Thank you, brother. If you haven't already done so, would you turn your Bibles to our passage this morning, which is from Colossians 3. We're going to be going through verses 5 through 17. Last Sunday, we studied Colossians 3, verses 1 through 4, if you recall. The focus of that passage was that we need to lead Christ-centered lives. The Apostle reminded us as new creatures in Christ, we need to recognize that we are united to Him, identified with Him. We are united to His death and His resurrection. He encouraged us to let go of earthly things, the things that used to have dominion over us as unredeemed and fallen people, and instead to lead lives that reflected our new nature as being and remade in the image of Christ. I thought it would be helpful to finish up and finish off what the Apostle Paul had in mind regarding what are the things that we are to put off and put on as new creatures in Christ. As we go through this passage, please give thought to what your greatest struggles are, whether it is to put off as well as to put on. And listen to how. Paul tells us that we are to have victory over these things. Let us now turn to our passage this morning, which is from Colossians 3, verses 5 through 17. I'd like you to please rise for the reading and hearing of God's holy and inerrant word. Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. In these, you too once walked when you were living in them, but now you must put them all away. Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all. Put on, then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another. And if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you. So you also must forgive. And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. This is the word of God. Amen. Please be seated. Let us pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Kind, gentle, loving. Merciful, powerful Holy Spirit, we thank you for the word. We thank you for revealing it to us. We ask now that you would awaken our minds to its truths and thus change us from within so that we may comport to its teachings. Keep our minds focused upon it and use it, we pray, to knit Christ in our hearts. so that we may be seen fully attired in our lives, that they may see Christ in Christ alone. And it is in Jesus' name we pray, amen. So the Apostle Paul begins the first paragraph with put to death. But I think we could start with the notion of the next word, therefore. Therefore connects us to his previous teachings. That is to say, what are the implications of what it is that we are to think and do? There's an assumption Paul is making here that the people to whom he's writing, they've already made a conscious decision to say goodbye to their old life. having this in mind, let's be clear, we are talking about sinful or worldly ways of living. Have you said, I'm done, I'm done with the old ways and I'm searching out God's ways so I can live out a life that reflects Christ? It certainly isn't easy, I'll grant you that, but I think the first step is to recognize that the vices and virtues that Paul is about to detail are part of the what we were and what we are now. In short, once you've come to recognize what you are, dead to the old man, alive to Christ, in Christ, a member in the kingdom of God, now you have to just Be what you are. Paul is saying that you have to start living, behaving like what you really are. You see, before you were saved, you had no problem, did you? Being what you were. A person born with a sinful nature It was normal, natural, and easy to do. Live a sinful life. So now that you're saved, you have a new nature. And just as it was natural for you to sin, the opposite can also be true. So be and live what you already are. So Paul begins with, therefore, Put to death. Put to death is like a figure of speech, meaning that the dominion of power or power of sin over you is no more. So in short, when he says put to death, he is saying be what you are. By the divine act of God, you've been saved. So be what you are. Put to death. Remind yourself of your new life. Stop living like nothing has ever happened. Do you live your life like nothing has ever happened since you were saved? Have you professed Christ for quite some time now and as you look back you realize that nothing really has changed? You don't see the old self dying and the new taking hold of your thinking and consequently your behavior? How do you think that the people closest to you would answer that question? Have you put to death the old man and said, that's not me anymore? So Paul gets very specific here. He has in mind the ways that you used to live in your former life, the earthly ways, as he calls it, and in a summary statement. Now, this includes a variety of different things. He talks about sexual immorality. He talks about impurity, godless desires and pleasures. See, if you're already dead in Christ, the dominion of these desires, the hold that they had over you, should have already been broken. Think about that. Now, if you're thinking, I've got a big mountain to climb, and practically speaking, it may seem that way, but you must be reminded that it no longer has dominion over you. It does not have the power over you as it once did in your old nature. The point is that you've been freed from it. And let's face it, if you're struggling with sinful ways of living, it may be, it just may be, that maybe you're indulging yourself in them. Maybe you're feeding those desires, or a specific one. Maybe like a gardener. I know it's getting