DYING & Rising WITH Christ Changes Our Behaviour: Part I
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Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Paul is wiriting to Christains like you and me, made a start, but surrounded by false gospel that can shipwreck the faith. Not truly rootee in Christ, will result in worng thinking, which results in wrong living. But Paul in presenting Christ and our identity in HIm in chapters 1-2a, has now just laid down the first correction to Clossians danger - false thinking . If you want to
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Or like he said at the opening, tht he is praying Subject:
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
In short he says, my goal is :
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
The goal isn’t just that you acknoweldge Christ is Saviour so you can have your sins forgiven and go to heaven. The goal is that now and flly in heavn , but now alreay you live in Christ. You get united to him, as the ruler of creation, and of redemption. And Paul says if that’s going to happen - two great comands in the body of this leter: The first is your thinking:
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
WIthin the church there are those who a reflase teacher,s and false followers - religion isn’t Christ, its esoteric knwoledge, it hidden stuff of Spirit, or angels, intermediaries, it vision excieing experince, its legalism of reules or disciplines that have to with old elementay principles of thisworld, Separeted from Christ. Paul says Therefore because your ientiies in Christ - don’t be fooled, he says in v.16 Therefore don’t let anyone pas judgment about their hang ups. Stay connected to Christ idenity and thinking!
But now in chapters 3, we get to very differnt therefore’s ifor really since you are in Christ , died in and with Him, raised in and with Him, THEREFORE, not just your thinking but your behaviour you rChristian living must change! Comes in two parts Therefore put to death your old self, living in in the world without Christ, according to pircniples of this world/ Put off and then next week will look at the flip side of the process - putting on, therefore, or then. our new self!
Believers respond to and cooperate with Christ’s new resurrection life inside of them by changing their behviour!
KEY TRUTH: Dying and Rising WITH CHRIST in our daily life changes your behaviour!
Now before we go any further, we must acknoweldge that we either like to make religion all about our beahiour, put the cart before the horse, and think that religion is just about trying hard to be good, and its just our effort, or we like to separate our behviouar and plroblems and the broken realities of of our everday life from our faith and spirituallity and worship. And we make Christianity just an escape and emotional injectin , but we don’tlet that grace and our living Saviour get into the reality of every day life. But Paul says, if you are united to Christ, by faith died with an rose whi, even seated with Him by virtue of union with Christ, you can but help to have your faith smash into the sins, brokenness and the reality of your every day life. And in fact as Joni Earkson Tada - that’s really the hear tof true spirituality - not x,y,z but character change in real life.
And Paul reveals this mystery of the gospel, Christ in you the hope of glory naturally resutls in you growing to maturity. The gospel of Jesus for you is a gift, freely recieved, but built into receiving Christ is a challenge you are empowered to live after and that is what Paul next addresses that challenge. Kind of like quest to find the Titanic. Took special something - to go after, not give up and press on. So too with Christain maturity - could say takes coaching and responding to that coaching. IE Memorial Cup - what month - got all the special coaching from young age - took raw poetnetial of talent, turned it into maturity. HOw is that to happen in us - Paul says - in Christ putting on and putting off, therere is a daying to old self, rising to the new. And it’s not just that we are so thankful so we try hard, but its that Christ is a live in us by His SPiirit and can’t but help to live new life in our beavhoiur, but it dowes take ahvining the Living Christ as our Coach. Let’s examine the first part of how he does this. Realize
A. You Are Resourced in Christ for Real Holiness, & Start Using those Resources
This is so important, neither Paul nor will I tell you just do this list of moral things - here don’t lie don’t cheat, don’t steal - do it on your own now - go ahead start to be mature, holy, Christ like. No, the gopsel doesn’t start with do this, it starts with this is who you are in Christ, and who you are becoming righ tnow, and who you willmost certaintly be one day!
Do you see that:
Past tense:
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
“If then”, means since, it mean if you have been raised with Christ , and you you have been baptized and are living out that spiritual relaity - in your confession of Christ - taking hold of his dath, resurrection - in real way when he died to sin you died to sin, rose up as the first born of the dead, you also rose with, When he ascended into heaven you sascended,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
objective facts - mystical union with Christ, what happened to Him, happened to us, - why him being like us in eveyway but sin, why Him being the Scdned Adam, the head of a new renewed humanity - vital truth. But htis is all in the past and the reason we can live differently now - new life grounded in that reality , not your effort . That is why it doesn’t you rose up you ided, but the passive, someone outside of you did this too you - he raised you up so you have been raised, the past reality is that died buried riased in Christ - that is now our position in Christ,
But Pual’s remphasis now is that you are not only diead t sin in Christ, buired raised, in the past , but now you particpate WITH him in those events in your dayt od ay life - die to sin with him, live with him to new life to righteosuness. THat’s Pauls’ point in and even more 4
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
My sin in the past , wages of sin in the past - in Christ death - dmioni f that sin as controling power -rolled away ; like this is Christ - and I am now safe with him. It’s like
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.
