Read Colossians 3:1-14 as background for the message.
Paul was attempting to correct errors in the church. He reminded them of their new life in Jesus Christ. I want to show you some characteristics of that life.
In verse 1 he says seek those things which are above and in verse 2 set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. We’re not staying here forever. This world (and all of us) are fleeting. There is an antidote to materialism. Focus on the eternal things. Earthly things are unsatisfactory. Money doesn’t bring satisfaction. The more you get, the more you want. Satisfaction is free because the price has been paid on the cross. We are to learn to be content. With the Lord, we have all we need. Solomon had five “W’s” in his life: wine, women, wealth, wisdom and works. He tried it all. He had it all. But he said it was all vanity. There was no satisfaction in it. Earthly things don’t last. Some quickly wear out. If you invest more in the world than you do God, it’s in the wrong place.
Security. In verse 3 Paul said your life is hid with Christ in God. I believe in the eternal security of the believer. Some believe in unconditional security stating no matter what you do, if you’ve been saved you will go to heaven. They say it doesn’t matter how you live. If that’s true, why did God spend so much of the Bible with instructions on how we as believers are to live? It matters. Others believe in repeated regeneration. Some profess and do not possess. Not everyone who says they are saved is saved. You don’t get saved again if you sin or backslide. You were born once. You will be born again once. I believe in a conditional eternal security. I retain my faith in Jesus Christ and I’ll go to heaven. If a person goes to heaven he or she must trust in Jesus Christ. If we denounce Christ, how can we be right with God? We cannot.
We’re supposed to be dead to the world. Our desires for the world system should be dead. God created a beautiful world for us to live in. We can enjoy it, but we cannot be so in love with creation that our affections are not in heaven. Our desire should not be for this worldly system that we see all around us. Verse 5 says Mortify therefore your members. We are to put off the sins of the heart. If not, what we start to desire becomes real. We act on it. We see in the next few verses the sins Paul was referring to, among them sexual sins, idolatry, evil thoughts, sins of the tongue, lying. We must get rid of them. Verse 10 says to put on the new man. We are forbearing (of) one another. We endure or put up with each other. No one is perfect. Remember how much God has forgiven you for and it should help you forgive the little things others do to you. We are to try to keep peace, not disrupt it. Love holds things in tact. First Corinthians 13 is the love chapter. Read it to see how love behaves. That is how we are to conduct ourselves. Love never fails. Christ forgives and forgets. We’ll never face the sins for which we’ve been forgiven. All sin is sin. We place more emphasis on some than others, but whatever it is, we are to forgive freely because we’ve been forgiven.
What do you need to do? Do you have a new life in Christ? Are you acting in it as you should?
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 