Well in Colossians chapter 3
at the conference we looked at the first two or three verses
and I'm going to deal with the rest of chapter 3 and the start
of chapter 4 and I think that will then be the last message
for some time on Colossians but Colossians 3 verse 5 which begins
with the words mortify therefore your members which are upon the
earth Down to chapter four, verse six, let your speech be always
with grace, seasoned with salt. Those verses exhort those who
trust Christ to live serving him in all things. Absolutely
clear, you read it. There are clear gospel precepts
there. Clear, this is how as believers
we ought to live. It tells us the style of life
which does and doesn't honor God. And it's quite clear. You
read it for yourself. You see, and as you read it,
if you're a true believer, you will be convicted again and again
that in the flesh this is not me, but this I know is what Christ
would have me be. It tells us to mortify our fleshly
existence. Mortify? Put to death. That's
what it means, mortify, put to death, put to death. We know
we shouldn't behave badly, we know it brings disrepute on Christ
and his gospel, so we really need to tame the flesh. That's
what it's saying, isn't it? And religion, and it's most of
what calls itself Christianity, it picks up the baton and runs
with it, enthusiastically. but it tries to do so by legal
constraint. Look back in chapter 2 and verse
21. Look what religion says. Religion,
that calls itself Christian, is always telling us, touch not,
taste not, handle not, you mustn't do these things, you mustn't
go these places, you mustn't... It's full of legal restriction. And they apply the Mosaic Law. What do I mean by the Mosaic
Law? Well, all of the law, but particularly as expressed in
the Ten Commandments, which they delight to call the believer's
rule of life. You know, you're saved by grace
through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, cleansing from
all sin, but yet you live as if you are under the law and
subject to it, and it's your rule of life. So, they say, how
do we get people, look at verse 9 of chapter 3. What does it
say? Lie not one to another. Seen you've put off the old man
with his deed. Don't tell lies to one another. Be truthful with
one another. And what do they do to get us
to be truthful? What does religion do? Christian
religion as it's called, what does it do to get us to be truthful?
It quotes the commandment. Thou shalt not bear false witness
or else, or else what? Thou shalt not bear false witness
or else what? You'll be punished for it You'll
lose your reward for it. And this is what they apply to
every aspect of this how we should live. They apply the law to it. They apply the law's threat of
punishment. They apply the law's threat that
you will lose a part of your reward. You'll be in heaven,
wandering around heaven, as somebody, yes, who's got there by the skin
of their teeth, as it were, but you'll be forever sad and disappointed
and missing out on something because you'll see other super-Christians
that were so good. They always did everything so
well. Many religious people sincerely
try, don't they? Don't you? Don't I? And fail
constantly. Fail constantly. you either fail
constantly and despair of it, or as some, you become hypocritically
bloated with pride at your increasing sanctification. Oh, I'm getting
so much more holy. Oh, don't stand near to me, for
I am holier than thou. This isn't what Paul is saying
at all, but it's what religion says. You see, our verse, verse
five, doesn't say mortify, does it? It says mortify therefore. Mortify therefore. What should
you do whenever you see the word therefore in scripture? You should
ask the question, what is this therefore there for? What's it there for? Why is it
there? Mortify, what does it mean? It
means for these reasons, because of these things. Mortify your
members, put to death your flesh that's constantly sinning, for
these reasons for what reasons what are the reasons that motivate
what this 10 of chapter 1 of Colossians calls, a walk worthy
of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. What are the reasons
that motivate a walk that is worthy of the gospel? That's
what I want to look at this morning. Rather than looking at every
single exhortation, every single gospel precept, you can read
them all for yourself, Every single one of them. They're all
gospel precepts. They're all how should those
who profess the name of Christ bear testimony in this world.
