Put Away pt 2

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a joy to be here with you and share in the Word of God.

This week I glanced through an article entitled, 15 Weird, Forgotten Christmas traditions. Now, I am a guy who likes nostalgia, but as I was working through this list, I can say that I am glad a lot of these things are no longer a part of how we celebrate Christmas. I don’t want to dwell here long, but I’ll share a few with you:

Around the 17th century people would take fruitcake, everyone’s favorite holiday baked good (right?), and put it under their pillow! Then they’d sleep with it there all night!

Some catholic churches centuries ago would elect what they called a “boy bishop”. They would select a child and have that child lead their entire church service. Sometimes they would wind up with a three-year-old running around leading the whole thing.

They would also bake cakes and hide in it either a coin or a string bean. Whoever would find the object would lead the family activities for the night. This one doesn’t sound that bad, but I eat cake much too quickly to be worried about someone hiding a quarter in it!

Scary ghost stories were also a regular part of the Christmas traditions. This is even referenced in the popular, secular Christmas song “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

I’m sure there are a variety of reasons as to why each of these traditions have not stuck around with us today. In fact, I would say it is by and large for the better. I would hope that your Christmas celebrations include more Scripture and family time than hidden fruitcakes and choking on loose change.

There are many times in life when we look at the absurdity of what we used to do, decide it is not in our best interest, and stop doing it.

Today we are going to be confronted with a list of behaviors that, at least for the born again Christian, use to be defining actions in our lives. It is my hope that you would see the absurdity of these behavior and find them to be as nonsensical as those weird forgotten Christmas traditions. But we do need to make the distinction that those traditions of old, while odd, were mostly harmless. The absurd behaviors we are going to look at today differ in that they are destructive!

With that in mind, would you open your Bibles to Colossians chapter 3. Today we are looking particularly at verses 8-11. Last week, in verses 5-7 we saw the personal sins that the renewed is Christ is called to put to death. The Christian, though eternally sealed for glory, is constantly being attacked and tempted. While their salvation is secure, sin causes stunted growth, corrective discipline, and a dishonoring lack of holiness towards our Savior. So because sin is still present around us, we must put it to death, that is, actively fight against. We flee from sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, and covetousness which is idolatry. We remember that God is our provider. We are content in Him, what He has given us, where He has placed us, and who He has placed us with. We were reminded that such sinful thoughts and the actions that follow are an affront to God. God’s wrath is coming upon disobedience! Before we knew Christ, we were going to be the recipients of that wrath. BUT for those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have been rescued from that. You don’t live in sin any longer. You are not defined and destined by the weight of sin, but rather the glory of Christ. So reject that former way of thinking. Pursue Holiness for the glory of God!

Now read with me verse 8.

Colossians 3:8 ESV

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

In verse 5 we are given a list of sinful thoughts and behaviors and we are told to put them to death. Here in verse 8 we are given another list, this time being told to put them away. The general principle is the same, Paul has just switched the metaphor. As we looked at putting sins to death we compared it to a deposed monarch who is out of power, but still seeking to cripple the liberated kingdom, so battle is inevitable.

Now in Verse 8 we see that it is the same principle, but packed in a new metaphor. Instead of talking about waging battle, we are talking about changing clothes. That is what the “put them all away” means here.

When I was in college I worked with the Campus Activities Board and one of the events we came up with was called PaintFest. It was basically a huge water balloon fight mixed with a slip n slide. The big difference was that instead of using water, we used paint. The intramural field turned into a warzone. Everyone that came to the event left absolutely covered in paint. There was one girl who still had paint behind her ears a week later! But your clothes would be so covered with paint that they were absolutely useless. No amount of suds was going to get them clean. Those clothes were ruined! So, many of us would just throw whatever we wore to event away afterwards. It would be completely inappropriate to wear those dirty, ratchet clothes into civilized life.

