Putting Off Sin, Putting On Christ

Colossians 3 Paul exhorts us to put off rough mellows, slender watering, and sexual soon. We are not delivered from these things simply by sale God.send please forgive me when only delivered from these things. When we admit what they really are in your battle with the flesh of the going gets tough when all seems lost this week on Renewing Your Mind, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson is going to focus on our union with Christ. It's the apostle Paul's favorite phrase to describe the unbreakable bond that we have with our Savior. And this week Dr. Ferguson will provide us with practical ways to live in a way that truly is in Christ as we make our way along in this great scene that we found especially in the teaching of the apostle Paul. We had arrived.

You may remember in Colossians chapter 3 I said this was one of the great passages in the New Testament. Perhaps the most panoramic vision of union with Christ, and we have to be found in the New Testament because squared eyes and other passages Paul has spoken about the fact that we are united to Christ in his death and burial and resurrection here in chapter 3 he expands on that we are united to Christ.

Yes, in his resurrection, but also in his ascension and his heavenly session and then amazingly glorious statement he makes that when Christ appears we are so united with him that we will appear with him in glory. Remember we want, emphasizing that that is a sense in which our Savior has said to his father with his father's total agreement. I am not going back. Unless they are with me Christ as the fathers used to say, considers himself incomplete. Now without his people. And when we begin to understand that when we see our new identity in Jesus Christ. Paul has set the foundation for some very powerful imperatives. We reflected before, but that is a tendency I think perhaps particularly a tendency today to think that when you preach the grace of God in the gospel then use soft handle the exhortations, but Paul is the very reverse because he believes that this foundation gives him a place in which he can leverage the most powerful imperatives. He can command holiness of the highest thought.I'm that's what we find here as we think about union with Christ in Colossians chapter 3, he has laid a massive foundation and now we must be ready for the imperatives until notice looked verses five through verse 17 fall into two sections.

They fall very neatly into two sections. The first deals with what we might call modification soul verse five because you understand who you are, responsibility, number one is to produce often lifestyle features to death what the older writers called modification reducing fat from verse five through verse 11, and then for verse 12 through to the end of verse 17 he deals with what we might call a daunting that needs to be a modification of putting off on the needs to be in the dawning of putting on some scholars of thought that perhaps he's thinking about the hourly rituals of baptism how someone would come to their baptism. They would take off the old clothing and then as they went through the liturgy of baptism, a new role would be placed on them as a kind of symbolism with what it meant to be a Christian but you're united to Christ died with Christ, but you been raised with Christ, but I hope we may be able to return to this in a few minutes time, but it is absolutely essential that we understand these two aspects of our Christian living belong together. Sometimes we meet Christians who realize that because they get elected to Christ they need to put send to death and in the long term. They fail because in a sense they don't read to the end of the passage putting sin to death is not sanctification putting send today in order that you may be adorned with the graces of the Lord Jesus thoughts, sanctification, Thomas commerce's name some of you will recognize great 19th-century Scotsman preached a wonderful sermon entitled the explosive power of a new affection on one of the points that he was making was simply Lewis.

We can we can do all in our power to try to modify certain, but unless that is the expulsion of the sinful characteristics by their replacement with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We will inevitably fail number the parable Jesus told about the house. Swept clean of the demons.

What happens to a house unoccupied. The demons just come back and greater number that needs to be a new furnishing of the Christian life.

So this is the rhythm that we that we need to grasp that if you play golf you might grasp this, you take your stance. This was a betrayal of baseball as well. Wouldn't you have to have the proper stands well grounded.

So we stand in our union with Christ and then there is the backswing and we put off been noticed or the down swing all the strike on these three things all belong together.

If a golfer or a baseball star does not have a good ground and you watch what they do with their file that they don't just stand casually if they're going to hit world they need to be well grounded on the needless rhythm and timing it seems. Timing is everything in baseball its split-second timing massively engulfed the ball standstill, but timing is almost everything rhythm is almost everything. You can't snatch or you fail so policy are building up the smallest picture of the Christian life in which we developed this rhythm, so that we are conscious.

More and more that we united to the Lord Jesus on the flossing slip no longer for us.

