Mark 14:27-31, 66-72


Mark 14:27-31;66-72

(A Bible Study Led by Dr. Larry Reynolds)

March 21, 2013

 

We are rapidly nearing the end of our journey through the Gospel of Mark.  The last three chapters of Mark deal with events that occurred three specific days.

·         Mark 14:12ff focuses on the events that took place on Thursday of Passion Week, specifically the Passover observance in the Upper Room, the Gethsemane experience, the arrest of Jesus, and his trial before the Jewish authorities

·         Mark 15 focuses on the events that took place on Friday of Passion Week, specifically the trial of Jesus before Pilate, the abuse of Jesus by the Roman soldiers, the crucifixion and death of Jesus, and the burial of Jesus

·         Mark 16 focuses on the events that took place on the following Sunday, specifically the resurrection of Jesus

 

Since these events are so familiar to all of us, we are going to deal with them in rather large chunks.  In this session we will finish chapter 14.  Next week we will focus on chapter 15.  And the week following Easter we will look at chapter 16.

 

The Thursday of Passion Week was not a good day for Simon Peter!  You have to look at all four gospel accounts to get complete picture of what happened:

·         John 13  tells us about Peter initially refusing to allow Jesus to wash his feet and Jesus having to rebuke him because of that

·         When Jesus announced in the Upper Room that one of His disciples would betray Him, Peter boldly proclaimed that no matter what, he would stand by Jesus.  See Mark 14:29-31.s

·         Matthew, Mark, & Luke tell of the three closest disciples to Jesus—Peter, James, and John—falling asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus asked them to watch and pray with Him.  Mark’s Gospel adds an interesting detail to this event.  Mark 14:37 tells us the second of the Lord’s three rebukes of the disciples was directed specifically toward Peter.

·         When the mob came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, all four gospels tell us that one of the disciples drew his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.  John 18:10 identifies that disciple as Peter.  And again Jesus rebuked Peter.

·         After the arrest of Jesus He was taken through the Kidron Valley and up Mt. Zion to the home of Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest.  Mark 14:50 indicates that initially all of the disciples fled when Jesus was arrested.  Mark adds an interesting comment in verses 51-52 that may be autobiographical in nature.  But after initially fleeing, Peter regained his courage and followed the entourage to the courtyard of the High Priest’s home.  That’s when the events of Mark 14:66-72 took place.  This event is very familiar to us because it is recorded in all four gospels.

 

T.S. – What a colossal failure in Peter’s life...the very thing he said he would never do, he did...but this is not the final word in Scripture about Peter...his life did not end in failure...with God’s help Peter went on to rise above his failure and to become the obvious leader of the church in Jerusalem...he discovered that God was much bigger than his failure...from Peter’s example want to share with you some things we should remember when we fail, as we all surely will from time to time...

 

I.       Peter reminds us that no-one is immune from failure

1.      There have been some very famous people who started out as failures...did you know that…

·         Babe Ruth, the legendary baseball player struck out 1,330 times...

·         Elvis Presley, was banished from the Grand Ole Opry after one performance and was told, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, son!”

·         Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first job as a television reporter and told, “You’re not fit for television.”

·         Michael Jordan did not make his junior high basketball team?

·         Vincent Van Gough sold only one painting during his lifetime?

·         Albert Einstein was told he would never be a good student?

2.      All that should remind us that when failure comes our way, we should not be discouraged by it...anyone can fail...

 

  1. I think that’s one lesson the other disciples learned from Peter...of all the disciples, he was the last they would expect to fail to stand for the Lord... Peter was a tough person...he wasn’t afraid to mix it up with people...no doubt he had been in more than one fight is his life...the very night this event occurred he had drawn his sword to protect Jesus from arrest and cut off the ear of a man...
  2. When Peter had made his bold prediction that he would never deny Jesus, even if it meant death, I am sure the other disciples believed him...and when he failed to live up to his commitment, it was a graphic reminder to them all that anyone can fail...

 

1.      And while we should never be satisfied with failure or accept failure or condone failure in our lives, we should not be surprised when it comes our way...because come our way, it will...