Hidden doesn’t jsut mean my life is with the invisbile GOd beyond this world, but hidden in the NT means kept safe - my old life is in the grave, my new life is kept safe with Christ, and hwere is Christ - accepted that sarafice delaing withi sin, totlal acceptance and reward in my human nature on my behalf, enters heaven - Christ has my life in the heavenly realms with GOD! gives that present relity of like safe with CHRIST on depost with God an address not so much a geographic address, but a spiritual address. Where is Christ?
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Where is Christ, where is y life hidden with Him in God right ow? Look at the words at the right hand of God - yes invivsible realms of glory angels by that control centre of the universe, spirits of righteousn men made perfect, yes above in that sense , but even more a spiritual location from the most quoted OT passage in the NT.
The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
God teh Fathe saying to God the Son after he was down in our huan nature, misery, suffering, sin punshemtn - made his life an offering to save ours. - God raised him axlated himnot just back to lfe - but new position - Son of God neve had before, now as God-man mediatyor - given all power and authority - sit as human-divine Redeemer = to set up your kingdom - here the fulness of the Spirit for you and your church - sit at my righhand.
Had a basket friend, rapper, ended up in Kingston Pen, Used to rap to me - Harry it is not where you’re from, it is where your are at! He was adopted, tough early famly life, trauma, then adoption not easy - but saying its not your past where you from, but where you are righ t now - And Paul is annoucing right now - old self is gone, not alive to the world’s way of doing things witout Christ anymore, but youhave a new self in Chirst, you are live right now, - youat Heaven with Christ, - where he reigns, and what defines your present life - the new gravity that keeps your life in orbit - is all that the reign of jesus represenetns, his values, his ower, his teaching -
But Paul wants to heap on your gorunding in living a different way an even more incredible secure thgouht. It’s not just that you are a new person in the past being united to Christ, nor that you represented by Christ are in heaven and under its influence day by day in the present, its also about your gauranteeed future.
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
YOur life is Christ, him in you is the hope of glory - have it in part and its is growing day by day, but that hidden secure resousrce live with now, world can’t see and you only grasp in part, Christ is going to come back down tot htis world at then end of time, we willsee him and bodily and spiritually in every way when we see him we will be made like Him.
Paul lays out past, present future in Christ, and then says OK this is your life so now not just identity, not just thinking, but now your acting: What is his command that in Christ we’re empowered to keep and privelleged to live?
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above ...
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Without Christ, in the old self, world without Christ, what are peopel seeking, what are our minds set on? Things below - material things - the elemental principles of this world - earn a place, looking for a dweeling that’s temproary buying stuff, winning earthly glory. Riches not wrong but sekeing them as the meaning satisfaction and goal of your life is abslutely wrong and idolatry.
But what does a maturing Christian seek - things above - not talking about godlen throns, pearls, ecstatatic visions of angels, talking about the ONe who is saobve right now - Christ’s sovere3ign reign, that’s what I set my thoguths and my heart upon, about How He fills the univrese with his power and his grace how every par olife to be touched by HIs kingdom. Now how would you know if you are taking this first step to Christian maturity in your actions? How would you know if you are really seeing those above all. Palu give us that in
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
And Pau;l’s truth here is that
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Do you know this truth? The act of seeking depends on the set of your mind! Of course nothing wrong about thinking about the things of this world, making plans , holding the blessing of this life loosely ready to share, but here is the key question - do those blessing dominate your thinking? What you day dream about, talk about - really what you think bout is what you seek!
Playing catch with dog - teniis ball sleep eats, plays. If did postmartum - tennis ball on his brain. YOu me? advancement at work, our home, a dress, fishing pole. Someone said easy for you to have Christ as priorty in all do - but when I’m at work - but no can serve a church as wesily as business with just thinking horizonatlly setting sights on people problme, sbut not How Christ is to be found and his gospel applied with those poeople these problems, these plans. Word seek, set you mind - like
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
So this the first step on Chriatin turity in our behavoiuur - in Christ resourced from heaven, from his control centere, their with him, all his power, blessing and teaching, but by seek and seting our minds we are to start living from there day by day!