to be around that time of year here. I understand that there is actually a spring that comes around and it's a wonderful time to garden. It just may well be like just like a gardener that you're cultivating, that you're feeding, that you're putting fertilizer in that area of your life. you must be reminded that that no longer has dominion over you. Whenever you feed these sinful desires, it's only gonna produce a wicked crop that's only gonna hurt you and lead you to death. But Paul wants you to know, whatever the sin, and however strong the foothold is upon your life, you are, biblically speaking, unable to say, it has a death hold over me. I cannot overcome it. You cannot say that if you have been saved. What wonderful news. It needs to be put to death, which is what Paul is saying here. It doesn't need fertilizer. You need to go get yourself a big thing of Roundup to start killing it in your life. Now let me stop here for a moment and clear up any confusion that may arise from this passage. Paul's using language that seems to communicate that there's something that's already been completed, but as in dead in Christ, and language that states that we must continually do, a la put to death. Now Martin Luther stated it this way, in my poorest of Latin, simil justus et pecador, which means at the same time justified, righteous, and at the same time sinners. This means that I, you, are declared righteous by Christ's cross work, received by faith alone, and at the same time, we are struggling with sin. That is, on one plane, I am already perfected, but on another, not just yet. Another application of this hermeneutic or grid or rule by which I can understand this is the already of the kingdom of God that has come but not yet in its fullness. So the already but not yet. Put them to death. That is reckon. Realize that they have no power over you. Don't give them quarter in your heart. Don't begin a dialogue to give them mercy in your mind. In verse six, we're reminded that the wrath of God exists upon the children of wrath. as opposed to the children of wrath who cannot help but continue living under the domain of power of sin, you, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, no longer have to. Praise the Lord. Paul tells us in verse seven that we also, we also were like them. We walked in their ways, but now we must remember, we must remember that we are not under that domain anymore. We no longer have to experience and execute anger in a sinful manner. Our anger can become an agent of justice, leading to peace. We can speak truthfully, seeking to benefit our neighbor. And we can be winsome in our speech, void of vulgarities." Having told us that we must put to death, now Paul tells us it's like taking off old worn clothes. In verses 8 and 9, he states, you must put them all away. Take it off. Put off the old self. So there it is again. This is in the imperative. What must we do? What we must do? As opposed to the indicative. One says what we must do and the other describes the state. So although we are already justified in Christ, we are still required to live out our lives of righteousness that reflects the new man as we struggle with, that we battle with, do war against sin. in verses 9 and 10, he uses the language of taking off and putting on. This time with a reference to what he has already taught in chapter 2, that of their baptism. We are to understand that as baptism or at baptism, and I'm going to quote here Dr. Bruce from his commentary on Colossians. It's not just the removal of an insignificant scrap of bodily tissue, as the old circumcision was, which it replaced, but the stripping off of the whole body of flesh, the renunciation of the sinful nature in its entirety. When you consider baptism and what it represents, it is the removal, or if you prefer, the washing away, the cleansing of the old nature. Whether it's a believer's baptism or an infant baptism, the next time you witness that sacrament, you must remind yourself of this reality. You have shed that old skin. that old deathly body and have been given a new life, cleansed by the blood of Christ. This new being, indicative, what you are, please note, what you are, not who you are, what you are, is being constantly changed and working towards reflecting Christ, imperative. And this begins with knowledge and education. It begins with knowledge and education. To see this better, he tells us in 2 Corinthians 4.16, Paul, that is, therefore, we do not lose heart. But though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. This is the continuous work of which both God and we are working on. This means that you must continually pursue knowledge of what you are and how you are to live out your life so that we may continually be renewed in the image of our creator. Just as the three persons of our triune creative, creator, and great God love one another, We are called to love one another despite there being barriers that the world has set up. What Paul is referring to specifically in verse 11, here are barriers that existed, barriers that existed among the members of the church, such as religious, social, and racial. we can see how these differences can easily become sources of malice, hatred, sinful anger, unholy passions, slander, obscene talk, and so forth. God, through Christ, has obliterated all of these barriers for everyone who is in Christ, and consequently, a new creature. The church, the community of the redeemed is the most inclusive institution in the history of mankind. When