2.      The only way we can avoid failure is to not try anything at which we can fail...and even that, in itself, is failure—failure to try...as former president Teddy Roosevelt put it: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they lie in the gray twilight that know not victory nor defeat.” [Quoted by John Hamby in “Failure is not Fatal IF...” sermoncentral.com] 

3.      While Peter is singled out in Scripture for his failure to stand for Jesus (and that seems to me a little unfair since the record shows all the disciples forsook Jesus that night), at least he went as far as the courtyard of the high priest, which is further than any of the other disciples went...but he reminds us that no-one is immune from failure...

 

II.  When we fail, God does not abandon us; instead He calls us back to Him and makes it possible for us to rise above our failures

  1. One person wrote, “God’s love and forgiveness [are] not dependent on [our] success.” [Ibid] ...in other words, God doesn’t accept us because we succeed and the converse of that is that God does not reject us because we fail...He doesn’t stop loving us...He doesn’t stop reaching out to us...He doesn’t abandon us...
  2. Luke’s Gospel provides us a detail about this event not found in the other gospels...Luke 22:61 says that “...the Lord turned and looked at Peter...” immediately after Peter’s third denial of Him...and that look may have been the defining moment, the pivotal point in Peter’s life...Luke gives us no clue about what Jesus conveyed in that look, except that the verb he uses is a verb which means to look intently...

·         Was it a look of anger?  I don’t think so, because Mark 16:7 indicates that after the resurrection Jesus went out of His way to let Peter know he had not rejected him.

·         Was it a look of disappointment?  Probably not, because Jesus had known in advance that Peter was going to fail...

·         I think it was a look of compassion.  In that intense look Jesus was saying to Peter, “I still love you, in spite of your failure.”...and I believe it was that compassion of Jesus toward him and his shame in failing Jesus that caused Peter to go out and weep bitterly...

  1. And what I want you to see is the Peter’s life did not end with this failure...because of the Lord’s compassion for him, he was able to rise above the failure...this event became a springboard for Peter to rise to new heights in his life...not many days after this colossal failure, Peter was the chief speaker on the day of Pentecost when thousands of people turned to faith in Jesus...

 

  1. Failure doesn’t have to be fatal...failure doesn’t have to be the end of a productive life...failure can become a stepping stone to better things...a very famous person once said, “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” [Joe Griffith, Speaker’s Library of Business Stories, Anecdotes, and Humor, p.116] ...let me tell you about the life of the man who made that statement and see if you can guess who his identity...at age:

·         7 his family was forced out of their home and he had to go to work to help support them...

·         9 his mother died...

·         22 he lost his job as a store clerk and tried to enter law school but was turned down...

·         23 he went into debt to become a partner in a small store...

·         26 his business partner died, leaving a huge debt which took years to repay...

·         28, after courting a girl for four years, he asked her to marry him and she refused...

·         37 on is third try was elected to the US Congress but two years later failed to be re-elected...

·         41 his four year old son died...

·         45 he ran for the US Senate and lost...

·         47 he failed as a vice-presidential candidate...

·         51 he was elected President of the United States...

That person, of course, was Abraham Lincoln...he knew something about failure...and one thing he discovered in his life and one thing that Peter’s life demonstrates, is that failure does not have to be fatal...

  1. While none of us is immune from failure, may we never forget that God is bigger than any of our failures...and because He is, it possible for us to rise above our failures...

CrossPointe Colossians Study – Session 9


­­­Colossians Study – Session 9

CrossPointe Community Church – Denton, TX

March 17, 2013 - Larry Reynolds, Teacher

 

3.     Put on the virtues of the new nature (3:12-17) – “And so, as those who have been chosen by God, holy and beloved...”...need pause there just for moment... three special words are used in that statement to describes Christians — “chosen...holy...beloved...” ...those are words used in the OT to describe the special relationship the nation Israel had with God...the Jewish people were called out by God, set apart to be God’s priestly people, and loved in a special way by God...and in using these words to describe Christians (Jewish and Gentile alike) Paul is saying, “As believers in Christ, you now enjoy that unique, special, favored standing before God once reserved for the nation Israel.  You are God’s chosen, holy, and beloved ones.” 

 

And as such, there are some qualities that should characterize your lives.  This paragraph picks up on the image of discarding soiled garments (3:8 – “…put them all aside…” and 3:12 – “…put on…”

 

In those verses are listed eight beautiful qualities...they seem to come in sets of two:

--compassion and kindness...

