Good evening everyone. Our text today is Colossians chapter 3, verses 1-17. There are three things here: Truth, Transformation and Thanksgiving.
In all his epistles, Apostle Paul first teaches us doctrine and then practice. Doctrines? leave them for theologians. No, doctrines are for every believer. Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy. Right belief and then right conduct. We cannot worship God without right belief or truth. Lord Jesus said in John chapter 4, verse 24, God is a Spirit. and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Because God is a Spirit, we must worship him in Spirit and in truth.
In Spirit and in truth….that is the true worship
in Flesh and in falsehood….that is the false worship.
God does not accept false worship. We should move from flesh and falsehood to spirit and truth. Here in Colossians chapter 3, Apostle Paul is focusing on those two things.
First, he wants us to understand God’s truth. You are risen with Christ. Every believer gets three things with salvation: Justification, Sanctification and Glorification.
The redeemed have a new place, that is in Christ in heaven. We have two kids in our home, Samuel and Sarah. Samuel is almost 5 years old and Sarah is almost 3 years old. Other day my wife and I were trying to teach them a Bible truth. I asked Samuel and Sarah. Do you know what is redemption?
Redemption means God purchased us. God bought us. Samuel asked, ‘which store?’ Then Sarah asked, how does God get to the store? Does he have a car?
We were in bondage to sin, death and hell. We were in Satan’s gulag. God redeemed us. He purchased us with his blood. We are justified, sanctified and glorified. In justification, God moved us from a state of sin to a stage of grace. In sanctification, he made us holy in Christ. In glorification, we are seated in heaven with Christ.
Christ is in heaven. Because you are in Christ, you are also in heaven. Yes, physically we are still in this world. But spiritually, we are in heaven.
You’re right in front of the eyes of God. Let this truth transform you.
2. Transformation
Understand the truth and then be transformed. Paul explains what we should do from verse 5.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
uncontrolled passion, evil desires,
3. Thanksgiving
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Truth…..Transformation…..Thanksgiving