it serious consequences.
g. That’s another reason WHY we should forgive.
7. An unforgiving spirit opens us up to satanic attack! We give the devil an open door! (II Cor. 2:7-11)
a. Holding grudges against others leaves us wide open for the devil to have an advantage over us.
b. Paul warned the assembly of the awful consequences of NOT forgiving a brother—even the one who had so grievously sinned and marred the testimony of Christ.
c. If he repents, forgive him… and if the whole assembly refuses to forgive, then the whole assembly is in sin.
d. If we DON’T forgive, malice will fester in our hearts and pent up emotions will lead to other sins… our hearts will be full of the sins mentioned in vs. 8-9.
• We have left the door wide open for our adversary.
• What havoc the devil can wreak, if we refuse to forgive a brother.
e. If we DO forgive, we open the door for the Lord to fill our hearts with the love of God… (Col. 3:14)
f. The command to forgive one another in the church goes way beyond the two parties involved. It can affect the whole church!
WHO: One Another
1. We saw in James 3:2 that we ALL offend. Therefore, we ALL need to listen to what God has to say about forgiveness.
2. We are to forgive one another.
a. This term is reciprocal.
b. Usually when quarrels arise, there is need for forgiveness on BOTH sides…
c. In most quarrels there is plenty of blame to spread around.
d. Usually both parties have said and done things that they should not have said or done.
e. Therefore Paul says that we are to forgive one another… mutual forgiveness.
f. Party A is to forgive party B and party B is to forgive party A.
g. Or (as is often the case in our homes) he has to forgive her; and she has to forgive him.
h. If the quarreling was reciprocal, then the forgiveness needs to be reciprocal: one another…
3. In particular, “one another” speaks of ALL of us as believers.
a. Church members – brothers and sisters in Christ.
b. One another extends to spouses; children; parents; neighbors; co-workers… One another includes a lot of people!
c. Believers of all ages. Men, women, and children.
d. We all offend. We all fight and quarrel at times… Yes, even in God’s family it is sometimes hard to get along…
e. Someone put it this way:
To live above with saints we love,
Oh, that will be glory!
But to live below with saints we know,
Well, that’s another story!
4. The kind of forgiveness Paul has in mind in this passage is forgiveness of one another.
a. He is not speaking of God forgiving us…
b. The context speaks of men forgiving other men… because of quarrels or complaints that arose… one against another.
c. So we want to keep our remarks today in this context.
WHAT: Forgiveness
A. Different terms
1. ἀφίημι – to send away;
a. Matt. 13:26 – Jesus “sent away” the multitude.
b. To let go from obligation toward oneself, to remit, e.g., a debt, offense, (Matt. 18:27, 32, 35; Mark 11:25).
c. Of sins, to remit the penalty of sins, i.e., to pardon, forgive.
d. It is translated “remission” of sins on occasion – sending them away.
2. ἄφεσις – to cause to stand away, to release one’s sins from the sinner. Forgiveness, remission.
a. This is another form of ἀφίημι … but the lexicons list them separately.
b. This kind of divine forgiveness required Christ’s sacrifice as punishment of sin, hence the putting away of sin and the deliverance of the sinner from the guilt AND power of sin.
c. This is the most common word for “forgiveness” in the epistles.
d. This term is almost always used of the sending away of sins. (12 out of 17 times.)
e. This is the term used of God forgiving our sins… not of men forgiving other men.
f. The concept of sending away our sins includes the following:
• Sending them away as far as the east is from the west… infinitely removed… (Psalm 103:12)
• Penalty is gone… the guilt is gone… the sin is removed! A separation of the sin and its penalty from the sinner has occurred.
• That’s what it means to be forgiven: our sins are GONE!
• This was pictured in the Old Testament by the goat sacrifices.
1. One goat was slain and its blood shed (picturing the price of remission of sins).
2. The priests laid their hands on the head of the other goat and it was released into the wilderness never to return (picturing the fact of imputation and that our sins are sent away… gone!)
Though not exclusively, these first two terms are used most often of God’s forgiveness of us.
• They therefore speak about judicial forgiveness which only God, the judge of the world, can grant.
• This speaks of sins being forgiven in GOD’S sight.
• Freedom FROM that sin (we were slaves to sin; forgiveness separates us from the sin.)
• It is not freedom IN sin or freedom TO sin. Forgiveness does not condone sin.
• Hence, there is no forgiveness if we continue in the sin.
3. χαρίζομαι – to bestow freely; to “grace”; to give graciously.
a. This is the term used most often of man forgiving man.
• This is the term used in Col. 3:13.
• It is used only rarely of God forgiving men.
• On a judicial level, human beings cannot forgive the sins of other men committed against God because in that sense, only GOD can forgive sins. (Mark 2:7 – ἀφίημι)
• But, on a relational level, we are expected to forgive others for the sins committed against us. This is what Paul commands in our passage in Col. 3:13.
• Ultimately, EVERY sin is a sin against God… even those sins against us are ultimately against God.
• We have no right or capacity to forgive on a vertical plane… but only on the horizontal…
• But on a relational level, we ARE to forgive one another.
b. Defined by Strong’s: to show one’s self gracious, to give graciously, give freely, bestow; to grant forgiveness, to pardon.
• This is a form of the word for “grace”… literally “gracing one another.”
• The term means to “grace” someone… to shower grace upon someone. To shower unmerited favor upon another.
• Rather than demanding justice and a fair payment, we shower grace… unmerited favor.
• Thus, it has a rather broad meaning, and it is possible to “grace” someone in many different ways.
c. The context has to determine what KIND of gracing is meant.
• Luke 7:21 – to the blind he “gave” sight. He graced the blind with sight.
• Luke 7:41-42 – forgiving a debt of money owed… that was a grace gift. (They had nothing to pay!)
• Philemon 22 – Paul was “freely given” to them as a gift… Paul was a grace gift to them… they were graced with his presence.
d. This term is translated “forgiven” in Col. 2:13 – and in relationship to our sins.
• There it obviously means to forgive sins… and is so translated. It is here used of GOD forgiving our sins.
• God “graced us” concerning our sins! He pardoned them.
e. The term is used in Col. 3:13 and is translated “forgive.”
• If any man has a quarrel with another, instead of showering one another with daggers and harsh words, we are to shower them with grace!
• And just to make it crystal clear what kind of “gracing” Paul is speaking of, the same term is used later in the verse: “even as Christ forgave you.”
• It is used 2 times in Eph. 4:32 and both times translated “forgive.”
• When someone sins against us… we are to respond by showering them with grace… gracing them.
f. But what if they have been unbelievably cruel to me? What if they have sinned grievously against me? What if they don’t deserve to be forgiven? God’s command still stands: shower them with unmerited favor! Forgive them…
g. And the present participle in Col. 3:13 indicates that we are to CONTINUE to shower grace upon them!
4. Exactly what does it MEAN to forgive someone who has wronged me?
a. Note that we are to forgive AS we have been forgiven… in the same manner that God forgave us, we are to forgive others. That helps DEFINE forgiveness for us.
b. How did God forgive our sins against Him?
• He removed them from us as far as the east is from the west. (Ps. 103:12)
• He threw them behind His back. (Isa. 38:17)
• He blotted them out. (Isa. 43:25)
• Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)
• When God forgave us, He separated our sin and guilt from us… they are sent away… gone.
• Sin has been separated from the sinner… removed forever… gone.
c. God REMEMBERS our sins no more. (Heb. 10:17)
• Be careful here! God is omniscient!
• God uses language of men that we might understand.
• When God forgives us, He doesn’t FORGET like we forget… (burnt out brain cells… old age…)
• God knows all things always. Information is never deleted from His memory.
• BUT, when He forgives us, He CHOOSES not to bring our sin to His remembrance.
• It is an act of His will.
• This is HOW we are to forgive others.
• We might not actually forget the offense… at least not right away. That might take much time… but the forgiveness is to be granted right away!
• When we forgive a brother who has sinned against us, we are to cast their sin in the sea… bury it… and CHOOSE not to bring it to our mind again… ever!
• And if it DOES pop into our mind, (the flesh LOVES to bring it up), cast it out…, refuse to dwell upon it… re-bury it… 490 times if necessary!
• AND when God forgives us, He never rubs the sin in our face… the sin is GONE… there is NO condemnation… He doesn’t dig up old offences and remind us of them… over and over again… to hurt us or make us feel guilty.
• He treats us as if the offense had never occurred. (Isn’t God gracious?)
• That’s how we are to forgive too.
5. Forgiveness is not something we FEEL. It is something we GIVE.
a. The term forgive in Col. 3:13 means to grace… to give freely…
b. Forgiveness is something we choose to GIVE to another… regardless of merit… it is a gracious giving…
c. In volatile situations with grievous offences, feelings get hurt—a lot! Wounds are etched deep into the soul. The hurt can last a LONG time.
d. If the offending party says he repents, how can I forgive that person… what if I don’t FEEL like forgiving them? Wouldn’t I be acting like a hypocrite to say “I forgive you” if I don’t feel any forgiveness?
e. Not so! Forgiveness can be granted completely independent of feelings. God doesn’t tell us what to feel; He tells us what to DO.
f. In fact, it is possible to use our feelings as an excuse NOT to forgive a brother, when God clearly commands us to do so!
g. When God commands us to forgive a brother, He expects us to OBEY… regardless of how we feel.
• We are not to wait until we FEEL like forgiving.
• That day may never come.
• When you tell your son to pick up his messy room… and he said, “I don’t feel like it,”—that’s not an acceptable answer! How would you respond? Do you wait until he FEELS like it, or do you expect him to obey?
h. If our brother sins against us, we confront him, and he says he repents, then we are to forgive as God forgave us… not because we FEEL like it, but because God said so!
i. We are to BURY the issue… and CHOOSE to bring it to remembrance NO MORE. At that point, it is a dead issue, never to be dug up again.
j. If it is forgiven, it is GONE… If we grant forgiveness, when we say, “I forgive you,” we are giving our word that we will not bring up that issue again. Period.
k. That’s what forgiveness means.
B. Jesus on Forgiveness
1. Matt. 18:21-22 – Cf. what Christ said about the need for ongoing forgiveness.
a. Jesus had just taught about how to deal with a brother who sins against you. (vs. 15) (You’d be surprised how EASILY many offences can be cleared up—often they are misunderstandings)!
b. Peter mulled over in his mind what Jesus had just said.
• If you go to that brother with your complaint against him… and tell him how he sinned against you, and he HEARS you (responds in a right way – by apologizing)… then you have gained a brother. The relationship is restored. Forgive him—the quarrel is over.
• Perhaps Peter had a particular issue in mind… of a brother who sinned against him. We don’t know whether Peter had an actual or hypothetical case in mind we don’t know for sure.
• Perhaps there was a brother who had sinned against Peter, and Peter began to think through what Jesus said.
• What if I go to that brother, and he repents and I forgive him… and then he turns around and does it again? What then!?
• That is not an unrealistic hypothetical!
c. Peter wanted to know just HOW longsuffering he should be with a brother who sins against him. If I forgive him once, what if he does it again?
d. So Peter suggested to Jesus 7 times.
• He no doubt thought be was being gracious, magnanimous, and patient.
• If this sin occurred once, and then he did it again, one would naturally question the sincerity of the “so called” repentance on the part of the offending party. I sure would.
• It’s hard to believe someone who sins against you, apologizes, and then turns around and does it all over again!
• Peter probably thought he was bending over backwards to be gracious in being willing to forgive a brother 7 times! Surely that is showering grace upon him!
• He may have expected Jesus to praise him for being so longsuffering!
• Maybe he expected the Lord to lessen the number to 2 or 3 times…
e. But Jesus responded by saying, 70 times 7! (490 times!)
• That probably let the air out of Peter’s balloon.
• The Lord was trying to elevate Peter’s concept of grace… and of longsuffering… and of forgiveness.
• God’s threshold for being forbearing, longsuffering, and showering grace is far above ours; as far as heaven is above the earth.
• What Jesus was saying, in earthly, human terms we could grasp, that there is no limit when it comes to forgiving others… and showering grace upon them!
f. While it is relatively easy to mentally grasp what Jesus said… it is incredibly difficult to apply it to a real life situation.
• Put yourself in such a place—where someone sins grievously against you… and you have confronted the brother 100 times for the same issue…
• Every time you confront him, you get the same response: I’m sorry. I repent. Forgive me… and the next week he does it all over again.
• Jesus said we are to continue to forgive him.
2. There is a difference between believing him and forgiving him.
a. If I forgave someone for sinning against me, and he did it over and over again… sometime before the 490th transgression, I think I would realize that he’s not being honest!
b. We are commanded to forgive him; we are not commanded to believe him.
c. Forgive means that we willingly choose not bring up the offence forgiven…
d. Our gut feeling may tell us that this guy is taking advantage of the situation… that he has not genuinely repented… that there isn’t one ounce of sincerity in him.
e. However, we walk by FAITH… not by gut feelings.
f. We are to do what God’s Word tells us rather than what our feelings tell us…
g. Gut feelings can be wrong; God’s Word is perfect.
h. So even if deep down in my gut I don’t believe him, God says to forgive him… 490 times and beyond.
i. If he wants to play games, let him. But MY responsibility is to obey God no matter what.
j. God will not judge me for what the other person does… or whether he was genuine or not. But God will judge me for how I respond to the Scriptures. (Did I obey or not?)
3. There is another element that enters into forgiveness between brothers: REPENTANCE.
a. Luke 17:3-5 – Here the Lord speaks of the same scenario: a brother who sins against you multiple times.
b. But here Jesus AMPLIFIES what He meant in Matt. 18 by “if he HEARS thee, thou hast gained a brother.”
c. HEARING implies more than the vibration of eardrums! It is often used as a synonym for obedience… IF he hears the complaint against him, acknowledges his sin, and repents.
d. Notice, repentance is required if forgiveness is to be granted.
• We are not required to grant forgiveness UNTIL the offending party has acknowledged his sin and repent.
• However, even if he does not repent, we are not to harbor ill feelings, malice, hatred, or hold a grudge.
• We are to maintain a spirit of forgiveness and grace, regardless of the response of the other party.
• Their poor behavior is never an EXCUSE for us to harbor ill will or to hold a grudge.
• God wants us to be godly and Christlike regardless of how others treat us.
• I Peter 2:19-23 – be willing to suffer wrongfully if need be… and COMMIT the whole situation into God’s care.
• We need to be continually READY to forgive… as the Lord is ready and waiting to forgive all men!
e. Notice also (in Luke 17) that this sin occurs 7 times in one day! That’s hard to believe the sincerity of his repentance! There is no time for fruit of repentance to be manifested.
f. We CANNOT judge his heart. We cannot know for sure if he is sincere.
g. But if he SAYS (words only!) he repents, we are to forgive him. (Maybe not believe him, but forgive him… and treat him as one who is forgiven.)
• In other words, he doesn’t have to PROVE himself to you or me.
• We are to take him at his word… even if he sins 8 times a day!
• We are not to demand evidence of repentance… (not if we are to forgive him 7 times a day)!
• Granting forgiveness is not based on the other party’s behavior… We are to take him at his word.
h. If he SAYS “I repent,” we are commanded to grant him forgiveness… bury the offence… choose to never bring it up again… and treat him as if it never happened. Ouch!
• Talk about putting yourself in a vulnerable position…
• Talk about turning the other cheek… being utterly selfless…
• Talk about allowing yourself to be defrauded…
• Forgiveness incorporates ALL of that…
• But mostly, it is the LIFE of Christ being manifested through us… as we forgive others AS He forgave us!
• WE (self) couldn’t do that. It requires a new kind of life… a life that is dead to self… dead to the world’s way of doing business… and a life that is hidden away with God in Christ… a life energized by the power of the resurrection…
• When THAT kind of forgiveness is granted, it is obvious that something supernatural is working in our midst… and what a testimony to the power of Christ in our lives when we obey.
• What could be more like Christ than to forgive… to shower grace upon undeserving sinners who have harmed us, hurt us, offended us, trampled over us, treated us cruelly, viciously, maliciously…
• What could be more like Christ – who when He was beaten, spat upon, whipped, mocked, then taken to Golgotha where the Roman soldiers were in the very act of nailing Him to the cross, He cried out, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!
i. If he SAYS “I repent,” we are commanded to grant him forgiveness… bury the offence… choose to never bring it up again… and treat him as if it never happened
j. These are difficult words to digest. We are likely to gag a bit at these words. They are arresting, surprising, startling, puzzling, and downright painful. No wonder the apostles then asked the Lord to increase their faith! (Luke 17:5)
• We need FAITH for that…
• We need to really TRUST God in those situations.
• The offending party who sins against us 7 times a day may be taking advantage of us… and playing games.
• We are to grant forgiveness and TRUST God to take care of that person. God will… in His time and in His way. Nobody ever plays games with God and wins.
• We need to believe that and trust God… trust and obey.
To REALLY understand forgiveness, contemplate the CROSS.
· There, God provided forgiveness of sins for the whole world.
· Have YOU received forgiveness of sins? It is available to you… offered to you… by faith. (Col.1:14 – In Him)
Forgiving One Another EVEN AS Christ Forgave You
HOW TO FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER: Even As Christ Forgave You
Introduction:
1. Even as = in accordance with; equivalent to; to the same degree; in proportion to…
2. This indicates that OUR forgiveness of others is to be equal to the Lord’s forgiveness of us: to the same degree!
3. So if we want to know HOW we are to forgive one another, we must look to HOW did God forgive us.
4. How DID God forgive you and me? Let’s see what the Bible says.
A. Upon repentance
1. At the moment of salvation – II Peter 3:9.
a. God is not willing that any should perish—but MOST men will perish.
b. God’s heart desire is for all men to REPENT… so that they will NOT perish.
c. Repent is = believing here (change of mind – from unbelief to belief).
d. The moment a man changes his mind God saves him and forgives his sins.
e. God required nothing more from the sinner but that he repent… a synonym for believe.
2. For every sin after salvation – confession (I John 1:9)
a. Here John is speaking about those who are already saved; those whose sins are already forgiven judicially.
b. But even after we are saved, we still sin… and that sin breaks our communion and fellowship with the Lord UNTIL we make it right.
c. We are told here to CONFESS (speak the same thing)… agree with God concerning our sin. This concept incorporates the concept of repentance…
d. When we were sinning, we were walking in darkness. When we repent of that sin, we change our mind about it. We agree with God that the sin is to be rejected and forsaken. Thus, we choose to walk in the light.
e. Agreeing with God implies that we see it as wicked; sinful; something to be rejected and forsaken! That’s what God thinks of our sins; and confessing sin means we agree with Him!
f. We can’t say that we agree with God about our sin if we are unwilling to forsake it!
g. But when we GENUINELY agree with God, He forgives us our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
h. He forgives our sins and wipes the slate clean and pure!
B. To the same degree
1. Even as Christ forgives us, we are to forgive others:
a. Our forgiveness of others is to be in proportion to God’s forgiveness of us.
b. We should be willing to forgive others the equivalent of what God forgave us.
c. We should be willing to forgive others their deepest sins against us, because God forgave our deepest sins against Him.
d. To what degree was Christ willing to go to provide forgiveness for us? To what degree was the Father willing to go to provide forgiveness for us?
• Christ gave HIMSELF for us… the cruel death of the cross… He spared not even His own life.
• The Father spared not His only begotten Son… the most precious One to the Father… the Son with whom He had fellowship, love, and communion for an eternity in the past… He spared not His Son.
• When we contemplate this truth, it will put our forgiveness of others in its place…
• This will put all of our grief, suffering, and sorrow in its place…
• As we think about the cross, it will cause us to see that the person who sinned against us did not put us through NEARLY as much suffering, as our sin caused the Lord Jesus…
• Remember the illustration Jesus used, of the man who forgave the debt of 10,000 talents… and that servant was unwilling to forgive his fellowship a debt of a few pence?
• We are infinitely more indebted to God for what He forgave us… than the relatively puny offence committed against us by our brother!
• We are to forgive to the same degree that Christ forgave us.
2. Without exception – (John 6:37) –
a. No one is turned away, regardless of his or her past… regardless of the sins committed… the amount of sins… the severity of the sins…
b. God’s grace is sufficient to cover ALL sins…
c. The blood of Christ is sufficient to pay for ALL sins…
d. To an infinitely holy God, there really isn’t all that much difference between one man’s sins and another’s.
e. There is an infinite gap between God and ANY sin…
f. One sinner is the same as any other sinner: for ALL have sinned and come short (infinitely short) of the glory of God!
g. When a sinner repents, ALL his sins are gone—no matter how many… no matter how grievous… no matter how long he lived in sin… when he repents, he is forgiven!
h. When a man changes his mind and decides to come to Christ in faith, the Lord RECEIVES the sinner… and NONE are turned away because of his sins… or where he’s been.
i. Don’t ever use the excuse, “God will never forgive me… not after what I’ve done.”
• That’s a cop out… a phony excuse… a false humility… a smokescreen for NOT coming to Christ… unbelief…
• Because God said He WILL forgive all sins and turn none away! He wants us to BELIEVE Him and come for forgiveness.
j. He turns none away… no matter how many sins we have committed.
3. We are to forgive others EVEN AS Christ forgave us…
a. Regardless of how many times they sinned… how grievous the sins… how long they lived in that sin…
b. If they repent and come—forgive them!
c. No one who repents is to be denied forgiveness by God, and therefore, no one who repents is to be denied forgiveness by us either.
d. We are to forgive others to the same degree that God forgave us… there IS no limit!
C. Freely – Luke 7:41-42
1. Here Jesus teaches us something about forgiveness. He likens it to a creditor who blots out a debt when the debtor had NOTHING to pay.
a. The word “forgive” is the same word found in Col. 3:13.
b. means to “grace someone”… to shower grace upon them.
c. Here the Lord uses the illustration of a man who was owed a debt that the debtors could not pay…
d. He forgave them FREELY… he showered grace upon them.
e. He cancelled the debt at no charge…
f. He didn’t tell them to pay him a nickel a week for the rest of their lives… he didn’t put them on a payment schedule… he didn’t siphon money out of their weekly salaries.
g. He freely and gracious wiped out their debt completely!
h. This kind of gracious forgiveness incurs no debt – demands no payment. It is truly and entirely FREE.
i. When you pay off your debt (mortgage) the mortgage company has absolutely NOTHING to hold against you! You are free.
j. When the debt is cancelled NOTHING is owed! There are no strings attached
k. This is how the Lord forgave us. This is HIS teaching on forgiveness.
l. This is how we are to forgive others too. FREELY…
D. Graciously –
1. Grace implies without regard to merit—expecting nothing in return –
a. If forgiveness is offered in genuine grace, then it is free, and it is offered at no price…
b. Grace is not earned or merited.
c. The one who grants forgiveness therefore expects NOTHING in return or it wasn’t grace… it was a payment.
d. Grace isn’t paid for either up front or after the fact… or it isn’t grace.
e. If we expect a payment in return for grace, then the person is paying for it… on credit… “I’ll pay you later!”
f. Thus, when we GRACE someone by granting forgiveness, we have no right to say: “I’ll forgive you, BUT, you had better do this, that, and the other thing or else!”
g. Grace is completely free—no strings attached.
h. This is how God forgives us… graciously… not according to merit… expecting no payment for our sins in return.
2. Grace is sometimes gratefully received; sometimes it is taken advantage of!
a. When we forgive someone, it is with the full acknowledgment that our grace might be taken advantage of…
b. Will people take advantage of the grace of forgiveness? Of course they will!
c. But God says to manifest His grace anyway! Suffer yourselves to be defrauded. Turn the other cheek… even if they keep on smiting it!
d. But what if they know this and use it to take advantage of me and make a mockery of me? KEEP ON forgiving if they keep on repenting.
e. God will execute justice in His time and way. Our job is to obey and show grace by forgiving the one who says he repents.
f. In Col. 3, we are commanded to be forbearing… to put up with one another. We are to refuse to retaliate… be longsuffering… be patient…
g. But we are to go way beyond merely putting up with others and holding back on vengeance. We are to be willing to FORGIVE them! Shower them with the grace of God!
h. That is going the extra mile… and in that, Christ is magnified.
E. He Remembers Our Sin No More – Heb. 10:17
1. We mentioned this fact this morning.
a. When God forgives our sins, He remembers them no more.
b. That means that God chooses not to bring our sin to his mind again…
c. Of course, he remembers… He knows what we did. But He chooses not to rub our face in it…
d. When we forgive others EVEN AS God forgives us, we do the same. We REFUSE to bring the sin to mind again…
e. We don’t dwell on it… we don’t remind the offending part of what he or she did… we don’t talk about it.
2. It is dead and buried.
a. When something has been buried, you don’t go digging it up again!
b. We had a pet goat that died a year ago. I buried him in the back lawn.
c. It was not a happy day when the goat died, but we dealt with it… and I buried it. It remains buried to this day.
d. I can’t think of anything more disgusting than to dig up that dead goat! Imagine that?!
e. Digging up old sins is just as disgusting and distasteful. Nothing good comes from it.
f. It is like continually beating on old wounds or old sores. They will never heal… unless you leave it alone.
g. Don’t dig up the old sins and remind yourself and others all over again of the pain and hurt the sin caused.
h. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t do that to us?! He remembers our sins no more. He buries them in the bottom of the sea.
F. God Forgave Us For Christ’s sake (Eph. 4:32)
1. Forgiveness is Christ centered.
a. God does not forgive us for OUR sakes… although we benefit GREATLY from having our sins forgiven!
b. The Father forgives us for the sake of His Beloved Son!
c. Otherwise, Christ died for nothing!
d. IF Christ died for our sins, and the Father did not forgive us, it would be as if the Father did not accept the sacrifice of His Son as being sufficient.
2. When we forgive others, it too should be for Christ’s sake.
a. It is not for OUR sakes…
• Although those who lean heavily on Christian psychology say so.
• They say we should forgive others because it releases us from inner stress… it takes away guilt and pain from us… (self-centered forgiveness)!
b. When we forgive a brother, the forgiveness is not granted for the OTHER person’s sake either.
• Although the one forgiven will certainly benefit.
• He will be encouraged that his sin was forgiven… that the relationship is restored… that the sin is remembered no more.
• The one we forgive certainly benefits from us forgiving them… but that is not the reason either.
• That would be man-centered forgiveness.
c. We are to forgive others EVEN AS God forgave us: for Christ’s sake… and for His glory.
• We are to forgive others for the sake of Christ.
• For His testimony’s sake…
• For the sake of pleasing Him… obeying Him… following His example…
• We forgive others for the sake of Christ because in doing so we are demonstrating the life transforming POWER of being forgiven by Him!
• When He forgave us, it so transformed us and changed us, that we are now ABLE to forgive others… for His sake… for His glory… to demonstrate the reality of Christ in us.
• But as true as all that is, the original reads a bit differently.
d. The English reads: God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you
• Greek reads: ? ?e?? ?? ???st?^ ??a??sat? ?µ?^? (God in Christ has forgiven you.)
• Forgiveness is granted to us because of what the Father saw in Christ His Son.
• We are not forgiven because we are worthy, or because God saw some merit in us. We are not forgiven because God sees anything good in us.
• We are forgiven because God sees in His Son’s work on Calvary a more than sufficient basis upon which He can grant forgiveness of sins.
• We are forgiven because of who Christ is and because of what Christ did.
e. We are to forgive others, not for our own sakes, or for their sakes, because IN Christ there are proper GROUNDS for forgiveness.
• God forgave us because He saw in Christ sufficient grounds to forgive us…
• The sacrifice of His Son and Christ’s shed blood were enough for the Father to grant forgiveness to us.
• It should be enough for us too… to grant forgiveness to others too.
• In Christ we will find all we need to motivate us and empower us to forgive others.
• Having a hard time forgiving? Drive off to the ocean some day—just you and your Bible… and read about what Christ did for us to provide forgiveness of sins.
• Don’t stop meditating until God makes it clear to you that IN CHRIST is found all we need to BE forgiven, and all we need to FORGIVE others.
G. Eternally –
1. When God forgives our sins, they are gone—forever!
2. Our sins were paid for in FULL at Calvary. There is no future penalty for our sins.
3. They are not even brought up against us at the Bema seat. They are burned and removed for all eternity.
4. We suffer loss of reward, but there is no penalty to pay, for Jesus paid it all!
5. God remembers our sins NO more… now or forever!
6. No condemnation—Rom. 8:1—we are not to hold the offence against the one we forgive… now or forever… EVEN AS God forgave us!
H. Entirely –
1. All of the offences we have committed are forgiven. (Col. 2:13)
2. There is no sin so grievous that it cannot be forgiven.
3. There is no grouping of sins into mortal or venial… little white sins and big dark sins… some that can be forgiven and some that cannot. Sin is sin with God.
4. When God forgives our sins, He forgives them ALL…
5. He is FAITHFUL to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness! (I John 1:9)
6. There is no sin committed against us that we should not (by God’s grace working in us) be able to forgive!
7. We have no right to portion off sins… into sins we will forgive and sins we will not forgive. That’s not how God forgave us!
8. And there are no degrees of forgiveness. Either we have forgiven or we have not.
9. No matter WHAT that brother or sister has done to us, we need to be willing to forgive them… EVEN AS God hath forgiven us!
I. Immediately –
1. When we repented… when we believed on Christ, God saved us right then and there!
2. There is no time of penance… no purgatory… no probationary period… there is no period of proving or testing…
3. We are to forgive others EVEN AS God has forgiven us.
4. If the sinning brother repents, forgive him… right then and there on the spot. That’s what the Bible commands.
5. Feelings won’t change immediately.
a. But forgiveness is not based on feelings.
b. It is an act of the will… CHOOSING to bring up the sin no more.
c. It is an act of obedience.
d. We are expected to OBEY immediately.
J. Warmly –
1. Consider the story of the father of the prodigal son.
a. This story is not really the story of the prodigal son. That title is not found in the Bible.
b. It is the story of a forgiving Father! It is a picture of the Father’s willingness to forgive us… when we repent.
c. The prodigal son went off and lived in sin for a long time.
d. He then came to his senses, changed his mind, and decided to return to his father’s house.
e. Luke 15:20 – read
f. The father embraced him and KISSED him… and made merry.
g. Oh that we might learn to forgive EVEN AS God has forgiven us!
2. This is how WE are to forgive others…
a. Not at a distance… at an arm length…
b. Not half heartedly…
c. Not reluctantly…
d. But cheerfully… with joy… embracing the opportunity!
e. The father cooked up the fatted calf and made merry. He REJOICED that the relationship was now restored!
f. The father treated the son as if he had never run away!
g. After we forgive the offender, we are to treat him just as kindly as if he had not injured us—as God treats us when he forgives us!
h. Warmly! This is hard to do… because we are so inclined to allow our hearts to grow cold in times of anger, controversy, and quarrels…
i. That’s not how God forgave us.
Conclusions:
» Quarrels come for a God given purpose… to put us to the test and help us learn to appreciate our forgiveness in Christ. Christ who had an infinitely greater quarrel with us because of our sin!
» Forgiveness is an expression of “seeking things above.” Down here on earth revenge reigns… not forgiveness. Everybody wants to get the last jab in… to get even. That is entirely earthly… the way men in Adam behave.
» But those in Christ have a heavenly mindset. We are able to forgive… because we have BEEN forgiven… and our Adamic life is over. Our new life is hidden with Christ in God… in heaven. There is no place for revenge in that heavenly scene.
The Bond of Perfection
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Introduction:
1. In chapter three, Paul reminds us that we have been raised with Christ and are seated with Him at the right hand of the Father. (vs.1)
2. This glorious privilege carries with it certain responsibilities. (vs.2) We are thus to set our affection on things above… not on earthly things.
3. Our former earthly life is over and our new life is hidden with Christ in God. (vs. 3)
4. We are now commanded to PUT ON LOVE.
5. This is the context in which the command is given: saints who are indwelt by Christ… whose position is in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father… reminded of our death to the world system and our new position in Christ… are now commanded to LIVE in such a way that manifests the indwelling life of Christ…
6. It is HIS mercy, meekness, forbearance, forgiveness, and love that are to be manifested to others THROUGH our mortal bodies.
7. This is a supernatural work of God in our midst. This is HOW the Body of Christ functions. This is true Christianity: Christ IN you. And this is our witness to the world.
8. Above all these things, put on love!
And Above All These
A. And Above All These Things
1. And…
a. This term links verse 14 with what has been previously discussed.
b. Paul had been using figurative language to describe appropriate behavior for a new creature in Christ.
c. In this figure of speech Paul linked the character of the old man and the new man to articles of clothing.
d. Because the old man is dead, we are to mortify our earthly members and PUT OFF the sins of the flesh (vs. 5-9)… like you put off dirty clothes.
e. Because we are a new man in Christ, we are to PUT ON new clothing FITTING for such a glorious position.
f. Therefore, we are also to PUT ON Christlike virtues, such as mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and forgiveness. (vs. 10-13)
g. After speaking about putting off the dirty old clothing and putting on the new clean clothing, Paul says, AND… don’t forget this last and most important article of clothing: with all things you are putting on, don’t forget to put on love!
2. Above all these things (epi)
a. Epi = above; over; on; on top of; in a position over…
• It can have LOTS of various usages and can have different shades of meaning depending upon the context.
• It CAN mean that love reigns over the other virtues as superior.
• Luke 1:33 – And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever. (Christ rules over… sitting above the house.)
• Acts 8:27 – a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure. (This eunuch had authority over… he ruled over all the wealth of this queen.)
• It often speaks of someone or something that is in a superior position… reigning over someone or something else.
• It is possible that Paul meant that love reigns over all the other virtues listed… which is certainly true!
• The translators are forced to interpret this passage in translating this preposition. Some translations translate in this sense: love is superior to all these things… the other virtues.
• This does have scriptural support.
» Gal. 5:22 – it is listed first in the list of the fruit of the Spirit.
» II Pet. 1:5-7 – it is listed last in the list of virtues, because here Peter is building to a crescendo.
» I Cor. 13 – a whole chapter is dedicated to defining love.
» I Cor. 13:13 – And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. Love is listed as the most enduring virtue.
» Matt. 22:36-38 – Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.? 38This is the first and great commandment.
» There is good Scriptural reasoning for understanding “above all these things” as love is the most important virtue.
» Many translators and commentators attribute that meaning to “epi” here.
b. Epi CAN also mean over… on top of… (which is its most natural meaning).
• This seems the best way to understand the term to me, in light of the context in which it is found.
• Paul has been speaking (figuratively) about putting on articles of clothing… Christlike virtue.
• And over or on top of all of those articles of clothing, put on the final piece of clothing: love!
• This final piece of clothing goes over all the other clothing…
• And without this, a Christian is NOT well dressed!
• Now this interpretation does not exclude the idea that love is the most important, but speaks of love as being that outer piece… the final article of clothing one puts on.
• There are articles of clothing we put on that no one sees… (undergarments!) (Meekness before God; a heart of mercy; humility; longsuffering; forbearance; etc.)
• But LOVE ought to be a VISIBLE piece of clothing… an outer garment… the final piece we put on.
• It goes on top of all the other virtues.
• Love isn’t some quiet warm feeling we harbor in our hearts and no one knows about. It ought to be quite visible… it moves into action.
• Not that we demonstrate love FOR SHOW… we don’t do deeds of love to be seen… but if we love someone it ought to SHOW!
• Love involves outward action; not just inward feelings.
The Bond of Perfectness
A. Bond
1. Defined:
a. Strong’s: that which binds together, a band, bond.
b. Lexicon: a bond of fastening; a union; that which keeps or binds something together…
2. Paul states here that love is BINDING something together… holding something together… fastening together…
3. Context:
a. In a figure, articles of clothing are being put on…
b. Everything in its proper place…
c. We need to think of the kind of clothing Paul had in mind: undergarments, sandals, scarf, and then a loose tunic or an overcoat.
d. But on top of all that… over all that, they would put on a girdle… which was a large sash that held it all together.
e. For most activities the tunic was worn full length.
f. But for work or if they had to run, they would gird up their loins… by pulling it up and binding it in place with the large cloth belt or sash called a girdle.
g. The girdle went OVER their outerwear and bound it all together.
h. The context seems to indicate that Paul was likening the Christlike virtue of LOVE to that final article of clothing… the sash… which held everything else together.
4. Love is comprehensive and multifaceted. It incorporates many other virtues under its umbrella.
a. Rom. 13:9-10 – Love is broad enough to include the whole law! And if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The law can be boiled down to love… love God and love your neighbor.
b. Our WALK is to be characterized by love. Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us. (Eph. 5:2)
c. All the Christlike virtues mentioned in Col. 3:14 fall under the broad umbrella of love.
d. There are many virtues mentioned as appropriate clothing for the believer… but LOVE is all encompassing… it includes the whole law… it includes all of the other virtues!
5. Love binds all those other virtues together… to make one unified, coherent whole.
a. Just as the girdle held all the other articles of clothing in place so the person could function (work; walk; run; etc.), love holds all of the other virtues in place so that we can FUNCTION… and serve God acceptably.
b. Consider the usage of the term “bond” in Col. 2:19:
• As the Body holds the Head (Christ), the Body is supernaturally ministered to… from the Head in heaven. (Christ builds and builds up His Body.)
• There are joints and bands (same word) which are nourished, knit together, and INCREASE with the increase of God… supernatural increase.
• Because of spiritual fellowship, members of the body are joined together and BOUND together… drawn closer to each other and thus closer to the Lord.
• Individual members of the Body (of any body!) would be quite useless unless BOUND together… by joints and bands.
• Apart from the binding together, a body would not be able to function… we would just be a pile of individual body parts… not linked together into any cohesive union.
• Binding together of members of the body is essential for the Body to accomplish the will of the Head.
c. In the same sense, Christian virtues need to be BOUND together… there needs to be some cohesive unity and union… for sensible, coherent, balanced behavior.
d. Without love these virtues could even be sinful in God’s sight! (Giving alms to be seen of men; putting up with others, but not for their good; giving goods to the poor)
e. Without love, we will NOT be kind one to another; or show mercy; or put up with one another. Unless we LOVE one another… we won’t forbear and forgive. We will hold grudges and harbor resentment.
f. Love – self sacrifice for the spiritual well being of others is what makes these other virtues VIRTUOUS!
g. Practicing the other virtues IN LOVE adds a divine quality to all of them… selflessness… for God… empowered by God… motivated by the love of God…
h. God IS love… the love of God working in and through a yielded believer is what makes all the other qualities Christlike… adding a divine quality to it… it brings GOD right into the midst of all the other virtues… not just natural temperaments, but GOD is at work…
i. Even faith works by love…
j. Love forbears and suffers long… and is kind. But it also overcomes evil with good! It is extremely powerful!
k. If good deeds are motivated by anything other than love, they are nothing… but sounding brass and tinkling cymbals; nothing but religious jangling; religious hypocrisy.
l. True agape love motivates the believer into demonstrating the other virtues… it moves us to be kind, merciful, forgiving, etc… brings them all together… and unites them in harmony… a unified, cohesive, coherent, whole… for the glory of God.
B. Perfectness
1. Defined:
The state achieved when a goal has been accomplished; completeness; maturity; full-grown.
2. Usage:
a. The term in this same form is used only twice in the New Testament: here and Heb. 6:1 – “let us go on to perfection.”
b. Verb form used in John 4:34 – My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
c. Heb. 10:1 – the law and its shadows could NOT make the comers thereto perfect… or mature… full-grown…
d. Phil. 3:12 – Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after…
e. Heb. 6:1 challenges us all to “go on to perfection”… as a goal… Christlike maturity… realizing that in this life, we will never fully obtain that goal… there is always MORE…
3. Perfection for the believer.
a. This term does not mean “sinless perfection.”
b. It means: full grown maturity in Christ.
c. It speaks of the GOAL we all strive for… Christlikeness.
d. It speaks of the fruit of the Spirit or Christlike virtues which God seeks to manifest through us…
e. That’s what maturity is: being like Christ.
f. Maturity means a full-grown demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit… a continual, consistent manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit… Christlike virtues…
g. I John 4:12 – As we practice love, as we WALK in love, God’s love is being perfected in us!
• The words “His love” do not refer to our love for Him, nor to His love for us, but to the love which is peculiarly His own, – His nature).
• Supernatural divine love is manifested in and through the yielded believer. It is supernatural…
• And note the word “perfected.” It is possible to have a small amount of divine love manifested through us… in our immature state.
• But it is also possible to have that divine love grow, flourish, and become full-grown… ripe… mature… perfected.
• In this case, practice makes perfect! As we practice love… as we practice doing deeds of love… God’s love is being developed in us… and ultimately, over time, is brought to maturity.
• As we grow and mature in Christ, God’s love will grow and mature IN us… in proportion to our spiritual growth.
• If we love (present tense) one another, God’s love is perfected in us. (Perfect passive. (God’s love stands full grown and fruitful!)
• And note again that the development of God’s love IN us is related to the fact God DWELLS in us. It is a manifestation of HIM in our lives.
• As we mature, and God’s love matures in us, there will be less of self and more of Christ manifested through our mortal bodies.
• One CANNOT be brought to maturity with head knowledge only. It requires experientially putting on the virtues mentioned… especially love!
4. LOVE is what binds all the fruit or virtue together… and results in MATURITY in a local church setting too.
a. Love binds together all the virtues and graces mentioned previously.
b. When all of those virtues are being practiced regularly, love will also bind the members of the body together… in peace and unity.
c. Where there was strife, envy, division, schism, contention, quarrels, there will be peace and unity.
d. Col. 2:2-3 – when hearts of believers are knit together in LOVE… it results in assurance… which results in understanding of truth… of the mystery of Christ in us… and in Him are hidden ALL treasures of wisdom and knowledge, which leads to maturity!
e. With hearts knit together in love, the Body is spiritually healthy… and fit… and able to function as God designed. That results in a mature Body.
f. Gal. 5:22 – love is a fruit of the Spirit. Love is produced by the Spirit in the yielded believer. When a believer walks consistently in the Spirit, spiritual growth and maturity will ALWAYS be the result! Love, the firstfruit of the Spirit is essential for maturity… for the individual and the Body.
5. The mature believer wears these clothes every day!
a. We should not think of these Christlike virtues… (mercy; kindness; humility; meekness; forbearance; forgiveness; and love) these articles of clothing as our “dress clothes” that we wear only to church or a special occasion.
b. We wear our dress clothes only to special occasions because we don’t want to wear them out or ruin them… they fade, wear out, get ripped…
c. Rather, the articles of clothing Paul mentions are dress clothes that we wear every day… everyplace we go… in every situation!
d. They never go out of style… never fade… they never wear out…
e. In fact, the more you wear them, the stronger they become!
f. These are the clothing necessary for a worthy walk.
Put On Love
1. We are COMMANDED to put on love.
a. Note that the verb is italicized, which means it was not in the original. It was added by the translators.
b. The verb is implied from the context. To put it into sensible English, the verb must be supplied, and the KJV translators did a perfect job, by carrying on the preceding verb.
c. Even though it is implied, not stated, the same verb form applies as well: it is an IMPERATIVE!
2. There are many passages where love is COMMANDED.
a. I John 4:21 – And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
b. John 15:12 – This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
c. I Pet. 1:22 – see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
d. I Cor. 16:14 – Let all your things be done with charity.
3. But there is something NEW about this commandment.
a. John 13:34 – A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
b. “New” in this passage does not mean new in time, but new in quality (fresh; not worn out).
c. The command to love one another is not new in time. Old Testament saints were given that command.
d. But the coming of Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit gives this commandment a fresh new meaning…
e. It is elevated far above the law! (AS I have loved you!)
• Note the comparison – we are to forgive AS Christ forgave you!)
• Christ is the standard now… the kind of love HE demonstrated…
• The Holy Spirit provides the power to obey… and Christ LIVES IN US…
• His indwelling LIFE is manifested through us… never so clearly as when the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
f. This command is new in this way… that it is inspired by LIFE… rather than LAW.
• I John 4:10-11 – it is MOTIVATED by the cross: the greatest manifestation of love the universe has ever seen! And since we are recipients, it is incumbent upon us to SHOW love to others.
• I John 3:14 – it is an EVIDENCE of divine LIFE. It is natural for one who has been born again.
• I John 2:10 – He that loveth his brother abideth in the light. It is evidence of a life lived in the LIGHT.
• Gal. 5:22 – it is the natural outflow of being under the control of the Holy Spirit.
• The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
• I Thess. 4:9 – But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
• God lives IN us… and teaches us HOW to love… He guides us as to when and where we should demonstrate DEEDS of love. This is a NEW kind of love… divine…
• Rom. 5:5 – the love of God shed abroad in our hearts!
• The Bible tells us to love… but it doesn’t give us specifics.
• God who lives IN us, teaches us and guides us through the specifics… in WHAT deeds to do… when and to whom…
• So while love IS a command, it is a NEW KIND of command. It is internal.
• It is not an external code demanding compliance, but internal LIFE… moving us… to limitless heights…
• It shouldn’t be considered a duty… an obligation… as a burden… a yoke around our necks…
• It should be just as natural as breathing for a Spirit filled child of God. That is what makes it NEW!
• It is CHRIST in you… His love flowing through a yielded vessel. It is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts.
• And the love of God motivates us, compels us, and moves us to do FAR MORE than law ever could!
• It is LIMITLESS! AS Christ loved us!
4. What is the relationship between LOVE and MATURITY (the bond of perfection… maturity)?
a. Calvary is the illustration of love… Christ is our pattern of love…
b. Spiritual maturity is gauged or measured in direct proportion to the depth of selfless, Christlike love that is consistently manifested in our lives.
c. We are to be growing, from glory to glory, into the image of Christ… the closer we get… the more of His love will be manifested through us.
d. We will NEVER fully arrive at that goal in this life… (we will never match the love He demonstrated)… but that is our goal… what we are to STRIVE for…
e. Hence, we are to PUT ON this kind of love…
Love and Quarrels
1. In context, Paul is speaking about quarrels that arise among believers… and how to handle them.
a. In Ephesians 6, Paul tells the Christian soldier how to dress for battle in conflicts against the enemy. (The armor of God.)
b. In Colossians 3, Paul tells the member of the Body how to dress in handling conflicts among the saints.
c. How do we handle conflicts among the saints? Paul’s answer is simple: DRESS for the occasion!
d. Wear the following articles of clothing: put on mercy, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, and on top of it all, LOVE!
e. It’s mighty hard to pick a fight with someone dressed like that!
f. And even if you do pick a fight with such a person, it is virtually impossible to keep it going.
g. Just as the fiery darts of the wicked one will not be able to penetrate the armor (the shield of faith), so no quarrel will be able to undo the believer… not when he’s dressed in the clothes mentioned here!
2. Love incorporates the other virtues mentioned here. The others are sub-points under love… various aspects OF love. Consider some of the articles of clothing:
a. Kindness: Love is kind (I Cor. 13:4)
b. Humbleness of mind: Love is not puffed up (I Cor. 13:4)
c. Longsuffering: Love suffers long (I Cor. 13:4)
d. Forbearance: Love bears all things (I Cor. 13:7)
e. And though not specifically stated in I Cor.13, it is fair to say that love is also behind every act of mercy and every act of forgiveness!
f. Love incorporates all of these virtues and loves BINDS them all together into one unified WHOLE and enables them all to function in their place… as the ligaments in our bodies hold us together that we might walk and function as designed!
3. How can you possibly quarrel with a person dressed like this?
a. Humbleness of mind:
• Solomon wrote: Only by pride cometh contention. Pride in one form or another is behind every quarrel. (Me first! I want MY way! I’m not budging! I’m right!)
• But when we put on love which incorporates humbleness of mind (the opposite of pride), we remove the essence of every conflict and contention!
b. Longsuffering: (long fused; not easily provoked; not rash; not soon angry).
• Solomon also wrote: An angry man stirreth up strife.
• Without anger you don’t have much of a quarrel! Anger seems to be the fuel of controversy.
• Short fuses blow up easily… quickly… and the longer a quarrel goes on, the shorter our fuses become… and things spiral downward very rapidly.
• But a man who is longsuffering (long fused—not easily provoked—not soon angry) is not going to be dragged into a quarrel very easily.
• Love suffers long; it is longsuffering.
• When cruel words are thrown at this person like fiery darts, instead of blowing up, he responds with a soft answer which turns away wrath… and defuses the argument.
• Put on longsuffering (an aspect of love) and that quarrel will struggle to survive! It will be gasping for air… will sputter a bit, and then finally pass out!
c. Forbearance:
• Love bears all things… which means ALL things!
• Love puts up with a lot…
• The flesh which is self centered by nature won’t put up with much, but the love of God in us will!
• Love endures all things… hopes all things… believeth all things… endureth all things!
• Love enables us to put up with all kinds of mistreatment… cruelty… and to ENDURE through it all!
• Love BEARS UP under all kinds of pressure… and it keeps on going… it endures… it perseveres… it doesn’t throw in the towel… love is not a cowardly quitter… but perseveres with supernatural strength… it is strong in the LORD!
• When quarrels arise in a local church, some people end the controversy by leaving the church.
• When quarrels arise in a marriage, many folks end the controversy by getting divorced.
• When quarrels arise at work, many folks end the quarrels by quitting.
• We have such a shallow concept of commitment to anything but self.
• When the love of God is binding these virtues together into a unified WHOLE, we will bear with quarrels God’s way: by sticking it out… by being faithful… by dressing for the occasion!
• Love bears all things. ALL things.
d. And on top of that, love is kind… merciful… does not retaliate… turns the other cheek… when reviled, it reviles not again…
e. It is mighty hard to keep a quarrel going when a person is dressed like that.
f. Quarrels and arguments are not won by getting in the last jab… or winning the verbal debate.
g. Quarrels are won by manifesting the love of God…
h. Putting yourself ABOVE the fray, in fact FAR above… by reminding ourselves that we DIED to the old way of life and are ALIVE unto God… a new selfless life hidden with Christ in God… far above the fray of this old world… and itching for opportunities to manifest the LOVE of Christ.
i. Those opportunities arise daily.
j. Quarrels arise far too often. And they are usually precipitated by sin.
k. But rather than allowing them to destroy us… to destroy our marriage… our home… our family… our church… our lives… put on love… and use those quarrels as an occasion to manifest Christ… His character… and especially, His LOVE.
l. Love is strong enough to defuse ANY quarrel… no matter how longstanding… how bitter… how deep… or how cruel.
m. It is able to do so because it is GOD’S love in us…
n. Eph. 3:18-19 – Paul prayed that the Ephesian believers might comprehend the love of Christ that passes knowledge… It is inexhaustible… limitless… boundless…
o. We know it and learn it experientially when we put it into practice… in real life situations… like quarrels!
The Rule of God’s Peace
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts
A. The Peace of God
1. Peace WITH God.
a. Col. 1:20-22 – Christ made peace through His shed blood on the cross.
• Christ made peace possible for the whole world.
• He shed His blood and paid the price of all our sins.
• Anyone who now comes to Christ, trusting entirely and exclusively in His shed blood is changed from an enemy to a friend of God!
• We were enemies; and now reconciled. Enmity is over! Peace WITH God replaces enmity and hostility.
b. Rom. 5:1 – Being justified by faith we have peace WITH God. The war is over.
c. Peace WITH God speaks of our position.
• Every true believer has peace with God… whether he experiences it in his heart or not.
• There is no condemnation; the war is over; justification has been completed.
• We are no longer enemies of God but friends… sons.
• This is to be equated with salvation. We have made peace with God… once and for all at the moment of saving faith.
2. The Peace OF God.
a. But in Col. 3:15, Paul is not speaking about objective or positional peace… peace WITH God.
b. He is not talking about our position… but rather, the changeable CONDITION of our lives.
c. Peace with God has been made by the shed blood of Christ… however; we don’t always EXPERIENCE that peace in our hearts.
d. It is this experiential kind of peace of which Paul writes in Col. 3:15.
e. It is a command to let it rule in our hearts.
f. It is God’s peace, and when we ALLOW it to rule in our hearts, we experience it.
g. That means that peace does not ALWAYS rule… sometimes other issues in our lives overshadow this peace… eat away at it… and at times completely overwhelm and crush this peace.
3. Peace defined:
a. Strong’s: 1 – A state of national tranquility. (The absence of war.)
b. Strong’s: 2 – peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, tranquility. (The absence of hostility.)
c. Strong’s: 3 – of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul. (The absence of worry, fear, guilt, etc.) before God.
4. The peace of God is God’s own peace that He GIVES to us!
a. The King James Version reads “the peace of God” here.
b. Other passages speak of it as God’s peace. (II Thessalonians 3:16 – “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means.”)
c. Other manuscripts read, “the peace of Christ” in Col. 3:15.
d. The difference is miniscule in this sense: Jesus IS God… and the peace that is given is elsewhere defined for us as peace that comes to us FROM Christ.
e. Jesus said, “My peace I give unto you”… (The Lord Jesus gives the peace). (John 14:27)
f. Eph. 2:14 states that Christ IS our peace! Isaiah refers to Him as the Prince of Peace!
g. He dwells in us… and His peace is CONSTANTLY available by faith… if we trust Him… we can have peace like a river… peace in the midst of a storm!
h. Hence, it is best to understand this as the peace of Christ… bestowed from the Head to His Body… a divine peace from God Himself… our Savior!
B. Its Rule In Our Hearts
1. Rule Defined
a. Strong’s: to be an umpire. 2to decide, determine. 3to direct, control, rule.
b. Zodhiates: an umpire, director or arbiter in the public Greek games. In the New Testament to rule, govern.
c. Theological Dictionary of New Testament: the activity of the umpire whose office at the games is to direct, arbitrate and decide the contest. In the wider sense it then comes to mean “to rule,” or “control.”
2. A popular interpretation of this passage:
a. Wiersbe: How can a Christian know when he is doing God’s will? One answer is: the peace of Christ in the heart … When the believer loses his inner peace, he knows that he has in some way disobeyed God.
b. MacArthur: The peace of Christ guides believers in making decisions.
c. Richard Strauss: But there would be some occasions when they might not know what God wanted them to do. How were they to decide those matters? “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,” he says. When we are pursuing the path of His choosing, an inner tranquility and serenity will tell us so. A quiet confidence and contentment will come over us. We will feel good about the direction we are going. Our minds will be at ease. As Isaiah put it, there will be peace like a river.
d. In other words, the peace of God in our hearts acts as an umpire by guiding us into God’s will for our lives. If we have a peace about it, it must be God’s will.
e. It is an interesting concept… an umpire! Many sermons have been preached on this theme… and to Americans who love baseball, an umpire is a compelling illustration.
f. There is an element of truth in it… and other passages do lend credence to that thought… (Isaiah 48:17,18)
• We should never head down a pathway if our conscience is not at rest… that’s an indication something might be wrong!
• We should stop and investigate…
• Peace of mind, heart, and conscience is one of many guideposts God gives us in discerning His will.
g. As a side note, this element of truth is often taken to the extreme.
• Some make all their decisions based solely on whether they have a peace about it or not.
• When this is the sole rule, it becomes hopelessly subjective… without any objective boundaries.
• Discerning God’s will by our feelings is a dangerous proposition!
• Just because a person says, “I have a peace about it,” does not necessarily mean that it is God’s will.
• Peace of heart and mind can play a helpful SUPPORTING role in discerning God’s will (never violate your conscience)… but only a supporting role!
h. Though there is an element of truth to this interpretation, I don’t think that that is what Col. 3:15 means. (with all due respect to the good men who see it otherwise!)
2. The Context
a. There doesn’t seem to be anything in the context about an individual believer learning how to find God’s will for his life.
b. Paul has been speaking about quarrels and conflicts that arise among SAINTS in the local church. (vs. 13)
c. Paul teaches us HOW to deal with quarrels among the saints: dress for the occasion!
d. Paul gives us a list of virtues to “put on” in times of such conflicts: meekness; kindness; longsuffering; forbearance; forgiveness; and on top of it all, LOVE!
e. Now the apostle commands us to let PEACE rule in our hearts.
f. He speaks of a peace which settles strife and preserves unity in the Body of Christ.
g. Eph. 4:1-3 – another reason for this interpretation is what Paul says in a parallel passage.
• Here Paul states that we are to be lowly, meek, longsuffering, forbearing in love (sound familiar?)
• Then Paul mentions the need for us all to let peace rule among the saints. (Endeavoring to keep our unity in the bond of peace.)
• In both passages, the thought is keeping peace among the saints in the Body… not discovering God’s will for your life.
3. Peace is to rule in the sense that it serves as an umpire or arbitrator in quarrels that arise in the body… among the saints.
a. As an umpire, God’s peace says to quarrels, contentions, disagreements, secret grudges, worries, fears, anxiety, bitterness, resentment: strike three, you’re OUT!
b. The umpire calls the shots. That sort of behavior and those attitudes are completely unacceptable in the Body of Christ.
c. Quarrels are contaminated, impure, foreign substances… an infection in the Body… God has given us His PEACE to fight off foreign infections in the Body! It is the responsibility of us all!
d. Quarrels and bitterness CANNOT rule in hearts where God’s peace rules. They are mutually exclusive. It is one or the other.
e. The context indicates that Paul is telling the members of the congregation how to deal with quarrels that arise among them corporately.
f. PEACE is to rule! It is to rule in the hearts of each individual member, and it is to reign in the Body corporately.
g. If the saints are arguing over what color curtains to buy for the assembly room… let peace rule! It’s not worth ruining the fellowship over. It’s better to have NO curtains than to fight over them and allow curtains to destroy the unity and peace of the Body.
h. It is better to pursue peace than to pursue getting one’s own way.
4. The Command: Let peace keep on ruling.
a. Present, active, imperative.
b. It is a command. LET, allow peace to reign.
• In other words, peace WILL reign when the members of the Body are yielded to Christ the Head, the Prince of Peace.
• This is a command to SUBMIT to the reign of Christ who IS our peace… submit to the rule of Christ the Head… submit to God who governs and rules His Body in peace.
c. It is a command that is ongoing… continuous action.
d. It is the responsibility of each member of the Body to contribute to the peace and unity of the Body corporately.
e. Each of us should be of this mindset: peace WILL rule in this body… because I am willing to sacrifice self, self will, and whatever it takes to maintain the peace and unity in the Body!
f. Our responsibility is to ENDEAVOR to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
5. Of course peace should never be pursued at the expense of truth or holiness!
a. This is not seeking peace with the false teachers… but seeking peace among ourselves… interpersonal relationships…
b. We are to seek peace without regard to personal price.
c. But we are not to seek peace and unity if the price of peace is doctrine!
6. What a way to end conflicts among the saints! Let peace rule!
a. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isa. 26:3)
b. Believers who experience the peace of God in their hearts are those whose minds are stayed on God! (Christ!)
• Stayed: A verb meaning to lay on, to uphold, to sustain
• Psalm 71:6 – By thee have I been holden up from the womb.
• Psalm 37:24 – Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
• Judges 16:29 – And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up.
• It is translated leaned in Amos 5:19 – used of a man leaning on a wall.
• II Chron. 32:7-8 – it is translated rested here… resting one’s mind on the Word!
• The mind that LEANS or RESTS upon God will be held up by omnipotence… and one who rests on omnipotence experiences rest and peace in his mind and heart!
