Deeper Life || False Self
Deeper Life • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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If you are able, stand as we read scripture. Today we read from Colossians 3:1-4
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Pray and slide go ahead and have a seat
Imagine a prisoner who is serving a life sentence. They’ve been in prison a long time. But they had trespassed greatly, and therefore, this prisoner is shackled with heavy chains at all times, with manacles on their wrists. Beyond that - the prison cell is dark, with no light. They live in darkness.
The metal chaffs their skin, and makes movements feel heavy, and when they did walk around their cell, they would have to drag the heavy chain behind them.
They have made their home in the dark - they don’t even remember what they look like anymore.
Obviously they are unhappy. Their life is ruled by the cell and the chains, and all the sins and frivolities that make up prison life.
Then, one day, The door into the cell opens, and there stands Jesus. Light comes pouring in. The Prisoner shields their eyes from the blinding light. Jesus tells the prisoner that he has paid their price, the debt is paid, they are free. Then Jesus walks over, touching manacles, and they fall off.
The cell door open - Jesus invites the prisoner: “You are free, come follow me. I will lead you to life and life eternal, and do mighty works in and through you. We can run and feast and be free.”
Now, we’d expect the prisoner to go running after Christ, out of the cell, through the halls, and into the glories of freedom and under the leadership of Jesus.
But they don’t. They perhaps walk out the cell, their eyes adjusting to the light, and for the first time look and see what’s going on- they See Jesus standing in the the hall, waiting for them, and then they see the open door out of the prison.
But the prisoner looks back… Suddenly the cell that once was a death sentence looks comfortable, familiar. It looks safe. Less abbrasive to their senses
The prisoner anxiously rubs their wrists, they can see now that they are cut and blistered…. the prisoner, self conscious of their scars, quickly walks back, and puts the manacles on their wrists again. They don’t latch, Jesus defeated the latch, but the prisoner puts them on their wrists, the familiar cover offering some sort of comfort.
Then the prisoner moves forward, holding onto their manacled wrists, hauling behind them still the chain, and slowly steps into the hall. Looking down, they see their blistered and bruised feet.
They haven’t been out of the cell before. Do they really want to be lead by Jesus? Who even is that guy? What if the prisoner is hungry. At least in the prison they have a bed, some food…. Sometimes some of the other prisoners would talk about their lives, and their crimes - they were all in it together. And the prisoner didn’t want to judge the others… Living out here in the light is dangerous… others can see everything they do.
And so, the prisoner wanders back into their cell. Free from their manacles, price paid - but still captive to their old state, their old way of life.
Every once in a awhile, they push the door open, breath the fresh air, but inevitably they find themselves back in cell. Riddled with guilt, and powerless to move on.
For those of us who are in Christ we are, like the prisoner, free from sin and it’s grip. And yet - like the prisoner, so many of us don’t continue in following Christ down the hall and into freedom. Our life with Christ is true in theory, and in a certain sense, reality. The chains are unlocked, but we don’t cast them aside. We are free, but so many of us fail to progress to the great freedom and power and intimacy Christ has truly won for us.
We read of the freedom and identity that Christ has won for us in the Scriptures - John 10:10b
I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.
I mean we can go on and on. The question we are asking in our study of the Deeper Life - is why does this not seem to be the norm for believers? And how do we access this? Is this Christ life for us today? Why is it that so many believers feel stalled out, unable to grow - not changed, and not demonstrating the fruit of th Spirit.
Remember our definition of the Deeper Life.
The "deeper life" is a passionate, surrendered, sanctified walk with Jesus. It emphasizes holiness, intimacy with God, empowered service, and sharing in the Heart of God for mission.
It’s seeing the experiential life we read of in the Scriptures in lived out reality in our current lives.
And we have often known of, and some of us even know these people whom God just seems to be more “real” to. They seem to not just know about JEsus, but actually know him.
So what gives? what stands in the way from accessing this deeper life of Jesus?
Is Jesus not powerful enough to free us? OF COURSE not, he has paid it all. To say otherwise would be to diminish the work of Christ on the Cross.
So why is it that many don’t live with Christ?
We fail to live life with Christ because we still want to live the life of our false self.
Or our old self, our old man.
Today, I want to introduce you to the false self. The flesh that is still slave to sin, that wants to cling to us and keep us chained to sin.
Here’s what Scripture says:
For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.
This is it. Like the prisoner - make no mistake - those who are in Christ are set free.
And yet - many of us would rather chain ourselves again in our cells.
Instead of hearing the Gospel and allowing it to speak to our hearts, give us a new identity, and truly set free,
many are held captive to sin, and our own comfortable sin patterns, and we want to form our own identity, to be their own god.
We like Adam and Eve, in the Garden are presented with the tree of Life - Christ on the cross, blood spilled for our sins - but we STILL would rather try and call the shots in our lives. We want it both ways. We want eternal life - and we still want to live the sorts of lives we lived before the cross!
But If we are in Christ, if we have been remade - we truly are a new creation. But still some of us go back and play in our old cell and imprisoned life. This is such a source of angst! There is a war then in you over two natures. The true self, that was redeemed at the cross, and the false self, still finding comfort in sin.