--humility and gentleness...

--patience and forbearance...

--forgiveness and loves...

 

Want to say at the very outset that these qualities do not naturally exist inside of us...and we can’t conjure them up by human effort...they actually run contrary to, cut across the grain of our basic human nature... we cannot have these qualities in our lives on a consistent basis unless God produces them in us...Actually they are gifts...gifts that God desires to produce in our hearts...we see them demonstrated in the life of Jesus and as we allow God to make us more like Jesus, then these gifts become evident in our lives as well...

 

1)  COMPASSION - The phrase “heart of compassion” in v.12 is very interesting... the KJV translates the phrase “bowels of mercies” which is really a good translation...the word rendered “heart” doesn’t refer to just that muscle which pumps blood through our bodies...it was used to describe the inward parts of the human body which react in a physical way to some external stimulus...it’s like that sinking, heavy feeling you get when you are exposed to some horrible news or that buoyant, light feeling you get when exposed to some wonderful news...“Compassion” means mercy, tenderness, pity toward those who are suffering...one writer says that taken together, the two words mean that Christians are to “have a deep, gut-level feeling” toward those in need... [MacArthur, p.155]...

 

     This is a quality which was often demonstrated in the life of Jesus...Matthew 9:36 says of Him, “And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.”...and this is a quality of compassion which was so evident in the life of Jesus is a quality God desires to reproduce in us...

 

2)  KINDNESS - Genuine compassion always leads to action...and that is where “kindness” comes in...one writer says compassion is how we feel toward others and kindness is what we do as a result of those feelings...The word translated “kindness” in Colossians 3:12 was used in the ancient world to describe wine which had grown mellow with age...wine which over time had lost its harshness...and from that use can learn that as we receive God’s gift of kindness in our lives and pass it along to others, we will become less harsh and more tolerant in spirit...

o   It's interesting how in Proverbs 3 the Bible links kindness and truth together..."Do not let kindness and truth leave you..."...truth, apart from kindness, can be brutal...haven't you known people who delighted in "speaking the truth" especially when it's a truth about a fault or short‑coming of another?...such truth telling apart from kind spirit can rip people apart...

o   And it's interesting how Micah ties together the concepts of kindness and justice...Micah 6:8 ‑ "...and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness..."...justice, apart from kindness, becomes intolerable legalism...

     If God is producing in us this quality of kindness, it will  show in our disposition toward people...instead of being harsh, rigid, intolerant, there will be a softness of spirit about us...we will have what one writer calls a "sweetness of  disposition"...

 

     That's the way God has chosen to relate to us...in  the NT the word translated kindness in Col. 3:12 is  used 10 times...6 times it refers to God's kindness  directed toward us...since God has chosen to relate  to us with kindness rather than harshness, that's how  we should relate to each other...

 

3)    HUMILITY – The word that is translated “humility” in v.12 is interesting word...nowhere is it used in classical Greek with a positive connotation...because of that it has been said that humility is a virtue created by and introduced to the world through Christianity...“Humility” has nothing to do with self-depreciation...the truly humble person is not the one who goes through life with head hung low and shoulders stooped...being humble doesn’t mean that we—

--put ourselves down...

--beat up on ourselves...

--think we have no value..

--think lowly of ourselves...

     Instead, “humility” is the kind of spirit which recognizes who we really are...it recognizes that we are not God...we are not the Creators, we are the created ones...it’s the kind of spirit expressed by the psalmist when he proclaimed, “Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves.  We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” [Psalm 100:3]

 

     And understanding that results in a life of quiet confidence in, steady trust in God...”humility” means placing our lives in God’s hands with a spirit of utter confidence and complete trust...and the opposite of “humility” is arrogant self-sufficiency...

 

4)    GENTLENESS – The word translated “gentleness” in v.12 is rendered “meekness” in many older translations of the Bible... that’s not really a good translation for our day because in most of our vocabularies meekness equals  weakness...word meek brings to mind timid person,  afraid speak out, afraid defend ideas, afraid be  least bit assertive...

 

     Word translated “gentleness” is "prautes”...had nothing to do with weakness... was used describe strength that was controlled or  channeled...two examples of its use in secular Greek will cast some light on this...

