What Defines You? Part 2

Colossians 3:1–10 NKJV

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

This is the 2nd of a 3 part series. What defines you? It goes beyond jobs, relationships, or family. It goes to the heart. If everything was stripped away, your family, your home, your friends; What defines you? Two weeks ago we delve into slogans and what defines us. What do we associate with.

Today, the focus will be verse 5.

Colossians 3:5 NKJV

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

There are things we once did, but should not have a part in our lives today. This is a wake up call. Are there these things in your life today? It is a time to be completely honest between ourselves and the Lord. According to the Word, it would be a contradiction to have these things in our life and call ourselves a Christian. We need to really search our heart. We must be different from the world because we may live in it, but we are not a part of this world.

Fornication (Por-ne-ia) any sexual relationship outside of a marriage

Uncleanness (A-kath-ar-sia) Does your morality line up with the word of God? This word refers to an unclean heart; motives

Passion - (Pathos) lust

Evil desire - wrong desires

Covetousness (Ple-onex-ia) - obsession to gain material possesions and wealth

We have some things we really need to be on guard against. covetousness =idolatry

When you see something someone else has and you think, Lord I will be happy if I have that. You have then made that item an idol. Think about it. You have tied your happiness to an in-adamant object. You are placing this object on a higher level than God. That is too much for pressure for a person, much less for an object invented by man.

God loves us and wants us to be blessed.

Matthew 7:11 NKJV

11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

The ultimate goal is to mirror the image of Christ in not only what we say and do, but also what we think.

When it may seem to be a struggle just in what we say and do, something like controlling our thoughts may seem to be on the back burner. We want to make sure that when we are at church and around our church friends, we say the right thing and do the right thing. We sometimes have thoughts we never want heard. The Apostle Peter is sometimes referred to the hopping apostle because he was known to speak without thinking it through first.

To break the habits means to address our thoughts from the very beginning. Many of you remember a few months back when I burned myself pretty bad taking a pan out of the oven at one of our dinners. Mike had to take me to the Urgent Care. They gave me a prescription for Silvadene cream. It is wonderful.

I could think I could continue to pull hot pans out of the oven with hot pads. Will I get burned? Yes. It is no problem as long as I have Silvadene cream. This may seem like some seriously flawed logic, but there are those who treat their Christian walk the same way. There are those who are complacent and have similar flawed logic. There are those whom may be tempted to make the same mistakes of the past and justify it with, “No problem, God made me and knew I would make this mistake and this is what Grace is for.”

Romans 6:1–2 NKJV

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Or some may think, it is okay, I will ask forgiveness before I go to sleep or I will go up to the altar for prayer. I am sure God will forgive me if I am anointed with oil and the pastor prays for me.

Ephesians 2:1–2 NKJV

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

We need to take this seriously. We need to take our relationship with the Lord seriously. There was nothing complacent about the cross.

1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Conclusion:

Look at verse 5 again

Colossians 3:5 NKJV

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Do you struggle with any of these things? As a Christian, there is none of these be found in you. This is not about condemnation, but a wake up call. Have any of these things from your dead life snuck into your current one? Revival must happen in the house of God first. Revival must happen in us first.

1 Peter 4:17 NKJV

17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?