• The mind and heart that refuses to lean and rest on omnipotence is left to its own devices: worry; fear; anxiety; etc… anything but peace.
7. When each member of the Body is STAYED on Jehovah… when we are single-mindedly focused on things above… looking unto Jesus… we are filled with the fullness of God…
a. We are thus filled with the fullness of God… filled with that which Christ is filled with: peace (among other things!)
b. We will be filled or controlled by the Spirit… and the fruit of the Spirit will be manifested in the Body… love, joy, peace!
c. When quarrels arise, it would be nice to resolve them with a Solomon like words of wisdom that satisfies all sides… but that doesn’t always happen.
d. But they CAN be resolved by allowing peace to reign…
e. And we do that by allowing Christ our Head to reign in His Body… the prince of peace… He IS our peace…
f. When we are yielded to Him… our attitude will be “not my will but thine be done.” Esteeming others better than ourselves…
g. Suddenly, the color you wanted for the curtains becomes quite insignificant. Christ reigning in His Body becomes supremely significant!
h. Yield to Him… submit to Him… give Him the preeminence He deserves, and the quarrels evaporate into air bubbles… at least in your heart.
8. Believers who experience the peace of God in their hearts are those who TRUST in God… walking by faith… (Phil. 4:6-7)
a. In times of bitter quarrels and controversy, worry and anxiety reign in hearts.
b. In a marriage: we worry about the outcome of the argument; will the marriage survive? What will become of the kids? There is no peace… instead, just bitterness, fear, anger, worry, etc…
c. In the local church: we worry whether this quarrel will cause the church to split! We are full of anxiety… fearful that the other side will get their way… that things will change. Quarrels dispel the peace in a local church and replace it with rancor, bitterness, anger…
d. Between two believers: peace can easily be replaced with anger, wrath, bitterness, loss of friendship and fellowship.
e. The answer?
• Pray. Cast your burdens upon the Lord.
• Take your anxieties to the throne of grace and LEAVE them there! In other words, TRUST GOD.
• Pray, cast, lean, trust.
• The result? The peace of God will again RULE in your heart. And it will GUARD or protect your heart.
• Peace is good for the heart. Anxiety, bitterness, worry, fear, quarrels, etc… is not.
9. Peace is to rule IN THE HEART.
a. Ps. 55:21 – The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart.
b. Paul speaks of reality here.
c. Peace is not to be on the lips only. That is often hypocrisy… a façade. God demands REALITY.
d. Peace is to rule in our hearts… and GOD is observing the heart.
e. Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. (I Sam. 16:7)
To the which also ye are called in one body;
A. Called to Peace
1. Peace is our CALLING!
2. We have been called to dwell in peace in the Body of Christ.
3. I Cor. 7:15 – “God hath called us to peace.”
4. We have been called to experience the peace of heaven as we live on earth today… because we are citizens of heaven… and have been raised up and seated there in Christ.
5. By faith, we can experience this peace—our position in Christ—in our present condition on earth.
6. Peace is what God wants and intends for us to experience daily.
7. Our new life is hidden away with God in Christ in heaven… hidden away from the storms of life. We can experience peace in our HEARTS… though there is turmoil around us…
8. It is HIS peace we experience… the kind of peace that reigns in Christ’s heart in heaven.
a. He sits in heaven in perfect peace… undisturbed by the turmoil and chaos of life on earth.
b. He is seated in the heavenlies FAR ABOVE it all.
c. That is the peace WE can experience… for we are IN HIM… and our new life is hidden away with Christ.
9. John 16:33 – “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
10.We are to ABIDE IN Christ… and experience His peace flowing through us… as from the Vine to the branches… bearing the divinely wrought fruit: wonderful peace…
11. Our calling is in Christ and in Him is peace.
B. In One Body
1. We are to let peace reign in our hearts BECAUSE we have been called into ONE Body.
a. 3:11 – All different folks… from different nations, different religious upbringing, different levels of education and culture, different social status, etc… but they are now all in Christ… in His Body.
b. From our heavenly position and spiritually, none of that matters one bit!
c. But in our earthly condition, when we are focused on things below, those differences can mean problems… issues!
d. The fact that God has called people from all different backgrounds, different cultures, and different life experiences into ONE Body is bound to make for some friction.
e. The issue that brought this to mind was not a difference over doctrine.
• If believers disagree over fundamental doctrines, the answer is not peace and unity… the answer is “come out from among them and be ye separate!”
• But that was not the issue mentioned here.
f. The particular problem mentioned in the context was quarreling! Interpersonal problems… quarrels… (vs. 13)
g. Who knows what they might have been quarreling about!
h. Hence, he commands us to let peace rule in our hearts BECAUSE we have been called into ONE BODY!
• Since we have been called into ONE body… because we all have to live in the same body.
• The early church knew nothing of the cheap and flimsy concept of commitment to the Body so prevalent today (If I don’t like the vibes in this church, I’ll just go to another one!)
• In the New Testament, if conflicts arose in a church, God expected believers to stick it out and RESOLVE those conflicts! Running away was not an option.
• Here is a good reason to resolve conflicts in the Body: we have all been CALLED into the same body.
• Doesn’t it make sense for us all to want PEACE in that body… since we are called to LIVE there?
• Nobody wants an infection or disease in their physical body. You have to LIVE in that body!
• We should not want quarrels or conflicts in the Body of Christ either… spiritual infections.
• BECAUSE God called us to LIVE in this Body, it is incumbent upon us to MAKE peace… to ENDEAVOR to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace!
2. If the body is going to FUNCTION as designed, peace is essential.
a. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (I Cor. 14:33) The body is not to be characterized by turmoil or confusion… but peace…
b. Eph. 2:15-16 – peace was made between Jew and Gentile by reconciling both in ONE Body… and by bringing an end to the law which divided them…
c. Eph. 4:2-3 – with the same virtues mentioned in Col. 3, we are to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace… FOR there is ONE Body.
d. When there is peace and unity, the body can be about our Father’s business… doing the will of Christ our Head… in the name of Christ (vs. 17).
3. Issues among the saints are not resolved by fighting to the bitter end with one side the victor and the other side utterly defeated and humiliated.
a. Issues are resolved among the saints not through hostility but by being peacemakers… pursuing peace…
b. The answer is HIS peace… not OUR fighting that wins the day.
4. Putting on Christ is the answer.
a. Gal. 3:27 – the moment we believed we put on Christ by means of Spirit baptism. The Spirit placed us IN Christ.
b. Thus, positionally, we have already put on Christ.
c. We are in Him, and He is in us. This is the glorious mystery of this age!
d. Rom. 13:14 – here we are told to put on Christ.
• In context, it means to put on Christlike character!
• Cf. vs.12 – We are to “cast off” the works of darkness.
• Cf. vs. 12 – They were told to “put on” the armor of light… Jesus IS the Light… of the world!
• The ARMOR of light corresponds to the WORKS of darkness. (deeds and character are likened to clothing)
• The believer’s life is characterized by light as opposed to the darkness of this world.
• He is talking about good works which emanate from Christlike virtue…
• We put off the dirty… the dark… and put on the clean… the light.
• When we put on an armor of light (all of those virtues that shine forth for the glory of God)…
• We put on Christ by putting on His character and deeds.
e. Col. 3:12-14 – Paul uses the same kind of illustration in a different context.
• We put off the dirty clothes of the old man and put on the clean clothes suitable for a new creature in Christ.
• In a sense, putting on the clean clothes (Christlike virtues produced by the Holy Spirit) is like putting on Christ!
• Christ lives WITHIN us already.
• But we are to let His life shine through us… by putting on those Christlike qualities.
f. When we face a quarrel… we should be ROBED in the character of Christ… “put on Christ”…
• When we face a quarrel, we should face it as the Lord Jesus would…
• Peace would reign in His heart… and it should in ours too.
• His life would radiate with kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, and love. So should ours!
• When others see us, they should see Christ!
• Col. 3:10 – we have already put on the new man.
• But the new man is CONTINUALLY being renewed in the image of Christ! As we yield our members to Christ, HE fills us with the fullness of God… which radiates through us… manifesting the fruit of the Spirit… Christlike virtue… for the glory of God.
• That’s the way to deal with quarrels that arise among the saints!
» Get out of the way… reckon self to be dead…
» Keep self on the cross by faith…
» Let peace rule… let Christ rule (He IS our peace!)
» The closer we all get to Christ, the closer we will be to one another!
» Quarrels will diminish… as we mature and less of self and more of Christ is manifested in our midst.
» The way to resolve quarrels is not for self to get his own way…
» The way to resolve quarrels is for self to get OUT of the way… so that Christ might be seen… and HIS peace might rule in our midst… the Prince of peace!
5. II Thess. 3:16 – Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means.
And be ye thankful.
1. When peace rules in the heart, thanksgiving and praise is sure to flow from the lips.
2. Being THANKFUL is a reminder to us of the proper MOTIVE for our actions as mentioned previously in this book. (Col. 1:20)
a. Christ was willing to pay the ultimate price to acquire peace for us. He suffered the cruel and humiliating death of the cross.
b. We should be thankful TO GOD because HE made peace possible…
c. Therefore, (if we are truly thankful to God for the peace Christ purchased for us with His shed blood) we should show peace to others… even if it is costly… even if it involves sacrificing self.
d. The peace God made with us cost us His Son… Christ gave his LIFE to acquire this peace for us.
e. That makes us responsible to do whatever it takes to offer peace to others in the Body…
f. One who truly understands and appreciates the peace God purchased for us… the price He paid for peace… will be much more inclined to BE a peacemaker with others.
• Vs. 13 – we are to forgive one another AS Christ forgave you!
• We are to love one another AS Christ hath loved us! “as those who are beloved of God”! (Vs. 12)
• Our actions towards others are based upon what Christ has done for us.
• If we are truly grateful for what we have RECEIVED from Christ… freely… we will demonstrate that gratitude by forgiving others AS… loving others AS… and offering peace AS…
• AS: limitless! Not counting the cost!
3. It is possible for a quarrel to end… for there to be an absence of war in the congregation…
a. But agreeing not to fight does not necessarily resolve the quarrel God’s way.
b. It is possible for the quarrel to end… and to allow a grumbling spirit to continue.
4. Paul commands us to let peace rule in our hearts AND to have a genuinely thankful spirit! This is going the extra mile.
a. A heart full of thanksgiving and praise is to accompany the peace… not grumbling and murmuring.
b. Grumbling and murmuring, if allowed to fester in the heart, will eventually boil over into another quarrel!
c. It’s not enough to sign a peace treaty.
d. God demands a change of heart to accompany it… and God is ready, willing, and ABLE to change our hearts when we are ready to surrender self to Him.
e. Peace is to rule in the heart…
IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED… GOD OFFERS PEACE TO YOU!
1. The gospel is a message of peace… the gospel of peace!
2. Apart from Christ, we are all enemies of God… at war with God.
3. Col. 1:20 – reconciliation is provided through the shed blood of the cross.
4. But you must RECEIVE this peace with God by faith. (Rom. 5:1)
Indwelt by the Word of Christ
THE WORD OF CHRIST
1. The genitive form of Christ can be legitimately understood in one of two possible senses:
a. Either subjective (the word spoken or delivered by Christ).
b. Or objective (the word which is about Christ).
2. Both are true… both make sense grammatically and contextually.
a. I lean towards the objective (the word ABOUT Christ).
b. Reason: Normally, when the author means the BIBLE, “the word delivered by God” or “God’s Word”… it appears as God’s Word or the Word of God.
c. This is the only time in the New Testament where we find this expression, “the word of Christ.”
d. The fact that he uses a different expression seems to indicate a different purpose or emphasis.
e. It is a unique expression found only here, and seems best to underscore Paul’s overall thesis in the book: that in all things, CHRIST should have the preeminence!
f. The objective use of similar phrases is common in the Bible:
• The word of His grace (word about grace; characterized by grace).
• The word of truth (about the truth).
• The word of life (the word that is characterized by life).
• The word of righteousness…
• The Word of exhortation…
• The word of prophecy…
3. The Person of Christ is the THEME of the book of Colossians.
a. Col. 1:4 – their faith was in Christ.
b. Col.1:14 – in Him we have redemption – He is redeemer.
c. Col.1:15: He is the image of the invisible God.
d. Col.1:16 – He is Creator.
e. Col.1:17 – By Him all things consist.
f. Col. 1:18 – He is the Head of the Body; He is to have the preeminence in all things.
g. Col. 1:19 – in Him all fullness dwells.
h. Col.1:20-22 – He is the Reconciler of all things.
i. Col. 1:24 – we suffer for His name’s sake.
j. Col.1:26-27 – His indwelling presence is the glory of this age.
k. Col.1:28 – The knowledge of Christ is the content of apostolic teaching.
l. And that’s just chapter one!
m. Clearly, the book of Colossians is the Word OF Christ in the sense that it is all ABOUT Christ.
4. But it is also fair to say that Christ is the theme of OTHER books of the Bible too.
a. Revelation 1:1 – the prophecies in the book of Revelation are defined as: “The revelation of Jesus Christ.”
b. Revelation 19:10 – the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
c. John 5:46 – the Pentateuch is about Christ. ?“For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.”
d. Acts 10:43 – Christ was the theme of ALL of the Prophets. Major and minor: “To him give all the prophet witness…”
e. Luke 22:43 – the Law, the prophets and the Psalms are about Christ. (Poetic portions.)
f. Luke 24:27 – ALL of the Scriptures bear witness of Him: ?And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
g. Christ is the THEME of the Bible. The Bible is not just about how to be saved, or what’s going to happen in the future, or a history of Israel.
5. The Word of Christ is God’s Word the Bible… and this Book is all about Christ!
a. It is the Word of Christ… God’s Message about His Beloved Son… who He is… what He has done… His soon return… His enthronement in heaven… His indwelling presence in us!!!
b. The false teachers in Colossae came with a blend of Jewish traditions, Greek philosophies, rudiments of the world, meats, drinks, holy days, new moons and Sabbaths, etc. (2:16).
c. Their word exalted human traditions, humanistic philosophies, and rudiments of the world—earthly entirely.
d. Paul commands the believers there to put all that aside, and to let the Word which is all about Christ, our Heavenly High Priest, dwell in their hearts!
e. As we read the Word of God, we should see the glory of Christ! (II Cor. 3:18).
• HIS glory found in the pages of this book.
• As we BEHOLD His glory in the Word, (mirror) we are transformed into that SAME image.
• What image? The image of Christ is the SAME image we behold in the Word… the mirror.
• We are transformed into the same image of Christ which we see in the Word.
• The Bible, God’s Holy Word, in which we, when illuminated by the Holy Spirit, can BEHOLD the glory of Jesus Christ!
• This book is about Him. Whether we are reading in Colossians or Leviticus, we are learning about Him… His holiness, His grace, His character…
6. The word of Christ is God’s revelation of His Beloved Son!
a. He is the living Word… this book is the written Word.
b. They both have the same name (Logos) and the same character (holy)!
c. As we read the written Word, we learn of the Living Word.
d. As we read this book, we are beholding HIS glory!
e. In fact, there is no way to KNOW Christ apart from the revelation of Christ in the Word of Christ.
f. Christ dwells in us; His Word is to abide in us too… richly!
g. In this way, the indwelling Christ and the indwelling Word of Christ become deeply entrenched in our minds and hearts… and become a permanent part of our lives.
h. It becomes second nature to think on things above…
i. Thoughts of Christ should fill our mind so that it can be said that we have the mind of Christ.
j. Christlike qualities will then flow out of us naturally.
k. It isn’t strained or forced… just like the juices flowing from a vine to a branch. Nothing could be more simple and natural… when the Word of Christ is dwelling in our hearts.
LET IT DWELL IN YOU
1. Dwell:
a. Strong’s; to dwell in one and influence him;
b. Zodhiates: inhabit.
c. It is a verb form of the word for house or home; hence, to be at home in…
d. It implies a level of comfort… to be at home…
2. There is a big difference between being present and dwelling.
a. Consider the difference between the presence and dwelling of Christ in our hearts.
• Col. 1:27 states that Christ is IN us all as believers.
• Eph. 3:17 – he DWELLS in our hearts by FAITH.
• In other words, Christ is present in the believer at all times… even if we sin.
• But only as we walk by faith, does He feel at home… is He comfortable…
b. I am perfectly comfortable when I am at home… in my own house.
• But, I have been present in places where I was not welcome. (honkee go home!) I was present, but certainly did not feel at home!
• It is a most uncomfortable feeling.
c. The word of Christ should be more than just present in us. It should be “at home” in our hearts…
• It is not enough to have it memorized in our minds. It needs to be dwelling in the heart.
• The human brain is capable of memorizing, perhaps the whole New Testament.
• But that does not guarantee that the word of Christ memorized is at home in the heart.
3. Christ is not at home in a heart where the world has preeminence.
a. The world hates Christ! The world crucified Him! Friendship with the world system is enmity with God.
b. These are two different ways of thinking… and are utterly incompatible. They cannot dwell together in the same heart (mind of Christ and thinking of the world).
c. The heart in which the lust of the flesh is present cannot be a heart in which the Word of Christ is comfortably residing. There is no compatibility.
d. The heart in which the lust of the eyes is present is also uncomfortable for the Word of Christ. (I want this; I want that)…
e. The heart in which the pride of life dwells (me first; self will; self centered; vanity; cannot possibly be a comfortable place for the Word of Christ… the message of the One who was selfless… marked by humility…
f. The heart in which the philosophies of the world reside cannot be a comfortable dwelling place for the Word of Christ. (Me first; live for today; this life is all there is; happiness comes through getting; etc.)
g. There is no concord… no agreement between the word of Christ and idols or sin… the word of Christ and the world which crucified Him…
h. This is spiritual adultery. Affection that belongs to Christ is given to another.
i. It is tantamount to an unfaithful wife who has a lover, which is bad enough by itself.
• But this unfaithful wife brings her lover home to live in the same house with her husband!
• That husband may be present in that house, but he certainly won’t feel at home… it is an excruciatingly UNCOMFORTABLE feeling.
j. When our heart is drawn away to the things of this world system, we do the same to Christ and His Word spiritually, as this woman did to her husband.
k. The heart characterized by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is a heart in which there is no love of God… a heart in which Christ and His Word, though present, are bound, gagged, and cast into a dank, dark, dingy, corner of the heart, suffering quietly… broken hearted… rejected… in His own house!
l. He is present in that heart, but not at home.
m. The Word, the revelation of the Person of Christ cannot possibly DWELL in the heart where the things of the world are dwelling.
n. However, only God knows all this. That same believer who has bound and gagged the Word of Christ in his heart, can come to church, all dressed up, smiling, and talking a good talk before men. No one would ever know… but God knows our hearts. There is no fooling Him.
4. Christ and the revelation of Christ are not at home in the heart where SELF reigns.
a. There is only room for one head on a body.
b. There is only room for one Lord in a heart.
c. Christ tolerates no rivals… whether from the world without or self within.
d. Either He is given preeminence as LORD or not.
e. The word (which is all about Christ the Lord) cannot possibly be dwelling in a heart where Christ is not “seated on the throne.”
f. The Word of Christ tells us WHO HE IS… LORD… absolute sovereign… Head of the Body… Lord of our lives.
g. The Word of Christ is a revelation of the One whose greatest desire in His earthly life was to be in absolute submission to the will of His Father… even if it meant the cruel death of the cross.
h. The word of Christ REVEALS Christ… the One who said, “Not my will but thine be done!” The One who made Himself of no reputation and became a servant of men. The One who invites us to take on His yoke… in absolute surrender to Him… and to His will.
i. How can THIS revelation be “at home” in a heart, where SELF WILL reigns?
j. It is either/or. It is one or the other.
k. But aren’t we all masters of the subtle art of deception? Haven’t we all learned to PRETEND that Christ and His Word DWELL richly in our hearts, when in fact, SELF WILL dwells richly, and Christ and His word have a rather meager and paltry existence there?
5. But we are told… commanded to LET it dwell in our hearts!
a. Christ and the Word about Christ CANNOT dwell richly in a heart cluttered with earthly junk.
b. This means some house cleaning needs to be done in our hearts.
c. If the word of Christ… and the Christ of the Word are to be comfortable in our hearts, then some of the trash that has heretofore been tolerated needs to go… now!
d. Flesh and self will prevents the Word of Christ from dwelling richly in our hearts.
e. Worldly philosophies prevent the Word of Christ from richly dwelling in our hearts.
f. For the Word of Christ to dwell richly in our hearts as we are COMMANDED… there must be a dead reckoning!
• Reckon ourselves to be DEAD to sin and self… we died with Christ!
• Reckon ourselves to be DEAD to the world… the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.
• It is BY FAITH that we reckon… and it is by faith that Christ and His word dwell in our hearts.
g. And only as we are made conformable to His DEATH are we able to experience a RICH knowledge of Christ! (Phil. 3:10)
h. The RICH dwelling of His Word in our hearts, and the RICH and deep knowledge of the glorious person of Christ are ours ONLY as we reckon self to be dead… willing to suffer for Christ’s sake… willing to be made conformable to His death… absolute surrender to God’s Will as revealed in the word!
i. Do we really think for one second that God will enable us to have a deep and rich KNOWLEDGE of His Beloved Son, when we are holding back in our hearts… unwilling to submit to His will? Do you think He doesn’t know?
j. God does not make known His will to us nor does He make known His Son to us, until our hearts are WILLING to DO His will… surrendered.
k. Why SHOULD He? He knows our hearts.
l. And to MAINTAIN this abiding relationship between the indwelling Word and our hearts it is necessary for us to be FAITHFUL in spending TIME in the Word every day… meditating… mulling it over… practicing… filling our mind and heart with Christ and His Word… saturating our minds…
6. John 15:7 – if ye abide in me, and my words abide in you…
a. Here Jesus makes a marvelous promise. He will grant ANY request we bring to Him under the following conditions:
• We are abiding in Him.
• His Word is abiding (same concept as dwelling) in us. (The Word which is all about Christ)
b. Under those conditions, God will do whatever we ask!
• This IS a blank check. This is a powerful promise!
• It is a blank check to ask whatever we WILL.
• The difference is that under these conditions, our will is equal to His will! And God answers every prayer according to His will.
• Prayer is as much about aligning our hearts to His Word and His will… as it is about making requests for other things.
• When a branch is abiding in the Vine, and the life and character of the Vine is flowing through the branch, and the Word of Christ… a revelation of His WILL is hunkered deep down in our hearts…
• Then this believer’s greatest goal will be to bear fruit unto the glory of God… his attitude will be, “Not my will but Thine be done.” Self is put aside… kept on the cross… and Christ will manifest Himself and His will THROUGH that yielded believer…
• Under those conditions, whatever we ask, God will respond in a positive way… and we will be genuinely pleased… because His will is done!
• This is the life of true satisfaction… to be happy in Jesus is to trust and obey!
• A life that is deep, meaningful, and rich in the knowledge of Christ is one that fully surrendered… where the Word of Christ digs down deep… dwells richly in our hearts.
c. Jesus is NOT promising to answer any prayer that emanates from a heart where self-will reigns.
• This is a promise for the heart where the Word of Christ dwells richly… where Christ is abiding consistently and comfortably… and is at home…
• Why would God ever want to answer a prayer where self will reigns? Self will is the essence of sin! Where worldly interests reign? Where worldly philosophies reign?
• God’s answers prayer to promote HIS own glory… and to carry out His own will… not to make carnal believers temporarily happy…
• Prayer is much more about getting our hearts in tune with Christ and HIS will, as it is about TELLING God what to do to gratify our selfish desires.
• But when we get self and self-will out of the way—through the cross—reckoning self to be dead…
• THEN our will will be in tune with—will be DOMINATED by—the word which is all about Christ.
• Doing HIS will BECOMES our most glorious ambition! It is our delight… what we truly desire.
7. I John 2:14 – the heart in which the Word is abiding is a heart of VICTORY.
a. There is a most important connection between being (a) strong, (b) having the word abiding in us, and (c) a victorious life. They are links in a chain.
b. In fact, there is no spiritual strength apart from the Word abiding and dwelling richly in our hearts.
c. There is no victory apart from the Word abiding and dwelling richly in our hearts.
d. Apart from the Word of Christ, we are absolutely defenseless against the powers of darkness; against the world system; against our adversary the devil; and against self… the flesh within.
e. Jesus was tempted of the devil. With each temptation there was an IMMEDIATE response from God’s Word.
• It just flowed from His lips.
• Jesus didn’t stumble, falter, sputter, or hesitate.
• The WORD was His instantaneous response… it was second nature for Him.
f. That was because as the perfect Man, the word of Christ dwelt RICHLY in His heart.
• In the midst of the deepest, darkest, and most evil temptation the Devil ever cast at any man, the Lord Jesus was not shaken or moved.
• The word dwelt richly in His heart to the point of saturation…
• It is written. He knew what was written and He TRUSTED in it. It was deeply embedded in His heart.
• The devil fled away. He knew he had no chance of defeating a human being in whose heart the Word of God dwelt richly… a man who knew the Word and trusted in it.
• The shield of faith (trust in God and His word) quenches ALL the fiery darts of the wicked one.
g. John wrote to the young men and reminded them that they were strong because the word of God continually abides in them… and that they have overcome (conquered; victory over) the wicked one!
• Jesus defeated Satan on the cross. (Col. 2:15) He triumphed over all the powers of darkness.
• The word of Christ reveals to us the Person and the finished WORK of Jesus Christ.
• The word reveals to us that Satan is a defeated foe.
• As we TRUST IN the word of Christ which dwells richly in our hearts, that victory is experienced in our lives!
• And not only has Christ defeated Satan, He has defeated all our other foes as well!
• Rom. 8:3 – on the cross Christ condemned SIN (nature).
• Gal. 6:14 – on the cross, Christ defeated the world system.
• Col. 2:15 – on the cross Christ defeated the devil.
• We are MORE than conquerors in Him.
• When we KNOW the word of Christ and TRUST in it, victory is assured.
• The devil sought to destroy the young men by devouring them. However, he was unsuccessful because they were strong… because the Word of God was ABIDING in them.
• They KNEW it. They TRUSTED it. And they were victorious.
• This can be OUR testimony too!
8. There is a direct connection between the outward behavior and the inward condition of the heart.
a. On the outside, we are to be robed in Christlike virtues.
b. On the inside, the Word of Christ should be dwelling.
c. From that inner, rich dwelling of the WORD of Christ emanates outer character, manifesting the LIFE of Christ.
d. When the Word of Christ dwells richly in the heart, it has a transforming effect… a life changing influence… and thus, the LIFE of Christ is manifested outwardly.
e. The inward, rich, constant dwelling of the Word of Christ CHANGES the way we think… which changes the way we walk… as a man thinketh, so is he!
f. The rich indwelling of the Word TRANSFORMS our lives into the image of Christ. It always happens that way… never fails.
g. But, Christ will NEVER be seen in the life of a believer when the Word of Christ is not dwelling richly in his heart.
h. Whatever is dwelling richly on the inside will be manifested on the outside… whether the world, the flesh, self… OR Christ and the revelation about Christ.
i. Outward behavior is a reflection of what is transpiring on the inside… in the heart… a reflection of who or what is reigning… who or what is dwelling comfortably in the heart.
9. Where the Word of Christ dwells richly in the heart, Christ has preeminence in that LIFE.
a. There is a direct connection between the rich dwelling of the Word of Christ and the preeminence of the Christ of the Word.
b. Col. 1:18 – Christ is to have preeminence in ALL THINGS.
c. As a holy priesthood, as living sacrifices, there is not division between sacred and secular in our hearts.
d. There is to be no remote corner in our individual hearts either, whether Christ is not preeminent. ALL things!
e. This can ONLY be true in the life of a believer where the WORD about Christ dwells in the heart richly… for out of the heart are ALL the issues of life.
f. The rich dwelling of the word in the heart will issue forth into EVERY nook and cranny of one’s life…
g. And if the Word shines its light into a cranny of our heart where something other than Christ has preeminence, if the Word is dwelling RICHLY in that life, we will submit to the Word… sweep out the old, clean house, and LET the Word of Christ dwell richly in that corner of the heart too!
h. That is a life where Christ truly has preeminence. We cannot separate the Word of Christ from Christ… the written Word and the Living Word.
Let the Word of Christ Dwell in You RICHLY
1. The richness of our relationship to Christ is a reflection of the richness of our relationship to His Word.
a. The richness of our love for Christ is also a reflection of the richness of our love for His Word.
b. There is a connection between our love for Christ and our love for the Word of Christ… for it tells us of Him.
2. I am aware that some folks don’t like to read books… and that creates a problem because the Bible is a book!
a. There is nothing unspiritual about not being a good reader… or not loving books… even though the Bible is a book!
b. There is nothing unspiritual about being illiterate… or a slow reader (like me)… or getting a headache every time you open a book.
c. When we encourage and challenge folks to spend time in the Bible every day, it is not book-reading that we are promoting.
d. We are not even encouraging folks to love the Bible as a book… that’s very short sighted.
e. God isn’t interested in our love for books. He is interested in our love for HIM… and for His Beloved Son…
f. In this period of Christ’s absence from the world, the only way we can spend time getting to know Him is through spending time in the Book… the Word of Christ… so if we love Christ, we will love His Word…
g. But our love is for the PERSON revealed in the book… not so much the book itself.
• When we go to heaven and stand before Him face to face, we leave the written word behind… (I Cor. 13:12)
• We will have no need of the written Word of Christ in that day, for we will be in the very presence of the Living Word, Christ Himself!
• But until then, we need His Word… it is how we get to KNOW Him better and to develop our relationship to Him.
• And a genuine love for the Person of Jesus Christ will find a way to overcome a lack of love for reading books.
• Love is clever and inventive… love will find a way!
h. Example: Suppose you lived way back in the 19th century… way back in the 1800s. Your daughter is a missionary in Sudan… and she writes you a letter… and it takes six months for a letter to arrive.
• It doesn’t matter how good or how poor your reading skills are.
• If you love your daughter, you will LONG to read that letter… if you hear it is on the way, you will be waiting anxiously… dying to hear from her!
• If the letter comes and you can’t read, love for your daughter will move you to find a way to find out (one way or another) what it said. You will bring it to someone to read it to you! You will sit and listen to it being read.
• And if you are a fair reader, and she uses some words you don’t understand, you would get out a dictionary and look them up! You want to know what she said to you!
• She will be coming home one day, and then you will be together again, and you won’t need to rely on letters…
• But in the meantime, your only way of communing with her is through the written page… her letters.
• A doting father is going read and re-read that letter from the daughter he loves.
i. And so it is with our relationship to Christ.
• He is away in heaven right now, but He has sent us the WORD of Christ… a book that is all about Him.
• If we love the Lord, we will read and reread His Word… the Word of Christ… the revelation which is all about Jesus Christ.
• We will want to sit and hear others read it to us… in the local church.
• We won’t need it in heaven; we’ll be face to face.
• But NOW, it will be precious to us… and a love for Christ will drive us to find time… to MAKE time to spend in the Word of Christ.
3. In this present life we cannot separate the written Word from the Living Word…
a. BOTH are the Logos of God… the Logos in ink and the Logos in flesh. BOTH are God’s revelation to us of WHO HE IS.
b. In this life, there is no such thing as loving Christ but not loving His word!
c. There is no such thing as loving Christ, but not wanting to spend time with Him!
d. We cannot spend time with Christ physically. His human flesh is in heaven at the right hand of the Father.
e. But we CAN spend time with Him through the Word.
f. Some believers are busy doing this and that like Martha trying to serve Christ… but not spending time WITH Christ.
• We want to be like Mary… who sat at the feet of Jesus to hear His Word… She wanted the word of Christ to DWELL in her heart…
• Because she loved the Lord, she loved His Word.
4. A love for His Word is a measure of our love for Christ.
a. The one who truly loves Christ will love to read His Word EVERY day…
b. The one who truly loves Christ will love to come to the local church, where Christ is Head, and where the Word of Christ is taught…
c. The one who truly loves Christ will not think it a burden to come to Sunday school, morning worship, and then come back again for the evening worship. The world thinks that’s crazy… but not those who love Christ. They crave the Word of Christ.
d. It isn’t a law. It’s the law of love. Love for Christ compels us to come for more… more of His Word.
e. There is a HUNGER for His Word… which nothing in the world can ever satisfy.
f. Just suppose we had a young man and a young lady in this church who were planning on getting married soon.
• There is no RULE that requires the young man to spend at least 5 hours a week with her.
• If they are truly in love, nobody has to FORCE them to spend time together.
• It isn’t a duty, an obligation, or a burden to spend time together. It is a DELIGHT! They WANT to!
• They do whatever they can to push other things aside in order to spend time together… commune together… get to know each other better.
g. So OUGHT to be our relationship to the Word of Christ, IF we love the Lord.
h. Personal devotion time, family Bible time, and coming to Sunday school and church services where the Word of Christ is taught are NOT just a duty or an obligation to the one in whom the Word of Christ dwells richly. They are a DELIGHT!
5. The Word of Christ dwelling richly in the heart will, with all certainty, influence one’s walk, talk, demeanor, behavior, and character.
a. In that sense it is similar in meaning to the concept of FILLING.
b. Eph. 5:18-20 – consider this parallel passage:
• The influence: the FILLING of the Holy Spirit… (vs. 18) (Filling; influenced by; controlled by; outward behavior transformed by.)
• The result: singing psalms and hymns (vs. 19) and thanksgiving (vs. 20)… followed by teaching on husbands and wives… (vs. 22-33).
• The comparison: same context… same result.
• The difference is that Ephesians emphasizes that it comes as a result of being under the influence of the Holy Spirit… while Colossians emphasizes that it comes as a result of the influence of the Word of Christ.
• Hence, the rich dwelling of the Word of Christ stands parallel to the filling of the Holy Spirit.
• They both speak of a controlling INFLUENCE for GOOD in the believer’s life… (a song in the heart; thanksgiving; a happy, well adjusted home; etc.)
• The longer and more consistently a believer is filled with the Spirit… the faster he will mature.
• The deeper and richer the Word dwells in our hearts, the more influence it will have in our lives… and the faster we will mature.
• Because there is a difference in believers’ willingness to yield to the Holy Spirit… to walk in the Spirit, there is also a difference in the amount of fruit produced in that life… some 30 fold; some 60 fold; some 90 fold.
6. Richness comes in all degrees… (From watery skim milk to thick, rich, cream!)
a. All true believers have some love for Christ and some love for the Word of Christ.
b. The word of Christ dwells in the hearts of all believers to one degree or another.
c. But clearly, some believers have more love for the Word than others… at any given point in time.
d. Some believers demonstrate a deeper, richer love for the Word than others.
e. Some dabble in the word; others dive right in.
f. Some take a little taste; others hunger for it and devour it.
g. Some read the word out of a sense of duty; others because it has become such a part of them, they couldn’t imagine going through a day without time in God’s Word!
h. Some read it occasionally because the pastor said they should. Others read it because it is the joy and rejoicing of their hearts.
i. Some open up the Bible only when problems arise and they need wisdom. Others live in the word…
j. Some nibble at the word like an occasional snack… others esteem the words of God’s mouth more than their necessary food.
k. The command to let the Word of Christ dwell in us RICHLY means much more than to take a slight taste of it now and then.
l. Richly means abundantly… overflowing…
m. A slight taste of it now and then may not produce the desired results mentioned here: a SONG in the heart… the thankful spirit… and the well adjusted home life that the context indicates is true of those hearts in which the word of Christ dwells RICHLY… abundantly!
n. Richness in the Word comes in all degrees. Our hearts will experience the rest, peace, joy… the song in the heart… in accordance with the degree to which we LET the Word dwell in our hearts RICHLY!
o. Rich dwelling = rich fruit… Meager dwelling = meager fruit!
p. You reap what you sow. We are COMMANDED to let the Word of Christ dwell in us RICHLY.
q. I am not convinced that the average Christian does that.
r. It should be the norm… I’m afraid it is increasingly becoming rare.
7. Richness in the Word of Christ is related to our will.
a. It is a command… and it is thus our RESPONSIBILITY to obey. This requires engaging our will… making choices.
b. We have to CHOOSE to MAKE time for God’s Word.
c. We have to determine not to allow anything to push it aside… or replace it…
d. All of this is our own choice…
e. Willingness to read it daily… meditate upon it…
f. Willingness to memorize it and hide it in our hearts…
g. Willingness to study it on our own… Do you have a desk and some study tools at home? You should!
h. Willingness to hear it taught… Sunday school, morning and evening services, Bible studies… etc.
i. Don’t think for a moment that at the Bema seat the Lord will ever accept the excuse, “I didn’t have time,” or “I was too tired.” You have exactly the same 24 hours per day every believer has. It is what we CHOOSE to do with our time.
j. If you cut your finger off at work, you certainly wouldn’t say, “I don’t have time to go to the hospital!” If your boss invited you to a meeting because he was about to give you a huge raise, you wouldn’t say, “I don’t have time!”
k. When we see the value, the need, the urgency, the importance, or the worth of something, we have a way of making time for it.
l. Jesus Christ demands our all.
m. Knowing Him, our relationship to Him, being transformed into His image, the capacity to bear fruit, are all based upon allowing the Word of Christ to dwell RICHLY in us.
8. It takes TIME for the Word of Christ to dwell in us richly.
a. You can commit a verse of Scripture to memory in a few minutes.
b. It takes TIME for that truth to settle down and be at home… to sink in its roots… and to dwell in your heart richly!
c. But when it does, it changes us. We begin to THINK godly thoughts… in harmony with the Word… we have a new SONG in our heart… we begin to WALK in harmony with it…
9. The one in whom the Word of Christ DWELLS richly is satiated… filled… satisfied…
a. Nothing satisfies like the abundant life that is ours when Christ and the Word of Christ are at home in our hearts.
Application to the local church
1. The Word of Christ should dwell in individuals and in the Body corporately too!
a. The local church ought to emphasize the Word which is about Christ too.
• When the Word which is about Christ is emphasized, Christ will be the theme!
• Christ will have the preeminence in the preaching and teaching.
b. There seems to be a push in many circles today to minimize the teaching of the Word of Christ…
• There the preaching is boiled down to mini sermons… sermonettes… skits… high tech slides shows… musical performances, movies, multimedia presentations… and other forms of entertainment…
• Other things are dwelling richly there… but not the Word of Christ.
c. And in yet other circles, the Bible is taught… but as the Word of something other than about Christ…
• The Word of salvation… or the Word of Theological Academics… or the word of interpersonal relationships… or the Word of church growth… or the Word of Psychology… the Word of self esteem… or the Word of social activism… the word of current events…
• Instead of the Word of Christ… where CHRIST is exalted and given first place.
• The word of Christ ought to dwell in the ministry of the Church Body corporately.
d. And in yet other circles, the teaching in the local church is the Word of Christ, but it is the Word about Christ as He appears in His earthly, Jewish ministry in the gospels, rather than the Word of Christ… our Risen, Glorified, Heavenly High Priest… and Head of the Body… the One IN WHOM we dwell… and who dwells in us! (Col. 3:1).
e. In the Local Church, it is the Word about the Risen Glorified Christ that needs to dwell richly… or we are failing to comply with this important passage!
f. The Bible needs to be rightly divided… and taught and preached in such a way that the God-Man in HEAVEN, risen, glorified, ascended, exalted, enthroned, our High Priest, our Head, is given preeminence… so that the Word is about HIM… the Jesus we have been studying throughout the book of Colossians!
g. I know no other Jesus! I know of no other way to preach God’s Word… the Word of Christ.
h. I want to see THIS WORD dwelling richly in this assembly… and in each of us individually too!
i. That’s why we meet together…
10. The local church is God’s instrument for bringing a depth to the richness of our relationship to Christ.
a. God gave pastors and teachers, individually and uniquely chosen and gifted for each individual local church.
b. Their purpose is to teach the Word of Christ to that particular Body. (Eph. 4:11)
c. God’s design: for the Word of Christ to produce “perfection” or maturity… richness in their Christian life. (Eph. 4:12)
d. God’s purpose: to bring that particular body to the full knowledge of Christ… and thus, a rich relationship to Him… (Eph. 4:13)
e. Without God’s program (the local church – teaching the Word of Christ), believers will NOT achieve a richness in their faith… or in their knowledge of Christ… and thus, will not experience a richness in their relationship to Christ.
f. If we are going to OBEY the command to LET the word of Christ dwell in us richly, we need to be faithful to the local church… God’s means of teaching and instructing us in the Word.
The First Effect of the Indwelling Word
Context:
1. Paul has been explaining how to walk the worthy walk mentioned in the first chapter.
a. 3:1-2 – we are to be heavenly-minded… heavenly affections.
b. 3:3-4 – we are to see ourselves as God does: dead to this world, and our new life hidden with Christ in God… Christ IS our new life.
c. 3:5-9 – therefore, in light of this new position, we are to PUT OFF the sins of the flesh like dirty garments.
d. 3:10-14 – and since we are a new man in Christ, we are to PUT ON new clothing, suitable for such a glorious position.
e. 3:15 – peace and a thankful spirit are to rule in our hearts.
2. 3:16 – now Paul continues to teach us HOW to walk worthy… and he relates it to the Word of Christ.
a. The Word of Christ is the inspired Word of God as it pertains to the PERSON of Christ, the eternal Son of God and our Savior.
b. This Word is to DWELL richly in our hearts… just as the Lord Jesus dwells in our hearts. They should both be AT HOME in our hearts…
c. If our hearts are heavenly minded, He WILL be at home there!
d. If the world’s way of thinking reigns in our hearts, Christ and His Word (written and personal Logos) will be most uncomfortable.
e. When the Word of Christ is dwelling richly and comfortably in our hearts, it will have a DEEP influence on the way we think, live, talk, and walk!
f. It will be life transforming. The influence will be so great that soon we will begin to think, talk, and walk as did the Lord Jesus…
3. Last week we looked at the COMMAND in this verse: LET the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.
a. That command is followed by three participles: teaching, admonishing, and singing. That much is crystal clear.
b. However, how to divide (or diagram) this verse is not as clear.
4. I am going to diagram this passage a little differently then the way it appears in the King James Version.
a. It boils down to a matter of relocating the punctuation marks, which did not appear in the ancient manuscripts anyway.
b. In two different Textus Receptus manuscripts (of 1550 and 1881), the punctuation marks appear in different places.
c. In MOST manuscripts there are no punctuation marks… so it is up to the interpreter to insert them according to his interpretation of the verse.
5. In the King James Version, the translators chose to punctuate the passage in such a way that there are three sections: (3 exhortations)
a. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
b. Teaching and admonishing one another by means of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,
c. Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
• They connected the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with the teaching and admonition
• They separated the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs from the singing.
6. I am suggesting that we diagram the verse a bit differently:
a. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
b. In all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another,
c. In psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
• I have connected the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with the singing and have kept the teaching and admonition in a separate category.
7. Reasons for doing so:
a. The most ancient manuscripts had no punctuation marks.
b. Different Textus Receptus Manuscripts have it punctuated differently—so the interpreter is FORCED to decide for himself.
c. It equally divides the descriptive terms in each section (dwelling is characterized by richly; teaching and admonishing are characterized by wisdom; singing is characterized by grace).
d. It keeps the teaching section together as a unit, and it keeps the musical section together as a unit.
e. It makes more sense (to me at least) to link together in one thought wisdom with teaching and admonition.
f. Col. 1:28 – indicates that Paul uses the expression “in all wisdom” in relation to teaching, not dwelling.
g. AND separating the singing from the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs does not seem logical.
h. But I really want you to know WHAT I’m doing in this verse and WHY…
i. You may choose to slice the pizza any way you want! Whether six or eight slices, it is the same pizza any way you slice it! It is not going to alter the meaning of any doctrines no matter HOW you slice it!
8. An overview of Col. 3:16 with the altered punctuation marks:
a. The command: Let the Word of Christ dwell in our hearts richly
• The first effect: wise teaching and admonition among the saints.
• The second effect: singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
9. We are going to dig into the MIDDLE part of verse 16 this morning.
ONE ANOTHER
1. When the Word of Christ is dwelling richly in your heart (or mine), the first effect is to want to SHARE it with other believers!
a. Teaching and admonishing ONE ANOTHER!
b. The “one another” refers to the other saints in the local church.
2. We have MANY “one another” commands in the New Testament:
a. We are to love one another; serve one another; forgive one another; submit to one another; forbear; comfort; exhort; minister to; confess your faults; use hospitality toward; etc.
b. Here are two more responsibilities we have to one another: to teach and to admonish.
3. Where the Word of Christ is dwelling richly in hearts, there will be an interest in the spiritual well being of each member of the Body… one another.
a. Rom. 12:5 – we are members one of another! We are connected to each other in the Body of Christ.
• It only makes good sense for members of the same Body to desire to see other members in good spiritual health!
• It only makes sense to want to HELP weaker members of the Body to LEARN more of Christ, more of the Word of Christ, and more of their responsibilities as believers… so that they might grow to maturity.
• We accomplish this by teaching and admonishing one another.
• The teaching and admonishing ought to SPRING from a concern for and love for one another… a love for the brethren… a love for members of the Body of Christ… a genuine desire for God’s best in their lives…
b. I Cor. 12:25 – we should desire to see CARE for one another in the Body.
• This speaks of EACH and every member showing CARE for the all of the other members.
• Vs. 22-24 – regardless of how feeble they may seem, they are ALL necessary…
• Hence, it only makes sense that we would want to see each and every member be well TAUGHT in the Scriptures… so if the Word dwells richly in you, TEACH them! Share what you have learned in the Word!
• And if a brother is heading in the wrong direction, since he is a member of the same body in which YOU dwell, it makes sense for us to want to admonish him! We are members one of another!
4. It is a privilege to have the Word of Christ dwelling in us RICHLY.
a. It takes TIME to learn, to grow, and to mature in Christ.
b. It takes TIME for the Word about Christ… truth about Him to sink down DEEPLY into our minds and hearts.
c. It takes TIME to learn the deep things of God…
d. It takes TIME for the Word of Christ to become deeply entrenched in our minds and hearts…
e. It takes years to grow to maturity in the Lord…
f. Over time, as we walk with the Lord, filled with the Spirit of God, the Word of Christ DOES sink in deeply… become entrenched, and dwells RICHLY in our hearts.
g. This is spiritual maturity… and it doesn’t happen overnight.
h. But when the Word of Christ DOES dwell in us richly… when God has graciously granted to us MUCH LIGHT and much truth… that privilege makes us RESPONSIBLE.
i. Light makes us accountable and responsible. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” (Luke 12:48)
j. I Cor. 4:1-2 – To have the Word of Christ dwelling in us richly makes us STEWARDS of that truth…
• And it is required in stewards that a man be found FAITHFUL!
• This is especially so of stewards of the mystery of CHRIST… He in us and we in Him… and all that that truth implies!
k. In Col. 3:16, after giving the saints in Colossae the truth concerning the indwelling ministry of Christ and the Word of Christ, Paul now tells us of our RESPONSIBILITY to share that light and that truth with one another!
l. Truth and light from God are never to be put under a bushel or kept for oneself. Truth and light are to be shared!
m. And first of all, we are to share truth about Christ with our brothers and sisters in Christ! Teaching and admonishing one another… out of love for Christ and love for our brethren!
5. Believers who learn from the Scriptures, to learn of the glorious power of the mystery of Christ in us, do not always USE that knowledge aright.
a. A little knowledge puffeth up! Sometimes knowledge can go to our heads! We begin to think that we have “arrived”!
b. Sometimes after we grow in knowledge of Christ… arrive at a certain level of maturity (nowhere NEAR the prize of the high calling), but growing and maturing…
• We then begin to LOOK DOWN upon other believers who have not yet arrived at that level of maturity… and whose life and choices demonstrate their lack of maturity.
• That’s the WRONG approach.
• If we have knowledge of Christ, we should remember the words of Paul, “And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
• Puffing ourselves up or looking down on less knowledgeable believers is NOT the right approach. It is sin!
c. The RIGHT response is to use the light we have been given to help others… to teach and admonish other believers… that they too might GROW in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Some folks use the Bible to beat one another over the head.
• We ought to use the Bible (truth and light) to BUILD UP… not to tear down.
• Remember, we are members one of another!
• If the Word of Christ dwells richly in us, we should have a desire to see it dwell richly in others too!
• God’s method for that is for mature believers to use the light they have been given to teach and admonish others… in love…
TEACHING ONE ANOTHER
1. Teaching defined: impart instruction; instill doctrine in someone;
2. Context: the indwelling Word…
a. It is from a heart in which the word of Christ is dwelling RICHLY that teaching others is to flow…
b. Richly: abundantly, exceedingly, generously.
c. The one who has received of God richly, abundantly, and exceedingly ought to want to SHARE that wealth with others.
d. This is especially so when it comes to the riches found in God’s Word.
e. Truth and light are NOT to be hoarded…
f. When our hearts are full to overflowing with wonderful truths about the Lord Jesus, it should be a natural thing to let that overflow for others… teaching… imparting instruction…
3. Col.1:28 –
a. The content of the preaching is CHRIST.
b. Consider the word Whom (?? [hon]). That is, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
• It is not just Christ in the abstract or in a generic sense, but Christ in you the hope of glory is the content of his preaching. That’s the Christ we preach!
• We don’t preach the Old Testament message of Christ: Messiah is coming to suffer and die; or Messiah is coming to reign forever…
• Nor do we preach the message of Christ as presented in the gospel… as the King offering the kingdom (Repent; for the kingdom of God is at hand.)
• We don’t preach a baby Christ in a manger. We don’t preach a dead Christ on a crucifix.
• We don’t preach about a mortal Jesus as a carpenter who was tired and weary…
• We preach the risen and glorified Savior, who is physically in heaven, but who dwells in our hearts today… Christ IN you… and you IN Him…
c. The goal of all teaching is to present every man PERFECT (mature) in Christ.
• And maturity comes from learning the Word of Christ… the word ABOUT Him…
• The Word of Christ teaches us about this unique and wonderful relationship we have today to the risen Lord Jesus…
4. When these truths dwell richly in our hearts, they should be FLOWING off our lips to others…
a. This is not necessary as an official church teacher… but it should be the topic of conversation in the hallway… at fellowship times… when we meet together at other times too.
b. This is an “unofficial” form of teaching… something that should occur naturally when believers meet together.
c. Deut. 6:6-9 – the words of the LAW of Moses were to be on the minds and hearts of God’s earthly people Israel.
• It was therefore to be taught in an unofficial way all day long at home… a natural topic for conversation.
• These Old Testament truths from the law were to be constantly before their “eyes” pictured by the frontlets.
d. Col. 3:1-2 –the Christian is not under the Law. He is not to have the legal code before his mind’s eye all day.
• We are to set our affections (mind!) on things above… on Christ Himself!
• We are not to be looking to the law, but looking unto Jesus, the Author and finisher of our faith!
• The word of the law was before the Israelite and it had an influence on his life… his rule of life.
• The word of Christ is to be before our eyes as Christians… and HE is our rule of life… and as we behold HIS glory, it has a life transforming influence on us!
• What we have is FAR BETTER than what the Old Testament saints had.
• And when the Word of Christ dwells in us RICHLY, we too will want to talk about HIM when we sit in our house, or walk by the way, when we lie down or sit up… in other words –through our everyday lives!
• And talking of Him and His indwelling glory is an informal way that we ALL participate in teaching one another!
• If the Word is dwelling RICHLY in our hearts… this is the most natural thing in the world!
e. We don’t need an official class or a pulpit to teach one another about Christ in this sense.
• Titus 2:3-5 – The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness?, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; ? 4That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, ? 5To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands.”
• Titus 2:6-8 – The aged men can teach the “?young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. ? 7In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,? 8Sound speech, that cannot be condemned.”
• We are all to participate in teaching one another in the local church.
5. I Tim. 1:3 – Paul left Timothy in Ephesus that he might charge some that they teach no OTHER doctrine.
a. It is the responsibility of church elders (shepherds) to guard and protect the assembly from wolves who come into our midst teaching false doctrines.
b. However, there is a role each member of the Body can play too…
c. We can teach one another sound doctrine to SUPPORT the ministry of the pastor and official church teachers.
d. If someone comes with “another doctrine” he is likely to test the waters on the people first… before he attempts to teach it publicly. (How will the people receive it?)
e. If he comes to you, and the Word dwells richly in your heart, let him know that his false teaching will never fit in here!
f. If a believer asks a sincere question about a doctrine… and he really wants to know about eternal security, the rapture, the kingdom, etc… if the Word is dwelling richly in you then SHARE what you have been taught!
g. If you know of a believer who is confused over a particular doctrinal issue, then find some good literature on the subject that might be helpful… that is a supporting role to teaching…
6. II Tim. 2:2 – the same teach to others!
a. Those who have been taught ought to share the wealth… spread the light… teaching one another.
b. It isn’t necessary to be an official teacher of the church to share truth.
c. Even if you don’t have the gift of teaching, you can share what you know with a brother in the hallway… or point him to someone who does know!
d. This is part of our responsibility one to another in teaching!
e. In this way, we can ALL participate in promoting the truth about Christ in the local church.
f. And if you’re not sure about an issue, ask someone who does know!
7. The word is to indwell us richly.
a. But the purpose is NOT so that we will be smart and dazzle folks with our knowledge of Scripture.
b. But rather for a USEFUL purpose: to minister to other members of the Body…. By teaching one another… sharing the light God has given us.
8. The more we use the Word of God in ministering to others, the sharper our sword becomes! Iron sharpens iron.
ADMONISHING ONE ANOTHER
1. Admonition defined: νουθετέω – to warn; exhort; admonish; rebuke for a wrong done; advice concerning the consequences of… to have a corrective influence on someone.
a. This is the term chosen by Jay Adams to describe Christian counseling. (nouthetic counseling)
b. Counseling a brother would be a good example of this term.
c. I Cor. 4:14 – Paul wrote a letter of harsh correction to the Corinthian believers and said that he did so to WARN them… (same term)… as beloved SONS.
d. Eph. 6:4 – The term is used of fathers bringing up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (counseling; giving advice; warning; exhorting; correcting, etc.)
e. II Thess. 3:15 – Even when there is serious sin, we are to have no company with that brother, “yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a BROTHER.”
f. It is used often in a FAMILY setting… and that seems to be the sense in which we are to admonish one another in the local church… as BROTHERS in Christ.
g. Admonition does NOT mean pontificating… it does not mean beating up on someone.
h. It means to warn, to counsel, to give advice, as a father would to a son he loved!
i. When a family member is admonished, our only goal is restoration! That’s the purpose of admonition…
2. And this is NOT the responsibility of the pastor and elders EXCLUSIVELY.
a. It is the responsibility of EVERY member in the Body.
b. Rom. 15:14 = able to admonish one another.
c. There are TWO prerequisites:
• Filled with goodness: good motives; good intent – not pride; not self will; good goal – the restoration of the brother… not just to tear him down and ridicule.
• Filled with KNOWLEDGE
» In other words, if we are going to warn or counsel someone, be sure you know what you are talking about!
» You need knowledge! And that knowledge is to come from the Word of God rightly divided.
» The Word of Christ should be dwelling in you richly!
» Filled and richly are related terms.
• So if you are going to admonish a brother, check this list first! Are your motives right? Are you filled with goodness? Are you filled with knowledge? Are you sure that your counsel is in line with the Bible rightly divided?
• If so, then you are ABLE to admonish one another!
b. This is an extremely VALUABLE tool for the Body of Christ.
• Eph. 4:11-12 – This is part of what Paul meant when he said that the members of the Body are to be TAUGHT so that they might do the work of the ministry!
• God’s plan is not for the pastor to be a full time counselor (which notion is popular today).
• God’s plan is for the pastor to teach the Word so that EVERY SAINT is equipped and ABLE to admonish!
• When the pastor sees himself as a Christian counselor, then he will be spending more of his time counseling and less time in the Word.
• Thus, the pastor who emphasizes counseling cannot put as much time in the Word… and the saints will be not be fed as well… and thus LESS able to admonish one another… and in MORE need of counseling and admonition themselves!
• And the body will end up with ONE counselor with MANY people who need counseling… rather than with MANY counselors with fewer people who need counseling.
• Our adversary is clever. He knows how to turn God’s program on its head! Let’s stick to God’s plan.
• This Body will function much better with 100 ministers teaching, admonishing, and doing the work of the ministry rather than one.
c. A personal testimony about counseling:
• I have seen the good results of sticking to God’s pattern.
• Over the years, I have had folks come to me and said, “Pastor, Alice came to me with a problem and I pointed her to this Bible verse and told her to do “X”. Was I wrong?
• Often folks are afraid to counsel because they are not professionally trained Christian counselors.
• But the Bible says that if your intentions are right and you know God’s Word on the subject you are ABLE to admonish!
• My response is usually, “No, you weren’t wrong at all. I would have told Alice the same thing. Keep up the good work! You are able to admonish one another.”
vi. When we approach admonishing one another with a right spirit (filled with goodness) and right information (pointing them to Christ and the Word of Christ) you can’t go wrong!
• Professionally trained Christian counselors are sometimes at a DISadvantage… because often the training mingles Bible truth with psychology.
• The “non professionals” (such as mentioned in Rom. 15:14) who know only the Word of God are ABLE to admonish. I believe that. We should practice it here.
• It is for the GOOD of the Body.
3. So keep on teaching and admonishing one another!
IN ALL WISDOM
1. “In all wisdom” is to be connected with the teaching and admonition, not with what precedes (dwelling in your hearts…) as the King James Version implies.
a. Cf. Col. 1:28 – same usage – teaching “in all wisdom” – same phrase.
b. The point is that teaching and admonition are to be conducted in all wisdom!
c. It is possible to teach and to admonish WITHOUT wisdom. That can be disastrous!
d. If we are going to teach others… and warn others… and correct others… we NEED the wisdom of God!
e. We need ALL the wisdom we can get! The spiritual well being of a beloved brother in the Lord is at stake!
2. Wisdom is needed in applying the Word.
a. It is possible to be filled with goodness (good intentions) and to have a lot of knowledge from God’s Word, and yet lack wisdom.
b. Information can either help or hurt depending upon the WAY in which it is used.
c. Hence, we need wisdom in applying God’s Word… especially if we are going to be admonishing a brother…
d. Without wisdom, we can do that brother more harm than good.
3. A lack of wisdom in applying the Word is dangerous and can be quite hurtful.
a. Paul tells us that if we are going to teach and admonish one another, it is to be done in all wisdom!
b. For example: It is true that God wants us to walk by faith.
• But when a brother reads you that verse and advices you to cancel your insurance; or to refuse medical treatment; etc., he is lacking wisdom to apply it properly!
• That is a misunderstanding of what faith is.
c. Such a lack of wisdom often comes with the best of intentions…
• Hence, when we are admonished, we should receive it with thanksgiving… give it due consideration, BUT search the Scriptures to see if it is so! (Acts 17:11)
d. We need wisdom in knowing HOW to apply God’s Word to the lives of others.
• Sometimes well meaning believers (good brothers) can give very bad counsel and admonition.
• That well meaning brother may have SOME information from the Bible… SOME knowledge… but may not have the wisdom to know HOW to apply it!
