Living the Risen Life - Part 2

“Living the Risen Life” – Part 2

Colossians 3:1-11

“A Tale of Two Families”

Illustration

1. Hatfield’s and McCoy’s – 2 families in conflict with each other – Scripture, the Spirit against flesh and flesh against the Spirit

2. New identity and new affections when woman marries – union with husband

Paul’s main point

· “Our Position Leads to our Priorities” – Our new identity in Christ leads to new behaviors - “Living the Risen Life” – “Living the Christian Life” - Dealing With Sin

· Specific position in these versus: They have been raised with Christ, they are secure and protected because their life is hidden with Christ, and their assured hope of eternal salvation = All because of death and resurrection of Jesus (what we have also participated in)

· Living out our faith because of our new identity in Jesus by grace through faith

· Because of our new life, made alive with Jesus, all because of Christ’s work on cross and everything we receive from it (VS 3:1a, 3:3-4, 3:9-10, and 3:11b) seek and set mind on things above (VS 3:2 – seek and set on things above helps us put to death these sins). Put to death the old person and put to death all the sin from your earthly self (VS 3:5 and 8)

· “Put to death” indicates an act of severe action to rid sin compared to “stop doing these sins”

Translation Differences

VS 3:7

VS 3:7 (ESV) – In these you too once walked, when you were living in them

VS 3:7 (NET) - You also lived your lives in this way at one time, when you used to live among them

· Different interpretations – doesn’t really effect principal here

VS 3:9-10

VS 3:9-10 (ESV) - You have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self

VS 3:9-10 (NLT) - For you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature

VS 3:10

VS 3:10 (ESV) - Which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator

VS 3:10 (NLT) - Be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him

VS 3:10 (NET) - That is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it

VS 3:10 (Phillips) – Which, by constant renewal in the likeness of it’s creator, leads to a fuller knowledge of God

VS 3:11

VS 3:10 (ESV) - Christ is all, and in all

VS 3:11 (NLT) - Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us

Difficult parts/Questions

VS 5 – Put to death what is earthly in you? Sin and sin nature

VS 5 – What does Paul mean (what do these looks like) by the sins of sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry? These are the behaviors of earthly sinful desires (See Greek/Aramaic Words)

VS 8 - What does Paul mean (what do these looks like)? But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Deals with our relationships with each other – sins against each other

VS 10 - What does Paul mean (what do these looks like)? Being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us (NLT). Which, by constant renewal in the likeness of it’s creator, leads to a fuller knowledge of God (Phillips)

Greek/Aramaic Words for Better Understanding – Definitions of sins that may be different then what we define them as

Sexual Immorality = “Porneia”: Pornography. Act of a prostitute. Any sexual activity that is outside marriage between a man and woman. Also looking at others lustfully.

Impurity = “Akatharsia”: Unclean. Filthiness. Fowl.

Passion = “Pathos”: Means sinful uncontrolled lust/affection

Evil Desires = “Epithymia”: Forbidden longing for, lusting after

Covetousness = Desiring the possessions of others – greed – In this context it is sexual greed (sums up, covers the 1st 4 sins)

Idolatry = Anything on earth that you put ahead of God – What you desire, pursue, focus you attention on – Can’t have 2 masters

Malice = “Kakia”: Wickedness and evil harm to others

Slander = “Blasphemia”: Speaking evil against someone – where we get blaspheming God

Audience’s pre-determined problems and doubts of text

· We have been conditioned to see these sexual sins outside marriage between man and woman as acceptable – nothing wrong with it

· Paul challenges this here

· We all face this problem – World says it’s okay and we can use this to justify our actions

· We all face this problem – Sins in our relationships with each other – we can easily get caught up in joining others doing this

What does the audience need to:

Know?

· Our eternal position in Jesus that leads to new priorities/behaviors – Our old self and our new self

· We need to live contrary to the world

· Cannot serve 2 masters – earth vs things above

· The new self is being sanctified

· We are dead to sin – we are not longer slaves to sin – Jesus has defeated sin

· Only Christ in us through Holy Spirit gives us power to put all sin away

Why do they need to know?

· Living the Risen Life – living out our eternal position – position leads to priorities

What do they need to do?

