Verse 5 of Colossians 3, mortify
therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness,
which is idolatry. Now in this passage and the one
before it, our attention is called to Two places and two people. And both of them are you. Both
of them are me. The word earth here, mortify
your, therefore your members which are upon the earth, that
harkens back to the same word in verse two. The earth, talking
about not just the planet, but where we live and operate and have our physical being. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth. That's what he's talking about
when he says earth in our text, the things of the earth, the
philosophy of the earth, the beliefs of the earth, the ungodliness,
because you see everything he lists here is not good stuff. Members which are upon the earth
our physical body our worldly self That's one you That's the
earthly you then there's the you described in chapter 2 verse
20 look at that chapter 2 Verse 20, wherefore, if ye be dead
with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though
living in the world, are you subject to ordinances? He's talking
about an us in verse five of our text this morning that does
live in the earth, that live in the world. But he's talking
about a you in verse 20 of chapter two that doesn't live in this
world as though living in the world, as though your heart and
mind and spirit and dealings were in this earth. They're not,
not this you. And notice that this you is already
dead in Christ to this world and its ways. So he's talking
about the other one in our verse five this morning. Also verse
three, look at verse three. For you are dead and your life
is hid with Christ in God. The you that's dead doesn't live
in this world. Dead to this world. And remember
why? Paul said, God forbid that I
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christ
crucified, by whom? the world is crucified unto thee,
and I unto the world. By the Lord's crucifixion, by
his offering of himself for our sins, that you, that me, is dead
to this world, but alive unto God, alive unto God. Notice in our verse the word
mortified. That one harkens back to the
word dead in verse three. Look at verse three again. For
you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. The word mortify, dead, dead
in verse three means dead. Mortify means make dead. Make
dead, same word, just a different form of it. to make debt. Both yous, you want to hear a
perfect description. Nothing expounds Scripture like
Scripture. Turn with me please to Ephesians chapter four. Here's
both yous. We see both uses in Romans chapter
seven also and often in Scripture, but look at Ephesians 4.17 with
me. With this in mind, that there's
an us, if we're believers, if we know the Lord Jesus Christ,
there's an us that doesn't live in this world. Don't act as though
you live in this world, Paul said. Don't act as though you
do, you don't. We're dead to this world and
our life is hid with Christ in God. We've set our affections,
our feelings, our emotions, our desires, our heart on things
above where Christ is sovereign and victorious. Ephesians 417,
this I say therefore, now this is leading into it, listen to
what it said. This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that
ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of
their mind. You see how he's dealing with
the same subject in our text. He's saying don't live as though
you live in this world. You don't, not as a believer,
not the new you. And he's saying that here, don't
walk in the vanity of your mind like the other Gentiles walk
that don't know the Lord, having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is
in them because of the blindness of their heart. The way God brings
us to life, he regenerates this heart so that we can see Look
and live. Can't do that by nature. Got
to be supernaturally regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God to
look to Christ. Who being past feeling, verse
19, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all
uncleanness with greediness. This sounds like the words in
verse five, inordinate affection, uncleanness, evil concupiscence. Look at verse 20. But you have
not so learned Christ. We've been taught better and
we've heard it because he gave us ears to hear. If so be, see
verse 21, if so be that you have heard him and have been taught
by him as the truth is in Jesus that you put off concerning the
former conversation, the old man. You see what knowing the
doctrine does for you? He doesn't say you've been taught
the truth as it is in Jesus so that you can argue with people
and show everybody how much you know more than them. but that
you might honor him, honor the Lord. Live, not henceforth unto
yourselves, but unto him which died and rose again. Big difference. Knowledge puffs
up, but love, having the knowledge of Christ with love, his love
in your heart, that's constructive. that'll build up, that'll, that
prospers, that is productive and has consequence. And look at it, that you put
off, verse 22 again, that you put off concerning the former
conduct, the old man, which is corrupt. He's still corrupt. He's talking to believers here.
Your old man is corrupt, just like he was corrupt when you
came to know the Lord. He still is. Don't we know that? Don't we know that? Corrupt according
to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind and that you put on the new man, which after God, is
created in righteousness and true holiness. You can argue
about it. You can write huge books about
what that means. It's not that complicated, is
it? There's an old you and a new you. Old you, bad. New you, good. Paul said, in
my flesh dwelleth no good thing. He qualified that, didn't he?
Because there's much good that dwells in us. Christ dwelleth
in you if you be his. But our flesh is corrupt. It
always has been, it always will be. And so as a person, we're
sinful and wretched. Sin is mixed with all we did.