The old clothes don't fit us the way they used to. But these new cloths. They fit us and even if you couldn't care for either golf or for baseball. You probably understand that when somebody says why are you wearing that it doesn't seem to you need to wear this so this is the wonderful picture but he gives us/spend a few minutes and will have to spend only a few minutes looking at verses five through 11. First of all, we are standing in our union with Christ now since Paul but are certain things you need to put to death. You need to put off when you notice they belong to concentric circles.

He begins without private life, and he deals with the miss function or sinful use of sexual relations.

For example, put to death what is actually in your sexual immorality, impunity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry. He's doing with our secret and what private or relatively private life. I do saying that if you are Christian there that are behavior patterns that no longer fit and in union with Christ you have been given the power to put these off. Actually there's an old adage is that the worst is always the corruption of the best. Unless I think is why Satan aims his out-of-doors in this area of the best things God descriptors is given as life is made. This is the image of God. What's the next thing thoughts he mixes is the image of God, male and female he mixes for family life. So what do we see when Satan mixes inroads into the lives of people to destroy human the things that horrify us when we see him happening to fellow believers. It's the destruction of the bass of our personal purity in relation to others of our family life relationship between husband and wife from parents and children, and children. Parents Paul is saying we need to understand that all of these must be presented is holy to the Lord. And so we must put off everything that would distort these the best of our Lord's blessings number the passage that I mentioned earlier on in our studies where Paul says to the Corinthians. Some of your going to prostitutes and it's not dawning on your but if you really are not a believer and you're united to Christ, you really sing to Jesus come onto the brothel that very thought should make you say never again will this happen so here the knowledge of our union with Christ strengthens our resolve to put send away when it engages us in our private life that you notice in verse eight he speaks about our more public life know you must put them all away. No anger Ross Marla slander and him seem talk from your must now use he's talking about her relationships with one another in our public life and of course, is indicating that what comes out of the mouth. Actually begins in the heart sing for someone whose heart is joined to the Lord Jesus.

This kind of languages is altogether inappropriate Unterman the language he uses here. Anger Ross Marla slander of seem talk from your mouth. It has some fairly sophisticated form like one of the commentators suggest we translate versus meditation getting irritated know you and I when we get irritated with always people who have righteous anger the kind of people who don't suffer fools gladly ulcers Jesus suffered fools need to do gladly.

He died for fools so that you know, I know Ross comes out of my mouth, Marla, slander you can slander someone very very sophisticated way someone's name is mentioned. This always alarms me someone's name is mentioned in the world I live in itself and somebody who's a preacher and the first thing that is said about them is negative and brings them down. It's often a mark of jealousy brings them down. It's not Jesus like that's what Paul is saying here how Denny goes on to speak about putting away sin in our fellowship life. So you see the circles of private life are not personal life than our public life in relationship to others and then our fellowship life. You notice he uses the expression one another, so do not lie to one another, which includes pretending to be something that will not is not just words coming out of our mark.

This is what to do without being do not lie to one another because you've put off the old self with its practices. It's the same languages we saw in Romans chapter 6, you don't belong to the old audit of Adam.

You could latch off so don't wear your life. The lifestyle of the old Adam and you are being renewed in the knowledge of the God who has created you and in his image. Where that is neither Greek or Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, Barbadian Scythian slaves free.

But Christ is all and in all the system amazing thing they say we been talking about the fact that we are united to Christ as individuals but not leasing united to Christ when you among your fellow believers you need to think of them as united to Christ, you need to think of yourself as belonging to a fellowship with Christ is everything. But not only is he everything he is in everyone, think of the single person in your church. If there is such a person you see them unmute you your financing almost physically to come away. You do not want to spend time with him but are such people in most churches would happen if you are thought was cute or someone that the Lord of glory is unashamed to indwell and I need to respond to them and most pleasing, that would transform some of the most difficult relationships that in churches and how does it do it it doesn't because we recognize that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ's member reading when I was a youngster of this little article in the daily newspaper in Scotland about a month of trial in London that stuck with me since I was 15 or 16. It took place in the Chinese restaurant. And amazingly, the chief prosecution witness was a Chinese waiter and he had been within feet of the motor so the prosecuting counsel pointed to exhibit a and said is this. And yes, that looks like the knife said the Chinese waiter witness and he said do you see the person who wielded the knife to kill the person who was sitting near to where you're standing. Do you recognize him and see him in the court one was standing in the dark on the Chinese with us about him solace are doing so.

