Sunday Sermon Colossians 3:5-11 (3)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Thank you for that wonderful song service and for everything that each one of you do to make FCC a vibrant community to worship in and with.
Good morning and welcome to FCC, where we worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth one verse at a time.
What a wonderful week it has been and praise God for the week that is upon us.
Read Colossians 3:8-11
Read Colossians 3:8-11
Prayer
Prayer
Review
Review
We have slowed the plow down over these verses because the Lord desires to deal with the issues of our hearts and to understand the depths and the riches of his Word as we have moved from Doctrine into Duty, or from Position to Practice, or from Belief to Behavior, or one more, from Orthodoxy to Orthopraxy
We have learned that we died with Christ and that we have been raised with Him into the newness of life, therefore, we are now in the sanctification process and being transformed into the image of the Son.
But this does not happen through osmosis, but rather through practice and obedience.
God desires church for us to be a holiness people set apart to glorify his name in word, thought, and deed.
Last week we learned that sanctification is God’s will for our lives and we all like to know what God’s will for our live is. Right?
But we also come to understand that not only was the Colossian church struggling with sexual sin, but that many other church that Paul wrote to were as well.
Why? Immorality was part of the pagan religion that the Gentiles came out of.
Therefore, Paul addresses immorality and sexual sin over and over in his Epistles.
We live in a sex saturates society that is attempting to seduce everyone in one way or another, therefore, we must armor up and understand what the Lord commands us to do.
3. Paul listed two different categories of sins: sexual or gross sins verse 5, and social sins here in verse 8. When Epaphras left Colossae and went to Rome to find Paul. I am sure that he shared that they were struggling with there sins.
However, let us not think this is a comprehensive sin list, because there are many others
Verse 8 is a bridge between the gross sins of verse five and six and the social, more acceptable sins of verse eight.
Someone might say, “Well, I never have done any of those gross sexual sins, and I never will!”
That’s good, but guess what? You have done the social sins mentioned in verse 8.
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
We closed out last week talking about the word picture or imagery that Paul uses here.
And this imagery is universal in that all people from all nations could understand what this means.
Paul says to put off and we will learn next week that he says we are to put on as well in verse 12.
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
This connects with the story of Lazarus that we did on Easter with the graveclothes church.
Paul is telling us that we need to put them off!!!!
They stink and besides, if we really have been saved, regenerated, then we should be clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
I think it is worth while to note again, that Jesus asked the disciples to Loose him and let him go!
There are some sins in our lives church that we continue to struggle with and might need others to loose us and let us go of our graveclothes.
And here, in verse 8 we see some more sins that we need to talk about:
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
Church, again we see an imperative here which is a command that we are to put off anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy and filthy language out of our mouths.
Is there anyone here today that has not struggled with these at one time or another?
In the first category of sin, Paul’s pathology started with the result first and leads us to the root cause.
Therefore, the root cause of fornication is coveting and idolatry.
Here, in verse 8, Paul’s pathology is the opposite. He starts with the root cause.
Therefore, the root cause of someone who slanders others or speaks filthy language out of their mouth is anger.
Anger- Orgē -is a deep, smoldering, resentful bitterness. It is the settled heart attitude of the angry person.
Church, this has no place in a Christian’s life. We see in Ephesians many parallels with Colossians. Here we see Paul saying almost the exact same thing to the church at Ephesus:
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
There are over 300 passages in the Bible that pertain to anger in some form or fashion.
Therefore, church, God wants us to deal with it.
Before, I speak on the root of all these sins which is anger, I would like to share the definition of each of these sins.
In contrast to anger we have:
Wrath/ rage- thumos - refers to a sudden outburst of anger.
It is blowing the stack, popping the lid in vicious anger.
The Greeks likened it to a fire in straw, which flares up briefly and is gone.
It is used to speak of those in the synagogue of Nazareth who exploded in anger upon hearing Jesus’ teachings:
So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.
It is one of the deeds of the flesh :
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Church anger and wrath are closely related. The churning, boiling anger that often lies just below the surface gives rise to eruptions of wrath. And many live with a deep-seated resentment that feeds their anger.
Anger not dealt with turns into resentment and resentment not dealt with produces bitterness church.
Malice- kakia-is holding a grudge to the point where you would strike or injure the person.
In this context, one scholar says that it could refer to the harm caused by evil speech.
Blasphemy/ slander- — abusive words falsely spoken that damage a person’s reputation.
Anger, wrath, and malice often result in slander.
The Greek word translated “slander” is blasphēmia, from which our English word blasphemy derives.
When used in relation to God, it is translated “blasphemy.”
When used in relation to people, as here, it is translated “slander.
To slander people, however, is to blaspheme God, inasmuch as He created men and women:
With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
With what church? Our tongue!
And finally, y’all know what filthy language out of your mouths is right???
It refers to having a foul mouth, accepting the accepted curse words of any society.
It includes malicious speaking and telling unclean stories. Get rid of it!
The result of anger, wrath, and malice is abusive speech.
It refers to derogatory speech intended to hurt and wound someone.