What are the reasons that motivate it? Right, I've got several for
you here. First of all, look at verse three. Look at verse
three. You are dead. If you're a believer,
you are dead. You say, but I'm alive. I'm not dead. But Paul's just
told you, if you're a believer, you are dead. You are dead. There
are paradoxes of true religion. You know, you're dead, but I'm
alive. You're dead, but I'm alive. He
says in other places, we are sorrowful, yet rejoicing. Paradox. Why are we sorrowful? Blessed are they that mourn over
their sin. They mourn over the state of
their flesh. They mourn of how contrary to
the inherent nature of God is their natural state. But yet
they rejoice. Why do they rejoice? Because
I know that in the Lord Jesus Christ, I am made the righteousness
of God in Him. I'm sorrowful about my state
in the flesh, but I rejoice that in Christ. I'm bankrupt. I have no spiritual good whatsoever. I know that in me, said the apostle
Paul, he was the least of all the saints, not worthy to be
called an apostle, the chief of sinners. I know that in me,
in my flesh, there dwells no good thing. I know that as regarding
that currency which we need to be right with God, I am utterly
bankrupt. But yet, I know I'm bankrupt. but I'm overflowing with riches
for he has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ I know that I'm living in the flesh I'm breathing
I'm living you can you punch me or stab me and I'll feel it,
I know, I'm living in the flesh yet I'm dead in union with Christ. How am I dead? How am I dead? Let's think about this, how am
I dead? Two ways I see that we're dead. I'm dead by the law and
I'm dead by the gospel. Let me explain what I mean, turn
to Romans chapter 7 Romans chapter 7 and verse 9 I'm dead by virtue of the law
and what the law does to me. As a believer, I'm dead by virtue
of the law of God in a way that others are not dead. You see,
look, Paul says this, for I was alive without the law once, but
when the commandment, the law came, sin revived and I died. and the commandment which was
ordained to life do this and live I found it to be unto death
for sin taking occasion by the commandment here comes the commandment
and it sort of promoted sin in me it deceived me and by it slew
me if you're a believer you've been killed by the law because
When the weight of the law of God, the nature, you see the
law is, the law expresses the character of God. The absolute
perfection of God. And when it's revealed to the
conscience, do you remember that hymn, I keep quoting it, a sinner
is a sacred thing. the Holy Ghost has made himself.
When it's revealed to the conscience it kills you as far as all legal
hope is concerned. Do you have any hope that in
you is the power to be right with God in order to be accepted
by him in glory. No, you don't. When the laws
truly come to you, people in general who have not heard the
law think they're pretty good. They think they're all right.
They compare themselves with others and they think, well,
I've got my faults, but I'm not as bad as some. I'll be okay.
God will accept me. God's got to accept me. If he
doesn't accept me, he's not going to accept anybody else because
I'm not a bad person. But when the law of God truly
comes to the believing heart, you're killed. as far as any
legal hope is concerned. You're just slain, you're killed
stone dead as far as any legal hope is concerned. It kills you
by its spiritual nature because it is a reflection of the perfection
and purity of God and knowing that it kills you. And it kills
you by its just curse, because when it pronounces the curse,
you know, that's me, that's my name writ large there. Cursed
is everyone who does not continue, think these words, does not continue
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. It kills you, it really does. It kills by its effect
on your conscience. It leaves you lifeless regarding
the hope of salvation by any works. It kills you by stirring
up sin in your fleshly mind, as we just read in Romans. I
remember Martin, our youngest son, used to say when he was
a little boy, and I don't see many of them these days, but
you know in parks and gardens there always used to be those
little plaques stuck in the edge of the grass saying keep off
the grass, didn't they? I haven't seen one of those for
ages. And Martin used to say there was nothing made him want
to run on the grass more than seeing a sign saying keep off
the grass. Is that not right? Prohibition
stirs up a challenge. Yes, I must rebel against this. There's something in our fleshly
nature that naturally rebels against prohibition. And thirdly,
the law kills in this way. Did it kill you once? Yes. If
you've heard it, it kills you every day. It kills you repeatedly
because the law as it stands in relation to your flesh and
your sin constantly passes a guilty judgment and a sentence. But
when the law has killed, when it's killed you, you are indeed
dead to it. It's hard to understand, isn't
it? But you see what I'm saying?
When it has killed you regarding all legal hope of being right
with God by it, you are indeed dead to it just like when we
used to have execution I know they still have executions in
parts of the world but like when a criminal is executed because
the law has found him guilty of murder and whoever takes human
blood by man should that person's blood be shed like the criminal
executed is dead to the law which killed him once you've killed
the criminal who is guilty of murder then the law that says
thou shalt not kill has no power over him anymore. He's dead to
it, absolutely dead to it. Then, secondly, we're dead by
the gospel. In what sense does the gospel
kill? We're dead by the gospel because
we have living union with Christ. And through that living union
with Christ, We receive the saving blessings of Christ's death into
our soul. And again, all hope in the flesh
is killed, stone dead. I am right with God by virtue
of all that Christ is. That's how I'm right with God.
