Colossians Lesson 16 Week 2
Colossians · Mike Doyle · Oct 19, 2014
Colossians (2014), No. 41
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492644435926

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Okay, we are in Colossians chapter 3, working ourselves through verses 5 through 10. And we really got going last week. We got through one question. No, I'm sorry, we got to two. Because at the end of class I asked you, is the person sitting next to you, And their earthly body, is their earthly body and their sin nature better than yours or not as good? And your answer was? I'm not a judge. I'm not a judge. It's the same. What's the answer? It's the same. They're all the same. They're the same. And we'll elaborate on that as we go today. In verse four, I'm going to read 5-10 and then we can talk about it.

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication and cleanliness, inordinate affection, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry, for which thing's sake the wrath of God comes. on the sons of disobedience. I'm going to stop there because one of the questions, question three is, what makes covetousness, evil desire or greed idolatry? A very interesting phrase. He tells you, look, you're to put to death or put out of business the members of your body who practice or have in the past practiced fornication and uncleanness inordinate affections, etc. But then when he gets to the King James's covetousness or evil desires, what does some of your translations say? Evil desire. And then he says it's idolatry. What makes it idolatry?

Explained farther. What do you mean by that? If you have desire, evil desire, you're coveting. Coveting is a pretty good word. Everybody sort of understands it. What are you doing? You're focusing on that. You're thinking about it all the time. And who's it benefiting? No one. No, me. It benefits me.

So I become the idol. And that's why he calls it idolatry. Opposed to that, or in contrast to that, Now I know most of you are spiritually above self-centeredness, right? So if you're not self-centered, then what should be your center? The Lord Jesus Christ himself. And we'll expand on that today.

So I find it interesting that one of the Easy ways to understand whether you're walking in the flesh or in the spirit is, am I doing everything for me? Is it about me? Whatever I'm doing right now, is it for me? That's idolatry, because I'm king then. I'm the center and focus of the universe. Even Courtney and I had lunch yesterday and we were laughing because people come and talk to us about what great things God is doing for them. Is that idolatry? Yeah, I think so. I think so. Because it's all about you. So the purpose of the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit is to make it about Christ. That He becomes the most important thing to you. That's why I asked the question. So verse 5 says, for which things the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience. What is the wrath of God? What is wrath? Is it just being angry?

Would you say that it's anything that violates His perfect holiness? So you could say it's anything that violates his perfect holiness. Is it an emotional thing? For God, from God's perspective? No, I don't think so. I think it's just divine retribution.

So if you read in Genesis 9 24, Jehovah reigned upon Sodom and Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven. We know that God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world and he will visit with wrath at that time. What would be a good synonym for the word wrath? Retribution maybe? Anger? Here's the word I came up with, abhorrence. You see that word?

There is, as we would say, a time of payback, but more a time of judgment. Because on Wednesday night we're studying Romans 1 and Romans 2 and we're talking about how men who don't honor God accumulate for themselves the wrath of God. In other words, they keep storing it up. And it's like God isn't going to sweep any of it under the rug.

So abhorrence is probably as good a word as I've found. God just abhors sin. Does he abhor the sinner? Does he abhor the sin nature? Huh? Yeah, I think he does. Okay. like the good buddy Zodiates, with wrath of God as utter abhorrence to sin but longing mixed with grief for those who live in it. Oh wow. So that leads to the next question. Is the wrath of God present today? And if it is, where is it? What do you think? I think he has it in reservation. You what? It's going to be poured out later to be reserved for the future. So you don't think there's any exhibiting of wrath today?

In John 3.36 it says, He who did not obey the Son will not see life but the wrath as God abides on him. Doesn't that mean in the present? Yeah, it does. So what is it? What would you say wrath of God is his reaction against sin. He may take action against it, or he may just hold it in. So, at the very least, he abhors it, yes. It's just repulsive to him. And it's against his holy nature. But sometimes he holds it in and sometimes he takes retribution against it.

Yeah, it's very interesting. I think you have to distinguish between believers and non-believers. Because believers, the wrath of God has been poured out on Christ for your sinfulness. So I think you're right about that. I know in my life I should have really experienced the wrath of God about certain things I've done, but he didn't. How about non-believers?

