November 23, 2003

Holy Living

Colossians 3:1-17

In our study of Colossians, although I have not presented it

like this, Paul had proclaimed Christ as:

a. preeminent in creation - our Creator

b. preeminent in redemption - our Redeemer

c. preeminent in the church - He gave Himself for it

d. now He is to be preeminent in your life, my life.

The True Christian life - a personal union with Christ - by letting

Christ influence the whole life - the inner, outer, social, secular.

C. H. Spurgeon - The sole purpose of Christianity is to

sanctify the secular!

Historically, in America at least, secularism has been

in subjection to religious life because its citizens had

such a strong personal union with Christ and God.

Now it seems that instead of sanctifying the secular,

religion in America is contaminated by the secular,

or worst, exterminated by THE SECULAR LIE - the

theoretical and/or non constitutional phrase -

separation of church and state?

In high school wrestling, individuals are awarded points

for a reversal, when a wrestler on the bottom gets

off the bottom and behind or on top of his opponent.

In effect a near reverse pin, going from being

checked or suppressed in sin, to in your face sinning.

I have no doubt that society is more depraved today or

at least is quickly becoming more depraved, than what

Paul had to deal with in Colosse and Laodecia.

Yea, rivaling the depravity of the days before the

Great Flood and the destruction of Sodom & Gommorha.

These are life and death matters that our lesson deals

with today.

American life as we have known it for two hundred years

is threatened today by false teaching and sinful living.

It replacement cannot last - Jesus said “this generation

shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled”

An earth born philosophy that basically is a hell birthed

philosophy that has earth borne tendencies.

“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take

counsel together, against the Lord, and against His

anointed saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and

cast away their cords from us” - Psalm 2:2-3

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”

Phil. 2:7

Christianity has celebrated many a glorious day publicly in America and has checked the damning influence of evil for more than two hundred years. Now the very existence of this great country is threatened by those who would divorce us from God, and neuter our religious faith which is the salt that preserves us.

Life and death are mentioned in our study - there is a great

difference but not necessarily a long period of time between

the two.

It doesn’t take long to die - copperhead in the road - Sept

of 2002, next morning picture, end of day skeleton.

Same of you or me if not embalmed and buried out of sight.

Cut Flower Generation. Manners - Morals-

Our lesson today deals with:

a. the Supremacy of Christ

b. importance of unity of Church Brethren

c. sacredness of human life (union with Christ in God)

vs. 1-2 - “seek those things which are above” - “set your affections

on things above” - mind - (occupy thoughts)

“not on the earth”

Mind on pornography, banking, the Bible and pleasing God?

The “mind that is in Christ” of Philippians 2:7 gives us:

a. personal being, personal worth, personal rights

b. Him whom we can perfectly trust, perfectly love,

and absolutely obey

The present in our view is the seed-time, the training school for

the immortal future and its value lies in what it leads to rather

than what it is!

v. 3 - “dead to sin”-dead to human modes of salvation (self-help)

“your life is hid with Christ in God” - unseen and eternal -

withdrawn from the world of sense - a mystery to the world.

The mutual indwelling of the Head in Heaven and the members

upon earth is the most intimate & inscrutable of

all secrets.

Now that you/I are in Christ, you/I should let His fullness

be lived out through you/me!

The world knows neither Christ nor the Christian but

as the old historic secret - ch. 1:26a,27b has been

manifested - so will the new secret in every Christian

life be realized - v. 4.

I read where if man was as afraid of sin as he is of holiness,

what a wonderful world it would be.

Or if man was as concerned about his spiritual cleanliness

as his personal hygiene - then ditto.

I John 3:2 Rom. 8:19

Observe that Christ is mentioned four times in

four verses (it is He “by whom He made the worlds)

Heb. 1:2

v. 5 - Passion - pathos -lust - an inflamed condition of

the sensual appetite

Desire - Concupiscence - craving for some

particular gratification

Originally, neither of these words is etymologically

evil in sense. The degradation of such terms is a sad

evidence of the corruption of our nature.

Sexual immorality of this age!