Here in verse 8, we are shown that Believers are, in a similar way, called to discard their old, repulsive, sinful habits like a set of worn-out, stained, ratchet clothes. Paul says put these things off and later we will see we are to put on the new, clean clothes that Jesus has provided us. There are some who believe that Paul is using a picture that would be familiar to the early Christians of Colossae. The picture of Baptism. At that time when a new believer professed faith through the waters of baptism, they would lay aside their old clothes before the baptism and then be given a new white robe afterwards. This idea is captured in the Hymn “Are You Washed in the Blood?” One verse says, Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin and be washed by the blood of the Lamb. That is what is pictured in baptism, and in our text this morning from Colossians 3.

Because we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are called to live in response. We have been freed from sin and should thus seek to severe all participation in the perverse. Last week we looked at personal sins that start in the mind. Here we are shown social sins that are directly between us and others. Let’s describe each of these now.

First we see anger. The anger being talked about here is deep, smoldering, resentful bitterness. This isn’t talking about being irritated by a situation. This is an over arching disposition of seething emotion. The one who has been reconciled to the Father through Christ the Son has no business allowing their anger to boil and plague their minds. We are certainly going to get upset at times, but remember that God is Just and His victory is certain. Often times we think our anger is righteous, but in actuality it is self-righteous! We get angry not because someone has offended the Lord, but because they have offended us! Christian know that in this body of flesh, we are often inappropriately angered. James 1:19-20

James 1:19–20 ESV

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Instead of constantly fuming over the state of things around you, slowly and deliberately take in the Word of God, put anger away, receive God’s Word with gladness and rest in the hope of eternity. If you have been holding on to anger, ask yourself what it is that you are so angry about. If it is something that someone has done to you, remember how deeply your sin offends God and remember the grace He has shown to you. Can you do the same to this other person? Maybe you are consistently angry about the fallen state of things around you. I will never tell you to waiver on truth by any means, but as you dwell upon the current state of things, are you also reminding yourself of the goodness of God and His plan of salvation? Are you resting in His ability to perfectly arbiter of Justice, or do you think you’d be a better judge? Let us be a people who are slow to anger and quick to rest in the Sovereignty of God.

Next on the list is wrath. This is closely related to anger but instead of being a deliberate smoldering, this is a quick outburst. One commentary noted, “The Greeks likened it to a fire in straw, which flares up briefly and is gone.” This wrath can also be translated rage or fury. This furious wrath is used to describe those in the synagogue at Nazareth who after hearing Jesus preach, sought to throw Him off a cliff.

Generally anger and wrath are connected. It is like a pot on the stove when you are making pasta. You turn the heat on and walk away. After some time you hear the sounds of splashing coming from the kitchen, you run in and the rolling boil of the pot is spilling over the edge. You turn the heat down and the boiling calms for a moment, then if you leave things for too long, eventually that overflowing boil returns. Anger is the heat that underscores the life of the unbeliever. Wrath is a quick burst of boiled over rage. Neither of which should define the regenerate person’s life.

Next we see malice. Malice could be the expression of wrath or it could be any other act done with the intention of harming someone else. The greek word rendered malice here is term of general moral evil. Malicious words and actions show a lack of respect for the other creatures created in the image of God.

One way malice manifests is in the next item from our list, slander. Slander is making false and damaging statements about another person. Whats particularly interesting here is that the word rendered in this context as slander, when it used in how someone talks about God, it is rendered blaspheme! False and impious words against God are blaspheme! We should know good and well how inappropriate it is to speak about our creator in such ways! Well in the same way, we should know not to speak about His creation in such ways! We have no business lying against and denigrating other image bearers!

James 3:10 ESV

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

A life fueled by anger, filled with spurts of wrath, marked by malice, and littered with slander often results in or also contains obscene talk. In other translations this is rendered abusive speech. Obscene, derogatory language meant to hurt or wound someone. We are going to be judged for everything we say. When we are confident in our position before God, what business do we have using obscene talk?

We’re given one more interpersonal sin at the beginning of verse 9.