Does he withhold? Sometimes he does. Why? Why does he do that? He follows them. He's patient. He's forbearing. He wishes that none should perish. But no sin is ever going to get swept under the rug. Is physical illness an example of God's present wrath? Maybe, maybe not. Yes, I think you said yes one time. I didn't hear you. I didn't hear you. Yes. I guess he heard you say that one time before.

I think it is. Because you have a body that performs sin. But doesn't sin have its own reward in and of itself? Yes, it does. Okay, let me ask this question. In general, how would you describe God's wrath against just sin in general on the earth? What is it that he doesn't give people who are not believers, that you can only get from Christ.

Joy? Grace. Fellowship with him? Rest. The Lord Jesus' promise was really interesting. He said, you come unto me and I will give you rest. Nobody outside of Christ ever has rest. Never. Never. And if you know somebody outside of Christ that has rest, I want to meet them. But the believer, when he or she believes in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, rest is what you get about sin.

So I would say that the wrath of God today is poured out against all ungodliness by people not having any rest. Rest of heart. One of my favorite verses is in Isaiah where the Lord says even in your old gray hairs I will take care of you. I put that on my refrigerator. I can give it to you when I get home. I think of God's wrath, I think of unimaginable, just unbelievable pain and suffering. I guess I have, I don't know if there's other words to describe That's all I can think of. Our rap as a human is one thing, but to say God's rap is just...

I would say for the believer that there is this thing called child training. What's the other word? Discipline. Management. I can't think of the right word. Chastisement. There are times that we suffer for our own sinfulness. But it's never for condemnation. Ever. Why not? Because there's no condemnation for them that are in Christ Jesus.

The Lord Jesus has paid the total penalty for your sin and your guilt. But that doesn't mean God isn't going to use your indiscretion and sinfulness to child train you. And you may really suffer. physically, emotionally, relationship-wise, all kinds of things. But also there are things that come upon you and you think, why is this happening to me? I didn't do anything to sort of bring this on. Why me?

Like Al. What did Al do? But God is going to use for Al and for those around him. That's what he does. You made a comment earlier about sickness. Elaborate on that. I'm not sure I'm understanding what you're talking about. The fact that we live in a sinful, evil world and we have a body that's from this world, it's not from the new creation. then it is subject to the consequences of sin. We all go through physical things, especially as we get older. Maybe we lived a healthy lifestyle, maybe we didn't. Somebody shows up with some sort of ailment and you think, worked out every day and did everything right and now they're sick. They have cancer. Is cancer in and of itself a demonstration of the wrath of God against sin? Yes it is because it has to do with death. demonstration against sin, but not the believer. But it may be against a non-believer.

You know, when I was younger, I was quite sick and I really didn't think I could make it. And my husband said, you know, I'll do whatever you want. I want you to get better and whatever you want, I'll take you there or whatever. And I said, well, I really would like to go to Israel. He was Catholic at the time, Bruce, but he didn't believe in Catholicism either. So I don't know where he was. But that, because of me being sick and me going to Israel, he became a Christian.

And, you know, I was so happy to be sick. It's a wonderful gift that I was sick. So God used my sickness to help maybe other people even. What a blessing. Thank the Lord I was sick. So I would say that for the believer these kinds of things that are a result of sinfulness are used of God for His glory and for our edification. The thing that immediately popped into my mind when you said sickness and started to go down that road was Well, especially when a new couple has a baby that is going to be deformed in some way. My mom and dad had me when I was little and all the medical stuff that I've had to go through.

Sure. You know, and I know my mom and dad have struggled with years past. Sure. What did we do wrong? to have a daughter like this. Nothing. Right. But that's still in the Christian mindset in our world today. Oh yeah, that's a Jewish mindset. Yes, and that mindset is just really, you know, If I'm really, really good, all this bad stuff will go away. Yeah. What? You're going to give me six feet five if you're really good. I'm going to have long legs. I've already put my order in. I'm going to be a model. Yeah. Wear border print, you know. Like this goes back to, you know, Colossians 1. Yeah.

