Creating Spiritual Habits: Redeeming the Time-Col. 3:5-13
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:03:24
0 ratings
· 2 viewsFiles
Notes
Transcript
5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient,
7 and you once walked in these things when you were living in them.
8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.
11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.
Introduction: creating spaces in our lives for us to grow in Christ. Illustration about stunted growth.
Divine Intervention and Human Responsibility
6 So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him,
7 being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.
1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
In both these text we that there is divine intervention and yet there is still a space for human responsibility. For some reason we tend to go too far one way or the other. We either put all of the responsibility on God or we try and put all the responsibility on ourselves. The answer to this problem is not to try and balance the scale but instead we need to have a clear picture of what God has laid before us in terms of how we grow in Him.
We are to live in Christ and this is how we live for Him
20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
In terms of human responsibility we see that Paul even tells them to not stifle the Spirit. We stifle the work of the Spirit when we ignore His prompting. (Ill. Snooze button). This is not to indicate that we have any power over the Spirit but it is to say that we so do not listen to Him is will have a negative effect in our spiritual walk.
19 Don’t stifle the Spirit. 20 Don’t despise prophecies, 21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.
-The Holy Spirit’s work in the life of the believer
the promise of the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.
the guiding of the Holy Spirit
25 “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.
Divine Intervention-The Father’s love sent Jesus to die (John 3:16). The Son, Jesus, died for our sins. The Holy Spirit is our seal that is keeping and guiding us.
Human Responsibility- And still you see the space that we have to do what we are to do. This is not to help God but it is the proper response of one whose faith is in Him.
-for good works
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
Being Intentional (creating habits)
redeeming the time
5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.
8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.
In each of these verses we see intentionality. It is not just the idea of stop doing one thing and start doing another thing. It is an intentional response to a previous action (being saved).
The only thing we ever really talk about managing is our money.....but what about our time?
15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
From Redeeming Your Time by Jordan Raynor
Truth #1: The Longing for Timelessness Is Good and God Given
-eternity is in the heart of man
11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end.
Truth #2: Sin Has Ensured We Will All Die with Unfinished Business
21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.
Gen. 3
Human from immortal to mortal
Work from good to difficult
Time from infinite to finite (in our life experience of it)
Truth #3: God Will Finish the Work We Leave Unfinished
5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”
He’s doing the work and we are mere co-workers
9 For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
Truth #4: The Gospel is Our Source of Rest and Ambition
saved by Grace and not works but called to work
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Truth #5: We Can Know How God Would Manage His Time
He became flesh and showed us what He did with His time.
urgency and desire
4 I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
Getting Practical
Get a calendar-Start simple (Family Wall)
Tools:
Trello
Family Wall
Google Calendar
Miester Task
Scrum Board
And remember to do it all for the glory of God.