Sermon Tone Analysis

Colossians 3:1-17

 

! Introduction

            Last Sunday evening, Peter & Anne Kroeker told us about their experiences in Mexico.

I was interested in their description of the religious practice of some of the people they were working with.

They described people who are very strict in certain elements of their religion.

They had strict rules about the clothes they wore and also very specific rules about the avoidance of anything that was defined as “worldly” for them.

Yet among those very same people, they described the problem which the young people were having with alcohol and also some of the problems of abuse that were happening.

We might be tempted to become critical of such people, but that is not my reason for reminding us of these stories.

We are all susceptible to being strict about keeping outward rules of religion, but continuing to sin in other areas without giving it much thought.

The last verse in the passage which Don looked at last week helps us understand why this problem exists.

It says, “Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”

That is an amazing perception.

Being religious looks good.

All the external rules about what is good and what we impose on ourselves appears to be such a positive thing, but it does nothing to help us overcome the sin in our hearts.

That is why legalism doesn’t work.

Holy living cannot be achieved by the observance of outward rules.

Over the last several weeks, we have focused on the work of Christ.

Two weeks ago, I spoke on the sufficiency of Christ.

He is over all things and has done all that is necessary to give us forgiveness and life.

Last week, Don reminded us not to lose our head.

It is important to remember that salvation and all that is necessary for salvation is found in Christ.

I have suggested that we need to understand this deeply.

We need to know that the work of Christ in salvation is so full and complete that anything we do will not add anything to our salvation.

Paul proclaimed just such a powerful salvation message that he raised a valid hypothetical question in Romans 6:1, “Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase?”

In other words, when we realize that we are totally saved by God’s grace, we need to understand that this is so true that it would be logical to suggest that the more we sin, the more God’s grace is shown.

So we should sin and let His grace be shown to be even greater.

Can we live in sin so that God will have more to forgive?

Of course, Paul’s own answer to his hypothetical question is a strong “may it never be!”

At this point, we find ourselves in a dilemma.

If rules don’t keep us from sin but we are to walk in holiness, how can we do that?

What kind of thinking and acting will help us walk in holiness without falling into the trap of legalism?

Paul answers this question in Colossians 3:1-17 and I invite you to think about it together with me.

!

I. Motivation For Holy Living 3:1-4

            When we got our new kitten recently, we were concerned that he might scratch our furniture.

The cat, of course, is just doing what comes naturally, but it doesn’t suit us.

The solution recommended to us was to make a scratching post for the cat so he had a place to scratch and to put duct tape on those places where we didn’t want him to scratch.

In other words, to force the cat to choose different behaviour.

It would be so much easier if we could just sit him down and explain what he can and cannot do and if out of understanding he would do right.

The motivation for holy living, as we have seen, does not come from a set of rules or a preacher who enforces rules.

It comes from the radical change which has taken place in us.

It is such a radical change that living in sin just simply does not fit.

Need an illustration here.

Look at Colossians 3:1-4 where we are told about four far reaching changes which God has brought about in our life which motivate us to walk in holiness.

!! A. What God Has Done

First of all we are reminded that we “have been raised with Christ.”

In the second part of this verse we are reminded that Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

If we have been raised with Christ, then that is where we belong, that is where we have a right to be.

If we are people who through the resurrection and ascension of Christ belong to God and have a right to be in the holy presence of God, why would we ever want to live our life in the sin which is from below?

Secondly we are told that we have died.

In our relationship to Jesus Christ through faith, we have participated in his death.

He died for sin and because we have accepted his death for us through faith, we have died to sin.

On several occasions, I have visited people who were dying.

Talking to them about what is going on in the world in the area of sports or business or entertainment seemed rather hollow.

They just weren’t interested in these things any more because their focus was in their present reality and in what was soon to come.

If we have died to sin, then the conversation of sin, quite naturally will be a rather uninteresting topic to us.

We are no longer alive to sinful realities, but to heavenly realities.

Verse 3 goes on to say that “your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Once again we are reminded about where we now belong and how far the sinful pleasures of the world are from our true being.

Our true being is godly.

We are called children of God, friends of God.

If that is where we belong and that is where our true life is, why would we want to live it anywhere else?

In verse 4, we are furthermore reminded of the hope that is ours.

One day, we “will appear with him in glory.”

When World Cup soccer is being played, you soon learn the loyalties of people.

Irish Canadians cheer for Ireland, Brazilian Canadians cheer for Brazil and so on.

It is evident that their hearts are very much attached to their home country.

Since our home country is heaven, it seems natural that we ought to cheer for heaven and to have a life that fits with our home.

!! B. Natural Consequence

            So, since we have been raised up with Christ, have died with Christ, have a life that is hidden with Christ and are anticipating our appearance with him in glory, Paul says that our whole being should be naturally oriented to what we are.

Twice in these three verses, in parallel phrases, Paul encourages us to move our lives in line with what we are.

In verse 1 he says, “set your hearts on things above” and then in verse 2 he says, “set your minds on things above.”

Although we belong to heaven, we are still on this earth and have very much of this earth in our lives.

The way to live holy lives is to join in with who we are.

It begins with a change of our heart and a change of our mind.

Paul uses the active word “set” which means that we participate in the changes that must happen in our lives.

The changes happen, however, not by conforming to rules, but by placing our heart - our affections, the things we love; and our mind - how we think and reason in the place where it naturally belongs.

This is not difficult in the sense that we are trying to set our affections where they don’t fit.

They belong up there because of all that God has done and so we simply put them where they fit.

So the beginning step of holy living is to understand where we belong and begin within to set our heart and mind to the place where we belong.

Practically played out this means that when, for example, we are tempted to cheat, it should be very simple for us to think about what Christ has done and let our heart reach in affection towards what we are and so to give up what doesn’t fit and reach towards what does fit.

Doing this is possible because it matches our inner being.

!

II.

The Practice Of Holy Living 3:5-14

            The second step is to practice holy living in all our actions.

!! A. Put Off  3:5-11

            When our “holy lifestyle” is lived by external rules such as illustrated earlier or described in Colossians 2 it is like caging the wild animals of our lust and hatred.

The wild animals are still very much alive and snarling and still dangerous if ever let out of the cage.

The door of the cage is only as strong as our ability to hold it closed.

What Paul recommends in, 3:5, is not to cage the wild animals of lust and hatred, but to put them to death.

Let me try another illustration.

The other day, I was mowing the dead corn stalks and potato and tomato vines in my garden.

Several times, the engine stopped because there was just too much to cut through.

You can stop an engine that way, but it is hard to do, not designed to be done that way and probably not good for the engine.

The normal way to stop an engine is to cut off the supply - either of spark or gas.

Trying to live a holy life by legalism is like trying to grab a flywheel with your hand and stop the engine by force.

Instead, we need to participate with what God has already begun in us and cut off the supply by putting to death whatever leads us into sin.

In Colossians 3, Paul mentions two sets of sins.

1. Sexual Sins

            In verse 5 he mentions sexual sins.

The set of words is fairly comprehensive of all manner of sexual temptation - sex outside of marriage, adultery, sexual passions and desires, and the powerful desire for more.