But if you are to do this in the ordinary words, reltinships, jobs, and daily activity of your life, what needs to happen, the next step after deciding to live up to the challenge of acting from your resource and prioity of Christ and his kngdom, is that the new life of Christ must necessarily push out the old life, the old self, the elemntary spirits of this world from your life. IE Jesus says, seed must fall to the ground and die then new life springs from it. Paul does this by giving us a Christian vice list. Common in both Greek and Jewish worlds, but something so different about how a christian approaches these vices.
B. Christ-changed behaviour requires you not caging vices, but killing them!
Both in the Greek and Jewish worlds, these vice lists were common in letters - kind of like the Dr Phil and Orpah shows of our day. In the Jewish world for instance, Rabis’ called these vices: YETZER HARA evil impulses - animal lusts - Greeks too realize qualities not very good - so let’s restain and cage and manage them. They were viewing bad things in our lives and our character from a below perspective - don’t lie too mcuh, don’t lust toomuch, you have the power to control these yourself, keep them in a cage and don’t let them get out of control. That’s the problem with us isn’t it, I’m not out of control with this, not as bad as so and so.
This wrong, excpet when I do it, because my situatio is differnt, and it doesn’t really hurt anyone, or if it does they deserve it. If don’t how can I …
But Paul has some very different advice. As JOhnOwen put it - get killing sin or sin will get killing you.
Impure Passion Vice LIst Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
deals first with actually sexual sins, that strict asceticism can’t control, tame, or purify. But a Christ changed life increasingly looks at these vices from an aobve persepective, Divine persepective, how does this desire fit in with what Christ’s doing, how does serve other,s enhance others, including myself, for God’s glory. And isntead of using an ongoing present tense command like walk in Christ and contue to do so, or keep seein gearnestly. He now switches to someting - if you doing - you have to STOP IT. Comedy sketch of Bob Newhard Stop IT… Doing this and the goal isn’t to contain int, its to stop and cease tdoing it altogteher.
Think of not only keeping wild anmial in cage all over your house. But someone with a hoarder problem - litered with stuff doesn’t work but held on to… jam packed with books read , every bill hung on to, tripping over all this stuff.
The wording of this is actually “put to death your members that are on earth. Paul says, your earthly members are teh parts of your life - appetitites, your abilities, capacticies. he says you can either give these to the devil to be used for sin, which brings death; or you can give them to Chris, to be used as instruments of righteousness. It not that the body or that life in the body is bad, but its the propensity of our flesh , its distorted tilt towards sin that’s the problem.
You live and walk in Christ now, give these areas of your life, sexuality, your possessions and desires - to Christ and kill the ways in yor life that selad to sin and death. You can’t live and walk in continual way inthem, yes long hard porcoess of dying to these, but no longer define your life. This is the differene between a Chrsitian vice list and moralist, Jeish or Greek vice list. One some good adivce, the other drivesyou toChrist because its’s not a mora quwstion but a how do I live before a holy God question! Paul says, don’t fool yourself, if not found new life in Christ, and if that new life not killing these areas of your life - the wrath of God, not a petty anger, righteouns anger and punsihemnt and stopoing fowhat is morally wrong and needs to be righted - God’s wrath was once on you, not longer if in Christ, so kill thos sinful desires.
ii. TONGUE VICE LIST In a similar way, he gives another list of five more vices in v.8 These are all sins of our tongues of our used of words:. Like sexual sins, sins of our words destroy relationships too.
Tongue Vice List But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
Again the assumption is not that these sins never exist among God’s people, they will even like sexual sins do even among God’s people, but not walk and living in these sin, as regular part of life, make peace with them and leave them littered even if controled in our lives. No the assumpotion is that in a regular ongoing way we strive and battle here. And the picture now is what a Roman sodlier does, throws off old cloths and puts on new armour. Paul is sayin these sins of the tongue so destructive to relationshisp and community - spirituallity is character thin maturity in Christ is dealing with these. Got be dying before new life and if there isn’t the stae in the last will be worst than first. POut tehse off.
What do you think of this story. You’re a blacksmith, some shows up - says need you to make me a chain, good and strong. pay you for it, come back next week and pcik it up - comes back as promised good strong chain, says, need it longer actually - I’m running out of iron, no money to buy anymore, use up last of strnegth and iron - Hasn’t paid you anything he’s pormised, and then ties you with that rope and throws you in tothe lake of fire. Live in these sins, devils promising good result - pleasure you need can’t live iwhtout, here is chance to get even feel som ch better, attakc, Sin never pays, and hides the hook, and in the end boudn up. And so instead of adding links to the chainthat will bind us, in Christ power to die and and saythis sin will not have mastery over me. Little sins in every day life.