the church acts and lives out its life in the manner revealed in the scriptures, it has been and is a place where people want to flock to. When people come into contact with our church, That's what we want. We want them to naturally see Christ in our midst. Witness the love that we extend towards one another. Not only will they want to come here, but they would want to invite other people. See, when we put off the old man and put on Christ, we begin to reflect that type of church. Little bit by little bit, we inch closer and closer to what we already are. Encouraging one another, being patient with one another, being sacrificial towards one another as we draw closer to God individually and corporately. But how does this practically happen? Well, Paul gets to that in the next couple of verses. And this brings us to our third point today. When we begin to consider the implications of the therefore Paul started with that was put off, now he tells us in verse 12 positively what we are to put on. When you set your mind upon compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, one can't help but be reminded of none other than his majesty, the Lord Jesus, right? The last of the virtues he mentions is patience. Patience is also a fruit of the spirit. And I prefer its more historic translation, long suffering. We are told in Exodus 34.6, that along with being merciful and a gracious God, our God is a long-suffering God. Long-suffering implies a devotion to an objective, even in the face of frustration or provocation. This means that in the face of being offended, you choose to wait for justice. In God's case, we are told that he is a merciful God who chooses to wait for justice until judgment day. in order that his mercy would complete its objective of saving a people for his son. I think Romans 9, 22 to 24 really brings this out for us. Now read that. What if God, although willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make his power known, says, endured with great patience or long suffering? Objects of wrath prepared for destruction. And he did this so to make known the riches of his glory, objects of mercy which he prepared beforehand for his glory. Sometimes we have to endure with offenses. That is, to be long-suffering, especially when we're unable to get justice until the day of judgment. just like our Heavenly Father. One of the constituent elements of love is long-suffering. We see that, right, in 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter? It's the first one on the list. And so with compassion, kindness, humility, Gentleness, also known as meekness, along with justice and patience, buttressed by love, we can bear with one another. It is by these virtues that the community of the redeemed can reflect the love of the triune God to one another and to a broken and lost world. Paul teaches us that we are to put on Christ. We can be long-suffering with one another and treat one another lovingly, even when we have a complaint, just as the Lord treated us, did he not? When we were unsaved, God had a just claim against us. For us to be forgiven, we needed to confess our sinfulness, admit our guilt, and repent and believe. You see, God forgives everyone who comes to him with a contrite heart, does he not? He turns no one away. And as kingdom citizens, we must also reflect our Heavenly Father. That is what is meant in the Lord's Prayer, that we forgive trespasses just like our Heavenly Father has forgiven our trespasses after we confess them. We have to acknowledge that God doesn't forgive anyone's sin until they have asked for forgiveness. Do we not? Otherwise, there would be no one in hell right now. Is that not true? And equally, He calls us to forgive just like Him for all those who ask us for forgiveness. God is no doormat. And he doesn't call us to be the children of the doormat. Just because he is long-suffering, it doesn't mean that he will not have justice. Therefore, as we put on Christ, we must be prepared. Now let me say, we must look forward to the day when a proper apology is offered, because we are to be like our Heavenly Father, looking forward to the fellowship justice and peace brings about. So we must be forgiving. After all, if there is any group of people that should know what it means to be forgiven, it is us, objects of mercy. Are we not? Some of you may say, but pastor, I love that person who hurt me. Why can't I look the other way? Okay, so let's look at the next verse, 14. It states that we put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Now it says binds and not blinds. Binds and not blinds. Love, for genuine love to flourish and exist, there must be justice. I don't know how you have perfect harmony without justice present. And if you want to look the other way or blind yourself to an injustice, that's not love. You would be communicating that it's okay for that person who did a sin against you to continue to repeat that offense. That's not love. That's not justice. And that does not lead to perfect harmony. Frankly, in my experience, looking the other way, giving a pass, whatever you want to call it, causes nothing but dysfunction, toxicity, and a potential powder keg waiting to explode at perhaps the most inconvenient times. Perhaps you've seen that in someone's life. Maybe you've seen that in your own life when you've just given a pass for someone hurting you. It doesn't make it go away. You need to pursue for peace, justice. In verse 15, Paul moves to peace. He refers to the peace of Christ. Perhaps you may remember the words spoken by Jesus in John Chapter 14 and 27. I have in mind these familiar words. Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Jesus' peace is different from the world's peace. The primary difference is that we have fellowship that is reestablished between us and God through the justice that is achieved through his very own sacrifice. It is this peace, knowing that we have harmony with God, bringing comfort and joy to our souls, This is the way we are to live our lives with one another and to the body that we were called to. And be thankful. This is important. Because for one to be thankful, it requires one to recognize the kindness, the mercy, the goodness that one has been extended. When we realize that What God has done for us when we deserve so much worse? Well, one just can't help but be thankful, right? This realization of how much we have been forgiven and how greatly we are loved by the Lord should move us to forgive and to sacrifice and to love one another. What else are we to do to recognize and remember that the old man is dead? Well, Paul continues. He says, we are to let the word of God dwell richly in our hearts. Let's face it. It's when we step away from the Word that causes us to become callous to the reality of our newness, our becoming a new creature in Christ, is it not? If you say, it's so hard to remember, and it's so easy to forget our new nature, our identity in Christ, I would have to say that I agree with you. It really is hard to remember, and it really is so easy to forget. There is a reason that Paul is saying, let the Word of God dwell in you richly. Lavishly expose yourself to the Word of God. Feed your soul the scrumptious delights of the Word. Make it part of your daily routine, just like you do with meals every day. It's when we stop doing that, that it really gets hard, doesn't it? When we part ways with spending time in the word, that becomes hard to remember, right? Easy to forget. Where are you with that? Do you still find yourself saying, it's hard to be in the Word? Or are you at a place where you've been distant from God and you see the pain associated with leading a life that is so parallel to the one associated with the old man? It's time to repent, Christian. It's time to come back to the Word of God. And you see, when you do so, it becomes so much easier. To be reminded of what? That you no longer are under the domain of the old nature. That old man is dead. That old woman is dead. And you are so easily then at that point reminded to be what you are. And naturally live a life of righteousness. So Paul tells us what? Let the word of God live richly in your heart, in your mind, in your soul. Can you do that this day? Devote yourself to that. When we let the word of God live large in our hearts, We can teach. And there it is. Again, in verse 16, admonish one another. It means to rebuke, to reprimand, to reproach, to correct. This goes along with something or someone has committed an offense against you, right? We talked about that just a moment ago. Love says, I care about you. I don't want you to hurt others or myself or yourself with your own sin. That's what love says. That's true love. That's not a love that blinds or looks the other way. Now, yes, scripture calls us to use wisdom when we reprove and when we admonish, right? Absolutely. We must reprove with winsomeness. There it is again. Gentleness and with patience, lovingly. And then Paul throws in singing. In the midst of all of this, he throws in singing. Why singing? suddenly, because you see the lyrics unify us, they edify us, and they remind us of the richness of our being a new creature in Christ. They should move us to reclaim the peace that we have with one another when an offense has occurred, because we have peace with God. Verse 17 reminds us that whatever it is that we do, whether it be in word or in works, we are to do it in the name of the Lord. That is in the power of God, giving credit and glory to him. Sometimes the church forgets this. Historically, the church has gone on and done good deeds, but at times, sadly intentionally, not in the name of the Lord. When we do this, it can go the route of what is called the social gospel. We must not shy from being merciful to others, especially when we consider how much mercy has been extended to us. but we must not also be shy to proclaim the motivating force behind wanting to do good works. It is out of a thankful heart which wishes to give thanks to the Father for His grace to us. And with that thought, let's pray. Heavenly Father, Indeed, we thank you for the great grace that you have given to us. We thank you, Heavenly Father, that you have forgiven us. And we pray, Heavenly Father, that you would grant us that grace, the spiritual resources that we need, so that we may forgive others. And we ask that you would also remind us of your word each and every day, that we are indeed new creatures in Christ. that you have called us out of darkness and made us new beings, one that no longer is under the power of death, under the power of the law in a bad way. But now we are freed to obey the law with joy and delight. And we want to do it with joy and delight. because we love you. And so we pray, Father, that you would be with us this day, this week, and forevermore, reminding us of this wonderful love, that sin no longer has anything on us, but that we can naturally obey you. And we pray that you would do this so that you would be glorified, and we ask it in Jesus' name, amen.