Rise Above: Living in the Power of Resurrection

Today we celebrate Memorial Day Weekend. It’s more then just the first unofficial day of summer, it’s the day where we remember those who have fallen and have sacrificed so much for the freedoms that we enjoy in our country.

Without those who sacrificed, there would be no grilling out with friends and family, no parades, no baseball games, no enjoying a cool day playing corn hole. If nobody was willing to fight and sacrifice their lives for those freedoms we would be enslaved to a tyrant, a dictator, another government. Thank God that we can celebrate memorial day in freedom.

Freedom will cost us something. God gives us the freedom to make our own decisions. We have our own choice but God also gives us a better option in resurrection living.

Last week we talked about our position as followers of Christ. We talked about the importance of setting our minds on things that are above, where Christ is… resurrected and seated at the right hand of God, instead of setting our minds on the things of the earth.

Freedom is a sacrifice but freedom is also a choice. We can choose to be in bondage or we can choose to pursue resurrection living. The battle begins in our mind but is fought in our day to day life in the choices that we make.

Victory comes through surrendering our way for God’s way. Jesus paid the price so we can be an overcomer as we put off the old self and put on the new self.

God has equipped us to rise above our circumstances, our addictions, our past, our fears, our doubts, our influencers, our desires, our sin. God has equipped us to live in the power of the resurrection every day.

Colossians 3:5–17 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 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.

PRAY

As followers of Jesus, transformed by HIS resurrection power, we are to reflect on our daily lives. We are to identify areas where we need to put to death those sinful behaviors, while actively embracing the virtues of Christ.

True resurrection living is evidence of our transformed character and behavior as believers. Living according to our new identity in Christ involves both rejecting sin and actively embody the qualities of love and peace.

Jesus is the ultimate revelation of the new self. Jesus not only paid for our sins but also empowers us to live transformed lives for His glory.

Fully embracing our identity in Christ leads to a radically transformed life. Fully embracing our identity in Christ enables us to overcome sin and embody the virtues of Christ in our relationships with others.

Jesus made a way for us to rise above by living in the power of resurrection but how is that possible?

1. Purging Our Past Behaviors

Cutting off dead limbs from a tree may seem painful or cruel but it actually makes the tree healthier.

Colossians 3:5–7 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.

Paul was describing the “already” and “not yet” of believers’ lives.

Even though we died with Christ and had been raised with him, we are still susceptible to temptation. Just like diseased limbs of a tree, these practices must be cut off. This requires conscious and daily decisions to remove anything that feed the desires of our earthly nature and to rely, instead, on the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul goes on and lists 10 sins that the church needs to be aware of as we practice resurrection living. The first five refer to sexual sin; the second five to sins of speech.

These first five were related to the cultural background of the Colossians and were particularly deadly to the life of the church.

Sexual immorality (porneia). Any form of illicit sexual relationship. The term serves to spotlight forbidden sexual behavior between people or indirect participation as an audience. We derive our term “pornography” from this Greek word.

Impurity (akatharsia). Moral uncleanness. Exhibiting a crudeness or insensitivity in sexual matters.

Lust (pathos). Evil sexual passion that leads to excessive sexual immorality and perversion.

Evil desire (epithumia). Wanting something that is sinister and vile in order to satisfy one’s desires. Our sinful human nature cannot help but have evil desires. That’s why Paul says to get rid of the evil desires that could easily control them. Those desires that had been part of their lives before following Christ.

Covetousness or Greed [pleonexia] (which is idolatry) Relentless desire for more. Greed or Covetousness is described as idolatry because its focus is on filling desires rather than on God.

Resurrection living requires us to identify and to remove any lingering sinful behaviors that belong to our old self.

In Christ, these practices have no hold on us. When we acknowledge and renounce those behaviors, we mirror Christ's victory over sin and death. This reflects resurrection living by laying aside earthly desires and embracing the power of the resurrection.

2. Putting Off, Putting On

Colossians 3:8–10 ESV

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.

Precisely because of their new life in Christ, the believers are to put to death the deeds and desires of the earthly nature. “Get rid of” means to put off or disrobe.

The old, filthy clothes must be taken off before the new clothes can be put on. That means as believers we are to “remove” the old life of sin and “puts on” the new life of Christ.

Not only did Paul say the church needed to deal with sexual immorality in all its variations, they also needed to deal with misused anger that often spilled over into evil speech.

Anger (orge). A continuous attitude of hatred that remains bottled up within. This could refer to what is under the surface, while “rage” (below) refers to what bursts out. Anger would destroy the harmony and unity among the believers.