It could be translated “foul-mouthed abuse” (Lightfoot, p. 214). Such talk is expressly forbidden in Scripture.
Look at what Paul said to the Ephesians:
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
. Jesus said:
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
Paul is telling us to put these off church: anger, put it off!, rage, put it off! malice, put it off! slander, put it off! filthy language out of your mouth church, we are to put it off!
The Lord desires us to deal with our anger! For if we do not deal with our anger church, our anger will deal with us and with others.
Did you know that anger can cause not only relational problems, but health problems as well?
Dr. Dean Ornish cites numerous studies that demonstrates how love is the main factor in determining mental, emotional, and physical health. He concludes that anything that promotes feelings of love and intimacy is healing; anything that promotes isolation, separation, loneliness, loss, hostility, anger, cynicism, depression, alienation, and related feelings often leads to suffering, disease, and premature death from all causes.
Anger can cause heart attacks
Anger is linked to depression
Anger can up your stroke risks
Anger can weaken your immune system
Anger can create respiratory problems
Anger can cause not only physical, mental, and emotional issues, but certainly spiritual and relational as well.
The first family in the Bible had anger issues that was left undone church and turned into murder:
Read Genesis 4:1-10 if there is time!
Read Genesis 4:1-10 if there is time!
Let’s look at some verses regarding anger, remember that there is over 300 references in the Bible about anger in some form or fashion:
He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.
The man who does not have self-control and has a short fuse exalts folly church.
Another way to say this would be a man who is quick-tempered is a fool!
A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
Here we see a wrathful man that creates conflict, but the man that is slow to anger, that is patient will calm a quarrel church.
Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.
Here we see the Word teaching us not to be friends with an angry man unless you become like him and set a trap for your soul.
If you go to the barber shop, sooner or later you will get a hair cut
We become what we hang around with church
Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
If become angry quickly church and allow it to rest in our bosom, we will become a fool.
If we allow our anger to rest and linger within our souls, it will become a destructive force in our life church.
It will harm all of our relationships, including our realtionship with the Lord.
Paul did not say unless you have been wronged, unless you have been hurt, unless you have been offended, embarrassed or rejected church. He said that we are to put these off!
There are no excuses!
Sure when we are hurt or traumatized, it takes time to heal, but should you allow anger to turn into resentment, and resentment to turn into bitterness, you will reap a harvest of destruction, let alone live unhappy and miserable life.
Do you know anyone who is an angry person that has joy and peace in their life? I think not!
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Angry people cannot produce the righteousness of God
We must follow the Biblical mandates for our anger church.
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
Church, the Word here says that anger is ok as long as it is not a sin.
But it also teaches us we must deal with it before the sun goes down.
Because if you do not, you will give place to the Devil in your life.
Therefore, deal with it!! Before the sun goes down!
Let us remember to not make difficult decisions when we are angry and be careful church to not judge others!
I want to give you four things you must do with your anger:
I want to give you four things you must do with your anger:
You need to own your anger and identify it!
Ask these: Why am I angry? When did this anger problem start? Who am I angry with? What is causing me to act this way???
Anger always has a source
Have your ever asked your spouse or a co-worker if they think your an angry person?
2. Do not misdirect your anger on others because expressing it the wrong way will hurt others.
If I am easily ignited and do not deal with the source then I will keep hurting people and eventually alienate myself.
This is why we must be quick to respond and deal with our anger.
Let us not give place to the devil
Anger turns to resentment rather rapidly.
3. Do not let you anger linger church because the devil will create an awesome defense for you to stay angry!
Have you ever asked someone if they are angry? How did they respond ?
There are people in life, who will never admit that they are angry and it seems like they are blind. However, those who are around an angry person know that they are angry. But until God softens their heart, they will not listen or get the help they need to overcome.
4. You must forgive- forgiveness is the remedy for anger church.
We are commanded to forgive over and over in the Scripture.
It was anger well sin that crucified Jesus
And it is our anger church that causes us to crucify others
People try to close the book on anger, when the fire is still burning inside church, and eventually there will be an explosion.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Church, anger and unforgiveness are traveling companions, this is why God has commanded us to forgive!
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Here, Paul calls out the sin, but here he gives the remedy called forgiveness.
The bottom, bottom line church is if I do not forgive those who have hurt me, have offended me, have embarrassed me etc.. Then I will not be forgiven, but become bitter person church.
If I am living in anger, then I am not right with God.
Can you be right with God and moments of anger? Yes! But deal with you anger before the sunsets!
As I close, I want to remind you that it was anger, resentment, and bitterness that put Jesus on the cross church. It was anger that martyred the apostles and the early church fathers and it is our anger that causes our families, friends, employers, churches, and communities great pain.
We see the violence of America at an all time high and I believe it is because we have a bunch of angry children and angry adults who are exploding that needs the forgiveness of Jesus Christ!
Are you angry? The Lord is waiting for you to forgive!
Prayer
Prayer
Announcements
Announcements
Are there any announcements?
Benediction
Benediction
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Bless You!
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