November 26, 2017 , Sunday Morning

ONE TIME A WEEK RELIGION

Colossians 3:16-25

  

I want to talk to you about the tragedy of Sunday morning religion. Now, this passage of Scripture that I've just read to you talks about praising the Lord, and it talks about our communal—our common—praise, in verse 16, where it says: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).

Now, that's what we have done as we have worshiped the Lord here today. But, the real proof of our worship is not primarily here today on Sunday, but it is tomorrow morning. I want you to notice the bridge that verse 17 makes here:

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed..." Now, Paul's been talking about our words up here in verse 16. And now, he begins to talk about our deeds, in verse 17: "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" (Colossians 3:17).

Again, I want to say that the curse of 20th-century Christianity is Sunday morning religion. Somebody wrote these words: "They're praising God on Sunday; they'll be all right on Monday—it's just a little habit they've acquired."

So, let's look at this list here: Verse 18—

Wives, tomorrow morning, when you submit to your husband, you'll be worshipping the Lord—thank God that you can submit to him.

Husbands, tomorrow, when you love your wives—they are not the bitter half, but the better half—you will be worshipping God—give God thanks for that.

Children, tomorrow morning, when you obey your parents in all things, and give God thanks for it, you will be worshipping the Lord.

Fathers—verse 21—when you deal with your children with such understanding and tenderness that you encourage them, rather than discourage them, you'll be worshipping the Lord.

Employees, when you go to your job tomorrow, and you work for your boss as if he were Jesus Christ—not being a clock-watcher—then you will be worshipping the Lord, and give God thanks for it (Colossians 3:18-22).

To me, as a Christian, there is no ground that is not holy ground and no time that is not sacred time. 

A Christian is naturally supernatural and supernaturally natural. And, every place is holy ground, and every day is spiritual. 

Now for the practical...

Anything that I do tomorrow, I have to ask it to pass three tests, and all of these have to deal with the name of the Lord Jesus. And, if it will not pass these three tests, then I cannot do it. I have no business doing it. It is wrong for me.

1…TEST ONE: IS IT CONSISTENT WITH THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST?

The name of Jesus has a meaning to it—it speaks of the character of Jesus. It literally means, "Jehovah saves." And so, I'm to do something in the name of Jehovah saves.

There'll be a lot of things that I can't find anything in the Bible about which has been written. I can't find anything in the Bible, for example, that says,

·       Thou shalt not drive through a school zone at 60 miles an hour." It's just    not in here.

·       I can't find anything here in the Bible that says, "Thou shalt not smoke      pot."

·       I don't find anything in the Bible that says not to go to an X-rated movie.

·       I don't even find anything in the Bible that says I should not look at          dirty pictures.

I can find some principles, but I cannot find those things spelled out.

Christianity is not a rulebook religion; the Bible is not, primarily, a list of dos and don'ts. The Bible is not a book of minute laws; the Bible is a book of great principles. 

The things I do tomorrow, I must ask myself, "Does this fit with the character of Jesus?" What this literally means is that, when you do everything in the name of Jesus, don't do anything to which Jesus couldn't sign his name. 

2…TEST TWO: CAN IT BE DONE IN THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST?

Not only does the name Jesaus stand for character, it also stands for authority. When a person puts his name on something, he's actually putting his authority behind it.

3…TEST THREE: WILL WHAT I DO RESULT IN GLORY TO JESUS?

We're to do everything we do in the name of Jesus. And so, here's the third test that I can put to anything that I can do—or should do: Will it bring glory to Jesus? Can I do it in His name so that it will it bring Him glory? Now, if it brings Him glory, then I can do it. If it doesn't bring Him glory, then I can't do it.

November 12, 2017, Sunday Morning

Dressed For Success  

Colossians 3:5-13

1…We Must PUT OFF the Corruption of the Sinful Man!

Paul uses rather strong language in exhorting us to put off the corruption of the sinful man.  He begins verse 5 by saying,

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth..."

The word "mortify" means, "to put to death."  Or, in other words, Paul is literally saying "Kill it!"  In putting off this corruption of our sin nature there are two steps which must be taken.  First, there is:

A…A Reminder of Sinful Behavior!

verse 5:

"..fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry."

