Holy Living -- Colossians 3:1-17
Holy Living – Colossians 3:1-17
by Pastor Lee Hemen
April 13, 2008 AM
My mother had favorite expressions she would use when she caught us doing something we were not supposed to be doing. Sometimes she would declare, “What in God’s green earth do you think you are doing? or she would ask us, “In the name of all that is holy, what in the world are you up to?” I am not sure exactly what she meant by either of these. Maybe she felt that at that moment we were up to something unholy or that God’s green earth could not survive? Trying to do the right things that would not bring about these inquiries from my mother could be at times kind of tough.
Living holy lives for the Lord is sometimes better said than done in the lives of Christians as well. This is especially true in a world that not only promotes ungodly living, but encourages it as being “normal.” Paul gave the Colossian church the answer they needed in order to live holy lives for God through Jesus Christ. What he related to them can instruct us as well this morning when we consider holy living. Let’s discover how...
READ: Colossians 3:1-17
Paul reflected on the basis for the Colossian believers’ new life in Christ. Through their conversion experiences they had died to their old way of life and risen with Christ to walk in newness of life as symbolized through believer’s baptism. The world follows a totally differing philosophy of life. It places value on things that do not last and encourages ungodliness. In a world that acts this way the believer needs to ask...
I. Where should I look for real value in my life? (vv. 1-4)
1. Real worth is found in the One who is worthy! As Christians we must look to Christ for values that will guide us to holy living. Since believers have not only died with Christ but have also been raised with Him, they should set their hearts on things above where He is! Paul would remind us that “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him... In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” (Romans 6:8, 11-12) Christians are to seek things from above, not from here in this world. As believers, we are to be in the world but not of the world. We are to keep our feet firmly planted on the earth, but our minds are to be set on heavenly values. Paul reminds his readers that when you trust Jesus, “you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God!” However there is a future promise as well in that “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory!” What a glorious day! The values and goals of believers will be vindicated at that future time! Paul is reminding us where we should look for real value in our lives.
EXAMPLE: What do you value in life? The owner of a Denver restaurant reported, "I first tried to sell buffalo tongue as an hors d'oeuvre at $1.75 and had no takers. So I priced it at $6.75, set a limit of two to a customer, and sold out every night." The crowds push past. They mill about the stalls, shopping for satisfaction. They spend their money for food that won't nourish them and for drink that won't quench their thirst. But money can't buy what they really need. God offers real nourishment, lasting joy, and forgiveness from sin--and it's all free! The shoppers don't take Him seriously, yet He doesn't alter His marketing strategy. Real worth is found in the One who is worthy! Our lives should be lived for Jesus. He is the one where we should look to for real value in our lives.
Paul charged the Colossians to look above for guidance and to live by heavenly values rather than by earthly ones. Christians must look to Christ for values that will guide them to holy living. The apostle continues by listing some of the most prevalent sins of the first-century Greco-Roman world. Many of these vices had been a part of the lifestyles of these former pagans. My mother would have asked if we were “a band of heathens?” Paul admonished them to turn away from these practices that should not be a part of a Christian lifestyle. In a world that acts ungodly the believer needs to ask...
II. What should I avoid in my Christian life? (vv. 5-11)
1. Holy living is wholly living for the Lord! Paul would say, “Avoid anything that would tend to make you unholy.” To live holy lives, we must avoid behaviors and attitudes that characterize those who adhere to earthly values. Paul provided a list of these attitudes and behaviors that the Colossians were to “put to death” (v. 5) in their lives. Paul’s imagery moved from death and life to putting clothes on and off. “Put to death… whatever belongs to your earthly nature.” The Greek tense in this command suggests a decisive action, as if Paul said, “Crush it! Do it now! Do it purposefully!” Of course, God has already done it in them, but Christians are to know this, count it to be true, and act accordingly. In other words, we are not to go on living as though we are still alive to such sins as “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry!” We are to put away that old life, which springs from their earthly natures and desires. Christians “used to walk in these ways, in the life [we] once lived. But now [we] must rid [ourselves] of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from [our] lips. Do not lie to each other, since [we] have taken off [our] old self with its practices!” (Colossians 3:7-9) How do we do this? By literally putting “on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator!” It is an act of will and a desire of our heart! Believers are not “to conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing” of [our] minds! (Romans 12:2) What should you avoid in life that would lead you astray? Anything that leads you astray! Holy living is wholly living for the Lord!
EXAMPLE: In a sermon titled “Faith Tested and Crowned,” Alexander Maclaren distinguished between being tempted and being tried. He said that “the former word conveys the idea of appealing to the worst part of man, with the wish that he may yield and do the wrong. The latter means an appeal to the better part of man, with the desire that he should stand.” Maclaren continued, “Temptation says, ‘Do this pleasant thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is wrong.’ Trial or proving says, ‘Do this right and noble thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is painful.’” Temptations and trials are two sides of the same coin, for a single Greek word conveys both ideas. What should you avoid in life as a Christian? Anything that would tend to make you unholy. Holy living is wholly living for the Lord.