Colossians 3:9 ESV

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices

When we know the truth of Christ, why waste our time on lies? In his commentary on the book of Colossians, MacArthur notes how interesting it would be to do a study of every lie told in the Bible. “Satan lied in deceiving Adam and Eve. Cain lied to God after murdering Abel. Abraham lied, claiming Sarah was his sister instead of his wife. Sarah lied to the three angelic visitors, and she lied to the king of Gerar. Isaac lied by denying that Rebecca was his wife. Rebecca and Jacob lied in their conspiracy to defraud Esau of his birthright.” And that only gets us through Genesis 27 and we probably missed a couple along the way.

From the very beginning, lying characterizes Satan. Satan is called in Scripture a liar and the father of lies. There is no truth in him. Contrast that with Christ who quite literally is THE TRUTH.

So if then you have been raised WITH CHRIST, seek the things that are where He is! Put to death what is earthly in you and put away anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk from your mouths. Do not lie to one another!

You see, we’ve been raised with Christ, we do not need nor should we desire to live by the ways of the old world. That is the old self. That is the dirty robe that is unsuitable for our new life!

Christ has saved us through faith in what He has done for us on the cross. Now He has commanded us to live in reflection of what He has done for us. This ongoing putting off of the old is part of God’s sanctifying process for His people. We must come to realization that we are called to STARVE the sin that once defined our life. That is we cut it off. Not only do we realize this calling, but we cherish it. We understand that God is honored. We understand that in putting off the sins of the flesh we are a brighter light to the world so that people can see the good we do and give glory to our Father in Heaven. We start with cutting sin off. We actively fighting it away and putting it off every time it rears its ugly head in our lives.

But we don’t JUST put sinful thoughts, words, and actions away. Look at verses 9 and 10.

Colossians 3:9–10 ESV

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

In this clothing analogy we have been using today, we have thus far been instructed to take off the old and ratty garments. These are the absurd and destructive ways of the old self. If we were to stop right here we may be left feeling vulnerable!

“so okay, we stop all of that, but then like, what do we do?”

In the coming weeks we look at very specific replacements to adorn our lives with as we go about our business for the glory of God. For the rest of our time this morning, we’re going to focus on the outfit as a whole, if you would.

You see you can tell quite a bit about a person based upon their outfit. For instance if someone walked in the room with green scrubs, a white coat, and a stethoscope around their neck, we’d all be able to tell they are some sort of medical professional. If a some came in wearing dark slacks, a dark button up, a belt full of accessories, and a shiny badge on their chest we would know that they are a law enforcement professional. While not always the case, you can often tell quite a bit about who a person is based upon how they are dressed. Paul is using that basis to illustrate Christian behavior. “Christians must dress themselves spiritually in accordance with their new identity.” Because they have been saved they are to throw away the old self and put on the new.

It is here that an interesting tension exists. We’ve talked over the last few weeks about the positional reality of the one who believes in Christ. We have said that when you are saved, you are sealed, hidden in Christ. So if we are saved, why do we still struggle with sin? Why do I have to put off the old, unregenerate self and put on the new, regenerate self when I have been raised with Christ? Why do Christians sin if the old self is gone? Paul wrestles with this reality for our edification in Romans 7.

Romans 7:21–25 ESV

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

On this, late pastor Martyn Lloyd Jones writes, “The flesh does not mean the body in and of itself; but it does mean the body as it is being used and tyrannized over sin. It means the body as it is possessed by sin and evil; it is the body as sin swells in it during this earthly life.” It is true that the Christian has been saved by grace through faith in Christ and you have been given a new heart. But as we walk in this sinful world, the deposed monarch of sin still attacks. We still have this putting off of earthly things and putting on of heavenly things as we await eternal glory where the grind will be no more. I recognize this is a battle and battles are hard! Later in Romans, Paul writes that our struggle with the flesh causes us to groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” Awaiting the day where sin is no more.

You may ask, well why can’t that be now? Why must I go through this struggle? Well that is because God has a plan for you. He has given you a mission and duty. You not only are here fighting off sin to bring Him glory, you are here to be His ambassadors of Christ. You are here to be used by God to point others to Him. Just as God used someone at some time to show you His goodness, you are called to do the same! The battle with the flesh is not in vain and it is all being used for the glory fo God!

