INTRODUCTION: THIS WEEK OUR STUDY IS VERSES 5-11 OF THE 3RD CHPT OF COLOSSIANS.
LETS REVIEW JUST A MOMENT. REMEMBER LAST WEEK THAT PAUL SET UP THIS DICOTOMY BETWEEN THE PRINCIPLES OF THE WORLD AND THE PRINCIPLES OF CHRIST --AND HE SAYS WE ARE BURIED WITH CHRIST IN BAPTISM (2:12),
AND THEN HE DISCUSSES WHAT WE SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT DO.
LETS READ COL 2: 20-21. PAUL SAYS THAT IF YOU DIED TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE WORLD YOUR FOCUS WILL NOT BE "DO NOT TASTE, DO NOT HANDLE, DO NOT TOUCH."
WHY? BECAUSE (2:23)"THEY LACK ANY VALUE IN RESTRAINING SENSUAL INDULGENCE."
INSTEAD HE TELLS US IN THE FIRST FOUR VERSES OF CHAPT 3 WE SHOULD FOCUS ON CHRIST ON HIS THRONE. SO OUR FOCUS IN LIFE SHOULD NOT BE THE "DO NOTS" BUT RATHER LOOKING AT CHRIST--BECAUSE FOCUSING ON "DO NOTS" ONLY HAS THE APPEARANCE OF WISDOM (2:23), BUT DOES NOT WORK IN RESTRAINING SIN.
----------------------
I. PUT TO DEATH THE EARTHLY
A. THIS WEEK PAUL CONTINUES WITH 3:5-11.
B.LETS READ 3:5. DOESN'T THIS SOUND LIKE FOCUSING ON THE "DO NOTS?"
C. ARE THESE THE SAME AS 2:21? WHY NOT?
D. IN 3:2 PAUL JUST GOT THROUGH TELLING US TO SET OUR MINDS ON THINGS ABOVE AND NOT EARTHLY THINGS: SO DON'T THESE (v.5) SEEM TO BE EARTHLY THINGS? HE EVEN INTRODUCES THESE THINGS IN v.5 BY SAYING "WHATEVER BELONGS TO YOUR EARTHLY NATURE:"
E. LET ME SUGGEST TWO RELATED ANSWERS:
US----------------------------------------OUR ACTIONS
F. LETS DRAW THIS. IN COL 3:3 PAUL SAYS WE DIED AND OUR LIFE IS HIDDEN IN CHRIST. THEN IN 3:5 HE SAYS, "PUT TO DEATH, THEREFORE," THESE THINGS THAT FOLLOW.
G. IF WE DIED, WHY DO WE HAVE TO PUT TO DEATH THESE OTHER THINGS? AREN'T THEY ALREADY DEAD TOO? 1. AND IF THEY ARE NOT ALREADY DEAD, IF WE PUT THEM TO DEATH, WHY DID WE HAVE TO DIE TO BEGIN WITH?
(THIS GETS BACK TO OUR DISCUSSION LAST WEEK. WHEN JESUS DIED AND AROSE FROM THE DEAD, AND WHEN WE ACCEPTED HIS DEATH WE BECAME SAVED AND PERFECT. THAT IS WHY 3:3 SAYS "YOU DIED, AND YOUR LIFE IS HIDDEN WITH CHRIST." AT THE SAME TIME, THERE IS THE PRACTICAL PROBLEM THAT I STILL AM A SINNER WITH EVIL TENDANCIES. THEREFORE, I TRY TO PUT THESE TENDANCIES TO DEATH.)
H. AND THAT BRINGS US TO THE SECOND ANSWER. HOW DO WE PUT THESE TENDENCIES TO DEATH AND NOT FOCUS ON THE THINGS OF THE EARTH? (FOCUS IS THE KEY: IF WE THINK ABOUT THINGS OF THE EARTH: SEXUAL IMMORALITY, IMPURITY, LUST, EVIL DESIRES, GREED--THEN WE WILL BE DOING THEM. BUT IF WE CONCENTRATE ON HEAVENLY THINGS, WE WILL NOT BE DOING THESE OTHER THINGS.)
I. ACID TEST QUESTION: HOW MUCH TIME THIS WEEK DID YOU SPEND THINKING ABOUT HEAVENLY THINGS AS OPPOSED TO THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE HAD THAT YOU WANTED?
1.HOW MUCH TIME THINKING ABOUT IMPURITY?
2. HOW MUCH TIME SPENT THINKING ABOUT POTENTIAL AFFAIRS?
3. WE COULD JUST SLIP DOWN TO v.8 AND CONTINUE: HOW MUCH TIME SPENT ON ANGER? RAGE? MALICE? SAYING BAD THINGS ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE? FILTHY TALK?
4. THESE ARE PRETTY SOBERING QUESTIONS FOR ME: AND I SPENT MORE TIME THAN USUAL ON HEAVENLY THINGS BECAUSE I WAS TEACHING THE LESSON AND PREACHING! WHAT WOULD A "NORMAL" WEEK'S ANSWER BE?
J. AS YOU READ OVER THE THINGS THAT WE MUST PUT TO DEATH IN v.5, HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THEM? WHAT ONE WORD DESCRIBES ALL OF THEM? (THEY ARE ALL ATTITUDES INSTEAD OF SPECIFIC ACTIONS.)
