October 15, 2014 BELIEVERS BEWARE
In the last blog, we looked at the instruction about setting our minds on the things above and to keep seeking the things above. We will see in today’s blog why these instructions are not just good ideas or suggestions but are indeed essential. In Colossians 3:5-7 we read: “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, evil desires and greed, which amount to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.” One danger of misunderstanding the grace of God is that it causes one to overlook or take lightly the things that are not pleasing to the Lord. We must understand that each of us are guilty of having lived at one time a life as described in the verses above-a life not pleasing to the Lord because we did not know Him. If, now that we know Him, we don’t lay aside the things that are not pleasing to Him, the wrath of God will come on us! That sounds hard, but nonetheless it is true. The fact is that God does not excuse sin in our lives and He allows the consequences of sin to take place in our lives, but He does so in order to draw us back to Him. God does not excuse sin, but He will forgive sin when we confess sin to Him. So, it is a must that we “put off”, or lay aside everything that is not pleasing to Him, and we are to “put on” the things that do please Him-it’s really that simple. Verse 8 gives a partial list of what we are to lay aside-anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech and in verse 9, not to lie. We lay aside these things, and all things that displease Him, because we profess that we have laid aside the old self (verse 9). There are some things to “put on” as we see in verse 10: “and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him… The key point for us to be reminded of today is that we will experience the “wrath of God” if we choose to allow sin to continue in our lives. In this case, the “wrath of God” is not losing our salvation, but God allowing the consequence of sin. We have all seen the damage that comes when a believer is involved in immorality. We have all seen the damage that comes from abusive speech and behavior, or gossip, or lying, or envy, or whatever. Know also that it is possible to look clean on the outside but on the inside to have impure thoughts and motives and attitudes that are just as displeasing to our Father as the more outward sins. God paid a high price in order for us to be made new and for us not to walk and live in this newness is counter to all God has done and wants to do in us and He will allow us to taste the consequence of sin BECAUSE He loves us and He is faithful to purify a people for His own possession. In the next blog, we will learn what to put on and it will be specific.
1 Thessalonians 4:1: “Finally, then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still more.
Blessings,
Buddy
In the last blog, we looked at the instruction about setting our minds on the things above and to keep seeking the things above. We will see in today’s blog why these instructions are not just good ideas or suggestions but are indeed essential. In Colossians 3:5-7 we read: “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, evil desires and greed, which amount to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.” One danger of misunderstanding the grace of God is that it causes one to overlook or take lightly the things that are not pleasing to the Lord. We must understand that each of us are guilty of having lived at one time a life as described in the verses above-a life not pleasing to the Lord because we did not know Him. If, now that we know Him, we don’t lay aside the things that are not pleasing to Him, the wrath of God will come on us! That sounds hard, but nonetheless it is true. The fact is that God does not excuse sin in our lives and He allows the consequences of sin to take place in our lives, but He does so in order to draw us back to Him. God does not excuse sin, but He will forgive sin when we confess sin to Him. So, it is a must that we “put off”, or lay aside everything that is not pleasing to Him, and we are to “put on” the things that do please Him-it’s really that simple. Verse 8 gives a partial list of what we are to lay aside-anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech and in verse 9, not to lie. We lay aside these things, and all things that displease Him, because we profess that we have laid aside the old self (verse 9). There are some things to “put on” as we see in verse 10: “and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him… The key point for us to be reminded of today is that we will experience the “wrath of God” if we choose to allow sin to continue in our lives. In this case, the “wrath of God” is not losing our salvation, but God allowing the consequence of sin. We have all seen the damage that comes when a believer is involved in immorality. We have all seen the damage that comes from abusive speech and behavior, or gossip, or lying, or envy, or whatever. Know also that it is possible to look clean on the outside but on the inside to have impure thoughts and motives and attitudes that are just as displeasing to our Father as the more outward sins. God paid a high price in order for us to be made new and for us not to walk and live in this newness is counter to all God has done and wants to do in us and He will allow us to taste the consequence of sin BECAUSE He loves us and He is faithful to purify a people for His own possession. In the next blog, we will learn what to put on and it will be specific.
1 Thessalonians 4:1: “Finally, then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still more.
Blessings,
Buddy
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