And yet, there's a new man that honors Christ, that looks to
him, that is created, we'll talk about this Lord willing in a
minute, that is created in the image of God. Now, with hopefully some clarity
on that, consider our text again. being dead with Christ, having
our desires, our affections, our heart fixed on things above
where Christ reigns in glory, glory that is characterized by
him being seated after finishing victoriously the work of salvation
for his sheep, we're exhorted to make dead, to mortify, to
make dead the affections of the flesh Verse two again, the affections
of the flesh, the old man, as we just read in Ephesians four,
and some of them are listed here in our verse. Fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, or concupiscence, and covetousness,
which is idolatry. Let me just give us a brief word
on these. The difference between evil concupiscence
and covetousness is that concupiscence is a desire for that which is
forbidden. God says no, Satan says, is that
what he said? Did he really mean to deprive
you of the best fruit in the garden? To desire, we instinctually,
we naturally, of our very essence desire that which is forbidden.
The very forbidding of it causes us to desire it that much more.
We have a visitor this morning. Everyone get to know our visitor. Covetousness is always wanting
more. It doesn't have to be that which
is forbidden. Money's not forbidden. Nothing wrong with money, but
if you always want more of it, that's covetousness. And we show both of those as
very little children, don't we? Little children. Mama said no,
but mama ain't around. It's forbidden, but boy, it sure
looks good, doesn't it? and my toys are my toys and your
toys are my toys. Nothing wrong with toys, but
they're all mine. That's the problem. That's the
problem right here. Never being content with such
things as you have. You have to learn that by grace.
Paul said, I've learned, I've learned from God. He's taught
my heart that in whatsoever state I am to be content there. Consider for a moment covetousness
being idolatry. We know that idolatry is worshiping
anything or anyone other than God. Placing value and worthship,
that's what worship is, attributing worthiness unto God. He alone
is worthy. Worthy is the lamb. That doesn't
mean he's included among the things that are worthy. That
means when you use the word worthy, you're talking about the lamb.
That's who you're talking about. Think about this, if being greedy
is idolatry, Then what is looking to a sinful
man for forgiveness of sin? If not being content with what
you have is worshiping an idol, what is bowing down before a
statue? Why do people bow down before
statues? Well, I've just been through
a lot. I just came in here, I needed some comfort. So I'm bowing down
to this statue. Let me ask you married people. What if your wife or your husband,
every time they needed consolation or reassurance, took comfort
in somebody else? Nothing else happened, nothing
physical happened, but he or she would just go to them to
be consoled and find refuge and solace with them and not you. How would that sit with you? What about then, sinners actually
take comfort in statues and religious symbols? A statue of Mary maybe or one
of the apostles or an angel, that's common. What about then when sinners
are troubled and they take their religious good luck charms with
them and they sit or bow, not before the living rock of ages,
not in their hearts before the God who keeps sinners' tears
in his bottle, but a figure of stone or plaster or another sinner? What about that? money to take refuge, to take
solace in the fact that, hey, nothing can touch me, I've got
a lot of money. Really? God help us make dead our natural
evil tendency of making idols, of base things and forsaking
the one that bought us. And who alone? can give comfort and refuge from
our sins, from the heartache and trouble of this world, from anything from which we need
refuge. Verse six, for which things sake
the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience, in
the which you also walked sometime when you lived in them. when
you lived in them. The wrath of God cometh on the
children of disobedience and not on you. You see that? It doesn't come on you, it comes
on them. Not because they do these things
and you don't. Not because they are these things
and you're not. God's wrath comes on them and
not you because they are guilty of these things and you're not.
You've done them all, you are them all. But you're not guilty
of them for one reason, one really good reason. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. "'Yea,
rather, that is risen again, "'who is even at the right hand
of God, "'who also maketh intercession for us.'" That's what Paul's
talking about when he says, set your affection on things above.
What do you mean by that, Paul? Where Christ sits, interceding,
risen from the dead, having given himself for our sins, and sits
victorious on the throne of glory for you. And notice those words, when
you lived in them. I pray we could remember those
words, when you lived in them. And the word walked in the verse,
past tense. You walked at one time that way. Our old man hasn't changed, but
we as persons have changed. Just like because of your sinful
nature, you can never stand personally holy before God in yourself. Not in this life, not in the
body of this death. You cannot. But also because
of the new nature that dwells within you, you're not the same
as you were. Everything's different. If any
man be in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things have passed
away, behold all things. are new, they're not the same. A new creation, and that manifests
itself in many ways, and one of them is this, according to
our text, we lived in sin. We lived in sin, we walked in
sin, past tense. on the authority of our text,
God's word, that is past tense. Isn't that wonderful? We're full
of sin, but we don't walk in it. We do not walk after the
flesh, but after the spirit. That's clear as a bell in the
word of God. That which is of the flesh walks
after the flesh. That was you. That's what our
text is saying. Just as plain as day. What a
wonderful, wonderful thing. That's the work of God in us.
