Tag Archives: put to death

CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES

Christian Life, ,

Colossians 3:5, 7, 10 NLT
[5] “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world….
[7] You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world…
[10] Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”

Change your clothes! You used to wear selfishness as your garment of choice. You used to pander to every desire of your evil nature. Now you have a new nature. Christ lives in you, and He has a change of clothing for you…righteousness, His gift to those who believe in Him.

Your old clothing reflected who you were, self-aware and self-absorbed.

Colossians 3:7-9 NLT
[7] “You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. [8] But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. [9] Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.”

You have a new nature now. Wear the garments of righteousness that show who you are.

“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”

What does it mean to “put off” and “put on”?

The theory of salvation, all that God has done through Jesus before the beginning of time, must have a counterpart, actively responding by faith to the promise of transformatiom. The Bible says, God has done everything to bring you back into fellowship with Him. Your part is to believe and live out what God has done.

David understood the process.

Psalms 116:12-13 NIV
[12] “What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? [13] I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.”

Living out means refusing to do, saying no to what our old nature demanded. “Putting off” means choosing not to lie, steal, or act in any way that reflects who you used to be. It’s deliberately discarding the old “clothes” of sin.

Jesus made this possible by forgiving our sin and putting His own nature in us.

“Putting on”, means choosing to live out His nature in us. Love is the wrapping in which this gift of righteousness comes to us. Every thought and action that expresses His love is the “clothing” we now wear.

Why is it imperative that we change our clothes? We must live out the righteousness Jesus gave us as a witness to the transformation the Holy Spirit is working in us. This is the only evidence that we have that we have been supernaturally born into God’s kingdom.

Romans 8:12-14 NLT
[12] “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. [13] For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. [14] For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

Not to put to death, not to put off the old clothes of the flesh is to deny that we are God’s children. The evidence that we are members of His family is real only as we are being recreated in the image of our Creator.

Colossians 3:10 NLT
[10]”Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”

The tragedy is that many people think that answering an altar call or praying the “sinner’s prayer” is evidence of their salvation. It doesn’t work that way. The real evidence is a transformed life through the work of the Holy Spirit in them.

Remember, Paul is writing to ex-pagans who were right up there with the best of them when it came to living out their old nature.

Colossians 3:7 NLT
[7] “You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.”

Paul urges them to understand that they are now part of a new species, not just participants in another religion. They are a new creation in Christ Jesus, citizens of a new realm, members of a new family made up of transformed people from every group on earth.

Galatians 3:27-28 NLT
[27] “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. [28] There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 3:11 NLT
[11] “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.”

This union with Jesus cut us loose from living the old way. Jesus gave us the power to say “No,” and make “no” happen.

1 John 3:9-10 NIV
[9] “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. [10] This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.”

So, let’s live out who we are, in the power of the who is in us by His Spirit, Christ in us, the hope of glory.

ANOTHER LIFE LESSON FROM THE ORCHID

Christian Life, ,

Mealie bugs are the tiny critters that lay eggs in blobs of white fluff, mostly on the underside of my orchid leaves. By the time I notice them, the damage is already done. They suck the juices from the plant, leaving dry patches that eventually cause the leaves and buds to die.

I spray the white fluff with surgical spirit, which dissolves the fluff, instantly killing the critters hidden inside. Then I rinse the plant to wash away dead bugs and the surgical spirit that also damages the plant.

What a lesson for me about sin! Like the bugs hidden in the fluff, looking quite pretty and harmless, sin hides inside attitudes, and actions that seem harmless enough. However, hidden in the apparently outward acceptability is a deadly “bug” that sucks the life out of us.

The “white lies” we tell to cover our tracks can eventually lead to such confusion that we begin to believe our own lies. Even worse, we become angry people, driving a wedge between ourselves and others because we on the attack to defend our lies.

What of young men who hide their lust behind the disguise of “love”. Manipulation! The vulnerable young girl becomes the “bud” on which the “bug” lays his eggs, leaving a broken young life while he goes on his merry way to find another unsuspecting victim.

Sin has is just like that. Disobedience to God’s Word seems harmless enough. Nothing drastic happens at the time but the effects are long-term and devastating. Our appetite for His peresence and His word slowly diminish as our spritual life is sucked out of us. The process is slow and hardly noticeable at first. A little compromise here and there, then, a little less of God and a little more of me until I finally let go of Him and I fall off the “plant”.

1 John 2:15-17 NIV
[15] “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. [16] For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. [17] The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

The solution is to keep inspecting the plant for the tell-tale evidence of the bug hidden inside. More of the “fluff” of worldly attraction is a sure sign that the bug is biting.