The prosecuting counsel is an air unsolicited will why don't you recognize him the Chinese waiter said I don't recognize him, because all you Englishmen look alike to me how all except isn't it true you might say the same thing if you landed in China. These people who vetting about why does that happen when they had us different from each other as we are because what our eyes are drawn to is the similarities and it's only when we look into the similarities that we begin to see that there are differences on. Actually that's what the gospel does to us. We are as diverse as any community you're likely to find but what do we see if we are in Christ, put on Verizon drawn to well were drawn to what we have in common that we belong to the same family.

So you see all the file that Paul is giving us these rigorous imperatives. We see the undergo during each and every one of them is this notion, but those Christ people we are united to him about supply the lifestyle we lead as a lifestyle is constantly putting behind us. We hold onto the wattle plate are in order to establish an altar that is faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ.

No, why does Paul not tell us how to do this often for my own amusement. Say you know we read the New Testament we read what Paul tells us to do.

I'm inimical to the local Christian bookstore or to Allison or to a conference so that somebody will tell us how to do it on that are people who will tell us how to do aggressive are six things you need to do four things needs to members saw young girl. My doctor saying to me.I can teach you to preach in such a way that people take notes in your preaching summer. Sure I want people to take notes in my preaching, but that I can teach you how to do lesson because I love my daughter so how do I do it, Richardson. I've noticed every time you say, but are three things you need to do a four things you need to know people are people are scratching around looking for a piece of paper and a pen because if you can tell them the three things they need to do.

They have collected life: current disposal not do that while it doesn't look as though he doesn't, but often if you keep your head down in the passage you will discover that in the very process of exalting us to do this. He tells us how to do it. For example, he tells us to admit our sin for what it really is. That's why he names things in this passage and elsewhere. He says things that shouldn't be mentioned among us, and he breaks his own rule because we are not delivered from these things simply by single God of sin. Please forgive me when only delivered from these things. When we admit what they really are.

When we admit what they really are in the presence of God. We have already engaged in breaking the stranglehold that they want to have on us.

He gives us another hint here in verse six he says, look, lease of the things that bring about the Ross of God on sin to see what he saying you know, do you have a tendency to say it's okay I'm a Christian is is not okay.

You're a Christian, what this sin deserves the wrath of God. That's what Jesus experienced on the cross you want to go on sampling the blood of Christ underfoot.

She simply understand what he's saying but begin to appreciate the power of what you say so, but needs to be a putting off something that needs to be putting on and in the verses that follow. He tells others what we put on as the chosen ones of God is a long list of things there, but they can be summarized really and two words. Christ likeness. Remember Augustine's text totally leg. Did you know those words hearing the child's voicing Talley Legge pick up the book and read it and he picked up the New Testament that was laying on the table.

Remember the words he read Romans 1314 put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flash to fulfill its loss.

Essentially a summary of Colossians 31 through 17. The center this is what we are to do this is why we set out affections above on the Lord Jesus. Because what happens when the spirit enables us to do that is, as Paul says to the Corinthians as we gaze upon the Lord Jesus through what we know from in his word.

The spirit begins to transform us into his likeness from 1° of glory to another in sourcing deliberately, consciously, depending on the spirit put on Christ like braces under noticed that my very modest realities, weakness, patients, compassion, kindness, love, not remember how Augustine says in his confession slip when he was struggling spiritually and came to Milan because he wanted to be a great auditor but he went to hear the Bishop Ambrose prediction he he says in the great passage you know what I came, I went to hear you preach because of your great teaching skills. He was really interested in Ambrose is a model of great rhetoric on this is actually it really wasn't just your great teaching.

It was you were kind to me and are interesting. It's almost as though he's saying great preaching without kindness would never have drawn me and it's almost as though he saying who do you think would've been the best witness to me as a great intellectual bar somebody with powerful intellectual growth one notices kindness. And when we begin to see that we begin to sing when will united to Christ, everything begins to change in our knowledge of our union with Christ as the engine drive such so once again, this is what it means to be united to Christ