I'm right with God by virtue of all that Christ is. Of all
the satisfaction he has made to the offended justice of God.
Of the righteousness of God that he has made me when he was made
the sin of his people. And that kills all hope and prospect
of justification by law works. What is this saying? Mortify
therefore. Here's a reason. Don't walk,
don't live like the old man because he's dead respecting living for
God. He's dead. He's never ever going
to keep the law of God. Don't live like that because
the old man is dead. Secondly, You're dead, but secondly,
your life, look it's there in the same verse, verse 3, your
life is hid with Christ in God. Your life is hid with Christ
in God. Religion loves its displays. You just go round the cathedrals
of this country and you just see how religion loves to display. It loves its statues and its
icons and its robes and its architecture and its music and its liturgy
and its prayers. But do you know true faith, true
faith, real, genuine, true faith is hidden from human view. Your
life is hid with Christ in God. It's a deep well in the soul,
a deep well. It's not like fizzing and bubbling
on the outside, it's a deep well in the soul is the true life
of faith of a believer. This is why, just as an aside,
this is why I don't like the sort of Spanish inquisition of
faith that some churches like to use in order to determine whether
somebody is fit to take communion or not. Who are any men? And what position are they in
to be able to see that which is deep, hidden within the soul? this hidden life that's within
each believer that informs the outward demeanor the way we live
mortified therefore because you have a life that is hidden deep
within that the world doesn't see that's why you've got if
you're a true believer you have a life I can't see it our brethren
none of us can see what's in the heart of each one of us but
God knows and you know for in each one of you the scripture
tells us we have that witness of the spirit that we are the
children of God he comes, Romans 8, he comes and witnesses to
us that we are the children of God it's a life hidden deep in
the soul it's not a question it's not a question of examination
it's not a question of passing the test it's not a question
of being scrutinized by a board of elders to see whether you're
fit to be a member of the church, remember old Happy Jack you know,
well what have you done and what have you said and what do you
know and show us what you know about this confession of faith
and so that we can see whether you're fit to be a member of
this church and you know what Happy Jack just kept on repeating
I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all but Jesus Christ is my
all in all where is that? Deep, deep in the soul it's a
life that is out of reach it's a life that is safe, you know
Persecutors constantly try to kill that life that's hidden
deep in the soul. In the past, in this country,
many martyrs were killed for their faith. They were burned
at the stake. They were hung, drawn, and quartered. John Bunyan
was locked up for 12 years in Bedford jail to try and squash
that life out of him. They couldn't do it because it's
hidden. It's out of reach. It's safe. It's safe. you know
he was confined in the flesh in the walls of Bedford jail
but he was free in the spirit he had the presence of the living
God that life hidden with Christ that deep hidden life you know
to get access to my bank accounts, money, you need to know my details,
don't you? You need to know my account names,
where they are, you need to know my passwords and the account
numbers and all that sort of thing. That's what you need to
know. And you aren't going to find out anytime soon. Well,
this is like the bank credentials of heavenly treasure. The Lord
Jesus Christ said, lay up treasure in heaven. this life hidden deep
in the soul, this well of living water deep in the soul, this
is the bank credentials of heavenly treasure. Mortify therefore,
mortify your members which are upon the earth, put them to death
because you've got this life that the world that knows not
Christ doesn't have. Then the next point, verse one,
if ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.