Paul’s counsel is drastic but effective. Apply the surgical Spirit to the infestation.

Romans 8:12-13 NIV
[12] “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. [13] For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

No child of God dare host the critters of worldly desires and activities. If we do, we will die. Put to death, by the Spirit’s power in us, those desires, that pull us away from God but choosing to do the right thing, by persusyenylyvchoosingvto seek the Lord and to feed on His Word. David’s solution to the “mealie bug of sin is simple.

Psalms 119:11 NLT
[11]”I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES’ FUTURE

Christian Life, ,

JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES’ FUTURE

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. Matthew 24:9

Just as much as He prepared them to be His witnesses whenever and wherever the opportunity presented, Jesus also made sure that His disciples were well prepared for what lay ahead for them as loyal followers. Life for them would not be a bed of roses. Association with Him meant danger and possible death because they were not above their Master. As He was, so were they in the world.

Jesus had much to say about His disciples’ future, again not to satisfy their curiosity but to enable them to face it with the right attitude and the right equipment. Unlike our many prophecy boffins who are passionate about setting up time-lines, Jesus did not give them a time-table so that they could tick off events as they happened, but He gave them signs which they would be able to recognise, to know that His return was going to happen.

Our prophecy teachers draw charts, make predictions and presumptuous interpretations and love to place us somewhere… here… on the chart…. Jesus, on the other hand, gave guidelines to His disciples so that they would always be ready, no matter when He comes. He did not give them any opportunity to sail as close to the wind as possible. Life was about being a mirror of their rabbi so that they would always represent Him to the world around them, no matter what, when or where.

Jesus told them many things about their immediate future. For them it was not a rosy picture! They would share the same hatred and rejection that He experienced because they were His followers. They had to understand that humans were at enmity with God. Anyone who stood on God’s side would share the treatment He got – therefore it should not take them by surprise. How were they to respond?

Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time, you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. (Matt. 10: 17-20)

Whatever Jesus had to say about the future of the individual disciple, or all of His disciples was intended to prepare them so that, when it happened, they would know exactly how to handle each situation. He was sending them out like lambs among wolves, but they would have a divine companion who was not only with them but in them. The Holy Spirit in them would equip them with the truth. Like Jesus, they were to use the weapon of the Word with which to fight. The outcome was not their responsibility. If people refused to believe the truth, they would have to face the consequences of their choices.

Jesus not only equipped them with information about the future so that they would know what to expect and how to respond in times of adversity; He also warned them against developing wrong attitudes to the apparent delay of His return.

The people in Noah’s day refused to believe Noah’s warning that the flood was coming. They continued to live their God-denying lives until the moment when the rain fell, and they were swept away in the flood. Jesus’s return will be as unexpected as that!

The homeowner has no idea that a thief is about to break into his house. Had he known, he would have kept watch to protect his possessions. The household servant who gets tired of waiting for the master’s return begins to carouse and to abuse his fellow servants. When the master returns unexpectedly and finds the household in disarray and the duties left undone, the head steward will be punished for his neglect and abuse.

The point of these stories was to warn His disciples not to fall into the trap of neglect. For them it was less important to know when Jesus was returning than to know that He was coming back. It was not about doing the right thing when He returned as it was about being faithful all the time, regardless of when He returned. This is the heart of a true servant – not putting on an act for the Master to see but being faithful to the task whether He is there or not. It was this attitude that would safeguard His disciples against being caught off guard.

As followers of Jesus, we must not fall into the trap of thinking that it does not matter how we live if we believe in Jesus. We must also not think, like some of the people of the world think, that we can live as we like until the last minute and then put things right with God. If we have followed through this series, we have learned that being a disciple of Jesus means that we  walk in the truth of God’s Word which is the only way to the Father. When we choose our own way, we get lost in the wilderness and will die in the desert without the sustenance of God’s life in us.

How important it is for us to stay on the path by following the voice of our Shepherd! This is the only guarantee that we shall reach our destination and enjoy the life of God forever in His eternal kingdom.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD

Bible Study, ,

WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips (Col. 3: 5-8).

This is where the rubber meets the road!

This is the place where religion and faith in Jesus Christ come to the parting of the ways. Every religious philosophy offers some sort of goal in the afterlife to which their teaching points – Nirvana, Utopia, 70 virgins, heaven, whatever, but there is no proof of the truth of what they teach because no one has ever returned from the dead to verify their aspirations.

