The Christian’s Approach to Sin
Colossians 3:1-15
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
25 April, 2010
AM
I.
Introduction (Hebrews 10:9)
A.
If
only Christians knew just how free they are!
B.
We
don’t “FEEL” free very often, but the fact remains, WE ARE FREE INDEED!
According to God, a sinner who has simply like a dying man, come to Jesus Christ
in prayer and asked for mercy and salvation, is MADE FREE!
1.
Free
from sin’s power
2.
Free
from Satan’s dominion
3.
Free
from hell’s punishment
4.
Free
from even the fear of trouble
C.
But
the issue is, If we are free, why do we keep ending up in bondage again to some
re-occurring sin? And how do we stay free?
D.
I am
going to preach this morning on putting old stuff off, so that you can put
something new on
1.
Principle: We cannot battle sin, but we can replace it with something that
defeats it every time!
2.
When
God gave His Son, He did not just give
3.
And
in order for the whole world to experience the benefit of the New Testament, God
had to take away the Old!
4.
That
principle is so true in every person’s life here this morning! You are going to
have to dump some old things to enjoy God’s new and better things!
II.
Message – Replacement Theology
A.
The
1.
Referred to as a walk – a journey
a.
We
did what came naturally, instinctive
b.
We
followed our senses – what felt good, what was easy, what brought pleasure
c.
And
in doing so, we hurt other people, and took advantage of them, and broke God’s
laws, and ruined our world
2.
Described as
a.
Vain
thinking
b.
Dark
thinking
c.
Living SEPARATE from the life of God
d.
Totally Ignorant of God’s ways
e.
Blind to God’s Son
f.
Past
feeling – wow! What a phrase – numb – hard! Lost all sense of sin, and do not
feel the load of its guilt upon them, and are without any concern about sin or
its consequences!
g.
Addicted only to pleasure sins – selfish pigs! Brute animals!
h.
That’s what we were!
3.
But
we have learned to live differently! Since being born again! We have learned to
live Christ’s way - The true way! That’s what Matthew, Mark, Luke and
B.
The Putting Off Step
(Ephesians 4:22-24)
1.
This
is the determined decision to drop something, and let it die (it is old and
ought to die), so that you can pick up something better, and let IT live in you
instead
2.
Do
you know why most Christians are discouraged about their Christian life? It is
because they are “wearing” too many layers of life! They have only ADDED
Christianity to their lifestyle
a.
They
just added church to their schedule – and they hate how it interferes
b.
They
just read the Bible out of duty – as little as possible
c.
They
just add on prayer as a ritual – set, written out prayers
d.
All
the while, they keep on watching filth on TV, and keep running around with
ungodly friends and co-workers, keep bad attitudes and unforgiving spirits
3.
The
truth is this:
a.
All
of our old nature; all of the things we used to do naturally, enslaved us, and
only hardened us, and made us worse – evil men wax worse and worse – never
better! NEVER
b.
Our
sins kept us in bondage – never freed us from anything except from heaven!
c.
And
that bondage was leading to death (Rom 6:23)
d.
And
no matter how hard we tried, we never got free of sinful habits
e.
But
if you are born again this morning, you are saved to be free (Gal 5:1)!
1)
Christ BOUGHT our freedom NOT TO sin, but freedom FROM sin!
2)
IN
Christ we are totally new!
3)
And
so the fight is on! Between the old man and the new man in us!
f.
You
see, no one can try and live BOTH the old life and the new life at the same
time!
g.
One
of them has to die (Mt 9:16,17) – that is the putting off part!
4.
To
“Put Off” Requires you to take a good look at your “former conversation” – your
old way of living. It is referred to in the Bible as:
a.
Your
old nature
b.
The
old man
c.
He
is a corrupt man
d.
And
evil man – depraved (Mark 7:15,20-23) – there is none good – no not one!
e.
A
deceitful man (Jer 17:9)
f.
Take
a GOOD LOOK at who you really are! You have been that way since birth! It is who
you are NATURALLY, without even thinking!
5.
To
“Put Off” Is a Reaction to your closeness to God (Acts 7:30-33; Isaiah 6:1-5)
a.
If
you have no desire to put any of your old habits off, it is simply because you
have not gotten very close to God!
b.
Those in this room who seek God’s face, and humble themselves daily in God’s
presence will be the ones who will be leaning forward in their seats this
morning yearning to hear every word from this book so that they can get closer
to God!
c.
But
those in this room, who are on the back rows, and who are only here because
Jesus has only been ADDED to your old sinful life, will be the ones who
constantly chatter while I’m preaching, and constantly get up and go to the
bathroom, and constantly look at their watch!
d.
You
had better do a self-check this morning? Take a good look at what you are!
6.
Putting Off is Referred to in Various Ways:
a.
Casting Away – Throwing Away something useless (Mark 10:46-50)
b.
Putting Away – like you would in a divorce (Eph 4:25)
c.
Cutting Off – like you would gangrene or cancer (Mt 5:30)
d.
Shaking Off – like you would filth and dirt (Matthew 10:14)
e.
Casting Off – like you would something on fire (Rom 13:12)
f.