‑‑used describe Roman soldier in full battle gear but  who was in complete control of self...strong enough  not be provoked into senseless confrontation...

‑‑powerful horse which had been broken...had bit in mouth and rider on back...power was channeled to‑ ward useful purpose...

      “Prautes” has nothing do with weakness...has everything to do with strength under control...As followers of Christ we have been given the gift of gentle strength...that means that we will--

‑‑be considerate of others ‑ One person defined this quality as an "understanding gentleness"...like that...kind of spirit which asks, "What can I do to make life better for someone else? How lighten their load? How keep from wounding them?" [Philippians 2:3-4]

‑‑not be given to fits of temper ‑ Aristotle defined  "prautes" as the happy median between too much and too little anger... never angry  at wrong things but always angry at right things...while some people may pride themselves in being  quick tempered, not a virtue in Christian sense...

‑‑be courageous enough to appear weak ‑ One person defined "prautes" as a “powerful weakness”...it's picture of person who doesn't feel need to prove self constantly...doesn't have make lot of noise or to posture to prove is he/she strong...as matter of fact, person who is always trying demonstrate how strong is, probably trying to cover insecurity about weakness...

 

5) PATIENCE - The word translated “patience” in v.12 is makrothumia...that is a compound work...makro means long...thumos means passion, temper, wrath, or rage...so putting those together, makrothumia means to be long-tempered or slow to anger...it is just the opposite of short-tempered...this word describes a person who is in control of himself/herself...

 

      Patience is built on the conviction God is at work in His world and in our lives...it comes from basing our lives on idea God is  trustworthy and that ultimately His way is  best...one person put it this way: [Patience is] "living out the belief that God orders  everything for the spiritual good of his children.  Patience does not just grin and bear things, stoic‑like, but [it does view whatever may come] as a therapeutic workout planned by a heavenly trainer who is resolved to get you up to full fitness." (p.48, Walking Straight in  a Crooked World)

 

      Patience begins with our attitude toward God...if we have confidence in God...if we really believe God has our best interests at heart, then patience is not nearly so difficult...and while patience begins with our attitude toward God but it leads to a changed attitude toward people...William Barclay defines “patience” with this beautiful statement:  It is the quality of mind and heart which enables a  [person] so to bear with people that their unpleasant‑ ness and maliciousness and cruelty will never drive him  to bitterness, that their unteachableness and foolish­ness will never drive him to despair, that their folly  will never drive him to irritation, and that their un‑ loveliness will never alter his love.  Makrothumia is  the spirit which never loses patience with, belief in,  and hope for [people].

 

      Some older English translations render “makrothumia” as “long-suffering”...not at all a bad translation because the word means to have the ability and willingness to suffer long with people...and that’s where the quality on this list of eight qualities comes in...

 

6)    BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER – The word translated “bearing with” in v.13 has three nuances of meaning--

·       To lift up each other - This is the most noble use of the word...to take someone who is floundering, sinking, being overwhelmed, and in patience stand beside, encourage, lift up that person...

·       To put up with each other - This is not quite as noble as lifting someone up, but sometimes it’s the best we can do... one writer says the failure of Christians to put up with things we dislike is “probably the most prolific cause of Christian division...” [Moulton quoted by Vaughn, p.100]

·       To hold ourselves back from each other - Least noble use of the word...don’t lift up others...don’t even put up with others ...but, at least, we don’t rip each other apart!...

     Think how much better our homes/churches/communities/world  would be if we all allowed God's Spirit to produce  this wonderful quality of “bearing with” others in our lives...

 

7)    FORGIVING EACH OTHERSeveral weeks ago we looked at Colossians 2:13 which says, “And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.”...now in Colossians 3:13 we are told that because we are forgiven people, we must be forgiving people...understanding how much the Lord has forgiven us should create in us a predisposition to be forgiving toward others...there is no surer sign that we have been forgiven than our willingness to forgive...conversely, a harsh, unforgiving spirit is a sure sign that we do not know what means to be forgiven by God...

 

     The word translated “forgiving” (charizomai) in v.13 literally means to cancel a debt...those who have been forgiven will not be characterized not by a harsh, judgmental, legalistic spirit toward those who need to be forgiven...should be characterized by gracious forgiveness...if you’ll look carefully, will see two specific thoughts in v.13 about forgiveness—

·       It is imperative that we forgive - The last phrase of the verse says “so also should you”...point is being forgiving toward others is not optional for Christians...doesn’t say if you want to...if you are in a forgiving mood...if the offending person has done proper penance...simply says “so also should you” forgive...