What God did for us when the Lord Jesus Christ gave himself
for our sins, according to the scriptures, that's salvation.
That's our righteousness. That's our standing before God,
all of it. We never add to that spotless
righteousness that is ours in Christ alone. Why would we want
to? Why would we need to? Why would
we dare to attempt to? but God also does a work of grace
in us. That's clear in the scripture.
It doesn't add to what he did for us, but thank God he did
that. Thank God he changed us. Thank
God I'm a new creation. You think about this with me.
We being holy and perfect and sinless by that precious blood
of the lamb that was shed for us, we're able also by God's
grace to love him. to serving, to worshiping. The flesh don't do that. That's
the fruit of the spirit that dwelleth in you, the new you,
the new man, Christ in you, the hope of glory. What a terrible thing. Think
about this. Think about it this way. If God redeemed us by the
blood of Christ, And we knew that, we understood that in our
head. Christ redeemed me, I believe that. But then he left us so
dominated by sin that we had no capacity whatsoever to love
him or worship him. That'd be a horrible place to
be, here, wouldn't it? He's redeemed us, he'll claim
what he redeemed one day, but here we can't love him, we've
got nothing in us that cries out to God, that looks to him,
faith. Where do you think that faith
came from? Where do you think that is? Where did that love
come from? Well, it's the Holy Spirit in
us. Yeah, but the Lord Jesus Christ didn't say, does the Holy
Spirit love me? He said, Simon, do you love me?
Because of the Holy Spirit in us, we're a new creature. If Christ accomplished salvation
for us, but there was no Christ in us, no fruit on the branches,
only the weakness of the flesh and no willingness of the spirit.
That's unthinkable. Thank God he didn't do that. What an honor it is to come together
and have some heart at least to look to him and worship him
and hear his word and learn of him and grow in grace and in
knowledge of him. Thank God for that. Verse eight, but now ye also
put off all these. How do you think this would have
gone if he hadn't done a work in you? Putting these off. May not be going very well anyway,
but it's going. At least it's going. Put these
off, put them off. Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy communication, out of your mouth, not only make dead,
now think with me, not only make dead the inner evil characteristics
of your flesh, as we saw already in verse five, That's all outward
stuff, or inner stuff. Characteristics of your old nature.
But also make dead the outer manifestations of what's inside. The anger that shows on the outside,
the wrath, the malice, the blasphemy that comes out of your mouth.
The manifestations of those evil characteristics of your old,
black, wretched heart. Put those off too. Unfulfilled covetousness, covetousness
is a nature of our wretched hearts apart from God's grace, but unfulfilled
covetousness for money, for fleshly satisfaction, produces anger. How many times do we see that
in the scripture? The frustration of being denied
that which is forbidden by God, that's concupiscence. where there's no submission to
God's will, because of his work of grace in our hearts, no submission
to his will because of him and what he does in us, that's gonna
manifest itself in wrath and malice every time. Blasphemy, all of these are the
produce of a rebellious, hateful nature before God. They come
from the heart. Our actions come from our black
hearts. Cain, instead of bowing to the
Lord's will, God rebuked him. He brought her the fruit of the
ground instead of a blood sacrifice like he was taught. But instead of Cain bowing to
the Lord's authority and clearly revealed will, he became angry. That's our text. He murdered
his brother. He was mad at God. It wasn't so much his brother
he was angry at. He wanted to kill God, but he
couldn't kill God, so he killed his brother, on whom God had
shown mercy by the blood of the lamb. Pharaoh, even after having witnessed
repeatedly God's indignation against his
rebellion. He hardened his heart and blasphemed
God. He didn't get his way. His concupiscence
and covetousness was unfulfilled, and so he got angry. God calls us to recognize this
same evil in our own hearts. And when we are rebuked, By his
word, the scriptures are profitable for reproof, for instruction
in righteousness. And when he does reprove us,
may he give us the grace to put off these things. Christ having died for us, may
we live not unto ourselves, but in submission to his will and
authority and service unto him out of love. to him who is love. And then
verse nine, don't lie to one another. You see how candid this
is? Don't lie to one another, seeing
that you have put off the old man with his deeds. That's just
assumed. Put off the old man. The very next verse after that
passage we read in Ephesians four that so clearly shows both
men Both natures. Both yous that are talked about
in our text in its context. The very next verse, where we
stopped in verse 24, here's verse 25. Wherefore, putting away lying,
speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members
one of another. We're the same body. We're the
body of Christ. Christ is our head, our federal
head, but also he's the one that controls us,