Casting Down – like you would an evil tyrant (2Cor 10:5)
g.
Renouncing – standing up and publically renouncing/giving up something (2Cor
4:2)
h.
Laying Aside any old ropes or chains that used to bind you (Heb 12:1)
i.
Mortify – we will focus on this one word in a few moments
j.
It
is serious – it is one of the major themes in the Bible!
C.
The Putting On Step –
Replacement Theology (Ephesians 4:23,24)
1.
You
put off of something so that you can put on something better in your life
2.
The
devil constantly lies to people telling them what GOD has for them is inferior
to what this world has to offer; What God offers is boring; That God’s will is
terrible and disastrous!
3.
At
salvation, you got two of everything you need:
a.
A
new mind – the mind of Christ
b.
A
new heart – the new heart which is soft, and tender, and sensitive, and clean
c.
A
new Spirit – the Holy Spirit
d.
A
new habit – right way of handling pressures, and temptations, and feelings!
e.
And
they all co-exist with all the old ones
f.
You
live each moment by yielding to the old one, or the new one
g.
That’s what “Putting On” is all about!
4.
OBVIOUSLY, it is natural to give in to the old nature – and it is going to be
easy
5.
But
as a Christian, you can, you MUST choose to feel with the new heart, think with
the new mind, love with the new heart, pray with the new Spirit – and that’s
hard at first, but it’s worth it
D.
The Method – How to Put
Off, and then Put On (Colossians 3:1-15)
1.
Closeness to Christ (
a.
Set
your affections, your attention, you love, your desires toward heaven
b.
Ignore what this world is lying to you about – easy love, quick money, praise of
men
c.
And
just do whatever it takes to love Jesus
1)
As
much time in the Bible as possible
2)
As
much time pouring our hearts and our feelings before Him in prayer
3)
As
much time resting in His care, trusting He knows and does best
d.
Every victory starts here – and every failure is because we fail here!
2.
Consent that you are indeed dead
(
3.
Crucify – Mortify – Put to Death the Old Habits
every time they crop up!
a.
By
eschewing sins as really wrong – despising sins like you would finding a dead
body
b.
Be
Specific – target specific sins in your life – no tolerance!
1)
Fornication – any sexual act outside of marriage including pornography,
adultery, sex before marriage, romance novels, touching and caressing someone
who is NOT your wife or husband!
2)
Uncleanness – filthy thoughts
3)
Inordinate Affection – out of the ordinary loves; i.e., love of materialism,
money, dogs, trees, sports, gambling, self!
4)
Evil
Concupiscence – morbid sexual acts
5)
Covetousness / Idolatry – love of anything or anybody more than God
c.
Go
Deeper
1)
Anger – anything that constantly upsets you and makes you angry
2)
Wrath – is what you do when you are angry
3)
Malice – is how you think and plan to carry out your wrath when you are angry
4)
Blasphemy – the blaming of God and the demoting of God from being right and good
5)
Filthy Communication – filthy words, cursings, innuendos
6)
Lying – never being honest; always protecting yourself!
d.
Go
further still
1)
Laziness – what a sin today!
2)
Griping and Complaining – that is the soil that murder and adultery are planted
in!!!
3)
Disobeying – we don’t take what we DON’T DO seriously
4)
Dishonouring – your parents, your mate, your pastor, your Lord!
5)
Hey!
Are ANY of those sins in your life? You cannot just wrestle with them – they
have to be cast out, thrown away, shaken off, cast down, laid aside, and
ultimately mortified!!!
e.
Distance yourselves from sins AND temptations
f.
Burn
the sin out with the blood of Jesus Christ – there is still power in the blood!
g.
Bury
the old desires, the loves, the attractions, the feelings, the thrill, the
enjoyment. You don’t kill something like a rat, or a wolf and then leave it
there! You need to dig a deep hole, and bury it!
h.
Forget where you buried it
4.
Replace Everything Old in you, with What God Has Given You
(
a.
Start switching
1)
Ignore how you naturally feel, or how you naturally fear
2)
Switch your attention to the new mind – if it is in you!
3)
Switch your feelings to the new heart
4)
Maybe you are having trouble finding the new mind, or the new heart because it
is NOT IN YOU!!!
5)
Walk
in the HOLY SPIRIT instead of in your old spirit and old attitudes!
b.
Start replacing (Eph 5:3)
1)
Fornication… with the fear of God (Heb 13:4)
2)
Unclean thoughts… with the word of God – memorize and mediate on exact and
precise words (like Philp 4:8)
3)
Inordinate affection… with fasting – until right affections return
4)
Evil
concupiscence… with singleness for a while – you are unsafe
5)
Covetousness… with thankfulness and contentment
6)
Anger… with bowels of mercies – God commands it so he will enable you!
7)
Wrath… with kindness – love your enemies, do good, bless them!
8)
Malice… with humbleness of mind – no scheming, no revenge
9)
Blasphemy… with long suffering! Stop getting upset at God for allowing troubles
and hardships into your life
10)
Filthy communication… with forbearing people! Put up with them and don’t become
like them (Eph 5:3,4)!!!