• Prov. 25:11 – A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
• It takes divine wisdom to know what to say… words FITTING the situation…
e. We need wisdom in knowing WHEN to apply Gods’ Word too!
• Another example: it is true that the Bible says, All things work together for good.
• This statement is always true… but it is not always appropriate…
• When a brother has just lost his wife to cancer… that’s not the time to quote Rom. 8:28.
To everything there is a season. That’s not the right time or season.
• Prov. 15:23 – A word spoken in due season, how good is it!
• Oh, how we need WISDOM to teach and admonish one another.
vi. A RICH indwelling of the Word… gives us not just raw data… knowledge, but the wisdom to use it aright.
• The word of Christ is not merely dwelling in the head (knowledge) but in the heart (wisdom).
• Such believers are priceless in the local assembly of the saints!
• Let’s pray that each one of us might grow to become such a help to the Body!
This was the FIRST effect of having a heart richly indwelt by the Word of Christ. Next week we will look at the second effect: SINGING psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs!
IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED:
1. Before you can grow in the Word of Christ, you need first to take heed to the word of salvation!
2. 2000 years ago, Christ came to earth to become a Man and die for the sins of the world.
3. He paid the price of human sin by shedding His blood.
4. He died and rose again… for YOU!
5. He now offers you eternal life… salvation from condemnation in the lake of fire forever… if you will trust in Him.
6. John 3:16
Singing: Second Effect of the Indwelling Word
THE EFFECT OF THE WORD: Singing
A. The Context
1. The COMMAND in this verse: LET the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.
a. That command is followed by three participles: teaching, admonishing, and singing. That much is crystal clear.
b. However, how to divide (or diagram) this verse is not as clear.
2. In the King James Version, the translators chose to punctuate the passage in such a way that there are three sections: (3 exhortations)
a. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
b. Teaching and admonishing one another by means of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,
c. Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
3. I am suggesting that we diagram the verse a bit differently:
a. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
b. In all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another,
c. In psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
4. Reasons for doing so:
a. It keeps the teaching section together as a unit, and it keeps the musical section together as a unit.
b. It makes more sense (to me at least) to link together in one thought wisdom with teaching AND singing with songs.
c. Col. 1:28 – indicates that Paul uses the expression “in all wisdom” in relation to teaching, not dwelling. This forces us to change the punctuation marks.
B. Singing and the Word Richly Dwelling
1. Singing Defined:
a. ᾄδω – to sing; especially used of praising God in song; make melody with the vocal chords.
2. Consider the SETTING for singing in the context:
a. Col. 3:2 – our affections (mind and heart) should be set on things above…
b. Col. 3:3 – our life is hidden away in the safety and security of our position in Christ… in heavenly places… where no storm of life can harm us…
c. Col. 3:15 – the peace of God is ruling in the heart…
d. Col. 3:16 – The Word of Christ = the revealed word of God which is ABOUT Christ… His glorious Person… His finished work… His present heavenly ministry as our High Priest and Advocate. That’s worth singing about! This word is richly dwelling in our hearts.
e. When THAT is the condition of our heart, singing praise to God is simply going to HAPPEN.
f. Nothing could be more natural than for a spiritual song to flow out of a Spirit filled heart!
g. Nothing could be more natural than for a psalm from God’s inspired word to flow out of a heart richly indwelt by the Word.
3. Singing is the natural effect or outcome of a heart that is richly indwelt by the Word of Christ.
a. Paul’s point in vs. 16 is that the Word of Christ (when dwelling richly… abundantly at home in our hearts)… will influence our lives.
b. The word of Christ will influence us… and have a profound effect on EVERY part of our being.
• It will obviously affect our minds. (thinking)
• It will also affect our emotions (setting our affections on things above; treasuring things above; love for Christ).
• It will also affect our will (we will CHOOSE that which is in harmony with His will). If we are thinking of Christ and His glory… and growing in our love for Him, then choosing to obey Him and serve Him will follow.
• A heart richly indwelt by the Word of Christ will be CHANGED… transformed.
» That heart will want music that reflects the change.
» If we are thinking on things above, we will be attracted to music that seeks things above.
» The word affects our feelings and emotions. It will be natural to want to sing about Christ.
» The word affects our choices. We will CHOOSE a new song… music that affects the spirit and addresses our spiritual life.
» The deeper the Word of Christ digs in and becomes at home in our hearts, the more influence that Word will have on the music of our heart.
• In music, the lyrics affect our MINDS. The music affects our EMOTIONS. And together, they have an effect on our WILL… the choices we make.
• Music is a POWERFUL medium… a powerful influence.
c. The Word of Christ will FILL us with its influence… in every way: intellect, emotion, and will.
• When that is the case, MUSIC will flow out of our hearts.
• The word of Christ will dig in deeply into our minds… and change our thought patterns… our minds will be FULL of thoughts about Christ… and our glorious position in Him.
• Christ will be on our minds and on our hearts.
• These thoughts will affect our emotions too. We love Him because He FIRST loved us. As we fill our minds with thoughts of Christ—all He has done for us in love—it will evoke godly emotions of love for Him… and gratitude! How can thoughts of the CROSS dwell RICHLY in our hearts and it not affect our emotions?
• These thoughts and emotions will affect our choices too. When Christ is on our mind… then we are much more likely to make choices that are pleasing to Him.
• That is the way of victory… and what great joy to experience Christlikeness… transformation… victory…
» Thoughts of Christ and His indwelling presence will evoke gratitude and joy.
» Good choices that please Him (our will) are evidence of the power of the Spirit… evidence of victory.
» These experiences result in the JOY of the Lord… emotions that cannot be contained! It has to flow out… and does so in the form of music.
d. The Word of Christ richly dwelling in our hearts WILL have an influence in our daily lives.
• It is that inner, divine persuasion for good…
• It is an inner reminder of the power of the resurrection available to us moment by moment…
• It is a continual reminder of the grace and strength of God…
• It cannot help but influence us—every ounce of us: intellect, emotion, and will. It is life transforming.
e. The Word of Christ is the cause. A song in the heart is the effect.
• The new creature in Christ will have a new song in his heart.
• The song in the heart of which Paul speaks is truly a NEW song… one that arose out of the WORD richly dwelling in a heart that is ALIVE unto God.
• We are not talking about a natural man who is by nature cheerful and who whistles at work. Lots of unsaved folks like music… and sing and hum throughout the day.
• But those are old songs which arise from the old nature.
• The new creature will have a NEW song… naturally! (It’s not that we are under orders to sing at least 3 hymns a day… a quota we are required to fulfill…)
• The new song FLOWS out of the new life…. Naturally.
• Old songs will fall away like old dead leaves fall off the oak tree when the sap begins to flow in the spring…
• Those old oak leaves (like our old songs) may hang on for a while, but eventually the flow of new life in the spring causes them to fall away… and make room for the new.
• New life creates a thirst for a new song; the old earthly songs fade away… things of earth grow strangely dim…
• The word of Christ richly dwelling in our heart will result in a desire for things that are higher… things that are nobler… these have allured my mind!
• An appreciation for Christ and the Word of Christ will change our taste in music.
• The word of Christ richly dwelling in our hearts will always produce God’s desired effect: singing a new song to the Lord!
• And for those who were brought up in a Christian home and sang the great hymns of the faith from the cradle… and only recently were saved, then those old hymns become NEW songs for you! Suddenly singing, “Redeemed how I love to proclaim it” takes on a whole NEW meaning for you! Now it is flowing from a new heart alive unto God!
4. Eph. 5:18-19 – Paul makes a similar analogy between cause and effect in Ephesians.
a. Two terms for singing are employed in this passage.
• Singing: same as Col. 3:16
• Making melody: (from the Greek word for psalm…)
» ψάλλω – to cause to vibrate; to play a stringed instrument; to sing (vibrate the vocal chords)
» This word is translated “sing psalms” in Jas. 5:13 (Is any merry? Let him “sing psalms.”)
b. Note in this passage, the very same effects are mentioned here as in Col. 3: (19) singing; (20) giving thanks; (21) submission to one another.
5. But the difference in this passage is that they stem from a DIFFERENT kind of filling.
a. In Ephesians 5:18, the cause is the filling with the Spirit, and the effect is the same: singing; gratitude/grace; and submission.
b. In Col. 3:16, he speaks of being filled by the WORD.
• Indwelt richly – richly and filled = similar root words.
• The meaning is that the Word will FILL our minds and hearts… and produce an effect.
• In essence, Col. 3:16 speaks of the filling of the Word of Christ.
c. In Eph. 5:18, he speaks of being filled by the SPIRIT.
• This kind of filling speaks of influence and control too.
• Paul contrasts being “under the influence” of wine or of the Holy Spirit.
• Just as being filled with WINE affects the way we walk and talk… so too the filling of the Spirit has an effect on us… how we walk and talk.
• They are CONTROLLING factors: either wine or the Spirit of God.
• To be filled with the Spirit is to be under His influence and control.
• And that is Paul’s point in Colossians as well: the CONTROLLING influence the Word of Christ has on the believer… when that word richly dwells in our hearts.
• The Word, when richly indwelling the heart, also controls the way we walk and the way we talk. We are under the influence of the Word of Christ.
d. BOTH the filling of the Spirit and the filling of the Word require YIELDING on our part.
• The word of Christ may dwell in our hearts, but it is not at home in our heart unless we are yielded to that Word… submitted to it… surrendered to Christ.
• The Spirit of God dwells in us… but unless we YIELD to the Spirit, His influence (the fruit of the Spirit – Christlike character) is not experienced.
• The result of this dual influence is SUBMISSION (Cf. Eph. 5:21; Col. 3:18)
e. Rom. 6:13 – God isn’t interested in us yielding this or that area of our lives over to Him (and keep the rest for ourselves).
• He wants me to yield my entire SELF to Him.
• That speaks of ENTIRE submission; absolute surrender…
• To present my whole BODY (and everything in it!) a living sacrifice to Him.
• Only then can we say we are yielded.
• We often hear talk and testimonies of believers who say that they were convicted and finally yielded “X” over to the Lord… an area of their life.
• In reality, we must first yield SELF to God… and then all the “Xs” will be His as well.
• Thus, when we are yielded to GOD, we will be in perfect accord with His Spirit and with His Word.
6. There is perfect UNITY in the effect produced by either one… the Word of Christ or the Holy Spirit.
a. And of course there would be perfect unity between the effects of the Word and the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit is the Author of the Word of Christ!
• The Holy Spirit is the One who produces Christlikeness in us as we yield to Him!
• As we fix our minds on Christ and things above (behold His glory in the Word) we are transformed into that same image BY the Spirit of God!
b. BOTH the Word of Christ and the Spirit of Christ produce the exact same effect in us: joyful singing, thanksgiving, and submission.
• These are the wonderful fruits of being HEAVENLY minded.
• Jas. 3:14-15 – what a contrast to being influenced by an earthly spirit… sensual… fleshly… even demonic!
• The influence of the Holy Spirit produces a much sweeter fruit!
• The influence of the Word produces a much sweeter fruit.
• Different influences produce different effects. What is the greatest influence in YOUR life?
• Is it education? Sports? Friends? Having fun? Social activities? Making money? Being in with the in crowd? Pleasure? TV? The mall?
• OR, is it the Word of Christ dwelling richly in your heart experienced through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit?
7. When God is in CONTROL of our yielded hearts, the result is a SONG!
a. Whether we trace it back to God’s Word or God’s Spirit; the result is the same: a song!
b. Whether we trace it back to the Word richly dwelling or the Spirit’s filling, the result is a song.
c. It is DIVINE influence… the Spirit of God takes the Word of God and transforms us into the image of the Son of God…
d. Music is an EXPRESSION of what is already in the heart.
• Music is NOT a means of unifying the Body. It should be an expression of the unity that already exists. We are already ONE in the Spirit… by virtue of Spirit baptism—not music!
• Singing does NOT a means of unifying us doctrinally. We join voices to sing as an expression of the fact that we already SHARE faith in these wonderful truths. We sing in unity because we share a common faith…
• Singing is the EFFECT not the cause of unity.
• Singing is the EFFECT of the Word richly dwelling in our hearts… not the cause.
• Singing does not get us stirred up to become SPIRITUAL and ready for worship.
• Singing is the EFFECT of a Spirit filled life… not the cause.
• So the youth today who are pushing Contemporary Christian Music and are trying to unite the church to get in the Spirit in church through music are dead wrong in their approach.
• When God’s Spirit and God’s Word are in control of our hearts, singing will be the effect.
8. Singing: An expression of joy.
a. If the heart is richly indwelt by the Word and controlled by the Holy Spirit, there will be an overflow of JOY… the joy of the Lord.
b. Jam. 5:13 – if merry, then sing!
c. Melody in the heart…
d. A heart richly indwelt by the word will naturally experience the joy of the Lord.
9. When God is in control, there is a song in the heart… REGARDLESS of the earthly circumstances.
a. Undesirable earthly conditions cannot take away from the JOY of the Lord in the heart… not when the Spirit is in control.
b. Hab. 3:17-18 – no fruit on the vine, but there should be fruit in the heart… JOY! That translates into music.
• If God is our Savior, then we have an inexhaustible reservoir… an unending resource for the joy of the Lord.
• Our joy as a Christian does not come to us through possessions or experiences, but through a Person… whom Habakkuk knew as the Lord.
• We know this Person as the Lord Jesus Christ who lives within… and the influence of the Holy Spirit who dwells within.
• John 7:39 – out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water… this He spake of the Holy Spirit. An endless supply of life and joy.
• Man can take away our health and our possessions, but NO MAN can take away our joy. No man can rob us of a song in the heart.
• Then notice that Habakkuk explains that his words were to be used in worship—as a song to be accompanied by musical instruments.
• The ode (beginning in 3:1) is a very sad song but it ends on a bright note!
10. Acts 16:22-25 – Paul demonstrated this IN PRISON.
a. Paul and Silas were not singing out of happiness derived from their earthly condition.
b. They sang because God put a song in their heart… the word was richly dwelling in their hearts… and they were filled with the Spirit of God.
c. Therefore, they SANG! This was the evidence of their condition!
d. Men took away their freedom, their health, and maybe their possessions, but could not touch their joy… because it was related to their NEW life which was hidden away in heaven with Christ in God.
e. Imagine the impact of a song of thanksgiving coming from the lips of Paul and Silas shackled in a dingy prison… blood caked on their backs from repeated floggings…
f. The fact that these men still had a song in their hearts after the beating, the humiliation, and imprisonment they received MUST have had an impact on the jail keeper.
g. My guess is that this was the very first time in all of his years as a prison guard that he saw beaten, bloody prisoners JOYFULLY singing till the wee hours of the night!
h. It must have been seen as EVIDENCE of the reality of the message Paul and Silas spoke. It was proof that Christ in us DOES change lives!
i. Humanly speaking they had nothing to be thankful for. But spiritually, they were blessed with ALL spiritual blessings in Christ… and they knew it!
j. Though they were imprisoned physically, they were perfectly free in mind, heart, and conscience!
k. Perhaps they sang a song of personal testimony, similar to “Amazing Grace”… or “Burdens are Lifted at Calvary!” or “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus!”
l. Or maybe there was another first century hymn with words similar to “though Satan should buffet, though trials should come; let this blest assurance control; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul!”
m. Or maybe Paul sang the poem written by Habakkuk!
n. What a compelling testimony!
11. It is often true that some of the most painful earthly experiences have resulted in some of the richest Christian music!
a. It is Well with My Soul… (lost his daughters at sea)
b. O Love that Wilt not Let Me Go (George Matheson = his fiancée left him when she heard he would be blind. It is reported that she said, “I do not want to be the wife of a blind preacher.”)
c. Ron Hamilton’s, “O Rejoice in the Lord, He makes no mistakes!” (written during the period when he lost an eye to cancer)
d. Painful experiences on earth do not have the POWER to take away the song from a heart in which the Word dwells richly… and the Spirit controls.
e. Those harsh and bitter experiences in our earthly lives CANNOT diminish the song in our heart. They cannot take away the song; they rather give it a depth and richness it would otherwise not have!
12. The dual influence of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the richly indwelling Word of Christ result in joyful singing…
a. And that song in our heart is related to our new life hidden away in heaven with Christ in God…
b. The storms of life cannot take that song away from our hearts as long as we yield SELF to God… and LET the Word dwell richly in us.
c. When our eyes are on Christ and self is yielded to God, the buffeting of our enemy only STRENGTHENS our relationship to Christ… it only ENABLES us to experience the power of the resurrection… and thus, adds a new DEPTH and richness to the song in our hearts!
d. Your joy NO man can take from you… because a mighty Fortress is our God!
Music That Pleases the Lord
THE METHOD OF SINGING: Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
Introduction:
1. We saw in the last few weeks that when the Word of Christ is dwelling richly in the heart, there will be two effects:
a. Teaching and admonition: IN the sphere of divine wisdom.
b. Singing: IN the sphere of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
2. Paul now lists three nouns all in the dative case, which means either “IN psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” or “BY psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” The meaning is nearly identical.
a. The singing is carried out IN THE SPHERE OF psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
b. In other words, these are the types of songs God wants us to be singing… our singing should be in that sphere.
3. Just as the teaching and admonition were to be carried out IN wisdom, the singing was to be carried out IN psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
a. Not in the old songs of the world…
b. But in NEW kinds of songs… about the Lord. “Spiritual.”
A. Psalms
1. Psalms from the Book of Psalms were sung in the Old Testament. The psalms were poems which were put to music.
a. Jesus and the apostles sang psalms… the words from the Book of Psalms put to a melody.
b. The early church sang psalms. James told believers in the early church (and us too!) to sing psalms if you are merry.
c. The English-speaking world sang only metrical versions of the Psalms for centuries.
d. The psalms were meant for singing. We should sing them more often! This is one thing our hymnal is lacking.
2. There are some Psalms that we would do well NOT TO SING.
a. Imprecatory psalms:
• These were psalms in which the psalmist called upon God to invoke wrath against his enemies.
• It was not the psalmist calling for personal vengeance, but praying for Divine justice and wrath be executed against the enemies of God.
• Psalm 137:9 – “Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.”
• Psalm 139:22 – “?I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.”
b. Other psalms might be misleading for a Christian
• Psalm 14:7 – Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.” (They are so very Jewish.)
• The psalms speak of waiting for Messiah to come!
• The psalms look ahead to the earthly, Messianic Kingdom as their blessed hope.
• In the psalms, the godly sought God’s presence by traveling to the Temple on the holy days.
• Psalm 138:2 – “I will worship toward thy holy temple.”
• Christ LIVES IN us! Our bodies are the Temple of God.
• Psalm 66:15 – I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats.”
• Christ ended all sacrifice for sin for us!
c. The psalms were poems that flowed forth from the hearts of the godly Jewish saints living under the Mosaic Law.
• In the psalms we should be able to see WONDERFUL expressions of faith, joy in the Lord, dedication, and sacrificial lives.
• However, MANY of the sentiments expressed are particularly Jewish and might not be appropriate for a believer today… (Waiting for Messiah to come; offering burnt offerings; hating our enemies; etc.)
• Some of those sentiments poetically portrayed in the Psalms are decidedly NOT Christian.
d. Discernment is needed in singing the psalms.
• To sing them word for word might be misleading.
• We spent 5 years going through the book of Psalms on Wednesday nights… verse by verse.
• It was a MOST profitable time spent in the Word…
• BUT without teaching and background, the psalms can be misleading or confusing to a new Christian.
3. But there are other sections of Psalms that are RICH in meaning and application for the Christian… edifying and worshipful.
a. Many of them are odes of praise to God.
b. Many are expressions of thanksgiving for His mighty works in time past.
c. Other psalms are testimonies of personal experiences which are common to man… and experiences of deliverance that encourage believers of all ages.
d. Other psalms speak of the inner turmoil, struggles, and suffering that all who live godly experience.
e. Others are poems of exultation upon thoughts of the majesty of God.
f. Psalm 119 speaks about the glory of God’s inspired Word!
g. Psalm 22 speaks of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
h. Psalm 16 speaks of His resurrection!
i. Wonderful messages of praise in this book.
j. In fact, the group I was with when I got saved did not have hymnals. They sang right out of the book of Psalms.
k. We would do well to sing appropriate psalms more often today!
l. You can’t improve on the words… inspired by the HOLY SPIRIT!
B. Hymns
1. Hymns were songs of praise to God written by believers as opposed to those inspired by God in the book of Psalms.
a. Sometimes a hymn might be taken from a portion of Scripture other than the book of Psalms.
• Most of us are familiar with Handel’s “Messiah.” These are songs which are taken directly from Scripture, both Old and New Testaments.
• It is MOST profitable to sing songs taken from Scriptures other than the book of Psalms.
• Many songs are based upon a verse of Scripture: “I know whom I have believed”
b. Others are based upon a doctrinal truth in the Scriptures: “He is Coming Again” or “Christian Soldiers Arise.”
2. Hymns are often distinguished from spiritual songs in that they are commonly understood as being addressed to God.
a. “How Great THOU Art.”
b. “Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.”
c. “Fairest Lord Jesus.”
d. “I Love Thee Lord Jesus With All of My Heart.”
3. Some see the difference between hymns and psalms by whether or not they are accompanied by musical instruments. (not much evidence for that distinction)
4. The distinction between a hymn and a psalm is not clear cut.
a. In the Mark 14:26 it says that Jesus and the disciples sang an hymn. (same word)
b. However, we know that the hymns they sang were psalms.
c. Sometimes the terms were used interchangeably.
d. A psalm IS a hymn… (but not all hymns are psalms)
C. Spiritual Songs
1. There are OTHER songs in a third category which God wants Christians to sing: spiritual songs.
a. These are songs which were NOT taken from the Book of Psalms… and songs that are not addressed to God directly… but are still spiritual songs.
b. Of course psalms and hymns are spiritual songs… but there are other spiritual songs that do not fit in the category of either a psalm or a hymn.
2. These are usually thought of as songs written by believers and addressed to one another, as opposed to hymns addressed to God.
a. This is a commonly held distinction, although again, there is not a lot of evidence for making this distinction.
b. The term song is transliterated “ode,” which is a general term for a song.
3. Thus, these other songs can be DISTINCTLY Christian (since Psalms were Jewish… written before the Church)
a. Many wonderful themes worth singing about, found in the New Testament, are not revealed in the Old Testament…
b. Examples: songs of the Trinity; the church; Christ in you; Rapture; heavenly High Priest; our heavenly position IN Christ; the Cross; the finished work of Christ; our relationship to Christ as Bride and Groom; the priesthood of every believer; etc.
4. But this is not just ANY song; there is a spiritual content to it.
a. As a spiritual song, it would be distinguished from the songs of the world… songs limited to life in this world.
b. The spiritual song is a song that goes BEYOND the confines of the natural realm, into the SPIRITUAL realm… relating to God and spiritual things.
c. This would speak of songs that reach beyond the soul and affect the spirit of man… the God-conscious part of man.
d. Heb. 4:12—As the Word of God makes distinctions between that which is soulish and that which is spiritual, so too this distinction is made in music… with SPIRITUAL songs.
e. It is very difficult… at times perhaps impossible for us to always be able to distinguish between the soulish and the spiritual…
5. There is a wide range of spiritual songs.
a. They could be songs of personal testimony.
• Singing about what God has done for us…
• “Thank you Lord, for saving my soul!”— “Redeemed How I love to Proclaim It.” Simple testimonies of thanksgiving.
b. Other writers have written spiritual songs which express DEPTH in their Christian experiences: “Jesus, I am resting, resting”… or “Hiding in Thee.”
c. Some have written some simple childlike songs… “Jesus Loves Me This I Know.”
d. Others may be a bit shallow: “Why worry when you can pray?” “He holds my hand.”
e. Some have written songs with much more depth doctrinally… deep spiritual truths… “Not I But Christ”… “Moment by Moment by death reckoned mine.”
6. They could be songs expressing Christian doctrine… from the Bible.
a. Eternal Security: “Blessed Assurance!”
b. The Deity of Christ: “I know no other Jesus”
c. Encouragement: “All Your Anxiety”
d. Prayer: “Sweet Hour of Prayer”
e. Resurrection: “He Lives!”
f. Missions: “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go”; “Bring them In.”
g. Second Coming: “Jesus Is Coming Again.”
h. The Christian life: “Onward Christian Soldiers!”
i. Many believe that Phil. 2:6-10 and I Tim. 3:16 were early hymns.
7. There is a great variety of spiritual songs today. Thousands and thousands of them! More than ever.
a. They cover the whole gamut… from those songs that are doctrinally rich and meaty, to others that are a bit shallow, to that which is downright heretical.
b. There is more Christian music available today than ever (both good and bad)…
c. There is so MUCH good music available today that there is NO good reason for us to choose any music other than that which is UNQUESTIONABLY sound, edifying, and honoring to the Lord.
d. There is everything out there from steak, to cotton candy, to dirt. Let’s choose the steak!
The Attitude:
With Grace in Your Hearts
A. With Grace
1. The meaning of grace
a. The term CAN mean either grace or thanksgiving.
b. It is translated grace in:
• Rom. 6:1—What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
• It is used in the introduction to nearly all of Paul’s epistles: Grace be to you…
• Grace in this sense is understood as “unmerited favor” or a “free gift.”
• If that is the sense Paul meant, it is unclear to me what that means. To whom is the grace in our hearts bestowed? Does it mean our capacity to sing is based on unmerited favor?
• If it means “grace” in this passage, the meaning is not quite clear… a bit ambiguous and blurry.
c. The same term is translated thanks in:
• I Cor. 15:57—But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• II Cor. 2:14—Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ.
• II Cor. 9:15—Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
d. The context has to determine which meaning.
• In the context of Col. 3:16, BOTH meanings fit and seem to make sense.
• I am inclined to understand the term in the sense of thanksgiving…
• Reasons: (1) in the parallel passage in Eph. 5:20, the effect of the filling of the Spirit includes thanksgiving; (2) since it is directed TO God, singing “with grace TO the Lord” thanksgiving makes more sense to me.
» We don’t give unmerited favor TO God. We receive that FROM God.
» But we do offer thanksgiving TO God.
2. Singing with GRACE in the heart.
a. Ex. 14:30-15:1 – This is the first example of a song in the Bible… the first time we read of men singing.
• When the Israelites were redeemed, they began to SING!
• They were thankful… and praised God in song.
• It was spontaneous, exuberant, and full of joy and enthusiastic thanksgiving.
b. If we are redeemed, our songs should reflect this same attitude… thanksgiving to God for His marvelous work of redemption. It should be the most natural thing in the world.
B. In the Heart
1. Singing in the heart = singing FROM the heart.
a. This does NOT mean that we should sing only inwardly and not be heard. Paul is not speaking about a so called silent singing.
b. It means that the song that rolls off our tongue ought to be a song that emanates from the heart…
c. The song that comes OUT of our mouth should flow from the heart… the heart goes before the tongue.
d. The word must be dwelling richly in the heart for the believer to be able to sing FROM the heart… heartily.
e. If the singing is not “in the heart” (in other words, if it is only on the lips), then it is not pleasing in God’s sight.
f. The Mormon Tabernacle choir sings some very beautiful hymns. The Handel and Haydn society along with the Boston symphony orchestra and Handel and Haydn society put on a wonderful performance of Handel’s Messiah at symphony hall. But it is not all a sweet melody to the Lord… unless it comes from hearts that are ALIVE unto God.
g. The Lord is not impressed with anything the flesh can do… no matter how skillful or talented. There is no worship in any of that.
h. When we sing, it should be from the heart… not half-heartedly, but it should be the very BEST we can do for the Lord…
i. And did you know that one of the things visitors notice most when they visit a Spirit filled Bible believing church, long after they forget the sermon… they will remember the singing… if we sing FROM OUR HEARTS with joy and enthusiasm!
j. It is evidence of new life… evidence of the Word richly dwelling in our hearts… evidence of Spirit filling!
k. The real testimony of our singing isn’t related to our skills in music or beautiful voices. It is related to whether or not we sing from the heart with GENUINE grace and thanksgiving… which translates vocally into ENTHUSIASM!
2. Singing from the heart includes the MIND.
a. Singing from the heart does not mean that we bypass the head.
• I Cor. 14:15 – sing with the spirit AND sing with the understanding.
• The heart and mind are to be ENGAGED in our singing…
3. Singing from the heart includes the SOUL… emotions.
a. Enthusiasm… heartily… from the soul…
b. Col. 3:23 – do it heartily (from the soul – psyche)
4. The HEART includes the emotions, the mind, and the soul… our whole inner being.
5. Singing that pleases the Lord is singing in which we are FULLY engaged… it is NOT mindlessly blabbering along with the crowd… but actively engaging yourself in the song…
a. The lyrics of the song are being directed to God from YOU personally!
b. Its sentiments… and emotions are expressed as YOUR own sentiments and emotions. (I Love thee Lord Jesus…)
c. So that prayer of the song becomes YOUR prayer… (Take my life and let it be.)
d. So that the resolve the author expressed is YOUR resolve… (I am resolved no longer to linger… or “All to Jesus I surrender…”
e. So that the desire of the author is expressed as YOUR desire… (Be Thou My Vision)
f. A dumb parrot can mouth the words. But singing spiritual songs from the heart only a Spirit filled Christian can do… one who is fully involved in the singing.
g. He is engaged in the message and meaning of the song. He is engaged in the One to whom he is singing!
The Audience of our Singing:
To the Lord
1. Singing directed to the Lord
a. We are to sing to Him…
b. It should not be a performance…
c. It is praise to God for His glory.
d. We are edified greatly by singing. But the edification WE receive is not the main purpose… but is a fringe benefit.
e. Christian singing is not for personal benefit, but FOR the Lord… for His honor; for His glory; for His pleasure.
2. Consider how OFTEN we are told to sing TO THE LORD:
a. Psa. 47:6 – Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
b. Psa. 66:1 – Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands.
c. Psa. 66:4 – All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name.
d. Psa. 81:1 – Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
e. Psa. 95:1 – O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation
f. Psa. 95:2 – Let us come? before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
g. Psa. 96:1-2 – O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.? 2Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
h. Psa. 98:4-5 -?Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.? 5?Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
i. Psa. 101:1 – I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.
j. Psa. 105:2 –?Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
k. Isa. 42:10 – Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth.
l. Ezra 3:11 – And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel.
m. Exodus 15:1 – Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
n. Exodus 15:21 – And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously.
o. I Chron. 16:9 – Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.
p. Eph. 5:19 – Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
q. Rev. 5:9 – And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.
3. Our goal is not to please men, but to please the Lord.
a. Therefore, we need to use care in the KIND of music we sing unto Him.
b. Since we are singing to HIM, we should seek music that best harmonizes with His character and His Word.
c. Music like anything else in the Christian life needs to be PROVEN… put to the test.
d. Rom.12:1-2 – we don’t want to be CONFORMED to the world, its ways or its music.
• We want to be singing in the WILL OF GOD.
• Therefore, we need to PROVE what is acceptable to God; what kind of music is in harmony with His will.
4. What is it that makes Christian music pleasing and acceptable to the Lord?
a. It is not so much the quality of the sound (one man noted that the best choir on earth must sound like clucking hens compared to the glorious sounds of a heavenly choir). If we think that quality sound alone will please the Lord, we have missed the point.
b. It is not the quality of the sound, but the quality of the heart out of which the music flows: a heart full of thanksgiving, grace; truth; love for one another; love for the Lord; pure heart.
c. That is not to say that we should not do our best; we SHOULD. But the best quality sound fallen human beings can make has no melody at all to God if the heart is not right.
d. But when the heart is RIGHT, the music is pleasing to the Lord… even if the quality might not be so great…
e. If the heart is right, it will be the BEST quality possible for the Lord.
f. When the heart is right, you don’t just “wing it.” We give our BEST to God!
g. Music is to be well rehearsed… skillful… our very best. God accepts nothing less than our best. The local church is not to be like the old “Community Audition” show.
h. If the heart is right, we offer to the Lord our BEST… not that which is lame. (Mal. 1:8, 13-14)
i. Our music is to be sung TO THE LORD. It is an OFFERING to the Lord. Therefore, it is to be our best. It should be chosen for the purpose of pleasing God and bringing glory to Him.
5. There is an infinite difference between the songs of believers and unbelievers:
a. We BOTH sing songs. They sing to themselves and for themselves. We sing to the Lord.
b. The unsaved folks SING songs… and they do every day. It can be an expression of natural affection, earthly joy, etc. And it is good as far as it goes… but it doesn’t go very far.
c. On the one hand there are the songs of the earth dwellers.
• Whose hearts are richly indwelt by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life…
• They sing songs of life in this world… life in the natural realm apart from God. This is the only realm they know… and the only realm of which they CAN sing.
• Sometimes their songs are good; sometimes their songs are evil.
• But ALWAYS, their songs are limited to the earthly sphere.
• They can address the body and soul well… (the physical and emotional part of man), but CANNOT reach the spirit (the God conscious part of man).
• They are utterly dead to and alienated from the spiritual realm. It is foolishness unto them. They CANNOT know it, for it is spiritually discerned.
• I John 4:5 – They know only the natural realm, and they know it well. They speak of it… and those in the natural realm respond to it. They are on the same wavelength… when they speak and when they sing.
• Their songs can be vile, vulgar, and immoral. Or they can be innocuous… patriotic songs (Yankee Doodle); songs of every day life; (Take me out to the Ball Park) they can even promote good, moral values.
• However, even the very BEST songs the world can produce are limited to the earthly sphere… the natural realm.
d. And on the other hand there are the songs of the redeemed…
• Flowing from hearts which are richly indwelt by the Word of Christ…
• Songs flowing from the influence of GOD in our hearts… a spiritual song!
• The songs of the redeemed will also speak to our emotions, but the lyrics will in addition get to our spirit… God conscious part of man…
• These songs can teach, admonish, encourage, and lift our spirits into the very heavenlies!
• We can sing from a heart filled with the presence of Christ and the Spirit of God… for the glory of God!
• Our music should shift our focus from earthly condition (which causes our souls to be cast down) to our heavenly position… great hope for tomorrow!
• These songs can drill doctrine and truth into our minds… can remind us of promises that will encourage us and lift us up out of the miry clay of earthly existence…
• GOD HIMSELF puts songs in hearts. (Ps. 40:3)
e. Yes, there is an infinite difference between the songs of the earth dwellers and the songs of the redeemed. The difference is as far as heaven is above the earth.
• We sing of things that are higher, things that are nobler, these have allured my mind!
• I’m pressing on to higher ground! New heights I’m gaining every day!
• Our songs cause us to focus on Christ: Jesus, I am resting, resting in the thought of what thou art!
• Our songs cause us to think on things above and remind us that our real lives are hidden with Christ in God: Hiding in thee! O blest Rock of ages, I am hiding in thee!
f. The songs of the redeemed can affect the body and soul… and go beyond the natural into the spiritual realm… and have an effect on our spirit… our God-consciousness.
g. Heb. 4:12 – there is an infinite gap between the soul and spirit. It takes the Word of God to be able to discern the difference and bridge that gap. It is sometimes difficult for us to see the difference… it may FEEL the same. But the difference is real.
h. The right kind of uplifting music coupled together with doctrinally sound lyrics can help stay focused on Christ and His Word… and thus deepen our relationship to the Lord.
6. Consider the relationship between music and worship.
a. Music is not designed to get us “warmed up” or “revved up” for worship.
b. That is how music is used today in many circles.
c. We don’t sing or have songs sung to us in church to evoke worship in us. If that is the case, then shame on us!
d. We should COME to church, with our hearts ALREADY richly indwelt by the Word of Christ… and already under the control of the HOLY SPIRIT.
e. Music is not intended to prime the pump to get us ready to worship… rather, it is the natural outflow of a heart already prepared for worship—filled with the Word of Christ and filled with the Spirit of God.
f. We should come with a song already in our heart.
g. But if the congregation does NOT come with hearts filled with the Word of Christ, many have reverted to using music in their vain attempt to PRODUCE the effect of JOY and thanksgiving. No wonder they need huge amplifiers and electric guitars…
h. When music is used in that manner, it is an artificial means of producing the fruit of the Spirit… an attempt to imitate the effects of Spirit filling… it produces an outward appearance of life…
i. But if it doesn’t emanate from a heart already richly indwelt with the Word of Christ, it is a sham.
j. And once they turn on the power of they can get the crowd moving… rocking and rolling… shaking their bodies… waving their arms… but that is what Paul calls another spirit…
k. The spirit they generate is man made; soulish and natural rather than spiritual; moves the body and emotions, but cannot reach the spirit; it is therefore earthly and worldly rather than heavenly and spiritual.
l. Music is being used today in contemporary Christian circles to do what music was never intended to do:
• Generate an impression of LIFE
• Imitate the effects of the HOLY SPIRIT
• In the average contemporary setting, their concept of life and the spirit is VERY DIFFERENT from the concept found in the Bible.
m. The music Paul describes here is SINGING…
• It requires no electricity… no amplification…
• In fact, singing requires no instruments other than the human voice.
• Instrumental accompaniment adds a nice touch… but it is NOT necessary…
• Christians living in deep in the jungles of Brazil or the Congo can obey this verse… even though they don’t have any purple microphones or amplifiers.
• The music that really pleases God is the kind of music that emanates from a filled heart and reverberates through the vocal chords as harmonious sounds of praise and thanksgiving to God!
• Heartfelt, musical praise to God!
7. What do you suppose the reaction of the crowd would be at a Christian rock concert if instead of their rock band… an ensemble came and sang a few simple, but hymns accapela?
• What would be the reaction of a group of young people who grew up in a rock and roll church if they visited Salem Bible Church?
• They would say that it is DEAD… lifeless… we don’t have the Spirit.
• And it is because they equate liveliness with abundant life; and they are unable to recognize the HOLY Spirit.
• Why do you suppose Paul warned us about those promoting “another spirit” in I Cor. 11:2-4?
• Our adversary comes in the appearance of holiness… but it is phony! (I Cor. 11:14-15)
• I am very much aware of the fact that there are some genuinely born again folks involved in that…
• But that is the POINT! Genuinely born again people CAN be taken in by the counterfeit… counterfeit doctrines and counterfeit spirits… hence the warning to the Corinthians!
• If you need loud, raucous music to get the congregation “in the spirit”… beware of WHICH spirit is in control of that congregation.
8. If our songs flow from the Word’s rich indwelling in our hearts, they should teach that which is in harmony with that same Word: TRUTH.
9. We should sing with our understanding… of truth.
10. If we don’t KNOW the Word, and if it is not richly dwelling in our hearts, it will be reflected in the kind of music we sing.
11. Many of the great old hymns of the faith were written by men and women with deep experiences of God… and with a mature understanding of the Word of God.
a. As we grow and mature, we LEARN of the depth of some of these great hymns.
b. Ex: Rock of Ages (double cure)
c. Ex: Once for All! (sinner receive it; brother believe it)
d. Ex: Hark the Herald! (every phrase is rich in Scripture)
e. Ex: It is Well with My Soul (from a difficult experience comes joy!)
f. Ex: O Love that Wilt Not Let Me Go (difficult experience)
12. That is not the case in many of the young “so called” Christian song writers today.
a. Most of the Contemporary Christian Music authors disdain the doctrine of separation and are quite vocal about it.
b. Many are ecumenical…
c. Many have a very shallow understanding of Scripture which is clearly reflected in the words of their songs.
13. The “new wave” music being brought into churches in our generation is COMPLETELY new.
a. In most cases, the old is cast out and entirely replaced by these new songs.
b. It is NOT WISE to neglect hundreds and hundreds of years of the church hymnody, a rich musical heritage of the church—music that has stood the test of time.
c. To think that the present me generation has something better simply is not true.
d. Some have sought to avoid casting out the old traditional hymns by having TWO services… one traditional and one contemporary.
• First of all, it DIVIDES the church into the older folks and the younger folks.
» For folks who claim to be using music to unite the church, they have failed!
» Music, which should unite us around the truth instead divides us around personal taste and preference.
• Secondly, the MOTIVE behind this is not pleasing God, but pleasing man!
» It is obvious that when this kind of decision is made, the real driving force behind it is what men want… pressure from men… to please man.
» Pleasing the Lord is obviously NOT their main concern.
• Thirdly, they have effectively removed the older, wiser, more mature believers from the younger, inexperienced, immature believers.
» Thus, the younger generation misses out on the wisdom gleaned from fellowshipping with more mature believers.
» And thus, the church is divided so that the younger folks with all the energy are ready to start new things… and the older folks, who lack the energy are not.
» Thus, all the new programs begun will be carried out with lots of energy… but without the wisdom to channel that energy properly.
» God proves Himself to be wise once again when we follow HIS pattern; thelocal church is not to be divided over musical tastes. Read Titus one! God’s design is for the older and the younger to minister TOGETHER! They need each other for the church to function as God intended.
• A fourth problem is that after one generation, there will be NO MORE classic, traditional hymns… which have stood the test of time…
» The church will be left with newer songs, most of which are quite shallow by comparison… and some downright heretical.
» The bottom line is that even though they attempt to keep BOTH types of music today, in reality, they ARE casting out the old—whether they do it today or tomorrow… the final effect is the same.
» Young people in a generation from now will know nothing of the rich heritage of Christian music because it will all have been left in the dust…
» If that is where this is heading in 10-15 years, doesn’t it make sense to stop and THINK about where that road is leading before we all jump on the bandwagon and follow blindly?
• A fifth problem: It is NOT just the music that is so disturbing… it is the MINDSET that goes along with it.
» Reverence and rock music are NOT compatible.
» This is not just the opinion of a 53 year old guy who doesn’t like rock music.
» This is what Rolling Stone magazine (a leading mouthpiece for Rock music for 3 decades!) says… “Rock music is about sex and rebellion.”
» Nothing could be more incompatible with worship than that.
• A sixth problem is that along with this new kind of music we have also seen a new kind of worship:
» Multimedia presentations with sights and sounds; dancing; instead of singing, it is performance music; entertainment; showmanship; a true merging of theatre and church.
» In this new kind of worship, the WORD of Christ is de-emphasized; sermons become sermonettes. A few verses are shown on a screen because the religious leaders have determined it is too HARD for the folks in the pews to find all those books of the Bible… so they don’t even need to bring their Bibles to church any more.
» The end result: shallow Christians who have developed a taste for cotton candy and have no stomach for steak and potatoes. (They will not endure sound doctrine.) Superficial religious people who come to be entertained… self centered… not Christ centered… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…
» And in that atmosphere, true worship virtually ceases.
• A seventh problem: The bottom line of all this change is a modern Evangelical version of what happened to music in the dark ages in the Roman Church: the Word of God was de-emphasized… and therefore, the people stopped singing.
» That’s what happens when the Word is not richly dwelling in the heart.
» Christian music FLOWS out of hearts filled with the Word of Christ.
» Out of spiritually empty hearts, NO spiritual songs will gush forth… not when the well is dry.
» And when the heart is not filled with the HOLY SPIRIT, Christ, and the Word of Christ, then SELF is reigning.
» Congregational singing was replaced with performance music… sung by the professional religious caste: the priests…
» And the words were unintelligible… Latin!
» So the hearts of the people were NOT richly indwelt by the Word of Christ; no spiritual songs emanated from those hearts, congregational singing ceased; singing was replaced with performance type music; the words of which were unintelligible… thus music was entirely soulish and not spiritual.
» Music affects the SOUL and emotions but never reaches the spirit CANNOT be called spiritual songs. They are purely natural… earthly… and to the degree that the devil’s influence was involved, demonic!
» This is the influence of the charismatic movement – they aim for the emotions and the feelings—for experience—at the expense of truth and understanding.
» They bypass the head for the feelings. It is soulish and natural rather than spiritual.
» It adds NOTHING to the kind of worship God desires: in spirit and in truth.
» And regardless of how HOLY they SAY this music makes them FEEL, if it addresses merely the emotions and not the spirit, it is NOT a spiritual song.
» Our adversary is the master counterfeiter. He uses another spirit to counterfeit true spirituality with emotionalism and religious sentimentalism.
» It matters not how men feel, but what God says.
• And eighth problem: The entire movement is LED by babes.
» This movement was NOT begun at the request of older, discerning, more mature believers.
» It was the YOUTH who pushed, promoted, threatened to leave, and cried until they got their own way. Babes!
» Church leaders today are caving in to the outlandish demands of the youth just like parents are doing with their kids.
» And while we cannot know the hearts of all those rock and roll concert goers, we do know human nature.
» I have talked to some of them. It is fair to say that in MOST… it would be quite INNACURATE to say that the Word of Christ is RICHLY dwelling in their hearts.
» They’re kids… immature… and have no place leading in the local church… especially in such an important area as music!
» Isa. 3:2 – “?And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.” This was God’s JUDGMENT against Judah for their sin!
» We are quite naive to believe all these folks. It has been well documented that some of these religious singers and bands are USING the church as a stepping stone to their real goal: stardom and fame in the top 40! They get a few big hits and their venue changes overnight!
• The ninth problem: The next step is doctrine… guaranteed!
» When the music is cheap and shallow… and the atmosphere has been set for entertainment rather than learning… rest assured, you have effectively created an environment for apostasy.
» It might take a while… but it will come.
» The next generation of “church goers” may well reject the whole concept of salvation! (Too narrow minded for that crowd!)
• Problem number ten: immorality.
» I’m sure this will sound like a stretch to some… (connecting immorality to music) but hear me out.
» I’m looking ahead down the road… where this scene is headed… perhaps in a decade…
» I know in this little valley of a Bible believing rock and roll church… where they have home Bible studies… and when the study is over, the young people turn on rock music, and for fellowship time, break out the Budweiser too.
» That is a recipe for moral disaster – young people listening to rock music… and drinking beer… dancing… eventually, you KNOW what’s going to happen.
» Music changes the atmosphere. Some of these rock and roll churches have created a night club atmosphere… which is NOT conducive to holiness.
» Rock music is rebellious in tone… their goal is to break down the walls of separation (listen to the CCM folks in their own words).
» Sound doctrine is NOT their forte. Many of them hate fundamentalists… because the whole religious world embraces them… (Catholics; Protestants; Evangelicals) everybody… except us.
• Problem eleven: this whole transition does not happen over night.
» Our adversary is clever enough to know that he needs to take baby steps AWAY from that which is good and sound—or it will instantly be recognized for what it is.
» There is much “bridge music” today—a favorite tactic of the devil.
» On the one hand there is good, solid, sound music… and on the far other end is Christian heavy metal or gangster rap…
» And in between there are a thousand shades… to make the transition gradual… EASY… unnoticeable…
» AND that gradual approach makes it impossible (?) to argue each step along the way.
» Discerning believers will NOT try to argue each step… but will step back and look at the DIRECTION the movement is headed!
» Discerning believers will choose that which is unquestionably wholesome… and will in mature LOVE be willing to give up some music that is good… IF it is aiding that movement.
14. It is most unwise to separate the Word of God from the people of God. It is most unwise to separate the Word of God from the praise of God.
a. Great damage is being done to the Body of Christ by discarding the rich heritage of Christian music and replacing it with the loud, soulish clamor of the more modern soulish and superficial songs popular today.
b. Great damage is being done to the Body of Christ by replacing congregational singing with performance music… under the ruse of being “consumer friendly.”
c. Col. 3:16 says to the individual “singing”… not “being sung to.” It is active, not passive.
15. PERFORMANCE vs. Ministry in Music
a. Music sung is to done with the right inward motive and spirit.
b. It is to be an offering unto the Lord… not a show for men.
c. The new way of worship today has hopelessly confused and blurred the line between entertainment and worship… especially in the area of music.
• Is it a show or is it worship? There really isn’t much difference in many circles today.
• Watch one of these so called worship services on TV… and then watch a rock concert on TV. They are virtually identical… (stage show; choreography; lights; the microphones; the acting and crooning of the singers; arms waving; bodies swaying; musicians with celebrity status; and (apart from the lyrics) the SOUND is exactly the same as what you would hear on any radio station.
d. It is obvious who copied whom.
• I’ll give you a hint – the world never copies the true pattern of the church in the New Testament.
• But boy is there a tendency in carnal Christendom to copy the world—to be conformed to the world.
e. I Cor. 14:26 – The early church had a similar problem with “showmanship” in the local church.
• In Corinth, God blessed this congregation with MANY wonderful gifts. (Ye are enriched by Him in all… ye come behind in no gift.) (1:5-6)
• But unfortunately, the Corinthians were using their God given gifts in the WRONG way and with WRONG motives.
• 13:1 – some spoke in tongues, and displayed their gifts before all, but were not demonstrating love.
• 13:2 – some had the gift of prophecy, but did not have love. They were showing off their superior knowledge, but in God’s sight, it was nothing!
• 13:3 – some God blessed with rich gifts of possessions and the gift of giving, but they gave with the wrong motive.
• 14:4 – Some had the gift of tongues and loved to display their gift before others… but without using the gift the right way, it became a show… a performance… with NO value unless it was interpreted that others might be edified. Without an understanding of the words, it was just sound.
• 14:12 – they were zealous of spiritual gifts… they loved to think of themselves as gifted and talented… everybody was trying to take center stage…
• They were driven by a desire to perform before an audience.
• Some folks are scared to death to stand up before a crowd. Others absolutely LOVE it! They thrive off the rush they receive by performance.
• THIS was error Paul was trying correct here.
• That which God intended to be used to edify the Body and glorify the Head, was instead being used to draw attention the individual… They were displaying SELF rather than Christ. This is the error Paul addresses in I Cor. 14.
• Matt. 6:1-2 – Jesus addressed the same problem among the religious crowd in His day.
» Whatever we do, we lose our reward if our motive is to be seen or acknowledged of men… to receive glory from men.
» There is no reward for showmanship other than the fleeting applause of men.
» God was not pleased. He was in fact, nauseated.
• This is just as much a problem with GOOD music in a doctrinally sound church as it is with TERRIBLE music in a worldly church.
• All teachers and singers—anyone who ministers before men, need to be reckoning self to be DEAD as their gifts are used in the local church… to prevent just such an error.
• It matters HOW a song is sung and HOW it is performed.
16. Of what does our singing testify? (I Cor. 14:23-26)
a. The believers came to worship and employed various gifts in the worship service: singing, teaching, prophecy.
b. Paul was concerned for the edification of the Body, but he was also concerned about how their worship service was perceived by outsiders… by visitors… their testimony.
c. Paul did not want the worship service to be chaotic or indecent. (14:40)
d. The way we conduct ourselves in the Lord’s House is one of the pieces that can influence the eternal destiny of a visitor! He could either say, “They are mad!” or “God is in you of a truth!”
e. Music is ONE of those influences Paul mentions here: a psalm!
f. Our doctrine ought to reflect Truth. It ought to be an indication that God is with us of a truth!
g. Our music ought to do the same.
h. What DOES our music convey to visitors (whether it is their style or not… it conveys something…)
i. If it conveys reverence, respect, order, discipline, awe, joy, enthusiasm, etc… then we are conveying the right message.
j. If it conveys rebellion, an in your face attitude, sensuality, frivolity, giddiness, immaturity, or showmanship, then we are conveying the wrong message.
k. A visitor should sense DIFFERENCE in a church than they sense in barroom, a night club, a comedy club, or a Red Sox game. Shouldn’t the atmosphere be different? Doesn’t music play an important role in that?
17. It is GOD who puts a song in our hearts. (Psalm 40:3) He giveth songs in the night (Job 35:10).
Reasons folks have difficulties with certain songs or hymns:
a. The music—performance—showmanship—
b. Worldly associations—
c. The words—shallow—inaccurate—doctrinal error—man centered—etc.
d. The words of some verses might be unacceptable.
e. Can we impute meaning to ambiguous phrases in songs?
f. Sometimes it is a misreading of the words. (O That Will Be Glory for Me!) (Cf. Jer. 9:24)
g. The doctrinal background of the hymn writer. (music or words)
h. The lifestyle of the hymn writer.
i. Association with Contemporary Christian Music
Music That Pleases the Lord
cont’d.
A. Contemporary and Traditional services?
Is it a good idea? Some have sought to avoid casting out the old traditional hymns by having TWO services… one traditional and one contemporary. Here are eleven reasons why that is not a good idea.
1. First of all, it DIVIDES the church into the older folks and the younger folks.
a. For folks who claim to be using music to unite the church, they have failed!
b. Music, which should unite us around the truth instead divides us around personal taste and preference.
c. I Cor. 1:10-13. In light of this passage, do you think the apostle Paul would be pleased with seeing the churches divided today over the issue of music?
d. Isa. 52:8-9 – Notice that when Christ comes for Israel, they sing TOGETHER… not separately.
e. Where will this division end?
• Should we further divide the church into a section with country music, reggae, rap, symphony, polkas, etc.?
• Should we then divide the church into Jew, Gentile, barbarian, Scythian, bond, free, male and female, red, yellow, black, and white?
• OR, is this kind of division an unscriptural expression of the OPPOSITE of what the Body of Christ really IS? (ONE in Christ!)
f. Read John in Revelation as the redeemed and the angels praise God. They do so with ONE VOICE! Worthy is the Lamb! Holy, holy, holy!
g. Read Paul in Romans 15:6 – with “one mind and one mouth, glorify God!”
2. Secondly, the MOTIVE behind this is obviously to please men.
a. It is obvious that when this kind of decision is made, the real driving force behind it is what men want… pressure from men… to please man.
b. Pleasing the Lord is obviously NOT their main concern.
c. It is being done because if the church leaders don’t change the music, the young people will leave.
d. As much as it breaks my heart so say this, the right response is, “Let them leave.”
e. If they are only staying because of music, then they aren’t really with us anyway!
f. We have the apostles doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers… If they are looking for something else, then they are looking for something OTHER THAN what a church is according to the Bible.
g. Should we change what the church is because the young people don’t like it?
h. Should we change our doctrine if the young people don’t like it?
i. Should we cancel prayer meeting if the young people don’t like it?
j. Should we cater to the whims and wishes of the youth, OR should the ELDERS lead and choose music?
k. It is a much better idea—a more BIBLICAL method—to TEACH the Word on this subject… and introduce young people to good, wholesome, Christ honoring hymns and spiritual songs.
l. I was brought up on rock music. And when I got saved, I instinctively KNEW that my old music had to go… it was incompatible with my new life.
m. And over time, I learned hundreds of new songs—old-fashioned hymns—but new to me!
n. Young people CAN learn to LOVE the great hymns of the faith! And there are a lot of new songs being written today that are good too.
o. I love to see young people here picking hymns on Sunday nights. And they pick good ones too!
p. Young people and old people alike can LEARN to love good, solid, Christ honoring music.
q. When music is selected for church, our goal ought NOT to be to satisfy the appetites of the inexperienced and immature.
r. Parents would not be wise to let the children choose the dinner menu (candy and coke). Neither are church leaders wise to let the youth choose the music menu!
3. Thirdly, they have effectively removed the older, wiser, more mature believers from the younger, inexperienced, immature believers.
a. Thus, the younger generation misses out on the wisdom gleaned from fellowshipping with more mature believers.
b. And thus, the church is divided so that the younger folks with all the energy are ready to start new things… and the older folks, who lack the energy are not.
c. Thus, all the new programs begun will be carried out with lots of energy… but without the wisdom to channel that energy properly.
d. God proves Himself to be wise once again when we follow HIS pattern; the young and old are not to be divided in the local church.
e. Read Titus 2:2, 4, 6 – God’s design is for the older and the younger to minister TOGETHER!
f. The old and the young need each other for the church to function as God intended.
g. The older folks need the strength and energy of the younger folks to get things done; the younger folks need the wisdom and experience of the older folks to guide them in what they do and how to do it.
h. This isn’t by accident, but by God’s design.
i. Separating the two groups from each other so they don’t see each other and can’t fellowship together is NOT a good idea.
4. A fourth problem is that after one generation, there will be NO MORE classic, traditional hymns… which have stood the test of time…
a. The church will be left with newer songs, most of which are quite shallow by comparison… and some downright heretical.
b. In spite of good intentions, the bottom line is that even though they attempt to keep BOTH types of music today, ultimately, they ARE casting out the old—whether they do it today or tomorrow… the final effect is the same.
c. It is a veiled attempt to cause Christ honoring, sacred music to die of attrition.
d. Young people in the next generation will know nothing of the rich heritage of Christian music because it will all have been left in the dust… they grew up on the contemporary section of the church…
e. If that is where this is all heading in 10 years or so, doesn’t it make sense to stop and THINK about where that road is leading before we all jump on the bandwagon and follow blindly?
f. It might seem like a pragmatic compromise that keeps everybody happy in the short run, but in the long run it effectually and permanently removes the old, great hymns of the faith… and replaces them (for the most part) with something inferior.
5. A fifth problem: It is NOT just the music that is so disturbing… it is the mindset and attitude that goes along with it.
a. It has brought into the churches a spirit of irreverence and looseness… which permeates the whole atmosphere.
b. Reverence and rock music are NOT compatible.
c. This is not just the opinion of a 53 year old guy who doesn’t like rock music.
d. This is what Rolling Stone magazine (a leading mouthpiece for Rock music for 3 decades!) says… “Rock music is about sex and rebellion.”
e. I believe them for a couple of reasons.
• These folks are the experts in the field… they have lived and breathed in that atmosphere for 30 years or more… they know what they are talking about. We should listen to the experts.
• Experience confirms this. I grew up with that music… my flesh is still attracted to it… and I know from experience what it is about…
• It evokes an “in your face” attitude… (Larry Normon – adolescent rebellion.)
• Even without any words, rock music DOES affect attitude…
b. Rock music creates an atmosphere or an environment that is incompatible with reverence and worship.
c. And if rock music is sensual, as the experts and experience teach us, how can we ever call it a spiritual song?
d. And what is the purpose of bringing sensual music into the church? Is it wise to wed words from the Holy Scriptures to music that is by nature sensual… and even rebellious? Isn’t there something quite inconsistent about all this?
6. A sixth problem is that along with this new kind of music we have also seen a new kind of worship:
a. Along with this new wave music has come a whole new atmosphere in worship created by: multimedia presentations with sights and sounds; dancing; performance music; entertainment; showmanship; a true merging of theatre and church;
b. In this new kind of worship, the WORD of Christ is de-emphasized; sermons become sermonettes.
c. A few verses are shown on a screen because the religious leaders have determined it is too HARD for the folks in the pews to find all those books of the Bible… so they don’t even need to bring their Bibles to church any more.
d. The end result: shallow Christians who have spiritually developed a taste for cotton candy and have no stomach for steak and potatoes. (They will not endure sound doctrine.)
e. Superficial religious people who come to be entertained… self centered… not Christ centered… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…
f. And in that atmosphere, true worship virtually ceases.
g. The music is part of that whole scene… and that whole scene stinks to high heaven… and we want no part of it here.
h. We could argue details till we are blue in the face. But if it is part of that scene, we want nothing to do with it.