the one that gives us life. He's the vine and we're the branches. We're members one of another
by him and through him. But God has singled this out
for a reason. We often point out that the first
thing that God hates, you know what it is, don't you? Among
the seven that it says he hates in Proverbs chapter six, what's
the first one? You know what it is, proud look,
proud look. We point that out a lot. But
then we forget about the second one. You know what the second
one is? A lying tongue. That's our text. Number six, a false witness that
speaketh lies. Lies are so insidious and destructive
that we're compelled by God particularly to contemplate the need, the
necessity here to put it away from us, put it away. Verse 10, and we've put on the
new, the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image
of him that created him. You know, in the beginning it
says that God created man in his own image, and people love
to do that. And this is a continuation, having
put on the new man, it's from verse nine, putting off the old
man and putting on the new to use. strip off the old, it says,
and put on the new. People love to say, usually as
an excuse for particular sin, but just as an excuse in general
for the state that they're in before God, well, we're created
in the image of God. Or they'll say this, God doesn't
make any mistakes. You know what they're saying
when they say that. There's nothing wrong with me. God made me this
way. Didn't Paul deal with that in
Romans 9? I believe he did. That's blasphemy, to say that,
to hide what you really are before God. It's not that God made a
mistake, but we do not sit or stand before God in our nature
as we're born into this world in his image. A little something
happened in between there that we like to call the fall. We're nothing like God in our
natural state as we're born into this world. Nothing like him.
We are the antithesis of God. We are essentially anti-God and
anti-Christ. by nature. They love to say that
though, don't they? We're in the image of God. No,
you're not. No, you're not. That's blasphemy. God created us in his image in
the beginning, but to call our sinful, evil, abominable self,
the image of God is blasphemy. But the new man, the new man,
what did that just say in verse 10? Now, there is an us walking around
in these bodies, the bodies of this death, but walking around
in them, there is what, there is a me that's created in the
image of God. The one without whom was not
anything made that was made is the Lord Jesus Christ. And we
are made in His image when He created a new heart within us,
a new man. And bless God, we're free. Bless
God, we're His. Bless God, we're well pleasing
in his sight. And look at verse 11. Let's look
at verse 11 in closing. Where there is neither Greek
nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor
free. He mentions all these earthly
distinctions that men separate themselves from others based
on these distinctions. Paul says they're meaningless
now. In Christ, they don't mean anything. But Christ is all. And in all. All earthly distinctions are
done away because we are dead and making dead. Spurgeon said this about that,
by the way. I jotted this down when I saw
it. He said, our old man is crucified,
but he's long at dying. There's a lot of truth to that.
That's sort of a tongue in cheek way of saying it. That's the
truth, he's long at dying. That's by God's design, that's
okay. It's all on God's schedule. Christ is all and in all is a
statement that I don't think you could take too far. And it's a glorious statement,
whatever context in which you might rightly say it. But it's
a great blessing to limit it to this context. Christ is all
to us. Whatever or whoever we are in
this world, Christ is all to us. He does away with all earthly
distinctions. and they don't mean anything
anymore because of who we are in Him. And the last part of that, He's
in all, that's talking about us, that's talking about every
believer, no matter what other distinction he may possess, whether
he's an upright man outwardly and a model citizen in this world,
or a wretched, vile, vagabond in this earth, despised, vile,
it doesn't matter. Christ is all. You see, my upstanding
character according to this world is not part of all. If it were,
then Christ wouldn't be all. It would be Christ and that is
all. It would be Christ in my works are all. It'd be Christ
in my decision is all. It's Christ is all. You see that
in the context of what we're talking about? Yes, there is
a new us and we're exhorted to act like it. We're exhorted to
put off the things of the flesh and not even live in this world.
Not the new man. Our heart is set on him. How else can you say it? On things
above. What do you mean, Paul? where
Christ is sitting on the right hand of God. Victorious, reigning, sovereign. Is that where you live? God, help us to live there. The
life that we live. Our life, we're dead to this
world and our life is hidden. Our life is protected. Our life
is treasured up in Christ with God. Christ is all to us, whatever
or whoever we are in this world. Christ is all to us and he's
in us all. That's why these exhortations
to honor him are valid. If Christ wasn't in you, have
a happy time telling people to obey these things, because it's
vain and useless. But because Christ is in us,
let's read that. In Galatians 2.16, we'll close.