· If not in faith – come to faith

· Fully understand our eternal position because of Gospel

· Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to put these sins away – not on our own power

· Seek and set mind on things above

· Make Jesus the number 1 priority in our life – He is now our life

· Examine what your treasures are – seeking to lay up earthly treasures or heavenly treasures

· Examine you priorities, behaviors, what you focus you attention on, what you desire

· Examine whether you are being conformed to this world – that these aren’t really sinful

· Continue to read letter as a whole

What do they need to do this?

· Examining these determine whether you are living for God or ourselves

· Examining these to see where you are focusing your attention on and concerning yourself with

· Doing these things (position leads to priorities and whose power do you rely on) will help us live the risen life

· Reading letter as a whole helps us understand and apply what Paul writes about

Notes

· Man-made religion can’t keep us from sinning – VS 2:22-23

· Man-made religion sees the Bible as an instruction manual of do’s and don’ts to earn approval – A person who has come into a saving faith in Christ sees the Bible as all suffient for redemption and salvation. The new life in Jesus who gives us the desire and power to live out our new identity in our Christian lives

22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining indulgence of the flesh (sin).

· Man-made religion = working to rid yourself of sin – but in 2:23 Paul says this cannot restrain us from restraining indulgence of the flesh (sin)

· Man-made religion is routine (no power) without the reality and religion without relationship and

· Man-made religion leads to self-righteousness and pride

· Man-made religion is like building story after story with no solid foundation – foundation in Christ – will eventually all come crumbing down

· Examples of abusive speech

o Gossiping

o Talking behind other’s backs

o Ripping someone apart – putting them down

o Course language

o Scripture: Tongue is evil – accountable for every word we say

· Our union with Christ – He is in us through Holy Spirit

· Have to read letter as whole – continue to go back and read in entirety – can’t finish chapter one, set it aside, and move on – all connects together – needed for proper interpretation and application

· Wrath of God – Zephaniah 1:14-15 – Opposite result from VS 3:4

· VS 3:11 – No distinction for those in Christ. Christ is all and in all to bind all believers together – Being knit together 2:2

· “Put off, put on” (Col 2:11) and “Being renewed…image of creator” – Eph 4:22-24, Gen 1:27 original state before fall

· 1st set of sins all have to do with sexual sins from the Greek words Paul uses

· 2nd set – sins against each other – relational sins

· Ephesians 2:1-10: Old self vs new self – better illustration of this – our position – Also dispelling works based salvation – also who we lived for: The prince of the power of the air (Satan)

Ephesians 2:1-10

2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

· There are 3 areas of influence leading to sin:

o The World – We conform to the world’s priorities and values – we are slowly desensitized to the world – frog in water – Romans 12:2 (Phillips): “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold” – Possibly parable of the soils

o The desire’s of the flesh – More concerned with wealth, possessions, status, power – what world values

o The devil – Ultimately he is the influential source of all sin – he is only effective if we allow him to be, when we open the door for him (example: moat around castle with drawbridge and/or fooled by trojan horse) – He hits us in our most vulnerable areas (our passions and desires)

· Relationship of sin when we became alive with Christ

o Our sin nature still remains

o But Christ has defeated sin so we are no longer slaves to it – even so we still face the battle against sin

o Alive in Jesus, our perspective to the battle of sin is coming at it with the perspective of victory

o Key to battling our sin is our union with Christ – Him indwelling us through Holy Spirit – Think how powerful that is, like using a nuclear bomb to battle a mouse in your house

· Sins come with our earthly pursuits rather than Heavenly – seek and set above

· Sin is only defeated because of the Gospel

· Anything thing that stands in the way of our affection and devotion to Jesus Christ must be put to death

Application

· What are you seeking and setting your mind towards?

· If Jesus the foundation the entirety of your life built on?

· Is your new identity in Christ a reality in your life?

· Do you approach everything in your life from the perspective of your new identity?

· Are you putting to death all earthly desires, values, devotions, priorities?

Have you or are you willing to say:

· “Jesus, I give you this battle against my sin because you have already won the battle”

· “Jesus, thank you for the power only you have that I can put to death the old person dead in sin and put on the new person alive in You”

· Maybe someone here today who for the first time has made the decision to accept Jesus as your personal savior, believed in Him and Gospel message. Willing to pray “Jesus, I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe you are the Son of God who died for my sins. I repent of my sinful life and have faith that you are now my savior, the king of my life. That you for this wonderful gift.”