7. A seventh problem: The bottom line of all this change is a modern Evangelical version of what happened to music in the dark ages in the Roman Church: the Word of God was de-emphasized… and therefore, the people stopped singing.
a. That’s what happens when the Word is not richly dwelling in the heart.
b. Christian music FLOWS out of hearts filled with the Word of Christ.
c. Out of spiritually empty hearts, NO spiritual songs will gush forth… not when the well is dry.
d. And when the heart is not filled with the Holy Spirit, Christ, and the Word of Christ, then SELF is reigning.
e. Congregational singing was replaced with performance music… sung by the professional religious caste: the priests…
f. Instead of actively singing, they were passively sung to.
g. And the words were unintelligible… Latin!
h. Because the hearts of the people were NOT richly indwelt by the Word of Christ, no spiritual songs emanated from those hearts. Congregational singing ceased; singing was replaced with performance type music; the words of which were unintelligible… thus music was entirely soulish and not spiritual.
i. Music that affects the SOUL and emotions but never reaches the spirit CANNOT be called spiritual songs. They are purely natural… earthly… and to the degree that the devil’s influence was involved, demonic!
j. Consider the influence of the charismatic movement today.
• They aim for the emotions and the feelings—for experience—at the expense of truth and understanding.
• They bypass the head for the feelings.
• It is therefore, soulish and natural rather than spiritual.
k. Even though the loud new wave worship (which came to us via the charismatic movement) and the old traditionalistic Roman Catholic Church seem so opposite, they actually produce the same effect:
• Bible teaching is diminished—replaced by religious feelings.
• Word not richly dwelling in hearts.
• Reduces or eliminates congregational singing.
• Replaced by performance music.
• Unintelligible words…
• Produces a religious experience, but not spiritual edification.
l. It adds NOTHING to the kind of worship God desires: in spirit and in truth.
m. And regardless of how HOLY they SAY this music makes them FEEL, if it addresses merely the emotions and not the spirit, it is NOT a spiritual song.
n. Our adversary is the master counterfeiter. He uses another spirit to counterfeit true spirituality with emotionalism and religious sentimentalism.
o. It matters not how men feel, but what God says.
8. And eighth problem: The entire movement is LED by babes.
a. This movement was NOT begun at the request of older, discerning, more mature believers.
b. It was the YOUTH who pushed, promoted, threatened to leave, and cried until they got their own way. Babes!
c. Church leaders today are caving in to the outlandish demands of the youth just like parents today are caving in to their kids.
d. And while we cannot know the hearts of individual rock and roll concert goers, we do know human nature.
e. I have talked to some of them. It is fair to say that in MOST… it would be quite INNACURATE to say that the Word of Christ is RICHLY dwelling in their hearts.
f. They’re kids… immature… and have no place leading in the local church… especially in such an important area as music!
g. Isa. 3:1-5 – (vs.4) “?And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.” This was God’s JUDGMENT against Judah for their sin!
h. Ecc. 10:16 – Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!?
9. The ninth problem: The next step is doctrine… guaranteed!
a. When the music is cheap and shallow… and the atmosphere has been set for entertainment rather than learning… and the word of Christ is deemphasized, rest assured, you have effectively created an environment for apostasy.
b. It might take a while… but it will come. It is inevitable!
c. Now this is obviously not to be blamed solely on their music. But music is a VITAL part of the loose, “anything goes” environment that is ready for apostasy. It sets the stage.
d. Some of the most popular contemporary Christian Music songs have as their theme, “tearing down the walls” of doctrine that separate us. They are often quite ecumenical… and see doctrine as a stumbling stone rather than a foundation.
e. It is obviously not true of them all… but that is the mindset more often than not in those circles.
f. The next generation of “church goers” may well reject the whole concept of salvation! (Too narrow minded for that crowd!)
g. Already some of the super churches around this country which grew so rapidly (in part because of their showmanship and music) are creeping into false doctrine… unable to take a stand on anything!
h. When the ultimate goal is unity and growth (at the expense of purity), the system is doomed to failure.
i. Sound doctrine is NOT their forte. Many of them hate fundamentalists… because the whole religious world embraces them… (Catholics; Protestants; Evangelicals) everybody… except the fundamentalist.
j. We are quite naive to believe all these “Christian entertainers.”
• It has been well documented that some of these religious singers and bands are USING the church as a stepping stone to their real goal: stardom and fame in the top 40!
• They use the church and then move on… to bigger and better things.
• Peter warned, “They shall make merchandise of you.”
• This was true with some of the older Motown groups in the 60’s… and it is still happening today… some of the contemporary Christian music stars have made the crossover into the secular world. After all – that’s where the real money is.
• They get a few big hits and their venue changes overnight! Off to Las Vegas! (It would make an interesting documentary.)
10. Problem number ten: immorality.
a. I’m sure this will sound like a stretch to some… (connecting immorality to music) but hear me out.
b. I’m looking ahead down the road… where this scene is headed… perhaps in a decade…
c. I know of a Bible believing rock and roll church… not too far away, where they have home Bible studies… and when the study is over, the young people turn on rock music, and for fellowship time, break out the Budweiser too.
d. That is a recipe for moral disaster—young people listening to rock music… and drinking beer… dancing… eventually, you KNOW what’s going to happen.
e. Music changes the atmosphere. Some of these rock and roll churches have created a night club atmosphere… which is NOT conducive to holiness.
f. Young people live in bodies with an abundance of hormones and impulses that require very little to ignite.
g. Music can be SENSUAL… even sexual.
h. The leading rock and roll magazine has warned us what rock music is all about: rebellion and SEX! We would do well to listen!
i. Luke 16:8 – Jesus said that sometimes, “The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.”
j. The children of this world clearly see the obvious in the natural realm. For all kinds of baffling and inexplicable reasons, Christians seem unable to see this. God help us to see.
k. Of course, not every one who listens to rock music is going to instantly run out and commit fornication.
l. But where rock music is tolerated… other things are tolerated too…
• It becomes a package deal.
• Rock is tolerated, and often dancing is too… and social drinking is too.
• It is all part of the same scene… the same mindset.
• Folks who have no concept of what Christian liberty is for and how to use it properly!
m. This new kind of music is one of the ingredients that often leads to impurity.
n. The new atmosphere and mindset of evangelicals today is loose… which at time borders on shady and immoral.
o. I heard a famous pastor of a super church on TV the other day being interviewed by Larry King. Larry King read to the preacher some very risqué and off color statements he allegedly made from the pulpit… and the preacher began joking about them… on national TV!
p. Along with the new music comes Christian comedians—yes as part of the church services in some places… and you know the tendency of comedy to edge towards the shady…
q. The stage has been set for this kind of looseness… an atmosphere where we have been taught to embrace everyone… judge no one or nothing… always be positive… so accepting of human failures… and deathly afraid to use the “S” word… we shouldn’t be surprised to see the next step in the decline: open disregard for holiness.
11. Problem eleven: this whole transition does not happen over night.
a. Our adversary is clever enough to know that he needs to take baby steps AWAY from that which is good and sound—or it will instantly be recognized for what it is.
b. There is much “bridge music” today—a favorite tactic of the devil.
c. On the one hand there is good, solid, sound music… and on the far other end is Christian heavy metal or gangster rap…
d. And in between there are a thousand shades… to make the transition gradual… EASY… imperceptible…
e. AND that gradual approach makes it impossible (?) to argue each step along the way.
f. Discerning believers will NOT try to argue each step… but will step back and look at the DIRECTION the movement is headed!
g. Some folks here are old enough to have seen many changes in the evangelical world in the last century.
• Virtually all of the changes have been in the wrong direction.
• The atmosphere of worship has been corrupted.
• The music has degenerated.
• The Word of God has been deemphasized.
• The average churchgoer is becoming more and more Biblically illiterate.
• The average believer today is not more mature or discerning than the average believer 100 years ago.
• But the stats don’t tell us this. The stats tell us that evangelicalism is THRIVING… because of the raw NUMBER of people attending the many super churches around the country.
• The numbers are rising, but spiritual climate is falling…
• There is a growing outward FORM of godliness… but in form only. It is quite empty and shallow.
• The new music is NOT to blame for that decline. But it is PART OF the overall decline… one of the many ingredients in the decline… the dumbing down of the churches.
• In part the number of evangelicals is rising because of the new church format: LESS Bible… and MORE entertainment… which features performance music by bands of all stripes.
• We have been warned of this by men for many decades now… they could see it coming!
• Charles Spurgeon:
• AW Tozer:
h. Discerning believers will choose that which is unquestionably wholesome… and will in mature LOVE be willing to give up some music that is good… IF it is aiding that movement.
i. And we have so MUCH good music that IS unquestionably wholesome… why skate on thin ice?
CONCLUSION:
1. You can accuse me of crying wolf if you like or making much ado about nothing. That’s ok. I’m willing to take the heat on this issue.
2. I was saved OUT OF that movement.
a. When God opened my eyes, as a new creature in Christ, I instinctively recognized that music for what it was… earthly, sensual, and at times, demonic!
b. No one had to tell me to get rid of my old music.
c. Even as a babe in Christ, it wasn’t hard to tell the difference between light and darkness… sensual and spiritual.
3. But now, that movement has worked its way INTO the churches. It baffles me how Christians ever allowed it to be, but it is so.
a. When it first came out, even the WORLD was shocked by it blatant sexual implications (Elvis—viewed from chest up on TV)… and by the rebellious attitude it fostered.
b. After 50-60 years of being surrounded by this music, the shock value has worn off… though they up the ante every year to TRY to shock us… we have become numb to it.
c. The world had more discernment to recognize rock for what it is a generation ago, than many churches do today.
d. Christian rock performers have made some superficial changes—by adding some nice words about Jesus… but it is still pretty easy to recognize the difference between sensual and spiritual.
4. IN addition to being saved out of it, I have been observing it for 30 years, as it has infiltrated into Christendom.
a. And I’m not buying it. It has divided the church.
b. It has been a wedge between the youth and older believers.
c. It is a movement predominantly led by immature believers who lack discernment… and designed to please man—the youth.
d. As a whole, the movement has shown utter contempt for fundamentalism… for the doctrine of separation…
e. As a whole, the movement has shown little interest in sound doctrine. (They see doctrine as divisive.)
f. The movement has a tendency to be ecumenical… making no distinction between truth and error… Rome, Protestants, and Evangelicals… embracing them all… as long as they provide venues for their bands.
g. I have also observed that when the music changes, the whole atmosphere of the church changes… and not for the good.
h. It brings in a looseness and laxness that has affected behavior and even doctrine. (what Spurgeon called the DOWNGRADE of Christianity)
i. If Larry King and the late Peter Jennings (neither one of whom were friends of Christianity), and others in the world are able to recognize that something smells in this whole scene, it is an indictment on our blindness and naiveté if we are unable to smell the same rat.
j. We have been warned by godly saints for many decades that they could see this coming… (Not to mention the apostles!)
k. It isn’t hard to see where this music scene came from. It is not hard to see where it is headed.
l. If we close our eyes to all this, cave in to the pressure of the youth and the inexperienced ones, and allow it here… then we are without excuse and fully accountable to God for where it leads into the next generation.
5. I am calling upon us all as a body… as a congregation to stand together and oppose not just the music, but the mindset… the attitude… and the direction of this movement.
a. This is THE battle of this generation.
b. The church is gradually and imperceptibly being morphed into an entertainment center.
c. I am especially calling upon the young people here to stop and think about this movement… where it is headed. Is that really where you want to go?
d. Young people brought up here have a distinct advantage. You should be able to see the difference. Other young people have been brought up in it… and it is all they know. And hence a warning like tonight’s is incomprehensible to them… but it shouldn’t be to you.
e. Do YOU want to be responsible for aiding a movement that is not edifying, but eroding the work of God?
f. “If any men defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy; for the Temple of God is holy, which temple YE are.” (I Cor. 3:17)
g. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (I Tim. 3:15)
h. Solomon said, “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. ? ?Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” (Prov. 4:26-27)
i. This is the battle our generation is called to be engaged in. That’s why God refers to us as soldiers of Jesus Christ.
j. It is going to be a difficult battle. Many folks won’t see this. Many folks won’t join us because all the action is elsewhere.
k. It is going to be difficult to see families leave because their KIDS want to go to the rock and roll church… families whom we have come to know and love… nice, but naïve.
l. That is the BATTLE. We are called to fight the GOOD fight.
m. We are called to endure HARDSHIPS as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
n. God help us to stand. Daniel stood… and so can we. God is able to make us stand.
o. I thank God that so far, the Lord has spared us from much conflict on this issue. But rest assured, sooner or later, it will come. We need to be ready. So gird on your armor brethren.
p. Eph. 6:13 – “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Music That Pleases the Lord
cont’d.
MUSIC AND WORSHIP
1. Worship that is acceptable to God must be in truth and in SPIRIT. (John 4:20-24)
a. The Samaritan woman at the well had a conversation with Christ about worship.
b. Vs. 20 – The Samaritans and the Jews disagreed as to WHERE the right place to worship was… geographic location.
c. Vs. 21 – Jesus states that soon geographic location would be irrelevant in worship. It DID matter in the Old Testament. Jerusalem was where the Temple was. That was the right place of worship.
d. Vs. 22 – Jesus made it clear that the Samaritans worshiped God ignorantly! Their worship was NOT acceptable to Him. They didn’t do it the right way.
e. Vs. 23-24 – Worship to be acceptable to God MUST be in spirit and in truth.
f. Apart from truth and a right spirit, worship was unacceptable to God. There is a right way and a wrong way to approach an infinitely Holy God.
g. It didn’t matter how hard a person tried, how sincere they were, or how much effort they put into it, worship is only acceptable to God when it is offered in the right spirit and in truth. It is possible to be sincerely wrong.
h. The Samaritan woman assumed that worship was all about external things (the place of worship; Temple; sacrifices; rituals; etc.)
i. Jesus explains that worship is not about the externals, but the INTERNAL… the spirit (human spirit – God conscious part of man).
j. For worship to be acceptable to God, the DEEPEST part of the inner man—the spirit—must be regenerated and controlled by the Holy Spirit.
2. Music appropriate for worship must flow from a heart filled with the Spirit of God. (Eph. 5:18-19)
a. The first result of a Spirit filled life mentioned here is SINGING. (Along with thanksgiving and submission.)
b. Sacred singing is the FRUIT of the Spirit. (The list in Galatians 5 is only partial—there are hundreds of other expressions of the Spirit in a believer’s life.)
c. Spirit filling is the NORM for the Christian life.
• The human spirit (God consciousness) must be under the control of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.
• Paul contrasts being filled with the Spirit with being filled with wine… (under the influence of…)
• To be filled with the Spirit, all known sin must be confessed and self must be yielded to God.
• This filling is to be the day to day, moment by moment experience of every believer.
• The filling of the Spirit is not some spectacular experience of the Spirit falling upon us… as the charismatics would have us believe.
• If you are born again, and all your known sins are confessed, and you are yielded to God, then you ARE filled with the Spirit!
• Being filled with the Spirit isn’t an emotion to be felt. It is a command to be obeyed.
• We are to walk in the Spirit. Our every day walk is to be characterized by the filling or the controlling power of the Spirit of God… as you drive your car, do the dishes, go to work, or sing in the choir!
• In our everyday, ordinary lives, we are to walk in the Spirit, under His control. When that is the case, there should be a melody in our hearts… that gushes forth in SINGING.
• Music that flows from a heart filled with the Spirit is acceptable in worship… and no other kind of music is.
3. Spirit filled singing is expressed in a variety of forms and adapts to various cultures.
a. This is part of the GLORY of Christianity. It is not a list of rules, cultural traditions, or identical rituals. It is adaptable to ANY culture anywhere on earth in any and every generation.
b. There is a good reason WHY the Bible does NOT tell us what style of clothing to wear… what traditions to keep… what customs to observe, or what particular songs to sing.
c. Christianity will look and sound diverse in various countries and in different centuries.
d. But the source of it all is always the same: the human spirit under the control of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
e. When that is so, worship will always be conducted in a spirit of humility, reverence and awe, order, and submission… hearts bowing in His presence.
f. No other source is acceptable to God. Worship MUST be in spirit and in truth.
g. The FRUIT of the Spirit will be identical in every land… (love, joy, peace, gentleness, etc.) although the means of expressing it (unique practices and customs) might be very different.
h. When the human spirit is under the control of the Holy Spirit, the singing of hymns and spiritual songs will vary greatly from land to land…
• But the underlying spirit of worship will be identical…
• That spirit will always result in songs of reverence, humility, awe, order, submission, and true worship… with hearts bowing in His presence.
4. Isa. 6:1-3 – here is an example of angelic creatures worshipping God… in His presence.
a. As Christians, because of the blood of Christ, we too can come into the very PRESENCE of God in our worship!
b. “Having there fore brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus…” (Heb. 10:19)
c. When we worship in spirit and in truth, we enter into the Holy of Holies with God!
d. Our bodies are the Temple of God.
e. Notice that the holy angels covered themselves… they covered their faces in a deep sense of humility as they worshipped God in His presence.
f. They were not covering their face out of shame for their sin. They were HOLY angels.
g. They covered their faces out of humility… as mere creatures in the presence of the Almighty Creator!
h. It was a normal reaction of a creature who understands who God is. It puts us in our place before Him… covered… bowed down…
i. They chanted, “Holiness” to the Lord. The atmosphere was that of holiness… humility… deep reverence for God.
j. It was not a party atmosphere…
5. In Rev. 4:10-11, there is a similar scene before God’s throne, only there the scene includes the 24 elders representing the church… and they FALL DOWN before God in worship… crying, “Thou art worthy…”
a. That is the most basic meaning of the Biblical term for worship: bow down… (Old Testament and New Testament)
b. They weren’t dancing and kicking up their heels. They were bowing in reverence and awe in the Holy Place.
c. Rev. 5:8-9 – saints in heaven and angels fall down before God and sing a new song… “Thou art worthy…” (vs. 14)
d. There is a proper approach to God in worship and song. There is a proper atmosphere for worship. There is a proper attitude in worship and song as well.
e. This approach to God… this atmosphere and attitude transcend time, language, culture, and geographical location.
f. Vs. 9 – This throng was from every tribe and nation – all different cultural backgrounds… but they shared ONE faith… one spirit of worship, humility, and reverence…
g. On earth, it doesn’t matter whether the worship service is in Jerusalem, Samaria, or the uttermost parts of the earth.
h. While the music and the practices may be quite different, the SPIRIT is the same. We are ONE in the Spirit.
i. This is because the human spirit under the control of the Holy Spirit will manifest the same FRUIT… the same spirit of worship and humility and reverence.
j. You might worship with a group of believers in Bulgaria, China, or Ethiopia… and while you won’t understand the words of the music… it is possible to sense the SPIRIT in which they worship… whether it is the spirit of reverence or the spirit and atmosphere of a carnival. There is a difference. He that is spiritual discerneth all things!
k. Only the proper KIND of worship and music is acceptable to God… in spirit and in truth.
6. Heb. 13:15 – When we gather for worship, we are to come together as the Body of Christ to bring an OFFERING to God.
a. As believers, we are all priests unto God, and as such we are to bring Him an offering.
b. The offering mentioned here is the fruit of our lips… praise! Whether in speech or in singing.
c. The local church is a gathering of believer/priests who have come with an offering for God.
d. Psalm 100:1-4 – Note in vs. 4 that the Old Testament saints were to enter into the courts of the Temple area for worship… and they were to come WITH an offering of thanksgiving and praise!
e. They were to come with hearts already full of thanksgiving and praise… and in His gates, they were to SING! Make a joyful noise!
f. They didn’t come to the Temple to GET charged up for worship. Rather, they were to come already PREPARED for worship!
g. Their hearts were full and they came to express that fullness to the Lord… with an offering… and with an offering of praise and song!
h. We should COME to church with a song already in our heart… just waiting for the opportunity to express that song with the Body of Christ through singing!
i. Music is not the CAUSE of the filling of the Spirit. Music is the EFFECT of the filling of the Spirit.
j. We don’t come to church to RECEIVE the filling of the Holy Spirit. The church is the gathering together of believers who have been walking in the Spirit all week long… and who come together to express as a Body their praise and worship to God…
k. And if our hearts are NOT filled with the Spirit, NOTHING we offer to God is of any spiritual value.
• It is all wood, hay, and stubble!
• If the heart is not right, God is not pleased with ANY offering. It is NOT a sweet smelling savor to Him.
• Your voice in singing may be skillful and sound wonderful to men, but not to God. He is interested in the SOURCE of that singing… the heart.
• You may put more money in the plate than anyone else, but God is not pleased if it does not come from a pure heart.
• You may preach a wonderful message from the Word—but there is no reward for that kind of service if the heart is not right.
• Christianity is not about outward form but about inward reality.
• Jesus said, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,? 8This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.? 9But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matt. 15:7-9)
• For our music and worship to be acceptable, the HEART must be right before God. He knows our hearts.
• For the heart to be RIGHT… SELF must be kept on the cross… dead to sin and self and ALIVE unto God…
• Self must be surrendered to God… yielded to Him.
• Otherwise, our worship is vain… empty… of any spiritual value.
l. Our worship—including the music—is to be in spirit and in truth… or that offering is not acceptable to God.
m. The singing of sacred songs is directed – TO the Lord.
• It is not a performance for men, but a song directed to God.
• In that sense, music is part of WORSHIP… an offering we bring to God from a heart of gratitude.
• Only HE can determine what is and what is not acceptable. He judges on the basis of spirit and truth.
• The words we sing must be in accordance with truth and reality (true in our hearts)… and the spirit of worship must be in harmony with His Word: awe, reverence, holiness to the Lord.
MUSIC AND EMOTION
1. Music that is acceptable to the Lord in worship is:
a. Music that emanates from a heart full of the Word of Christ. (Col. 3)
b. Music that emanates from a Spirit filled heart. (Eph. 5)
2. Spirit FILLING is NOT a FEELING or an emotional experience.
a. In the everyday, mundane activities in the life of a believer, if we are yielded to God, then we ARE filled with the Spirit.
b. We don’t FEEL His indwelling presence or power. We walk by faith… believing and trusting that God’s Spirit is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
c. The fruit of the Spirit is JOY… not bubbliness or giddiness.
• The joy of the Lord is ours even in times of suffering and pain! O joy that seekest me through pain!
• We can have joy even when there is no fruit on the vine… but not necessarily happiness, which is dependent upon happenstances.
• The joy of the Lord is different… it is deep and abiding… the supernatural and abiding work of the Spirit of God in our hearts…
• Music can take our minds off the struggles of life for a time and make us happy and lighthearted for a while… but it CANNOT produce the fruit of the Spirit… joy!
d. God never intended for music to produce in us that which only the Holy Spirit can produce: namely, spiritual fruit.
e. Music was not intended to get us “warmed up” or “revved up” for worship.
• But that is how music is being used today in many circles.
• We should COME to church, with our hearts ALREADY richly indwelt by the Word of Christ… and already under the control of the Holy Spirit.
• God’s purpose for singing is NOT to prime the pump to get us ready to worship… rather, it is the natural outflow of a heart already prepared for worship—filled with the Word of Christ and filled with the Spirit of God.
f. Col. 3:16 – The BIBLE says that we should come to worship with a song already in our heart.
• The charismatic movement has caused much confusion today concerning what the filling of the Spirit is.
• The filling of the Spirit is confused with a feeling or an exhilarating experience.
• Therefore many have reverted to using music in an attempt to PRODUCE the effects of Spirit filling.
• No wonder they need huge amplifiers and electric guitars. But if the hearts are not already filled with the Spirit, no amount of electricity is going to revive a heart that is not functioning properly!
• No amount of wattage is going to come near to the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a cheap imitation.
g. When music is used to warm us up for worship, it is an artificial means of producing the fruit of the Spirit…
• It is an attempt to imitate the effects of Spirit filling by producing an outward appearance of life… (People get excited…)
• It produces a lot of motion and activity that is wrongly interpreted as the Spirit of God in action.
h. Example: At a recent Celtics game, they USED music to stir up the crowd, and get them INTO the game… a motivator when the game is getting a little boring… and the home team is down: (we will we will rock you… “charge!!!” etc…)
• Music CAN get a rather lifeless crowd stirred up. It is used for that very purpose at every professional sports game.
• At times, the game got a bit boring… and they got the crowd back in the game with loud music! It worked!
• Of course, the SOURCE of stirring up the crowd at those games is the music.
• This has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit.
• Music all by itself is ABLE to stir up crowds. It can manipulate a crowd… even without words! It’s powerful.
• It would be foolish to assume that because a crowd got excited in a basketball arena, it must be the work of the Holy Spirit. Nobody would ever think such a thing.
i. Yet when similar loud music is used to stir up a crowd in a church building, the effect IS attributed to the Holy Spirit.
• As the loud music reverberates, the crowd gets stirred, and they experience a feeling of excitement.
• And if that religious crowd doesn’t get stirred up and experience that same sort of religious feeling… then it is assumed that the Holy Spirit is NOT at work… and they go home disappointed.
• The exhilarating experience produced by the music is mistakenly identified as the filling or moving of the Spirit.
j. I am suggesting that those folks in the evangelical/charismatic world have become so accustomed to hearing rock music in church that they cannot tell the difference between the FEELING that loud music produces with the FILLING of the Holy Spirit.
• The FEELING is confused with the FILLING.
• That which causes their exhilarating experience is not necessarily the Holy Spirit.
• It is often the very SAME effect as is felt in the basketball arena by the music… and they attribute it to the Holy Spirit.
• It is how the powerful medium of music is used to manipulate crowds and generate excitement…
• In other words, these religious folks are being moved, but not by the Spirit of God… they are moved by ANOTHER spirit… a counterfeit spirit.
3. God is able to stir us up, thrill our souls, and satisfy our hearts with nothing more than a still small voice. (I Kings 19:12)
a. In the case of Elijah, He didn’t need a tornado, an earthquake, or a fire from heaven.
b. Today, He doesn’t need amplifiers and electric guitars!
c. Don’t confuse sight, sound, and stimulation with the work of God.
d. We walk by FAITH, not by sight or feeling.
e. If we are dull and lifeless in our worship, music CAN charge up the atmosphere and stir us up emotionally. But that is not at all the same as Spirit filling.
f. When our hearts bow before Christ and the Word of Christ, and self is yielded to His Spirit, THEN that music will that flows from our heart will be with enthusiasm produced by the Holy Spirit…
g. But if the singing doesn’t emanate from a heart already richly indwelt with the Word of Christ, whatever it is that produces that excitement and enthusiasm—is a counterfeit.
h. Once folks in the rock and roll type church turn on the power they can get the crowd moving… rocking and rolling… shaking their bodies… waving their arms… which is exactly what occurs at the Celtics game…
i. But when that exhilarating feeling occurs in a religious setting, and it is mistaken for the work of the Holy Spirit, that is what Paul calls another spirit…
j. This spirit is man made; soulish and natural rather than spiritual; moves the body and emotions, but cannot reach the spirit; it is therefore earthly and worldly rather than heavenly and spiritual.
k. And folks in those contemporary Christian circles often cannot distinguish between exhilaration created by loud music and a holy zeal created by the Holy Spirit. This is a serious problem.
4. In those circles there is a genuine desire for a religious experience, but not necessarily a desire to know God.
a. The religious crowd is satisfied to have a religion they can FEEL rather than a Person they can know: Jesus Christ.
b. While mankind is incurably religious, Paul says that “there is none that seeketh God.”
c. Don’t be surprised to see lots of people seeking a religious experience… but have no interest in knowing Christ in a personal way. (Especially in light of the fact that knowing Him requires fellowship in His sufferings… being made conformable to His death.)
d. Many folks today want the experience without the cost of discipleship.
e. Thus, they have feel good music and feel good sermons. (God loves you, have a nice day!)
f. Everybody goes home feeling good, and they come back next week to feel good all over again!
g. But hearing from the Word of God doesn’t always make us feel good. The ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit doesn’t always make us feel good. Sometimes we will be severely convicted and feel quite bad!
h. Ecc. 7:3 –Solomon said that sometimes “Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.”
5. We know that not all worship is acceptable to God. Not all music is acceptable to God.
a. We are told HOW to worship God in an acceptable way: in spirit and in truth. Apart from that, our worship is VAIN.
• It is possible to worship God unacceptably (Gen. 4:3-4).
• It is possible to worship God ignorantly (Acts 17:22-23).
• It is possible to worship God contrary to His Word (Lev. 10:1-2).
• It is possible to worship God hypocritically (Mt. 15:7-8).
• It is possible to worship God half-heartedly (Jer. 3:10).
• It is possible to worship God in vain (Mt. 15:9).
• It is possible to worship God and in fact, nauseate Him! (Isa. 1:11-15).
• It is possible to worship God and actually anger God! Uzziah was smitten with leprosy for attempting to offer a sacrifice to God (II Chr. 26:16-20). Nadab and Abihu were burned with fire for offering strange fire (Lev.10:1-2).
• It is possible to worship God and be weary of it (Mal. 1:13).
b. What God wants is worship from the heart: in spirit and in truth.
c. Worship and music incorporated into our worship should evoke a sense of reverence, humility, awe, and holiness.
d. Not all KINDS of music produce a sense of reverence and humility… and would therefore NOT be acceptable to incorporate into worship.
MUSIC AND LIFESTYLE
1. Music emanates from the heart… and often reflects a lifestyle.
2. Not all MUSIC is acceptable to the Lord.
a. Psalm 69:12 – the song of the drunkards.
• Would God be pleased if we used that song in our worship?
• Besides the words, don’t you think that those songs had their own style… way of singing…
• The songs of a drunkard arose out of an attitude and a lifestyle… and that’s what they convey.
• Don’t you think that their songs exude a certain philosophy of life? (I don’t care attitude… I’m going to do whatever I want to do… Live for today… eat, drink, and be merry…)
• Don’t you think that those songs would have seemed quite foreign and out of place in the Holy Temple where they were accustomed to singing the inspired psalms?
vi. The songs of the drunkards arose out of a heart filled with the spirit of alcohol… not the Holy Spirit! (Paul makes an analogy between alcohol and the Holy Spirit—two different spirits and two different effects)
b. Isaiah 23:15-16 – singing as a harlot.
• The prostitutes sang enticing songs to men passing by to lure them to themselves.
• Their singing was designed to be sensual… alluring… enticing… tempting.
• Even without any words, don’t you think their style of singing was different from the way psalms were sung in the Temple?
• It wasn’t the MELODY, but the way they sang it that made it alluring.
• Don’t you think that the folks in the Temple would recognize the difference between the way they sang psalms and the way a prostitute sang her enticing, lustful songs?
• The music of the harlot arose out of a heart full of the spirit of lust, not the Spirit of God.
• That song came from the wrong spirit.
• Her heart made the music what it was. It was the song of a harlot! Certainly not appropriate for worship.
c. Music emanates from the HEART.
• Out of a harlot’s heart comes the song of a harlot.
• Ecc. 7:5– from the heart of a fool comes a song of a fool.
• Out of the heart of a drunkard comes a song of a drunkard.
• Out of the heart of new creatures in Christ comes a NEW song about God!
» Amos 8:3 – the songs of the Temple
» I Chron. 25:7 – some were instructed in the songs of the Lord.
» GOD puts a new song in our hearts. (Psalm 40:3) It is the song of one set free from the miry clay and whose feet are fixed on a solid rock!
» He giveth songs in the night (Job 35:10).
» When God is in our hearts… and our hearts are filled with God… and His Word is dwelling richly in our hearts… and our hearts are filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit… a sacred song comes forth!
» It is a NEW song… different from the song of a drunkard or a harlot or a fool. It is a sacred song…
» This is just what we have seen in Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16.
» The songs we sing in worship are a reflection of what is going on in our heart.
d. And don’t you think it would be quite absurd to COMBINE the various KINDS of music mentioned?
• Suppose that a harlot or prostitute in Old Testament times came to know God by faith and was gloriously saved.
» Then suppose that someone had the bright idea to take the songs of the prostitutes and change the words… and sing them in the Temple…
» Do you think that she would want to sing in the Temple with the same songs with the same breathy, enticing tones that she did on the streets?
» Don’t you think that this former prostitute, upon hearing this music in the Holy Place would see that music as completely OUT OF PLACE in God’s House… and quite offensive?
» Wouldn’t that be a constant reminder to the former prostitute of her immoral past?
» Don’t you think she would be appalled to hear that music she knew so well in her days as a prostitute referred to as “Sacred Prostitute Songs”?
» It is not wise to take the song of a prostitute, change the words and call is “Sacred Prostitute Music.” That is an oxymoron.
• Don’t you think that the drunkard who got saved out of Skid Row would be appalled to hear the inspired and holy words of David’s psalms put to the irreverent songs of the drunkard and sung in the Temple?
» Wouldn’t that be a constant reminder to the former alcoholic of his immoral past… something he was struggling with to put off like a filthy garment?
» Wouldn’t singing those songs be a stumblingblock to him and others?
» Why would anyone want to bring those songs into the Temple?
» Those songs represented a whole lifestyle—which was part of his immoral past. The old is to put off like dirty garments. New clothes are to be put on.
» In so far as that music was part of his old lifestyle, it was to be PUT OFF… not fixed up and worn.
» Wouldn’t he be scandalized to hear of someone changing the words and calling them “Sacred Drunkard Songs” because the words were changed?
3. Our generation is not wise in taking rock music from the rock culture, and the lifestyle it promotes and represents, change the words, and bring it into the church, and then refer to it as “Sacred Rock.”
a. Gang members that come to know the Lord would be equally scandalized to hear believers talk of “Sacred Rap” Or “Christian Gangster Rap.”
b. Just as there is a lifestyle associated with the drunkard and with the prostitute, there is a lifestyle and an attitude associated with rock and roll… and it comes out in the music.
• I don’t know any Christian drunks… or Christian prostitutes… or Christian gangsters. Such WERE some of you… but now ye are washed! You are one or the other!
• Rock music is sensual and rebellious. Rock music and rap music have created their own little sub cultures… and they are anything but sacred.
• The wise thing to do is when you get saved, put away old things and learn a NEW song.
c. If you are willing to leave the miry clay behind, God will put a new song in your heart.
• Is the music of the harlot neutral? Is the music of the drunkard neutral? I think not.
• That is like saying that literature is neutral. It depends upon what is being SAID… it has meaning!
• Some literature is wonderful reading. Other pieces of literature are evil and immoral in their intent!
• The songs of the drunkard or the harlot exude emotion, an attitude, and convey a spirit that is completely incompatible with the precious words of Holy Scripture.
• And if the experts are right… and the experiences of thousands of born again Christians are right… (that rock music is sensual and rebellious), then that spirit is also incompatible with Scripture or words about the Holy, spotless, Son of God! They don’t go together.
d. Whether we want to admit it or not, there ARE many different KINDS of music.
• Some are appropriate for worship and some are not.
• God is pleased with some and displeased with others.
• Even without any words, music can convey emotions and attitudes… of all sorts and stripes.
• The song of the drunkard is different from the song of the prostitute… a different attitude… a different purpose… a different lifestyle… a different spirit.
• They sound different. They are performed differently.
• They have different effects.
• They are both different from the kind of music that is appropriate for use in worshipping God.
• And if we can’t tell the difference between the song of a drunkard… the song of a prostitute, and a worshipful, spiritual song, then God help us! That does not speak well of our level of discernment.
• The Bible recognizes different KINDS of music: songs of harlots, drunkards, fools, and spiritual songs… the songs of the redeemed.
• We should recognize them too. Pick that which is higher and nobler!
Music That Pleases the Lord
cont’d.
A. Worship in Spirit and in TRUTH
1. If our songs flow from the rich indwelling of the WORD of Christ in our hearts, those songs should teach that which is in harmony with that same Word: TRUTH.
a. John 4:24 – we are to worship in spirit and in TRUTH.
b. Music we sing as worship ought to be TRUE to the Word of God.
c. If a song has doctrinal error, it should not be acceptable for worship, any more than a sermon with doctrinal error.
d. Error is error—whether written, spoken, or sung.
e. We are to teach the truth, speak the truth, and sing the truth.
f. If our hearts are richly indwelt by the Word of Christ, then that which flows out of our mouth ought to reflect the truth.
g. Singing the truth is a wonderful form of learning… exhorting… challenging… encouraging… comforting…
h. John 15:3; 17:17 – truth sanctifies and cleanses us… it has a purifying effect.
• When the choir sings… or the piano plays a familiar hymn, TRUTH is being conveyed to our hearts through the medium of music.
• The message of the song can have a positive effect on our spiritual lives.
• Have you ever been convicted by the TRUTH conveyed through the words of a song? (Sweet HOUR of Prayer; Take My LIFE and Let it Be; ALL To Jesus I Surrender.)
• Have you ever been comforted… etc.? (Be Still My Soul; All Your Anxiety; etc.)
• Have you ever been challenged by music? (I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go; Thy Word Have I Hid in my Heart.)
• Have you ever been encouraged by music? (He is Able; It Will Be Worth it All.)
• God USES music in our lives to accomplish His will.
• Truth speaks to our whole being… we are not merely intellectual beings. We are emotional beings as well. Music uses the intellect and the emotions to convey truth.
• Music is a powerful medium for GOOD when coupled with the Truth.
2. Music used in worship ought to be a medium of truth… but that is not always the case. Not every “Christian” song conveys truth.
a. We would do well to have a house cleaning of the songs we sing here.
b. Some convey precious little truth. (Not bad, just weak.)
c. Others convey outright lies! These are the songs we ought to avoid.
d. Our hymnal is a wonderful hymnal… one of the best, but there are songs in it that need to be purged.
• Some of Wesley’s songs convey some of the errors of the Wesleyans! (Surprise, surprise!)
• Some entire songs ought to be blotted out.
• Some songs have verses that ought to be blotted out.
• Some songs were obviously written by one embracing Reformed Theology… and confuse the church with Israel.
• Some songs confuse the comings of Christ.
• Some promote post millennialism. (We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations.)
• Some are quite misleading about the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
e. The elders started purging our hymnal years ago, but never finished. We should pick that up again.
3. I Cor. 14:15 – We should sing with our understanding… of truth.
a. Believers are fooled by doctrinal errors in music because they are unable to recognize truth vs. error.
b. We mentioned Carmen the other night. There are many other popular Christian “recording artists” (celebrities?) who sing error… and should be avoided for that reason alone!
c. But even when we sing songs that ARE true, we are to sing with our minds ENGAGED… thinking about the truth we are singing!
d. It is easy to sing songs we have sung for years and be thinking about what we are going to do in work tomorrow… or thinking about lunch… or looking out the window… zone out.
e. For it to be of any spiritual value, we are to UNDERSTAND the message we sing.
4. Many of the great old hymns of the faith were written by men and women with deep experiences with God… and with a mature understanding of the Word of God.
a. As we grow and mature, we LEARN of the depth of some of these great hymns.
b. Ex: Rock of Ages (double cure – justification and sanctification; life and growth.)
c. Ex: Once for All! (Sinner receive it; brother believe it—the cross sets the sinner free from the penalty of sin… and the believer free from the power of sin.)
d. Ex: Hark the Herald! (Every phrase is rich in Scripture—dwelling on the incarnation and deity of the Son of God.)
e. Ex: Moment by moment by death reckoned mine… (Rom. 6)
f. We could learn a lot from these hymns… IF we take the time to sing with the understanding.
g. And since we are commanded to sing with the understanding, what do we call it when we DON’T do what God tells us to do?
5. I Cor. 14:12 – spiritual gifts are given for the edification of the Body.
a. That includes teaching, preaching, speaking, AND singing the truth.
b. For a song to accomplish its God-given purpose (edification of the saints) it must be TRUE.
c. Music is to be offered to God as a spiritual sacrifice.
d. Therefore, what we sing should be TRUTH… truthful.
e. In the Old Testament, God only accepted sacrifices that were in harmony with the WORD… The right sacrifice offered the right way by the right people… and a right heart attitude.
f. Our musical offerings to God should be no different… in harmony with the truth.
g. Yet in the very act of offering it up to God, WE are edified! Worship works that way. But it requires an understanding on our part of what we are singing.
h. It can be enjoyable and edifying… AND doctrinally correct.
B. Performance
1. The music Paul describes in Col. 3:16 and Eph. 5:19 is SINGING…
a. These verses can be obeyed anywhere… in any culture… in any century.
b. They require no electricity… no amplification… no choreography…
c. In fact, singing requires no instruments other than the human voice.
d. Instrumental accompaniment adds a nice touch… but it is NOT necessary…
e. Christians living in the deep jungles of Brazil or the Congo can obey this verse… even though they don’t have a piano… or an organ… or purple microphones or amplifiers.
f. The music that really pleases God is the kind of music that emanates from a filled heart and reverberates through the vocal chords and sounds forth as a harmony of praise and thanksgiving to God!
g. Heartfelt, sincere, worshipful, reverent, music from a filled heart—that’s what pleases God.
2. Every year, Loon Mountain resorts puts on a Christian rock festival, with lots of singers and rock bands. They pay a good price for tickets to hear this music too. From what I hear, it’s quite a show.
a. I might go some year as an observer… to take pictures and notes.
b. What do you suppose would be the reaction of the crowd at a Christian rock concert if instead of their rock band… a skilled ensemble came and sang some of the great hymns of the faith?
c. What would be the reaction of a group of young people who grew up in a rock and roll church if they visited Salem Bible Church?
d. They would say, “This place is DEAD… lifeless… you don’t have the Spirit. You don’t know how to worship. You need a worship team.”
e. THINK about what they are actually saying.
f. Evidently these folks are ignorant of the fact that the words for worship (Old Testament and New Testament) mean to bow down in reverence and respect.
g. Neither the Greek nor the Hebrew term means to shake, rattle, and roll.
3. Folks in those circles talk so much about the Holy Spirit but they seem unable to recognize true spirituality…
a. Why do you suppose Paul warned us about those promoting “another spirit” in I Cor. 11:2-4?
b. We are warned of a form of godliness…
c. Our adversary comes in the outward appearance of holiness… like an angel of light… but it is phony! (I Cor. 11:14-15)
d. I am very much aware of the fact that there are some genuinely born again folks involved in that…
e. But that is the POINT! Genuinely born again people CAN be taken in by a counterfeit… counterfeit doctrines and counterfeit spirits… hence the warning to the Corinthians!
f. If you need loud, raucous music to get the congregation in the spirit… beware of WHICH spirit is in control of that congregation.
4. The HOLY Spirit is recognized by love, joy, meekness, gentleness, temperance or self control… reverence… humility…
a. The Holy Spirit does not focus our attention on the music, or a feeling, but on the Savior. (He shall glorify ME!)
b. The Holy Spirit does not get us stirred up about the MUSIC, but about the SAVIOR!
c. That results in a sense of humility, a hushed, holy reverence, a godly fear, and awe of being in God’s presence.
d. When the emphasis is on the PERFORMANCE, then it is not on the Savior.
5. PERFORMANCE vs. Ministry in Music
a. Music sung is to be done with the right inward motive and spirit.
b. It is to be an offering unto the Lord… not a show for men.
c. The local church is NOT a venue for the performing arts… although it is often degenerated to such.
• Look at the large, old churches in Boston’s Back Bay. They have become stages for classical music performances and dance troupes, and drama.
• The newer more modern, evangelical churches have become venues for other types of performances.
• It matters not WHICH type of music; it is a violation of what the church is.
• There is a place for the performing arts, but the local church is not the place!
• When a performance is put on for the pleasure of the audience, it can hardly be called worship.
• And of course this goes for ALL types of performances, from classical, to opera, to rock…
d. The new way of worship today has hopelessly confused and blurred the line between entertainment and worship… especially in the area of music.
• Is it a show or is it worship? There really isn’t much difference in many circles today.
• The musicians perform for the audience and the audience claps for the entertainment they received.
• Watch one of these so called worship services on TV… and then watch a rock concert on TV.
• They are virtually identical… (stage show; choreography; lights; the microphones; the acting and crooning of the singers; arms waving; bodies swaying; musicians with celebrity status.
• Apart from the lyrics, the SOUND, the stage performance, and the crowd reaction are virtually identical.
e. It is obvious who copied whom.
• I’ll give you a hint – the world never copies the true pattern of the church in the New Testament.
• But boy is there a tendency in carnal Christendom to copy the world—to be conformed to the world.
6. I Cor. 14:26 – The early church had a similar problem with showmanship in the local church.
a. In Corinth, God blessed this congregation with MANY wonderful gifts. (Ye are enriched by Him in all… ye come behind in no gift) (1:5-6)
b. But unfortunately, the Corinthians were using their God given gifts in the WRONG way and with WRONG motives.
c. 13:1 – some spoke in tongues, and loved to display their gifts before all, but were not demonstrating love.
d. 13:2 – some had the gift of prophecy, but did not have love. They were showing off their superior knowledge, but in God’s sight, it was nothing!
e. 13:3 – some had gift of giving, but they gave with the wrong motive.
f. 14:4 – Some had the gift of tongues and loved to display their gift before others… but without using the gift the right way, it became a show… a performance… with NO value unless it was interpreted that others might be edified. Without an understanding of the words, it was just sound.
g. 14:12 – they were zealous of spiritual gifts… they loved to think of themselves as gifted and talented… everybody was trying to take center stage…
h. They were driven by a desire to perform before an audience.
• Some folks are scared to death to stand up before a crowd.
• Others absolutely LOVE it! They thrive off the rush they receive by performance and the applause.
• THIS was error Paul was trying correct here.
• That which God intended to be used to edify the Body and glorify the Head, was instead being used to draw attention the individual… They were displaying SELF rather than Christ. This is the error Paul addresses in I Cor. 14.
• They should have used their gifts selflessly for the edification of others.
• Instead, they used their gifts to exalt themselves and show off their gifts. That’s selfish.
• Paul introduced this chapter by defining love: sacrificing self for the good of others… because their showmanship in using their gifts displayed the opposite!
7. Matt. 6:1-2 – Jesus addressed the same problem among the religious crowd in His day.
a. Whatever we do, we lose our reward if our motive is to be seen or acknowledge of men… to receive glory from men. (applause)
b. There is no reward for showmanship other than the fleeting applause of men. It is merely earthly entertainment.
c. God was not pleased. He was in fact, nauseated.
d. This is just as much a problem with GOOD music in a doctrinally sound church as it is with TERRIBLE music in a worldly church.
e. All teachers and singers—anyone who ministers before men, need to be reckoning self to be DEAD as their gifts are used in the local church… to prevent just such an error.
f. It matters HOW a song is sung and HOW it is performed.
8. Of what does our singing testify? (I Cor. 14:23-26)
a. The believers came to worship and employed various gifts in the worship service: singing, teaching, prophecy.
b. Paul was concerned for the edification of the Body, but he was also concerned about how their worship service was perceived by outsiders… by visitors… their testimony.
c. Paul did not want the worship service to be chaotic or indecent (14:40)
d. The way we conduct ourselves in the Lord’s House is one of the pieces that can influence the eternal destiny of a visitor! He could either say, “They are mad!” or “God is in you of a truth!”
e. Music is ONE of those influences Paul mentions here: a psalm!
f. Our doctrine ought to reflect truth. It ought to be an indication that God is with us of a truth!
g. Our music ought to do the same.
h. What DOES our music convey to visitors (whether it is their style or not… it conveys something…)
• If it conveys reverence, respect, order, discipline, awe, joy, enthusiasm, etc… then we are conveying the right message.
j. If it conveys adolescent rebellion, sensuality, frivolity, giddiness, immaturity, or showmanship, then we are conveying the wrong message.
k. A visitor should sense a DIFFERENT atmosphere in a church than they sense in barroom, a night club, a comedy club, or a Red Sox game. Shouldn’t the atmosphere be different? Doesn’t music play an important role in that?
l. We need to be careful with music.
9. It DOES matter HOW a song is performed.
a. The WAY a song is sung and performed can completely change the meaning of that song.
b. Amazing Grace – sung by nearly every popular singer… from George Beverly Shea… to Elvis Presley… in nearly every style… country and western; jazz; rock; symphony orchestra; rap; church choirs; moog synthesizer.
c. Ex: Jimi Hendrix playing the national anthem. He turned a song that normally evokes a sense of patriotism into a song of rebellion against the government… anti establishment.
d. Marylyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday to President Kennedy. She turned that simple tune into a song of a harlot.
e. Do you see how the WAY a song is sung and performed can completely change its meaning?
f. Beatles melodies… their music represented a lifestyle of rebellion against authority… promoted drug use… and free sex… and all the rest that went along with the message of the 60’s.
• When compared to the pop and rock of today, their music seems quite mild. But in its day – it spoke of rebellion and defiance.
• It was associated with a lifestyle… and promoted attitudes that are not conducive to holiness.
• But it was NOT the MELODY of the songs. It was a combination of (1) the lyrics and (2) the WAY the songs were sung…
• I recently heard Beatle songs performed by a symphony orchestra. It was beautiful music.
• So should we add Christian words to the Beatle songs? Some have already done that.
• Perhaps in 100 years from now.
• But today, there are many (like me) who would be distracted by such a song… because I know the connection.
• It is an area of weakness on my part – but I acknowledge that weakness. It would be a stumblingblock… and a hindrance to worship.
• It would remind me of my past… that I want to keep buried.
• Association matters. It is nearly impossible for folks who grew up with that music to disassociate it completely in their minds to be able to sing those songs without thinking of their origin.
• If enough TIME goes by… and that association is no longer made… then those melodies perhaps COULD be used… but not now.
g. A perfectly good melody or hymn can be completely transformed into something else entirely by the WAY it is sung and performed.
• Marylyn Monroe turned a good tune, “Happy Birthday” into the song of an harlot…
» By the way it was performed.
» When she sang it, it conveyed a different meaning than when your family sings it.
• Jimi Hendrix turned a good tune, “Star Spangled Banner” into a psychedelic song of a druggie… of the 1960s.
» By the way it was performed.
» When he played it, it took on a different meaning than when the Marines Band played it.
• Christian rock bands have the capacity to turn a good tune, “Amazing Grace” into the song of a drunkard… or a druggie… by the way it is performed.
» It takes on a different meaning… it conveys an addition message…
» That new meaning is not necessarily congruous with the author’s intention!
• Even if the words are good and the melody is good… the PERFORMANCE of the music can change the meaning of that song.
» Style and performance can OVERSHADOW the message of the words.
» Style and performance can convey an attitude apart from the words… and even contrary to the words.
» I’m not buying the argument that says “music and style” are neutral. They are NOT.
h. Ex. 32:17-19 – singing that stirred up the crowd to lewd behavior.
• Here was another KIND of sound.
• At first it sounded like the noise of war… loud shouting that got men stirred up and excited to go to war. (Something similar to a war dance… perhaps with loud drums)
» Some men would be afraid to go to war. They were afraid of the consequences (death). Some might be afraid as to whether they could actually kill someone in hand-to-hand combat.
» The music was designed to stir them up for war and remove their inhibitions. (Music can do that!)
» When the band of soldiers prepared for war they would play loud music and perhaps jumping up and down. The mob would get stirred up by the music.
» They would work themselves up into a frenzy… and drive out their inhibitions and fears of the consequences.
» Then when Moses got a little closer, he discovered that they were singing… It was not the music for war.
» He discovered that this kind of music got the people dancing…
» But this music was not designed to call them to war. This kind of music got them stirred up to lewd behavior! (They were dancing naked! (Vs. 25)
» Clearly, the music was instrumental in stirring up this crowd… stirring them up into a frenzy… and exciting them sexually…
» Usually young soldiers don’t need a lot of help in that department… but music can be conducive to that end.
» The music had a spirit of looseness to it… so that they forgot about Moses, forgot about God and His Word.
» It can cause folks to dismiss their inhibitions. Those who dance in nightclubs are obviously uninhibited!
• Music plays an important role in all this.
• Don’t you think that the music that stirred up these men to lewd behavior would be inappropriate music for worship in the Temple – even if they changed the words?
• What do you suppose Moses’ reaction would be if they attempted to sing those songs in a worship service? What do you suppose would be God’s reaction?
Do All In the Name of the Lord Jesus
IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS
A. What does In the Name of Jesus Mean?
This is an expression we hear often.
Here we are told to do all things in the name of Christ.
We are to receive one another in Christ’s name.
The apostles did miracles in Christ’s name.
But most often we are told to pray in the name of Christ.
1. The expression speaks of believers operating as God’s representatives. What we do in His name, we do as His representative.
a. Micah 4:5 – In the Old Testament, Israel was God’s chosen nation.
• They were known by God’s name: Israel Prince of God! (El)
• They were God’s witnesses upon the earth. They bore His name before the gentile nations.
• Isa. 43:10 – Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
• They were witnesses because they KNEW Him.
• There was no nation like Israel.
• When they walked with God and obeyed His laws, it could be said, “What nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things….”
• Other nations walked in the name of their gods… and their behavior reflected it!
• Israel was to walk in the name of the Lord God… and that should be reflected in their lifestyle.
• They represented Jehovah before the world of nations. They walked in His name.
b. Acts 9:15 – Jesus said that Paul was sent out to “bear My Name” before the nations and kings.
• To “bear” carries the idea of bearing up upon one’s shoulders a weight… that is carried around.
• Wherever Paul went, he carried with him the name of the Lord Jesus.
• He became known as the representative or an ambassador of Christ.
• He was associated with Christ and the followers of Christ.
• He was identified as a ringleader for Christianity.
• Very often, carrying the name of Christ became a HEAVY weight… a burden… because of the persecution that went along with it.
• In those days, if you represented Christ—the One whom the world hated enough to put to death—you became the object of the world’s wrath.
• They can no longer take it out on Christ… He is in heaven.
• Hence, they take it out on the one who bears His name.
c. While we are not apostles as Paul was, and may not be called to bear the name of Christ before many nations, kings, and Israel, we DO in another sense BEAR the name of Christ.
• Acts 11:26 – Believers today are called “Christians.”
• That is because we are identified with Christ. “Christ ones.” We belong to Him.
• Nowhere in the Bible are we called Episcopalians, Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Methodists, or Congregationalists… but Christians… brethren… believers of Christ not followers of men.
• We don’t walk in the name of our organization or denomination.
• We bear Christ’s name in that we wear it everywhere we go. We ARE Christians.
• Paul spoke of believers as epistles of Christ… known and read of all men.” (II Cor. 3:2-3) We are like an open book… and the book is entitled: “The Christian Life” or “Christ Lives in Me.”
• This book is observed and read by men all around you. What are they reading? Are they getting the right message as they read us?
• We walk in HIS NAME… His label is attached to each of us as believers.
• Not everybody likes that label. At times there is a price to pay for doing things “in the name of Christ.”
• I Peter 4:16 – “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”
» We bear His name, and sometimes suffer for it!
» This is especially true of believers in countries like China and Saudi Arabia.
» John 15:21 – Speaking of persecution, Jesus said, “?But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake.”
» The world does not like His name, nor do they like those who bear His name and walk in His name.
d. In the name of Christ means that the believer is a witness or testimony for Him. We represent Christ in all we do and say.
2. It speaks of our delegated AUTHORITY.
a. Wherever we go, we represent HIS name… with authority delegated to us from Him. He authorizes Christians to be His witnesses on earth.
• II Cor. 5:20 – we are ambassadors for Christ.
• We speak to other men in His name… we represent the Lord and do so in His authority.
• John 16:23 – we are to ask the Father (pray) in the authority of the Son. (We can approach the Father only because of the work Christ has accomplished for us…) Christ authorizes us to come to the Father through Him… in His name.
» In the Old Testament, the believer could not enter into the Holy of Holies before God. He would be instantly killed.
» Only the High Priest had the authority to enter the Holy of Holies… and only on the Day of Atonement…
» But today, EVERY believer has the authority to come right into the very presence of God in the heavenly Holy of Holies.
» This is true because of the AUTHORITY Christ gives us… because of the value of His shed blood.
» We are able to enter into God’s presence in the NAME of Jesus Christ… in His authority.
• Some have illustrated the authority of His name this way: If a man gives you his check and signs his name to it, you are able to cash that check at the bank… because that man’s NAME on that check gives you the authority to do so. You are cashing the check in his name… under his authority.
3. This also speaks of our great PRIVILEGE.
a. We are Christ’s own possession. We are Christ ones.
b. We are Christ’s representatives… ambassadors for Him.
c. We work in His name!
d. We work under His authority!
e. We represent heaven on earth!
f. We represent a holy God before a sinful world.
g. This is an awesome privilege: everything we do in word or deed is to be done in the NAME of Christ… as His representatives. (3:17)
h. It IS a responsibility, but also a privilege! An ambassador is a wonderful position to hold to represent the USA in a foreign country. But being an ambassador is especially significant if we are ambassadors for the Living God—and before the whole world!
• And God has prepared us to represent Him.
• We are redeemed by the blood of Christ (1:14)
• We are indwelt by the Person of Christ (1:27)
• We are in possession of all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ. (2:3)
• We are complete in Christ. (2:10)
• We are risen with Christ. (3:1)
• Our life is hidden away in heaven with Christ. (3:4)
• We are ruled in our hearts by the peace of Christ. (3:15)
• We are called into one Body in Christ. (3:15)
• We are enriched by the Word of Christ. (3:16)
• That believer is equipped to represent the Lord and to work in His name.
4. In the name of Christ has MEANING.
a. This meaning should affect everything we do in that name.
b. When we pray, “In Jesus Name Amen” is not a formula.
c. It ought to have meaning. We say it sometimes like Catholics say the Hail Mary… without thinking of what it means… what we are saying.
d. His name is holy. We should not treat His name with disrespect by slurring through it. That’s tantamount to using His name in vain.
e. It is good to SAY those words as we pray… but it is more important to recognize the meaning of what we are saying.
f. This phrase (in Jesus’ name) should not be restricted to our prayer lives.
g. Paul expands on it here to include all of our words and deeds. Every portion of our life is sacred to God.
h. This is what it means practically, that in ALL things, He might have the preeminence… for all things are to be done in His name… not just praying or preaching.
WHATSOEVER YE DO IN WORD OR DEED
A. Whatsoever Ye Do
1. Paul has been speaking about the Christian life in general.
a. He spoke of putting off the old lifestyle and putting on the new lifestyle.
b. Paul listed for us several examples of each… things to put off and things to put on in verses 8-14.
c. Rather than record for us an exhaustive list of each and every article of clothing to be put off or on, Paul summarizes by saying, “and WHATSOEVER ye do.” That includes everything else!
d. We are familiar with praying in the name of Christ. Paul extends that concept. It isn’t only our prayers that are said in the name of Christ… but EVERYTHING we say… and everything we do!
e. This is comprehensive… all inclusive… all encompassing.
2. If the Word of Christ is richly dwelling in our hearts, then that will affect EVERY area of our lives… for out of the heart are ALL the issues of life. (Prov. 4:23)
a. Christ dwells in our hearts by faith. The Word of Christ is to richly dwell in our hearts as well.
b. A parallel passage in Ephesians speaks of the believer also being filled with the Spirit…
c. They are both quite the same: filled with the Word of Christ and filled with the Spirit have the exact same results.
d. They both result in a Christ centered life… for it is the Word of Christ is all about Him… and the Spirit came to magnify Christ.
e. Everything we do or say ought to be an expression of the influence of Christ in us… His Word, His Spirit, His life lived in us…
f. Every thought, word, or deed is to be done in the consciousness of His indwelling presence… and in harmony with His indwelling Word.
g. It is all to be done in HIS NAME…
h. Christ is thus the OBJECT of our attention… and the object of our affection… the object of our thoughts… It is HE we are trying to please… and not we ourselves.