And in him all things hold together. He's the one who, whatever our bodies or anything, like I said, every heartbeat, every breath, everything is in his hands. He's the one who holds it all together. And you've got to couple that with, can you be separated from his love? So whatever, a child, anything you go through, a disease or anything, He's in control of that and he still loves you.

He's using it for his purposes to glorify himself through those circumstances. Or in child training or anything like that. But it still comes back to he's the one in control. And he allows you to sin for child training or for whatever purposes he uses that.

And that's why I think the Colossians 1 verses are so important. Because when you realize he's in control of all things. whether you're sick or whether you're healthy or whatever, He's the one who's in control of that. But again, you have to link that to, you can't be separated from His love. So whatever's happening in your life, He's using it to glorify Himself and to draw you to Him. And that's where the perspective is. It's not any, you know, if a child has issues or you have cancer or anything like that, God doesn't go, oops, I missed that. He's using it for His purposes.

And then it goes back to those things that once you have that, you have peace, joy, rest, all those things. But it goes back to where we talked a lot yesterday, faith. Believing those things are true. And that's what, you know, if we understand in Colossians 1, those things, you can get through these things because you understand them. You have the joy, the rest, the peace.

And how many people don't understand that and don't have that rest? You're talking about believers, right? Yeah. They are carrying this guilt and they don't need it. It's because they haven't been taught. Or when they read the Word of God, they sort of read it out of the Old Testament.

The paradigm that changes, starting with Romans 1.1 through Paul's epistles from the Old Testament is so dramatic. But believers, what they'll do is they'll try to read Romans from an Old Testament Jewish viewpoint and try to make it legal. rather than the grace that's there. And when they discover in Romans 6 that they've been crucified with Christ, they must just say, well, I don't know what that's all about.

I don't think I'll talk about that. I've got to be busy doing these commands. You'll find in a lot of churches that the sermons are always based on the second half of Paul's epistles where the commands are given and never the first half where the position is delineated. The grace is laid out right now. Look at this. This is a good example.

The other thing, Mike, which, you know, what I find when you talk about this, yeah, it's all fine and good, but you don't know my circumstance. That's the typical reaction. And it's like, I don't see the subheading or the exclusions in these verses that, you know, everything but my situation. And that's what typically we tend to do is we You don't know my situation. It's in all situations.

And I think people try and, yeah, it's okay for you, but you don't know me. And they get out of it by trying to say, and put a caveat on all these verses. But you've got to understand and know what these verses are saying, and then by faith, believe. Yeah, and I noticed in what you were just saying, the focus was on you. Exactly. Watch how this works because I think this is a good lead in.

In verse 7 it says, In which you also once walked when you lived in them, but now you have put off all these. Now, what's the reason given why you once walked in evil? What was the reason given? Born in Eden. In the scripture. He was born. You're the sons of disobedience. You were the sons of disobedience, right? And you once walked in them. Does that mean that you had to go to sinning school when you were young? Did you have to learn how to sin? We've got an academy downstairs called the Sinning Academy. Now listen to this. Why were you a son of disobedience? Why did you function that way? Why did you sin? You were born an Adam.

It came naturally. Yeah, that's right. No one had to teach you. You know, I've said this before. Don't get mad. He's going to get abused again. When my son John was born, Donna was convinced he was the second Immaculate Conception. With no sin nature, right? Guess what? Who proved her wrong? He did. He did.

So when you look at Romans 8.5-8, it says, For those who are according to the flesh, If I say Joe Schmoe is according to the flesh, what do I mean? That means that that's where he comes from, that's where he is identified with, that's his whole sphere of influence and that's what he is.

Set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the spirit. How do I know? I can tell by where your mind is set. Not because you decided, but because you automatically think of self, me, flesh. You don't have to be trained. You already know. It comes with who you are with that nature that you're born with.

Now, for the mind of the flesh is death. The mindset of the flesh is separation from God. but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace because the mindset on the flesh is hostile towards God. The entire old man, his mind, his thought process, his energy, his value system is against God. And he comes that way.