1. ONE COMMENTATOR THAT I READ SAID DOES THIS MEAN THAT WE SHOULD JUDGE OURSELVES BASED ON OUR ATTITUDE? HIS ANSWER WAS "NO." WE SHOULD JUDGE OURSELVES ON WHAT WE ACTUALLY DID. AND HE FINISHED BY SAYING, "LET US TAKE CARE OF OUR CONDUCT AND OUR CHARACTERS IN THE LONG RUN WILL TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES." (H.L GROUDGE, THE PASTORAL TEACHINGS OF ST. PAUL --CITED IN LUCAS' BOOK)
2. IS HE RIGHT? (I DON'T THINK SO! IF WE TAKE CARE OF OUR CHARACTER, IN THE LONG RUN OUR ACTIONS WILL TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES! AND WHO CAN CHANGE OUR CHARACTER OTHER THAN CHRIST?)
K. LETS LOOK AT THIS FROM A LITTLE DIFFERENT ANGLE. ONE COMMENTATOR (N.T. WRIGHT) SAID THAT PAUL WAS HITTING TWO MAJOR AREAS OF SIN: IMMORALITY AND ANGER. HE (AND JOHN MCARTHURSUGGESTED THAT v. 5 IS A PROGRESSION: GREED (THINKING SOMEONE HAS A BETTER SPOUSE THAN YOU DO)->EVIL DESIRE (THINKING ABOUT HAVING THAT PERSON)->LUST (THINKING ABOUT HAVING SEX WITH THEM)->IMPURITY AND SEXUAL IMMORALITY.
1. YOU'VE GOT TO KILL THIS IN THE EARLY STAGES. THIS IS NOT LIMITED TO SEXUAL IMMORALITY. THINK ABOUT THE SIN THAT IS THE MOST TROUBLE FOR YOU. THEN THINK ABOUT THE LIFELINES THAT FEED IT. IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT THE "FEEDING AREA" INSTEAD OF CHRIST, YOU ARE HEADED FOR TROUBLE!
L. LETS READ v.6. WHAT IS THE TROUBLE THAT AWAITS THESE SINS? (GOD'S WRATH! ETERNAL DEATH!)
M. READ v.7-8. LETS ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN YOUR LIFE TO CHRIST, AND HAVE DIED (3:3) AND YOUR LIFE IS HIDDEN WITH CHRIST. BUT I COULD PEN YOU IN SOMEWHERE ON THIS TRANSITION FROM GREED TO ADULTRY OR THE ANGER ROAD IN v.8.
1. ARE YOU SAVED OR ARE YOU LOST? (THE KEY IS TO COMPARE v.3 AND 5 AND 7 AND 8 (WHAT WE JUST READ.) v. 3 SAYS YOU DIED AND YOUR LIFE IS NOW HIDDEN. YET v.5 SAYS TO THIS "HIDDEN" PEOPLE, PUT AWAY THESE SINS. AND v.7 IS CLEARLY TALKING TO THE SAINTS, YET HE SAYS IN v.8, BUT NOW YOU MUST RID YOURSELVES..." SO THESE ARE SAVED PEOPLE PUTTING TO DEATH THE ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES OF THE UNSAVED.)
N. HOW LONG DO WE HAVE TO KILL THESE EVIL DESIRES? (THE PURITAN RICHARD BAXTER WROTE THAT WE SHOULD TREAT SIN LIKE IT WOULD TREAT US. THAT IT WOULD KILL US, SO WE SHOULD KILL IT. SO HOW LONG WOULD YOU LET A MURDERER WHO WAS TRYING TO KILL YOU RUN FREE IN YOUR HOUSE? (SEE NEXT, TOO)
O. LETS READ vv.9-10. (NOTE THAT v.10 SAYS THAT OUR NEW SELF IS "BEING RENEWED." AT SOME POINT IF WE DO NOTHING, WHETHER WE "DIED" WITH CHRIST TO BEGIN WITH MIGHT BE IN QUESTION. THE KEY I SUSPECT IS SETTING OUR MINDS ON HEAVENLY THINGS: v. 2. II COR 3:18 REFERS TO US "BEING TRANSFORMED INTO HIS LIKENESS WITH EVER-INCREASING GLORY, WHICH COMES FORM THE LORD, WHO IS THE SPIRIT." SO THIS IS CLEARLY A PROCESS.)
P. WHY DOES GOD HAVE PAUL SPECIFICALLY MENTION LYING? OF ALL THE POSSIBLE SINS, WHY THIS? (LYING CHARACTERIZES SATAN AND NOT GOD (JOHN 8:44) WHEN WE LIE, WE ARE ACTING LIKE SATAN AND NOT GOD.
Q. READ v.11. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? (THAT THE NEW LIFE, THE NEW MAN RISES ABOVE THE OLD BARRIERS THAT SEPARATED PEOPLE: CULTURE, RACE, RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND, SOCIAL STATUS--WE BECOME ONE IN CHRIST.)
II. NEXT WEEK: THE REST OF CHAPT 3. STUDY.