• This results in singing to the Lord… AND whatever else we do or say is also for the Lord… in His name… for His glory.
j. Consciousness of His indwelling presence… and our relationship to Him is the guiding principle in everything we do… the way we live our lives.
k. Nothing is to be done without Christ. Nothing is to be said without awareness of His presence… and in His name.
l. If Christ is our life… then everything in our life revolves around Him… He is our goal… He is our end… He is our object… He is our joy… He is our motivation… He is our Lord… He is our purpose for living… so that it is no longer I but Christ. His name is what counts… no me, myself, and I!
m. None of us live unto ourselves any more. We don’t eat without Him… we don’t drink without Him. We don’t go to work without Him. We don’t play baseball without Him. We don’t watch TV without Him. We don’t read a book without Him. We don’t converse to other people without Him. We don’t make decisions without Him.
n. Whatsoever we do or say needs to be connected to who He is… with the name of Jesus Christ… who He is.
o. Notice here that Paul explains that the Christian life is not simply manifesting certain moral qualities (unsaved men can duplicate that…)
3. The Christian life is manifesting moral qualities that stem from an indwelling LIFE… from Christ Himself and the Word of Christ.
a. The Christian life is living IN HIS NAME… as one who is identified with Him… with the risen, glorified Savior!
b. Christ reigns within… in the heart… He is Lord… He is life… He is the goal (Christlikeness) and He is the object of our focus and affection of our minds and hearts.
c. There isn’t a thought, word, deed or motive or intent of the heart that Christ does not affect for the yielded believer.
d. Nothing is beyond His Lordship… His authority… His direction…
e. This has been the whole focus of this epistle thus far: Christ is to have the preeminence in everything…
• He is Redeemer; Savior; Sovereign Creator; Sustainer; Lord; Head of Body; the Enthroned One in Glory.
• AND, He dwells in our hearts… Christ IN you…
• WHO He is and WHERE He is ought to be the controlling factor in all we do and say… and think or intend!
f. One author wrote: Christ is the preeminent One and everything revolves around Him.
• The chapter began (vs.1-4) with our identification WITH Christ. (in death and resurrection and seated with)
• Then Paul developed the thought of the believer being conformed TO Christ. (vs. 8-14 – putting off and on)
• He continues to describe the believers’ appropriation OF Christ (vs.15-16 – letting His peace and His Word dwell and rule within)
• Now (vs.17) he speaks of the believer as speaking and doing FOR Christ (as His representatives).
• As Paul put it in 3:11, “Christ is all and in all.”
4. Paul’s point here is that WHATSOEVER we do is to be done in the name of Christ.
a. Everything we do or say is connected to God in one way or another.
b. There are no secular or sacred compartments to our lives. This makes everything we do sacred in one sense… is to be done for the glory of God… in His name… for His reputation.
c. The fact of His Lordship over us means His Lordship over every tiny detail of our lives… which theme later develops into our home life in vs. 18-22.
d. The law was not nearly as all encompassing as grace.
• The Law gave many external regulations, but they only dealt with certain aspects of life… but was quite limited.
• As long as you obeyed the rules, you were blameless before the Law.
• But grace goes so much deeper. It covers absolutely every tiny detail of our lives… whatsoever ye do or say!
• It is not entirely a written code, but in addition to the Scriptures, it is an indwelling PERSON!
e. Paul was addressing a specific error in Colossae: the cult like false teachers who were a mixture of pagan philosophy, Jewish legalism and traditions.
• To combat ALL these errors, Paul simply points the believers to Christ.
• Christianity is not a policy (as the false teachers were assuming), but a Person.
• Jesus Christ IS Christianity.
• In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And we are complete in Him… and His Word is to richly dwell in us.
• In Him and in His Word we have all we need for life and godliness.
• He affects EVERYTHING we do or say… for it is all done in His name… for His honor… and as a manifestation of His life.
B. Whatever we do is to be done in light of the fact that we are identified with Christ… as His representatives.
1. His name is linked to us. We are called by His name: Christians!
2. The testimony of the Lord on earth is connected to US… to our behavior.
a. Whatever we do or say needs to be filtered through this truth. We are associated with Christ.
b. We are living EPISTLES known and read of all men.
c. We are His ambassadors.
d. Our behavior is a reflection on HIM… either good or bad.
e. We should be concerned about the reputation of Christ before men…
f. And this should affect our words and deeds. (How will my action be perceived by others? What will they think of Christ if they see one of HIS behaving this way?)
3. Because this is the case, we need to use caution in all we do or say.
a. Would you want those words… or those actions associated with the name of Jesus Christ? (Oh, that’s how a Christian behaves? I want no part of it!)
b. Our actions as His representatives can either attract people to our Savior or turn people away.
4. Suppose the USA sent an ambassador to a little island country.
a. And suppose that that ambassador was rude, loud mouthed, obnoxious, arrogant, and wanted nothing to do with the people of that island.
b. The islanders would not think well of America… the land he represents. (If that’s what America is like, who needs it?)
c. They are basing their views of America on our ambassador! (Right or wrong… that’s the basis for their concept of America.)
d. And folks in the world base their concept of Christ on Christians… those who walk in His name.
5. We ought to HONOR the name we represent… Jesus Christ.
a. I don’t know if it still exists, but there was a time when folks were concerned about their family name… and brought up their kids in such a way that they did not drag their family name through the mud.
b. There was a sense of honor associated with a family name.
c. As believers we should not do or say anything that would bring dishonor to the family name… to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
C. Whatever we do is to be done in light of the fact that we are under His authority. In His name means His representatives… and those sent out under His authority.
1. Prov. 3:6 – in all thy ways acknowledge HIM. (Know Him… be conscious of Him; be aware of Him; be mindful of Him and who He is.
a. In the New Testament, Christ dwells within us.
b. This ought to heighten our awareness of Christ.
c. The Old Testament saints did not have access to God. They dwelt on earth and God was in heaven. And yet, they were to acknowledge Him in all their ways.
d. How much MORE should we acknowledge the One who lives within us?!!? Acknowledge Him in ALL our ways… in word and deed…
e. If He is LORD, then acknowledge Him as such in all we do… as those who are under His authority… in His name.
“DOING ALL” IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS
1. Notice that the main exhortation in this verse (do) is italicized.
a. It does not appear in the original, but was supplied by the translators.
b. It NEEDED to be added to make the English flow. It is clearly IMPLIED.
c. We are to do everything as unto the Lord.(Rom. 14:6-8)
• Whether we eat or drink… acknowledge the Lord Jesus and give God thanks!
• We don’t live unto ourselves. We don’t own ourselves. We are the Lord’s possession.
• Therefore, we are to acknowledge His Lordship over all and do everything “as unto the Lord.”
2. The principle in this passage can be used in a supporting role in determining God’s will in those doubtful areas of life.
a. Can we DO this in the name of Jesus Christ, or would it dishonor His holy name?
b. Can I do this as a representative of Christ? Or would this action mar the reputation of Christ before men?
c. Operating our lives “in His name” provides some boundary lines for our walk…
3. I Cor. 10:31 – all is to be done for the GLORY of God.
a. This passage follows a lengthy section on Christian liberty.
• In fact, this verse serves as a summary of all the principles previously discussed.
• Jesus summarized the Old Testament law with two commands: Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law hangs on those two commands.
• In a sense, the whole Christian life hangs on this principle: live for the glory of God.
• We are not to live for self, or self will, but for the glory and honor of God.
• Our entire lives are to be dedicated to this goal: to bring glory to God.
b. Whether ye eat or drink… the interpretation has to do with eating and drinking associated with things offered to idols…
• But the application goes way beyond the immediate context.
• Whatsoever = takes the application to every other area of life as a believer.
• Every detail of life is to bring honor to God… right down to eating and drinking… working… interacting with people… raising a family… our speech…
• Eating and drinking is something we do every day… several times a day.
• Bringing glory to God is something that ought to concern us every day!
• HOW do we eat to the glory of God? By eating with a grateful heart… enjoying it and thanking God for the food… giving Him glory as the Provider… by eating moderately… by eating with a concern for the Temple of God… by being willing to share our food if need be… by being willing to eat something else rather than offend a brother…
• His glory (and not our self interest) should be on our minds all day long… every day…
• Christianity is a LIFE, not a religion.
• Every day is holy to the Lord… and every moment of every day.
c. Acts 19:17 – The power of God manifested in the lives of the apostles was made known and the NAME of the Lord Jesus was MAGNIFIED.
• We should desire for Christ to be magnified through our lives.
• Consider the meaning of magnification: it makes HIM big…
• When others see us or hear us talk, it should magnify Christ, not self.
• Our ordinary lives… lives of joy, contentment, peace, submission, harmony, order – magnify Christ… and attract others to our Savior.
• It’s not so much singing a great solo in church or preaching a message… but the ordinary lives of Spirit filled Christians that truly magnify Christ.
• Has Christ made a difference in your home? Others are watching.
• Has Christ made a difference in your work ethic at the factory or office? Others are watching.
• Has He made a difference in your clothing?
• Has He made a difference in your use of money?
• Has He made a difference in your use of time?
• Has Christ made a difference in your speech?
• Others are watching and listening.
• We honor and glorify Christ in our daily lives when we walk by faith in Him… when we acknowledge our weakness and rely upon His strength… when we seek His will… when we submit to His authority… when we have no confidence in the flesh but yield to His Spirit… when we lean not on our own understanding but instead acknowledge Him in all our ways… when we are content with His ways… when we manifest His joy in daily living… when we display His love and grace to others.
• It’s not the parting of the Red Sea that brings glory to God, but the giving of a cup of water to one who is thirsty… the eating and drinking… the ordinary, everyday life… dedicated to the glory of Christ.
“Whatsoever” includes what we eat and drink; what we read or watch; where we go; what we listen to; what forms of entertainment we involve ourselves in; what we do at work; what we do with our time…
e. Imagine if we all lived by this rule every day?!
• What a restraint this would put on our activities.
• We would be compelled to examine our hearts… examine our speech… examine our entertainment… examine our activities… and put it all under the microscope to determine if it brings glory to God or not.
• This is SELF restraint… exactly what a mature exercise of liberty leads us to do…
• Christianity is not a code, but a life… a life led by the indwelling Holy Spirit… a life of self control… a selfless life lived for the glory of God!
f. Bringing glory to God ought to be the overriding concern in ALL of our lives… and on a daily basis. Am I living for the glory of God or not?
• This should be put to this test.
• Can I engage in this or that activity for the glory of God? Can I do it in His name?
• Some things will obviously fail this test! (robbing a bank; neglecting the Word; not being faithful to the local church.)
• But other issues are not quite so obvious.
• Before we engage in any activity, if we are doubtful, we should ask:
» Can I pray and ask God to bless the activity… and thank Him for it?
» Can I do this for the glory of God?
» Can I do this in the name of Jesus Christ?
• If we can’t, then we shouldn’t even consider it.
GIVING THANKS TO GOD AND THE FATHER BY HIM
1. Present participle: it speaks of continually being thankful to God… in EVERYTHING we do or say.
2. Hearts filled with the Word of Christ and hearts overflowing with melody sing with GRACE (thanksgiving).
3. But not only should our singing be done with a sense of thanksgiving, so should everything we do or say!
4. Gratitude to God ought to characterize the whole life of a believer. (I Thess. 5:18 – in everything give thanks!)
5. Don’t be anxious. Be thankful! (Phil. 4:6)
6. Eph. 5:20 –parallel passage: “always for all things in His name!”
7. Whether or not we can offer thanksgiving to God for our words or deeds ought to be another good indicator as to whether we should be doing it in the first place!
a. Should I watch this movie? Can I really pray and give God thanks for it… or would I be embarrassed to thank God for it… especially if it is a movie that curses His holy name!!!
b. This is a good test for MANY activities in life.
c. If we can’t in good conscience give thanks to God for it, then maybe we ought to think twice about doing it!
d. And however the Lord leads in making such a decision, we should follow His leading and do as He leads. And when we do, we should not do so grudgingly… but cheerfully and with thanksgiving! Grateful that God loves us enough TO lead us!
8. Thanks TO GOD – and the Father… even the Father. (Some understand God to refer to the Holy Spirit here…)
9. BY HIM – through Christ.
a. Christ is our access to God. (John 14:6)
b. We are to thank the Father for all things in Christ’s name.
c. Christ is our Mediator… it is only through Him that our prayers and praises reach the throne of God.
Our Earthly Home in Its Heavenly Context
Introduction:
1. Going verse by verse… and especially when we spend a month or two on one verse has its advantages. It also has its disadvantages.
2. Sometimes, by going through a book this slowly, we forget the context.
3. It’s my job to keep on reminding us of the context… so as to put every passage IN its proper context.
4. The next section deals with the Christian household: wives, husbands, children, and servants.
a. Everyday life lived by ordinary people in an everyday setting: home.
b. We all know the problems that can arise in the home setting on a daily basis.
c. Weariness; conflicts; disagreements; disappointments; failures; unending work; never-ending chores; financial struggles; fatigue; attitude problems; frustration; anger; bitterness, resentment…
d. Of course, there is a lot of JOY at home too: a new baby; children growing up and maturing; love; blessings of all types;
e. Paul gives us three exhortations in areas where we DO often struggle… wives, submit; husbands, love; children and servants, obey.
f. These are listed that we might put our responsibilities at home in a proper context:
5. Before we dig into the details of the next section, and each of the various exhortations, in the coming weeks, we would do well to remind ourselves of the truths that preceded this section. It will help put our home lives in perspective.
6. Remember, Christianity isn’t a set of ceremonies and rules to be conducted at church. Christianity is not a religion; it’s a LIFE… a life to be lived at home too!
A HEAVENLY POSITION LIVED IN THE HOME (VS.1-4)
A. Paul’s Teachings on Position
1. We have spent about 2 ½ years studying through the book of Colossians.
2. For many weeks we have been considering our glorious risen Savior… and our exalted heavenly position in Him.
a. Paul has repeatedly mentioned our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
b. 2:20 – we died with Christ… to sin, self, and the world.
c. 3:1 – we are raised with Christ… and are seated with Him before the throne of God in heaven. We have entered a whole new sphere.
d. 3:3 – we died to this world system and our new life is hidden away in heaven with Christ.
3. I KNOW that some folks aren’t quite ready for all that kind of talk.
a. It probably sounds a bit too ethereal, nebulous, other-worldly, and not very down-to-earth, or practical for real life.
b. I’m sure some were thinking, “Talking about our identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and our position in Christ in the heavenlies doesn’t really help me to live my life down here on earth! What has all that got to do with my daily routine?
c. All that heavenly talk is no earthly good.
d. It doesn’t help me pay my bills. It doesn’t help me to get along with my wife. It doesn’t help me to get along with my cranky father… or deal with the in laws…
e. It doesn’t help me deal with all the hurt feelings at home…
f. I could not disagree more! YES it does!
4. Paul’s teachings on our identification with Christ are the BASIS or the foundation upon which our Christian lives are to be lived.
a. An understanding of our new life (hidden away in heaven) and our new position (In Christ) will change the way we view life down here on earth.
b. A heavenly perspective will make us even MORE thoughtful and careful about the details of our lives here on earth.
c. The heavenly-minded believer will see every aspect of his life on earth from eternity’s perspective.
d. He will see the spiritual significance of all he does on earth… because it is all going to be evaluated.
e. Eternal reward will motivate us and turn the earthly doldrums into that which is meaningful… Eternal rewards are worth the daily grind… the ongoing battles.
f. He will see the VALUE of his life on earth from a new perspective: from heaven’s vantage point.
g. Everyday life will suddenly be invigorated with new meaning and purpose.
h. The better we understand our position IN Christ, the more diligence we will put into our earthly lives.
B. Practical Applications to the Home
1. My home is no different than yours.
a. We spent the last two weeks camping out in our house while I sanded the floors.
b. What I envisioned as a 3-day project with minor inconveniences turned into two weeks with much more inconvenience…
c. Three humans and a dog living in a tiny kitchen for a week…
d. All the rest of the furniture was put down cellar… and then it rained for a week and flooded.
e. Then the rain stopped and the cellar dried out and the boiler broke… and poured water all over the place in the cellar… again.
f. Then we moved furniture out of the kitchen… and the piano gouged the floor…
g. Then the dining room floor was stained only to discover 10,000 tiny circles left from the rotary sander… which required 11 additional hours of sanding to fix…
h. Not to mention the sawdust that came from 33 hours of non-stop sanding… throughout the house for my wife to deal with… and the laundry piled up because of no access to the washer.
i. Then the dryer broke which complicated doing the mountains of laundry that couldn’t get done earlier because there was no access to the washer…
j. And a broken computer so my daughter couldn’t chat with her friends… and no TV to watch the game…
k. And the week wouldn’t be complete without a flat tire…
l. You can get a little testy living in such tight quarters for 10 days or so…
m. We had a whole range of tests this past week and a half…
n. Things don’t always go the way we want them to down here on earth. This is real life.
o. Being a Christian and dwelling in heavenly places does not exempt us from the ordinary struggles and frustrations of life in a cursed earth.
p. My house is no different from your house.
q. We all have to deal with frustration… things breaking… costing more… taking longer… tempers flaring… attitudes that need adjustments…
2. Living life in our earthly homes is to be directly LINKED to our position in heavenly places in Christ.
a. This position in Christ is NOT something extraneous, unrelated, irrelevant, or disconnected to life.
b. Paul’s point is that we are to be cognizant, mindful, aware, fully conscious of our heavenly position all throughout our daily lives.
c. It isn’t just a nice subject for a theology class… or an intellectual distraction from the mundane… it is TRUTH.
d. It is to be part and parcel of our daily routine… an integral part of our daily thought patterns… incorporated into EVERYTHING we do or say…
e. And this is especially so in the home.
f. Our home life is to be as seamlessly connected to Christ as our church life.
g. That is exactly what we see in this text: the passage on the Christian home (vs.18-25) flows OUT OF the context of being raised and hidden away with Christ in heaven.
h. Remember there are no secular or sacred parts of our lives as believer/priests. Our whole lives are to be living sacrifices… everything we do or say is to be in the name of Christ…
i. We are to DWELL in the heavenlies… not just think about it on occasion. The heavenly realm is our real HOME… our eternal dwelling place… where we are safe… hidden away with Christ.
j. Col. 3:1 – we HAVE been raised up into heavenly places in Christ. (Cf. Eph. 2:6 – raised and seated with Christ.)
3. If we genuinely BELIEVE what these passages say about our glorious position in Christ, then what could possibly be more helpful in our home life?
a. Christ is our life. We are positionally IN HIM.
• This is the truth elaborated upon in the first half of the chapter…
• We are to ABIDE in Christ… Christ IS our position… we are to abide in our position… dwell there… be conscious of Him… our relationship to Him.
• As we abide in Him, spiritual fruit is borne…
• Spiritual fruit is exactly what our homes need: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, self control…
• LET this truth bear fruit in your home…
• Abiding in Christ the Vine (dwelling in our position) is what yields this kind of fruit.
• Give it time… let it grow… cultivate it in your home.
b. We died with Christ and are dead to sin and therefore are no longer a slave to sin.
• So husbands, when you come home from work after a very stressful day, and you’re tired and just need to relax… and as soon as you enter the house your wife lays into you for this that and the other thing that you did wrong…
• On other similar occasions, that’s all it took to cause you to fly off the handle… explode… say hurtful things back to her… maybe swear… or even throw something at the wall…
• The next time that happens, try this: Remember your position. Your old man died. You’re a new creature in Christ now.
• You don’t HAVE to behave the way you used to.
• And if your emotions get the best of you, and you feel like you’re going to explode… walk out the back door to cool off…
• And in the back yard, all by yourself, cry out to the Lord. “Lord, Your Word says that I died with Christ. I believe your Word. I am trusting in you to work in me… I cannot control my anger… Lord, I want to experience the reality of this truth in my life.
• Lord, please help me to understand in a deeper way—an experiential way—teach me what it means to be dead to sin. I need the power of the resurrection!”
• The Lord will help you in that. He delights when we come to the end of our own resources and cast ourselves upon His mercy!
• Your identification with Christ in His death is extremely practical in the home!
• Men, God wants us to know and believe that we really did die with Christ don’t have to blow up and live with the awful consequences of constantly blowing up.
• Home is where we really need to put these truths into practice.
• Identification with Christ’s death is PRACTICAL at home!
c. We are raised up with Christ and seated at the Father’s right hand.
• That’s where we are to dwell day by day…
• Our heart affection is to be there all day long… we are to THINK on things above…
• We are to live down here on earth as if we were already IN our heavenly abiding place!
• And ladies, you might have to deal with frustration, disillusionment, or disappointment when it comes to your earthly home.
• Perhaps things are breaking around the house… and there are no finances to fix them up.
• Perhaps there is a long list of things that need serious attention around the house… and your husband doesn’t have time to get to it… or perhaps doesn’t want to because it isn’t important to him.
• Perhaps there is some jealousy when you see the nice homes of others… and yours is a bit dilapidated.
• Wives have to deal with a whole other set of issues than men do… and they can be just as frustrating… anger provoking… and cause stress and anxiety.
• You could try to hold it all in until you explode… and cause constant strife in the home…
• OR you could remember your position in Christ… your new life hidden away with Him… think on it… dwell on it… read about it… talk about it… delight in it… your real home is in heaven.
• We are strangers and pilgrims… our earthly homes are but a tent.
• Keep on setting your affection on things above… not on things of the earth… until earthly THINGS grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
• Remember, you are a NEW creature now. You are raised into heavenly places and are thus ABLE to walk in newness of life—even if your emotions tell you otherwise. You don’t have to fall apart… you can continue to walk with poise through any storm…
• This CAN be a reality in your lives ladies.
• But it only becomes a reality through faith: as we BELIEVE what God says about our position in Christ.
CHRISTLIKENESS IN THE HOME (VS. 5-14)
1. Leading up to the section on the home, Paul speaks of putting off and putting on of Christlike character.
a. This is something that is needed everywhere, but especially in the home.
2. This is all linked to the fact that we died with Christ… therefore, we should put off the old qualities that characterized our old lives (vs. 5, 8, 9)
a. What could be more practical and helpful in the home?
b. This all stems from KNOWING our position: the old man and is dead and buried!
c. BUT… his nature is ALIVE: anger, wrath, malice, ill will, will continually try to enter our homes… like a roaring lion.
d. But when they do, RECOGNIZE them for what they are: manifestations of the old sin nature… things have no place in our homes.
e. Fornication and uncleanness: (vs. 5) – Nothing will do more damage to a Christian home than these sins… They are to be put to death!
f. Blasphemy (vs. 8 – evil speaking) and filthy communication are all to be put off. Don’t tolerate that in your home. Establish a Christian home. They don’t belong there.
g. Lying doesn’t belong there either.
• Lies ruin the atmosphere in a home.
• When a husband isn’t honest with his wife… or vice versa… when kids lie to their parents.
• It erodes trust… which is so important for a healthy relationship to thrive.
h. These old characteristics DO appear in Christian homes on occasion… but they are SIN.
i. When they crop up in your home, confess it to the Lord as sin… AND apologize to those you have hurt… and bring about a full reconciliation… right away! Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
j. “Putting off” old habits and sin is like pulling the weeds out of a garden. But a garden needs much more than weeds pulled out. It needs good plants to be planted with good fruit!
3. So, in your home, PUT ON the Christlike qualities listed here. (vs. 12-14)
a. Vs. 13 – Forbearing one another – putting up with the quirks and shortcomings of each other. We all have them… we all need to be forbearing of the foibles of others.
b. Vs. 13 – Forgiving one another: Home is ground zero for this truth.
• Home is where we say and do the most hurtful things to the people we love the most.
• Home is where we most often offend and get offended.
• Home is where we need to practice forgiveness more than anywhere else on earth.
• Kids can say very mean things to each other… and to their parents… and hurt feelings.
• At home, husbands and wives verbally stab each other and lash out with the tongue…
• Home is where we need to perfect the grace of forgiveness…
• AS Christ forgave you… so forgive others at home!
• He forgave us when we didn’t deserve it; He remembers our sins no more; He doesn’t bring up our old sins and rub them in our faces; He forgives us daily as we confess to Him; with God there is no final straw. His grace is broader and deeper than all our sin.
• And wouldn’t that kind of forgiveness be refreshing in the home?
• If parents didn’t constantly remind their kids of all their past failures… but forgave them…
• Wouldn’t it be great if husbands and wives refused to bring up all their past arguments in every present disagreement?
• Put ON forgiveness… AS Christ forgave you.
• Forgiveness keeps the air fresh in the home.
c. Vs. 14 – Put on love – this is the bond of perfectness or maturity.
• A mature relationship will be full of love.
• Love is a BOND… it holds a marriage together.
• Agape love is not a feeling or an emotion. Emotions are fragile and can disappear into thin air.
• Agape love is an act of the will… a choice to put others before self… sacrifice self for others.
• Home is the #1 place to sacrifice self and practice agape love.
• Home offers the most opportunities to do so… especially if there are kids involved.
• And parents, don’t expect your kids to appreciate the sacrifices for them… they are too immature to notice.
• They won’t realize what you’ve done for them until they have their own kids.
d. This is the NORMAL behavior for the new creature in Christ… one who reckons self to be dead… and ALIVE unto God… for the one who BELIEVES that he really is ABLE to walk and keep on walking in newness of life.
e. Are you CONSCIOUSLY practicing this on a daily basis? This is not dry theology; nor is it irrelevant ivory tower concepts. This is to be PRACTICED daily.
f. If you are not practicing this, don’t blame me if your roof caves in! A happy home takes EFFORT… work… energy.
4. The section on the home in 3:18-4:1 is not an afterthought with Paul.
a. In a sense, it is what he has been leading up to.
b. The context of our heavenly position is to be applied to our earthly home life.
c. Our real life is hidden away in heaven with Christ (vs. 4), but that real life is lived out on earth.
d. We are citizens of heaven already… safe and secure in the arms of Christ. BUT our feet are upon the earth… and we still have to get up and go to work in the morning…
e. Over time, as our minds, hearts, and affections are increasingly more focused on things above, (our heavenly position), our earthly condition will gradually be transformed.
f. As we behold the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into that same image, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
g. This transforms our individual lives as believers… but it transforms the home life as well. (Are you beholding His glory daily?)
h. The branch that abides in the Vine is transformed into something quite fruitful… always… no exceptions.
i. When we abide in our position… DWELL there by faith… believe it… set our affections there… live there… then we too will be transformed and fruitful.
j. II Cor. 3:18 – this transformation takes a LIFETIME.
• It is painfully slow and gradual…
• It requires us to be forbearing of one another in that painfully slow process of transformation…
• It requires years and years of being willing to forgive… which in itself is part of the transformation process…
• But we want it NOW… we want our kids and our spouse to be a full-grown image of Christ now… and it just doesn’t happen that way.
• Those expectations are way out of whack with spiritual reality.
• Perhaps your expectations of home life are not realistic. Growth takes time… the rest of your life…
• Stop trying to be God. Leave the growth to him. You can’t MAKE your family grow… that’s God’s job.
• Concentrate on your own heart… and let God be God in your home.
• Stop picking, nagging, complaining, finger pointing, and criticizing every little infraction of others… and let God change them…
k. That is what our homes need… God to be God. Then we can leave our frustrations in His care…
l. We are to abide above… as we live down here below.
m. M. Stanford coined the saying, Keep looking down.
n. That will transform your home… into a foretaste of glory divine… a taste of heaven on earth.
A FULL HEART IN THE HOME (VS. 15-16)
A. The peace of God ruling in the heart (vs. 15)
1. Jesus said, “My peace I give unto you”… (The Lord Jesus gives the peace). (John 14:27)
2. Eph. 2:14 states that Christ IS our peace! Isaiah refers to Him as the Prince of Peace!
3. He dwells in us… and His peace is CONSTANTLY available by faith… if we trust Him… as we abide in Him… we can have peace like a river flowing through our homes… even peace in the midst of a storm!
4. We are told to LET the peace of God rule in our hearts.
a. It is OUR responsibility to allow God’s peace to rule in our hearts.
b. Rule: control, umpire, be in charge…
• This is a command to SUBMIT to the reign of Christ who IS our peace… submit to the rule of Christ the Head… submit to God who governs and rules His Body in peace.
• Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He is not disturbed by the chaos on earth. He dwells in the perfect, undisturbed bliss of heaven.
• As we submit to Christ and yield to Him… His peace rules in our hearts…
• We can experience that heavenly peace of God while we live our daily lives on earth… regardless of the turmoil going on around us.
c. We can’t make it rule in anyone else’s heart, but we CAN in our own.
d. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isa. 26:3)
e. In other words, set your affection and your mind on things above… where Christ is. Be looking unto Jesus… and peace rules!
f. Instead of spending all your time putting out all the fires of controversy at home, or trying to psychoanalyze one another, or trying to deal with problems in some other way, God says to simply let HIS peace rule in our hearts.
g. Forget about trying to win the conflict with your wife… or your husband… or your parents… or kids or anyone!
h. Let God’s peace rule in YOUR heart… and even if the other party still wants to fight and argue… NOTHING can disturb the peace of God when it takes root.
i. If they want to fight and argue and behave foolishly—let them! Don’t YOU fall prey to their behavior; YOU are to enjoy Christ… and let His peace rule in your heart…
j. We LOSE that peace when we are no longer submitted to Christ… when WE try to control events… when WE try to be God… when WE try to be lord…
k. We allow God’s peace to rule when we come to an END OF SELF and let God be God…
l. As long as WE are in charge, we will worry… be frustrated… frazzled… stressed out… full of anxiety… and much more likely to blow up… and create havoc in the home.
m. Once we relinquish our GRIP on things in this life to God… we can rest in Him… and experience His PEACE ruling in our hearts.
n. Francis Scott Key: Things that once were wild alarms, cannot now disturb my rest!
o. Remember, our life is hidden away up there with Christ. Nothing down here can disturb the bliss of that dwelling place… and that heavenly bliss can dwell in our hearts.
p. My how that would transform homes if we would simply DO what God said: let His peace rule!
q. That’s what our homes need: HEARTS that are ruled by God’s peace; solid, firm, stable, steady, unmovable, unwavering hearts… that refuse to be shaken by the storms of life… and defy the flames of controversy… a heart where God’s peace rules.
r. And when God’s peace is ruling in everyone’s heart – home is REALLY a taste of heaven on earth.
s. Abiding in our position… staying connected to our heavenly position drastically affects our earthly home for the good!
B. The Word of Christ dwelling richly (vs. 16)
1. Our hearts are to be filled with the peace of God. Our hearts are also to be filled with the Word of Christ.
2. The Word of Christ should DWELL (be at home) in our hearts at home!
a. The Bible… the knowledge of Christ should feel right at home in your home.
b. Red Sox fans feel free to talk about Red Sox nation in their homes.
c. How much more should we feel free to talk about Christ in a Christian home?
3. When Christ and His Word are at home in our hearts, then our earthly home life will be transformed.
a. Remember that the parallel passage in Eph. 5:18 and following speaks of the same issues, only it stems from a heart filled with the Spirit.
• Results: singing (vs. 19), thanksgiving (vs. 20), submission (vs. 21). (Wouldn’t that transform your home!)
b. A heart filled with the Spirit and a heart filled with the Word of Christ PRODUCES exactly what is needed for a happy home… Christlikeness… a submissive spirit.
c. Joyful, thankful hearts… gladly, freely, willingly submitting one to another in the fear of God.
d. This is what the $100.00 an hour counselors don’t want you to know! You don’t need them. You need Christ… right in the center of your heart… and we need His Word richly dwelling in our hearts.
e. If you have a problem or a controversy in your home, fixing the problem… changing the environment or the outward circumstances won’t last very long.
f. The counselors, even the Christian counselors spend all their time focusing on the problem… and trying to fix it.
g. We are told to spend our time focusing on Christ… and PREVENTING the problems!
h. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
• God doesn’t want us to waste all our days putting out the fires. He wants us to learn how to keep them from flaring up in the first place…
j. Create a spiritual atmosphere in your home that makes it less likely for fires to flare up. (Not a tense, dry, tinderbox: spontaneous combustion!)
k. All problems in the home that tear couples and families apart are spiritual problems that arise in the heart.
l. If we would put the time, energy, and effort into guarding our hearts as we should… what happy homes we could have!
m. Concentrate on Christ… filling your heart, mind, affections with Him and with things above… and the things of earth will grow strangely dim.
n. The answer to problems in the home is not to be found in winning megabucks; improving circumstances, or in changing your spouse. It lies in changing SELF.
4. God’s answer to the problems in the home is the CROSS!
a. To have a heart FILLED with the Spirit and FILLED with the Word… self needs to be dealt with.
• God’s method of dealing with self is the cross.
• Apart from the cross, our hearts will be full of self: self will; self’s ambitions; self’s goal and dreams.
• Our old self life needs to be nailed to the cross…
• That’s God’s estimation of our old man; he was worthy to be crucified… and by faith KEEP him on the cross.
• As long as we keep the old self life on the cross by faith… the new man empowered by the Holy Spirit will be FREE to manifest the indwelling Christ and His life and character…
• And wouldn’t Christ’s character be refreshing in the home?
b. That old man:
• Wants his own way; insists on winning the argument.
• He says, “I’m not going to let my spouse walk all over me like a doormat… she’s just using me… and I’m not going to take it any more.”
• The word says the opposite: “Turn the other cheek…—“suffer yourselves to be defrauded…”—to “esteem others better than themselves.”
• But we don’t like that word to richly dwelling in our hearts.
• Too often SELF is richly dwelling in his heart… seated comfortably on the throne… instead of the word of Christ which is all about the CROSS.
• When will we realize that our old man will ruin your home life.
» Sometimes God allows us to experience huge failures that we might LEARN not to trust in our own understanding or to rely on our own strength… but to learn to lean on Him… and walk by faith.
» Paul’s cry, “O wretched man that I am” led him to realize that his life is to be lived THROUGH Jesus Christ the Lord.
» Until we realize how wretched, pitiful, helpless and hopeless the flesh is (no good thing)… we will never have the kind of home God intended.
» If you want a happy home, the old self life MUST be dealt with God’s way.
» Failure is good if it leads us to the cross…
• Deal with the old man God’s way: not with Prozac or valium, but the CROSS… and by a heart filled with the Spirit and the Word of Christ.
• What Christian homes need more than anything is the power of the resurrection… and that is never experienced until we reckon ourselves to be dead. No death = no resurrection power.
DO ALL THINGS IN THE NAME OF CHRIST IN THE HOME (VS. 17)
1. We looked at this thought last week.
a. The entire life of a believer is a sacred ministry to the Lord… done in His name… as His representative… for His glory.
b. Whether doing the dishes… mowing the lawn… painting the fence… leading family devotions… playing baseball… in HIS NAME… as conscious of His presence as when we pray IN HIS NAME…
c. This ought to be the NORMAL Christian life, but it is RARELY experienced.
d. This means that our entire LIVES are lived as a believer/priest… dwelling in the heavenlies… looking unto Jesus our Great High Priest… yielded to His will moment by moment…
e. A life that revolves around Christ… around His Body, the local church… a selfless life… a life lived for the Lord…
2. What Paul uses as an introduction (of sorts) to the section on home life is not a quick fix, but a LIFESTYLE.
a. Thinking on things above… setting your affections on things above… putting on and putting off… letting the Word richly dwell in your heart is NOT what we are to do when the roof caves in… or when a problem arises in the home.
b. It is to be our daily lifestyle… our daily routine… our attitude moment by moment… we should be “constantly abiding… moment by moment by death reckoned mine…
c. Christianity isn’t a pill you take when you are sick. It is a life to be lived every moment of every day.
d. The Christian life as described in Col. 3 always results in a HEALTHY spiritual life… which translates into a spiritually healthy home life.
e. Christianity works. It transforms individuals and it transforms homes.
f. Stay healthy. Practice Col. 3. Don’t just try it out when you get into a jam, but LIVE it.
g. Everything Paul said about our heavenly position and our new life in Christ is to be incorporated into real life in our homes. That’s the next section!
The Role of the Christian Wife
Part One
Introduction
1. In this section Paul gives a brief dissertation on the Christian home.
a. While it is quite brief, (only 4 verses—unless we include the exhortations directed to masters and servants) it is the second longest in the Scriptures!
b. It is surprising to me how LITTLE there is in the Bible on Christian living in the home.
c. There are LOTS of principles found scattered throughout the Bible that are certainly applicable at home, but only a couple of sections directly dealing with the Christian home.
d. My explanation for the apparent lack of passages dealing with Christian living in the home (and this is only an opinion…) is that Christian living in the home shouldn’t be any different than Christian living anywhere else!
e. Thus EVERY passage that deals with the Christian life needs to be incorporated into our home life.
2. And in this second largest section on the Christian home, notice that there is but ONE main exhortation directed to the wife… one directed to the husband… one directed to the children… and one directed to the father… and none to the mother.
a. Critics might assume that this incredibly brief section on the Christian home is pitifully inadequate to deal with all the complex problems that might befall a Christian home in the modern world.
b. Those critics would be dead wrong.
c. In my mind, I see something beautiful in the simplicity of it all!
d. Modern psychology is quite complicated, with all of its competing and sometimes contradictory theories, methodologies, and therapies…
e. God’s plan of salvation is simple. Of course it can be dissected into theological complexities, but it can also be boiled down to something simple enough for a child to grasp: “Believe and be saved.” It is beautifully simple.
f. God’s plan for the Christian home is simple too. And there are complexities that can arise in the home too… and complex relationships. However, it can be boiled down to one simple command for each person.
g. Christian living in the home is available to every believer… to every Christian family… new and older believers alike… not just the elite theologians who claim to be able to dissect the complex human relationships and put them back together in such a way that they work effectively.
h. God gives ONE main command to each person in the home. And if we would each OBEY that one simple command, our homes would be transformed!
i. Obedience to one simple command would resolve EVERY problem that any family will ever or could ever face.
j. This morning we want to look at the one main command given to the Christian wife: submit.
3. We are going to spend a little MORE time on the command given to the wives.
a. But the reason is not what you think, men! It’s not because I am biased or am trying to be unfair in the coverage!
b. Rather, it is because the role of women is under attack today and demands more attention.
c. In the world today, if a man says he loves his wife, he gets a pat on the back from the world.
d. If a woman says she submits to her husband in everything, she is ridiculed, scorned, and looked at as a relic from medieval days.
e. In other words, for ladies in the modern world it is MORE difficult fulfilling their God given role than men.
f. We want to LIFT UP God’s concept of womanhood and make it clear what submission is and what it is not.
g. In the local church, we want to honor women for being women!
Submission Defined: Wives, Submit Yourselves
A. The Term Defined
1. ὑποτάσσω – to place or arrange under, to subordinate; to subject one’s self, obey; to submit to one’s control.
a. This is a compound word (tasso – to place in order; to place in an orderly fashion) + hupo (under)
b. Hence, it comes to mean to subordinate, to place under the authority of another.
c. Strong’s: a military term meaning “to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader.”
d. Submission is similar to but not synonymous to obedience.
• It is possible to obey a command but not be submissive… to obey but without a submissive heart.
• A hostage might be forced to obey their captors, but that is a far cry from the concept of submission. That’s called duress… perhaps with a gun to their head!
• Submission speaks of a heart attitude out of which obedience arises.
• It is possible for a wife to do what her husband says, but to do so grumbling… to do so for various reasons (fear, under duress, in anger… even hatred).
• But Paul is telling the wives to willingly and lovingly SUBMIT to their husbands… to be submissive…
• It carries the idea of surrendering one’s will to another…
B. The Command
1. The verb is present, passive, imperative
a. The wife is commanded to continually BE submissive to her husband.
b. It is a command, not a suggestion.
c. It is to be continuous behavior… a continuous heart attitude.
d. Be careful with the “passive” here.
• The wife is not to BE subjugated (from an outside source—like her husband!).
• She is to BE submissive.
• She is to “put herself” in that place… not the husband.
• The command is not to the husband to subjugate the wife, but for the wife to submit to the husband.
• The wife is to choose to willingly place herself in the God-given role of submission.
2. Eph. 5:22-24 expands this concept.
a. He adds here that the husband is the head of the wife. (Eph. 5:23)
b. He also adds, “In everything.” (Eph. 5:24)
• There is not a lot of wiggle room in this passage.
• This does not speak of submission when it is convenient or when the wife thinks it’s a good idea… or when the wife wants to.
• There is no exception clause for days when the wife doesn’t feel like it, or if the husband is acting like a fool.
• There aren’t any qualifications the husband has to meet before the wife is to submit to him.
• The only exception clause is found in Acts 5:29 – we ought to obey God rather than men. When a husband tells his wife to violate Scripture, she is to obey God rather than her husband.
c. It is not difficult to understand what Paul means. It is not a matter of interpretation. The language is crystal clear. Some think it is “too” clear.
d. Even those who oppose this teaching do not doubt what the words Paul said meant.
e. There is virtually no disagreement as to what the message is in this verse.
• However, because it is crystal clear, and because it is so vilified in the world, some have resorted to attacking the messenger, Paul… or the preacher who teaches this: me!
• Some say: He was a product of his time; male chauvinist; single man who didn’t understand women; archaic and no longer fits the modern world.
• The fact is that Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost… and these words are God-breathed and profitable!
f. Submission is an attitude of heart that recognizes this to be so… that the husband is the head and the wife is to willingly and respectfully accepts and responds to that headship.
• Submission is not simply what a woman does, but what she IS.
• It is more of a description of her heart than her actions.
• It is her attitude of heart even when there are no commands given…
• The present tense of the participle in Col. 3:18 indicates that this is to be the constant attitude of a godly wife.
3. Notice also that the command is supremely SIMPLE.
a. It is not a complicated formula for a happy home.
b. There are no footnotes to the command… or an additional commentary on “how to” submit.
c. Psychology (even Christian psychology!) loves to give us a series or steps to try to make things easy for us… or how to take the stress or the pain out of it… some new techniques… or a prescription to help us deal with the anxiety of it all…
d. There is nothing of the like in the Bible. Paul simply says: submit.
e. The wife is given nothing but the plain, straightforward, simple command and is expected by God to obey: submit to your husband in everything.
f. And young ladies considering marriage should take a long hard look at this text before you ever enter marriage. Ask yourself, “Is this really the man I would want to submit to for the rest of my life?”
g. Submission in everything is the role of the Christian wife… so pray MUCH before even thinking of getting married.
4. This is one of those Bible commands that is despised by the world.
a. It is scorned, ridiculed, and hated in many circles today… sadly even by some who claim to be evangelical Christians!
b. Some have tried to get around this passage by stating that submission is the result of the curse and that in Christ there is no difference, and thus no submission.
c. Some have tried to cut this command out of the Bible, claiming that it was just “cultural” or that it was an expression of Paul’s bias, etc.
d. But it is in fact NOT a cultural issue. It is inspired Scripture! It is as true today as the day it was written!
e. It is just as true and relevant as Col. 3:19 – “Husbands, love your wives!” Nobody says that we should cut that verse out and discard it as “cultural” or “biased.”
f. None of us has the right to pick and chose which verses we like and which we do not like… which are authoritative and which are not.
g. ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is PROFITABLE!
h. But just because something is despised and rejected of men, that does not mean it is wrong! Isaiah tells us that our Lord Himself was also despised and rejected of men!
i. Truth is not determined by opinion polls, popularity polls, or current trends.
j. God is the author of truth… not men. Let God be true and every man a liar.
God’s Original Creation Order
1. The concept of submission in the New Testament speaks of God’s earthly order of things… everything in its place… orderly—just like the rest of His creation.
a. There is a chain of authority… a chain of command in the world God built.
b. God’s plan is for the local church and for His world to function decently and in order… and He has built in a chain of command for that to transpire.
c. When that chain of authority is broken, or turned inside out, (in the world, the local church, or the home) chaos is the result.
d. When the divine order is kept and honored, contentment is the result… and there is peace, satisfaction, and fulfillment.
e. And that is what everybody wants (peace, contentment, fulfillment)… but most folks go about it the wrong way… by being conformed to the world rather than being transformed by the Word.
2. In the home, the husband is the head and the wife is to submit. This is based on God’s creation order.
a. I Tim.2:12-13 – for Adam was first formed.
• This is given as the reason why women are not to usurp authority over the man.
• In this verse, the reason given is not because of sin, but because of God’s creation order… the originally perfect design and creation order of things.
• “First” = protos – can either mean first in rank or first in time.
• This is similar to the concept of the firstborn. The firstborn was not superior to other sons. Often he was a scoundrel!
• But because he was born first in time gave him first rank. It said NOTHING about his intellect, his spirituality, his morality, or his character.
• Vs. 14 – mentions Eve’s sin. But her rank under Adam existed BEFORE the fall.
b. Gen. 3:16 – The curse was NOT that the husband would rule over the wife or that the woman would now have to give birth.
• That existed BEFORE the fall.
• Before the fall Adam and Eve both knew their roles. They knew Adam was created “first.” They knew that Eve was his helpmeet. It was natural for them.
• There was no pressure on Adam to lead, and it was no burden to Eve to submit.
• Both did naturally what they were created to do. They knew nothing else. They joyfully accepted and fulfilled their God given roles as naturally as breathing.
• The curse was that now her position as wife and mother would now be wrought with difficulties because sin entered the hearts of BOTH of them… whereas before it was nothing but delight.
• Childbirth was not the curse. God originally told them to multiply and fill the earth.
• The curse was that now there would be pain in childbirth.
• The curse was not that the woman had to submit to the man. That was true before the fall. The curse was that now the woman would not be so willing to submit to her husband as before. She might want to rule over him!
c. Gen. 3:17-18 – Man’s curse was not the fact that he had to go to work. He worked in the garden before the fall.
• The curse was that his original position as worker would now be wrought with trouble.
• And now he had a wife whose fallen nature did not naturally and joyfully submit to his leadership as it had before the fall.
• Sin affected everything! And the curse has not yet been lifted, as we are all painfully aware.
d. But note that Adam’s position was as head and Eve’s position was to submit even before the fall.
• This role is not part of the curse.
• It is part of God’s original, perfect creation order… untainted by sin.
• Gen. 3:17 – in fact, the curse upon man was given because Adam and Eve swapped roles! Adam “hearkened” (obeyed) his wife.
• God clearly puts the blame of Adam for sin entering the world. Adam was in charge. He should have taken the lead.
• Instead, Eve led and Adam followed her lead. Sin turned God’s order and design upside down!
• Before, Adam always led Eve into righteousness.
• Now, Eve led Adam into sin.
• In that one act, God’s perfect order was violated, twisted, and distorted.
e. I Cor. 11:9 – the woman was created for the man.
• Again, it is God’s natural creation order that places men and women in such a relationship to each other.
• Read I Cor. 11:3 – man is in the position of head.
• To deny one in this order is to deny the others.
• To deny that the man is head of the woman is a denial that Christ is the head of the man.
• This is God’s chain of authority, and it is all ONE chain. Removing one link breaks the whole chain.
• This is God’s design… and it is not to be tinkered with.
• This is the order of nature… the order of creation…
• Vs. 8-9 indicate that God’s order of creating man and woman were designed to teach and reinforce this important lesson. God created Adam first and OUT OF Adam, He created Eve.
f. This is a divine order, and God does not want that order upset in the home.
• God made men and women different… equal in Christ, but different.
• They have different bodies, different emotional make ups, different ways of thinking, different levels of strength, different functions, and different roles.
• We do ourselves no favor by denying that women are different from men!
• The modern notion that the roles of the sexes are equal in every way is almost laughable… it is so contrary to the obvious! Men and women are different… by design…
• Men and women are different by divine design.
• The differences are not to compete with each other, but to complement each other… when each submits to his and to her God-given role.
3. Submission does NOT imply inferiority.
a. I Cor. 11:3 – God the Father was the Head of Christ.
• That does NOT imply superiority.
• Christ was equal to the Father…
• But in His earthly existence, as a man, God was His God and He submitted to the Father.
b. Luke 2:51 – Jesus submitted to Joseph and Mary… his legal, earthly parents. That did not mean that those mere mortals were superior to Christ… the eternal Son of God… the Creator of heaven and earth! Hardly.
c. Jesus submitted to various earthly relationships.
• Jesus submitted to the Jewish leaders in Israel… and thus to the Law of Moses.
• Jesus submitted unto the Roman government… human government was established by God. (Give unto Ceasar.)
d. His submission certainly did NOT imply inferiority!
• Jesus was NOT inferior to the Father, but co-equal!
• Jesus was NOT inferior to Joseph or Mary; or to the Jewish rulers; or to Herod or the other Roman government officials… and to the soldiers that nailed Him to the cross.
• He is Lord of all! Almighty God!
• And yet, Jesus submitted to every earthly authority over Him… even though He was the Creator of heaven and earth!
e. Earthly relationships do not last forever. In glory, there will be no male or female… no husbands and wives; hence, what we are discussing is a temporary arrangement… God’s order for life on earth in the present order.
• God has built law and order into His universe.
• God’s world has beauty and design… as well as law and order. They go hand in hand.
• Whether we are looking at a micro picture under a microscope… or a macro picture of the universe from Hubble telescope… God’s creation is a system of law and order… and of beauty and design.
• The beauty and the order are intermeshed… interwoven… a union.
• God’s plan for the home is no different. God’s design for the home includes an order… the husband is the head of the home… the wife is to submit.
f. The fact that the husband is the head of the household and the wife is to submit tells us NOTHING about the person… only the position.
• It does not mean that the wife is inferior morally. Often the reverse is true.
• It does not mean that the wife is less spiritual. Often the wife is more spiritually minded than the husband.
• It does not mean that the wife is inferior mentally. Her IQ may be light-years above his.
• It does not mean that her character is inferior. Sometimes the reverse is true.
• Headship vs. submission tells us nothing about the person or their character. All it tells us is the place they hold in God’s order of things on earth.
g. Gen. 1:26 – In fact, Adam and Eve were originally created to be co-regents over the entire earth.
• They ruled together… they both had dominion over the earth.
• Together they ruled as king and queen of planet earth! Talk about authority!
• But in their relationship as husband and wife, Eve was to submit to Adam…
• In fact, it was natural for her to do so, God never had to TELL her… any more than He had to tell the birds to fly or the fish to swim. That’s what they do!
• It was the way God made her! She was Adam’s wife; it was her NATURE! She knew instinctively to submit… and did so in perfect joy and fulfillment.
• What could be more fulfilling than BEING what God designed you to be?
• Reversing roles is as frustrating as expecting fish to fly and birds to swim.
• There are flying fish—but try pushing one off the Grand Canyon! And there are birds that swim… but try keeping them underwater! It doesn’t work. That’s not the sphere God created them to live in.
• You can try to defy your God given role, but eventually, it will catch up to you. God’s plan is best.
Christianity Elevates the Role of the Wife and Mother
1. Christianity LIFTED UP the role of the woman in the ancient world… and still does today.
a. Let’s not degrade this concept of submission as the world does.
b. Submission in the Bible does not mean slavery, oppression, or subjugation.
c. The Bible never tells the husband to “subjugate” his wife.
• That is what evil men did for centuries before Christianity came along.
• It is human nature for the strong to trample over the weak. (power, wealth, or position in the world)
• Because women were physically weaker, men subjugated them for many centuries… because they could!
d. Christianity revealed that a woman’s weakness and frailty is her GLORY! (I Pet. 3:7)
• The woman is to be HONORED because of her weakness! (honor = honor, respect, esteem, value; price)
• Peter’s point is that a weaker vessel is MORE valuable and ought to be honored as such.
• Compare a cast iron frying pan and fine china.
• The frying pan is stronger… the china is weaker.
• Because of that the china is to be honored… given a place of honor in the home… not the frying pan.
• China’s beauty and value are seen in the fact that it is fragile and delicate. That’s what MAKES it beautiful and valuable!
• Take the pan and the vase to a pawn shop!
e. Christianity is different from the modern world.
• The modern world tries to ignore the differences. (dishonest)
• Christianity is different from the ancient world which took advantage of the weakness of women. (immoral)
• Christianity is both honest and moral. It is honest and acknowledges the differences. It is moral and HONORS the woman for her weakness… God given beauty and delicate design!
• And God ORDERS men to honor that difference… not trample over it… or take advantage of it… or ignore it, but to HONOR it.
• I Cor. 11:7 – the woman is the GLORY of the man. (The man who is honest and moral will recognize this truth.)
f. In the ancient world, women were often treated like cattle, property, or slaves.
• Christianity elevated the place of the woman…
• Christianity restored the woman to her rightful place in God’s order…
• Gal. 3:28 – in Christ there is NO DIFFERENCE spiritually or morally between male and female! They are both of equal value to God. What a slap in the face to the cruel culture of his day!
• In our relationship to God, BOTH male and females are priests… and have equal access to God through the Spirit… no difference… no advantage…
• And even though in Christ, there is no difference, in the world, there is still a natural creation order… a chain of command.
• And in this chain of command, the husband is commanded something that would turn those pagan cultures on their heads: Husbands were to LOVE their wives more than they loved themselves! AS Christ loved the church!
• And men were commanded to HONOR the woman FOR her weakness… and see it as an asset and not something to step on.
2. The concept of women submitting to their husbands is hated in the world today… sometimes out of ignorance.
a. Today what often comes to the minds of men and women when they hear of this concept in the Bible is the awful travesty of the history of male/female relationships in ancient cultures.
b. They confuse the idea of subjugation with submission… they think of it as a master/slave relationship.
c. Or perhaps they think of Islam… where women are STILL treated like second class citizens… and the clerics teach the husbands how to beat their wives into submission.
d. That is evil… it is sinful… it is an awful abuse of God’s perfect creation order.
e. The feminist movement (women’s lib) was perfectly RIGHT in opposing and fighting against cruel abuse and injustice in the treatment of women.
f. It is no wonder that women fear and recoil at any mention of submission… because they IGNORANTLY associate it with the awful abuse of the past many centuries… and what continues to this day in some places.
g. They wrongly assume that Christianity perpetuates that awful abuse. It does NOT.
h. If they only knew how Christ LIFTS UP the role of a mother and a wife… and exalts it… and demands husbands to show love and to honor her FOR her weakness…
i. The woman who SUBMITS to God’s design and role for her life will find contentment and fulfillment.
j. The woman who rebels will be frustrated and empty.
k. When everyone in the home functions in their God given role in the home, as God intended, it is a thing of great beauty, order, design, and splendor… unmatched by any relationship in the world.
l. But let’s not bury our heads in the sand. There are times when even Christian men trample over their wives and treat them like doormats… as the evil men in ages past have done. It was wrong then and it is equally wrong today… even more so for a believer.
m. Colossians 3 tells us all how to make a few simple adjustments… and home can really be a happy place!
The Role of the Christian Wife
Part Two
The Heart Attitude of Submission
1. Defined: to rank under;
a. ὑποτάσσω – to place or arrange under, to subordinate; to subject one’s self, obey; to submit to one’s control.
b. This is a compound word (tasso – to place in order; to place in an orderly fashion) plus hupo (under)
c. Hence, it comes to mean to subordinate, to place under the authority of another.
d. Submission is similar to but not synonymous to obedience.
• It is possible to obey a command but not be submissive… to obey but without a submissive heart.
• Submission speaks of a heart attitude out of which obedience arises.
• It carries the idea of surrendering one’s will to another…
• Thus, it is to be done willingly… not forced… not coerced…
• The ACT of obedience is to come from a submissive HEART.
• Submission describes not so much what the wife DOES but what kind of person she IS.
2. It is linked to spiritual beauty. (I Pet. 3:3-5)
a. In this section, Peter is giving counsel to a godly Christian woman on HOW to win her unsaved husband to Christ.
b. Vs. 3 – Peter states here that the real beauty of a Christian woman is NOT found in her hairdo, her gold jewelry, or her fancy apparel.
• And by the way, Peter is NOT forbidding a woman from having her hair done up or from wearing gold jewelry.
• I visited a church where they believed that this verse DID forbid gold jewelry: Pilgrim Holiness Church…
• If the passage does forbid this, then it also forbids the wearing of clothing…apparel… which obviously is NOT Peter’s point.
• His point is that a godly woman’s true adorning, her true beauty does not lie in these externals.
• It is perfectly natural for a woman to try to make herself look pretty.
• I Tim. 2:9 – In fact, women are commanded to do so! In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel. (modest = kosmios = neat; well arranged; orderly; – our English word cosmetics comes from this term). Her clothing and outward appearance is to be well fashioned, neat, clean, well arranged—not a slob!
• Our passage in I Pet. 3:3 simply states that while a woman will naturally care for her outward appearance, THAT is not what makes her beautiful spiritually!
• The outward is NOT her true adorning. (Adorning = kosmos = order; arrangement; an orderly system; a decoration; used of the “world” as an orderly system).
• The adorning of a woman (that which makes her look neat, orderly, well arranged, beautiful) is NOT primarily the outward!
• If a godly Christian woman wants to win her husband to Christ, it is not her OUTWARD beauty that will do it.
c. Vs. 4 – It is the HIDDEN man of the HEART.
• It is her INWARD beauty that will attract him to Christ.
• It is her feminine, womanly, heart attitude of submission… that will win her husband.
• Peter’s point is that a man who observes this in his wife will have to acknowledge that she is a GEM!
• It’s almost as if there is a built in instinct in a man that recognizes when a relationship is right…
• There are not many women like her in the world. That’s what a woman OUGHT to be!
• There is something inwardly beautiful about this woman that RINGS TRUE… and her husband will notice it.
• Even without saying a word (vs. 1) her godly, submissive spirit sends a message: a right relationship to God makes earthly relationships right!
• When her life rings true, her message will ring true as well! This is the woman most likely to win her husband to Christ.
d. The life that rings true is characterized in two ways:
• Vs. 4 – a meek and quiet spirit before God. (Spirit = God-conscious part of the inner man). When God speaks, she bows… meekly and quietly—without any argument… without any backtalk. When God speaks, she says, YES Lord.
• Vs. 5 –a submissive attitude before her husband. She has a submissive heart before her husband.
• She acknowledges his leadership and willingly and joyfully submits to it… naturally… she doesn’t have to be forced.
• This is the TRUE beauty of a godly Christian woman. This is what a woman SHOULD be… God’s design.
• Submission to her husband is her hidden, inner adornment that makes her beautiful to her husband.
• Even the unsaved man in Peter’s example will be attracted to this inner beauty of submission… God made men to be attracted to that which is feminine.
• There is beauty in God’s original design in creation… male and female made He them.
• There is something supremely attractive about a woman BEING what God designed her to be.
• Peter’s point is that her submissive spirit is attractive to a husband.
• Her feminine, womanly submission is what makes her beautiful… not the jewelry and the fancy hairdo.
• That’s all fine in their place, but they are nothing compared to the hidden beauty of her heart!
e. A submissive heart is what makes a Christian woman truly beautiful… it is her real, spiritual beauty.
• The world says that submission makes a woman a doormat. The world says it makes a woman inferior. It will make her feel worthless.