Rage (thumos). Outbursts of anger or quick temper for selfish reasons. This could mean continual and uncontrolled behavior.

Malice (kakia). Doing evil despite the good that has been received. This word is a general term referring to an evil force that destroys relationships. It can mean anything from trouble to wickedness. It is a deliberate attempt to harm another person.

Slander (blasphemia). Destroying another person’s good reputation by lies, gossip, and spreading rumors. Malice often manifests itself through slander. From the Greek word we get our word “blasphemy,” a term used to describe speaking against God.

Filthy language (aisxrologia). Crude talk, abrasive language, expletives. Paul admonished the believers that such language must be caught and stopped before it come out of their mouths.

Colossians 3:9–10 ESV

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.

Because Jesus Christ is “the truth” (John 14:6), believers ought to practice truth in all areas of life. We should not lie to one another. Lying to others disrupts unity by destroying trust. It tears down relationships and may lead to serious conflict in a church. Lying can take place in words said as well as words left unsaid. Believers should not exaggerate statistics, pass on rumors or gossip, or say things to build up their own image at the expense of others. That’s why it’s important to remember that we have stripped off the old self with its practices and be committed to telling the truth.

But as believers we have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. This new self is being renewed in knowledge. Renewal is constantly needed in our battle against sin and the old self. The “knowledge” referred to here is personal knowledge of Christ that we are made in the image of our Creator. The goal of the knowledge is to look more like Jesus.

The transformative process of putting off the old self and putting on the new is a lifelong process. WE never stop learning, our renewal is continual, so we can reflect Jesus’ character in our daily interactions. This mirrors the resurrection's promise of new life and transformation.

3. Promoting Unity in Love

Colossians 3:11 ESV

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

There should be no barriers of nationality, race, education level, social standing, wealth, gender, religion, or power. Paul pointed out four groupings that were in the Greek culture:

Greeks and Jews - Racial or national distinctions

Jews and Gentiles - Religious distinctions

Barbarians and Scythians - Cultural distinctions

Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, wrote that these were wild and primitive tribal people, living near the Black Sea, who were considered little better than beasts, fit only for slavery.

Slaves and Free - Economic or Social distinctions

Breaking down barriers is vital if we are going to promote unity and this is how we do it…

Colossians 3:12–14 ESV

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.

WE are people chosen by God for a specific purpose or destiny. No one can claim to be chosen by God because of his or her heritage or good works. It is God’s sovereign choice to save us by his goodness and mercy and not by our own merit. We respond by gladly laying aside our sinful desires in order to “put on” a nature that pleases God.

The essence of being united in Christ, where cultural, social, and personal distinctions fade because Christ is all and in all. This unity calls us as believers to embody compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, all rooted in love. This Jesus-centered living breaks barriers and builds up the body of believers. This reflects the unity that Christ's resurrection accomplishes.

Forgiving one another… Colossians 3:13 “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.”

“Putting on” Christ affects how we treat others.

To “forgive” implies continual, mutual forgiveness of the problems, irritations, and grievances that occur in the church. In order to do either one of these actions, bearing with and forgiving, requires us as believers to do both. It takes forbearance to forgive, and forgiveness means putting up with offensive people.

Colossians 3:14 “14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

All the virtues that Paul mentions are perfectly bound together by love. As we clothe ourselves with these virtues, the last garment to put on is love, which, like a belt, holds all of the others in place. Literally it means “the bond of perfection.” Love pulls together the new self in perfect, unified action.

To practice any list of virtues without practicing love will lead to distortion, fragmentation, and stagnation. Love must be used to unify the people and build them up. Those who would desire to be mature in Christ must make love a top priority.

4. Praising with Peace and Gratitude

Colossians 3:15–17 ESV

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.

When we are clothed in Christ, the power of HIS peace now rules our hearts and His word dwells richly among us.

To live in peace would not mean that suddenly all differences of opinion would be eliminated, but it would require that we work together despite our differences. This kind of tranquility and cooperation can’t come from mere human effort. It requires God to calm our troubled hearts; so that we can better relate to others.

The word rule comes from the language of athletics: Christ’s peace would be like an umpire or a referee in their hearts. Peace would decide any argument, and restrain our old passions from our old sinful nature that might threaten that peace.

Let God’s peace rule in your heart and we do that through gratitude, worship, and speaking truth to one another.

As we live out these practices, we testify to the world of the transformation that comes through resurrection living.

Let every word and deed echo the impact of living a life transformed by Christ's resurrection power.

Colossians 3:16–17 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. 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.

Take Away:

What is in your heart? - What is in will come out, especially under pressure.

Are we letting God’s peace rule us?