My mother would have shaken her head and asked us, “Do you really want to live this way?” If the Colossians were to genuinely serve Christ, they must conduct their lives in a worthy manner. Although these Christian responsibilities are not to be used as a checklist to ensure one’s salvation, such qualities should be evident in our lives as a result of a right relationship with Christ. In a world that supports ungodly living, the Christian should ask...
III. How then should I live for the Lord? (vv. 12-17)
1. Living for Jesus, means dying to yourself! Living a holy life involves behaving in ways that enhance relationships with others around us, unity in our church, and a greater understanding of Jesus’ teaching. We are to let Jesus control our lives! If we truly live for the Lord, our lives will be full of “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” This is a big difference with the previous list! If we have clothed ourselves in Christ, then our garments ought to match His handiwork! In fact, we are to ratchet it up a notch and “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances [we] may have against” each other! It may be tough to do but we are told to “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” WOW! How is this possible? Paul writes that it is only through the sacrifice of “love.” The sacrificial love of Christ “binds them all together in perfect unity.” Which brings about a peace that Christ gives to His people as a part of our calling. It brings about this “peace” and also a spirit of thankfulness, which is a command by Paul. “And be thankful,” he states. The Christian is to let this “word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” What a beautiful picture of a holy life! In fact, Paul related that “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus!” How should you live for the Lord? Live for Jesus and die to yourself!
EXAMPLE: He was a remarkable person. Author of 150 books, Toyohiko Kagawa was a teacher, a poet, a philosopher, a scientist, and an evangelist. He wrote on various subjects ranging from scientific studies to theological issues. During World War II, he was imprisoned for his “pacifistic” views. But he never ceased to love and serve God. Often he repeated these three prayers: “Father, forgive.” “God, let me live to serve.” “O God, make me like Christ.” Those brief petitions reveal the spiritual dynamics of a truly Christian lifestyle. That third prayer cannot be realized unless we take seriously the other two. My mother would have said, “Boys you are not going to live like this!” How should you live for the Lord? Live for Jesus and die to yourself.
Conclusion:
1. As Christians we must look to Christ for values that will guide us to holy living.
2. To live holy lives, we must avoid behaviors and attitudes that characterize those who adhere to earthly values.
3. Living a holy life involves behaving in ways that enhance relationships with others, unity in the church, and the understanding of Jesus’ teaching—all of which in essence means allowing Jesus to control our lives.
---
NOTE: This article is copyrighted by Pastor Lee Hemen © 2008 and the property of Pastor Lee Hemen. You are welcome to copy it, email it, or use it but please if you copy it, email it, or use it you must do so in its entirety.
by Pastor Lee Hemen
April 13, 2008 AM
My mother had favorite expressions she would use when she caught us doing something we were not supposed to be doing. Sometimes she would declare, “What in God’s green earth do you think you are doing? or she would ask us, “In the name of all that is holy, what in the world are you up to?” I am not sure exactly what she meant by either of these. Maybe she felt that at that moment we were up to something unholy or that God’s green earth could not survive? Trying to do the right things that would not bring about these inquiries from my mother could be at times kind of tough.
Living holy lives for the Lord is sometimes better said than done in the lives of Christians as well. This is especially true in a world that not only promotes ungodly living, but encourages it as being “normal.” Paul gave the Colossian church the answer they needed in order to live holy lives for God through Jesus Christ. What he related to them can instruct us as well this morning when we consider holy living. Let’s discover how...
READ: Colossians 3:1-17
Paul reflected on the basis for the Colossian believers’ new life in Christ. Through their conversion experiences they had died to their old way of life and risen with Christ to walk in newness of life as symbolized through believer’s baptism. The world follows a totally differing philosophy of life. It places value on things that do not last and encourages ungodliness. In a world that acts this way the believer needs to ask...
I. Where should I look for real value in my life? (vv. 1-4)
1. Real worth is found in the One who is worthy! As Christians we must look to Christ for values that will guide us to holy living. Since believers have not only died with Christ but have also been raised with Him, they should set their hearts on things above where He is! Paul would remind us that “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him... In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” (Romans 6:8, 11-12) Christians are to seek things from above, not from here in this world. As believers, we are to be in the world but not of the world. We are to keep our feet firmly planted on the earth, but our minds are to be set on heavenly values. Paul reminds his readers that when you trust Jesus, “you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God!” However there is a future promise as well in that “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory!” What a glorious day! The values and goals of believers will be vindicated at that future time! Paul is reminding us where we should look for real value in our lives.
EXAMPLE: What do you value in life? The owner of a Denver restaurant reported, "I first tried to sell buffalo tongue as an hors d'oeuvre at $1.75 and had no takers. So I priced it at $6.75, set a limit of two to a customer, and sold out every night." The crowds push past. They mill about the stalls, shopping for satisfaction. They spend their money for food that won't nourish them and for drink that won't quench their thirst. But money can't buy what they really need. God offers real nourishment, lasting joy, and forgiveness from sin--and it's all free! The shoppers don't take Him seriously, yet He doesn't alter His marketing strategy. Real worth is found in the One who is worthy! Our lives should be lived for Jesus. He is the one where we should look to for real value in our lives.