• God says submission makes a woman beautiful and attractive to her husband. It is her most attractive adornment.
• It does not result in a feeling of worthlessness… but just the opposite: therein lies her real worth! It is in fact what makes her feel complete… whole… wholesome… satisfied… fulfilled…
• Don’t be conformed to the world.
3. It is linked to reverence and respect (Eph. 5:33).
a. Reverence defined: Pheobomai – to fear; to put to flight; to show reverence or respect.
• It is often used of fearing God – in the sense of showing deep respect and reverence for God.
• It is sometimes used of fearing people in positions of authority.
• The term is used in the Septuagint in Lev. 19:3 (of children fearing their parents) Josh. 4:14 (of the people fearing Joshua as they previously feared Moses).
• It speaks of acknowledging one in a position of authority (parents; Joshua; husband)…
• It is the respect shown for the person in that position of authority…
• An acknowledgement of, and deep, heartfelt respect for a person because of the position of authority he holds… is perhaps the best way to describe it today.
• It speaks here of a wife fearing (showing respect and reverence for) her husband.
b. In I Pet. 3:6 – Peter picks up on the fact that in Gen. 18, Sarah calls her husband Abraham “lord.”
• It was a term of respect… an acknowledgement of his position of authority and her submission to him.
• The acknowledgement came from a submissive heart.
• It was her overall attitude towards Abraham… it was how she viewed him…
• She lifted up or exalted, honored his position as head.
• She treated him with respect and dignity; she held him in high esteem.
• All of that is involved in the concept of fear or reverence.
• Most men will respond VERY favorably when the wife shows that kind of respect.
c. The first thing we want to note here is that verse 33 is the conclusion to this rather lengthy section on the role of husband and wife which begins in vs. 22.
• Vs. 22 – wives are to submit.
• Vs. 23 – the husband is to love his wife.
• As we noted last week, there is one main command to each. (submit; love)
• The one main command to each is repeated in vs. 24-25. (submit and love)
• In conclusion, Paul repeats the one command to each. However, he seems to use “reverence” as a synonym for submit.
• In some way, submission to her husband is likened unto fearing him or showing respect.
4. It is linked to humility (I Pet.5:5; Jas. 4:7)
a. In I Pet. 5:5, the context is not that of husband and wife, but the same concept of submission mentioned. (same word)
b. Here it is submission to elders – those who have authority by virtue of their age.
c. Hence, they are to be given deference, respect, esteem because of their position as an older person.
d. Those who show respect and submit to elders are to be clothed with HUMILITY.
e. In the Orient, respect is shown by bowing before a person. In Abraham’s day respect was shown by Sarah by calling him lord… and bowing.
f. Every example of this acknowledgment of a position of respect and authority is an expression of humility.
g. Submission of a wife today is an expression of humility.
h. In a sense, it is a bowing of self… and exalting the other.
i. They go hand in hand. Reverence is lifting up the other… and humility is a bowing down of self.
j. IN our culture, we don’t bow or call human beings lord. That is a term we use for Christ who is our Lord.
k. But there ARE ways that women can show respect, submission, and reverence to her husband… and it always involves humility.
l. In our culture a wife is to submit to her husband… clothed in humility (and so are we men!).
m. She does this by the way she talks to him… by the way she talks ABOUT him…
n. You can tell if a woman respects her husband or not.
5. It is linked to the fear of God (Eph. 5:21)
a. One who fears God dares NOT to step outside of God’s order… dares not to violate God’s chain of authority…
b. The wife is commanded to submit to her husband in the fear of God.
c. Fear in vs. 21 is phobos – noun; Reverence in vs. 33 is phobemomai – verb form.
d. A fear or reverence for God results in a fear or reverence for one’s husband.
e. The woman who genuinely fears God will submit to HIM first and foremost… and will submit to what He says.
f. And HE says that the wife is to submit to her husband.
g. A godly Christian wife will fear God; she will fear displeasing Him by not obeying His Word.
h. The fear of God LEADS a wife to reverence her husband… there is a direct LINK… it is all part of God’s chain of authority… and submission in ANY area stems from a submission to and fear of God.
i. So the woman (for whatever reason) who does not show reverence for her husband is not a God-fearing woman.
j. True submission is conducted in an atmosphere of the fear of God… which is the beginning of wisdom.
k. Paul says, “And the wife, see that she reverence her husband.”
l. Our relationship to God manifests itself in our relationship to others… especially to our spouse.
m. Do you want a happy home? Do you want to improve your relationship to you spouse? Then fear God and submit to whatever role in which God has placed you.
n. Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom… and it is the atmosphere out of which true submission arises and continues… and bears fruit… and thus fulfillment in your role as a wife!
Particulars of Submission
A. Unto your Own Husbands (Col. 3:18)
1. Paul commands the Christian wife to submit to her OWN husband.
a. Your own = idios – As belonging to oneself and not to another, one’s own, peculiar, unique… your own personal, unique husband.
b. This truth is repeated elsewhere in the New Testament.
c. Eph. 5:22 – your own husbands…
d. Titus 2:5 – obedient to your own husbands—obedient = submission, same word.
e. I Pet. 3:1, 5 – be subject to your own husbands…
2. This is not a command for all women to be in submission to all men.
a. It is a command for a wife, who willingly chose to enter into a one flesh relationship with her husband, to submit to HIM and not to others.
b. There are other realms where submission is involved (government; local church; police; etc.) But the husband/wife relationship is unique.
c. This is a special, personal, intimate, type of submission.
d. The reverential submission to the loving headship is the way the one flesh relationship is to be… God’s design.
e. When followed it makes for a wonderful relationship.
B. As It Is Fit in the Lord (Col. 3:18)
1. FIT defined:
a. fit, proper, becoming, appropriate
b. Submission of a wife to her own husband IS fitting… it IS appropriate… it IS becoming to a wife.
c. It is inappropriate and unbecoming for a wife NOT to submit… for the wife to take the lead and be the head.
d. It is inappropriate because it is out of sync with God’s original design.
e. But when everything is in its proper place, it is fitting and becoming. (loving headship; willing submission in the fear of God)
2. It is fitting IN THE LORD.
a. The concept of a wife submitting to her husband is NOT fitting everywhere!
• It won’t go over well in an office full of women.
• It won’t go over well in the left-leaning colleges and universities of today… unless they are conservative Christian schools.
• Not long ago, this concept was the NORM all throughout all of America.
• Now it is a minority view… it is even being rejected by those who profess to be Christians…
• To the world, this sort of behavior is considered inappropriate… archaic… Medieval… and is hated.
• Increasingly the culture and society in which we live sees submission as repulsive and even as immoral.
• The social engineers of our day are doing their best to wipe this concept out of the land… as Jezebel wiped out the worship of Jehovah in Israel.
• More and more we are seeing all around us that God’s design for the home does NOT FIT into the modern world.
• Be NOT conformed to the world! Don’t allow yourself to be seduced by the world’s view.
b. That which is UNFITTING and inappropriate in the world is STILL perfectly fitting and appropriate in the Lord.
• The believer has experienced a CHANGE of position.
• We were sons of Adam in the world…
• But we are now sons of God in Christ!
• This change of position changed everything…
» We DIED to the world and its ways. (Col. 2:20)
» We no longer think like the world.
» We are now ALIVE unto God and have been raised into heavenly places in Christ. (Col. 3:1)
» We are to set our affections (minds and hearts) on things above… and dwell in our glorious heavenly position.
» In the spiritual realm, things are very different than in the natural, earthly realm of men.
» It is from this heavenly perspective that we are to view our earthly relationships.
• Miles Stanford used to say, “Keep looking down” because heaven is our real home… where our hearts, minds, and affections are to DWELL…
• And from that position, as we DWELL on things above… abiding in Christ above… fruit is borne and our earthly condition is changed…
• It is changed by holding on to Christ the Head… and abiding in Him… and filling our hearts with our position… and the more our position in Christ the Lord sinks in… the more it will affect and produce fruit in our earthly condition… relationships down here!
• It will transform your marriage and your home life!
• If the Word of Christ does in fact dwell RICHLY in our hearts… and we are filled by the indwelling Holy Spirit, then for a wife to submit to her husband will be as normal and natural as breathing.
• Submission is fit in the Lord… in that sphere… In heavenly IN CHRIST.
• The wife is to submit to her husband because it is fitting in light of her heavenly position in Christ.
c. The Christian wife who continually focuses on things above… sets her affections on things above… seeks things above… and abides in Christ above… will find carrying out His will down below a delight rather than a burden.
d. The battle is to keep our hearts above and abide with Christ… and allow God to work in us here below… both to WILL (to desire and even delight in) and to DO (perform).
C. As UNTO the Lord (Eph. 5:22)
1. The wife is to submit to her husband AS unto the Lord.
2. This does not mean that the wife is to submit to her husband as if HE were God… in the same way she submits to God.
a. A woman is to submit to God in everything… no exceptions.
b. A woman is to submit to her husband in everything, but there IS an exception – Acts 5:29 – if her husband tells her to do something contrary to God’s Word.
3. This means that a wife’s submission to her husband is in reality a service UNTO Christ the Lord.
a. It is akin in meaning to the words of the Lord Jesus in Matt. 25:40: “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
b. When a woman submits unto her husband… when she ministers to him… and she does so in the fear of God and for His glory… that service to her husband is received by God as ministry UNTO the Lord!
• Serving your husband is a way of serving Christ!
• Submitting to your husband is in that sense submitting to Christ.
• Ministering to your husband is ministering to Christ!
• This makes your everyday life a SACRED ministry unto Christ as a priest! Your selfless submission and service to your husband is a sacrifice unto Christ!
• When your heart is in heaven, it will transform your life on earth… from the monotonous, mundane, daily routines into spiritual sacrifices with eternal ramifications!
4. This truth is especially helpful for wives in those times when submitting to your husband does NOT come easy!
a. When the husband loves his wife as Christ loved the church, when the husband exhibits selfless, loving headship, putting his wife first in everything… submission is easy! Pleasant!
• When the relationship is as God intended, submission is a joy and a delight.
• But that assumes that both the husband and wife are filled with the Spirit and walking with the Lord… with the fruit of the Spirit evident in their lives…
b. But in reality, as we all know, that is not always the case.
• Some women have husbands who are not saved. Other women have husbands who are saved but walking in the flesh.
• The flesh can be very ugly and upsets the relationship—it throws a monkey wrench into the relationship.
• That can make submission VERY undesirable… even painful!
c. When a husband FAILS to live up to his God-given role and demonstrate selfless, loving leadership, it is often used as an excuse for the wife to FAIL to live up to her God-given role to submit.
• It’s bad when ONE partner fails to live up their God given role, namely, the husband.
• But it is doubly bad when the other partner retaliates by refusing to live up to her God given role!
• It creates a vicious circle… a spiral downward. The whole household is dominated by the flesh… Christ is out of the picture altogether.
• Oftentimes a wife will say, “I’m not going to submit to him until he loves me as he should! There’s no way I’m submitting to him until he changes and learns to treat me right!”
• But ladies, that’s the flesh speaking. And it is contrary to the Spirit. The flesh is ALWAYS contrary to the Spirit.
• The flesh loves to retaliate and to fight fire with fire.
• May I remind you of the WORKS of the flesh? Adultery, Fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, hatred, wrath, strife, envyings, murders, drunkenness and such like!
• Do you really want to aid the flesh in bringing all THAT into your home?
• Isn’t it far better to swallow your pride, go the cross, reckon yourself to be dead, and seek God’s grace and strength to be a channel through which the Spirit can manifest the life and character of Christ?
d. God’s ONE COMMAND to a Christian wife in Col. 3:18 still stands.
• Your husband’s bad behavior does not absolve you of your God-given responsibility to obey this command.
• The verse remains as is whether your husband is a godly, Spirit filled man who provides selfless loving leadership… OR whether your husband is mean, self centered, arrogant, proud, cruel, and verbally abusive!
• YOUR responsibility to obey God does not change with every change in his mood or behavior.
• His behavior can make your submission to him either delightful or torturous… but it doesn’t CHANGE your responsibility.
e. The Christian wife is to submit to her husband AS UNTO THE LORD… as a ministry unto the Lord.
• Submission is not based on the worthiness of your husband. It is based on the worthiness of Christ!
• And if your heart is right with God, and you are firmly planted in heavenly places in Christ, acknowledging Christ in you, yielded to the Spirit of God… then you will be ABLE to walk in NEWNESS of life!
• Instead of retaliating against his bad behavior, you can look right through that behavior… looking unto Jesus… and submit to your very unworthy husband AS UNTO the infinitely worthy Christ!
• Your service to your husband is a sacrifice well pleasing to Christ!
• Consider I Pet. 2:18-23 – the example of servants submitting to their masters.
» Anyone can submit to one who is good and gentle. (vs. 18)
» But it is thankworthy when you submit to the forward (evil; cruel) (vs.19)
» The servant or wife who submits to a cruel husband SUFFERS wrongfully… and does so NOT because the evil master or cruel husband is worthy, but out of a conscience for GOD!
» Look beyond the cruel human being and see Christ in glory! And submit for HIS sake!
» Taking this kind of abuse patiently is well pleasing to God and will be rewarded!
» Vs. 21 – This is our CALLING as a Christian… to follow the example of Christ—who suffered wrongfully…
» He did not retaliate or threaten. He submitted to the earthly abuse and committed Himself to the Father’s care… to the One who JUDGES righteously. God will judge all those who mistreat His people.
» God wants you to submit to your husband no matter what… and commit YOURSELF into the Father’s care… for He careth for you… even if your husband doesn’t… even if your husband cares only for himself.
» If you are willing to come to an end of yourself, your resources, your schemes, your plans, and leave them all as ashes upon the altar of sacrifice, and commit yourself to Christ, God will take care of your soul…
» Heb. 4:14-16 – Come to Christ’s throne of grace… seek things above… serve Him as a priestly service by submitting to your husband… Christ KNOWS exactly what you are enduring in that relationship…
» He too endured the grief, suffering wrongfully… He submitted to His Father’s will… was reviled… threatened… but He took it patiently…
» Follow Christ’s example – and commit the keeping of your soul to Him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator. (I Peter 4:19)
5. There are MANY Christian women who suffer in their relationship at home.
a. When a cruel husband treats you like a doormat and with harsh abusive language… don’t stoop to his level and retaliate. That’s the fleshly way of earth.
b. Set your affections on things above… look unto Jesus… focus on your heavenly position.
c. And from that position… in the power of the Holy Spirit, manifest CHRIST… walk in the power of the resurrection…
d. God will give you the grace and strength to turn the other cheek… to suffer yourself to be defrauded… to suffer wrongfully.
e. That’s the way of victory! Not I but Christ!
f. The wife that WALKS that way consistently, (not just once or twice to see if it works…) … the woman who is dedicated to manifesting Christ no matter what… usually discovers that most men will respond very favorably to that kind of submission.
g. He may continue to act like a jerk for a while… but when he discovers that your Christlike behavior is for REAL… and if it is going to LAST… it is bound to have an effect on him!
6. Remember ladies, you are to submit as UNTO the Lord… as a ministry to Christ… based on the worthiness of Christ.
a. We are here to serve the Lord… to pick up a cross and follow Christ… regardless of the cost.
b. We have the power of the resurrection available to us to do so.
c. Christ lives in us… and the Spirit produces Christ like fruit through us as we yield…
d. And that is what God wants of each of us: a heart that is so dedicated to Christ… that it is willing to suffer wrongfully in serving Him… manifesting the LIFE of Christ… to the glory of God.
e. If your ultimate goal is to make your earthly existence happy and comfortable, then none of this will work—because your motivation is entirely self-centered.
f. But if self is put on the cross… and your goal is to manifest Christ to the glory of God—then even those DIFFICULT times become OPPORTUNITIES to accomplish that goal… to make Christ seen in you… through suffering.
g. What a glorious manifestation of the character of Christ: loving the unlovely; giving respect to the undeserving; selflessly serving the unworthy;
h. That is priestly service that will not go unnoticed by our Great High Priest in heaven.
i. The husband who sees the REALITY of all that is BOUND to be affected… he has seen Christ in you!
j. Col. 3:23-24 – And if your husband is so thick headed that he does not see the beauty of it, it will certainly NOT be overlooked at the Bema Seat where you will receive a WELL DONE thou good and faithful servant!
D. As The Church Is Subject Unto Christ (Eph. 5:24)
1. The wife is expected to submit to her husband just as God expects the church to submit to Christ.
a. The church, members of the Body of Christ are to submit to Christ as Head of the Body.
b. God expects FULL submission of the Body to Christ the Head.
c. Our entire body is to be put on the ALTAR of sacrifice to Him. (Rom.12:1-2)
d. Paul and the apostles referred to themselves as SERVANTS of Christ… slaves of Christ… as an illustration of our responsibility to submit to Him.
e. Christ is our SHEPHERD. We are to follow our Shepherd and not to wander out of His fold… and not to listen to other shepherds.
f. We are to put on the YOKE of Christ… fully surrendered to Him and His will.
g. Another illustration of the submission of believers to Christ is the CROSS. Christ expects us to be willing to pick up a cross and follow Him. That speaks about being willing to abandon self interests in following Him… even to the point of death!
h. In various ways and through various illustrations God makes it clear that He expects the church to SUBMIT to Him.
2. The submission of a wife to her husband is to MIRROR that relationship…
E. In Everything (Eph. 5:24)
1. This shows the SCOPE of the submission expected: everything!
2. The church is to submit to Christ in EVERYTHING. So the wife is to submit to her husband in everything.
3. Christ’s will is to become OUR will… and when we know what God wants us to do, we are to DO it!
4. The husband’s will is to be the will of the wife. She is expected to comply… in everything (with the exception of Acts 5:29)
The Difficulty of Submission
1. I’m sure many ladies here today will look at the scope of this command and conclude that it is exceedingly difficult to obey!
a. And with all due respect ladies, allow me to suggest that you would all be wrong!
b. Submission of this sort is not difficult, it is impossible!
c. The present tense of the verb requires continuous action. That makes it impossible!
2. Another element that greatly adds to the difficulty of submission is a foolish husband…
a. Submission to authority is expected regardless of the circumstances in various realms of life.
b. Rom.13:1 – Government:
• Submission to government is expected of the believer, even if we don’t like the choices or the decisions of the one in the position of authority. (Titus 3:1; I Pet. 2:13)
c. I Pet. 2:18 – Servants are to submit to their masters.
• Submission is even expected if the one in authority is outright evil!
• Submission and respect for the position… even if the person is not worthy of submission or respect.
d. Of course, the exception of Acts 5:29 applies, but other than that, God expects submission to authority.
3. Rom. 8:7 – the carnal mind RESISTS submission to God’s law and order.
a. The fallen nature of man (and woman!) is UNABLE to submit. It is not just difficult, submission to God is impossible… beyond the realm of possibility.
b. Hence, the need for the indwelling Holy Spirit. Submission requires GOD working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
c. And God provides the power to submit in the person of the Holy Spirit.
d. This is the answer in the home too! The power of the Holy Spirit.
e. There is a natural tendency in our flesh to RESIST submission to God’s law and order… because we live in a cursed earth and we are all fallen creatures.
4. Everything is working AGAINST you ladies, in obeying this command.
a. The world – ridicules this concept… maligns women who submit… vilifies those who believe it… and does whatever it can to turn this command on its head.
b. The flesh – your worst enemy—your self! The flesh resists this command to the bitter end.
c. The devil – the enemy of God and God’s laws and order—is certainly going to do whatever he can to influence the world system to make it difficult for you to obey.
d. Your mind resists submission. It is foreign, alien, uncomfortable ground… contrary to your nature.
5. If that were not enough, there is something else that makes it difficult for a wife to submit, the most difficult obstacle of all: her husband!
a. In Eden, submission was natural for Eve. It was pleasant, joyous, and easy because Adam was what he ought to be.
b. Adam was a selfless, loving leader who always put Eve first. He honored her. She was his glory.
c. But when sin entered the world, everything was turned upside down.
d. Adam (and his sons) were no longer naturally loving leaders who always put their wives first.
e. We men learned to put ourselves first. Eve was no longer honored by Adam as she should have been.
f. Thus, submission was not a delight but a struggle.
g. And this scenario has been perpetuated for centuries and centuries!
h. For the Christian wife, God expects submission even to a husband who may be quite foolish; may make stupid choices and decisions with disastrous consequences… nevertheless, the wife is expected to submit.
i. If the husband had half a brain he would listen to his wife… and take advantage of her wisdom in areas where he might be weak (balancing the checkbook; dealing with the kids; etc.)
j. But if the husband refuses to listen and insists on plowing ahead with his foolish plan, the wife is to submit and leave it the hands of God.
k. This makes submission exceptionally difficult, because not all husbands are wise… not all Christian husbands are wise… and not all Christian husbands are willing to listen to good advice…
l. And to take this to a new level of difficulty. Some husbands are not only foolish; some are mean and cruel! Some husbands treat their wives like dirt… like doormats… some are even violent!
m. If your husband beats you—call the police! That’s a crime. The police are part of God’s chain of authority.
n. But if your husband is mean and cruel—abusive with language, call on the Lord… seek God’s face…
o. I Pet. 2:19-20 – this is thankworthy before God; the Lord will HONOR your quiet suffering for His name’s sake!
p. There are countless wives who are suffering like this—and sadly, sometimes even in Christian homes!
q. This kind of suffering and submission is a marvelous expression of Christlikeness… the LIFE of Christ manifested through your mortal body! (I Pet. 2:21)
r. Those Christlike women who suffer in their submission will be greatly rewarded at the Bema seat.
s. A foolish and cruel husband makes submission difficult.
t. But the Bible stands: wives submit to your own husbands!
6. It is an IMPOSSIBLE command.
a. Trying to obey this command will result in a life full of frustration, resentment, anger, irritation, and perhaps even depression.
b. Trying to obey this command will bring to a virtual halt, your happiness, your enjoyment of life… in a word, it is a MISERABLE life…
c. There is no way a Christian woman can obey this command consistently. You are doomed to failure.
d. And it isn’t good enough to say that you submit 90 % of the time. That is a miserable failure. It is that other 10% that counts.
e. Anyone could submit when the commands are reasonable… or in harmony with your will anyway… (Let’s go out to eat tonight…) that’s not the best test of a submissive spirit. It is when the command is difficult… contrary to what you want to do…
f. The only time submission to your husband really matters is when you DISAGREE with him! That’s when your spirit is seen for what it really is: submissive or unsubmissive.
7. It boils down to a life of never calling the shots… never being in charge… never doing your own will… always subject to another. You are to be subject to him in everything… every day. You are to submit to him as you would unto the Lord. And there are no exceptions, even if your husband is mean, cruel, childish, foolish.
a. To consistently obey this command requires wisdom, strength, and inner power that you do not possess. No woman does.
b. This is a recipe for a miserable life… IF you try to keep this command on your own.
c. What a Christian wife DESPERATELY needs is the cross!
d. There she sees herself crucified with Christ… dead to self… dead to self will… dead to the world and its ridicule…
e. There she sees herself as RISEN with Christ… and her new life hidden away with Christ in glory…
f. There she sees that in reality, CHRIST is her life!
g. It requires the supernatural power of God! And that is exactly what God provides through the indwelling Holy Spirit reproducing in us Christlike qualities…
Husbands, Love Your Wives
Introduction:
1. God gave one simple command to each partner in marriage.
a. The apostle gives ONE main command to the wife: submit.
b. He gives ONE main command to the husband: love.
c. If each partner would just OBEY this one simple command, what happy, well adjusted, Christian homes we would have
2. But SIN entered the world and threw a monkey wrench into human relationships. (Among other things!)
a. Sin affected the woman in such a way that it is difficult for her to submit to her husband; and sin affected the man in such a way that it is difficult for him to love his wife.
b. Apart from sin, this would all come simply and naturally as it did for Adam and Eve in the Garden before the fall.
c. Hence, SIN is the culprit… the problem is our sinful hearts… our fallen human natures.
d. When a husband and wife are not functioning properly, it is not a financial problem, or psychological, or a compatibility problem… it is a SIN problem… it is at its roots, a spiritual problem.
3. That means that the ANSWERS to problems that arise in a Christian home are not to be found in a manual on counseling, or some new psychological technique.
a. The answers are to be found in the pages of God’s Word… the Bible. It contains ALL we need for life and godliness.
b. It contains God’s inspired answer to the very issues and problems that YOU are facing in YOUR home with YOUR spouse right now.
c. Your problems are not different from anyone else’s. There hath no temptation taken but such is COMMON to man.
d. Here is the answer to ALL of your marriage problems: Wives submit to your own husbands; husbands, love your wives!
e. That is God’s way to escape! Whether you take it or not is up to you.
f. But don’t ever say that your problems are too difficult… or like no one else’s… or that resolving them is too complex.
g. It really is that simple: husbands love; wives submit.
h. Now that we’ve learned how to resolve every problem that could ever arise in our homes, let’s close in prayer :>)
Love Your Wives Commanded
A. Agape Love
1. Defined:
a. It is a selfless, sacrificial kind of love demonstrated actively in service for another…
b. It is a sacrificing of self for the good of another; putting others first; esteeming others better…
2. Present, active, imperative.
a. Active voice: it is something to be DONE… action… works…
• This kind of love is not something simply to be felt, or thought, or believed.
• It is something to be DONE… practiced… put into action.
• It is a love demonstrated in active deeds of service.
b. Imperative mood: It is a command.
• It is not a suggestion or a request.
• It is a command… we are ordered by the Lord to love our wives.
• There are no exception clauses, loopholes, no excuses and no exemptions.
• It is a command to be obeyed. To NOT love one’s wife is sin. Period. It is disobeying a command.
c. Present tense: continuous action…
• Loving our wives is not something that we do once and we’ve got it over with… with nothing left to do.
• The command to love your wife is NEVER finished.
• It is not something to be done now and then… on occasion… on your anniversary or some other special time. It is to be the daily, moment-by-moment practice of a Christian husband.
• It is ongoing, – for the rest of our lives
• It is a command that we are expected to OBEY every moment of every day for the rest of our lives.
• So be CAREFUL young men about jumping into marriage. When you say, “I do” you are committing yourself to selfless service to that woman every day for the rest of your life… and there’s no way out! If you’re not up for that, don’t get married.
3. God demonstrated this kind of love on Calvary (John 3:16).
a. God didn’t just sit around in heaven and FEEL love for the world. He DID something about it! He loved the world in such a way that it was demonstrated in DEEDS! He sent His Son!
b. It is a love that is bestowed graciously –
• It is given freely – as a gift –
• God’s love is not based upon the merit of the one receiving the love…
• God’s love is gracious: expecting nothing in return.
• It is a love NOT based on the loveliness of the one receiving the love.
• God loved the world… even when the world was spitting in His face… rejecting Him.
• God bestowed His love even on His enemies.
• When we were dead in sins… something God hates infinitely… yet He chose to place His love on us.
• There wasn’t anything lovely or even worth loving in the world… That’s grace!
c. It is a love that knows no limits.
• Christ loved us even unto the death of the cross.
• No effort was too great… no price was too high to pay in demonstrating His love for us.
• Christ stopped at nothing to show His love.
d. It is an act of the will… a deliberate choice.
• Love is a command that requires obedience… regardless of how you feel.
• Love is a choice – God chose to place His love on us.
• In this sense it is a kind of covenant love. A covenant is entered into by choice… by an act of the will… choosing to place your love and care on someone.
• Ex: Deut. 7:7 – God “chose” to love Israel; He chose to “set His love” upon them.
» His choice is equated with His love.
» He chose to enter a covenant with that nation and thus chose to set His love upon them.
» The marriage covenant is similar.
» Entering marriage a husband chooses to set his love upon this woman for the rest of his life.
» This kind of love is an act of the will—a CHOICE to set your love on the woman with whom you enter a covenant.
» Some marriages are prearranged and the husband doesn’t even KNOW his wife well. But entering into that covenant he CHOOSES to set his love on that woman and no one else.
» It is a choice… and act of the will.
e. Agape love is not the same as warm feelings.
• Christ died for the men who nailed Him to the cross.
• His love was not the same as warm gushy feelings.
• It was an act of selflessness… for the good of others… that He CHOSE to give graciously even to those who were so undeserving… like you and me.
• It was not a feeling. It was a planned, deliberate, premeditated, conscious, choice that God made to GIVE love to us.
4. Agape Love Is to Be Differentiated From Phileo.
a. In contrast to agape love (a planned, deliberate, premeditated conscious choice) is another kind of love: phileo love.
b. Phileo love is the warm, affectionate, emotional, and even romantic, love of our feelings.
c. Phileo love is sometimes called “brotherly love”—like the city of Philadelphia… (the city of brotherly affection)
d. It is the warm affection of friends, family, and spouses.
e. Phileo love is what attracted you to your wife in the first place.
• There was an emotional attraction to her.
• There was warm affection towards her.
• There were strong inner feelings towards her.
• This is the phileo love that brought you together in the first place.
• This is different than agape love.
f. God has agape love for the world.
• God chose to sacrifice His Son for the spiritual well being of the world… all the people in the world.
• God graciously granted this love to the world—freely—regardless of the unworthiness and unloveliness of the world.
• God made a conscious, premeditated, planned, deliberate CHOICE to place His love on the world.
• That love was demonstrated on Calvary.
g. But God does NOT have phileo love for the world.
• Phileo love is reserved for the family of God…
• Phileo love—warm affection—is reserved for those who are no longer His enemies, and are now reconciled… friends of God…
• Jesus did not feel warm and gushy toward the soldiers who nailed Him to the tree.
• God the Father does not feel warm and gushy toward the world that He has described as His enemies.
• James tells us that friendship and warm affection with the world is ENMITY with God.
5. Thus, agape love and phileo love CAN exist separately.
a. It is possible to have warm feelings toward someone, but to be unwilling to sacrifice self for that person. (phileo but not agape)
• That’s why the divorce rate is so high.
• People enter into a relationship based on feelings… (phileo love)
• And feelings are fickle. They come and go.
• People fall in and out of phileo love… because it is based on emotions… which go up and down… in and out… all over the chart—even in a good marriage!
• That kind of love is phileo – not agape.
• When a relationship is based on phileo love, it is as unstable as water.
• There is no guarantee that it will last.
• When it doesn’t last, it is an indication that it was based on phileo love, and agape love was absent!
b. On the other hand, it is also possible to have agape but not phileo love…
• It is possible to choose to graciously grant self-sacrificing service to someone towards whom you have no warm affections.
• Ex: Christ and the soldiers nailing Him to the tree.
• There are no limits or boundaries to agape love.
• It can be demonstrated to anyone under any circumstances…—it requires no warm affection at all.
• It is a conscious choice to be willing to suffer and sacrifice self in the service of another.
c. The feelings of phileo love will only take you so far.
d. The selflessness of agape love knows no limits.
e. God has BOTH agape love and phileo love for His children. That is the ideal. But they can exist separately.
f. The ideal in a husband/wife relationship is for BOTH to exist too… but they can exist separately.
6. The COMMAND in Col.3:18 – agape love is commanded.
a. The command is NOT for a husband to have warm affection or even romantic love for his wife. There are times when that is impossible.
b. The command is for the husband to grant agape love to his wife… and do DEEDS of agape love for her. That is always possible… regardless of the feelings or circumstances!
c. Agape love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. A Christian husband is to be filled with the Spirit continually… day by day… moment by moment.
d. The indwelling Holy Spirit enables the husband to be willing to sacrifice himself for the spiritual well being of his wife…
e. Agape love is the kind of love that causes a man to sacrifice himself, his own desires, his will, and his own self interest for the well-being of his wife.
f. The command is for each of us as husbands to continually and sacrificially do deeds of service for the spiritual good of our spouse… expecting nothing in return… offered freely regardless of the behavior of our spouse… and regardless of whether we FEEL like it or not.
g. This kind of love is expressed in DEEDS… putting her first; caring for her; protecting her; providing for her; esteeming her better than yourself…
h. In this command, God is not telling us what to FEEL; rather, God is telling us what to DO.
7. Confusing the two kinds of love.
a. I and every other pastor counseling couples in trouble have heard husband says repeatedly, “But I don’t love my wife any more!”
b. I’m not entirely sure what the motive is in saying that.
c. I don’t know what they think I am going to say in response to that… perhaps something like, “O you poor guy. You no longer love your wife. I guess if you don’t love her any more, you can’t have a marriage without love. Maybe you should find someone else that you could really be happy with!”
d. When a husband tells me that, MY response is always the same: “If you don’t love your wife, then REPENT of your sin and OBEY God and START loving her.”
e. If you don’t love your wife, it is NOT her fault. It is YOUR fault… MY fault.
f. The command is, “Husbands LOVE your wives.” Period.
8. There is no excuse under the sun for NOT obeying God.
a. The verse does not say, “Love your wife as long as she’s nice to you or if she lives up to her part of the bargain.”
b. Husbands, we are to love our wives regardless of their behavior!
c. Agape love is not based on the loveliness of the one loved!
d. Usually when a husband says, “I don’t love my wife any more” what he MEANS is, “I don’t have warm feelings for her any more. The romance and affection is over.” (No more phileo love.)
e. Well, God did not command you to have phileo love toward your wife. He does not command you to have warm feelings.
f. But He DOES command you to sacrifice yourself for her… to selflessly serve her… to esteem her better than yourself… and to do so continually… graciously… without regard to her merit or behavior one whit!
g. Whether your wife is treating you like a king or is spitting in your face and stabbing you in the back—God commands Christian husbands to demonstrate agape love towards her.
h. And God expects obedience whether we feel like it or not.
i. That’s what the Bible says.
j. The husband is commanded to actively and continually demonstrate DEEDS of selfless service for his wife… putting her first… and to do it for the rest of your life… expecting nothing in return… even if she continues to spit in your face.
k. There is no wiggle room for a husband to get around his responsibility to love his wife!
l. This command is present, active, and imperative!
m. Wow! When Jesus taught the disciples about marriage and divorce, they said, “If the case of a man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry!”
n. While they went overboard in their assessment, they at least understood the seriousness of the issue in God’s sight!
9. When a husband continually, genuinely, selflessly, and graciously does deeds of sacrificial service for his wife… over time, most women will respond!
a. It’s a rare Jezebel that won’t. Most women would melt with that kind of love bestowed upon them. It will soften the most hard-hearted woman.
b. We are not talking about one big expression of love, but an ongoing attitude and deeds of love… that flows like a river.
c. What wife in her right mind WOULDN’T want to submit to a man who continually put her first… esteemed her better than himself… was willing to sacrifice himself and his own self interests for her welfare… sought to please her in everything???
d. Only the Holy Spirit can enable a husband to continue this if the wife is unresponsive… but God WILL enable you both to WILL and to DO of His good pleasure… and it IS God’s good pleasure for a husband to love his wife.
e. And when a wife responds to that with willing submission… that relationship can be a taste of heaven.
f. But to obey this command, a husband is to COMMIT himself to this kind of service for the rest of his life… no matter HOW his wife responds.
g. This is the way of the cross… an end of self… and in losing our old self life, we FIND or discover an abundant life!
HOW Husbands Are to Love Their Wives
A. Even as Christ Also Loved the Church (Eph. 5:25)
1. A husband is to love his wife AS Christ loved the church
a. Christ loved the church even though the church does not always submit to Him.
• Husbands are to love their wives like that: even if they DON’T submit.
• Their bad behavior is no excuse for OUR bad behavior! Two wrongs don’t make a right.
• Some churches leave their first love, but Christ’s love for His bride never waivers.
• Our love for our wife should not waver either… even if she is not giving us love in return. That’s HOW Christ loved the church.
• The church age, like every other dispensation has been a colossal failure! Yet Christ loves the church.
• His love for us is not based on our love for Him.
• His love for the church is not based on the worthiness of the church.
• Whether the church submits or not, Christ loves His bride.
• We are to love our wives AS Christ loved the church.
• That is a commitment… a choice to place your love on the lady with whom you entered a covenant before God to set your love upon her… for better or for worse… whether she submits or not.
b. Christ’s love for the church is not based on what HE gets out of it.
• What does Christ GET out of this relationship?
• There is no comparison between what He GAVE and what he GETS!
• He gave His all… what He gets from us is quite paltry… miserably small!
• No, His love for the church is not based on what HE gets out of the relationship.
• And our love for our wives ought not to be based upon what we GET out of the relationship.
• Basing a relationship of what we GET out of it is pure selfishness… the opposite of agape love. Agape love is not selfish, it is self-less!
• There aren’t any “yeh buts!” with this command. (Yeh but if I do that, she’ll walk all over me… she’ll take advantage… she’ll get her own way… and what do I get out of it all? Nothing!”
• Love is willing to give everything and get nothing. That’s how Christ loved the church… and it’s how we are to love our wives.
c. His love for the church is everlasting.
• God said to Israel: I have loved thee with an everlasting love!
• We read of the love of Christ in Rom. 8: What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Nothing!
• His love for us never ends. His love for the church doesn’t end when the church sins, or when the church fails. It doesn’t even end when the church is not faithful to Him.
• His love for the church is everlasting. That’s how WE should love our wives.
d. Christ loved the church even when the church sought for other lovers.
• God said of Israel in the days of her deepest apostasy, “I have loved you with an everlasting love!”
• The churches have behaved no different than Israel. We too have committed spiritual adultery.
• Friendship with the world is spiritual adultery in God’s sight. In spite of the church’s worldliness… (spiritual adultery), Christ still loves her. The church is His bride.
• He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us. That’s how Jehovah loved Israel and how Christ loved the church.
• That’s how we are to love our wives.
2. Christ loved the church by giving HIMSELF for it. (Eph. 5:25)
a. This shows us the DEPTH of Christ’s love: the cross!
b. He didn’t merely give up things; He gave HIMSELF… that means His ALL… His Person… His life…
c. He was willing to DIE for the church… to pay the ultimate price.
d. Eph. 3:18-19 – His love can be known (experienced) but it passes understanding (cannot be fully known) because it is infinite! His love knows no limits, no boundaries.
e. This is the degree to which we are to love our wives.
f. We don’t have the right to say, “I’ll go so far and that’s it.” There is no length to the love of Christ for His church. It goes on and on… and that is how we are to love our wives.
g. Do you want to learn about how DEEP God expects our love for our wives to be? Meditate on the cross.
h. The cross of Calvary is God’s standard of the kind of love husbands are to show to their wives.
B. God’s Method of Loving Our Wives: The Cross.
1. God’s standard of love for our wives is the cross.
a. God’s standard of love is not hard to achieve. It is WAY beyond hard: it is impossible.
b. And ladies, you thought your command to submit was hard?
c. The command God gave to husbands is far MORE difficult… because the standard has been elevated to Christ Himself! It is a TALL order.
2. We are to love our wives AS Christ loved the church… even to the point of death!
a. It is a selfless love… expects nothing in return… is a life dedicated to sacrificial service to her… it is a commitment to put her first and esteem her better than yourself… it is a choice to place your love upon her regardless of what you get out of it… it is an act of the will in which you choose to give your SELF for her good… regardless of the price… even unto death… and it is a commitment to do so every day for the rest of your life!
b. Before sin entered the world, this was Adam’s ongoing attitude expressed in continuous deeds towards Eve… and came as naturally as breathing.
c. It does NOT come that naturally to us today… not since sin entered the world… because SIN often dominates our hearts.
d. Sin is essentially SELF WILL… in defiance of God’s commands.
e. Instead of being filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit and manifesting the indwelling life of Christ, we instead are too often controlled by our sin nature, put self first… and manifest our old self life… and self will.
f. When it comes to struggling in my role as a husband… struggling to give selfless, sacrificial service for my wife, the biggest obstacle is ME… self…
3. Rom. 6:6-7 – God’s method for removing that obstacle is the cross!
a. The reason we don’t love our wives as Christ loved the church is because we love ourselves too much! Therefore, we don’t want to be longsuffering or experience unpleasant circumstances. (we don’t really want to manifest Christ—who was WILLING to suffer… when reviled He reviled not)
b. God wants us to bring that old self life to the cross and leave it there!
c. When we were saved, our old selfish man was crucified. He’s dead.
d. But his nature is very much alive and well in us all.
e. And because of SIN that dwells in us, we want to please self rather than others.
f. Therefore, if we are going to love our wives as we ought, we need to BELIEVE what God said: our old man is dead and we have been set FREE (vs. 7) from sin and a life dedicated to pleasing self.
g. We have been set free from sin and self to manifest the LOVE and LIFE of Christ… towards our wives!
h. When we BELIEVE God and yield to Him… the Holy Spirit is free to work in us and manifest Christlike fruit THROUGH us to our wives… namely, LOVE!
i. To love our wives AS Christ loved the church… to live up to that infinitely high standard is far beyond us. It requires supernatural power… and all the power of the resurrection… the power of a new life… is available to us 24-7 IF we will yield to God…
j. When we yield, it is God who works in us both to WILL (a desire) and to DO (the performance) His good pleasure… and loving your wife IS God’s good pleasure for you and for me!
k. Only a Spirit filled husband can fulfill this infinitely high standard: to love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it.
l. God loves our wives infinitely more than we ever could… and His love can flow through us to her even when we don’t FEEL like it.
m. And over time… as we allow ourselves to be channels of God’s supernatural love for our wives, eventually, if there were no warm feelings… as we continually obey and yield, those feelings will come back.
n. The very WORST possible earthly relationships can be restored and become once again a taste of heaven on earth.
o. That’s what God wants for you and me… for our marriages.
p. When a husband LOVES his wife this way, ANY woman will respond favorably.
q. When agape continues unabated and unbounded—graciously—the feelings will return… and there is BOTH agape and phileo love… and eros love—romantic and sexual love.
4. The original spark in all relationships began with phileo love (warm affection; deep emotions; and romantic feelings).
a. And between believers, that phileo love grows into agape love… which knows no limits.
b. But as we all know, sin can destroy any relationship… no matter how strong the feelings used to be.
c. Sin can enter a relationship and turn a taste of heaven into a taste of hell on earth…
d. And the cross is the answer for all that. The cross brings about reconciliation between the sinner and God… and between sinful husbands and wives. It brings peace.
e. When sin HAS shattered a relationship… the way back is NOT phileo love. Don’t wait until the feelings come back. You might wait a LONG time…
f. Don’t just sit around and WAIT for that honeymoon kind of love to fall out of the sky—you are waiting for something that may never happen.
g. The way back is OBEDIENCE to the command to show AGAPE love to your wife through concrete DEEDS of love.
• The way to restore a broken relationship is NOT to wait for that original spark (phileo) to ignite all by itself.
• The way to restore a broken relationship requires ACTION on our part… DOING… deeds of love for your wife… obeying God’s Word.
• Confess your sin to God and your spouse and repent of your sin because it IS a sin issue.
• BELIEVE that your old man is dead and you are FREE from a live of self centeredness… FREE to serve your wife sacrificially as Christ loved the church.
• And OBEY… DO… PRACTICE love as God commanded you to.
• It might take a while, but the feelings WILL come back… that original spark.
• Just obey, and be committed to God to obey, and determined to obey no matter how you are treated, and no matter how long it takes…
• Just keep on loving your wife… and you might discover that the relationship will be restored much quicker than you ever imagined.
5. What God has required of husbands:
a. Is not HARD in the sense that it is complicated. It is exceedingly simple: One command: Husbands love your wives!
b. But it is hard in the sense that it requires us to come to the cross… an end of self… an end of a life designed to get my own way and please myself.
c. It is the crucified life… but isn’t that what you agreed to when you came to Christ in the first place? Pick up a cross and follow me!
d. It is the way of the cross that leads home. It cures the home too!
e. It’s the JOY of a resurrected life… but no one enjoys the power of resurrection without first experiencing death to self!
Husbands, Be Not Bitter
Bitter Defined
The Term: πικρός
1. It originally meant (in extra biblical writings): “pointed,” “sharp,” e.g., arrows or a knife, then more generally of what is “sharp” or “penetrating” to the senses, a pervasive smell “shrill” of a noise, “painful” to the feelings, “bitter,” “sharp” to the taste.
2. The term was often used in various ways in secular writings in New Testament times.
3. Men can be called πικρός (noun form) when they are “strict,” “severe,” “rigid,” “hostile,” or “cruel”. (Polybius, of Megalopolis – a historian of the rise of the Roman world used the word this way.)
a. Piercing in the way they used their position of strength or power.
b. This comes close to the way Paul used the word in Col. 3:19.
4. But in the New Testament, (other than here) the verb form is used exclusively of a bitter taste –
a. The other occurrences are all found in Revelation – bitter water, etc… or bitter stomach.
b. The harsh, sharp, bitter taste is used in a figurative sense to illustrate harshness and sharpness in other realms.
c. Obviously Paul uses the term in Col. 3:19 NOT of a bitter taste. He is not forbidding men to eat bitter things… to have a bitter taste in their mouth or belly.
d. Paul uses the bitter taste in a figurative sense.
e. There is a parallel between what a bitter herb does to the mouth… and what a husband often does to his wife.
5. Usages:
a. James uses the term twice:
• James 3:11 – it is the opposite of a sweet taste.
» Here the term is used as an adjective.
» It is used in a literal sense of taste… opposite of sweet.
• James 3:14 – bitter envying and strife.
» Again it is used as an adjective to describe envying and strife
» Here he uses it in the figurative sense.
» Strife is described as bitter… there is something about fighting and arguing that likened it to the awful, bitter, pungent, piercing taste of a dandelion root.
b. Heb. 12:15 – the result of a lack of the grace of God—bitterness arises and causes trouble.
c. As an adjective, it is used to describe a harsh taste to water, harsh strife, bitter, intense grief, bitter harsh words.
d. The term is used of a harsh strength… potency… pungency… ferocity, pointed, piercing, cutting, sharp—whether applied to taste, noise, or emotions.
e. Paul uses this term to describe the emotional effect that a husband can have towards his wife.
Against Them
A. The Preposition
1. The preposition dictates what is being commanded. Is he saying to the husbands:
a. Don’t become embittered inwardly BY of your wife…
b. Don’t show bitterness outwardly TOWARDS your wife…
c. Don’t be bitter (resentful) AGAINST your wife…
2. πρὸς: With the accusative (as is the case here) marking the object toward or to which something moves or is directed.
a. It marks the wife as the one towards which the bitterness is directed.
b. Thus, the bitterness of which Paul speaks is in some way unleashed or poured out by the husband in the direction of the wife.
3. Summary of definition: Bitterness speaks of that which is sharp, piercing, pointed—directed toward the senses. (taste, noise, emotions). It is the lack of grace, the opposite of sweet, and associated with envying and strife.
a. This sharp, piercing, pointed, harshness (that seems to come so easily for men) is NOT to be directed towards the wife.
b. That seems to the essence of the command.
c. The command is not: don’t BE bitter.
d. The command is: don’t DIRECT any bitter harshness TOWARDS her.
e. One is inward feelings; the other outward action.
f. It is the outward action towards the wife that is forbidden here.
g. The command is not “Don’t BE bitter” but “Don’t BEHAVE bitterly… sharply… harshly…
h. Don’t vent! Don’t be harsh, course, or rough towards your wife!
4. Most often we read this passage as if God were commanding husbands not to BE bitter inwardly. (embittered)
a. And we often think of this bitterness as a bitter feeling in the gut…
b. It is not a good idea to BE bitter or to feel bitter, but that is not the thrust of this command.
c. Feelings are not easily controlled… and they cannot be instantly changed.
d. The command is not for the husband to control his feelings, but for the husband to control his ACTIONS: his words and his deeds.
e. Repentance can change our actions, but not necessarily change our feelings… at least not immediately.
f. The first part of the verse (love) is not telling husbands what to FEEL but what to DO.
g. The second part is the same. It does not tell the husband what not to FEEL, but what not to DO.
h. God doesn’t often tell us what to FEEL. But He does tell us what to do and what to think.
i. If we are serious with God, we can change our actions and our thoughts instantly upon repentance.
j. But feelings don’t change nearly so easily… not after a long period of hostility.
k. The command does not have to do with the inner feelings of the husband… a bitter feeling in his gut. (Resentment, anger, frustration, rage, turmoil; etc.)
l. We are expected to OBEY this command even if we still FEEL bitterness in our gut!
5. The command is not to demonstrate that bitter harshness in the direction of your wife!
a. You may FEEL bitter inside. The feeling may seem overwhelming. You may feel trapped or enslaved to those feelings… without any way to release them.
b. And it might feel really good to vent it… and let it all pour out over your wife.
c. Especially if she is the reason you FEEL that way! You may feel justified in venting all this bitterness out on her.
d. But God says DON’T.
6. This IMPLIES that this bitterness is IN the heart of man.
a. Matt. 15:18-19 – this is not an exhaustive list.
b. Bitterness can also reside in the heart.
c. And God knows that some times the wife is the CAUSE of the bitterness in the husband’s heart.
• She might be a nag… a constant irritation…
• She might constantly be pushing your buttons…
• She might put you down… compare you to other men… insult, and humiliate you.
• She may show no respect and may not submit.
• In other words, she might STIR UP this bitterness IN YOU… she might be the outward cause of the bitterness in your heart.
d. Sometimes a husband can be frustrated and bitter just because of life in general. But sometimes it is caused by his wife.
e. The command in Col. 3:19 is that if there IS bitterness in your heart, DON’T POUR IT OUT on her!
• Even if she is the cause of the bitterness, don’t retaliate. Turn the other cheek. Suffer yourself to be defrauded. Be like Christ who was reviled but He reviled not again… when He suffered, he threatened not.
• Deal with the bitterness in your own heart and don’t express it in words or deeds towards your wife.
• If there are evil thoughts, resentment, anger, frustration, bitterness, etc, in the heart, then see it as a HEART issue.
• Confess it as sin. These sins defile a man.
• Keep your heart with ALL diligence.
• It doesn’t really matter HOW it got there. If it IS there, take it to the Lord in prayer! Cast your burden upon the Lord for HE careth for you.
f. II Cor. 5:10 – Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
g. Deal with that resentment and bitterness while it is still in the thought stage. Keep a SHORT account with sin.
h. Don’t give it time to develop and brew and fester into the word stage or the action stage.
i. Bitterness is a toxic, spiritual poison in your heart.
j. Get rid of it the RIGHT WAY… through confession… by yielding to God and being filled with the Spirit.
k. Don’t get rid of it the WRONG way… by pouring it out all over your wife… and contaminating your whole household!
7. The command in Col. 3:19 is, “Don’t pour that bitter poison in the direction of your wife!”
a. Psychologists often teach that one should not suppress such feelings, but rather VENT those inner passions or they will damage your emotional makeup.
b. That is NOT what God says. God says, don’t vent them, confess them as sin, and they are GONE!
c. They are not suppressed: they are removed as far as the east is from the west… and are replaced with a peace the psychologists are unable to explain.
d. Phil. 4:6-7 – Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.? ?And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
e. God can remove that inner bitterness… and replace it with Himself… and the joy of salvation.
f. But even if those feelings stick around for a while—don’t vent them… and especially not on your wife.
g. When you think of the one flesh concept it certainly doesn’t make a lot of sense to pour bitter poison on your wife… you are ONE flesh.
8. Bitterness poured out against one’s wife.
a. There are two possible ways to understand the term “bitter” in Col. 3:19: inwardly bitter OR outwardly harsh.
b. And since the command is AGAINST pouring that bitterness out on your wife… the EFFECT is exactly the same.
c. Harshness is not to be poured out against one’s wife.
d. And if a man has an inwardly bitter spirit, when that is vented against his wife, it comes upon her as harshness.
e. While the meaning might be slightly different, the effect on the wife is the same.
f. For that reason, some translators have translated this verse differently than the KJV.
• Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. (English Standard Version, International Standard Version, New International Version and Good News Bible)
• Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. (New Revised Standard Version)
• Husbands, love your wives and be gentle with them. (New Century Version)
The Nature of Men
1. This command was not given to women or children, but to men.
a. Evidently God believed that men need to hear this.
b. We men tend to develop bitter, harsh, frustrated, angry, cruel feelings.
c. And we tend to unleash them at times… especially against one’s wife.
d. Hence, the need for the command!
e. This is not to say that a wife cannot do the same, but God sees this as primarily a problem of us males, and thus addresses men… husbands.
f. God addresses us right where we NEED to be addressed.
2. Present Imperative in the Negative
a. This verb construction could be translated, “STOP being bitter against them.”
b. It is a prohibition against an action already in progress.
c. In other words, it is as Paul ASSUMES that husbands in Colossae WERE already bitter against their wives.
d. He tells them to stop pouring out harshness in their direction.
e. This does not seem to be written this way because Paul heard of a particular case. Rather, it was because Paul understood human nature.
3. Eph. 5:23 – God created the husband to be head of his wife.
a. The kind of headship God designed is normal, natural, and GOOD for any husband/wife relationship.
b. It is a headship characterized by love… sacrificing self for her good… a husband who is willing to give himself, his all, for his wife…
c. It is a headship that is to reflect the manner in which Christ heads His Body, the church… His Bride…
d. It is a position of authority over the wife… as Christ has authority over the church.
e. The authority was given for the protection and care of the wife…
f. Loving headship was a wonderful thing in the Garden of Eden before the fall. But sin has changed everything.
4. Headship often goes to the head of a man… even a Christian!
a. Some men have abused their authority and behave more like a rigid drill sergeant than a husband.
b. Some men see themselves as head of the household in the same way Saddam Hussein saw himself as the head of Iraq… a brutal dictator.
c. I have cringed at the way some Christian men treat their wives.
d. Some men use their authority as an excuse to do whatever they want… to please themselves… at the expense of their wife and family. They have twisted the concept of headship to mean a master/slave relationship.
e. Raw authority without love can be extremely ugly… totalitarian… cruel.
f. Headship needs to be mitigated by love or the husband can turn into an oppressive tyrant, someone who is almost impossible to live with. I’ve seen that happen.
g. It is an awful perversion of the meaning of headship… an almost blasphemous picture of the relationship between Christ and His Bride, the church.
h. It is human nature to ABUSE authority and power.
i. A husband who is stronger and is given authority by God over his wife… can use that strength and authority to love and care for her… or as a vicious weapon against her.
j. The command in Col. 3:19 is: DON’T let your authority go to your head and start spewing out harsh words or deeds towards your wife.
k. An abuse of authority easily turns into insensitive, critical, treatment… bitter, unfeeling, severe, cruel, words… as well as a controlling, demanding, harsh, authoritarian attitude towards one’s wife.
l. This is human nature. It is what often happens when a husband is controlled by the flesh rather than the Spirit. (The fruit of the Spirit is love… gentleness… meekness…)
m. Paul gives this command to us men because he knew all too well human nature: He knows all too well what we men are capable of! O wretched man that I am!
n. There is nothing good in human nature. It is completely corrupted by sin. In my flesh dwells no good thing!
o. It is IN us to pour out all that inner bitterness and harshness on our wives. That is the fallen nature of a man.
The Nature of Women
1. Harshness can cause a woman to WITHER.
a. Ex: It can wither like a hothouse plant… they cannot handle a hostile or harsh environment. A woman, like a hot house plant, needs protection and care.
b. Ex: A harsh chemical can destroy a delicate veneer on a piece of furniture. The veneer shrivels up and is ruined.
c. The point is that something harsh can ruin or destroy… something that is delicate.
d. A harsh wind can destroy a city.
e. Harsh, impure waters can ruin metal pipes… or wear away stone.
f. A harsh dictator can terrorize a country.
g. Unmitigated harshness can do a LOT of damage.
h. Harsh, bitter words poured out against your wife can destroy, terrorize, and cause her to wither on the inside, emotionally.
• And the husband may not be able to SEE the effects of his harshness… the damage that he caused is inward… but God gives the command because the effects (though invisible) are real.
2. They are the weaker vessel. (I Pet. 3:7)
a. Venting anger and bitterness out on your wife is like confronting the fine china with the cast iron pot.
b. What happens if the iron pan treats the china with bitter harshness? What happens when these two items collide?
c. It might not hurt you, but it DOES hurt her.
d. When you yell at a man repeatedly, what emotions are evoked? Usually anger!
e. When you yell at a woman repeatedly, what emotions are evoked? Maybe anger at first, but she wears out more easily, and eventually withers up and shrivels—she crumbles emotionally.
f. When the two collide, the woman is more likely to get hurt.
g. Hence, this command.
h. This is part of the KNOWLEDGE that Peter wants husbands to know and to dictate their treatment of their wives.
i. They are different from men. Men are stronger physically and emotionally.
j. A husband may never lift a finger to hit his wife because he realizes he is stronger physically and it would not be fair or right.
k. But that same husband may engage in very bitter arguments with his wife… but that is just as wrong.
• It is wrong because he is also built differently emotionally.
• Even though she may be mean spirited and vicious in her words towards you… a man is able to handle them better because he is stronger emotionally.
• If that husband fires back with equally vicious words, his words can do MORE damage to her because she is the weaker vessel.
• Think of it as fighting fire with fire.
• The cast iron frying pan can handle the fire.
• But the dainty china cannot. It will break or melt.
• Men and women are not the same physically or emotionally.
• You KNOW that it is not a fair fight physically, so you don’t hit her.
• God wants us to KNOW that it is not a fair fight emotionally either.
• The husband is stronger and is responsible to take the lead in ENDING an argument… letting the wife have the last word… responding with a soft answer…
l. It is not a matter of superiority—any more than the iron pan is superior to the china.
m. But men and women are different… and were designed differently—for different purposes!
n. God commands us to dwell with them according to KNOWLEDGE… realizing your physical and emotional strength… and using that strength responsibly.
3. God provides PROTECTION for the weaker vessel by means of the stronger vessel. (Eph. 5:25-29)
a. Vs. 26 – Christ cares for the church by protecting us from dirt and infection. He cleanses us to keep us pure.
b. The husband is to protect his wife spiritually—to provide a safe spiritual environment for her… that she might be pure.
c. Vs. 27 – the husband is to use his strength to provide a wall of protection for his wife from anything that would hurt her or defile her spiritually.
d. The iron pan provides a wall of protection for the fine china.
e. Vs. 28-29 – the husband is to provide the same level of care and concern for his wife that he demonstrates towards himself… towards his own body.
f. The strong vessel is to care for and protect the weak vessel. That’s God’s design… God’s plan.
g. The man’s physical and emotional strength is given to him to provide care and protection AGAINST anything that would harm the wife…
h. A man’s strength was given to him to be poured out against anything that would harm his wife… FOR the good of his wife….
i. It is NOT to be vented against the wife!
j. When SIN controls our hearts, the very strength God gave to man for the GOOD of his wife is used to HARM the wife!
k. Thus, the delicate nature of a woman required the command of Col. 3:19… for the stronger vessel not to collide harshly with the weaker vessel.
l. That command is an expression of God’s love, care, and protection for the weaker vessel that He created.
m. The command wasn’t needed in Eden before sin entered the world. Adam would never have poured out bitter harshness on his wife. She was precious to him.
n. But it IS needed today. Adam’s sons are not so sensitive.