• Sins of immorality: "fornication, uncleanness."  It takes in the whole spectrum of immoral sexual relationships, such as fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and incest.  This kind of behavior can only be expected from one who is a sinner.

• Sins of impurity:  "inordinate affection, evil concupiscence.  These words are better rendered "unnatural affection, and evil desire."  This speaks of moral indecency, filth and lust.  

• Sins of idolatry: "covetousness.  The word "covetousness" comes from two words.  One is the word "desire;" and, the other is the word "have more."  Thus, put together, the word covetousness" literally means, "the desire to have more."Idolatry occurs when a person gives his deepest loyalty to some power, or force other than God.  

Luke 12: 15:

"Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."

B…A Removal of Shameful Behavior!

In verse 8-9, twice we are instructed to "put off" certain things.  That is, these matters are to have no place in our lives, and are to removed.  What type of shameful behavior is to be removed from our lives?  

1)...First, we are to remove inward hostility.  It is characterized as,

"...anger, wrath, malice..."

In Matthew 5: 22, Jesus equated anger with murder.

2)...We are to remove outward hypocrisy.  The word "blasphemy" is a word which had a two-fold meaning.  The word was often associated with the word 'slander.'  

• Whenever the speech was directed toward another person, it was considered slander.  

• Whenever the speech was directed toward God, it was considered blasphemy.

3)...In verse 9, we are exhorted to:  "Lie not one to another..."

The word was used to describe an actor who wore a mask, playing the part of someone else.  It speaks of a pretense, or a facade.

Falsehood, misrepresentations, suspicion and partisanship separate and cause disunity in a church.

2…We Must PUT ON the Character of the Godly Man!

Every Christian is a child of the king. He is a prince of heaven, and Paul makes the point that we ought to talk like it, think like it, act like it and live like it. 

A…The Source of Godly Character!

Verses 10-11 Paul reminds us from whence godly character originates and begins.  After we change our spiritual clothes, and put off the old man, we are to:

"...put on the new man , which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 

The old man is the old nature of sin.  The new man is the new nature of Christ.  

R. H. Lenski writes:

"The old man is not converted, he cannot be; he is not renewed, he will not be.  He can only be replaced by the new man!" 

B…The Course of Godly Character!

Those who have been saved by the grace of God, and have partaken of the divine gift are those whose old life has been put to death, and whose new life has been brought to life, and raised with Christ.  It is more than a changing of spiritual apparel, it is a changing of spiritual attitudes, actions and appetites.

Verse 12

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved...

• bowels of mercies
• kindness
• humbleness of mind
• meekness
• longsuffering

Verse 13, Paul speaks of a generous virtue to be expressed.

"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any..."

One of the saddest ways to go through life is to hold, and harbor resentment in one's heart.  After everything that God, in Christ, has forgiven us of we should be eager to share that forgiveness with those who have mistreated, and offended us.  

November 5, 2017, Sunday Morning

MOVING DAY IN YOUR LIFE

Colossians 2:16-23

3 Religious Institutions

• Heaven's Gate...Marshall Applewhite
• Branch Davidians...David Koresch
• People's Temple...Jim Jones

Paul reminds us of 3 major things as we move thru life...

1…Let Nothing Distract Your Faith!

They are admonished to let nothing distract their faith.  

A…The Religious Observances of that Day!

Verse 16.

They were being persuaded to believe that in order to remain in right relationship with God then they were to hold to the religious rites, rituals, routines and observances of that day.

B…The Religious Order for this Day!

Verse 17 

All of the religious observances of the past served as but a "shadow of things to come."  A shadow does not exist in and of itself.  It is caused by a material object or person.  

All of the religious observances of the old covenant simply shadowed the main object:  the Lord Jesus Christ.  

2…Let Nothing Disqualify Your Faith!

Verse 18

The word "beguile" is better rendered, "to rob or disqualify."  It is an athletic word that was used to speak of a judgment against an athlete, ruling that he could not compete, or was ineligible to win the prize.