·       The standard is “as the Lord forgave you” - How has He forgiven us?...unconditionally...completely...no strings attached...and that is precisely how we should forgive those who offend us...unconditionally...completely...no strings attached...

     In Christ we have been given the gift of forgiveness and we are to pass that gift along to others...

 

8)  LOVE - v.14 tells us, “And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”...there are a couple of key things about that statement I want you to see...

·        “beyond all” means that love is the most important of the qualities listed in vv.12-14...it is the thing which makes everything else work...we will never be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forbearing, or forgiving if love for others is absent from our lives...

·        put on” picks up on the image of changing clothes which was introduced in the previous paragraph...in vv.5-9 Paul listed some things we are to take off...in vv.12-14 lists some things we are to put on...and the outer garment, the one which everyone sees, should be love... 

·        love” doesn’t mean emotional sentimentality...doesn’t mean merely having a warm feeling toward someone... doesn’t mean merely returning the affection of those who are nice to us...it means intentionally doing what is best for others...living with the welfare of others at heart...

·        perfect bond of unity” means it is love which keeps the fellowship of believers together...where love is absent there is fragmentation, division, and strife...where love is present there is unity, oneness of spirit, and peace...

 

The result of allowing God to produce in us is a life of thanksgiving.  Notice the recurring theme of thanksgiving in these verses.  When our lives are characterized by thanksgiving:

·        We will live in “the peace of Christ” (v.15) - The first part of v.15 says “...let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...”...to understand that statement we must understand what is meant by the phrase “peace of Christ” and what is meant by the word “rule”...

o   “peace of Christ” - the word translated “peace” is “eirene”...it doesn’t mean the absence of conflict...instead, it means to have a spirit of calmness, of serenity in the midst of conflict...the kind of peace being described in this verse is not dependent on what is happening around us...it is dependent on what is happening inside of us...as one writer put it, eirene “...is a calm confidence within which is not disturbed from without by either ... adversity or ... adversaries.” [Harbour, sermon]

o   “rule” - That word means much more than merely being present...it means having supreme control...we are to live in the “peace of Christ”...we are to be controlled by it...our decisions are to be made in light of it...the word literally means “to act as umpire or to be the final judge or arbiter”...

 

·        We will dwell in “the word of Christ” (v.16)Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you...” is one of the great statements in the New Testament...I believe the phrase “word of Christ” means the message about Jesus and the message from Jesus...and of course it is the Scripture from which we learn this message...we are to allow the “word of Christ” to “dwell” within us...the word “dwell” means to find a resting place, a home, a permanent abode...and notice the verse says that the “word of Christ” is not merely to “dwell” in us...instead, it should “richly (abundantly or extravagantly) dwell” in us!...that is we are to allow God’s Word to permeate every nook and cranny of our lives...and when we do that, two things happen...the “word of Christ” shapes our relationships with others and it shapes our relationship with God...verse 16 tells us: 

o   In relation to each other, as the Word dwells in us we will “teach and admonish one another”...in the fellowship where people allow the Word of God to permeate their lives there is not one teacher and the rest learners... instead we are all teachers and all learners...we build-up and encourage each other with the Word...

o   In relation to God, as the Word dwells in us we will “sing with thankfulness in our hearts to God”...the emphasis is on the spirit of joy and celebration which should characterize our worship of God...

 

·        We will work “in the name” of Christ (v.17) - Colossians 3:17 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible... “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”... “Doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus” means that everything we do is done in the keen awareness that our lives are intertwined with Jesus…

 

Which of these eight qualities do you desire most from those around you?  Which the qualities do you have the most difficulty displaying in your life?

CrossPointe Colossians Study - Session 8


­­­Colossians Study – Session 8

CrossPointe Community Church – Denton, TX

March 3, 2013 - Larry Reynolds, Teacher

 

IV.    The Life of the Christian (3:1 – 4:6) - Almost all of Paul’s letters in the NT are divided into two distinct sections:

·         Paul begins his letters with a doctrinal or theological section, emphasizing the importance of right belief.

