Put On The New Self
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Ladies Bible Study: Judges
Israel, God’s chosen people
Go into the land and transform it / do not be transformed by it
Eradicate the sinful nations with their abominations
As difficult as it is to understand, maybe - we see God’s attitude towards sin.
Help us to see God’s grace in Christ. How merciful He is. We did not get what we deserve.
Let’s pray.…
Made Alive in Christ (Recap)
Made Alive in Christ (Recap)
We have been made alive in Christ (2:13)
Dead in our trespasses
“Through faith” we have been made alive (2:12)
Faith in who? Not just some ambiguous, meaningless faith in something.… Faith alone in Christ alone.
It is Christ who cancelled the “record of debt that stood against you with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (2:14)
“For you have died” (2:20; 3:3)
We have been raised with Christ (3:1)
“If then you have been raised with Christ...”
Something has happened to you! God has performed a miracle within you. You, who were dead, have been made alive in Christ
Therefore your life will begin to show the fruit of this transformation.
It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when. It will happen! If you are truly converted, these changes will take place.
God is not so weak that He cannot transform anyone!
God, through His Apostle Paul, commands us to put to death the old self - remove the old ways - and put on the new self.
Put to Death
Put to Death
“Put to death therefore…” (3:5)
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth...” KJV
“Put to death what belongs to your earthly nature...” CSB
Remember: “Seek the things that are above… not on things that are on earth.” (3:1-2)
“Make a conscious effort to slay the remaining sin in our flesh.” JMac
“In these you too once walked when you were living in them...” v.7
We were living life driven by our passions
We always choose what we think is good - but in our sinful nature, we cannot choose good
We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. (filthy rags)
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Making decisions driven by our desires without regard to the consequences
“I want this, therefore I will take it / have it.”
“I don’t care what God thinks of these things.”
The List
The List
Paul gives us a list of what this old life looked like: What is it we shall put to death?
sexual immorality: any type of activity outside of God’s design for sex between a husband and wife
Sex outside of the covenant of marriage, homosexual acts, pornography, erotic fiction, lustful thoughts for anyone who is not your spouse
Our world is flooded with this stuff and continually tells you it’s ok
“Marriage is an archaic, ancient tradition and means nothing more than a piece of paper.”
Grounded in creation - a spiritual bond
Sex trade (legitimate business?) - temple prostitutes
Pornography billion dollar industry
All of the dehumanizing activity that goes along with it
Human trafficking - manipulation
“Do whatever makes you happy. You were born this way. Don’t let anyone else judge you.” - God will judge you!
“God made you this way...” - nothing more offensive
Christ died for you - God humiliated Himself for you to no longer be this way. What an offense to Christ.
impurity, passion, evil desire: evil thoughts, lusts for those things which are impure.
Desires that arise from a sinful heart that only considers only what it wants with disregard to God’s design and disregard to the wellbeing of others.
“I want what I want. Me first.”
covetousness (greed) which is idolatry.
Greed: always wanting more / insatiable / never thankful
which is idolatry
Not merely praying to some object
That which resides in the heart that takes the place of God
When we give in to our sinful passions and desires over and above God’s desire for our life, we are worshipping ourselves.
“I want what I want. Me first. I choose me.”
v.6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
Remember God’s command to the Israelites
What were the sins that the Canaanites were committing? (Lev 18 etc)
Sexual immorality (incest etc.); child sacrifice; idolatry
Recognize that these sins, for all intents and purposes, are the same as Paul’s list to the Colossians
Do not for a moment think that you are better than them
Be thankful you live in a country / society that still has the remnants of Christian leadership which has been quickly passing away
Much of our morals and values have come from a Judeo-Christian foundation past on from our parents
Note: The sins of mankind are as old as Adam and Eve
Originate at the fall
God hates sin and calls for its eradication
The flood
Herem on Canaan: “Do not leave anything alive that breathes.”
But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.
Where the Israelites failed, and all mankind has failed - God has done what is impossible for mankind.
Mankind cannot fix the problem of sin
In Christ, God has eradicated sin - He has put sin death sin, where it will reign no more over your life
Christ did not die upon the cross for you to continue to live a life of sin!
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Put to death the old self
In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 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.
“One another”
The 1st list: directed towards our inner self
The 2nd: directed towards how we treat others - especially our brothers/sisters in Christ
vs.10 put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator
How do we change? How is the change taking place?
It is “being renewed” - it is taking place in you
This is done by growing in the knowledge of Christ - God’s plan is to make you more Christ-like
Remember the Gospel - preach the Gospel to yourself every day
Who He is and what He’s done for you - aka read your Bible
What he commands of you - aka read your Bible
vs. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew...
The new-self overrides the old identifications
Does not make us all homogenous
Eat the same food, speak the same language, sing the same songs
Outward expressions of who we are
You can be a Christian Native American, Jew, African, Chinese
But the Gospel has broken down the old barriers
We are unified in Christ
United in mission - to glorify God and to point others to Him - point to salvation in Christ
There are no social, cultural, political barriers to the Gospel of Christ
Put on then
Put on then
vs. 12 Put on then...
God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved
Recognize who you are in Christ - grasp the reality of the gospel - God’s mercy and grace
Dawn the robes of righteousness that Christ has given you
What does this look like - this Christ-likeness?
Compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience
Bearing with one another (enduring each other / putting up with each other)
Forgiving as Christ forgave you (BIG ONE)
You must also forgive
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
If you are unable to forgive, do you truly understand what Christ has done for you?
The list of sins that He has taken upon Himself - yet you are unable to forgive someone
If someone has offended you - don’t seek retribution. Don’t seek payment or vengeance. Forgive!
Forgiveness is powerful! It releases you.
vs. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony
It’s easy to love those who love you
When you’re not feeling particularly loving, say: “I love him/her”
Love the unlovable like Christ loved you when you were unlovable
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Humility towards one another as Christ humbled himself
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
vs. 15, 16 And let the peace of Christ rule in
Again, looking to Christ
Through Christ you have peace with God
v.16 let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another
Again, turn to your Bibles - God’s Word that has the power to transform
Seeing and knowing Christ puts us on the path to being like Him
Let it dwell in you - memorize it - write it down - cling to it
teaching & Admonishing one another
Not a path taken alone - keep one another accountable - gently and full of love
Above all else, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony
We should not be running around like a legalistic chicken with its head cut off
Our goal is to move together - arm in arm - towards Christ-likeness
So much more can be said about these passages...
So much more can be said about these passages...
v.15, 16 Be thankful. ...with thankfulness
Consider the power of thankfulness
When we’re thankful to God for what we have it takes our focus off of what we don’t have
Thankfulness is the enemy
of bitterness towards others
Discontentment with our circumstances: health, financial, family
Conclusion
Conclusion
You have died with Christ, therefore put to death the old self. Don’t live there anymore.
Put on the new self: Clothe yourself in Christ-likeness.
The tools we have:
Look to Christ - preach the gospel to yourself daily - remember His grace and mercy towards you
Remember the power of forgiveness (which flows out of the above)
“Put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” - love when you don’t feel loving (again, which flows out of the above)
“Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you.”
“teach and admonish” - come alongside one another - arm in arm
Be thankful to God for what He has done and all that you have
“Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs!”