Be Not Bitter Against Them
1. Consider a likely scenario:
a. A wife is not submissive and begins nagging.
b. She learns how to irritate him… she learns all the buttons to press…
c. She’s never going to win in a fist fight, so she learns how to hurt him in other ways.
d. This is not the affectionate woman he married and he gradually becomes more and more irritated.
e. The husband develops bitterness on the inside.
f. So in anger and frustration he spills out all that bitterness on her… which causes her to wilt.
g. He’s striking back at her…
h. She in turn strikes back at him…
i. Poison has entered the relationship… and it destroys BOTH of them! They are one flesh.
j. She fills him with a bitter poison which is in turn poured out on her. They are both ruined… and on and on it goes.
k. It is a vicious circle that will go on forever until one person decides to go to the cross…
l. Col. 3:19 commands the husband to STOP that vicious cycle by NOT retaliating… by NOT spewing forth the bitterness in his heart all over his wife.
m. This command requires the MAN to take the stand and end the cycle… the strong one has a responsibility to bear the infirmity of the weak…
n. Even if she is the one who fills you with bitterness, don’t spew it back… don’t retaliate…
o. If she’s dishing it out, then take it like a man… and deal with it in your heart before the Lord.
2. A lesson from the Old Testament (Ex. 15:22-26)
a. Vs. 22 – The children of Israel have just experienced physical redemption from bondage in Egypt.
b. The very next thing we read is that Moses brought them from the Red Sea experience into the wilderness… to learn to trust God.
c. They traveled 3 days into the wilderness and found no water.
d. Vs. 23 – Then they came to a place called Marah and finally found water, but it was bitter… undrinkable.
e. Vs. 24 – They murmured and complained to Moses about the bitter experience he led them into.
f. Vs. 25 – Moses in turned cried out to the Lord.
• The Lord showed Moses a special tree and told him to cast the tree into the bitter waters.
• When he did, the bitter waters were made sweet.
g. What a glorious picture for us of what the CROSS of Christ can do in bitter experiences in our lives!
• Maybe a lot of bitterness has arisen in YOUR household.
• Perhaps your wife has refused to submit and has given you cause to become bitter.
• Perhaps your husband has not been obeying Col. 3:19 and has been spewing out harsh bitterness in your direction.
• And maybe, like the children of Israel, you’re beginning to think that God has brought you into this wilderness to die… there is nothing but bitterness there… and you can’t handle it any more.
• God’s answer is the CROSS… applying the TREE upon which Christ died to the bitter experiences in your life can make even those bitter experiences sweet.
• The cross: an end of self… an end of living for self… an end of trying to please and satisfy self… a new and abundant life dedicated to serving others…
• That’s what’s needed in your household and mine! Believers who BELIEVE what Christ said—that if we are to follow Him, we are to pick up a cross… and live the CRUCIFIED life…
• This is the life God has called BOTH the husband and the wife to live…
• But the husband is to take the LEAD.
• It is HE who is called of God to deal with the bitterness and harshness in the relationship… and put it away… by keeping his old self life on the cross by faith.
• Once we get public enemy number one (ME!) out of the way… those bitter waters will become sweet…
• And that relationship that had been nothing but harsh, cruel, bitterness will once again become sweet… and the sweet fragrance of Christ will once again fill that house…
h. Vs. 25c – It was the LORD who led them to Marah, not Moses.
• God allowed them to experience this bitterness to TEST them… to demonstrate to them what their hearts were like… that they might learn NOT to trust in themselves but to cast themselves upon the Lord!
• He tested them to see if they would love the Lord and obey Him…
• Vs. 26 – FOR I am the Lord! God tested them to demonstrate to them whether they love and obeyed God for what He GAVE them (sweet water—a pleasant life)… OR if they loved and obeyed Him because of who HE IS… the Lord!
• They failed the test. But God did not forsake them. He provided a way back.
• And they way back was by “applying the tree to their bitterness”… the way of the cross…
• They needed to learn that there is no bitterness that the Lord cannot sweeten!
• Vs. 27 – Elim!
• God led them to the place of bitterness to test them… not to harm them.
• They complained when they got to Marah…
• They assumed that they would have nothing but bitterness the rest of their days… but this was only a test from the Lord.
• What they DIDN’T KNOW was that right around the corner from Marah was another place called ELIM.
• And there were 12 wells of sweet water there… water of life… and 70 palm trees to provide shade… an oasis in the midst of the wilderness!
• God knew this all along… God wasn’t lost. God didn’t really want them to experience bitterness the rest of their days.
• God wanted all along to bring to Elim… but the way to Elim was THROUGH Marah.
• O how often believers come to bitter experiences and are ready to quit… to throw in the towel… to run to a divorce court… to forsake the ways of the Lord because they think they can’t handle the bitterness any more… so we run away into the wilderness on our own rather than following the pathway God set before us.
• How much better is it to run to the cross of Calvary! To by faith reckon our old man dead… crucified with Christ… and enter into the sweetness of the selfless and joyous resurrected life…
• What a pity to quit at Marah – when Elim is right around the corner!
• The cross is right there to turn the bitterness in YOUR relationship into sweetness…
• Are you willing to come to the cross?
» Without applying the tree they would have been stuck perpetually at Marah… with nothing but bitter water to drink.
» Applying the tree was the only way they would ever make it to Elim!
» Applying the cross to our relationship is the only way we’ll ever make to Elim too… to the place of sweet waters…
» The cross can transform a cruel bitter home into an oasis. COME to the cross… to an end of self today.
» And if you are NOT SAVED… come to the cross!
Children, Obey Your Parents
Introduction:
1. We have been looking at Paul’s exhortations to all in a Christian household.
2. First he addressed the wives, and then the husbands.
3. Now he addresses the children.
4. Paul gave one main command to each:
a. Wives: submit
b. Husbands: love
c. Children: obey
5. Following God’s simple instructions is the key to a happy, healthy home.
a. When these exhortations are followed, things run smoothly at home.
• Or at least as smoothly as possible in a sin-cursed earth.
• When everything is in its place and functioning as designed, the Christian home should function well.
b. When something is OUT of line, then things do not run well.
• Even when everyone IS doing their best to obey these exhortations, problems can and do arise. Obedience does not guarantee that the sun will always shine.
• But when the chain of command is broken at any point, turmoil is sure to follow… whether it is an unloving husband, a non-submissive wife, or a disobedient child.
• At each link, there is the potential for serious family problems.
• If any one link gets out of line, the whole chain is broken and it affects the whole household.
• Therefore, when the family isn’t functioning properly, always come back to these simple commands for realignment… like going to a chiropractor for an adjustment!
c. And children are an important link in that chain.
d. The fact that Paul addresses the children indicates that they were considered a PART of the local assembly in Colossae.
The Command to the Children: Obey
A. Obey: The Term Defined – ὑπακούω
1. ὑπακούω – Literally: “to hear under”…
a. The idea was that of hearing and putting oneself under the authority of that which was heard.
b. It thus came to men to hearken, and thus to obey… to hear and respond in obedience.
c. Acts 12:13 – the damsel came to “hearken” – to respond to what she heard.
d. Matt. 8:26-27 – the winds and waves heard the voice of God and responded to what they heard.
e. Children are to “hear under” – to listen and hear their parents, and put themselves under the authority of their parents.
2. Present, active, imperative:
a. Present: the verb tense indicates continuous action.
b. Imperative: the mood indicates that it is a command—not a suggestion!
c. Active: the verb voice indicates that it is the responsibility of the child to carry out this order. He is not to sit around and wait until obedience descends upon him from on high and he FEELS like obeying.
d. A child ought to BE obedient in heart… a submissive spirit.
• It should not simply be what he does when given a command.
• But it should be an ongoing attitude out of which obedient behavior arises. Active, outward obedience should arise from that kind of an inward attitude.
3. The Subject: children
a. The word for children here speaks not of age, but of relationship. (teknon).
b. Hence, it would refer to anyone living under the roof of their parents and are still dependent upon them.
c. In other words, this includes teenagers too… though we don’t call teenagers “children” in modern English in America.
d. But the term Paul uses DOES include teens.
e. All those born into a family—or adopted into a family—and are living under the roof of those parents are expected to obey.
4. This term OBEY is different from submission, the term used of the wife.
a. The wife is to submit (place under; arrange under).
• Hupotasso (submission) speaks of placing self under the authority of another.
• This speaks of the fact that a wife is to willingly place herself in her God given role… under the authority of her husband.
• A Christian wife is to submit to her husband.
• But if she doesn’t, it is not up the husband to MAKE her submit.
• The husband is not to subjugate his wife. The Lord will have to deal with her on that!
b. The term used of children (obey) is much different.
• This term is stronger and is more absolute.
• The child is to obey his parents… period.
• He is to listen and respond.
• And the parents are to see to it that the child DOES obey.
• There are no commands to the husband to MAKE his wife submit.
• But there are many commands to the parents to MAKE the child obey… for the good of the child, the family, the church, and society in general.
• That’s where discipline comes in.
• But the child’s responsibility is to obey.
• It is NOT the child’s right to choose whether he WANTS to obey or not.
5. Different terms used
a. Prov. 1:8 – “hear” – similar to the verb in Col. 3:20 – hearken and thus obey. He will not forsake.
b. Prov. 6:20 – “keep” thy father’s commandments. (keep: guard, to keep, to observe)
c. Prov. 7:1 – “lay up” my commandments. (hide away; protect; treasure)
d. Prov. 7:3 – bind them and write them on the tables of your heart. (They are not to be treated lightly… but valued… and treasured for the gems that later on in life they will prove to be!)
e. Deut. 27:16 – the opposite is seen here… (Treating an important issue lightly.)
f. Prov. 13:1 – A wise son heareth his father’s instruction.
g. A foolish son will hear with one ear, and it will go right out the other ear. And there are consequences for that.
h. But a wise son will hear… and will increase learning.
B. Honor Thy Mother and Thy Father
1. Eph. 6:2 – HONOR thy mother and thy father.
a. Honor defined:
• Honor, to fix a price on, to value, esteem, revere.
b. It is a broad term.
• It is sometimes used as a virtual synonym for obedience. (We honor his wishes by carrying them out.)
• Obedience is an expression of honor.
• But honor goes beyond the outward action to the inward attitude of the heart.
• As the wife is to submit to her husband and to show respect, the child is to obey both of his parents and to show reverence or respect… to honor them.
• If a child truly honors his parents, then they will VALUE them… and VALUE their words… their advice, their counsel, their care, concern, and all the thousands of other things they do for them…
c. That will be translated into obedience in the practical realm.
• If a child truly honors his parents, then he will obey.
• Obedience is to be carried out in the spirit of respect and honor.
• Obedience is to arise out of the esteem given to parents for who they are…
• It is possible for a child to obey the command a parent gives without showing any respect or honor to that parent.
• It is possible for a child to obey without having a submissive heart. (The child who was told to sit down was forced to sit down… but he thought to himself, “I’m sitting on the outside but I’m still standing on the inside!”)
• It is possible (and happens often) for a child to obey a command given by his parents, but to do so with a ROTTEN attitude.
d. The command to HONOR one’s parents adds a whole new dimension to obedience.
• This speaks not just of action (doing the deed) but attitude (the spirit in which the deed is done).
• And that will affect the whole atmosphere of the household, for good!
• It is possible for a child to obey the command, and to do so grumbling, murmuring, complaining, and souring the air.
• Or, a child can obey, with a right attitude: giving honor unto his parents.
• If the child truly HONORS his parents, then obedience will come quite easily.
• If there is no honor, obedience will be a struggle.
• The inward attitude of honor and respect will change the whole dynamic of obedience: easy vs. battle; bitter vs. sweet.
Parental Authority
A. Parents
1. Children are the norm in most Christian homes. (Gen. 1:28)
a. Marriage and childbearing were part of God’s original design… before sin entered the world.
b. God’s plan was to populate the earth with the offspring of Adam and Eve.
c. Most marriages result in children… but not all.
d. Children are a blessing to the Christian home. They are to be desired. (Psalm 127:3).
2. God sovereignly arranged for your parents to BE your parents.
a. It was God’s choice to cause you to be born or brought up in the home you are in today.
b. No one chooses what family to be brought up in. That choice is made FOR us… and it was by God’s sovereign design.
c. And as parents, it was God’s sovereignty that brought your child (that particular individual or individuals) into YOUR home.
d. God made all of these arrangements before the foundation of the earth.
e. The children you have are just the souls God wanted you to have… and to train… and to work with…
f. And kids, the parents you have are just the ones God wanted you to have.
g. So get used to each other! It is a long-term arrangement. It is not eternal, but long term… as far as this life is concerned.
3. Children NEED parents.
a. God sovereignly arranged for children to have parents because for the first couple of decades, a child is not competent to make right decisions for himself.
b. There are very few creatures that are born more dependent upon their parents than human children. What could be more helpless than a day old human baby?
c. Children NEED parents for a long time after birth—whether they want to admit it or not.
• They need them for food, clothing, shelter, protection…
• They need parents to teach them to talk, walk, and learn about the world in which they live.
• They need parents to teach them about the Lord and the way of salvation.
• They need parents to show them the right way to go and to warn them of the wrong way… a worthy walk.
d. Parents usually decide that which is BEST for a child.
• No one loves a child more than his parents. This is all by design.
• Whether they are saved or not, a parent is naturally going to care for a child. (A few exceptions…)
• Parents are better at making decisions than the kids.
e. When children get a little older, they begin to THINK that they are competent to make decisions for themselves, but they are not.
• Usually, wisdom comes with age.
• God gives young children into the hands of parents—who are obviously older and wiser.
• Children are born with zero experience or wisdom. They NEED their parents. And parents need God’s wisdom. (0ver 300 sermons on God’s wisdom in prayer meeting!)
4. The term “Parents” is Plural. (Col.3:20)
a. This is the norm for a Christian home—regardless of what our society says. (Of course there are exceptions to this – death, divorce, etc.) But the norm is still the norm.
b. This means that the child is to obey BOTH his mother and his father.
c. The husband and wife are referred to by God as “one flesh.” In a sense, a married couple is like ONE person.
d. When they speak to their children it ought to be as ONE person giving ONE command.
e. This means that mom and dad need to be on the same page when giving instruction to a child.
f. What is a child to do when this is NOT the case?
• Dad says be home at 10:00 and mom says at 8:30.
• Dad says don’t take the car but mom says it’s ok.
• Mom says “Don’t wear that skirt. It’s too short.” Dad says, “It’s ok honey, you can wear it.”
• That is confusing to a child and is worse than no instruction at all!
• Sometimes that happens because of a lack of communication. That is easily resolved. Talk!
• But sometimes it happens because mom and dad refuse to get on the same page.
• It is a good idea for parents—husbands and wives—to get together and THINK AHEAD of the kids of issues that are coming… and come up with a mutually agreeable way to deal with those issues…
• Ex: music, TV, what to wear, church ministry, driving the car, how late to stay out, boy/girl issues, money, homework, fads, right crowd/wrong crowd, etc.
• Plan ahead on how to deal with issues before they arise and take you by surprise!
• And be united in your approach.
g. Paul says that the child is to obey his parents!
• One flesh that ought to be speaking with one voice.
• Nothing is more confusing and frustrating than getting conflicting signals.
• If children are going to obey their parents as God commands them to… the parents need to be sending forth ONE clear command.
• The term “parents” is plural—but they should speak with one voice.
B. Parental Authority
1. The fact that God expects children to OBEY their parents implies a God-given parental authority.
a. The parents are part of God’s chain of authority.
b. God created a world of law and order… designed to have everything in its place.
c. And in the affairs of men, God has instituted order.
d. Eph. 5:21- 6:5
• Vs. 21 does not mean that every Christian is to submit to every other Christian.
• The idea of mutual submission results in chaos for any system that requires order.
• Imagine if mutual submission and obedience was the rule of life in the army!?! (If every soldier had to submit to or obey every other soldier! Rank is gone… and so is the order!)
• Rather, Paul uses vs. 21 as a topic heading for what he is about to outline in the following passages.
• For things to be in proper order, submission to one’s God’s given role is necessary. So Paul gives three examples of WHERE submission is practiced:
» Eph. 5:22 – wives obey/submit to your husband.
» Eph. 6:1 – children obey/submit to your parents.
» Eph. 6:5 – servants, obey/submit to your masters.
e. Part of this chain of divine authority is the responsibility of children to obey their parents.
f. Other links include teachers, police, judges, senators, presidents, etc… all authorities are the “powers of God.”
g. A child who learns to submit to the authority of his parents in the home, will most likely learn to submit to authority elsewhere as well.
• The lack of respect and obedience young people demonstrate in school to the government is usually a reflection of a lack of respect and obedience in the home.
• Children are to be trained to obey their parents in the home in hopes that they will learn to obey God later in life.
• A child that is disobedient to a parent CANNOT be obedient to God, for God said, “Children obey your parents!”
h. God’s chain of authority is not to be questioned, debated, or contested. It is to be obeyed.
• Hence, a command from a parent is not to be the beginning of an argument, a debate or lengthy questioning.
• A command should be the end of the debate.
• Obedience means obedience.
• There is one in the position of authority and one in the position of obedience or submission to authority.
• And when everything is in its proper place, the home runs smoothly.
2. Parental authority is to be executed in LOVE and grace.
a. The husband has authority over his wife. But headship does not mean dictatorship. It is to be characterized by Christlike, self sacrificing, love!
b. The parents have authority over their children too. But that authority is also to be characterized by Christlike, self sacrificing, love!
c. That is the KEY to a happy home.
The Extent: In All Things
A. All Things Means All Things
1. When a parent gives a command, the child is expected to obey.
a. There is not a lot of wiggle room in this command either.
b. Present tense = all the time; all things = all-inclusive! They are to continually obey all the time and in all things!
c. There are no days off. There are no private areas where they don’t have to obey. ALL things.
2. If a child only obeys when he WANTS to obey, he is not obedient. He is self-willed.
a. If a child obeys only when it is convenient, or if he feels like it, or if he agrees with the command, then he is not obedient!
b. Even if he obeys 95 % of the time because he is in agreement. It is that other 5% that really matters. That’s where self will manifests itself… and needs to be dealt with.
c. Obedience is really tested in those areas where the child does NOT want to obey. That’s the true test of his heart.
3. ALL things really means all things!
a. Of course a parent is to see to it that his child obeys God first and foremost… that he obeys the Bible.
b. But obedience also includes all matters relating to his meal times, school, chores around the house, dress code, diet, family standards, what they can watch on TV, what they can listen to, right down to brushing his teeth!
c. ALL things implies both the easy and the difficult… both the things he enjoys doing and the things he does not enjoy doing.
d. It is not up to the child to pick and choose which commands to obey.
e. This is not an occasional obedience, but a continual obedience.
f. The child may not see the point; they may not see the good; they may not see the purpose; they may not see the value; but they are to obey anyways!
g. It may seem unnecessary or unreasonable to the child; it may not make sense to them, but they are to obey nonetheless.
h. They might complain with great ferocity that it is cruel and inhuman to expect them to clean up their room. They may appeal to the Geneva Convention… but they are to obey.
4. Of course, a child is NOT to obey if their parents order them to do something immoral or illegal. (shoplifting; marijuana; etc.)
a. Acts 5:29 – obey God.
b. Eph. 6:1 – “in the Lord.”
c. Matt. 10:34-35 – sometimes faith in Christ causes a child to be at variance with their parents. They must obey God rather than men in those situations. (Cf. vs. 37)
d. This would be the case in a Muslim country today… or even in an American household where the parents have an inordinate hatred for Christianity.
e. But this is a rare event… especially in this country.
f. The norm remains: Children, obey your parents!
The Motive: This is Well Pleasing to the Lord
1. Keep in mind that these are instructions to a Christian household.
a. The Lord is well pleased when Christian parents train their children properly… and the children respond in obedience.
2. Well pleasing
a. This term means acceptable; well pleasing.
b. Except for one exception, this term is used exclusively of God’s attitude towards human behavior.
c. Eph. 5:10 – (“Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord”) we are to prove all things to be sure that they are well pleasing to the Lord.
d. Here is one thing we KNOW is well pleasing! Well-trained, disciplined, orderly, obedient children!
e. God delights in that.
f. And what a TESTIMONY a well-adjusted Christian family can be in their little circle of influence!
• There are families all around us who are hurting more than you might now. Many of them are LOOKING for help…
• Husbands and wives on the brink of divorce…
• Children out of control…
• What a testimony for them to see how a family filled with the Spirit of God functions! That’s refreshing!
• There is something very appealing about that… and it attracts attention to our Savior.
• It brings GLORY to Him. It HONORS Him. It gives evidence that Christianity really works!
• I would encourage you to invite your unsaved neighbors into to your homes… in homes of sharing the gospel to them!
• Your kids are a big part of that testimony… IF they are encouraged to obey their parents in all things.
• There are thousands of families who would LOVE to know HOW your family works… what an opportunity to present the gospel!
• A Christian family with well-adjusted, obedient children is a wonderful WITNESS for Christ in the community.
3. This is the proper motive for a child to obey: because it is well pleasing to His heavenly Father.
a. Even if your child is not yet saved, God is pleased with his obedience…
b. God delights in seeing homes that follow the pattern He designed for the world…
c. It is a reflection of God’s glory built into His creation…
d. God is pleased that His Word and His name are being honored in a home where there is at least one testimony for Christ.
e. Teach your children as soon as they learn words that God is well pleased when they obey their parents.
f. Children DO get pleasure out of pleasing their parents.
• When a child obeys and he SEES that it pleases his parents (because his parents are sensible enough to praise him for good behavior)… it encourages the child to more good behavior.
• Probably nothing Jesus ever heard during His earthly ministry was more encouraging to His heart than to hear His heavenly Father say, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
• The Son pleased the Father. And the Son Himself was DELIGHTED in pleasing the Father!
• God the Father wasn’t shy about letting His Son know that He was Beloved… and that He pleased His heavenly Father!
• Earthly fathers would do well to follow that pattern! What an encouragement AND incentive to our kids to obey and do that which is right!
• That child needs to know that obedience not only pleases mom and dad, more importantly, it pleases God.
• What a wonderful thing: a little child can please the eternal Creator of heaven and earth by a simple act of obedience!
• When that truth sinks in to the head and heart of a child, then pleasing his parents and pleasing God ends up pleasing the child… and it stirs up an appetite for doing right… so that doing right becomes enjoyable.
4. What do WE often use as the MOTIVE or incentive to get a child to obey?
a. We usually use the threat of the rod! Punishment! Fear of being spanked.
b. Maybe next time we can look at DISOBEDIENCE and what the Bible says to DO about it.
c. But the rod is not God’s incentive for obedience. It is rather a disincentive or a deterrent for disobedience.
d. But in Col. 3:20 Paul is speaking about OBEDIENCE.
e. God says, “Children, obey your parents FOR this is well pleasing to the Lord!”
f. This he mentions as the incentive for obedience is “pleasing the Lord!” (Do it, FOR!!!)
g. It puts a big smile on God’s face! That’s what we ought to tell our children! God is really happy when you obey! Kids can easily understand that.
h. This is a very POSITIVE incentive.
i. It is simple, yet profound!
j. And kids need to know and see that WE too are happy when they obey!
5. Eph. 6:1 – for it is RIGHT.
a. Here Paul gives children another POSITIVE incentive to obey: it is right!
b. When Paul speaks of obedience here (as in Col. 3) he doesn’t even mention the rod.
c. He mentions the GOOD aspects of doing good things!
d. It pleases God! It is right!
e. Vs. 3 – it may be WELL with thee!
f. Of course it is healthy to have a fear of the rod, a fear of punishment, and a fear of wrath. There is a place for that.
g. But that is NOT God’s incentive to obedience.
h. It is good to obey one’s parents because you fear being punished.
i. It is far better to obey one’s parents because you love them and genuinely want to please them… and because you know it is the RIGHT thing to do!
j. God delights in that kind of motivation.
k. Love is what makes it all work out in the home! And love is the fruit of the Spirit.
l. Eph. 5:18 – this whole section FLOWS out of that theme!
m. Children need to be ENCOURAGED to do what is right… to obey their parents… and for the right reasons.
n. When a child SEES that his father and mother are truly DELIGHTED in their good behavior today, that is motivation to want to obey them tomorrow!
o. When a child learns that his Heavenly Father is DELIGHTED in his good behavior today (because dad and mom are drilling it in!), that will motivate him to obey tomorrow… “FOR” this is well pleasing to the Lord.
6. Now there is a NEGATIVE side to all this. Children do not always obey!
a. Very often children tend to disobey.
b. One of the first words all kids seem to learn in any language in any country is NO! Nyet! Nien!
c. Paul gives basically three simple commands in each of these “family” sections in Ephesians and Colossians.
d. And he gives only positive incentives here—because his purpose is to speak of a child’s responsibility: obey.
e. Obedience IS positive.
f. Everything Paul mentions concerning obedience is positive in these chapters: obey FOR — it will be WELL with thee; it is RIGHT; God will be well PLEASED.
g. Virtually all the books I read on the subject spoke of the roles in family as such: fathers love; wives submit; but instead of children obey… they wrote of discipline.
h. An important part of child rearing in the Bible sections on the family roles is ENCOURAGEMENT to obey!
i. We are quite out of balance if we emphasize the negative and forget to encourage them to obey… and to show pleasure in their obedience… and to demonstrate to them the VALUE of obedience… and the REWARDS of obedience…
j. Human nature being what it is, we would be grossly misstating the subject if we left here… without mentioning the other very real possibility: disobedience and what God’s Word says about that. Next week, Lord willing.
IF YOU ARE NOT BORN AGAIN…
1. You need to become a son of God.
2. But that does not come about by OBEYING commands.
3. It is ours by FAITH… not by obedience or works! (John 1:12)
Parental Responsibilities
Introduction:
Enforcing Obedience
1. Parents should be aware of what they are working with in dealing with their children.
a. The natural heart is naturally rebellious.
b. The fallen heart is rebellious against God and God’s authority… and thus, against parents.
c. Obedience does not come easily to a fallen heart.
d. It is a struggle. Don’t be surprised to discover that your child is no exception to this rule.
e. They come forth from the womb as little rebels… little heathens!
2. II Tim.3:2 – this was a characteristic of the ungodly.
3. Disobedience is to be punished… chastened…
4. Children are to honor their parents. They also ought to FEAR them… fear disobeying them… fear the consequences. (Just as we are to fear God—reverence Him and be afraid of sinning against Him!)
5. The parent is to see to it that the children obey…
a. The parents have to set their own family standards, rules, clearly define the boundaries of acceptable behavior, and clearly define the penalties for disobedience.
6. Consider how seriously God took this principle in the Old Testament:
a. Ex. 21:15, 17; Lev. 20:9 – stoned to death for hitting or cursing parents!
b. Deut 21:18–21 – a rebellious son—stoned!
c. Prov. 30:17 – mocking… eagles eating your eyes!
d. Prov. 20:20 – his lights will be put out!
A. Instruction
1. This means also that parents are to GIVE instruction to their children.
a. Eph. 6:4 – in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
b. Heb. 12:7-8 – what son is not disciplined by his father? The Bible assumes that fathers will discipline their children (instruct and train them).
c. Note that it does NOT say, “Parents, obey your children, for this is well pleasing unto them!” That is how many homes operate today. The kids rule… to the ruin of the home!
2. Orders to children need to be given in love.
3. Orders to children need to be CLEAR. (I Cor. 14:7-9)
a. Some parents are unclear in the commands they give to their kids. (“It sure would be nice if the cellar got cleaned.” or “Would you mind taking the trash out sometime?” or “Don’t stay out too late.”)
b. If your commands are that vague and ambiguous, how do you expect them to be obeyed? How could you ever recognize disobedience? How could THEY recognize disobedience?
c. Sometimes parents give orders that are indistinct, and thus speak to the air.
d. A clear sound is much better—with clear lines drawn.
Provoke Not Your Children to Anger
The Command: Provoke Not Your Children
A. Fathers
1. πατήρ – this is the normal word for father…
a. It is sometimes used of a remote ancestor or forefather.
b. However, sometimes in the plural, it is used of “parents.” (Heb. 11:23)
c. But the overwhelming usage of the term is that of a father – the male parent.
d. There is no good reason to understand this in any sense other than its most normal sense here: a father.
e. However, what Paul says certainly does apply to mothers as well.
f. And there is that possibility that he meant parents… mothers and fathers. Two translations of the New Testament actually translated this term “parents” in this verse.
B. Provoke Not
1. Defined: ἐρεθίζω –
a. To stir up, excite, stimulate, to provoke, incite, irritate, exasperate
b. This term is used only twice in the New Testament, here and in II Cor. 9:2. (In a negative sense here; a positive sense in II Corinthians.)
2. The tense: Present imperative
a. Often a present imperative in the negative can mean “Stop” performing the action. Here, that would be “stop provoking your children to anger.”
b. That is possible… but it does not hold for every case.
c. The main thing to glean from this is that it is a COMMAND.
d. And the present tense indicates that fathers (or mothers) should NEVER do this…
e. If you are presently provoking them to evil, then STOP!
f. If you are not, don’t ever start! The command is ongoing.
3. To anger
a. These words do not appear in any manuscript.
b. They were added by the translators to make it clear that the kind of provoking Paul meant was the negative kind.
c. It is likely Eph. 6:4 had a bearing on the translation here. A parallel thought appears there and the word Paul chose there DOES mean “provoke to wrath.”
d. It is good to provoke them to love and good works!
e. There are ways in which parents SHOULD provoke or stimulate their children… to be curious… to be readers… to love the Lord… to want to serve others…
f. But Paul had something negative in mind here… (Because he said DON’T do it!)
g. While anger is certainly one of the things parents are NOT to provoke their children to, by adding this word, the translators may have actually LIMITED the meaning here for many readers.
h. Other translations did something similar here:
• Do not vex…
• Do not make them resentful…
• Don’t come down too hard on… (paraphrase)
• Don’t nag…
• Don’t exasperate… (NAS)
• Do not embitter… (NIV)
• Do not aggravate…
• Stop irritating… (Wuest)
• That is eight different English words used to translate the term Paul used: ἐρεθίζω
• I listed them here (not to promote all these translations) but rather to give us a slightly different shade of meaning.
• The King James Version translators added the words “to anger” and we should know that the word Paul used was much broader than that.
• What I love about the King James Version is that when they added a word, they were up front about it and they TOLD us… by italicizing it!
• The other translators did not! They limited the term Paul used and DIDN’T tell us.
i. All Paul wrote was “don’t stir them up… don’t incite them.” He doesn’t say TO WHAT.
j. That leaves the door wide open for MANY applications to this passage… certainly one of which is anger.
k. But there are LOTS of other ways in which fathers could stir up their children in a wrong way.
4. Other ways children could be “provoked.”
a. To anger…
b. To frustration
c. To silently simmer
d. To irritation
e. To rebellion
f. To want nothing to do with Christianity
g. To run away and join the circus… or something worse!
h. To violence
i. To humiliation
j. To seek comfort and a sense of belonging “elsewhere” – even to the cults… or worse… drugs… crime… a gang… materialism…
5. Now I hope that no young people listening to this will USE this verse as an EXCUSE for your bad behavior!
a. When we stand before God, NONE of our sins will be excused on the basis of “he provoked me to it!”
b. That excuse is as old as Eden! The blame game started with Adam and Eve…
c. But God has never accepted those excuses. We are all responsible for our own behavior.
d. Don’t forget the message of Col. 3:20: Children OBEY your parents in the Lord!
e. Even if your parents aren’t behaving the way they ought to, God expects YOU to behave as He has commanded.
f. To excuse our bad behavior by saying, “It’s not my fault: my father provoked me… or “I can’t help it… my father DROVE me to it.” Those lame excuses will never get you off the hook before the Lord.
Implicit in the Command: The Father’s Authority
A. The Father’s Authority
1. Fathers are the heads of the households.
a. He has authority over his wife (vs. 18)
b. He has authority over his children. They are to OBEY him and his wife… the parents. (vs. 20)
2. Eph. 6:4 – The father’s role
a. Paul uses a different word for “provoke to wrath” in this verse.
b. Bring them up…
• To nourish up to maturity, to nourish, train, to nurture, care for.
• Used in Eph. 5:29 – nourish one’s own flesh = provide for its needs; take care of; feed; nourish.
• Those are the only two places this word is used in the New Testament…
• In Eph. 5:29, Paul states that the husband is to love his wife in the same way he cares for his own body.
• In Col. 3:21, Paul states that the father is to nourish and care for his children in the same way! He uses the same word.
• We take good care of ourselves. We make sure we are warm, dry, fed, clothed, and comfortable.
• We are to do the same for our children. Nourish them: that’s what the word “bring them up” in Col. 3:21 means.
• This is the father’s job.
c. They are to be cared for (nurtured) in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
• They are to be brought up in a particular sphere: nurture and admonition.
• The father is to set the tone and atmosphere in the home…
• It is to be an atmosphere of nurture and admonition.
d. Nurture: παιδεία – child training
• Strong’s: “the whole training and education of children, which relates to the cultivation of mind and morals.”
• It also includes the concepts of chastening and discipline.
• Heb. 12:5, 7, 8, 11 – the term “nurture” is translated “chastening” here. The emphasis in this context is on discipline… “spanking!”
• Heb. 12:9-10 – the author notes that we have all been disciplined or chastened by our fathers.
» He also makes an interesting and relevant point here: sometimes fathers chasten their children for their own pleasure…
» In other words, the child’s best interest is not always in mind.
» Sometimes fathers discipline because it feels good to lash out at someone…
» Sometimes fathers get frustrated and angry and take it out on their kids… and sometimes going overboard… being cruel… insensitive… even hateful…
» Sometimes spanking crosses the line and turns into abuse…
» Sometimes fathers say the cruelest things to their children: “stupid; you jerk; can’t you do anything right; I’m going to break your neck.”
• Think about how that comes across to a little one.
» Your son or daughter comes up to your knees or thighs.
» Imagine if you met a man that much taller than you? (He would be about 20 feet tall!)
» Imagine if a man that size began to spank you and he lost his temper and went overboard… he could do a lot of physical damage to you.
» Imagine a man that tall yelling cruel things at you at the top of his lungs and threatening you…
» That can be absolutely crushing—especially to a little girl… who is supposed to look up to her father.
• Fathers are responsible to chasten their children… but this passage states that fathers don’t always do it well… or carefully… or in the Spirit… sometimes it’s done in the flesh. We’ve all been there as fathers. Fathers are sinners too.
3. Discipline is the primarily the father’s responsibility… but it must be done RIGHT.
a. Prov. 19:18 – chastening causes them to cry, but it is good for them.
• Explain what a rod is… (applied to the rear end only).
• It is to be administered in LOVE… and under the control of the Holy Spirit… not in the flesh or in anger.
• The wrath of man worketh NOT the righteousness of God!
• If you’re that angry, take a minute to pray first…
b. Prov. 22:15 – the rod drives away folly from a child’s heart.
c. Prov. 23:13-14 – use the rod… it won’t kill him. (But don’t go overboard!)
d. Prov. 29:15, 17 – Use the rod: it results in wisdom for that child… and keeps the mother from shame later on… correct your son and he will give you rest. No discipline means no rest… agony… a life of regrets…
e. While BOTH parents are to administer discipline, the father, as head of the household, is responsible to see to it that it is being done. Much of it will have to be delegated to the wife who spends more time with the young ones.
4. The Bible is clear that the father is to discipline his children.
a. The father is given authority in the home… authority to administer discipline.
• Sometimes authority can go to a man’s head…
• Sometimes as a husband, his authority over the wife can degenerate into a cruel dictator… when it is SUPPOSED to be a loving headship, which reflects the love and care Christ has for the church, His Body.
• But authority is easily corrupted into something it was never intended to be.
• It can occur in the husband/wife relationship.
• It can also occur in the parent/child relationship.
• The author of Hebrews states that as a fact in ch. 12.
• And I think this is what Paul is getting at in Col. 3:21.
b. A father’s authority and role as disciplinarian, when administered in the flesh, apart from the control of the Holy Spirit can and often does PROVOKE children in many unhealthy ways.
• Discipline is good, beneficial, effective, and spiritually healthy for a child.
• But it needs to be mitigated by the influence of the filling of the Holy Spirit on the part of the father.
• Love, gentleness, goodness, faith, self control… aspects of the fruit of the Spirit that are especially needed in administering discipline.
• When the flesh is in control… and the fruit of the Spirit is absent, a father is very LIKELY to provoke his children… to all kinds of evil!
c. Paul does not mention the father’s role as disciplinarian, but he sure does IMPLY it.
• Read vs. 20 – children are to OBEY their parents… and their fathers…
• That implies that the father is giving commands to BE obeyed…
• And that the father is administering discipline if the children do NOT obey.
• So though it is not an explicit link between the provocation in vs. 21 and a father’s role as disciplinarian, I think we see in vs. 20 an implicit link.
• Fathers are to teach, train, instruct, nurture, care for, command, and yes, spank, their children.
• BUT (Paul adds) – don’t go overboard and provoke your children to anger… or frustration…
5. In the process of administering discipline and training, DON’T be a drill sergeant! Be a father instead!
a. A husband is to be a LOVING head of his wife… careful to meet her needs and care for her… just as diligently as he cares for his own body.
b. A father is to be a LOVING child rearer too… careful to nourish, train, and discipline his children… caring for them just as diligently as you care for your own body.
c. A father—or any parent—mothers too—are to have a RELATIONSHIP of love with their children.
• They are not to be cold, heartless, distant, mechanical rule enforcers. (A mechanical automaton—like a hammer). That is not what a parent is.
• Authority needs to be in place and obedience to the rules is to be expected.
• But it is to be conducted in the spirit of love…
• Ps. 85:10 – “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”
• There is to be a healthy BALANCE between mercy and truth… righteousness and peace… keeping the house rules and grace…
d. I have met parents who treated their children as if they were their drill sergeants instead of parents.
• “I’m in charge. I’m the boss. These are my rules. It’s my way or you’re out of here!”
• The slightest infractions are pounced upon.
• The punishment does not equal the crime. (overboard… and unreasonable)
• Sometimes rules are demanded just for the sake of forcing the child into submission… having rules for the sake of rules… rather than for the good of the child. (Administering chastening for the parents’ pleasure, rather than the good of the child.)
• Expecting rules to be complied with to the letter of the law… without regard for circumstances or mercy… (late because of a flat tire… or late by 10 minutes…)
• That’s ok for boot camp, but home isn’t boot camp; home should be a friendly, warm, loving place…)
• Home isn’t boot camp and parents should not be drill sergeants… but sometimes they behave like that.
• I think that is Paul’s main thought in 3:21 – parental authority gone bad!
» Authority that has gone to the parent’s head… and is not accompanied by love…
» Authority and discipline that is not administered under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
6. When a parent (father OR mother—both can be guilty of this)… is unbalanced and behaves like a drill sergeant, the child is likely to REBEL…
a. Going overboard on the rules (suffocating the child by keeping them under your thumb) can be just as harmful as going overboard in the other direction: anything goes!
b. Prov. 4:27 – “Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”
• This is advice given by Solomon to young men. Walk down the straight and narrow path and don’t go astray in EITHER direction.
• This is good advice for parents too: don’t lean too far to the left (overly lenient) and don’t lean too far to the right (overly strict).
• Be balanced…
• I take Paul’s words in Col. 3:21 to refer to discipline that is out of balance… not controlled by the Holy Spirit… overboard on the strict side… which PROVOKES a child to evil… anger… frustration… etc.
The Result of Not Obeying the Command: Discouragement
1. Discourage Defined:
a. This word for discourage is used only once in the New Testament.
b. It means: to be disheartened, dispirited, broken in spirit. To be despondent, disturbed in mind; burdened.
2. Prov. 17:22 – ?“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
a. Here Solomon speaks of opposites: a merry heart and a broken spirit.
b. This broken spirit has lost its joy and encouragement… it is thoroughly discouraged… beaten down…
c. Prov. 15:13 – constant sorrow breaks the spirit… (If their father or mother) is constantly angry at them… constantly putting them down… constantly nagging… constantly haranguing… constantly irritating… overly critical… always pointing out the things they do wrong and never praising them for the things they do right…
d. Prov. 18:14 – He states that such a condition can be quite unbearable! His inner strength is gone… depleted…
e. If this condition is what Paul describes in Col. 3:21 (and I think it is!) — what a serious warning to us as fathers!
f. Our poor behavior as a father can result in dispiriting our children… knocking the wind of them, not physically, but inwardly… which is far worse!
3. No father… no parent in their right mind would set out to break the spirit of their child…
a.However, it DOES happen… God said so.
b. If we live in the flesh, and chasten according to our own pleasure (selfishly rather than for the good of the child), then there is a great danger that WE ourselves could be discouraging our children…
c. When a parent goes overboard with correction, discipline, and punishment, and keeps the child right under his thumb… the child could suffocate…
d. With a little breathing room, he would do much better…
e. And the older, more mature and responsible a child becomes, the more breathing room and freedom he should be given… age appropriate rules and discipline.
f. Treating a teenager like a toddler results in rebellion… just like treating a toddler like a teenager would result in chaos!
g. With no breathing room, kids tend to rebel and struggle to get OUT from under that oppressive thumb!
4. O how we as parents need WISDOM in fulfilling our responsibilities in the hardest job we’ll ever have: parenting!
a. The good news is that God does GRANT wisdom, when we seek it with all our heart! (Prov. 2:3-6)
b. O how we need to strike a wholesome, spiritually healthy BALANCE between discipline and love; law and grace; rebuke and encouragement; chastening and edifying…
c. Going overboard in either direction can be equally disastrous to the child.
d. Paul seems to acknowledge in Col. 3:21 that fathers (parents?) in Colossae are already aware of their role as disciplinarian.
• Hence, he seeks to add a balancing touch here… by warning us not to go overboard and thus provoke our children…
• Perhaps we ought to take a look at the Scriptures concerning how our Heavenly Father treats us…
• He chastens us when necessary… sometimes severely!
• Psalm 103:13-14 – He also knows our frame… He knows our frailty. He understands our condition and thus shows pity and mercy to us…
• God has a RELATIONSHIP with us… as an earthly father should!
• He is our example. God help us to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord… and that our goal might be to BUILD THEM UP… not to knock them down.
• We need to discourage them from evil… but an overly oppressive approach can also discourage them from good… just leave them discouraged!
• Our job is to ENCOURAGE our children to know God and walk with Him.
• And let them know that walking with God is a JOY and a delight… not a burden… not oppressive…
America, Slavery, and the Bible
Introduction:
1. Slavery has long been a part of world history.
a. Aristotle taught that it was in the natural order of things that some men should “own” others so that the “higher classes” could flourish.
b. In New Testament times, as much as two thirds of the Roman Empire were slaves (before the 1st century it was as high as 90%).
2. This is an especially touchy subject here in America.
a. We have a wonderful heritage as a nation… one we can admire.
b. But our heritage is severely flawed because of slavery… which (to our shame) was tolerated in this land for almost 250 years.
c. We are still dealing with the scars and wounds leftover from slavery.
d. This weekend is Martin Luther King Jr. Day – a time to acknowledge and appreciate the great work he did for our country to help heal the wounds left from centuries of slavery… in promoting civil rights for all…
3. The form of slavery in America was especially cruel.
a. While we would all agree that any form of slavery is bad, some forms were much worse than others.
b. Some slaves (like Joseph) had a very high position and lived better than most people.
c. But later, the slavery of the Jews in Egypt was severe and harsh.
d. There was a wide range of practices: from domestic servants, to indentured servants, to cruel and oppressive treatment as in Egypt.
e. Slavery in America was similar to the cruel form of slavery in Egypt… where the evil taskmasters made them serve with rigor, and often whipped the slaves to get more work out of them.
4. Slavery in America had another unusual element to it.
a. In Bible times, slaves were most often made by one nation conquering another… and they were usually of the same race.
b. The slavery in America had another ugly blot: racism.
• Slavery in America was more than social and economic oppression.
• It included racial bigotry. (skin color)
• This makes it somewhat different than the issue of slavery in the Bible… an additional layer of evil.
c. At any angle you looked at slavery in America, it wreaked of cruelty and injustice.
5. We fought a bloody civil war over the issue. We lost more American lives in that war than in any other we have fought since! (600,000)
a. And remarkably, BOTH SIDES used the Bible to support their arguments.
b. Slaves and abolitionists interpreted the Exodus story about the liberation of the Hebrew people from slavery as a picture of what God thought of slavery.
c. The confederates gravitated towards the writings of Paul—such as our verse this morning. Slaves obey!
d. Both sides accurately quoted out Bible verses to support their views. Both sides felt justified… that God was on their side.
The Bible Used to Promote Slavery
1. Slavery was tolerated in America from our earliest days.
a. George Washington, the father of our country, owned slaves.
b. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence owned slaves.
c. Jefferson, knowing that he himself owned slaves, must have had a twinge or two of conscience when he wrote the words “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
d. Patrick Henry, the great orator who coined the famous slogan, “Give me liberty or give me death,” was a slave owner.
e. Slavery was legal in this country for almost 250 years.
f. The confederates down in Dixie had a lot of history to lean on in making their case.
2. “[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God…it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation…it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts.” Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America.
3. He (and other confederates) stated that slavery was sanctioned in the Bible for the following reasons:
a. In their minds, the New Testament apostles seemed to condone slavery:
• Col. 3:22 – servants were told to obey their masters.
• Eph. 6:5 – servants be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling.
• I Pet. 2:18 – Servants be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle but also to the forward.
• Clearly the New Testament teaches that slaves were to obey their masters in EVERYTHING… even if their masters were evil!
• There is no emancipation proclamation in the Bible.
• The Bible never told the slaves to sign petitions to end the oppression and abuse… and fight it at city hall.
• The Bible writers did NOT urge the slaves to unite and fight against this awful injustice.
• The Bible did not encourage them to rebel… like Spartacus and overthrow their masters.
• The Bible says just the opposite! Obey and submit.
• The confederates used that as ammunition from the Bible to support their views.
b. Some have suggested that Jesus condoned the beating of slaves in Luke 12:47-48. Of course, that was not the case.
c. The Old Testament seemed to condone slavery too.
• Ex. 21:12 – death penalty for a murderer; vs. 20-21 but no death penalty for killing a slave.
• Ex. 20:17 – “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors… manservant nor his maidservant, not his ox…” Even the moral law of God recognized slavery.
• Abraham was called a “friend of God” and Abraham had slaves.
4. In one sense, there was an element of truth in what they claimed.
a. The Bible does NOT forbid slavery. It does not denounce it.
b. The Bible permitted Christians to own slaves.
c. I Cor. 7:21 – the Bible told slaves to be content in their present condition. If they could be freed, then use it. Otherwise, be content.
5. Slaveholders in the South clung to verses like “Slaves, be obedient to masters” to justify the practice of slavery.
a. For folks who grew up in a culture that was steeped in slavery for a couple of centuries… an economy that revolved around slavery… living on plantations that couldn’t exist without slavery… it was easy to “convince” such folks that all was OK.
b. And if you could throw in a couple of verses from the Bible, then they felt doubly justified.
c. Hundreds of thousands of such men fought and died in the civil war in order to keep their system intact.
d. Many of them were Bible believing, born again Christians, who had convinced themselves that they were fighting to preserve their God-given right to own slaves.
e. The Southerners quoted the Bible to support their views.
The Bible Used to Abolish Slavery
1. In the North, (for the most part) folks took the opposite view.
2. The abolitionists quoted from the same Bible to support the opposite conclusion!
a. They read from the book of Exodus how God sent Moses with a message to the Pharaoh (representing Satan and Egypt representing the evil world system!). Nine times this message appears in Exodus: “Let my people go!”
b. Ex. 7:16-18 – If they would NOT free the people from slavery, God would send plagues upon Egypt and destroy that nation!
• This was designed to let them know that Jehovah was the LORD of all the earth!
• It was designed to let them know what He thought of corrupt religion and corrupt practices—namely, mistreating His people through slavery!
• When the plagues descended upon the nation, it was evident whose side God was on!
c. Gal. 3:28 – The abolitionist noted that in Christ there is neither “Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” They claimed that God made no such distinctions and neither should we.
3. During the civil war period, both sides, the Union in the North and the Confederates in the South were both quoting the Bible, and both believed they were fighting for God!
a. On Sunday, they both went to church and worshipped God.
b. They all read out of the same Bible.
c. They both prayed to the same God for victory.
d. They both believed they were fighting for the truth and that God was on their side.
What the Bible IS
1. I’m sure we’ve all wondered WHY the Bible doesn’t denounce slavery.
a. Why did Paul tell slaves to obey their masters?
b. Why didn’t he write that say slavery is sin and make prohibitions against it?
c. The Bible denounces lots of other things. Why not slavery?
d. Those are legitimate questions to raise…
e. But WHY did God permit it rather than denounce it?
f. The answer is a bit complicated. You have to think. But if you are willing to think this one through, it is EXTREMELY encouraging to see how God works in time… and how righteousness and justice always win the battle!
g. God’s ways are not our ways. His way is perfect.
• We would be inclined to tell God to just give us a law! Outlaw it!
• But you can’t legislate righteousness. The Old Testament taught us that.
• The law was powerless to change the heart!
• Slavery is not mainly a legal or a political problem. It is primarily a heart problem…
• God chose to deal with this BLIGHT on society… NOT by dealing with the symptoms (slavery) but by dealing with the ROOT of the problem.
• The root of the problem is the sinful heart of man: greed, unrighteousness, bigotry, pride, selfishness. This is God’s way of dealing with slavery.
• God’s way takes longer, but it is better. God is changing hearts, one by one.
• The way to deal with slavery is to crucify pride and greed and fill the heart with the love of God.
2. WHY didn’t the Bible writers simply FORBID Christians from practicing slavery? The answer in part is found in appreciating what the Bible IS and what it is NOT.
a. In the days when Paul wrote Colossians, the Roman Empire had about 60 million slaves!
• These slaves for the most part were of the same skin color as their masters, having been conquered in battles.
• By some estimates, it was about 2/3 of the entire population.
• That means that the entire economy of the Roman Empire was built around slavery. To end slavery would cause the economy to collapse.
• The whole social stratum of the empire was built around slavery. To end slavery would bring social upheaval.
• Slavery was woven into the fabric of politics in the Roman Empire.
• Anyone suggesting the abolition of slavery would have been considered a seditionist… a rebel against authority… a political insurgent… and might throw the entire Roman Empire into political and social chaos.
• That is not the purpose of the Bible.
b. The Bible was not written to change society.
• There was much economic injustice in Rome, (and in America) but the Bible is not a book on economics.
• There was much social and political injustice in Rome, (and in America) but the Bible is not a book on political science or sociology.
• The Bible was not addressed to society, but to the HEART of a sinner… so that the individual might come to know God in a personal way and have a right relationship to Him.
• The Bible is a spiritual book – designed to teach us how to know God, live for God on a cursed and corrupt earth.
• Dan. 2:44 – God is not going to fix or improve the kingdoms of this world. He is going to establish His OWN Kingdom… and grind the earthly kingdoms (world system) to dust!
• Vs. 34-35 – the kingdoms are crushed and no place was found for them.
• Christians have been called OUT OF the world. Our job is not to clean up the world, but to fish men out of it.
• The Bible completely bypasses this world system and addresses the hearts of individual men.
• The Bible was not written to tell us how to FIX the world, but how to live in it and remained unspotted by it!
• Nothing in the world system is of the Father. (I Jn. 2:16-17)
c. Col. 3:1-3 – Don’t forget the HEADING to this whole section: Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth, for ye are DEAD and your life is hid with Christ in God.
• This world system is not our home. It is an enemy of the believer. It is antichrist and antichristian. A friend of the world is the enemy of God.
• Jesus said to Pilate: My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
• When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter had an earthly view, and took out a sword to fight. He cut off one of the soldier’s ears, and Jesus rebuked him.
• Eph. 6:12 – Our battle is not political, social, or economic. It is a SPIRITUAL battle.
• Our foes are not fighting a war on poverty; or against social injustice, or economic equality.
• Those are all earthly endeavors. (If the Lord leads an individual Christian into politics to fight for those things—great!
• But (Jerry Falwell notwithstanding) that is not the mission of the church!)
• We fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers; spiritual wickedness in high places!
d. What would the world have thought of Christianity and the New Testament if the apostles took up swords FOUGHT against the Roman military oppressors? What would the world have thought if the apostles had formed marches and began signing petitions to have the emperor removed from office and they began fighting against the injustices of the earthly Rome Empire… including slavery?
• Christianity would have been reduced to nothing more than just another political uprising… seeking to overthrow the existing order.
• Jesus would have been seen as a revolutionary seeking political power!
• If the apostles began by seeking to overthrow the political, social, and economic fabric of the empire, Christianity would have been nothing more than some new social agenda.
3. Christianity is none of those. It is LIFE… abundant life in Christ!
a. The apostles NEVER fought a political or social battle.
b. They never marched on Rome. They signed petitions. They never demonstrated against the corrupt Roman emperor.
c. When the Lord sent His disciples into the world, He did not say, “Go ye therefore into all the world and clean up that mess! Improve society! Bring about social and political reform! Fight against corruption, injustice, and oppression!”
d. He said, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel!”
e. Why didn’t the apostles denounce slavery and make prohibitions against it? Because that is not the PURPOSE of the Bible. That is not the mission of the church. That’s not why we are here.
What the Bible SAYS
1. Consider the awful injustices of persecution!
a. The emperor Nero was burning Christians at the stake! Human torches for his lavish parties.
b. While those awful acts of injustice against Christians were occurring, Peter sat down to write a message to the Christian soldiers. (I Pet. 2:13-17)
c. He did NOT write: take up your arms! Let’s march on city hall! Let’s demonstrate against the government. He did not write, “Down with the emperor!”
d. Instead, he wrote: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man… Honor the king!”
e. Peter was painfully aware of the injustice in the land, and God was certainly aware of the persecution, but God’s ways are not man’s ways.
f. God had a different METHOD of dealing with injustice at any level.
2. God gave similar instructions concerning the issue of slavery.
a. Just as Christians were being abused and suffering injustice at the hands of evil men, so too were thousands of Christian slaves.
b. And while many unsaved slave masters were cruelly abusing their slaves, while many of these Christian slaves were suffering awful injustice at the hands of evil men… Peter sat down to write.
c. I Pet. 2:18 – Peter did not tell the slaves to unite and overthrow the corrupt evil masters.
• He did not encourage an uprising like Spartacus.
• Instead he wrote: slaves, be subject to your masters… and not only the good ones, but also the evil ones!
d. Paul also wrote the same thing in Colossians 3:21. Paul did not write an emancipation declaration. He too told the slaves to obey.
e. God had a different method of dealing with the injustice of slavery.
3. God’s message to Christian slaves: “If you find yourself as a slave, be the BEST slave you can be!”
a. Col. 3:22 – he tells them to obey and not just when the master is looking. (That’s what unsaved slaves would do).
b. Vs. 23 – do your chores heartily… not grudgingly and with murmuring. That’s what an unsaved slave would do. You be different!
c. Shine in the midst of darkness and injustice!
d. Gen. 39:1-6 – this is just what Joseph did. He found himself (because of the cruelty of his brothers) as a slave… and he chose to be the very best slave he could be. He found grace and favor with his master and was elevated!
e. Gen. 41:38 – it was noted that the Spirit of God was with Joseph.
f. Col. 1:27 – Paul told the Christian slaves that Christ lives in them! They should be different from the other slaves!
g. The other slaves had no hope. The Christian slave has a hope of GLORY!
h. Col. 3:1-4 – the Christian slave’s real life was not down here on earth suffering abuse.
• His real life was hidden away from his unsaved master.
• His master had no idea of what made him different. His real life was hidden away in heaven!
• He was truly a FREE man in mind, heart, and conscience… the truth set him free.
• His condition was unlike that of his master who probably lived with a lot of guilt and shame… because of his greed and cruelty. His master was the real slave… enslaved by his sin, greed, and selfishness.
• The Christian was not to obsess over the injustice on earth. Injustice will be here till the Lord comes!
• He was to rejoice in his glorious position, in Christ, in heaven!
• That was his real life… and in Christ there is neither bond nor free!
• A Christian slave in the first century with the right spirit and attitude would be a MARVELOUS witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.
• That would open MANY DOORS to preach the gospel… No doubt others would ask him a reason of the hope that lies in him!
4. This was God’s purpose for the believer on earth.
a. This is Christianity! We live in a cursed earth, but our minds and affections are on things above!
b. That motivates us to endure suffering, abuse, persecution, and injustice in a corrupt world…
c. It enables us to REJOICE in spite of it all… knowing that we have a hope of glory that others do not have!
d. This principle translates into all kinds of other injustices in the world too!
e. A Christian living in an oppressive Communist country is to be the best Christian he can be!
• In spite of abuse, persecution, and injustice, he is there to SHINE for Christ!
• Christians are suffering abuse and injustice in Communist China and elsewhere in the world today.
• His God given purpose is not to overthrow the government but to be a witness for Christ.
f. A Christian living in a repressive tribal oligarchy in some third world country may experience injustice. God’s command to him is the same: SHINE for Christ in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.
g. A Christian living in the lower stratum of the caste system in India… is not to try to overthrow that political, socio-economic system either.
• He is to be a testimony for the Lord…
• He is to learn to be content in whatsoever state he finds himself… and not to murmur and groan like others.
• He is there to manifest the indwelling Christ to the lost all around him.
h. And even in our beloved country, there are STILL many injustices!
• It is hardly honest to say that a little black boy born in the projects in Roxbury has the same privileges and opportunities as the son of one of the Bostonian Brahman on Beacon Hill!
• Let’s be honest. While I believe our country is the fairest system on earth… it is STILL part of the world system and it is corrupt. There IS much injustice in America.
• Thank God for Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation Proclamation!
• Thank God for Martin Luther King, Jr. for the work he did on civil rights.
• But that notwithstanding, there remain many more hurdles in this country for blacks to jump over than whites.
• The rich have more power and more access to government than the poor.
• Christians today find themselves living in the midst of injustice… even in America!
• It was God Himself who established human government.
• Back in Gen. 9, God gave this responsibility to Noah and to mankind to follow Noah.
• Human governments, as imperfect, unfair, and unjust as they are, are still God’s methods of maintaining a certain degree of righteousness, law and order on earth.
• Rom. 13:1-2 – powers that BE are ordained of God.
• As Christians we are to submit to those authorities and the system of government established.
• We are not to undermine the government.
• Phil. 2:14-17 – Rather, we are to live a godly life and shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.
j. There is NO governmental system on earth that is free from corruption and injustice… because all governments are made up of human beings… sinners by nature!
k. Whether it is the former system of apartheid in South Africa, caste system in India, persecution in Communist China, oppression in a Muslim country, or the vicious cycle of ghetto life in America… injustice is seen everywhere!
l. Regardless of which system of injustice the world has devised… the believer is to be heavenly minded and be content in whatever state he finds himself.
m. The Bible writers had nothing to do with the INVENTION of these human systems, all of which were filled with injustices of every stripe.
• The Bible simply accepts slavery and other forms of social injustice as a reality and thus tells the believer how to live a godly life in WHATEVER system he finds himself in.
• Of course it’s not fair! God never said the world system was fair. It is our foe as a Christian.