Paul charged the Colossians to look above for guidance and to live by heavenly values rather than by earthly ones. Christians must look to Christ for values that will guide them to holy living. The apostle continues by listing some of the most prevalent sins of the first-century Greco-Roman world. Many of these vices had been a part of the lifestyles of these former pagans. My mother would have asked if we were “a band of heathens?” Paul admonished them to turn away from these practices that should not be a part of a Christian lifestyle. In a world that acts ungodly the believer needs to ask...
II. What should I avoid in my Christian life? (vv. 5-11)
1. Holy living is wholly living for the Lord! Paul would say, “Avoid anything that would tend to make you unholy.” To live holy lives, we must avoid behaviors and attitudes that characterize those who adhere to earthly values. Paul provided a list of these attitudes and behaviors that the Colossians were to “put to death” (v. 5) in their lives. Paul’s imagery moved from death and life to putting clothes on and off. “Put to death… whatever belongs to your earthly nature.” The Greek tense in this command suggests a decisive action, as if Paul said, “Crush it! Do it now! Do it purposefully!” Of course, God has already done it in them, but Christians are to know this, count it to be true, and act accordingly. In other words, we are not to go on living as though we are still alive to such sins as “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry!” We are to put away that old life, which springs from their earthly natures and desires. Christians “used to walk in these ways, in the life [we] once lived. But now [we] must rid [ourselves] of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from [our] lips. Do not lie to each other, since [we] have taken off [our] old self with its practices!” (Colossians 3:7-9) How do we do this? By literally putting “on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator!” It is an act of will and a desire of our heart! Believers are not “to conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing” of [our] minds! (Romans 12:2) What should you avoid in life that would lead you astray? Anything that leads you astray! Holy living is wholly living for the Lord!
EXAMPLE: In a sermon titled “Faith Tested and Crowned,” Alexander Maclaren distinguished between being tempted and being tried. He said that “the former word conveys the idea of appealing to the worst part of man, with the wish that he may yield and do the wrong. The latter means an appeal to the better part of man, with the desire that he should stand.” Maclaren continued, “Temptation says, ‘Do this pleasant thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is wrong.’ Trial or proving says, ‘Do this right and noble thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is painful.’” Temptations and trials are two sides of the same coin, for a single Greek word conveys both ideas. What should you avoid in life as a Christian? Anything that would tend to make you unholy. Holy living is wholly living for the Lord.
My mother would have shaken her head and asked us, “Do you really want to live this way?” If the Colossians were to genuinely serve Christ, they must conduct their lives in a worthy manner. Although these Christian responsibilities are not to be used as a checklist to ensure one’s salvation, such qualities should be evident in our lives as a result of a right relationship with Christ. In a world that supports ungodly living, the Christian should ask...
III. How then should I live for the Lord? (vv. 12-17)
1. Living for Jesus, means dying to yourself! Living a holy life involves behaving in ways that enhance relationships with others around us, unity in our church, and a greater understanding of Jesus’ teaching. We are to let Jesus control our lives! If we truly live for the Lord, our lives will be full of “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” This is a big difference with the previous list! If we have clothed ourselves in Christ, then our garments ought to match His handiwork! In fact, we are to ratchet it up a notch and “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances [we] may have against” each other! It may be tough to do but we are told to “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” WOW! How is this possible? Paul writes that it is only through the sacrifice of “love.” The sacrificial love of Christ “binds them all together in perfect unity.” Which brings about a peace that Christ gives to His people as a part of our calling. It brings about this “peace” and also a spirit of thankfulness, which is a command by Paul. “And be thankful,” he states. The Christian is to let this “word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” What a beautiful picture of a holy life! In fact, Paul related that “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus!” How should you live for the Lord? Live for Jesus and die to yourself!
EXAMPLE: He was a remarkable person. Author of 150 books, Toyohiko Kagawa was a teacher, a poet, a philosopher, a scientist, and an evangelist. He wrote on various subjects ranging from scientific studies to theological issues. During World War II, he was imprisoned for his “pacifistic” views. But he never ceased to love and serve God. Often he repeated these three prayers: “Father, forgive.” “God, let me live to serve.” “O God, make me like Christ.” Those brief petitions reveal the spiritual dynamics of a truly Christian lifestyle. That third prayer cannot be realized unless we take seriously the other two. My mother would have said, “Boys you are not going to live like this!” How should you live for the Lord? Live for Jesus and die to yourself.
Conclusion:
1. As Christians we must look to Christ for values that will guide us to holy living.
2. To live holy lives, we must avoid behaviors and attitudes that characterize those who adhere to earthly values.
3. Living a holy life involves behaving in ways that enhance relationships with others, unity in the church, and the understanding of Jesus’ teaching—all of which in essence means allowing Jesus to control our lives.
---
NOTE: This article is copyrighted by Pastor Lee Hemen © 2008 and the property of Pastor Lee Hemen. You are welcome to copy it, email it, or use it but please if you copy it, email it, or use it you must do so in its entirety.
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