Beware of the World
Colossians 3:1-11
In the final two chapters of Colossians Paul moves from declaring and defending the truth to practical demonstration of truth. In other words what good is in to know to put Christ first, to say we put Christ first but we never do put Christ first.
There are many Christians today that declare and defend their position but then don’t live Christ like in their testimony. Jesus should change everything about us. What we believe should have a direct connection to how we behave.
I’ve had people off and on say well I never thought a Christian should act that way. No they didn’t say that about me it was about another Christian.
The truth is if we practically don’t behave like a Christian why bother to say we are a Christian? The Bible says it this way “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” James 2:18
Here again in our study of this wonderful book of God’s Word we see the final weed that chokes out Christ. We had philosophy or knowledge without Christ, Legalism and now worldliness. Jesus even said in Matthew 13:22 that the cares of the world choke out the Word getting into the heart.
We cannot let the world become greater to us than Jesus and His Word. This is the key to what the Bible is telling us in our text today.
Seek Jesus and what Heaven has in store for you. If you want a happy life a life filled with Heavenly days then place your emphasis and what is important to Heaven. We’re going to live eternally why not think eternally?
Notice how we do this:
I. Concentrate on the Heavenly (v.1-4)
Notice those words SEEK and MIND in verses 1 and 2:
1.SEEK (v.1) means to think on, meditate to reason out and enquire into.
2. MIND (v.2) here means to focus it intently on the things of God.
We are to get our focus off the world and place our focus on eternity. Live here on Earth but look to and long for Heaven. Focus takes discipline:
STOPPING TO FOCUS Have you ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny? According to an interesting article in the Detroit Free Press, a pigeon walks the way it does so it can see where it’s going. Because it can’t adjust its focus as it moves, the pigeon actually has to bring its head to a complete stop between steps in order to refocus. This is the way it walks: head forward, stop; head back, stop. Don’t laugh -- that’s how it goes! In our spiritual walk with the Lord we have the same problem as the pigeon. We have a hard time seeing while we’re moving. We also need to stop between steps -- to refocus on where we are in relation to the World and the will of God.
God’s Word here reminds us to look at our relationship with Jesus in order to place our walk with the Lord as our top priority
Notice how:
A. We are raised with Christ (v.1)
That word if in v.1 in the Greek is the word SINCE. Since you have a new life with Christ raised from the dead, seek Christ and if we need a reminder He’s in heaven awaiting our soon arrival. He’s got the mansion ready fire in the fireplace, supper on the oven.
Christian the Bible teaches were raised with Christ and are seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). The problem is this is a reality as a Christian but there are Christians who don’t live this way.
They live with the cares of this world that blow them around with the wind of culture.
Jesus raised us up to live above that. He wants us to live like we’re already there with Him. It’s all about where we put our focus.
B. We died with Christ (v.3a)
The best explanation of this theological truth is found in Romans 6-8. We died symbolically with Christ. Once a person places their faith in Jesus Christ they died to sin and it’s power because Jesus took that all upon Himself on the Cross.
This means you and I can have victory over our old sin nature. You and I can change and get past the sin that so easily traps us. We can have victory over sin.
C. We live in Christ (v.3b-4)
You’ll notice that phrase in v.3 hidden with Christ in God. It means we have security and satisfaction. Then in v.4 the Bible reminds us that Christ should be our life.
Now let me stay here for a few minutes. Let’s talk about security.
1. Security
We sing that wonderful chorus that nothing can ever pluck me from His hand and it’s found in Scripture in John 10:28-29 that those of us who are saved can never be snatched out of the hand of Jesus or the hand of God.
Stay with me. Dr. A.T. Robertson a Greek scholar who any good preacher would study says this about our passage, “So here we are in Christ who is in God, an no burglar, not even Satan himself, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”
That’s security. Romans 8:31-39 reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
2. Satisfaction
Are you satisfied with your walk with Christ? Are you satisfied with the life you have been living as you follow God?
Reading a book called The 4:8 Principle, based on Phil.4:8
There are many wonderful truths in that book but let me give you why I believe many aren’t satisfied. Remember we’re still talking about focus:
The author Tommy Newberry writes about 3 laws in our minds that we tend to focus on in one of the chapters:
1.The Law of Attention—this is Phil. 4:8 in a nutshell what ever you dwell upon becomes increasingly prominent in your mind.
Positive=Positive
Negative=Negative
2. The Law of Exchange—this means you can do away with a negative thought only when you replace it with a positive one.
If you try and think I’m not thinking about that over and over you are still thinking about that.
3. The Law of Reversibility—this refers to your God-instilled capability to produce feelings as a result of a deliberate behavior. In other words if you are not experiencing joy start acting happy until you feel it.
And get this that’s biblical Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.”