Paul is admonishing these believers, as well as us, not to let anything disqualify, rob, or make us ineligible to receive everything that God has made available to us.  He exposes two things that were threatening to disqualify these saints.  First:

A…He Speaks of a False Experience!

Verse 18 

There were many invading the Colossian church claiming to have tapped into the unseen world.  

An old wise Christian farmer once said,

"A man on his way somewhere doesn't have time to stop and throw rocks at every dog that barks!"

The danger that faced these believers were that they were being deterred from their walk with Christ by many 'barking dogs.'  

B…He Speaks of a Foolish Expectation!

Verse 18

1.  The false experiences that many claimed to have brought a foolish expectation.  They were expected to find something that could only be found in Christ.  In the latter part of verse 18, Paul explains that these false experiences only prove to:

"...vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind."

The point is reaffirmed that Christ is the Head.  Jesus is to us, as believers, what the head is to our bodies.  

3…Let Nothing Discourage Your Faith!

Verse 20, we are immediately introduced to one of the most blessed truths of scripture.  We are reminded that, as believers, we are:

"...dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world..."

A…We are Free from the Behavior of this World!

The moment we were saved we died with Jesus on the cross.  Our past was cancelled, our present was confirmed and our future was completed.  

At the moment we died with Christ, at salvation, we were freed from the behavior of this world.  We were released from the bondage to the system of this world.  

B…We are Free from the Burden of this World!

When we were saved, we died with Christ.  When we died with Christ we were freed from our obligation to the system of this world.  When we died with Him, His power became our strength, His righteousness became our salvation, and His grace became our sustenance.

 Many believers look at the Christian life as a list of "Do's and Don't's.' The Christian life is not a negative, but a positive.  It is not based upon what we cannot do, but what we can do, because of the person and work of Christ.  It is a life where religion has moved out and Jesus has moved in!

November 1, 2017, Wednesday Night

Colossians 02 8-15

NAILED TO THE CROSS

Six Things that Jesus Nailed to the Cross

These are six enemies that you are going to face.  When He was being nailed to the cross, He nailed these things to the cross.

1…The Condemnation of Sin

Verse 13:  My sin, your sin, our sin was nailed to the cross. What does that mean? It means He paid my debt; He bore my punishment; and He has taken my sin, nailed it to the cross. 

Romans 8:1: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:33 and 34: "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us"

He's not asking "Who will try to do it?" What he's asking is, "Who is qualified to condemn us?" The only One who could ever condemn us is God Himself, and God Himself has counted us righteous.

2…The Curse of the Law

verse 14: "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross"  The law is good. God's holy law is without blemish, without fault. But because we're sinners, to us, the law is a curse.

Galatians 3:13: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree"

3…The Charms of This World

verse 8: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ"  This world will try to charm you, and this world will try to entice you; and, this world is like a filthy harlot that would draw away your love from the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Bridegroom.

When we say the world, we're not talking about Planet Earth, nor are we talking about the people. We're talking about an ungodly system that's against our Lord and His Christ.

1 John 2:15, 16: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

·       It doesn't mean that, because we love the world, the love of the Father's not in us.

·       It means we love the world, because the love of the Father is not in us.

4…The Corruption of the Flesh

Verse 11: "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him to the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" 

Now, when the Bible says your flesh, it's not talking about your body; it's talking about that old sinful nature that you were born with. 

Galatians 5:24: "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" 

Verse 12: "Buried with him in baptism" 

Romans 6:6: "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

5…The Control of the Devil

Colossians 2:14, 15—not only did He blot out the handwriting of ordinances which was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross, but : "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it" 

Ephesians 6, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers"

Hebrews 2:14

6…The Conquest of Death

Jesus' death was the death of death. Colossians 2:12: "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." 

When Jesus nailed Satan to the cross, He also nailed death to the cross.

SUMMARY

·       I don't have to be a slave to sin.

·       I don't have to be condemned by the law.

·       I don't have to be conformed by this world.

·       I don't have to be motivated by the flesh.

·       I don't have to be bullied by the devil

·       I don't have to be intimidated by death, because of Jesus.