You know, we've got a lot of cool little kids running around the church now. Guess what they all have? They all have sin natures and if you watch them, Their mom and dads aren't teaching them how to do this thing. They know how to do it, you know, and it just sort of happens. And so we discipline them and we say you can't act that way. You've got to act this way. And so for a time, they'll act this way. But inside their heart, what are they saying?

My son used to say to me, Dad, I'm sitting down, but inside I'm standing up. I just thought of this. It's like when you buy a car, you can buy the standard package or you can buy the XLE package or whatever. Well, soon comes standard. There's a standard package when they're born. Yeah. Yeah. Standard stuff. Yeah. They put it on at the factory. You've got it. So just so we don't skip over this lightly.

Question 7 says, define the following, anger. By the way, these are the things that come with the sin nature. And your sin nature, remember I asked you, is your sin nature any better than the person sitting next to you? It's not, is it? So we're talking about you here. You say, well I don't get angry. Yeah you do. And we're going to come up to something where, yeah, we're going to have time. What's anger? The Greek word is thomos. It really means to kill. It means a fierce or a fierceness.

So that shows you how, you know, some of these little kids who have terrible tempers. They didn't learn that in the crib. That came with them. So we try to modify that, but we recognize that there is no hope for that child unless at some point they come to Christ.

Can't you be angry about something and soon not? Give me an example. When you look at what's going on in the world and it makes you angry, you can't figure out how they possibly can do this? Well, I think if you read Romans 1, 2, and 3, you could figure out how they can do this.

I mean, do you think what's going on in the world is something that all those guys are thinking, well, we've got a choice here? They don't have a choice. Romans 1 says that... Talking to believers. Yeah. Does it mean... I think we as believers have to come to the realization that the world is not going to get any better. that the people who run it, Romans 1 says, that they think themselves to be wise, they're fools, and their minds have been darkened.

They come from the flesh. So what chance have they got to make it any better? None. They have no chance. So you can be angry about the sinfulness in the world because it's offensive to God, Yeah, that's all right. But you're not going to kill the offender. Not yet. Please don't. Wrath, which we talked about in this case, it's the same word orge that is used of God.

But it can mean vengeance here. Malice. What's malice? Ill will. A little more than that. Malice is just wickedness. Deep down. Yeah, deep down. It's just wickedness. Moral evil. Yeah, that's what it is. Slander. False statement. false statement to damage a second person. Oh, to a second person damaging the third person's reputation. Okay. Make it easier than that. What would you call slander? Blasphemy? That's a good word. That's a really good word. Or you could say just evil speaking. We don't use this term anymore, but the term railing used to be a person to railer. That means that they never, never speak kindly of anybody. They always look for the evil in them. And they always see it. So they rail on them about it.

And the last one I have is abusive speech. And it's simple. It's vile communication. Filthy communication. I was having lunch with a guy last week and we were talking about years ago he had some courtside basketball tickets to the NBA team. And he said, you should hear the language when you're on the floor down there. It's just, you know. Where is this? At McNichols Arena. Oh, it's like on Wall Street. At basketball arena. From the players? From the players. Oh yeah. Well, from a lot of the players, not all of them. Okay. Question 8.

In verse 9, verse 9 says, Line out one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds. Now, Do all... if yours is different than that, read it. Because I want to distinguish between a couple of words in here. Mine says, do not lie to one another since you have laid aside the old self with its evil practices. Okay. Who's doing the putting off? It says you've already done it. So that's the question we asked last week, how do you do it? Let me finish my train of thought and then we'll go to his question.

Which is the better word here, self or man? Old man or old self? The Greek word is Anthropos, which means man. And why would that be more suitable here than the word self? It's the entire Adamic man that is to be put off, not just his self-ness. If you just put off the self, then you've got the rest of Adam to deal with.

Does that make sense? It's all that you were an atom, which includes self, but it's more than just self. I find it interesting that especially the New American Standard uses this word self a lot, and I don't think it explains the totality of what the command is. Because I can put self off, and still be worldly, and still value stuff in the world above the Lord Jesus.