·         Then Paul concludes his letters with an ethical or practical application section, emphasizing the importance of right living.

 

         That format is quite evident in the book of Colossians:

·         In chapters 1 & 2 Paul deals with great theological principles.  In these chapters Paul explains who Jesus is and what Jesus has accomplished for us. 

·         Then, in chapters 3 & 4 Paul applies that theology to real life situations.

 

         In this session we are going to begin looking at that second part of Colossians.  Colossians 3:1 – 4:6 is one of the great ethical/practical application chapters in the Bible.  It moves from the general to the specific.

·         3:1-4 is an all-encompassing statement about the nature of the Christian life. 

·         3:5-11 list some ugly things we are to take out of our lives. 

·         3:12-17 list some beautiful things we are to put into our lives. 

·         3:18 – 4:6 focus on specific life situations.

 

 

1.      Seek and set your mind on things above (3:1-4) - One Bible commentator calls this paragraph “...one of the golden paragraphs of the whole Bible...” [Moule quoted by Vaughan, p.90]... interwoven throughout this paragraph are two themes, two basic truths about the Christian life which are vital for us to understand...

 

1)      The Christian life is a life of identification with Christ  - As I began to study this paragraph in depth this week, one of the first things I noticed was the repetitive use of the word Christ... four times in these four verses Paul uses the word Christ and he presents a detailed picture of our relationship with Christ which permeates our entire existence...If you’ll look carefully at the paragraph, you’ll see that Paul speaks of our relationship with Christ in the past, the present, and the future...

Ø  v.1 says that in the past we “have been raised up with Christ”... not referring to the resurrection from physical death which we will experience...referring to the new life we received when we trusted our lives to Jesus for salvation...salvation is death to an old way of life--a life of guilt, hopelessness, despair, futility, lack of direction and meaning and purpose--and resurrection to life abundant and life eternal in Christ...if you are a true Christian, there was a time in your past when you died to yourself, to an old way of life, and you were raised to a new kind/quality of life in Christ...the old person has been put off and the new person has been put on…

Ø  v.3 says that in the present we are “hidden with Christ in God”...The word translated “hidden” is apokruptein and it’s the word from which the Gnostics got the word for their secret books which they claimed held the key to real wisdom.  In effect Paul is saying to the false teachers, “For you the treasures of wisdom are hidden in your secret books; but for us Christ is the treasury of wisdom and we are hid in Him.” [Barclay, p.178] I think the basic idea behind this phrase has to do with security or safety...just as you might tuck a valuable possession away in a safe place, so our lives are tucked away in Christ...in the present, no matter what storms may come our way and no matter what troubles we may face, we are safe in Him...

Ø  v.4 says that in the future “When Christ is revealed ... [we] will be revealed with Him...”...the reference here is to the Second Coming of Jesus to our world...when He returns to the world everyone will recognize Him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords...and when He comes those who have chosen to commit their lives to Him will be vindicated...[most of us have grown up in culture where it’s almost the norm to profess to be a Christian...live in Bible belt where there’s church on every corner...not been that way during most of Christian history...certainly not that way in 1st century Colossae...was considered strange, bizarre, weird, to be a follower of Christ...saying here that day will come when whole world will see that it makes sense to be a Christian...]

      As believers our lives--past, present, and future--are wrapped up in Christ...He has raised us up (given us life)...He is hiding us (providing us security)...and He will reveal us in glory (vindicate us before the whole world)...the Christian life is a life of identification with Jesus...that’s one major theme permeating this paragraph...another major theme in this part of God’s Word is...

 

2)      The Christian life is a life of separation from the world  - Look at the last part of v.1 and v.2...as a result of, because of our relationship with Christ we are to “...keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”...and we are to “Set [our] mind on the things above, not on the things that are one earth.”  D.L. Moody, the great preacher, was fond of saying these verses do not mean that Christians are to be “so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good...”...to be separated from the world--

Ø  Doesn’t mean—

o   Go around with our heads in the clouds, shirking our duties and responsibilities in this life... 

o   Nor does it mean that there is something inherently evil enjoying life in this world...

