Living Like Saints

Introduction/Recap

Last week we talked about the other half of the false teaching that was threatening the church at Colossae: legalism. In addition to these gnostic teachers, there were also people who encouraged legalism and mysticism as a means of gaining God’s favor. But Paul argues that these are demonic teachings because following the Law can’t save you. The Law (aka, the Old Testament) was a contract between God and his people Israel so that they could have a relationship with God. But, it pointed towards a day when a Savior would come and give us true and lasting peace with the Father. But, no one can earn salvation. No one can justify themselves before a holy God. So, Paul concludes chapter 2 by saying that all these methods to try to earn salvation “...have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

Colossians 2:23 ESV

23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

So, Paul, how do we live right before God? If trying to follow all the rules won’t do it, then what’s the key? Or does it even matter how we live?

In our passage today, in Colossians 3, Paul gives us the answer.

Turn with me in your Bibles to...

Col 3:1–17 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Prayer for Illumination

Transition:

Keep your focus on the Kingdom of God. (vv. 1-4)

The key to righteous living in this life is to focus on living for the Kingdom.

This life seems so permanent. We get so attached to our things, our comforts, our reputation, what people think of us, etc.

When we focus on those things, we inevitably end up idolizing them.

We build our lives around what makes us look good, feel good. Ultimately, this was what the legalists were doing. They developed rules that made them look good, made them look devout, but really didn’t accomplish anything of substance for the Kingdom.

But, when we build our lives around the Kingdom instead of ourselves, it helps us to live in a way that pleases God.

Matthew 6:25–33 ESV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

We all know how much we need food, water, and clothing.

But do you hunger for God’s Word? Are you thirsty for the presence of the Spirit in your life? Do you feel the shame of not being covered by God’s righteousness?

Matthew 5:6 ESV

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

It’s so easy to get distracted with the cares of this world.

But, another key to living in a way that glorifies God is recognizing who we are in God’s kingdom. The legalist works to become what he cannot. Those who are justified by faith work because of who they are in Christ.

Live like the saint you are. (vv. 5-17)

Don’t live like the world, because you don’t belong to the world. (vv. 5-9a)

Colossians 3:5–9 ESV

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices

These things have no place in the life of a believer:

pornea, “sexual immorality” and “impurity, filthiness”

This includes anything outside of God’s design for human sexuality

Pornography, adultery, extramarital sex, etc.

Sexual sin, like no other sin, corrupts the mind and enslaves the heart. The longer a person persists in it, the more clouded their judgment becomes and the more hardened their heart.

pathos, “passion”--same noun used in Rom. 1:26 of homosexuality

Romans 1:26–27 ESV

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

In I Corinthians, Paul makes it even more plain in I Cor. 6:9-11 where he uses two separate Greek words to describe both the active and passive participants in a homosexual relationship.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 ESV

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

The world would tell us that homosexuality is not a sin. That pornography is normal. That promiscuity is good. But Scripture tells us that these sins are deadly to the soul. Paul warns that those who do such things will not inherit eternal life.

In Romans, he says that when people persist in these sins, God “gave them up” (1:27, 28)

“evil desire” (c.f., Jas 1:15 and Jn. 8:44)

This is the same kind of evil desire that caused Adam and Eve to distrust God—a desire for something else more than God.

James 1:14–15 ESV

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

“greed/covetousness, which is idolatry;” Greed/coveting are idolatry because they substitute love of something created in place of God.

Colossians 3:6 ESV

6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

The world thinks us unloving and hateful when we say that these things are wrong, but we have to warn others

Hebrews 10:26–31 ESV

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

2 Corinthians 5:10–11 ESV

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

You cannot earn God’s favor by simply ceasing to sin, as if that were somehow possible. But if you find yourself perpetually trapped in sin and powerless to break free, then maybe you need to meet Christ.

And if you are a believer and you have the internal witness of the Holy Spirit telling you that, then stop living like the old man! Live like the saint that you are!

Romans 8:1–4 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

"I know I’m a believer, but I’m trapped in sin and no matter what I do I just can’t seem to break free.”

Answer: You need to meditate on what God has done for you.

Meditate on what God has done for you in Christ. (vv. 9b-17)

The harder you try to muster up the courage and goodness within you, the more you will fail. It creates a vicious cycle of works —> failure —> shame —> despair.

If you’ve ever had a teacher, parent, or someone that you admired who was harsh and unappeasable, you know what I’m talking about. No matter what you do, it’s never enough. For a while, you work harder thinking that you can make them happy. But, sooner or later, you slip up and disappoint them. You begin to think “I’ll never get there. I’ll never be good enough. I’ll never make it.” You give in to despair. Then, you stop trying all together.

That’s what legalism does.

But that’s not grace.

Grace is that coach that always has faith in you, even when it defies reason. Grace is that spouse that keeps on loving you no matter how bad you screw it up. Grace is that parent that says, no matter what, son, I love you and I’m proud of you. Grace is our heavenly Father who sent us Christ.

Romans 5:6–8 ESV

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Run, John, run, the law commands

But gives us neither feet nor hands,

Far better news the gospel brings:

It bids us fly and gives us wings

—Unknown

Possibly by John Bunyan (1628-1688) or English revivalist and hymnist John Berridge (1716–1793)

Look at what Christ has done for you!

Colossians 3:10 “10 ...the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” This isn’t something you are doing or need to start doing, it’s something God is already doing in you.

You are being conformed to the image of your Creator. Bit by bit, day by day.

The Christian walk is all about living out an inward reality.

In Christ, you are “chosen…holy…loved”

There is no reason inside of you, no thing you have done or will do to deserve to be chosen by God.

You were unholy, but God is making you holy.

You were an enemy of God, but God loves you.

The Father has forgiven you “as the Lord has forgiven you" (v. 13)

As you meditate on the depth and breadth of your sins, marvel that the holy, righteous God of the universe has forgiven you. He has declared you clean.

And as you come to terms with the depths of the debt you have been forgiven, then you extend forgiveness to those who have wronged you. And it’s not work when you realize how much you have been forgiven.

Have an attitude of gratitude. (vv. 14-17)

As we meditate on what Christ has done for us, let’s be filled with thankfulness.

Take a moment and close your eyes and meditate on what God has done for you.

Those sins that you’ve committed that no one else in this room knows about? Paid in full. All those times you’ve corrupted your mind with garbage on the internet? As far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed your sins from you. Those mean, hateful things you said the other day? Forgotten. Paid for by the blood of the Lamb.

God loves you, so extend his love to others. God has forgiven you, so extend his forgiveness to others. God has given you grace and mercy, so give his grace and mercy to others.

Some practical things you can do to stir up an attitude of gratitude:

Colossians 3:16 ESV

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Read God’s Word

Spend time with God’s people, teaching and being taught

Sing praise songs and hymns which remind you of what God has done for you

Count your blessings

Conclusion

If you have not experienced the grace that I’m talking about today, I want to invite you to do so before it’s too late.