Galatians 2.16. Think about what we're looking
at. The reason that these exhortations
to us on how to live are valid is because Christ is all to us
and in us. All right, Galatians 2.16, knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, by what
he did, who he is, not us, and not by the works of the law.
For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if While we seek to be justified
by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners. Is therefore
Christ the minister of sin? Now you think about this. There are two ways to understand
that. Verse 17, if while we seek to
be justified by Christ, we ourselves are also found sinners, Does
that make Christ the minister of sin? You could take that and say,
what that's saying is we're not sinners, or else Christ would
be the minister of sin. That's not what it says. As often
in the scripture, the assumption is true. Listen, but if while
we seek to be justified by Christ, and we do, we do, But doing that, we're found sinners. We're justified by Christ, but
look at me, I don't look justified, I don't act justified by Christ.
Does that mean, therefore, that Christ is the minister of sin?
God forbid, because look at verse 18. How do we know that's what
it says? Look at verse 18. For if I build again the things
which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. What is it that
we destroyed when we look to Christ for justification? Justification
by the law. That's pretty clear from the
context, isn't it? He just said, by the deeds of the law shall
no flesh be justified. That's destroyed. That philosophy
and belief in our hearts is done away with. So we can't build
that up again. It doesn't make Christ a minister
of sin because I'm sinful. Don't put, don't require me to
be sinless. in order for me to be justified
by Christ, we've destroyed that justification by the law. That's
gone. For I through the law, here's
how I can be the wretch I am and still be justified in Christ.
I through the law am dead to the law. The law doesn't have
any claim on me. The law can't say a word to me.
The law cannot condemn me. It cannot even accuse me. I'm
dead to the law. You see that? Yes, I'm a sinner. Yes, I'm a wretch, but I'm justified
by Christ and being justified by him, I'm dead to the law.
I don't have to live up to some standard in order to be justified
in him. He is my justification. You see
that? I make, if I build again the
things which I destroyed, verse 18, I make myself a transgressor.
If I try to be justified by the law, I'm a wretch. But if I look to him, if I'm
dead to the law, though I walk in this body of flesh and evil,
if I'm dead to the law and justified by Christ alone, I'm not a transgressor. I through the law am dead to
the law that I might live unto God. That's the new me. That's the new me. And here's
how that worked. I'm crucified with Christ. How are you dead to the law?
By what he did. Not because I just woke up one
day and said, I'm gonna not ever sin again. No, I'm dead to the
law by what Christ did on Calvary. Nevertheless, I live and I live
sinful. I live a wretch, I live not according to the law. It's
impossible, neither indeed can be. But yet not I. You talk about how glorious this
language is. Listen to this. Yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, not by the
law. He's deliberately saying I live
by this in opposition to living by the law. That's a direct A
direct opposite that he's saying, I live not by the law, not according
to the works of the law, not seeking justification by the
deeds of the law, but I live by the faithfulness of God's
son who loved me and gave himself for me. His love is always accompanied
by that, isn't it? It's not he loved me and wished
the best for me or just that he loved me. It don't ever stop
there, does it? He loved me and, He loved me
and, He loved me and He gave Himself for me. That's what we
mean by love. And look, you see the context
here? I do not frustrate the grace
of God. He's making clear in all of that statement, starting
with verse 16 and even before that, I do not frustrate the
grace of God. For if righteousness come by
the law, if we ever think for one second that anything we do,
anything we do, think or say contributes to our justification
before God, we frustrate God's grace. You've perverted it, you've
missed it, you don't get it. Paul says, I do not do that.
I do not frustrate God's grace for if righteousness come by
the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Why did he die? If I can please God another way. Does that shed a little bit of
light on our text? Mortify, make dead therefore,
your members which are upon the earth. Fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. For which things sake the wrath
of God cometh on the children of disobedience, in the which
you also walked at one time when you lived in them." That's just
precocious to me, isn't it? Thank God. That's not my life. Not before God. But now you also
put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication
out of your mouth. Don't lie to one another, seeing
that you put off the old man with his deeds and have put on
the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image
of him that created him, where there's neither Greek nor Jew, neither law-keeping, Pharisee,
Lord Gentile dog. Doesn't matter, that's meaningless.
Doesn't matter who you are, where you came from, what you've done,
none of it matters. But Christ all. That is, as in italics,
Christ all. And in all. I wish I knew what I was talking
about. My goodness, I know it's wonderful,
I know that. It's pretty.