Ø  Does mean—

o   We live our lives in the full awareness that this world is not all there is...and if we live that way, two things will happen in our lives...

o   We won’t blindly and thoughtlessly adopt the standards of the world as our personal standards...

o   We will keep the events of life in proper perspective and not over-react to what is happening around us.  When we understand that there is more to our existence than just this world, when we grasp that there is a whole other dimension to life --a spiritual dimension--then we are much less likely to be overwhelmed by the events of this life...

 

2.      Slay and put away the vices of the old nature (3:5-11) – This paragraph is built around two images.  The words “consider…as dead” in v.5 translate a word from which our word mortician comes.  The phrases “since you laid aside the old self … and have put on the new…” in v.9 refers to discarding dirty, soiled clothing and putting on clean clothing.  Here some things we are to consider as dead and discard from our lives.  The vices listed in this paragraph fall into four broad categories:

 

1)      Sins of the flesh (v.5a) - While the words “immorality, impurity, passion, [and] evil desire” in the middle of v.5 have different nuances of meaning, each of them refers to sexual sins...many of the recipients of this letter had come out of pagan backgrounds...unbridled sexual expression was an accepted part of their pagan culture and was even incorporated into their religious practices...and Paul points out to them that they needed to learn to express their sexuality within a Christian context...

 

2)      Sins of greed (v.5b) - The word that is translated “greed” in v.5 of the NASB is the same word that is translated elsewhere in the Bible “covet” or “covetousness”...it is the Greek word “pleonexia” which is a compound word...”pleon” means “more” and “exo” means “to have”...literally, the word means “the desire to have more”...The Greeks said it was a desire which could not be satisfied...they compared it to taking a bowl with a large hole in the bottom and trying to fill that bowl with water...no matter how much water you pour in, it is never enough...the bowl never becomes full...

 

Verse 5 tells us this insatiable desire for more is “idolatry” which is the worst of all sins because it is allowing something other than God to be the god of our lives.  When our desire to have is out of control, we will invariably end up worshiping and serving the creation rather than Creator.  If our lives are governed by the desire to get more, what is really more important to us, the things God made or the God who made things?

 

Jesus often warned about making material things the focus of our lives...didn't say material things were evil...didn't say was wrong to have material things...but did warn that impossible serve God and material things at same time...

 

3)      Sins of attitude (v.8a) - There is nothing more unbecoming for a Christian than an out of control temperament...in middle part of v.5 Paul uses three words to describe the kind of temperament which should not characterized followers of Christ...the words are “anger, wrath, [and] malice...”...it is important for us to understand what each of these three words mean...

 

a.       ”anger” - Refers to a deep, smoldering, resentful bitterness ...it’s an attitude that has settled deep into the heart...it has been carried around for so long it has become a part of the carrier’s general disposition and that person may not even be aware that it is there or what has caused it...the Greeks described it in terms of a smoldering log...while flames my not be visible, it is obvious that heat is present...

 

      It’s important to understand that all anger is not necessarily bad...the Scripture tells us in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry and yet do not sin...”...it’s interesting that the word translated “anger” in v.8 is same word that is translated “wrath” in v.6 in the phrase “the wrath of God”...there is a time for righteous anger...Jesus expressed such anger when He drove the corrupt racketeers out of the Temple...Paul expressed such anger when he attacked the heretical false teachers of the first century world who were leading astray new Christians...

 

      Aristotle made this wise observation: "Anybody can become angry‑‑that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way‑‑that is not easy!" [INFORSEARCH]

 

      The kind of anger being referred to in Colossians 3:8 is misdirected anger...it is the kind of anger which is harmful to the person who is carrying it and to the people toward whom it is directed...

 

b.      ”wrath” - Refers to a sudden, violent outburst of anger... it’s when that seething feeling which has stayed just below the surface suddenly erupts...the Greeks likened it to a handful of straw being tossed onto the smoldering log and the straw suddenly bursting into flame...we use the word “temper” in much the same way the Greeks used the word translated wrath in this verse...

 

      A woman once apologized for her frequent flare‑ups by telling Billy Sunday, "Yes, I have a bad temper, but it's always over in a minute."  "So is a shotgun blast!" countered the evangelist. "But look at the damage it can do in just a split second!" [INFOSEARCH]

 

c.       ”malice” - Refers to a spiteful attitude...it is the natural by-product of anger...it’s the kind of spirit which, instead of wishing the best for others, wishes the worst...it’s the kind of spirit which rejoices in the misfortunes of others...it finds satisfaction in the troubles of others...and when we think that way, we end up destroying ourselves...