These vices are native to the soil of the human heart -

See Mark 7:20-23

By habitual practice they take possession of the man,

so that his members are made slaves to uncleanness

and iniquity.

Under the sway of sensual appetite and worldly desire,

ungoverned by any influence from the things above,

his person becomes more and more completely an

incarnation of sin.

This is what is happening and will happen in the

“theoretical separation of church and state” in

America!

Unchasity was the most prevailing sin before the

Flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gommorha,

and the Gentile world of Paul’s time. There sins

of the flesh prevailed in grossest and most shameless

forms - Romans 1:18-27 tells the outcome of a

godless civilization.

Remember Hosea 4:14c - “therefore the people

that doeth not understand shall fall”

“bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience

of Christ” - II Cor. 10:5

“make dead your members”

Remember, everything that God made was good!

“drink waters out of your own cistern” - “rejoice with

they wife of thy youth” and a few other things of

Proverbs 5:15-21

Pathos is the diseased condition out of which

epithumia springs.

They are combined in I Thess. 4:5 in contrast with 4:4

Also the word fornication comes from the word where

we get the word “porno”.

Why is it that the ACLU is against the Commandments

but for pornography?

pleonexia - covetousness - the disposition to have more,

greed, selfishness, grown to a passion - it applies

to sins of impurity and sensual pleasure.

v. 6 - The anger of God is coming - a complete sentence.

Rom. 1:18

Against sin - Rev. 16:1, 14:10a

“cometh” - a continuing fact - a fixed principle.

I am tempted as James and John to ask God to command

fire to come out of heaven and rectify things - Jesus said

“ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of”

I don’t know why God doesn’t do something about evil/

evil organizations like the Southern Poverty Center (like

Laodecia)/unjust judges in lower and higher courts.

Are you aware of Ezekiel 38:18-19 - 20 times in

Ezekiel the Lord says “my fury” - 9 times fury/thy fury.

Key - Eccl. 8:11-13

II Pet. 3:9 - “The Lord is not slack concerning His

promise, as some men count slackness, but is

longsuffering to usward, not willing that any

should perish but that all men should come to

repentance”.

Man’s inability to gauge or size up sin - death -

ruin - putrification.

II Thess. 1:8-10a, 2:10b-12

The anger that is coming - the objects of this anger-

“SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE”

The consummation of human history - the one far-off

Divine event to which all creation moves but He waits

till “the gospel of the kingdom is preached to all nations”,

“till His enemies be made His footstool”, till “the harvest

of the earth is ripe”, till the hour has struck appointed in

the Father’s eternal counsels.

THEN HE WILL APPEAR IN GLORY!

His glory His saints will share, we will share. We too will

be manifested as He and they - there WILL BE an unveiling

of the sons of God - Rom. 8:18

Like a great sculptor unveiling his work on some public

day so will we be “presented faultless before the

presence of His glory with exceeding joy” - ch. 1:22,28

and Jude 24

v. 7 - “ye also walked” - next week - about walking.

“in them”

v. 8 - “put off” as a garment

vs. 8-10 - A new series of sins - as impurity dominated

the first list, now malice contaminates this list.

Contrast Eph. 4:26-31

Anger is universally condemned - Al-Qaida is angry but

“God is angry with the wicked every day” - Ps. 7:11

“Blasphemy” - injurious speech of any kind - either against

man or God.

“filthy communication” - baseness, shame, disgrace.

v. 9 - lying - lie not to one another - speak the truth in love.

v. 10 - “put on” - the new life has a new outfit - II Cor. 5:17

The wardrobe of the new man - What a well-dressed Christian

should look like - advertisement - “well dressed man” - if

mankind would be as concerned about their spiritual dress

as their wardrobe, what a wonderful world it would be!

A new birth, a new man - “image” calls to mind Gen. 1:26-28

Renewal in Christ makes a man what the Creator designed

to start with - in His Own Image!

v. 11 - Four terms representing distinctions in:

race, religion, culture and social rank.

v. 12-14 - “Put on” - not hypocrisy but as a garment.

forgiveness peace Word of Christ

John 15:3 - Ps. 19:9 (best Sat. nite bath - Study Word of God)

love thanksgiving singing actions