So many believers are sitting in their cells, playing with their handcuffs, and missing out on a new life and therefore living in great anxiety! Two natures waring within us!
Perhaps you’ve felt this tension. For those in Christ - we can remember Christ’s forgiveness. And perhaps have memories of sweetness with him - moments where it seemed like God was near, that we sensed his smile, the joy of full salvation. Maybe you went to camp as a kid, and had a dynamic experience with God. Maybe there was a moment at Church where the Spirit of God really met you and healed you. Maybe in a time of singing and praise you felt fully alive to the presence of God.
But then life happens. You have to go to work, and your terrible manager is there waiting.
Or your spouse’s alarm goes off and they snooze it and it goes off and they snooze it and they still don’t get up.
Or your kids say just the right thing to attack your weak spots.
Life happens. You car breaks down and the bank account you were adding dollars to in order to finally be able to take vacation or get ahead suddenly goes away.
So you grind it out. You get stuff done. And those moments of light and gentleness with God are just a distant memory.
And as we forget about God’s provision, we begin to cope and look for comfort and pleasure. Our flesh comes back to the surface. We look to sin. We look to get ahead, and we cut people with our words.
This tension this war - is real. And the scary reality is most of us don’t recognize it’s going on. We are far to busy, far to occupied to even see what’s happening.
These coping strategies, these sins, our jobs, our accomplishments (or our failures) - our chains and cells, remain our identity. We close the door, unwittingly causing darkness to fall on us again.
Paul’s letters are filled with the reality of this war. Back in Galatians 5:16-17
I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.
Do you see the war? Do you see the tension?
Some of us, like the prisoner, are wanting to follow Jesus - but we also really love our little kingdom. Sure the cell was smelly, but it was mine. Sure the chains weighed me down - but they were mine, and I think the color suited me!
So we try to have it both ways, We cling to the chains and try to follow Jesus down the hall - No wonder we keep failing! We are still tied up.
And we say - ugh we just can’t help ourselves - we’ve got this chain, we’ve got this sin. Living this way is just the way that I am. I guess Jesus hasn’t saved me yet.
Again, at this point we get to a point where we need to remember what the Gospel is.
Friend - Christ has set us free. Free from sin. Free from slavery. Free from the accusation. Free from shame.
So drop the chains. That isn’t your identity anymore. Stop living according to the flesh, for which the cell, and the consequences are right rewards for!
The gospel isn’t just that you get to go to heaven when you die. The gospel truth, the scriptures proclaim that we were DEAD in our transgressions. And we, because of sins, would be caught in death eternally.
But Christ made us alive by grace through faith. You can be alive!
The strategy that Satan uses is to keep us blind to the idea that the old self is killing us! The prisoner in the cell isn’t just locked up - they’re dead! And that dead life needs to be left behind - it’s not who we are anymore. Look again at Colossians 3:1-4
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
The Christ life - the deeper life. If we have been raised with Christ - if we have that new life - then we ought to keep our will and desires pointed at the origin of Life - that is Jesus. But notice verse 3 - For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
For you died.
Friend - if you are in Christ - it’s not that JEsus is just bandaging your wounds and helping you around. It’s that the person that was in sin is no longer - in and through faith and baptism - we are dead to sin.
It’s a false self. it no longer has the power or authority over you!
But Satan is cunning - and the ghost of our false self screams at us - tempting us to come back in the cell and shut the door.
And we listen. We listen! Partly because of the lie we believe in the Gospel - that really it’s about JEsus giving us an extra boost, but we still have to try really hard.
And that we are rather powerless to combat and rule over sin.
Friends - that’s not true.
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.
We need to realize that repentance, coming to faith is recognizing our death. Repentance isn’t just being contrite over the bad stuff we do. It’s being broken hearted over being the kind of person who does evil things.
When we come to Christ - we need to lay down our old lives, not just lay down - slay it. IT’s not our identity anymore.
Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.
These things - these sins, they are evidence of the fall and unholiness - and because of this - God’s wrath IS coming upon the disobedient. That’s a present tense reality. God’s is continually coming upon the disobiedient -
And we once were like that - children under wrath. But now -
put off the old self - and it’s practices - put on the new.
Be renewed in the knowledge according to the image of your Creator - and that is Jesus.
Friend a key reason many believers don’t experience life and life to the full is we have never counted ourselves dead to sin.
In fact - some still claim their identity as a sinner! Or still chase after the things of this world.
They still cling to the chains of their prisoners chains. Thinking that these things are what defined them.
No no no - those were the wretched things about you - there is the false self - but there is the true self. In us there is a christ life - that is hidden with Christ - that is us in the truest and compete and righteous.
Jesus came to set us free into new life to be a true and free person and self.
We must realize that the Spiritual war is waged often for your identity. Satan hates that Believers are forgiven. Now, the devil is NOT powerful enough to undue Christ’s sacrifice, but he is able to tempt us and distract us and to lie to us that the Gospel isn’t actually that powerful. That actually we still are slaves to sin. That actually, before Jesus, we weren’t really dead, just misguided. We don’t need to die to sin - we just need a little Jesus sprinkled on top - and then we really can live a normal worldly life.