But if I put the whole man off, because if any man be in Christ, he's a what? A new creation, right? Old things have passed away, the whole everything is new. Not only self, but the entire man. And oh, by the way, who is this new man? Me. No. Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ. He's the new man. Why is he the new man? He's always been the same. Because he is new in the sense that until he came there was never that kind of man here before.

Ever. Every man came from Adam and they were all sinners. And the Lord Jesus Christ is a new man in kind and quality, no sin at all, ever. And he's the head of a race of human beings, of which you're a member of, but the person in this White House over here that doesn't know Christ, he's not. He's not a member of the new man. Okay, so it's Christ. It is Christ.

Okay, thank you. So. So would you say man more. thoroughly, more totally describes the Adamic nature that we've inherited? I think so. I think the word is more descriptive than the word self. Because we can use self just as for the sin nature, and that's a lot more than just the sin nature. So self just describes a part of that Adamic nature? That's what I think.

Now, let's answer Bruce's question, how do you do it? I don't think that we do it, Christ did it on the cross, so why is it something that we need to do if it's already done? Okay, Christ did it on the cross, it's already done, why do we need to do it if it's already done? Only because it says so. No, it says, you know, it says put off the old man.

Or put on the new man. It could be that we don't believe it. Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Don't believe what? What grace has done. Yeah. Who we are in Him. See, the issue here is what? It's faith. Was your old man put off at the cross? Positionally? Yes.

What if you never find out about that? Seriously, what if you never find out about it? Do you in your everyday conditional experience ever put him off? No, you don't. Because you don't have the facts for your faith to rest on. So the way you put him off is that you find out these facts.

We talked in chapter 2 about co-crucifixion with Christ, being separated from the world. Here comes a command for us to do something that positionally is already done, and we believe it. Are you trying to jump ahead? I got a lot more to go before I get there.

Mike, in both of the putting on in verse 10, it's in the middle voice. It's in the middle voice. It's really cool. There's an active, middle, and passive voice in the Greek language. Active voice means you're doing it all. Passive voice means it's all being done to you. So what do you think the middle voice is? And don't tell me it's somewhere in the middle. What would middle voice mean?

What's that? Partially done to you? But you're participating. What's your participation? Faith. That's what it is. You take God at His word. So when God says to you in Romans 6 that your old man was crucified, what do you do with that information? That's it. Can you implement it? No, it's already done.

Since you have been risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. That's a command. Are you risen with Christ? Do you believe it? Seek those things which are above. And then it says that you died and your life is hid with Christ and God. Oh, wow, that's a nice bit of information, isn't it? Is it true? Do you believe it? There's a difference in it being true and whether you believe it. Now, let's say you see it and you believe it and by Thursday you're saying, well, nothing's changed. What's going on there? In other words, I believe that I expected God to effectuate a big change in my life.

Why not? Why not? Because you need to act on faith. I did. I acted on faith. I took him at his word and I said, Lord, I believe you about this. that my old man was crucified, but you know what? This whole week, every time sin raised its ugly head, I went for it. So if I'm so crucified, my old saying used to be, if I'm dead, how come when the music starts, my feet start moving?

What's got to happen in there? There's a time frame in there. What's got to happen in there? Growth. And what is growth? What's spiritual growth? Progress is sanctification. Yeah, that's what it is. But in practical terms, it is the Spirit of God implementing in your experience, your life, what is already true of you positionally.

And that may take some time. It does help getting older. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn't. You know, it depends on what the issue is. You know, sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn't. You know, you get old and tired, but you still are angry. You know, that's why you call him grumpy old man.

So, Mike. Some things I don't understand. I have faith I don't understand because some things are mysteries in the Bible which maybe I'll never understand. But does that take away from my faith? Let's talk about that for a minute. That's a great question.

Some things you read it over and over again and you really don't get it. You know? I've read that and I really don't understand it. What would your attitude be right there? What would you say to God? Positionally, I know it's true. Well, I don't even understand it. I don't know what it is. Right. Right.

