Are You The Real Deal?
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· 2 viewsJuly 17, 2022 Morning Worship
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome back!
Hopefully everyone has came out of Fair Week relatively unscathed!
This morning I would like for us to take a look at the book of Colossians, specifically chapter 3, the first eleven verses.
The Book of Colossians, or the “Letter to the Colossians,” which is actually what it is was written to the Christians at the church of Colossae.
And the letter is one of Paul’s many letters to the churches.
Now, some things about the town of Colossae, it was a town in Asia about 100 miles west of Ephesus and about 12 miles south of Laodicea.
And, at one time Colossae was a booming town but during Paul's time had began to lose it economic structure and base.
And Paul is writing this letter to address these Christians there, who were mostly Gentile converts (like us).
These new Christians were striving and struggling to live the Christian life and were being bombarded by the Heresies and fleshliness of the world, that was trying to destroy their new found salvation.
Specifically they were being attacked with this idea of Syncretistiscm that combined elements of Gnosticism, paganism, Judaism, and Christianity into this mess that they called a religion.
Sort of like we see today, they took the most popular ideas from Christianity and Judaism, and wrapped some fleshly, worldly desires around it and called it true religion.
So, Paul is prompted to write this letter to combat these false ideas and also to encourage the believers to stay true to Christ above all else.
This is the significance of our focus here in chapter three.
The chapter is actually divided into four parts, and we will talk about two of them this morning.
Verses 1-4, that talk about Seeking Heaven not Earth.
And verses 5-11, that talk about Putting off the Old Man.
So, let’s read through our verses and get right into this morning.
Colossians 3, starting in verse 1, Paul writes . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on 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 now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Seek Heaven and Not Earth
Seek Heaven and Not Earth
So, we find here that Paul is being his usually cheery and uplifting self, reminding people of how things should be.
And he starts off again in verse 1 . . .
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on 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 now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
And I really, really like how Paul starts off his address to these people.
He tells them, since then, you have been raised with Christ, and what he is saying is since you claim you have been saved by Jesus Christ . . .
There should be some things that you should be seeking after.
And what are those things?
Things from above.
Things from heaven.
The things of God and not the things of humanity and the earth.
So, that naturally begs the question, what are the things of heaven?
What’s the difference between the things of heave and the things of earth?
Well, the things of earth are things like:
Wealth
Power
Fame
Pleasure
Instant gratificaiton
Popularity
Basically all things created by man, in an attempt to imitate or replace God.
Those are the things of earth.
So, what about the things of heaven.
Well, they consist of things like:
Eternal life
Peace
Joy
Happiness
Living in the presence of God
Borrowing again from our friend Mr. Tozer from last week, this is what he says about the verses I just read: "Of all the calamities that have been visited upon this world and its inhabitants, the willing surrender of the human spirit to materialistic values is the worst! We who were made for higher worlds are accepting the ways of this world as the ultimate. That is a tragedy of staggering proportions."
And, that my friends is the problem that Paul is trying to help this new Christians avoid.
He does not want them falling victim or falling into the trap of the world.
He wants them to follow his friend John’s teaching, when John tells us plainly to . . .
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
And it is just not 1st Century Christians that this applies to.
The same thing holds true for us today.
We've all heard the old saying, "Home is where the heart is."
Well, where is your heart?
Is it here on earth or there in Heaven?
That my friends determines where your home is.
And if heaven is not your home, then you are in trouble.
If your heart is not in heaven then YOUR HEART IS NOT WITH GOD.
You are not where you need to be.
And you need to examine your place and relationship with God.
In that same passage I read from Tozer’s work, he also asks a question.
He states: “Moses turned his back on the pleasures and treasures of Egypt. Would we, could we turn our backs on the cash, the comforts, the conveniences we have in order to be the people of God?”
And we don’t have to answer that out loud.
We know the answer to that in our hearts.
If the answer is "no," then don't wait until the end of the sermon.
Come now and make things right with God.
We'll wait if we need to or we can preach right on while your praying.
Don't let Satan rob you of an opportunity to make things right between you and the Lord.
