Preeminence (pt2)

Sunday School Notes from 5/3/08, teacher S.V.

Text: Colossians 3:1-11

It does little good if Christians declare and defend the truth, but fail to demonstrate it in their lives. They profess that the know God, but in works deny him:

Titus 1:16
16They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

"Religion"
- With religion, you are still dead spiritually. Religion is what is natural to us, because eternal life is not religion. When you lose religion, you have not lost a relationship, you have lost: religion! A relationship was not there to begin with.

What should we do?

1) We should seek the heavenly:
Colossians 3
1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

What is in our mind, is what we put in it. If we spend more time watching TV or on the computer than reading our bibles, then TV shows or things from our computer lives will be what is in the forefront of our minds instead of what we read in our bible reading for that day. I like something someone I know said a long time ago, it was in the middle of a conversations about self help books for Christians, "spiritually motivating" type books ... she said "Lets quit reading books about the bible, and just start reading the bible!" I really liked that.

a) we died with Christ
If we lived in heaven, would we live the same way we do here? Or would we live differently? We should be living as if we were living with him. YES, that's a tall order to fill ladies (and gentlemen)!

b) we live in Christ
If we think about it, we really are already living with Him, because the Holy Ghost is living in our hearts if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. We must put in practice what is right by Christ.

c) we are raised in Christ
When we were saved we gained heavenly status, and we should be seeking heavenly things here.

d) we are hidden in Christ.
Colossians 3:3
3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

2) We should slay the earthly (mortify) = put to death
Colossians 3:5-9
5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

As we see in the verses above this does not mean slay people, but slay the sin that is in our lives. Put it away, deal with the sin and get rid of it. When we were born again, we become new creatures in Christ and our salvation should reflect that very fact in our outward lives. Those things offend Christ.

a) Sensual Sin:
Satan has taken sensual things and used it to destroy the family. We must always be on guard for the sake's of our families that we do not allow such things to sneak into our homes. People used to be ashamed of such things being in public life and now it's an everyday thing. People are so densensitized to sensuality in the media it is just not an issue anymore. At the time this was written one of the popular songs on the charts is called "I kissed a girl". That would be fine, but it is sang BY A WOMAN! Years ago, there would have been a public outcry against that sort of thing.

Matthew 5:29-30
29And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

b) social sin:
Colossians:
8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

Every one of us at some point in our lives have committed these sins, yet, society seems to think they're "not as bad" as the above mentioned sensual sin, but it is!! These sins separate a person just as far from God as if they were looking at porn online. How has it come that we think some sins are okay? What is wrath? It is anger exploding. What makes this "less" of a sin than looking at the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue? ESPECIALLY when that anger that is exploding is towards your children? We should all repent!

3) We should strengthen the Christly:
Colossians 3:10-11
10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

"renewing" is kin to daily bathing. Each morning we should put on the new man of salvation, and put off the dead man that is in his sins. We should be constantly renewing ourselves in Christ, and that comes from washing ourselves in His Word, repenting to God our sins, putting on the new man and leaving the old one behind.

Has this helped you today? I sure hope so. Please leave me a comment if it has! If I can help you in away way please let me know!