One person did – Jesus Christ! He not only proved by His resurrection that everything He taught is the truth; He also made it possible, through His death and resurrection, to begin the process of restoration in this life! No other religious belief empowers a fallen human being to overcome sin and live a completely new life. Many thousands, many millions of people have been transformed from losers to brand new people through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Apostle Paul, in fact, who experienced it for himself and was able to write with conviction, said:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Cor. 5:17).

The proof that a person has surrendered the ownership of his life to Christ, is that he is a changed person. The old passions and desires to live for and serve self and sin have given way to a new love. Where there was once enmity against God, the fear of punishment and the uncontrolled appetites of the sinful nature which acted like slave drivers, the peace of Christ now rules.

The sin nature is still there but it is no longer the driving force of our lives. Apostle Peter put it even more clearly:

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these, He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (2 Pet. 1: 3-4).

The potential for us to live a godly life is there but we still have choices to make that activate that potential, making it actual as we choose, thought by thought and action by action, to nurture the divine nature within us and put to death the appetites that indulge our old fleshly passions and lusts.

Obeying rules can never kill our sinful nature. Christ’s death and resurrection has done away with the guilt and shame of our past sinful lives, and set us free to pursue a life of trust in Him and obedience to His ways. Making the choice to obey Him rather than our fleshly desires is the first step towards activating the power of the Holy Spirit who is in us to do what we have chosen to do.

Where once, even when we said ‘No’ to our sinful desires, our lusts drove us to do what we did not want to do, now we can say ‘No’ with the assurance that ‘No’ really means ‘No’! Paul said we are to put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature. God has set boundaries around our physical appetites within which it we may satisfy them. Food is to sustain the body; sex is to be enjoyed within the confines of marriage; money and possessions are to be our servants, not our masters.

There are legitimate desires which are part of life and illegitimate passions which are detrimental to life and relationships. The destructive desires and emotions are the things we must identify and put to death – because, in Christ, we have already died to everything that drives this world system, and upon which the wrath of God will fall.

What a relief to know that we need no longer be driven by unruly passions but led by the Spirit when we submit to Him!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Where The Rubber Meets The Road

Bible Study, ,

WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD 

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips (Col. 3: 5-8).

This is where the rubber meets the road!

This is the place where religion and faith in Jesus Christ come to the parting of the ways. Every religious philosophy offers some sort of goal in the afterlife to which their teaching points – Nirvana, Utopia, 70 virgins, heaven, whatever, but there is no proof of the truth of what they teach because no one has ever returned from the dead to verify their aspirations.

One person did – Jesus Christ! He not only proved by His resurrection that everything He taught is the truth; He also made it possible, through His death and resurrection, to begin the process of restoration in this life! No other religious belief empowers a fallen human being to overcome sin and live a completely new life. Many thousands, many millions of people have been transformed from losers to brand new people through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Apostle Paul, in fact, who experienced it for himself and was able to write with conviction, said:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Cor. 5:17).

The proof that a person has surrendered the ownership of his life to Christ, is that he is a changed person. The old passions and desires to live for and serve self and sin have given way to a new love. Where there was once enmity against God, the fear of punishment and the uncontrolled appetites of the sinful nature which acted like slave drivers, the peace of Christ now rules.

The sin nature is still there but it is no longer the driving force of our lives. Apostle Peter put it even more clearly:

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these, He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (2 Pet. 1: 3-4).

The potential for us to live a godly life is there but we still have choices to make that activate that potential, making it actual as we choose, thought by thought and action by action to nurture the divine nature within us and put to death the appetites that indulge our old fleshly passions and lusts.

Obeying rules can never kill our sinful nature. Christ’s death and resurrection has done away with the guilt and shame of our past sinful lives, and set us free to pursue a life of trust in Him and obedience to His ways. Making the choice to obey Him rather than our fleshly desires is the first step towards activating the power of the Holy Spirit who is in us to do what we have chosen to do.

Where once, when we said ‘No’ to our sinful desires, our lusts drove us to do what we did not want to do, now we can say ‘No’ with the assurance that ‘No’ really means ‘No’! Paul said we are to put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature. God has set boundaries around our physical appetites within which it we may satisfy them. Food is to sustain the body; sex is to be enjoyed within the confines of marriage; money and possessions are to be our servants, not our masters.

There are legitimate desires which are part of life and illegitimate passions which are detrimental to life and relationships. The destructive desires and emotions are the things we must identify and put to death – because, in Christ we have already died to everything that drives this world system, and upon which the wrath of God will fall.

What a relief to know that we need no longer be driven by unruly passions but led by the Spirit when we submit to Him!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.