it's not saying perhaps you are and perhaps you aren't what he's
saying there is seeing that you are risen with christ you are
if you're a believer with this life of god in your soul you
are risen with christ and by virtue of union with him when
he died you died when he rose you rose from the dead it's what's
symbolized by baptism by virtue of union not only dead with christ
but risen with him as surely as he rose in time you are risen
with him and seated with him in eternity or else what was
it that John saw in those revelations? When he saw in those visions
in the book of Revelation that he wrote down because Christ
told him write them down send them to the churches what was
it he saw? He saw the whole company of the people of God Does that
include you? Does that include me? I believe
it does. If you have the faith of Jesus
Christ, it includes you, it includes me. And we're seated there in
eternity, outside of time which has to run its course in the
purposes of God. But outside of time in eternity,
you're seated there in eternity with Him, risen with Him and
seated with Him. Prince William knows that he
is destined to be king. He's not king, is he? But he
knows he is destined to be king. It's certain. Everybody knows
he is destined to be king. Doesn't that knowledge inform
his demeanour? It does, doesn't it? That knowledge
informs his demeanor. Mortify therefore. The knowledge
of where you are sitting, it should inform our demeanor, the
way we live. Next point. Your treasure is
in heaven. Look. Set your affection on things
above. Not on things on the earth. Things
which are above. Treasure. Laid up in heaven. Spiritual riches. What are they? acceptance with God, peace with
God, a conscience that knows that we'll hear those words,
come you blessed of my father, enter the kingdom which was prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. You've got spiritual
riches and it's not as if a rich man has put his hand in his pocket,
he's got millions and millions and millions of pounds and he's
pulled out a fiver to give it to you because he feels sorry
for you. No. These spiritual riches are according to God's
abundant riches. Not out of them. According to
them. In proportion to them. Overflowing. The riches of God. Acceptance
with God. Peace with God. Forgiveness of
sins. the joy of eternal bliss with
him. Why grovel here for earthly treasure
driven by fleshly motives if you have salvation riches? Yes,
we have to do that which is responsible. Yes, we have to do that which
is right. But why grovel for earthly treasure
driven by fleshly motives if you have salvation riches? Because
we have all riches in Christ. We have the pardon of our sins. We have righteousness, the righteousness
of God in him. We have eternal life, because
I live, you shall live also. This is what we have. We have
the prospect of blissful, we have small tastes of it now,
but we have the prospect of blissful, endless fellowship with God.
This is the wisdom of which Proverbs speaks. Read Proverbs. Get wisdom. Above all else, get wisdom. What's
it talking about? Become worldly wise? Not at all.
It's talking about salvation wisdom, which is in Christ. Get
this. It's treasure in heaven. And
then next, you are destined for glory. You are destined for glory. Mortify therefore. Why? Because
you're destined for glory. Not only is your treasure there,
but you're destined to go there. Look at verse 4, when Christ,
who is our life, shall appear. He is going to appear. He's coming
again. He will come back. and end this
world. He will take his people to be with him. He will bring
in final judgment, as we saw in Revelation, when Christ, who
is our life, shall appear. Then shall you also appear with
him in glory. Not only is your treasure there,
but you're destined to go there. Many religious folks think they're
going to heaven, who would in fact hate it there. Do you know
that? That's a fact. They would hate
it there. Do you know why? because heaven
is an existence of sinless perfection, sinless perfection, unbroken
fellowship with God in Christ. is the lot of those whom Christ
has redeemed and those alone. How can you be happy and settled
in the ways of the flesh while aspiring to heavenly perfection?
You can't. You can't. Mortify, therefore. Put to death for that reason.
You're destined for glory. So then, there are the reasons.
Mortify, therefore. But you might still be left asking
the question, how? How am I going to do it? Am I
going to turn over a new resolution? I'm going to resolve that tomorrow
I'm going to be scrupulously truthful with everybody I meet. I'm going to have nothing other
than calm, sweet words to say to everybody. I'm not getting
involved with any of these things at all. I'm really not. I'm going
to be so humble, I really am, I'm never ever going to get angry
about anything at all. Yes, I'm going to start living
like this. How? How? How? How many resolutions have been
entered into full of determination only to discover 24 hours later
what a complete mess you've made of it? Is law restraint? Is the rule of law going to make
you behave like that? Are you going to be driven by
the fear of punishment or the loss of a reward? No. No. Those things have no effect. The flesh is incapable of being
modified or mollified by those things. No. We're drawn by the
love of Christ. It's the love of Christ that
constrains us. And that love draws us as we
look to Christ. This is it. This is the important
bit. Hebrews 12, 1 and 2. Let us lay
aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. How am I going to live better?
How am I going to live mortifying our members which are on the
earth? How am I going to live mortifying the flesh? Lay aside
every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let
us run with patience the race that is set before us. How? Looking,
looking, looking. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. How should I, as a believer,
professing Christ and anticipating heaven, how should I live here
and now? Paul tells us, Galatians 2 verse
20. He says, I am crucified with
Christ. You're dead! You're dead. I'm
crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I. but Christ
lives in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God. I live by
the faith of the Son of God, by virtue of my union with Him.
