Colossians 3:1-5 – Steps – Bible study

Colossians 3:1-5 Steps Parents of a first child are easily excitedand well they should be. Every step of the pregnancy and growth of the first born is well documented; but by the time the third child gets here, they have normally lost their camera and are just looking for a moment of quiet and sanity. God must be quiet excited about our new births because in this text, He documented the steps that we are to go through from our new births to Christian maturity. Lets notice them together. I. \#1\ Condition Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ A. IF – Sets up a condition. 1. Everything Paul wrote in this section is dependent upon this condition being true. 2. If it is not true, nothing that follows will be true. 3. If it is true, everything that follows will be correct. B. What does it mean to be risen with Christ? 1. In its plainest terms, it means to be saved. 2. Paul explained this in \#Col 2:11-13\. a. Everything Paul spoke of in this section is symbolic for us. b. Notice in verse 11, he was speaking about us, "ye." c. \#12\ He declared that we have been buried with Jesus by baptism. (1) We were not really buried with Jesus but our baptism is a picture of us being buried with Him. (2) Although it is not stated in these verses, it would stand to reason that we must have died with Jesus on the cross. (a) Symbolic, we were. (b) When we bowed the heart and will to God, we died. (3) Then we were buried with Jesus, as pictured by by baptism. d. \#13\ Then we are "quickened" or raised in the power of the resurrection to walk in a new life. II. If you are saved, what happens next? Let me share some things and to help us remember them, I will start them all with the letter "S." A. \#1\ "Seek those things which are above" 1. We are to start seeking new things. a. If you are risen with Jesus, you WILL seek new things. b. If you do not seek new things, my thought would be that you are NOT risen with Christ. 2. The new things are described as being from above. a. That would be heavenly things, spiritual things, God- like things. b. This should be natural to those that risen as drinking milk is to a baby. c. However, I do happen to know that even babies have to be encouraged to nurse and to take a bottle. d. Babies know they are hungry but some take a little longer to figure out how to get the milk in their mouthBUT IT COMES. e. So seeking heavenly things comes to those who are risen with Christ. B. Sit – "where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." 1. Sitting is about friendship and fellowship. 2. When two people are on good terms and want to be together for a while, they will find a place to sit. a. a chair, a bench, a tailgate b. Those that are risen will want to sit down with Jesus and fellowship with Him. C. \#2 Set – "Set your affection on things above" not on things on the earth." 1. This is the third step for those who are risen with Christ and it is an important for it shows that the believer is maturing. 2. By-in-large, the first two steps are passive. a. Those risen with Christ begin to seek the heavenly things and to sit with Christ just because they are risen with Him. It is natural and build in to the new creatures DNA. b. But "setting" is a work done by the believer. c. To set your affections upon something means to focus them on something, to adjust them accordingly, like a hunter who is adjusting his scope so that he can see his target. d. Just because you have set your sight it doesnt mean you will always hit your target, but at least you are zooming in on the right things now. e. It is a major step in the right direction and it is a step that you are making for yourself. D. \#5\ Slay – Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth" 1. To mortify means to slay, to kill. a. God is telling us that if we are risen, at some point we realize that somethings have to change. b. That change is described in several ways. (1) The first one is by MORTIFYING. (2) The second way Paul described it is by "putting off" \#8\ something and by "putting on" some things. (3) I am going to go with the first image for it fits my outline better. 2. So the fourth step for those rise is to slay some things. 3. What kind of things? Five are mentioned: a. fornication – sexual impurity – sex outside of Gods plan for marriage. (1) A lot of people who get saved are living in wrong relationships. (2) What is to be done? They are to be stopped. (3) You may be able to stop them in one of two ways: (a) You can make the wrong right. You can get married if it is possible. (b) Some just have to be slain. (homosexual relationships, adulterous relationships, bad relationships) b. uncleanness (1) That is a reference to Old Testament law. (2) It is a broad term. (3) It has to do with behaviors against Gods design. (4) That is a polluted or perverted behavior. (5) Slay it. c. inordinate affection – giving ourselves to depraved passions. (1) You can see that some of these overlap. (2) God is giving us enough of a description of the things that are wrong that we wont miss any. d. evil concupiscence – fleshly cravings e. covetousness – lustful 4. \#5\ Interestingly, I believe that God is saying anyone of these five sins is idolatry. a. What is idolatry? It is worshipping someone or some thing other than God. b. God is saying that putting these ahead of Him is loving them and worshipping them more than Him. c. By using the word idolatry, He is making it clear that those risen with Jesus really have no choice in this matter. We must slay it. 5. There are more sins that those that risen with Christ will have to part with. a. Paul will list them beginning in verse 8, but these are listed separately. b. Why? Because if you do obey in stage 4, you will not obey in stage 5. c. It is like the child who does not learn to walk. He will never learn to run. A Christian who does not slay the sins of verse 5 will never select the ways of verse 8. d. So lets be blunt. (1) You either slay the sins of verse 5 or they will will slay your walk in Christ. (2) It is do or die. E. \#8-17\ Select 1. Here is where the second image comes in (put off, put on). 2. The thought there is that as mature Christians, we make decision everyday about how we live for Jesus. 3. We must select what kind of behaviors we are going to wear. 4. What are some behaviors that we want to leave off? a. \#8\ Anger b. Wrath d. Malice e. Blasphemy f. Filthy communications g. \#8\ lying 5. What are some behaviors we want to wear? a. \#12\ Mercy b. Kindness c. Humility d. meekness e. Longsuffering (patience in pain) f. \#13\ Forbearing (tolerating and putting up with) g. forgiveness h. \#14\ Charity – Love in action i. \#15\ Peace There are more, but the idea is that there is a process of change that comes with being raised with Christ. You cannot be raised and not be changed. It is not possible.