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.