He who loved me and gave himself for me, I strive to keep the
eye of faith looking at Him. I strive to keep looking at him,
considering his sin-atoning sacrifice, considering the cleansing power
of his blood, making satisfaction to the law of God. And what does
that do? Very important. Looking to him,
does it not have great power to diffuse the motivation to
sin? let's say each of us have besetting
sins each of us have besetting sins how are you going to defuse
the motivation to the sins that trouble you the most do you know
the most effective way is not to go to the law to hear the
threats of the law to hear the threats of the loss of punishment
or loss of reward no look to Christ and what he has done Look
to Him. Look to Him. That's the most
effective way of diffusing the motivation to sin, is to look
to Christ. And how are you going to put
some strength, some power, in the will to serve Him? Look to
Him. Exactly the same. Look to Him.
Think about Peter, the apostle. the disciple, who was so determined
that if everybody else forsook Christ, he never would forsake
him. And how little later, he denied
him three times before the cock crew that morning of the crucifixion. And what was it that broke his
heart? Was it the weight of the law? Was it the weight of his
conscience because of what he'd done under the law? No. It was
a look from Jesus that broke his heart. Not the weight of
broken law, Paul cries out at the end of Romans 7 when he talks
about the dilemma that all believers experience that in this flesh
we have a new nature from the Spirit of God which wars against
that which is of the flesh and he says, he cries out at the
end, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? What's
the body of this death? It's this flesh the members which
are upon earth that we're thinking about he says I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord The Apostle, that same Apostle Peter tells
us this, 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 and 4, according as his divine
power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness
through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory
and virtue. He's given us all things that
pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him
that hath called us to glory and virtue whereby are given
unto us exceeding great and precious promises. Aren't they? He's given
to us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might
be partakers of the divine nature. There's a sense in which God
has put within you the nature of himself, you know, partakers
of the divine nature, not that we are God, not that we are on
the same level as God, but he's put in that feeling of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust, because of that divine nature that he puts within each
of his people. Romans 8.13 says this, for if
ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. But if ye, listen, if ye
through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body. How are
we going to mortify the members that are on earth? Mortify therefore
those reasons but what's going to enable you? The Spirit within
showing you. If ye through the Spirit do mortify
the deeds of the body, ye shall live. We read them all earlier. Read it again. Chapter three
and the first bit of chapter four. Read them again for yourself.
Is it a tall order? in the power of the flesh, by
the motivation of law works, it's impossible. Like the camel
passing through the eye of a needle, it's impossible. But through
the Spirit's empowerment, diffusing the motivation to sin, empowering
the will to serve as we look to Christ, then all things are
possible. With God, all things are possible.
Shouldn't we all, who claim to be believers, seek to live as
Paul exhorts us. Yes, of course we should. I don't
think anybody would deny that. I don't think there's anybody
truly saved who would not feel convicted when they read these
things and compare with their own life. But listen, this is
what I want to finish with, and this is so important. Don't ever
judge anyone but yourself. Don't ever look at the lives
of others. Jesus said, you know, you're
so keen to pick the speck of dirt out of your neighbor's eye
when there's a huge great plank in your own eye. Don't do it.
Don't do it. Do not be constantly looking
at how others are living and saying, oh, do you know if we're
true believers we really ought not to be doing this, that and
the other. Don't do it. Don't do it. It's legalistic.
It's law works. No. What should we be doing?
Don't ever judge anyone but self. You judge yourself as much as
you like. Fine. Don't judge one another. If other
Christians are true, God will judge them in their own consciences. He will. He'll judge them. We
shouldn't tell others how they should and shouldn't be living
at all. What should we be doing one to another? Instead of looking
for faults and marking one another, look at verse 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. You
need to encourage your brethren to look to Christ. That's what
it is. Don't point out to them that believers don't behave like
this. Point them to Christ. and God by his spirit within
will mortify the deeds of the flesh in that believing person
this is such a dangerous thing we really must not judge one
another Jesus was clear this is not to say we're not to have
discernment but we really mustn't judge one another about the way
we live what must we do? encourage one another to look
to Christ to be close to Christ make the most of the means of
grace that we have, the preaching of the gospel of grace, the reading
of God's word, the things that are passed down. I'll just give
you one little example. Our dear sister Rose Fenton sends
out daily the Philpot devotionals. And I don't know about you, but
I just find it takes me five minutes to read it in the morning.
But what a blessing those little snippets are. What a blessing
they are. What an encouragement they are. This is the sort of
thing that we should be doing, teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord. Well, we'll leave the epistle
to the Colossians at that point for now. Amen.