11)
Lying… with pure honesty - transparency
c.
Start saturating every thought with charity – unhindered, unconditional love
(3:14)
5.
All
of that ONLY happens as you draw closer to Christ, and repent of your own
sinfulness, and determine to wear new clothes – live according to the new man in
you!
a.
What
are you struggling with?
1)
Bitterness?
2)
Wandering eyes?
3)
Depression?
4)
Instabilities – variance?
5)
Envies?
6)
Hatred?
7)
Drunkenness?
8)
Drugs?
b.
Mortify each and every one of them by
1)
Getting Close to Christ
– just His presence starts the cleansing process!
2)
Starting Consenting that you are indeed dead and that you don’t HAVE to yield
3)
Crucify – Mortify – Put to Death EVERY Old Habit
every time it crops up!
4)
Replace Everything Old in you, with What God Has Given You
E.
The Result (
1.
Most
of you have never known the kind of life that Christ gave you because you are
still carrying around a lot of the old life – a lot of baggage
2.
Our
theme this month is living free from old sins – victorious
3.
If
only you knew the peace of God
4.
The
power of God
5.
The
presence of God, in your life!
6.
He
is not very far from any of us
7.
We
are so used to being in bondage to our old man, that we have no idea just how
great is the life according to the new Man – Jesus Christ!
III.
Conclusion (Hebrews 10:9)
A.
Hey:
We cannot battle sin, but we can replace it with something that defeats it every
time!
1.
When
God gave His Son, He did not just give
2.
And
in order for the whole world to experience the benefit of the New Testament, God
had to take away the Old!
B.
The Putting Off Step
1.
A
determined decision to drop something, and let it die (it is old and ought to
die), so that you can pick up something better, and let IT live instead in you
2.
To
“Put Off” Requires you to take a good look at your “former conversation” – your
old way of living.
3.
To
“Put Off” Is a Reaction to your closeness to God (Acts 7:30-33; Isaiah 6:1-5)
C.
The Putting On Step –
Replacement Theology
1.
You
put off of something so that you can put on something better in your life
2.
At
salvation, you got two of everything you need:
a.
A
new mind – the mind of Christ
b.
A
new heart – the new heart which is soft, and tender, and sensitive, and clean
c.
A
new Spirit – the Holy Spirit
d.
A
new habit – right way of handling pressures, and temptations, and feelings!
e.
And
they all co-exist with all the old ones
f.
You
live each moment by yielding to the old one, or the new one
g.
That’s what “Putting On” is all about!
3.
Choose to feel with the new heart, think with the new mind, love with the new
heart, pray with the new Spirit – and that’s hard at first, but it’s worth it
D.
The Method – How to Put
Off, and then Put On
1.
What
are you struggling with?
a.
Fornication
b.
Uncleanness – filthy thoughts
c.
Inordinate Affection – out of the ordinary loves
d.
Evil
Concupiscence – morbid sexual acts
e.
Covetousness / Idolatry – love of anything or anybody more than God
f.
Anger – anything that constantly upsets you and makes you angry
g.
Wrath – is what you do when you are angry
h.
Malice – is how you think and plan to carry out your wrath when you are angry
i.
Blasphemy – the blaming of God and the demoting of God from being right and good
j.
Filthy Communication – filthy words, cursings, innuendos
k.
Lying – never being honest; always protecting yourself!
l.
Bitterness?
m.
Wandering eyes?
n.
Depression?
o.
Instabilities – variance?
p.
Envies?
q.
Hatred?
r.
Drunkenness?
s.
Drugs?
t.
Laziness – what a sin today!
u.
Griping and Complaining – that is the soil that murder and adultery are planted
in!!!
v.
Disobeying – we don’t take what we DON’T DO seriously
w.
Dishonouring – your parents, your mate, your pastor, your Lord!
x.
Quit
a LIST!
2.
Hey!
Are ANY of those sins in your life? You cannot just wrestle with them – they
have to be cast out, thrown away, shaken off, cast down, laid aside, and
ultimately mortified!!!
3.
Mortify each and every one of them by
a.
Getting Close to Christ
– just His presence starts the cleansing process!
b.
Starting Consenting that you are indeed dead and that you don’t HAVE to yield
c.
Crucify – Mortify – Put to Death EVERY Old Habit
every time it crops up!
d.
Replace Everything Old in you, with What God Has Given You
1)
Start switching
a)
Ignore how you naturally feel, or how you naturally fear
b)
Switch your attention to the new mind – if it is in you!
c)
Switch your feelings to the new heart
d)
Maybe you are having trouble finding the new mind, or the new heart because it
is NOT IN YOU!!!
e)
Walk
in the HOLY SPIRIT instead of in your old spirit and old attitudes!
2)
Start replacing (Eph 5:3)
3)
Start saturating every thought with charity – unhindered, unconditional love
(3:14)
4.
All
of that ONLY happens as you draw closer to Christ, and repent of your own
sinfulness, and determine to wear new clothes – live according to the new man in
you!
E.
The Result (
F.
But
that new heart HAS to be in you! That new mind has to be there IN you (2Cor
13:5)