Go back to verse 10 with me:

Colossians 3:10 ESV

and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

The new self, the regenerate self which occurs from having faith in Christ as Lord, is said here to be being renewed. This means that regenerate believer is given life abundant, a new quality of life. “Unlike the ever decaying depraved nature, the new self is continually being renewed by God.” Believers are enabled to grown in Christlikeness!

William Hendricksen wrote, “When a man is led through the waters of salvation, these are ankle-deep at first, but as he progresses, they become knee-deep, then reach to the loins, and are finally impassable except by swimming.” God’s richness, righteousness and glory know no bounds. As we grow in our knowledge of Him we GET to explore His greatness. What a grace that is! As we sincerely explore His greatness we grow in His likeness! God’s Word points us to Him. It shows us His standards. It shows us His model. It shows us His mercy. We are to actively search and treasure His Word and watch as He continually transforms us away from the old self and into the new.

Growing in Christlikeness, being united with Christ, and being identified sincerely and publically with Christ should be a great joy and outcome of the Christian life. We want people to look at us and see Jesus!

If I asked you how someone would identify you, what would you say?

In our racially charged world, they might call you the white guy or the black guy. They may call you the tall girl or the short girl. They may say the nice guy. They may say the rude one. Our society places all kinds of borders and identifiers between people. But look with me at verse 11.

Colossians 3:11 ESV

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Putting off the Old and Putting on the New has everything to do with living out your new Identity in Christ. This world will seek to put you in a lot of different boxes that seem completely opposed to one other, but there is nothing more equalizing and unifying than being identified with Christ.

Paul reminds his readers here of the radical conciliation there is among believers. He says here there is no Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised. These groups were separated by what would seem to be insurmountable racial and religious barriers. Jews would not eat with Greek Gentiles and believe me the feelings were mutual. But the divisions were not limited to those groups. The educated greeks looked down upon the stammering, illiterate barbarians. The Scythians were hated because they were invading people noted for their savagery.

“A fellowship including Greeks, Jews, [barbarians] and Scythians was unthinkable in the ancient world.”

Well that is until members from each of those groups came to know, understand, follow, love, and trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord!

Christ demolished the cultural barriers that separated these believers. The slaves, and the free, no socioeconomic barriers in the church!

Next week we will begin to look at the particular adornments of the Christian life, but as we come to our conclusion this morning, I want to make three things clear.

Those who know the Lord are called to cast off the sin that used to define them. We are no longer to be identified by sinful thoughts and actions. Nor are we to be identified by any cultural divisions this dividing world wants to throw at us. It would be my biggest honor that if someone were asked to identify me they would not say that white guy, that blond guy, that American, or that ____. It would be my hope that they would say that follower of Jesus Christ. There is nothing better to find identity, purpose, and direction in than Christ Jesus our Lord.

As we walked through these sins that are to cast away both this week and last week, things like sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, covetousness, idolatry, anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and lying, you may have had thoughts like Pastor Brad that sounds great, but there is no way I could do that. You’re right. You cannot do that on your own. But look at the 7 words of this verse. but Christ is all and in all. All those who believe in the Lord Jesus have his indwelling presence. We cannot fight sin our own but the Holy Spirit as our Guide. He is given all the glory for all we do and we can rely on Him to bring us through temptation. We can put away sin in our life, yet even then it is not I who is doing it, but Christ who lives in me. Rely on Him.

Let it be known that you are never too far gone to be experience the grace of God. The Scythians were some of the meanest, nastiest people in the area at that time. And yet, by the power of God they were shown the seriousness of their sin, their need of a Savior, and the sufficiency of Christ to be saved. Their upbringing and old behavior was not too much for God to bring them through. They were enabled to repent, believe, and follow Jesus Christ. If God can do it for them, He can do it for. If you understand your need for a Savior, and have seen Christ is that Savior, make that known to day. Let it be public and bold. Come forward during this hymn of response. I would love to talk with more about Who Christ is and what a joy it is to follow Him.

Respond today.

Let’s pray.