What are you talking about, Lord? What should your prayer be? Show me. Show me. You think He wants to? Absolutely he does. I say that, but I don't get it. Here's the thing, he's not going to show you step 39 of spiritual growth when you haven't gotten past step 12. It's a systematic spiritual growth. If you want to see how it goes, read Romans 5, 6, 7 and 8.

It's right there. And the whole sequence of Paul's epistles go from Romans to Ephesians. What's Ephesians all about? The fact that I'm seated in the heavenlies. Romans never talks about that. Romans never takes you off the planet. Never. But Ephesians does. What did we learn in Colossians?

That we're still here, but our minds are to be there. That's an advancement from Romans. So you have to learn that it's line upon line, precept upon precept, doctrine upon doctrine. Faith rests in every one of those things as you go along. It doesn't take the Lord long, but you might think it's long. It could be that that's why they call it growth truths. We're being conformed. Yeah, we are. Yes, we are transformed. It takes time.

In the process you begin to not only trust God for the revelation of the doctrine, but you begin to trust him for the growth itself. Because it's really going to go from objective fact to love and affection with a person, and that person is Christ. It's going to go from, I ought to be doing this, to I can rest because I know Him, and He's not a stranger to me anymore. Because the Spirit of God, through this truth and doctrine, has revealed the person to me.

So when a new truth comes, your attitude is, well, I don't understand it, but I believe it. Why? Because the one who showed it to me is trustworthy. See that? I may not understand that I was co-crucified, buried and resurrected, seated in heavenlies, Boy, you know, I understand it in my mind, but boy, I don't really know. But because my trustworthy father showed it to me, and I believe it, I'll give him as much time as he needs to work it into my experience.

Mike, one of the things too I think about is, even though we don't understand it, the positional truths are still true. You know, that even though we don't understand or we don't know them, they're still true. And that, regardless of our understanding or our growth or whatever, the peace, rest and joy is, that's never going to change. So it's positional truth. Whether we know them or not, it's still true about us. See, and that's a really important principle that every believer, growing believer, needs to know. That these things that I'm learning, are true.

And whether I believe them or not, or how I feel about them, or whether I've experienced them or not is irrelevant in terms of are they true or not. Yes, they are true. No matter what. No matter what. And the Spirit of God is always working from the position of truth. He's not going to work a falsehood into you. Was the question answered? Okay. I kind of got sidetracked. I guess I didn't get sidetracked.

But in verse 9, it says, Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds. Why lying? I mean, he could have picked 25 other sins, but he picks lying. Why that one? Because it's probably so easy to do. That's exactly right. You come to church in the morning. How are you doing? You look great. Maybe he doesn't. Oh, Mike, you're recovering. You look great. And I look like I ought to be in a coffin. We want you to come over for dinner. Oh, I'm busy.

We have learned these polite little political correct answers, which are lies. Aren't they? I want to show of hands in the room, how many people this week never lied once? She just lied. So the apostle Paul says, Don't lie to one another. And what's the reason? Why would you not lie? Because it is totally, absolutely, unequivocally inconsistent with a person who has put off the old man. Because who does the lying? It's the old nature that does it.

And what do you suggest? Putting on the new man. Yeah, but sometimes you don't really want to tell them the truth. Yeah. That's a great question. What if you're in a position where, boy, if I can either lie or if I tell them the truth, I'm probably going to offend them. So don't say anything? I don't know. If somebody says, well, do you like my hair?

And it looks as ugly as can be. I should just say, I haven't really looked at it. You see how easy it is? I think that's why he picked this sin, lying. Because we've just, we've culturized lying. We're really good at it. And we admire politicians who are really good liars.

When I was a little kid, my mom and dad and our neighbor lady were just sitting at the kitchen table and Mrs. Moore came in and she had curlers on. She looked a mess. And I was a little kid. I walked up and I said, Mrs. Moore, you look so beautiful. You didn't have to learn that either. That's the other thing with the two and three year olds. They're honest. And they blow your cover sometimes.

Well, we'll start to talk about that next week, so we've got to close. Father, how we thank you for your grace. How we thank you that you have a specific and unstoppable agenda for every one of us as your sons, and that is to conform us to Christ. And we thank you for that. We pray in your son's name. Amen.