No. Let’s not kid around - sin kills. It has devistating consequences. Don’t lie to yourself, don’t be fooled - sin is devistating AND in Christ there is victory in life.
What is the evidence of the false self? Paul tells us in Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Do you hear that warning? So often we read those warnings, and we want to soften in and explain it away - but can we let that hit us in our gut?
If we are living and acting in sexual sin, we are impure morally, lying and the like, if we are being promiscuous, if we are idolatrous, if we are playing with horoscopes and magics, if we are harboring hatred and causing strife, if we are jealous and are angry - or seeking to get ahead, or cause division, if we getting drunk and partying - and things like this - hear the word of God
Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Jesus has made away to free us from sin - don’t chain yourself to it again. That is not the way of Jesus! And if you are in Christ - we won’t desire these things. No - look at Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.
This is the fruit that demonstrates a regenerate person. This is the fruit of the Spirit in the life of a believer.
So what do we do when we find ourselves wanting to hide in the dark, with our chains? read the next two versus. Galatians 5:24-25
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Crucify the flesh. Put the false self to death.
Tell me - was JEsus Crucifixion painless?
Was the crucifixion easy?
Was the crucifixion worth it?
Was it serious?
How about this one - Was it public?
Some of us are unable to see victory over sin because we aren’t willing to be open about our struggle with others. We know it’s bad, but we would rather hide in our shame, and hope to just overcome the sin alone first, then we will walk in the light and talk about what God has done.
Shame and pride are involved here.
Christ was crucified publically, shamed, and humiliated to deal with our sin out of our great love for us.
Some of you are trying to battle sin on your own in your darkened cell and that sin is kicking your tail. You get victory for a week or two, but it comes back.
Friend - you need to open up the door, let the light shine in. Crucify you sin. Confess your sins to a trusted believer. Let the love, and grace, and correction come in. You will be amazed that the act of bringing your sin into the light, confession demonstrates that sin has no power.
We can boast in our weakness. We can be honest about the blisters on wrists from where Jesus removed the chains. Because my victory is not what I have done. It’s what he has done and is doing and will do!
The false self is proud, and wants to “do it by themself” or doesn’t want to let others in lest they see just how desperate we really are.
Friend - we aren’t just desperate. WE ARE DEAD. And we can’t make ourselves alive. That’s Jesus work! He takes our sin and death and makes us beautiful. No one can boast.
Yes. We are to crucify our sins. Confess them. Hate them. Kill them by grace.
And those who live by the Spirit keep in step with the Spirit.
We can’t play with our chains in our dark prison cell and then wonder why Jesus hasn’t set us free. He has freed us - now we are to walk in that freedom.
Let’s pause now and ask our question:
So What?
Friends - Our Church’s life and health is made up by how each of our members lives reflect Christ’s life.
And we need to go deeper into the gospel to be set free, to experience full salvation, and love and assurance. We need to experience God.
So many people in our church and our community proclaim allegiance to Christ - and something still feels off. They don’t feel safe, secure, loved and victorious.
Why?
Robert Mulholland writes this:
“We will never experience life in loving union with God as long as the roots of our identity, meaning, value and purpose are grounding in something other than God.”
We want the Christ life? We want life eternal? Then we need to in the words of Romans 6:11
So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Friend, there is so much we can and need to talk about in the Deeper life and our false selves - and we will continue, but for now - I want to encourage you.
The false self is a liar.
Sin has been paid for, death has been defeated.
And JEsus is enough.
Some of us are following a ethic of believing that you just can’t help but sinning. Jesus will get you into heaven, but you are just a sinner.
Friend. If you are in Christ - your identity is no longer as a slave to sin. IT’s no longer a prisoner. You are free in Christ. You are saved. Redeemed. Accepted. Co-heir with Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
How many of us are living defeated lives, not because Christ hasn’t unlocked our chains and opened our cell door - we just don’t walk through.
Friend - count yourself dead to sin. And alive to Christ.
And it’s not by your power. You can’t and wont defeat it. Jesus can and will. And he wants to. He is able. He can sanctify you FULLY!
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.
Wholly sancitified! Partially? COMPLETELY. Victory over the big sins but not the little ones? COMPLETELY. But this one sin, this one tendancy has been in my family forever, what about that? COMPLETELY
How? He who calls you is faithful. HE will do it. Jesus Jesus only Jesus. It’s all about from and in JEsus. Abide DEEPLY in him.
So, dear friend. Call our to JEsus. OFfer him the bruised and blistered wrists of a prisoner once bound and allow him to heal you. CRY OUT TO HIM. Confess your depravity, and listen to his words as he speaks to you his grace.
Let him speak a new name to you. Watch in awe as he bends down to pick you up off the floor and puts on your shoulders a new robe.
And trust that God is able. He is faithful. He can keep you from sin.
What you need to do, is consider sin the death that it is. And look at Christ.
I want to invite the team up, and end with this scripture
See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