(NKJV)
I. Concentrate on the Heavenly
II. Crucify the Earthly (v.5-11)
Paul uses the phrase “put to death,” “Mortify” in the KJV kill or Crucify your fleshly thoughts and desires is the gist of this.
Here the apostle Paul turns from the positive to the negative. He writes concentrate on Heaven and let me warn you about what will happen if you fail to focus upward and keep your focus here on Earthly things.
Paul also named sins here and that has some say if you commit one of these named sins you really are not saved. But this was written to Christians and what this really means is this is the way lost people behave—Christian don’t behave like lost people!
A. The sins listed (v.5-9a)
Here Paul, lists to categories of sins. All sin is sin but Paul places them in a category in how they relate to us as human beings. Notice what this means:
1.Sensual sins (v.5)
Here he lists a lifestyle not if you have ever looked at something you shouldn’t have. The first one listed here refers to any sex outside of the marriage covenant, passion or inordinate affection refers to a state of mind that entices us to behave in that way.
Uncleanness here means impurity that leads to loose living and evil desires means desires that lead to deeds.
Covetousness means the sin of always wanting more and that lifestyle leads to a way of living that becomes an idol in our lives.
2. Social sins (v.8-9a)
Remember these are categories not Paul ranking sin. A pastor once preached a series of message about the sins of the saints. After a few weeks a church member came up and said these messages should be aimed at lost people.
The church member said after all sin in the life of a Christian is different than sin in the lives of other people.
The pastor said, “You’re right, its worse.”
Theologian and pastor Dr. G. Campbell Morgan called these sins “the sins in good standing.” He said, “We are so accustomed to anger, critical attitudes, lying and course humor among believers that we are no longer upset or convicted about these sins. We are shocked when a church member commits some sensual sin, but we’ll watch him lose his temper in a business meeting and call it ’righteous indignation.’
Anger wrath and malice are sins of the attitude about life and about other people. Anger and wrath is the same word it refers to sudden outburst of anger. Malice means to want ill will toward another.
Blasphemy describes speech that slanders another.
Filthy language is speech and humor. You know if your not around cussing it really sounds out of place when you here it.
When I was a full time counselor before I got here one particular couple came and the lady lost here cool and just started a series of filthy communication. I mean she was dropping bombs on me.
Hold up if I want to hear a woman cuss I’ll go home.
I can honestly say in almost 25 years I’ve never heard Brenda use a word like that or even say an unkind word about someone.
But our first few years of marriage I was in the Navy and I used some filthy communication.
B. The sins resisted (v.8-11)
You’ve heard or maybe even used the phrase I’m not going there! That’s precisely what Paul is saying since we died with Christ don’t let sin reign in our bodies.
The Bible uses the put off,—put on principle much like what we talked about earlier. Replace the bad with the good. Like a change of clothes put off these sins and out on Jesus.
For me and filthy language it came in 1989. When a saved Master Chief said one comment and the Holy Spirit convicted me on the spot.
I told him I was going to play a church softball game and he laughed at me and said, “You? Go to church?”
If we struggle with sensual sins we must take action to put off the things that lead us down that path. If we struggle with anger, bitterness, or any other social sin we must put off those thoughts by taking them captive and replace them with thoughts that honor Jesus.
We are a new creature made in the image of Christ.
“The Happy Hypocrite." It is a story about a man who was born with an awful facial deformity. He grew up alone and lonely. When reaching adulthood, he decided to move from his town to begin a new life. On his way he discovered a beautiful mask that fit his making him look handsome.
At first the mask was uncomfortable and he was afraid that people would find out who he really was, but he continued to wear the mask everyday. In his new hometown, he made many friends and fell in love. But one day a wicked woman from his old home came to his town and discovered this man’s true identity. In front of his friends and fiancé, she forced him to remove his mask. When he removed the mask, it revealed a handsome face. His face had conformed to the mask. Becoming like Christ is like this. Go ahead and put on Christ. At first it may feel unnatural or uncomfortable, and maybe you may think, “who am I trying to fool?” But everyday just keep putting on Christ and everyday you will grow to look more like him.
Conclusion: We have to make the decision in our lives to seek Christ to enjoy the life He has for us. The thoughts and behaviors we struggle with the sin we struggle with must be forsaken in order to live satisfied with Jesus.
There’s an old hymn that says I am satisfied with Jesus, but the last line says but is my Master satisfied with me?
If the weed of worldliness causes Jesus to be strangled out of our lives then the world sees only our flesh and never sees the Heavenly life that Jesus has already provided for us.
So here it is: Are you focusing on Heavenly things or Earthly? You can tell by this personal question;
Am I living for Jesus or living for me?
We all have the power to chose what way we want to live. What’s your choice today?
PRAY
