Colossians 3:5-11 says...
Today's verses are Colossians 3:5-11, which read,
v.5 - Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
If we are seeking things above and setting our minds on things above about our Savior who is seated at the right hand of God who is our life then here is a practical list to content with.
v.5 - Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
If we are seeking things above and setting our minds on things above about our Savior who is seated at the right hand of God who is our life then here is a practical list to content with.
- immorality - this refers to any form of sexual sin
- impurity - evil thoughts and intentions of sexual sins
- passion - physical side of sexual lust
- evil desire - mental side of sexual lust
- greed - to have more of things forbidden
- idolatry - the worship of a god
These actions were a way of life of the now new Christians in the church in Colossae. The wrath of God was to come upon them as their lives were full of this disobedience as a way of life.
v.8-10 - But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--...
Paul gives another list of sins that are to be put aside or take off like dirty clothes that cannot be washed or repaired to go into the garbage or burned to ashes.
- anger - deep, smoldering bitterness
- wrath - sudden outburst of sinful anger
- malice - evil speech
- slander - evil speech against others
- abusive speech - coarse language
- lie to one another - bear false witness
Paul
deals with sexual sins of the body and the mind and now sins of the
tongue and the mind. The now Christians of this church were very evil
on all accounts. All these things were to be "laid aside" so that something else could be "put on." We are not able to "put on" the developing image of Christ while the "laid aside" sins crowd and dictate the knowledge that we follow.
v.11 - ...a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
v.11 - ...a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
Another
list from Paul but one to show the unity of the body of Christ because
of salvation, an internally changed life, rather than some external
distinction.
- Greek - a Gentile or non-Jew
- Jew - a descendant of Abraham through Isaac
- circumcised - old covenant before Christ
- uncircumcised - new covenant after Christ
- barbarian - the uncultured
- Scythian - the savage, warlike, uncultured
- slave - those under bondage to another
- freeman - those with liberty
The
renewal of our lives, no matter what category we come from, is to
happen as we lay aside sin and put on Christ. Christ is Lord of all and
Lord of all His believers and He is in all of His believers. Your past
makes no difference when it comes to your future if you are in Christ.
We believers are all walking in the same direction to be more conformed
to the image of Christ. The family of God may look very diverse from
the outside but from the inside we are all the same because our hearts,
our whole lives, are now His.
The question this morning is if there is anything that you have not "laid aside" from the lists given. Is there something still in your hands that prevents you from grabbing a hold of His? You can't "put on" the new life because something is in your hands that is not permitting you to do so.
Have you ever been carrying too much and then there is one more thing you need to pick up and you try but in the process you drop all the things you had in your hands? Maybe that is a really good analogy of what needs to happen when you try to pick up Christ with your hands full of these sins to be "laid aside" and the result is everything being lost to grab that one more thing that you really need. Now you know that Christ is the only thing you need in your hands. Let's pray.
"Lord, our world is full of the sins that Paul has listed today. Paul is speaking not only to them but to us as we are very capable to perform any of these sins and we have at times. We confess and ask for Your forgiveness. We have taken into our hands things that are not intended to be there and they have hindered the renewal process of our lives to Your image. May we see what we need to lay aside and firmly grasp what we need to put on today. Amen."
Pastor Adam
The question this morning is if there is anything that you have not "laid aside" from the lists given. Is there something still in your hands that prevents you from grabbing a hold of His? You can't "put on" the new life because something is in your hands that is not permitting you to do so.
Have you ever been carrying too much and then there is one more thing you need to pick up and you try but in the process you drop all the things you had in your hands? Maybe that is a really good analogy of what needs to happen when you try to pick up Christ with your hands full of these sins to be "laid aside" and the result is everything being lost to grab that one more thing that you really need. Now you know that Christ is the only thing you need in your hands. Let's pray.
"Lord, our world is full of the sins that Paul has listed today. Paul is speaking not only to them but to us as we are very capable to perform any of these sins and we have at times. We confess and ask for Your forgiveness. We have taken into our hands things that are not intended to be there and they have hindered the renewal process of our lives to Your image. May we see what we need to lay aside and firmly grasp what we need to put on today. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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