Colossians 3:5-11 – What Not to Wear
Today we pick up once again where we left off in Colossians 3. Today’s passage might be what some consider “Da Rulz”, a list of things that we aren’t supposed to do. I’d like to look at today’s passage not in a heavy handed way, but in a realistic way, and see if we can gain some positive encouragement from these verses. Let’s read Colossians 3:5-11.
We’ve been learning about the 5 God-given purposes of the church, and what that means for us here at Centreville Baptist. We have seen that this church exists to Glorify God, Reach out to others, Aspire to live like Jesus, commit to serve, and Encourage one another. Today we are on the A – to aspire, to seek, to desire, to hope, to aim to become more and more like Jesus. This passage is the nuts and bolts of that desire.
Let’s admit this, right from the start. We fall so far short. We don’t love as He does, we don’t forgive as He does, and we don’t see things as He does. But we are on that journey, that voyage, that expedition to have the image of Jesus stamped on our hearts.
Now, before we rush into all the do’s and don’ts, let’s go back a few verses, to the start of the chapter. Paul tells us how we are connected to Jesus. He says we died with Him, we have been raised to new life with Him, and we’ll reign with Him in heaven. In addition to this, Paul says that Jesus is our very life, the air we breathe, the hope we have, the source of our strength. Christ is our life.
So when verse 5 opens with the word “therefore”, that means that what has been said is the reason for what’s about to be said. Because Christ is our life, this then is how we should live. Because Christ is our source of life and strength, here’s how we should live our lives. Because of all that He has done for us, is it too much to ask to give Him our lives in return. Sounds simple, huh?
The thing is, all this requires some willingness to change. If you hadn’t noticed, living like Jesus doesn’t come easy. I’d like to say that it’s natural for Christians, but I’m not sure of that either. Change isn’t easy. Growth and transformation and making adjustments – all these can be tricky.
I’m going to step out of the room for a second, and while I’m gone, I’d like you to watch a video. It’s about a guy who talks about his Sunday school experience, and how he has found a class that is suited to his spiritual growth.
(At this point, I changed into an awful ensemble of colours, flowers, patterns and so on that looked awful.)
The Bible uses different metaphors or word pictures to represent becoming more like Jesus. Growth is one. Today’s passage contains a couple. One is “put to death”. Kill. Mortify. Execute. The other one in this passage is an interesting one. The NIV uses the words “put off the old and put on the new”. The words in passage for the next sermon from Colossians are this: clothe yourselves. It’s about what a person wears, puts on, and shows to others.
It’s actually a fairly common word picture. In Psalm 93, God is pictured as being robed in majesty. Isaiah 61 mentions it a couple of times. We sang about 61:3, talking about putting on a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. And Isaiah 61:10 says that “He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.”
And in the New Testament, we are given all kinds of commands like this. Romans 13:14 – “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Galatians 3:27 - all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
1 Peter 5:5 - All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
And Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 that we absolutely must be made new and different. “ 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.”
Clothing ourselves in what is right is important. Going back to that word “therefore” in v5… because Christ is our life, all these other things detract from that. They bring us death to our spirits and injure us. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking these things aren’t serious – v6. God is angry with sin, even forgiven ones. Let’s not think that God is OK with Christians sinning, just because we’re forgiven.
But Paul is trying to get across how Christians should treat sinful habits. He’s serious about the fact that Christians need to get rid of un-Christlike behaviours. These things are harmful to our souls, and so we should get rid of them. It’s not so much that they will take away our eternal salvation – Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation. But they will eat away at our souls.
Using the clothes metaphor, some things just don’t fit. They don’t match who we are, and what we are becoming. Christians who make a habit of allowing these things in their lives are like when people wear things that don’t fit, or aren’t appropriate, or don’t match. Like my changing into these clothes that don’t fit my job at the moment. They aren’t really appropriate for a man sharing God’s word. They don’t fit who I am and what I’m trying to do. When Christians engage in lifestyles and actions that go against God’s word, it’s like wearing mismatched, ugly clothes that just don’t fit.
Now, we can say that because we are safe, these things don’t matter – they won’t keep us out of heaven. Even if that’s true, we will someday stand before the judgement seat of Christ and then explain to Him why we did what we did. Even if we are safe, do we really want to stand before the King of Kings and say, “Yes, I know You deserved my best, but I just didn’t feel like giving it”?
The images of putting to death, putting on the new, and clothing ourselves are all about choosing to follow. Obedience isn’t something a person stumbles into; it’s a decision.
So when the Lord shows you that this thing or that thing has no part of who He is making you to be, admit it. Agree with Him. Say, “Lord, I know this isn’t pleasing to You. Help me get rid of it. Help me become more like You. Help me take off the things that hold me back from living for You.
Paul lists these things, and I like how The Message words them: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. Paul says, “That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God.”
And then he continues… bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk, lying to each other. You know, we complain about how sinful the world is. But we don’t have to go too far beyond our own souls to see that the problem lies within us too.
And I really like how the author of The Message words this next part. He says, “You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.”
Isn’t that good? That is about Christ shaping our identity, finding our identity in who He is, and what He’s done. It’s not about how good we are or how smart we are. It’s about our allowing Jesus to change our lives, and then He gets the praise for it.
So we need to admit when we have these things in our lives. If God has put a finger on it, that means He thinks it’s time to deal with it. You can either run from it or admit it. And pray to the Lord for strength to deal with it. Lord, help me to take off and get rid of things that don’t belong in my life, as someone who wants to please You.