• But we have been sent INTO that world to manifest the indwelling life of Christ to men and women everywhere.
• And God gives the grace and strength needed to live the Christian life with poise and dignity, regardless of the abuse and injustice leveled against us.
• Christianity was never designed to change the world, or the corrupt systems of the world. The world is God’s enemy and He is not going to fix it. He is going to CRUSH it…
• Christianity was designed to change ME… and you… and the way we face the world… and the way we live our lives in the world… the way we deal with tribulations in the world… including injustice and abuse.
• Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
5. In Christ, the believer is truly FREE… in spite of the most abusive and oppressive earthly condition he may be experiencing.
a. I Cor. 7:22-23 – free in Christ.
b. The truth shall set you free…
c. Col. 3:22 – earthly masters may be masters according to the flesh (masters of your body), but never of your mind, heart, conscience, and soul! Ye belong to Christ and are free in Him!
d. This kind of freedom can be experienced by EVERY believer… regardless of which system of corruption and injustice he may be living under.
IF YOU ARE NOT BORN AGAIN… Then you are a slave to sin… and Christ died to set you free!
How God Dealt With the Issue of Slavery
In the Bible
Does the Bible Justify Slavery?
1. In the conflict in our country in the mid 1800’, the South felt that it did.
a. “[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God…it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation…” Jefferson Davis
b. They USED the Bible to support their practice of slavery… and they were dead WRONG in doing so.
c. They abused and twisted Scripture to make it appear so.
2. The argument is made that since the Bible contains an elaborate system of slavery, God ESTABLISHED the practice of slavery.
a. The Bible contains all the “how to’s” of slavery!
b. There are scores of passages that deal with the subject.
c. Some see in the sheer volume of these passages a justification for the practice… at least a tacit approval of it.
d. And for folks who were living well off the practice, they were happy to see a superficial justification for slavery, and were content to look no further. (Don’t confuse me with the facts!)
3. It is clear that the Bible contain so much information about slavery. But the issue to consider is: WHY?
a. This was the issue the Southerners were unwilling to discuss.
b. There is a good reason WHY there is so much about slavery in the Bible. Because in the days the Bible was written slavery EXISTED!
c. It was a common practice by virtually every powerful nation.
d. As much as two thirds of the Roman Empire were slaves (before the first century it was as high as 90%).
e. One Roman General brought back 50,000 conquered soldiers and sold them on the slave-block in Rome.
f. Many poor people SOLD themselves into slavery to pay off their debt.
g. Slavery was the invention of cruel, proud, greedy, selfish, malicious, evil MEN!
h. But since it already EXISTED and was so common, God chose to REGULATE it… to hinder and mitigate the suffering involved in this evil system. THAT”S why there is so much in the Bible about slavery!
i. The regulations on slavery should NEVER be considered an approval of the practice…
j. God didn’t INVENT divorce either. Neither did God invent polygamy… but we find them both mentioned in the Bible.
• But it existed and was common, so God REGULATED it… to prevent even more abuse and cruelty.
• Matt. 19:7-8 – And WHY did God permit divorce? Why did He regulate divorce?
» “Because of the hardness of your hearts!”
» But from the beginning it was not so!
» It wasn’t God’s original plan.
» It came about because of the sinfulness of the human heart.
» Ecc. 7:29 – Solomon lamented: God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
» But from the beginning it was not so!
• Why did God have to regulate slavery? For the very same reason!
• Slavery came into existence because fallen men are evil, greedy, selfish sinners who created a corrupt system which includes slavery that oppresses the poor.
• Because of the hardness of the human heart, God sought to REGULATE that corrupt system.
• The regulations should never be misconstrued as His approval on the system. Just the opposite!
d. God didn’t INVENT slavery. Sinful men invented it.
• If men had followed God’s laws, slavery NEVER would have been created!
• Ex. 21:16 – anyone who stole or sold a man was to be put to death. That’s God’s attitude towards slavery! It’s pretty clear too!
• But evil men did NOT follow God’s law and DID establish slavery.
• And slavery became firmly entrenched in societies all over the globe.
• Thus, when the Bible writers sat down to write, God moved them to regulate the awful abuses and injustices of slavery.
Consider what the Bible actually SAYS about slavery.
1. Slavery existed in all kinds of cruel forms in the world.
a. Aristotle referred to a slave as a “living tool.”
b. They were considered property to be used and disposed of like the rest of one’s property.
c. One philosopher wrote that “old slaves were to be used and then thrown into a dump.”
d. In the world, evil masters could virtually do as they pleased with their slaves…
2. The Law of Moses protected slaves from being abused by their masters:
» The slave was required to rest on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10)
» Killing a slave was punishable by death (Ex 21:20)
» Permanently injured slaves had to be set free (Ex 21:26-27)
» The slave was required and to participate in religious observances (Exodus 12:44).
» Slaves who ran away from oppressive masters were effectively freed (Dt 23:15-16) The Bible prohibited extradition of slaves and granted them asylum.
» Every fiftieth year (the year of jubilee), all Hebrew slaves were to be freed, even those owned by foreigners (Lev 25:10) God protected poor families from being trapped in this system forever!
» The law made it clear that foreigners were not inferiors who could be mistreated (Ex 23:9) – for YOU were strangers in Egypt!; instead they were to be loved just as fellow Israelites were (Lev 19:33-34).
3. Jewish slaves: When one Hebrew owned another Hebrew as a slave, the law commanded lenient treatment:
» Slaves were to be treated as hired workers, not slaves (Lev 25:39-43)
» All slaves were to be freed after six years (Ex 21:2, Dt 15:12)
» Freed slaves were to be liberally supplied with grain, wine and livestock (Dt 15:12-15)
» These regulations and protections for slaves set Israel apart from all other nations, where abuse of slaves was rampant.
3. Consider how God goes right OVER THE HEADS of the slave masters.
a. Vs. 22 – the servants were to obey, but they were not to fear their earthly master. They were to fear God… their heavenly master!
b. Vs. 23 – they were to serve heartily… but they were NOT serving their earthly master, but the LORD! They were NOT servants of men! And that earthly condition of slavery is where the Sovereign God allowed them to be… and serve HIM.
c. Vs. 24 – they were going to be rewarded “of the Lord”! Their earthly rewards were quite meager, but their heavenly rewards would be spectacular!
4. Vs.25 – And by the way, that master will be judged for whatever evil injustice he has imposed! God is no respecter of persons.
a. God is not impressed with the cruelty of slave masters. But He is impressed with obedience and suffering for righteousness sake!
b. Paul gives us a glimpse of heaven’s perspective of the evil of slavery that existed in Bible times.
c. It enables the slave to endure suffering & injustice with dignity.
d. Slavery is outlawed in our land (thank God!) but we still have many other injustices to deal with in a cursed earth filled with 6 billion sinners.
e. Perhaps you have been called to endure suffering for R sake… called to endure injustice…
f. Earth’s perspective will give us one view of the situation… and can make us bitter and angry.
g. Heaven’s and eternity’s perspective will give us any view entirely… it will transform us… it enables us to endure with longsuffering and joyfulness!
h. God uses suffering, affliction, injustice, and persecution to train us… and to prepare us to stand before the Bema.
i. A heavenly mindset FREES the Christian slave from the drudgery of slavery to an evil master on earth… and enables them to see themselves as serving Christ… who is seated at the right hand of God…
j. And Christ who is seated at the right hand of divine power is not helpless to do anything about this injustice… but rather reigning… ruling… in Divine power and majesty… observing… taking notes… and ready to strengthen… and awaiting the time to reward faithful service… & judge all evil.
k. That godly Christian slave of the first century who served an evil master could do so with dignity… with a sense of living ABOVE his circumstances… because he realized he was raised up into heavenly places in Christ… and because he has a heavenly mindset… awaiting the Bema where all the crooked things shall be made straight!
Christianity Uses a Different Method to Conquer Injustice
1. Regenerated, transformed hearts! (I Pet.1:22-23)
a. The love of God!
» Instead of saying, “Down with slavery!” God chose to say, “Walk in love.” (Eph. 5:1-2)
» Rom. 12:9 – ?Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”
» John 15:12 – ?This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
» Matt. 22:39 – “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
» I John 5:1 – a lack of love for one’s brother is an expression of a lack of love for God!
» Gal. 5:13-14 – “?For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.? 14 ?For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
» Matt. 7:12 – “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”
» Any one of these verses would suffice to bring an end to slavery…
b. A sense of brotherhood!
a. If slavery was SIN, God would have condemned it outright, but He didn’t. It wasn’t sinful to own a slave or to be a slave.
• In fact, Paul met a runaway slave named Onesimus and led that slave to saving faith in Christ.
• Then Paul sent the slave back to his master—who was a Christian! Philemon!
• Philemon 1:1, Paul calls the Christian slave owner his “dearly beloved and fellowlaborer” in the Lord.
• Philemon 5 – Paul thanked God for him and told him that he had heard of his good testimony – of his love and faith which he had for the Lord AND for all the saints… many of whom were slaves.
• Paul did not condemn Philemon for owning slaves. He praised him for his faith and love.
• But when Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon, he wrote, “Thou shouldest receive him forever, not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved!”
• Onesimus was WITH Paul and was sent to deliver the book of Colossians.
• Ultimately, the sense of Christian brotherhood, if understood properly, should have wiped out the concept of slavery among Christians.
Exhortations to Servants
The Responsibility:
A. Servants, Obey
1. Servants defined:
a. A slave, servant, spoken of involuntary service, e.g., a slave as opposed to a free man.
2. Obey: ὑπακούω – Literally: “to hear under”…
a. Definition: hearing and putting oneself under the authority of that which was heard.
b. To hearken, and thus to obey… to hear and respond in obedience.
c. Zodhiates: To yield to a superior command or force (used of the winds and waves obeying Christ).
d. This term was used of children obeying their parents.
e. Acts 12:13 – the damsel came to “hearken” – to respond to what she heard.
f. Servants are told to listen to their orders and carry them out in obedience.
3. Paul addressed slaves of the first century and told them to obey their masters.
a. Col. 3:11 – Paul just told these slaves that in Christ they were NOT slaves. They were freemen.
b. But in the world, different conditions exist and the Christian slave is to recognize that.
c. Thankfully, slavery no longer exists in this country.
d. So we don’t have the exact conditions mentioned here.
e. However, the exhortation, attitudes, and motivations given here apply to more than a master/slave situation.
f. There is good application to be made here if you are in the military.
g. There is good application to be made to the workplace.
h. There is also good application to be made for servants in the local church.
4. The master/slave relationship in the first century was the economic system that existed in that day in the Roman Empire.
a. That’s the way most of the work was done… the slaves did the work for the slave owners.
b. There was a relatively small upper class of wealthy people who ran the economy and businesses.
c. They used their slaves to do all the manual labor.
d. While our freedoms are much greater today, and our standard of living much higher, some things aren’t ALL that different!
e. Even in America today, there is a small group of upper class, wealthy, powerful people who own and operate the large companies and hire us “little people” to do all the work for them.
f. This is REALLY the issue that Paul is addressing in this passage…
g. Naturally Paul couched his exhortations in words most appropriate for the particular form economics in his day.
h. The system in Paul’s day was the master/slave relationship.
i. But the exhortations, attitudes, and motives that Paul promotes are applicable in ANY economic system: slavery, communism, capitalism, landowners and serfs, monarchy; etc. … any kind of worker or servant.
j. As a Christian, how should we conduct ourselves at work?
k. This is really the issue Paul is addressing here… even though it is worded in terms of the system that existed in his day.
l. This is what we want to consider this morning. How SHOULD a Christian conduct himself at work?
m. These principles apply first of all to slaves, but also to workers… and then to anyone in a system of authority… your job, an organization, even the local church.
n. Paul tells us how to behave in the position of a servant or a worker.
5. The command is simple: OBEY!
a. It is not simple to do, but it is simple to understand.
b. There is no wiggle room in interpretation here.
c. We are to do as we are told at work… follow the rules… obey the boss…
6. Present active imperative:
a. This was the ongoing responsibility of the servant/worker.
b. It is not a suggestion but a command.
c. To disobey is sin.
d. Think of the application to us today as workers and servants in the local church: this is an ongoing responsibility!
e. This means continual service to your company… or the local church!
f. The fact that you worked hard and did a good job yesterday does not give you the right to loaf or goof off today!
g. Your company hired you to work every work day… all day long… they keep on PAYING you, and they expect you to KEEP ON working.
h. God expects the same: a full day’s work!
i. This translates into consistency… faithfulness… reliability…
j. The Christian worker does his best… and he CONTINUALLY does his best.
k. Do YOU do your best at your job? All the time?
• Are you a reliable, faithful, consistently diligent worker?
• When you are supposed to be a meeting or in your office, are you there? Or are you hanging around at the water bubbler gabbing?
• Do you DO what your boss tells you to do, or to you try to SKIRT around performing your duties?
• Do you carry out orders or are you constantly coming up with excuses?
• We are to CONTINUALLY do what our boss tells us to do.
• That’s what God requires of us also. Our testimony is linked to this.
l. We would do well to apply this principle to our service in the local church too.
• Are we serving God in the local church?
• He has given you a spiritual gift to function in the Body and He has commanded us to SERVE. Are we?
• Are we faithful? Are we consistent? Are we reliable?
• Do you devise countless excuses why you can’t be faithful in attending church and Sunday school?
• We should examine our own hearts now, before the Lord examines them at the Bema Seat.
• Most of what we consider to be “good” excuses will probably be renamed at the Bema: laziness, spiritual apathy, selfishness, worldliness, pettiness, serving two masters… earthly minded… leaving our first love.
• We are to be constantly obeying and serving… it is a command and is ongoing. There is no retiring from the Lord’s service.
• Can you be counted on to BE there and perform your ministry?
B. Obey In All Things
1. Some jobs you like doing. Others you don’t. Obedience is expected in ALL!
2. The Christian worker doesn’t have the right to pick and choose which duties he will obey and which he will not!
3. He is to submit to authority… to obey the rules… period!
4. If you don’t want to do the job, get another job.
5. BUT—keep in mind that EVERY job has requirements and duties that are less than desirable!
6. What a poor testimony when a Christian does not do things he doesn’t want to do at work! What a great testimony when he obeys in ALL things!
7. This means obedience whether you think it’s a good idea or not!
a. The servant is not the master. The employee is not the employer.
b. You might think that this new responsibility they are giving you is foolish, unnecessary, and a waste of time.
c. But if they insist, the Christian worker is to obey.
d. Luke 16:10 – This means obedience in the little details… even if you see no sense in some of those details.
e. In the military, the foot-soldiers don’t always know WHY they are given certain orders, but a good soldier does what he is told.
f. A good soldier of Jesus Christ also carries out his orders.
8. Of course, sometimes it is IMPOSSIBLE to obey.
a. They may give you more work than is humanly possible! (So do your very best…)
b. They may give you a task you are not qualified to do. Let them know.
c. They may ask you to do something sinful or illegal.
d. But for the most part, it IS possible to obey.
C. Masters According to the Flesh
1. 1 Tim. 6:1 – they are to HONOR their masters!
a. That really sets the Christian servant apart from his unsaved counterpart!
2. Eph. 6:5 = fear and trembling…
a. The Christian servant was to show respect for the position of authority of his master.
b. This kind of respect ought to be given to those over us at work as well. It is part of our testimony.
c. That means we stay away from gossiping about and slandering the boss…
d. And remember, this was to be the case for both the good and the froward masters… good or bad, their position of authority was to be respected.
e. This too will set us apart from the other workers.
3. Note that they were masters (lords) according to the flesh.
a. They could tell your body what to do and where to be…
b. They have hired the services of your body… which includes your mind and your ability to use both your body and mind to do your job.
c. But they are not lords over your thoughts or over your beliefs.
d. They have no lordship over the inner man.
e. They are masters according to the flesh.
The Attitude:
A. Not with Eyeservice
1. Eyeservice:
a. ὀφθαλμοδουλία (off-thalm-o-doo-lia)– service performed [only] under the master’s eyes; service rendered only when one is being scrutinized or service rendered only for appearance sake.
b. Lit = slavery of the eye.
2. Work is not to be done only when your earthly master’s (boss) eyes are upon you… and you slack off when he is not looking.
a. This is the main point of the expression.
3. The servant/workers were not to be conscious of their earthly master’s eyes as they labored. They were to be conscious of their heavenly Master’s eyes!
a. This refers to being God-conscious all day long…
b. Such WILL be the case if we truly SEEK those things which are above… and set our affections and minds on things above!
c. We are indwelt by Christ as we work all day long.
d. The Holy Spirit lives in us… and enables us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure throughout the day.
e. This should not be just a passing thought, but an overwhelming thought!
f. Christ is to have the preeminence in our minds and hearts throughout the work day…
g. This will TRANSFORM our labor… being conscious of His presence… of His watchful eye…
h. However, we should not think of the Lord as a spy who is trying to catch us doing something wrong… or being lazy.
i. We should think of the Lord as our guide, friend, and One with whom we can commune and to whom we can pray all throughout the day… a close, abiding relationship…
j. When we are RESTING in our abiding relationship to Christ, our bodies will be DILIGENT in performing our earthly duties.
k. That will transform your earthly, mundane routine into a sacred ministry… because it stems from a relationship to the Lord.
l. That will increase your productivity… motivate you to do your very best…
m. And often, your boss will notice it and appreciate it. And sometimes, it will even be to your earthly advantage in getting a promotion or a raise (though that is NOT the reason to obey!) Our heavenly reward is the real motivation to do our best.
B. Not as Menpleasers
1. Defined: courting the favor of men; people pleaser; one who tries to win favor… but it implies winning favor in a hypocritical manner.
2. If I thought I had to please the people here as a pastor, I would soon be in need of a straight jacket and a padded cell.
a. For to please Fred means to anger Tom.
b. To please Alice means to anger Bill… and that is endless.
c. The Lord taught me this lesson long ago: you can’t please people. Thankfully, that’s not my job as a pastor—or in any other occupation.
d. I am here to please the Lord. I KNOW I can please Him.
e. It is impossible to please people. People change; they can be fickle; moody; they misread your motives.
f. I find it quite liberating to realize that I am not here to please people, but to the please the Lord.
g. He never changes! That which pleased Him today will please Him tomorrow too!
3. Focus on pleasing people and you have 6 billion problems on your hands. Focus on pleasing the Lord… and you have ONE Person to deal with.
a. Mary knew that ONE THING was needful. Martha needed to learn that. The ONE thing was serving Christ.
b. Phil. 3:13 – this is the one thing to be concerned about at work… pressing towards the mark of Christlikeness.
c. Jesus said, “I do ALWAYS those things which please my Father.”
d. At work we are to do ONE THING: obey God… serve God… honor God. And the WAY we do that is to obey your boss and honor him.
C. In Singleness of Heart
1. Defined: singleness, simplicity, sincerity, mental honesty. The virtue of one who is free from pretence and hypocrisy; not self seeking, openness of heart; not having an ulterior or double motive. Simplicity, the opposite of duplicity; purity, sincerity. Equivalent to being faithful and benevolent; integrity, fidelity.
2. If our one goal is to please the Lord, then we can do our job with SINGLENESS of heart!
a. We have ONE real goal: to please the Lord by our labor.
b. We have ONE person to please: the Lord… and He said to obey your boss.
c. We have ONE direction to be heading… that way which is right and thus pleasing to the Lord.
d. When people at work are pulling you in all different directions… all vying for your time and attention… often with conflicting orders… just stop, pray, and consider the ONE THING that you should do. “Lord, what wilt THOU have me to do?”
e. Rather than trying to do everything all at once—and worrying yourself silly (like Martha), take it to the Lord in prayer… and leave your anxieties at the mercy seat!
f. Don’t lie or lead people on to unrealistic expectations… be honest… be true…be pure… be sincere… full of integrity.
g. That’s Paul’s exhortation to Christian servants: singleness of heart!
D. Fearing God
1. Obey and fear God not men.
2. The Christian worker should fear displeasing God.
3. Not giving your boss an honest day’s work IS displeasing to God. Be afraid of that!
a. Remember, your heavenly Master’s eye is upon you at all times! We are to obey and serve always!
b. If you work only when your boss is looking, then you fear men… not God.
c. If you work faithfully because you know your heavenly Father is always looking, then you are motivated by the fear of God!
4. There may be a time when your boss tells you to do something that is wrong and sinful… contrary to the Bible. (Lie; not follow the government’s rules; cheat on taxes; contrary to OSHA rules; etc.)
E. Heartily
1. Defined: ἐκ ψυχήs – out of the soul!
a. Out of the inner man… out of the soul…
b. Out of the seat of the feelings, desires, affections.
c. This speaks of doing service with FEELING… with an inner passion… with enthusiasm… with gusto…
d. It means YOU are engaged in your work… not just your body being physically present, but you put your whole self into the job!
2. Here the apostle requires of workers not just external service (getting the job done—making 3000 widgets per day)… but to do so from the heart!
a. This speaks of putting yourself into the job… your heart and soul!
b. Doing the job with enthusiasm…
c. A word of warning for young people: this is a command. This also should serve as a warning: you should prepare yourself for a job or a career that you will be ABLE to do heartily!
3. We are to serve and obey from the heart… not half heartedly… but conscientiously… doing one’s best.
a. This means obedience without murmuring and complaining.
b. This means obedience even if your coworkers mock you.
c. Rom. 12:11 – Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.
d. Ecc. 9:10 -?Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.
4. This would eliminate laziness.
a. Yes, Christians can be lazy in their work.
b. Some workers might say, “Well, I’m just a grunt worker here. I don’t get to share in the big profits the boss makes. Why should I kill myself working for him?”
c. Well, think about what slaves in the first century got out of it… far less than we do today!
d. To work heartily means to give it your all! Do your best! Be diligent… not lazy.
e. Some Christians are lazy in serving the Lord in the local church too. (Sunday school teachers; ushers; pastors; officers; nursery workers.)
f. Some of the reasons we use to excuse our attendance at work OR in the local church might not fly at the Bema Seat.
• Tired, headache; back ache; sore toe…
• Would that hinder you from going to a World Series game if someone gave you free tickets?
• Oftentimes we lack the proper motivation to be diligent and faithful… at work or the local church.
The Motive:
A. As to the Lord
1. The Christian worker is to serve his company and boss AS IF he were serving God… making widgets for the Lord! (In a very real sense, he is!)
a. Boy would this attitude improve the quality of our work!
b. This would increase productivity!
c. Obedience is to be rendered not just so that you can get the promotion and make more money.
d. The main motivator: the Lord!
2. I Tim. 6:1 – This is part of our testimony before the world.
a. Doing your job as unto the Lord SANCTIFIES your job.
b. The NAME of the Lord is connected with HOW we do our job… the Lord’s reputation is connected to our service… whether we are faithful, diligent, honest, motivated, etc…
c. It makes our everyday job a SACRED ministry!
d. Yes, even if you make widgets for a living!
e. You are not serving men, but the Lord!
f. As a Christian worker, you are not really making widgets, or fixing computers, or teaching school, managing an office full of irritable people… You are a priest offering yourself as a sacrifice to God, a sweet-smelling savor in His sight!
g. You are a living sacrifice in the office, in school, in the factory, in the coal mine, in the medical lab, or wherever you work!
h. Work is a SACRED ministry to the Lord…
i. This truth gives meaning to the mundane… it elevates your earthly work to a heavenly service… with eternal consequences…
j. When we punch in each morning, we are really punching in to serve the Lord, and not men.
k. God sent us to that job not just to make widgets or manage an office, or fix computers, but to represent Jesus Christ… as His witness on earth… to manifest His indwelling life… His character…
l. According to the way we perform our duties at work, the name of Jesus Christ will either be exalted (for our obedience and diligence) or blasphemed (for being unreliable or lazy)!
m. The Christian slave of the first century who understood this truth would thus have the proper motivation to be the best slave he could be… in spite of the injustice and cruelty he faced… things that are higher, things that are nobler have allured his mind!
n. He wasn’t really working for his master. He actually had only ONE master: the Lord Jesus Christ. He was free from all else.
o. This is quite a motivator to do our best! Next week we’ll look at another motivator to do our best: the Judgment seat of Christ!
Earthly Service and Heavenly Rewards
He That Does Well Shall Receive a Reward (3:23-24a)
A. The Exhortation: Work Heartily in Spite of Injustice
1. Work heartily (Vs. 23)
a. Whatever you DO, DO heartily…
b. The first do is the normal word for “do.”
c. The second “do” is the word for “work” – energeo – to exert energy…
d. Whatever we DO (whatever the Lord leads us to do; whatever lot in life we find ourselves in) put energy into that job… into that career…
e. And do it from the soul…
f. It is a present imperative indicating an ongoing command.
g. We are to continually be putting our energies into performing the tasks at hand at our job…
h. This means without slacking off… do it wholeheartedly…
2. This was addressed to SLAVES.
a. The system of slavery was built upon injustice.
b. There really wasn’t anything “fair” about slavery.
c. Some people happened to be born into slavery; others were taken into slavery when their country was defeated by a stronger nation; others were kidnapped and made slaves.
d. It is the way the world operates: the strong and powerful take advantage of the weak.
e. And Paul never told the slaves to revolt against their masters. Instead, he told them to obey.
f. And not only obey, but in whatever chores they were given to do, to do them with all their might… to put their heart and soul into the job… no matter how menial… and not to slack off…
g. Some of the work slaves were expected to do was demeaning and degrading… insulting… humiliating.
h. Yet Paul’s instruction to them was to DO what their master said, and to do the job heartily…
i. Even though it wasn’t fair! They were being taken advantage of… treated with injustice… and cruelly at times.
3. This principle transcends the immediate context.
a. We noted last week that Paul couches his words in language appropriate to the social and economic system of his day: the master/slave relationship.
b. But this is certainly applicable to the economic system of our day too: capitalism.
c. There is a lot of injustice in capitalism too. (The best system on earth… BUT… it isn’t perfect.)
d. There are a lot of things that just aren’t fair in this country.
e. When it comes to privilege and opportunity, all men are NOT created equal… and that’s not fair. It is our ideal, but not exactly a reality.
f. Welcome to the real world. Of course things aren’t fair in a world run by fallen, sinful creatures. Satan is the god of this world. What did you expect?
g. But in spite of the injustices we may be called to endure, God wants us to accept our lot in life… and to do our best wherever He has planted us!
h. Think of the context in Col. 3
• Slaves were expected to obey their masters… even when slavery was built on injustice and many of the masters were cruel, ungodly men!
• Wives were told to submit to their husbands. There are many husbands who treat their wives cruelly… they are creeps who take advantage of the weaker vessel… and trample over them just because they can. The Bible tells the wife to “submit” — even when it isn’t fair! Some wives suffer much abuse in their relationship to their husband.
• Children are told to obey their parents… and sometimes parents aren’t fair to their kids either. Sometimes parents are childish and selfish… cruel… abusive. Yet God tells the children to obey…Stop and think about the thousands of children growing up in homes where their parents are drug addicts… alcoholics… care only for themselves… that’s not fair either!
• And maybe at YOUR job today things aren’t fair. Maybe the raises and promotions are given to those with connections rather than to those who do the best job… maybe there is racial bias… or reverse racial bias… maybe there you are being taken advantage of because you work hard… so they keep on piling it up on your plate while others slack off…
• Who ever said that life in this world was fair?
• Yet the Bible exhortation stands: “obey, and do your job with all your might…”
• That is often a bitter pill to swallow for those experiencing injustice and cruelty in this life.
• Knowing how difficult these words would be to those who suffered in this life, Paul encourages such believers to take their eyes off themselves and to focus on things above.
B. The Motivation # 1: Ye Serve Christ
1. The reason was given too: FOR they were really serving the Lord… not men.
2. The earthly master may not be worthy of loyalty… but do it for the Lord. He is worthy. Keep your eyes upon Him.
3. Paul seeks to raise the Christian slave ABOVE his earthly circumstances. You are serving Christ… who is seated at the right hand of the Father.
a. You are NOT a servant of men.
b. The eyes of the Christian slave were not to be on the earthly master, but on the Lord.
c. Col. 3:1, 4 – That’s our real life!
d. Our earthly condition is just a temporary sojourn… life here is but a vapor… and often unfair.
e. Dwelling on our earthly condition causes us to focus on self… and that often produces bitterness, resentment, anger, frustration, depression, and even rebellion. “Poor me!”
f. DWELL on your heavenly position in Christ… that’s glorious… That results in joy, fulfillment, and contentment with whatever lot we find ourselves in down here.
g. Attitude is everything. Dwell ABOVE the earthly… abide above where Christ is. That is our true home… our true abiding place… This world is not our home.
h. It is possible to have the joy of the Lord in our hearts even if our earthly condition is cruel and unjust.
4. This ELEVATES one’s service from the mundane routine and drudgery of everyday life… to a heavenly ministry for the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. The Christian slave is not serving his earthly master… but is serving the Lord Jesus Christ.
b. The wife with a cruel husband is not really serving him, but the Lord. (vs. 18)
c. The worker is not really serving his foreman or manager.
d. Being conscious of our real PURPOSE for being elevates our earthly routines into heavenly service.
e. “I am not digging this ditch for my foreman… who is constantly using the Lord’s name in vain. I am digging this ditch… or teaching this class… or crunching these numbers… or caring for these kids… FOR the Lord Jesus! I am serving Him! Therefore, I will do my best!”
C. The Motivation # 2: Ye Shall Receive a Reward (vs. 24)
1. And not only are we serving the Lord Jesus, but we shall be rewarded by the Lord Jesus one day!
2. The second motivating factor given is the Bema Seat…
a. There we shall one day in the future be rewarded for being FAITHFUL and DILIGENT in whatever lot in life we find ourselves today.
b. Our eyes should be on the Lord Jesus… and our attention should be drawn to the Bema Seat… where all the wrongs of this life will be dealt with in perfect JUSTICE, once and for all!
c. Every believer in Christ is enrolled in God’s university and this life is a test. Our tests will be corrected at the Bema Seat. There it will be exposed what we did right and what we did wrong…
d. Whatever we do, we are to do it heartily as UNTO the LORD… because it is the LORD who will give all their just deserts.
e. We should consider our earthly lives as a time of preparation for the day when we stand before the Lord…
f. In that day, our lives, attitudes, motives, intentions, and deeds will be examined by the Lord.
g. Eternal rewards will be given to those who were selfless, sacrificial, and dedicated to Christ and His Body, the local church.
h. A loss of rewards will be the lot of those believers who were selfish, worldly, carnal, and squandered their spiritual gifts and talents on themselves and their own families… and had but a casual relationship to Christ and His Body…
Description of the Bema Seat
A. What the Bema Seat Is:
1. II Cor. 5:10 – we must ALL stand before the Bema seat.
a. Bema = a raised place mounted by steps; a platform; a tribune; the official seat of a judge; a structure resembling a throne which Herod built in the theatre at Caesarea, and from which he used to view the games and make speeches to the people. (Thayer)
b. In the Grecian games, the old arena contained a raised platform on which the umpire or judge sat. From that platform, he rewarded all the winners. (Olympics – gold, silver, bronze stand together.)
c. The Bema is the place every Christian will one day stand before the Lord… and our performance as a believer is going to be judged.
2. The Bema Seat is to be distinguished from the Great White Throne.
a. Neither judgment has as its purpose to determine one’s destiny. That has already been determined.
b. The judgment seat of Christ takes place IN Heaven. It is for believers only.
c. The Great White Throne is for unbelievers only. EVERYONE who stands before the Great White Throne is cast into the Lake of Fire.
d. Both judgment seats are to determine rewards: a level of glory in heaven or a level of punishment in the Lake of Fire.
e. JUSTICE is meted out at the judgment seats.
3. The Christian will receive a reward at the Bema Seat.
a. Col. 3:24 – the faithful believer will receive the reward of the inheritance.
b. The Christian is an heir to eternal rewards… and those rewards are according to our works.
c. Rev. 22:12 – “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
d. Salvation is according to grace.
e. Rewards are according to our works… whatever we have done… whether it is good or bad… right or wrong… for God or self… in the flesh or in the Spirit.
f. It will all be made manifest one day.
4. The Bema Seat occurs when Christ returns.
a. I Cor. 4:5 – when the Lord comes, He will judge our hearts…
• When Christ returns, He returns to the clouds and we are caught up to heaven with Him.
• There in heaven, we stand before the Bema Seat… and when we return with Him at the Second Coming… we are already crowned and rewarded for service in the Millennium.
• While there will be some sadness and regret associated with the Bema, it is primarily a day of rejoicing!
» It is sort of like a graduation day…
» Everyone in this class graduates… but some did better than others.
» Every man is praised for the good that he did… good works done in the power of the HOLY SPIRIT and with a good attitude… for God’s glory.
• Some lived a carnal life and will not receive much praise… there will be some reward.
• Others lived a spirit filled life and will receive many rewards… crowns…
• This occurs at the coming of Christ for the church.
b. Rev. 22:12 – Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me!
c. II Tim.4:8 – “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day.”
• Paul knew that he had a reward coming to him… a crown.
• He would receive that reward “in that day”… the day of His coming.
5. At the Bema Seat, Christ judges more than our works
a. I Cor. 3:13 – What SORT it is the kind or quality of the work.
b. Even good works can be graded… good, better, best!
c. Was it wood, hay, and stubble? Or gold, silver, and precious stones? (Withstand fire or not?)
• Some of our works will NOT stand up to the fire in that day. Some will be burned up as useless chaff.
• It may not be EVIL, but a waste of God’s time.
• The saints gather together for prayer every Wednesday. The Lord may just ask you, “Why weren’t you there?”
• The saints gather to study the Bible for Sunday school. The Lord may ask you, “Was a little extra sleep really necessary?”
• The Bible says that we ought to be sharing the gospel with those around us. If we are not, the Lord may ask you WHY in that day.
• God gave you spiritual gifts and talents to be used to edify the Body of Christ. Read I Cor. 12. If you are not serving and functioning in the Body of Christ, the Lord is going to demand an explanation from you in that day.
• God gave us His precious Word. He told us it is more valuable than fine gold… more to be desired then honey… more necessary than physical food. If you are not reading it each day, How will you respond to the Lord when He asks, “Were you faithful in reading my Word? Did you demonstrate your love for Me by spending time with Me in My Word?” Why not?
• As a pastor I can’t MAKE anybody do anything. But I am duty bound before the Lord to WARN you that you will have to give an account of EVERYTHING you have done… and the things you did not do but SHOULD have…
• And the Risen Lord to whom we give an account is not the meek and mild carpenter of Galilee. He is the Lord of glory… read about Him in Rev. 1 – when John fell as a dead man before Him.
• I am not trying to scare anyone… but I am trying to shake us up out of spiritual apathy and laziness… and indifference to the things of the Lord… and to remind us that the Lord is COMING… and we must give an account to Him…
• I John 2:28 – Get ready NOW so that we will have confidence at His coming and not be ashamed! Some of our petty little excuses will cause a lot of shame in that day.
d. God gives us liberty to make choices in this life.
• We are free to make good choices. We are also free to make bad choices.
• God gives us the liberty to make choices in life, but He doesn’t give us the liberty to choose the consequences of those choices. Those consequences we will have to live with forever and ever.
• At the Bema seat Christ will examine and expose the QUALITY of the choices we made in this life… whether they be good or bad… what SORT of work!
• At the Bema Seat Christ will also judge the motives and intentions of our hearts behind all those choices.
• He will determine whether they were made for God or for self… whether it was in harmony with His Word or our own invention… whether they arose from a yielded heart or a heart full of self will… whether it was done as a sweet-smelling savor to Christ or done grudgingly and with a murmuring spirit…
• I Cor. 3:14-15 – The wood, hay, and stubble is burned up and there will be a loss of reward. (not of salvation)
• We can’t lose eternal life, but we sure can waste it… squander it on earth… and what a pity!
• Have you ever known a talented, gifted, intelligent young person who graduated from high school and COULD have gone on to do great things… but instead chose to hang around the street corner and waste his life away?
• It’s such a pity, because he had the brains to get into MIT or Harvard, but chose to waste his life… and will suffer the consequences of it later in life.
• Instead of being a doctor or a scientist… he ends up flipping hamburgers.
• This is sad in the earthly realm. It is an infinitely sad in the spiritual realm… when a believer squanders his Christian life… and wastes his life on foolish things with no eternal value. What a pity!
The Bema Seat and Justice
1. Heb. 6:10 – God is faithful and just… fair…
a. The Christian slaves of the first century had to deal with injustice every day. So do some of us.
b. God’s message (very loosely paraphrased) was “bloom wherever you are planted”… in spite of the injustice.
c. Remember that God will NEVER forget the works that we do in His name… even those works that went unnoticed on earth.
d. The fact that He is faithful and just is a two edged sword.
e. Nor does He forget the evil works that we have done in the flesh… even those evil thoughts, words, attitudes, intentions, motives, and deeds that no one knew about.
f. All will be dealt with in perfect, divine justice… and nothing escapes His notice.
2. At the Bema Seat, all shall get their just deserts—both the good servants and the bad.
a. All the cries of men throughout the ages like: ‘It’s not fair’ or “Why didn’t God DO something about my situation?”… will one day be put to rest forever.
b. ‘Why do the righteous suffer?’ God’s final judgment will settle that issue once and for all!
c. It’s not fair that I served the Lord faithfully all my life… I swept the floors at church… I shoveled the driveway… I taught Sunday school… I never missed a prayer meeting… and this other brother barely did anything for the Lord all these years… and he gets to go to the same heaven as I do? That’s not fair!
d. It’s not fair: I read my Bible every day, was faithful to the local church, witnessed whenever I had a chance, and walked the straight and narrow road… and this other brother lived a carnal life in the world… and seemed to do whatever he wanted… and he makes it to heaven too?!
e. It’s not fair! I preached Christ out of love… and this other brother preached Christ out of contention! It’s not fair that he makes it to heaven just like me!
f. It’s not fair that I break my back slaving away at my job and seem to have nothing to show for it… while the ungodly prosper in the world… they are healthy, wealthy, popular, glamorous, they seem happy, carefree, they seem to have it all…. while many believers have to struggle with poverty and even blindness or sickness! It’s not fair!
• Well, the carnal believer received his rewards in this life: earthly toys and trinkets which will all be burned up one day
• He was not willing to sacrifice himself in the service of the Lord in this life… But he suffers a loss of reward that he could have had in the life to come!
• He receives earthly laurels that soon fade away.
• You will receive a crown that fadeth NOT away! That’s the reward you will inherit!
g. Yes even Christians can get caught up in the “It’s not fair” attitude.
h. When we start thinking that way, it’s time for a serious attitude adjustment.
3. In one sense… from earth’s perspective, they ARE right. It isn’t fair!
a. If this world is all there is, then it really isn’t fair!
b. In fact, if this life is all there is, then dedicated, Christ centered Christians are of all men most miserable!
c. Why would any disciple want to pick up a cross and follow Christ if this life is all there is?!?!
d. BUT this life is NOT all there is! The resurrection proved that. And Christ is coming… and His reward is with Him!
e. From heaven’s perspective… in light of the Bema seat and the future rewards awaiting us, the suffering and injustices of this life are not even worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us!
f. One day, at the final judgment, all wrongs will be righted…. all the crooked things made straight… all the temporal, earthly injustices will be eternally rectified… once and for all!
g. So in the meantime, trust God in the meantime!
h. He is faithful AND just. He is faithful (He keeps His promises of future glory) and He is just (justice will prevail in that day!)
i. God’s justice and fairness on this issue is crystal clear: ‘Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap’. (Gal. 6:7) There are no exceptions to this rule. This is perfect justice… and even if our “reaping” doesn’t seem to match our sowing in this life, it will one day.
4. At the Bema Seat the FAITHFUL stewards will be given eternal rewards… and UNFAITHFUL stewards will receive a loss of rewards.
a. Those who endured injustice and cruelty in this life, and did so willingly, rejoicing in the Lord will be greatly rewarded.
b. It WILL be worth it all, when we see Jesus…
c. Rev. 4:10 – the rewards we receive for sacrificing self in this life are crowns that we cast at Jesus’ feet.
d. These crowns represent our capacity to serve and worship God… which will be our ETERNAL occupation!
e. Every believer will have SOME capacity to serve and worship God in heaven forever… but those who were faithful, diligent, Spirit filled, loving, gracious, used their gifts in the Body of Christ, witnessed to the lost, encouraged the brethren, and were Christlike will have a greater capacity… to honor, serve, worship, and glorify God forever.
f. Every star in the heavens shines… but some more brightly than others… and this will be the eternal condition of believers in glory!
g. “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose” (Jim Elliot).
5. TODAY is the day to make things right. The Lord is coming… it could be today. I want us all to have confidence before Him at His coming.
a. Are we satisfied with a mediocre Christian life? Or are we sold out to Christ?
b. It is simple to slide by and fool men. To be content to be a churchgoer… a Bible reader… and to be content just to be saved.
c. But one day the Lord is coming to reward His servants. NOW is the time to get ready for that day.
d. If there is some besetting sin in your life that needs to go… get rid of it! If there are changes in your life that the Lord has been convicting you to make, then make them! If there is an area of service the Lord has been leading you in, then follow His leading! If God is calling you into full time Christian service… then don’t put it off any longer. Say, “Yes Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
e. The Lord is coming. I want me and all of us to have confidence at His coming, and not to be ashamed!
And Ye Masters…
Introduction:
1. In this section, Paul has been dealing with the issue of submission to authority within the Christian household.
a. In every area, God expected each one to submit to the authority over them.
b. Vs. 18 – wives were to submit to their husbands…
c. Vs. 20 – children were to obey their parents…
d. Vs. 22 – servants were to obey their masters…
2. Paul also gives some instructions to those who are IN a position of authority.
a. Those in a position of authority were to be kind and gracious to those under them.
b. Vs. 19 – the husbands were to love their wives…
c. Vs. 21 – the fathers were to be sensitive to their children and not provoke them to anger or discourage them by being oppressive.
d. 4:1 – the masters were also to be just and equal to servants.
3. Rather than give directions which would upset the natural order of their society, and could potentially throw their socio-economic system into chaos (for which Christianity would have been blamed) Paul gave instructions to believers that would improve the quality of life for everyone… regardless of the system… regardless of one’s position… regardless of one’s lot in life.
4. For the past few weeks, we looked at Paul’s instructions to the servants… slaves.
a. They were to obey their masters
b. They were to perform their duties heartily
c. They were to do so with a heavenly mindset:
• They were not serving men but Christ.
• Although they received precious little by way of rewards for their service on earth, they would be rewarded one day at the Bema Seat.
• Even if they were being treated unfairly on earth, the Bema Seat would correct all that.
• In glory and throughout eternity, JUSTICE would prevail… even if it was noticeably absent in their present, earthly circumstances.
• Vs. 24 – If they did well on earth, endured injustice, one day they would get the reward that was coming to them.
5. Next Paul addresses the masters. He tells them to beware, because they would get what was coming to them too!
He that Does Wrong Shall Be Rewarded Too (3:25)
A. But he that doeth wrong…
1. Note the word “but.” This changes the direction of Paul’s discussion.
a. He had been talking about good rewards for good service.
b. Now he warns that bad service… poor work will also be judged and rewarded accordingly.
c. He switches gears from that which was position to negative: rewards for faithful service and good works TO a “reward” for unfaithful service… evil works.
d. It is also possible that this term “but” not only contrasts the two kinds of works… but also contrasts the two kinds of men: servants and masters.
• The chapter division implies that vs. 25 is to be included in the section on servants (beginning at vs. 22).
• The preposition “but” may indicate that Paul intended to end his notes to the servants at vs. 24 and begin his message to the masters at vs. 25.
• Actually, the warning about evil works is appropriate for both servants and masters.
• However, the fact that Paul amends that warning with the phrase, “And there is no respect of persons” seems to imply that he had the masters in mind.
• Certainly no slave would expect special treatment because he was a slave!
• But the masters might expect special treatment just because they are big shots! They were the power brokers and the movers and shakers of their day.
2. There are “rewards” for evil doers: whether slave or master… for as believers, whether bond or free, we are all servants of Jesus Christ…
a. Servants of Christ (bond or free) are to perform their duties with Christlike character.
b. As Paul wrote the book of Colossians, the issue of master/slave relationships was on his heart.
c. For while in prison, Paul met a runaway slave named Onesimus.
d. He ran away from his master Philemon, who was a Christian friend of Paul’s.
e. In prison Paul wrote the book of Colossians and had another friend, Tychicus deliver this letter to the Colossians for him.
f. Along with the book of Colossians, Tychicus also was to deliver the letter to Philemon and to deliver Onesimus himself to his master!
g. Paul sent this converted slave back to his Christian master.
h. Legally, Philemon had the right to beat, whip, and even kill this runaway slave… who evidently STOLE from his master as he ran away.
i. Paul wrote to Philemon and told this master how to treat his slave.
j. Philem. 8-9 – Paul did not want to ORDER any action. He worded his exhortation in the language of grace. (cf. vs. 14)
k. Vs. 16 – receive him not as a mere servant, but above a servant, a brother in Christ! An equal in Christ!
l. Vs. 17 – receive him in the same way you would receive me!
m. Vs. 18-19 – if he owes you anything, I will repay it! It is likely that this slave stole from his master when he ran away. “Put that on my account!” Christlike character — our sins were put on Christ’s account… and He paid them all for us!
n. Paul sets the example of HOW to treat a slave… treat them as Christ treats us! Do unto others as you would have others do unto you!
3. Roman law had to address the dual status of slaves: by nature they were persons, but from an economic standpoint they were disposed of as property. The head of a household could legally execute his slaves, and they would all be executed if the head of the household was murdered.
4. Christianity was not intended to change Roman law… it was intended to change the hearts of men.
5. And if your heart is not right before God and men… keep in mind that one day we will stand before the Lord…
B. Motivation: God Is No Respecter of Persons
1. The Bema Seat is a RAISED platform… but it is a level platform.
2. On that platform the slave and his master will stand on level ground, even if they didn’t stand on level ground on earth.
3. This was a warning to the masters… God’s judgments are JUST and equal! Therefore, treat your servants with justice and equity too.
4. We picture Lady Justice as being blindfolded and holding a level balance. That’s the best way to picture from a human perspective: blind to a man’s outward appearance, social ranking, skin color, and position in society.
5. But with Divine justice, God is not blind, but ALL SEEING… He sees all and knows all. His eyes pierce into the minds and hearts of men… we stand naked before His piercing eyes and nothing we have ever thought, said, or did escapes His notice.
6. The Christian master was to deal with his servants as fairly and justly as he would want the Lord Jesus to deal with him!
7. And the Lord is no respecter of persons.
a. At the Bema seat, every believer will stand on equal footing…
b. And every believer will be held to the exact same standard: Christlike character.
c. Did you manifest Christlike character in the way you performed your responsibilities on earth… and in the way you treated others… or not???
d. Was it Christ in us, or the flesh working in us?
Give unto your servants that which is just and equal (4:1)
1. In the first century, most slave masters considered their slaves to be property… as human tools.
2. This was a radical notion Paul proposed in the New Testament: treat them as people… and be fair and equal! (Wives, children, and slaves had virtually no standing before Roman law.)
a. Gal. 3:28 – there is no difference in Christ.
• Slaves and masters were brothers and shared the exact same POSITION and the same calling in Christ.
• The Christian master was to treat a Christian slave as a BROTHER in the Lord!
• That means that EVERY passage in the New Testament that tells a brother how to treat a brother is to be applied to the master toward his slave.
• Think of some of those passages: let each esteem others better than themselves… (Phil. 2:3)
• Look not every man on his own things, but on the things of others… (Phil. 2:4)
• Love thy neighbor as thyself.
• “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” (Rom. 12:10)
• “Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility.” (I Pet. 5:5)
b. I Cor. 7:22 – the slave master (a freeman) was to consider himself a slave to Jesus Christ.
• Hence, he was not to do whatever pleased himself. He was to please Christ… who loved the slaves as much as He loved the masters.
c. Col. 3:17 – the masters were reminded that in whatever they did with their slaves, they were to do so in the name of the Lord… as representatives of Christ. They were to treat their slaves as Christ would treat them… in His name…
d. Col. 1:18 – And if Christ is preeminent in the minds and hearts of the masters (as Paul exhorted), then this too would change the way they treated their slaves. If that were the case, a Christlike heart would prevail in human relationships.
3. A spiritual relationship will radically change physical, social, and earthly relationships.
a. The New Testament never calls for the overthrow of a political system… or to change the social structure. It calls for a change of heart instead. (Do unto others…)
b. As Christians, we ARE slaves to Christ. It is the greatest relationship that exists!
c. I wouldn’t mind being a slave to someone who treated me the way Christ treated people.
d. In fact, if we were all slaves to men who treated us as Christ treated people… slaves to men who had hearts like that of the Lord Jesus, then we would be far better off… regardless of what century, what society, or economic system we lived in!
e. A Christlike heart would change even the WORST of human systems into the best of relationships!
f. If everybody had a heart like the Lord, (government officials; workers; employers; masters; kings; etc.) then it wouldn’t matter WHAT kind of government or social structure we had!
g. Imagine if you lived in the first century and Jesus Christ hired you to work for Him in his carpentry shop? What kind of an employer do you suppose Jesus Christ would have been? How would He have treated you?
• He would have paid you a fair wage… generously!
• He would have been understanding and compassionate toward you if you were sick.
• He would have been interested in YOU and in your family… how you were getting along in life…
• He wouldn’t treat you like a number or a commodity, but as family!
• He would have been more than a boss; He would have been a wonderful friend and counselor!
• And most importantly, He would surely have shared with you the gospel of God’s grace… and He surely would have LIVED the life before you… day in and day out!
• Wouldn’t it be great if, in real life, we could have a boss who was LIKE the Lord Jesus?
• That’s what Paul is telling employers or masters to BE!
• I wouldn’t mind working for Christ. In fact, I wouldn’t mind being a SLAVE to Jesus Christ!
4. The real evil of earthly systems does not lie in the system itself (slavery; caste system; capitalism; communism; totalitarianism; monarchy; tribal rule). The real evil lies in the hearts of sinful, selfish, greedy men.
a. If the hearts of men were like that of Christ, ANY system on earth would work… and it might even be a taste of heaven!
b. Wiersbe said: “The heart of every problem is the problem of the heart.”
c. The problem of injustice that slaves endured was not really so much an economic issue… or a social issue… or a political issue.
d. It was a heart-issue. That was the real problem… and remains the real problem of life in our world today.
e. That is how Paul addressed the issue in Col. 3.
5. Paul calls upon the Christian slave owners to GIVE unto their slaves that which is JUST and EQUAL.
a. Notice that Paul never tells the slave owners to set all their slaves free and bring an end to the systems.
b. Rather, Paul addresses the HEARTS of the masters… and tells them to be just and equal with their slaves.
c. Give = offer.
d. The masters were to offer justice and equity to their slaves.
e. Paul gives BOTH sides of the master/slave relationship.
• The servant/worker is to do his best and give an honest day’s work.
• The master/employer is to treat his workers fairly and give them just compensation for their labor.
f. Masters giving unto their servants that which is “just and equal” would include their wages: the laborer is worthy of his hire! Pay him fairly… even generously!
g. It would include the way they were treated.
• That would mean that slaves were to be treated as EQUALS… (Not in authority, but as persons.)
• In fact, the Christian slave WAS his equal in Christ!
• This would imply imposing the golden rule: do unto others as you would have others do unto you!
h. If Christian slave masters OBEYED this command and did in fact treat their slaves with justice and equity one might expect to see some unusual things begin to occur:
• Some of those slaves might be given their freedom!
• Some of those freed slaves might choose to remain with their master and work for him willingly!
• Either way, the injustice of slavery issue would be over!
• A Christian in a position of authority over others is expected to apply this passage: give unto them under you that which is just and fair! (fair wages; fair treatment; dignity; respect; justice)
6. Eph. 6:9 – Masters were commanded to do the same things unto them and to forbear threatening.
a. Do the same thing:
• Here Paul tells slave owners to follow the SAME instructions that he just gave to their slaves.
• Vs. 7 – with GOOD WILL (a right heart attitude towards others) perform your responsibilities as if you were dealing with the Lord Jesus Himself!
• The servants were expected to do their work as if they were serving the Lord Jesus Himself.
• The masters were to do the same thing: deal with their slaves AS IF they were serving or ministering to the Lord Jesus Himself, as His reprepresentative.
• Boy would that change things!
b. Forbearing threatening: (vs. 9)
• This is virtually the same context… a parallel passage to Col. 3.
• Here Paul tells the slave owners not to threaten their servants. (harsh, vicious, threatening language)
• Forbear: dismiss… send away.
• They were to dismiss any idea of threatening the servants…
• They were not to terrorize them verbally…
• Servants of a Christian slave owner should never live in fear or terror.
• Paul addresses part of human nature here: that it is human nature for men in positions of authority to let that authority go to their heads… and they tend to throw their weight around verbally through threatening.
• And in the context, cruel husbands sometimes threaten their wives and abuse them verbally. Sometimes parents do the same with their children. And masters did it towards their slaves.
• Cf. Col. 3:21 – fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged… same idea.
• It is human nature to threaten and to cause those under your authority to live in fear… to be terrorized by what you might do to them…
• It is human nature to behave that way… but it is also evil! It is sinful… and God hates it.
7. What great application for the Christian employer today!
a. The obvious application of the servant is to a worker or employee.
b. The obvious application concerning the master would be toward the employer… or an office manager… a business owner… or a factory foreman… a school teacher…
c. If you are in a position of authority at work and have people under you, God has a message for you in this passage:
• Treat them like people… not like numbers.
• They are people made in the image of God whether they are saved or not.
• And treat them with justice and equity!
Ye Also Have a Master in Heaven
1. Paul exhorts the earthly masters to be careful in the way they treat their servants…
a. FOR they also have to report to a Master in Heaven: the Lord Jesus Christ!
b. The masters were not only IN authority, but they were also UNDER authority… under the authority of the Master in heaven.
2. KNOWING: (4:1)
a. Paul wanted the masters to KNOW something.
b. He wanted them to keep this information in their minds and hearts as they dealt with their servants: that they have a master in heaven to whom they must give an account one day.
3. KNOWING: (3:24)
a. Paul wanted the servants to KNOW something too.
b. He wanted them to keep this information in their minds and hearts as they performed their daily chores heartily: they have a reward awaiting them in heaven for faithful service.
4. KNOWING: The grammar is the same in both cases:
a. Knowing = Perfect active participles
• This speaks to the fact that they came to know this truth in the past and they now stand settled in this truth…
• There was some truth… some settled knowledge that God wanted to be lodged in the minds of both the slaves and the masters.
b. The slaves: stood settled in the truth that they would one day be rewarded for their faithful service in heaven.
• This would enable them to be content even if they were not compensated on earth.
• This settled knowledge would enable them to persevere through injustices of all stripes.
c. The masters: they also stood settled in another truth: that they would one day face their master in heaven and would have to give an account of their actions to Him!
• And he is no respecter of persons.
• Cf. Eph. 6:9 – the masters were not to threaten KNOWING that they had a master in heaven… a Master who would not be impressed with the fact that they were part of the upper class!
• This is obviously a WARNING to the slave owners.
d. Notice the contrast in the truths that Paul tells them to keep in mind:
• Consolation to the slaves: a glorious heavenly reward! The thought of the Bema Seat should lift up their hearts and encourage their souls as they do their chores.
• Warning to the masters: a Master who treats them with justice… and will one day judge them as to how they treated their servants. The thought of the Bema would not encourage them, but instill in them the fear of God! A stern warning!
e. The connection between the main verb and the participle:
• Slaves: work heartily… KNOWING that there is a heavenly reward. AS they work, they are to KNOW this. What a glorious motivator!
• Masters: give justice and equity to your slaves… KNOWING that you have a Master in heaven. AS they deal with their servants, they are to KNOW this. This was a wonderful motivator… and also a warning!
f. Eph. 6:9 – KNOWING: the same perfect, active, participle as is found in our passage in Colossians twice.
• Paul calls upon the Ephesian masters to keep this truth settled in their minds as they deal with their slaves: YOU too have a master in heaven with whom you will have to give an account one day. And He is no respecter of persons!
• KNOWING this (keeping this truth in the forefront of their minds) will prevent them from threatening their servants.
• Knowing this will also prevent those here who may be in a managerial position at work… or a business owner and employer… or a person in any position of authority… from threatening… and will motivate such a person to treat them with justice and equity.
• Wouldn’t it be great to have a boss like that? (He treats you like a person; kind; compassionate; thoughtful; treats you honestly, fairly, and with justice and equity?)
g. Jas. 5:1- Here James deals with the subject of men in positions of power and authority treating those under them unfairly.
• The system here does not seem to be a master/slave relationship, but that of wealthy land owners and poor, peasant workers.
• James is really appealing to the Christian workers suffering injustice and fraud. But he also gives a word of warning to the wealthy… who may or may not be saved.
• James approaches the subject as Paul does.
» Paul did not call for the believers to change the system of slavery… but to change their hearts and the way they treated other human beings.
» James does not call for a redistribution of the wealth or property. Instead he warns the wealthy and consoles the poor, just as Paul did. He attempts to change their heart attitudes rather than the earthly system.
• Vs. 1-3 – James warns the wealthy land owners who have gathered much gold to themselves that their gold is rotting away before their very eyes… cankered… and their earthly joys will soon be turned into misery.
• Vs. 4 – they hired poor laborers to do their work and they kept back their pay fraudulently. The warning is that God hears the cries of these poor workers!
• Vs. 5 – the wealthy land owners who are living well off this fraud… they are rich and fat… are in fact more like pigs being fattened up for the day of slaughter!
• Vs. 6—they were violent, unjust, and seemed to get away with it in this life.
• Vs. 7-8—then James turns to the poor Christian workers and reminds them that the Lord is coming and His reward is with Him…
• The reminder of the Lord’s coming was a two edged sword – it served to console the poor workers, and it also served as a severe rebuke and warning to the unjust wealthy land owners.
• God wants both parties to KNOW that one day we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account for everything we did in this life… be it good or bad.
h. KNOWING: this is Paul’s way of telling both the slaves and the masters to be heavenly minded!
• They were to think on things above as they lived out their lives here below!
• They were to be settled in their knowledge of the fact that the future Bema Seat… standing before the Heavenly Master… our Judge… ought to have a profound effect on our present lives!
• As you live your life and deal with people day in and day out… KNOW this! Keep it in mind…
• Whether you are an employee or an employer… KNOW these truths…
• Being heavenly minded makes us BETTER workers and BETTER employees!
• Being heavenly minded also makes us better managers… and better employers.
• It makes us more diligent in our work… and more careful about the way we treat people under our authority…
• It is good for us ALL—regardless of our lot in life—to think on things above.
• Keep the coming of the Lord in the forefront of our thinking… as we endure difficulties and injustice in this life… and as we deal with people.
i. Our relationships to one another on earth ought to be carried out in light of that future day of judgment… where we all stand on equal footing before the Lord… and we will all be judged by the same standard of justice and equity.
j. Jesus said in Matt. 7:2: “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
k. Be careful about how we treat people and what we expect of others. That standard might be held to us one day!