 

Taken together, these three words--”anger, wrath, [and] malice”--describe a person—

·         Who is always out of sorts with someone...

·         Who is always unhappy about something or another...

·         Who is looking for a reason to be offended...

One writer describes these three words as “the settled spirit of animosity, the sudden flame of anger, and the smoldering hatred of our fellow man...” [Harbour]

 

And that is not the way God’s people should be...and reason we shouldn’t be that way is because that is not the way Jesus is...and when we allow those things to characterize our lives it is obvious we are out of touch with Jesus...for instead of giving us a spirit of—

·         anger, Jesus gives us inner peace...

·         wrath, Jesus gives us patience with people and situations...

·         malice, Jesus gives a spirit of love and compassion toward others...

 

4)      Sins of speech (vv. 8b-9) - Words are powerful...have power to bless or to curse...to build up or tear down...to make people happy or sad...to add to life or subtract from life...as one person wrote: "Indeed, it is difficult to exaggerate the deeds of the tongue.  It can sway [people] to violence, or it can move them to the noblest of actions.  It can instruct the ignorant, encourage the dejected, comfort the sorrowing, and soothe the dying. Or, it can crush the human spirit, destroy reputations, spread distrust and hate, and bring nations to the brink of war." (Vaughan,69)  Three specific sins are mentioned.

 

a.       “slander” (v.8) - The Greek word is “blasphemia” from which our word blasphemy comes...such speech can be directed toward God or people...in Scripture normally when blasphemia is used to describe speech directed toward God it is translated blasphemy... when it is used to describe speech directed toward people it is normally translated slander as in Colossians 3...The word basically means to make abusive, insulting, hurtful comments to or about another person...it is interesting that in v.8 “slander” is listed immediately after “malice”...“malice” is having a spiteful attitude toward others, an attitude of wishing the worst instead of the best for others...and if we carry in our hearts a deep-seated ill will toward some other person, we will use every opportunity to use our words to tear that person down...one result of a malicious spirit is slanderous talk...

 

b.      “abusive speech” - That phrase refers to obscene speech, filthy speech, language that we would characterize as gutter language...the proliferation of such language via the media, especially the movie media, has led many people to believe that “talking dirty” is an acceptable normal way to behave...not always been that way...in Colonial Maryland if a person used bad language the penalty was harsh:

First offense - Hole bored in tongue...

Second offense - “B” branded on head for blasphemy...

Third offense - Death penalty was permissible...

While we need not be that harsh, we do need to understand that how we talk as Christians is a reflection on the Lord to Whom we claim allegiance...foul language should not be part of our vocabularies...

 

c.        “do not lie” - Unfortunately, lying has become a part of the fabric of our nation...we have been conditioned to almost expect people to lie to us...as a matter of fact, in our culture those who are skilled at lying, who can lie and get away with it are generally rewarded and not punished...we have seen that demonstrated time and time again in the political arena...It’s interesting that Paul devotes an entire verse to lying...says in v.9, “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices...”...I think Paul emphasizes this one vice over the others because of the great harm lying can do...as one writer put it, “In it [lying] more than anything else, we manifest ill-will toward our fellow men.” [Scott]  Paul identifies lying with our old, pre-Christian self...the Scripture tells us that Satan is a liar while the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth...when we engage in lying we are doing the work of Satan, not of God...

 

These three words remind us that Christian speech should be kind (not slanderous), pure (not foul), honest (not dishonest).

 

Verse 10 is a reminder that it is possible for us to take these negative things out of our lives only in the power of Christ.  God desires to remake us in His image.  That is something He does.  We cannot do it in our own power.

 

Verse 11 tells us this renewed, transformed life breaks down the barriers that we tend to erect between people—barriers of nationality (Greek and Jew), religious ritual (circumcised and uncircumcised), culture (barbarian, Scythian), class (slave and freeman).

 

Why is it important to keep an eye toward heaven as we live in this world?  What dangers are inherent in doing that?

 

Which of the four broad categories of sin listed in Colossians 3:5-11 is the most difficult for you to discard?