But look how Paul concludes the second list of five:
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
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.
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
Sums up not just sins of the tongue, but I think all our sinning as living a lie. He began the letteer rejoicing: the at the GRACE OF GOD IN TRUTH - is bearing fruit and increasing in you!
which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,
When you give your hands, tongue, sexuality, and your work , and your family life - all these parts/memebers of your body, when you wrestle them out of the hands of the devil, kill the sinful way he would use them against others and ultimately against you, and you put them in the hands of Jesus - you’re stopping the lie and beginning to live the truth. What are the ways you live the lie - Paul is saying, a Christian now has a new self in Christ, given at the time of conversion, but also that though the old self was killed on the Cross, it must be increasingly put down as it struggles with its last breathes to gain control —This requires our cooperation with Christ, we need to work out in life, day to day what he worked on the Cross. We need increasingly to transfer from living life by the old self, to living it by the new.
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
BE encouraged if feeling, not there yet, cooperate find Christ working in you! Paul says not there yet, the new self eeds to be renewed day by day, and that starts with killing the old self in the pwoer of the Cross, As you seek Christ and His kingdom in your dialy life, you allow this renewal in your character to ahppen inChrist power and new life within you.
The old humanity, the old Adam nature fallen in sin, we strip off, together with it actions stop living lie, and live Christ walk in HIm. We’ll have to see how as we stipp that off, and daily put on the new self - that rising with Christ each day in daily actions and words - we are indeed being renewed in the image of Christ. Remember from the hymn that Christ’s job is to be the image of the invisible God. World can only see God in that image - his job as the head of creation, but it’s his job as the head of his body the church to make God known. Well you start really dying to sin, and living to righteousness in Christ ,- you share that job of christ - you bear the image of Christ the new huanity - to those in your hosue, schooo, here at church. Being renewed day by day!
And that brings us to our closing point this morning. You get the resources in your life up these with Christ and not down here in horizontal and earthly things. YOu start putting to death sin and living in Christ for righteouenss in the litte ways. And what can we expect to see happen maong us here and now on earth and fully in heaven?
C. Live with Christ’s People in God’s New Society
When Paul wrote this Ceasar was LORD, declared to be all in all - cultural assimilation, bring pax romana, benefits commoon language learning, roads, security - but did so through self-aggrnadizement and military conquest. OUr day too, the state increasingly looked upon as a nanny, does everyting for us, controls everything for us,. And you see that there is no real unity between the classes, the nations, you see the poltiics of idenity really the opolitics of divsisoin, group rights.
But Paul says, when we are really killing the old self and all its activiities in dily life, when we living in and iwth Christ daily -
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
the difference in our ethnicitiy, the differences i nour heritages, the differences who is cultured here, who is weealtheir who is poorer,they disappear or are at least absorbed in great unity in who we are as the body of Christ in all its diversity. Greek and Jew you get, Barbarian and Scythian go together - bar bar bar - not Roman cultured, not Helnnesitc out- Scythians Nof the Black Sa - epitome of unrefined and saage. The goal of you and I not just gettting Christ and waitin g for heavne, but God remaking us to be like Christ, the goal of our dying to sin and living new Christ way with our sexuallyity, with our anger, withour words, with our possessions - is that Christ for all these different types of peopl, Christ in all these differenttypes of people here today. - He is indwelling us, and making not just ab nuch of invidulaly nice peole, but he is making us his new huanity, the body of Christ on earth.
COnclusion: Dan Jansens, 1988 Winter Olympic spped skater. Sister Jane dying, next olypics also failed to medal. Finally 12 years later wins gold bringsup his daughter Jane. Shared early memonry of osing a race early on, islent drive with Father, didn’t say a word, nto his gloominess. Cameinto his room, likfe is about more than skaiting in circles. youknow. He asiad that day, satrted to see things in betgiger perspective.... yes speed skating legiatete passt time - but life is from above about much more, just feel like you are skating in circles in life - trying to be good, try to avoid this bad, do these rituals. Is taht how you view your vices, and your work and your word, and your relationsihps? But you get the bigger picture, put all the earthly things in your life into that big picture - not pointless and useless - but bent to HIs glory for HIs kigdom. Get busy killing these sins , sins together as community, find Christ indeed indwells us and he is making a new haumaity in us His Church.