Because honestly, the next section of what we are getting into can't apply to you until you get things straight with God in the first place.
Put Off the Old Man
Put Off the Old Man
Starting in verse 5, Paul writes . . .
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Over in Ephesians 4, Paul also writes . . .
Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
So, it is all about putting off the old and putting on the new.
He tells them to Put to Death whatever belongs to your earthly nature.
In essence he is telling us to destroy the strength and vitality of the flesh.
We are to subdue (bring under subjection) the flesh, even to the point of recognizing the shame and embarrassment that is manifest in the flesh.
And this is a point Paul makes time and time again.
In 1 Corinthians 9, he puts it this way . . .
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Now Paul isn’t saying we are to run around beating ourselves.
He is saying we are to put the things of God first.
We are to keep the main thing the main thing.
We are to discern what is most important and that comes first.
And the most important is not the flesh.
It is not the things that draw us away from God here.
It is the things of heaven.
It is the prize at the end of the race—eternal life.
And we need to do whatever we can to try and achieve that goal.
And we need to be helping each other achieve that goal.
NOT judging each other for our faults and shortcomings, but HELPING each other overcome them.
So, what are they?
What are these things we are to avoid and overcome?
Here in Colossians, Paul says they are things like . . .sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, idolatry, anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, and lying.
In Galatians 5, Paul talks about them this way as well . . .
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
And some of these things us “Good Upstanding Christian” people have overcome and don’t have issues with.
But not all of them.
See, we try to qualify sins and say this is worse than that.
But these lists of Paul’s are all interrelated, not because of the outward manifestation of the sin, but for the condition of the heart that it represents.
These are all ways in which we feed the flesh and not the spirit.
How many Christian people have anger issues?
How many are liars?
How many use filthy language?
How many are jealous?
How many seek after money (greed)?
How many are more concerned about their selfish ambitions, than the will of God?
Those are the ones that sneak up on us.
Because as Paul points out in verse 7 . . .
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
We know this life.
This is what we were most comfortable with.
So, it so easy to go right back to it.
However, he is also very clear that . . .
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
However, since we have received Jesus Christ, we have . . .
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
We are a new person, with a new nature.
In Ephesians Paul says . . .
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
And folks, this new nature, this new self, this new reality, isn’t a ONE TIME CHANGE, it is a DAILY RENEWAL.
A daily walk—sometimes a daily struggle.
Look at what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4 . . .
All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
And this is where so many well meaning Christians get into trouble.
This is also where the church fails people.
We can't expect to come to the altar and get a one time touch from God and expect that to be the end of it.
And we also can’t hold somebody’s past against them.
Constantly reminding them of the things they used to do.
We ALL have to grow, learn, develop, and CONTINUOUSLY go to the well for a fill up!
Every single one of us.
Listen, if God is going to forget our past, then so should we.
We need to take a person for who they are today and who God is trying to get them to be tomorrow.
And here is another thing too.
We are expected to fill up every day and USE WHAT GOD GIVES US.
Don't get sucked into the false belief that there's nothing past salvation.
Salvation is the beginning of it all not the end game!
Also, don't get sucked into that false belief that "it isn't for me," or "God can't/won't save me."
Lies, all lies.
In the next verse of our text, Paul says . . .
Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
In the text, the word Scythian means = WILD SAVAGE, THE LOWEST TYPE OF BARBARIAN.
The Scythians were tribes that had settled on the north coast of the Black Sea and were widely viewed as fierce and crude
So, what Paul is saying is even if you were the lowest form of a barbarian, God can save you and God is willing to save you.
2 Peter 3:9 reminds us that . . .
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
And Acts 2:21 . . .
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Altar/Challenge
Altar/Challenge
No one is excluded and no one is left out.
So, the real question is, are you the real deal?
Do yo seek the things of heaven and not of earth?
Have you put off the old man and replaced him with the new?
That's not the end though.
Like we said, salvation is just the beginning, not the end.
Maybe you just don't know for sure . . . If you don't, come and know for sure this morning.
Let’s pray . . .