Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Title:

Text: -24

Main Idea: In Order to Conquer Your Evil Desires, be Rooted in the Gospel!

Do Not Live Like You Are Dead (vs.

20-21)

Do Not Follow Fake Wisdom for Life (vs.

23)

Introduction

If you haven’t notices, things are not getting better out there.

If you spend any time reading or watching the news, people are being murdered, politicians are lying to gain or maintain control of their position, racism is increasing exponentially!

Quite honestly, it is a bit overwhelming.

How do we get it to stop?

What needs to take place to stave off the ever increasing evil in our own country (not to mention, the world)?

I have a question for you this morning...

How do we get people to be good?

We could take the path of Surrender?

The road to licence...

How do I overcome sin in my life?

It’s not how you might think!

What is the Hearer’s problem?

How do I overcome sin in my life?

It’s not how you might think!

How do I overcome sin in my life?

It’s not how you might think!

We pretend things aren’t all that bad?

It isn’t through trying harder to stop...

Resistance is pointless.

It won’t do anything anyway!

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!

or

It isn’t through whipping my body and beating it into subjection.

We could take the path of Prohibition?

Also known as legalism.

This is how the religious often respond.

“Essentially it means that we come down harder with our rules and restrictions.”

Mark Meynell 112

But are these our only two options to get people to be good?

I submit to you there is one more way and over the next two sermons we will not only discover that way, but learn how it actually happens.

Today’s focus is on the negative and next week will be on the postitive.

In biblical terms this week we will learn what to PUT OFF and next week we will learn what we are to PUT ON!

And even though I don’t want to steal the thunder from next week, I will tell you right away that the solution is found only through the gospel.

It isn’t through starving myself..

What is the Biblical Solution?

It’s actually through the gospel.

What do the hearers need to know?

Understanding and obeying the gospel is the only means by which you can conquer the sinful desires of the flesh.

This is what Paul is communicating through his letter to the Colossians...

Main Textual Idea:

Main Idea: In Order to Conquer Sin in Your Life, Don’t Ignore the Gospel!

Interrogative: How does the Gospel help quench Evil Desires?

Transition: Two ways for this text...

Body (Satisfaction)

Do You Want to Stop

1.

In Order to Conquer Sin in Your Life, You Must Die With Christ (vs.

20a)

Lead in…This is the first part of the gospel that we must not ignore!

Your eternal life depends on it!

Text -

Explanation -

Death means separation and Christians died with Christ at the Cross.

This is clear from Paul in...

Romans 6:2-4

And because we have died, we are now separated from all the things Paul mentions in verse 20-23...

And so the point Paul is clearly making here is that when a believer “dies with Christ,” it is a death to his old ungodly habits, to sin, to the law, to guilt and to the world itself.

It is a radical, positional reality for the believer.

And they had died with Christ to legalism.

It is a ridiculous notion to consider that they would think their participation in the regulations would give them some spiritual advantage.

Illustration -

Allen C. Myers, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987), 321.

The point is this, the Apostle is challenging the Colossian Christians with the question, “If with Christ you died...”

The NIV says it with more strength, “Since you died with Christ...”

Illustration -

I’ll say it even more strongly, “You Are Dead with Christ...”

You and I are dead to the old and insufficient ways.

And I will talk more about this in a few minutes.

But what I would like you to focus on with me for the next few minutes is the significance of your death.

How did you die and what does this mean?

A very long time ago, Adam rebelled against the command of God to not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Eve, tempted by Satan, tempted Adam and that decision to doubt the Word of God and succumb to the lie of Satan and the wicked desire of their hearts, plunged mankind into spiritual death that we still struggle with today.

God could have rightfully left us in this horrible situation, but instead He implemented his grand rescue plan.

A plan that would cost Him greatly.

His plan included the Second Person of the Trinity, to take on human form as conceived baby, live a poor and insignificant childhood, grow into a man (all the while sinless), starts a revolutionary ministry at the age of 30 which end in His death three and a half years later.

He was buried and to the surprise and joy of His follower, He rose again on the third day!

You see, Jesus was much more than a man, He was God Himself.

And by being the sinless God/man, He was qualified to offer His life up as a propitiatory sacrifice on your behalf.

A propitiatory what?

I know that is a big word, but it is so significant for you to understand.

Propitiation.

Turning away of anger by the offering of a gift.

The word was often used by the pagans in antiquity, for they thought of their gods as unpredictable beings, liable to become angry with their worshipers for any trifle.

When disaster struck it was often thought that a god was angry and was therefore punishing his worshipers.

The remedy was to offer a sacrifice without delay.

A well-chosen offering would appease the god and put him in a good mood again.

This process was called propitiation.

Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Propitiation,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1784.

Our God requires propitiation as well!

His wrath must be recognized and satisfied.

Recognized -

Satisfied -

Let’s get down to the raw issue here.

You are not a basically good person who God will assess your good deeds and your wicked deeds and then make a determination as to whether He will allow you entrance based on that determination.