Brother Guy Schuler
https://newharvestministriesneo.org/
New Harvest NEO
New Self (Colossians 3 12)
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, the sound that saved the wretch like me. And I thank God for His amazing grace, because without it none of us would be here. Please bow your head in a prayer before we get started, Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the gift to salvation. Thank you for choosing us solely out of your mercy and grace and love. Thank you for saving us, thank you for never giving up on us and thank you for always being there for us, never leaving us regarding how many times we've turned our back on you. Heavenly Father, we thank you, we thank you for sending your Son to show us, to show us how to love, to show us how to live. Thank you for making a way for us to be reunited with you and never separated from you again. Thank you for paying that ultimate price and die on that cross in our place. Thank you. Thank you Heavenly Father for leaving us the Holy Spirit who gives us that spirit of power, that spirit of love and self-control, so that we can approach your throne room of grace. Heavenly Father, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. Help us remember there is nothing we can do to earn this awesome gift to salvation you gave us, but we're only called to share it with others for your glory, amen. Tonight, we're going to be reading out of the book of Colossians. We're going to be in Colossians chapter 3. And for context, I always like to, we're going to be looking at verse 12, but out of context, I like to get the whole vision of what Paul is trying to tell this church at Colossae. Paul was in jail when he actually wrote this letter, so he's never really visited Colossae, but he was writing this letter from prison, which makes it even more amazing to me. So chapter 3, verse 1, the title of in my Bible was put on the new self, "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, set your minds on things that are above, and not on things that are on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Verse 5, "Put to death, therefore what is earthly in you, sexual and morality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetness," which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. In these, you too once walked when you were living in them, but now you must put them all away, anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices. Verse 10 says, "And have put on the new self," which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here, there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised, uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, or slave, free, but Christ is all and in all. And our verse for tonight is verse 12, so pay close attention to that. Put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, weakness, and patience, bearing with one another, and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony, and let the peace of Christ who rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Verse 16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual psalms. And with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Verse 17, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of Jesus, given thanks to God, the Father, through Him." Like I said earlier, our focus is going to be on verse 12 of our reading tonight. And in verse 12, I really want to drill down on three words. Those three words are who God says we are, the adjectives, the gifts that God has given us, and that's chosen, beloved, and holy. In chapter 3 of Colossians in these first four verses, Paul is giving us a look at the Christian life. Because God has given us the gift of faith and the gift of repentance, Paul tells us in these verses that we're to die to our old self, and we have been raised up with Christ, and our new life is now hidden in Christ with God. Paul told us in the same truth in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 17, where he says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, and the new has come." So Paul then tells us because of these miracles, because of these wonderful gifts through the gift of faith that our old self has died, and that we've been raised up with Christ, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. We are called born-again believers. And since we are new creation in Christ, we are called to seek and set our minds on the things above, saints is imperative, it is imperative that we realize that we do not seek and set our minds on the things above to earn, to earn a life hidden in Christ. That's a good one. So let me say it again, saints, it is imperative that we realize that we don't seek and set to earn a life hidden in Christ, a life to earn salvation. It is because God gave us a gift of faith, it is because God gave us this gift of repentance that I am a new creation in Christ that causes me, that causes me to seek and set my minds on the things above. Or since I've been raised, therefore, since I've been hidden in Christ, I am summoned, I am called, I am able to do these things. It is who I am now in Christ that I am able to seek and set my mind on the things above. When we seek and we set our minds on the things above, we get the promise that Paul talks about in verse four. That promise says when Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory. Some people have this notion that it doesn't matter if they do not seek or set their minds on things above. Both people think that they can disobey this command to seek and set the promise. And still, the promise of verse four will materialize saints. This is simply not true. Remember that we don't seek and set our minds on heavenly things above to earn this hidden life in Christ. Whatever it is, evidence, and it does confirm that we are hidden in Christ. The Apostle Peter says something similar in chapter two, excuse me, similar in second Peter, chapter one, verses 10 to 11, where he says, "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and your election. For if you practice these qualities, you will never fail. For in this way, there will be richly provided for you an inheritance into an internal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are called to confirm the effectual calling of God being hidden in Christ. Raised with Christ that was rooted in eternity before all the foundations of the world. If we practice seeking and set our minds on the heavenly things above, we will never fail. Peter is speaking most clearly to those who seem to avoid a commitment to Christ-like living while still claiming their place in God's family. This is unproductive at best and dangerous at worst. Instead, Peter tells the reader to be diligent, to walk in the spirit and focus on heaven as evidence of their security in Christ. I hear that word "diligent," and it makes me think like, "Okay, I've got to be attentive. I've got to have constant effort. I need to be persistent and consistent during my walk with the Holy Spirit." Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6 says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please him. He rewards those who seek him, not earthly rewards." Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 1 says, "Therefore, since we're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely to us. Let us lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely to us." When I think about that every weight and sin that clings so closely to us, it reminds me of the excuses, the excuses that we have sometimes to walk in our sinful desires. We need to pray to the Holy Spirit and ask him to strengthen us, to ask him to deliver us from those sins that cling so closely together. We need to ask him and pray to him for the strength to run this race with endurance, to seek Jesus our perfecter of faith. So what does it mean to keep seeking the things above and to set your minds on the things above? The answer is found in the heart of the one who seeks and longs to please our Heavenly Father. One who desires to know God and to be like our Holy God will seek the things that are above. We are called to seek Jesus, we are called to seek the Heavenly Father, and we are called to seek the Holy Spirit. Our thoughts will not be thoughts of earthly desires, but our thoughts will be focused on heaven and the desire to know God in our future home. We will want to see him face to face and have this eternal relationship with him to please him with our lives. The key understanding to the key to understanding the things above and what we are to set our affection on comes from the previous chapter of Colossians chapter 2. Here we discover that Paul is encouraging the believers of Colossae not to get caught up in the do's and the don'ts, not to get caught up in the appearances of holiness, not to get caught up into the standards established by men that command us, do not touch, do not taste, do not handle. These are not God's standards of holiness. Paul tells us of a mystery, the mystery, the mystery that Christ, that Christ is in us, that's where the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are. So therefore walk in him, be rooting in him, grow with him, and don't be taken captive by man's do's and don'ts and man's philosophies. These and don'ts are standards of man-made religion. Instead of giving us lists of commands that are to be fulfilled out of obligation and duty, we should have that heart that's been changed, a heart that appeals to God and encourages us to walk hand in hand with our Savior. We are encouraged to avoid a life of do's and don'ts. We are not to measure our standard of holiness by the things we avoid. Instead, God measures our lives by what we desire to do. The question we must ask ourselves is, are you desiring to seek a God-filled life, to live according to your new life in Jesus Christ? I've never intended for Christians to live a life filled with things to be avoided. Instead, we are called to live a holy life that is desired from an interior love for our Savior. In the process of seeking him to please him, we want to avoid things that are not holy. We should desire to be holy because we want to be holy, not because we have to be holy. Verses 5.11 in the third chapter of the book of Colossians tells us, because of the gift of this new life, believers are given in Christ, we are to end certain practices and focus on others. Remember that salvation is a gift. It's a gift from our Heavenly Father by His grace. It's a gift of faith in Christ alone. Yep, believers are to also seek to live holy lives before Christ and not to practice sinful practices that we're asked to stop. In verse 7, "In these you two have once walked when you were living in him." This verse presents two of the greatest blessings of salvation. One, knowing that I'm not condemned for my sins. And two, knowing that the power of the Holy Spirit lives and resides me, and it gives me that power not to be entrapped by sin. This, however, that the freedom from the power of sin does not mean that Christians cannot be tempted, nor does it mean believers are immune to falling back into sin. Moral perfection during this life is not promised to the believers of Christ. This is why Paul issues warnings about the dangers of sin and talks about it so freely and Romans, chapter 7, struggle truly is the key distinction between the believer and the non-believer. All men are capable of sin, whether they are saved or not. However, a believer, a believer that is saved, a believer that has committed his life to Christ will no longer live in sin. This is 9 in 10 of Colossians, chapter 3 tells us, "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with those practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. Becoming a new man, becoming a new Christian begins, it begins at the cross. And we accept God's gift to salvation, that amazing grace, how sweet the sound." And when we were singing that song, I was thinking of these two verses. Before salvation, we were dead because of our sins and trespasses, because of our sinful nature, but then the two greatest words that I love, but God, but God made us alive with Christ for He gave us, forgave all of our sin. Our old man has died and we've been buried with Christ. Our new man has raised in this new life in Christ that we live. From then on, the process of sanctification, this process of this internal change goes on for the rest of our lives on earth. The Holy Spirit begins to change us. It renews our minds, our thoughts, and our attitudes, and it makes me think of Romans chapter 12, "Please transform me by the renewing of my mind. My mind is where the battle takes place, and the only one that can change my mind is the Holy Spirit." And He does that through being in the Word, the Word of Jesus, the Word of the Bible. As we spend time in the Lord's presence, growing in the grace and knowledge of Him and studying in His Word, we become in every way more like Christ. And we see in Colossians 3, verse 11 that this new man is not an individual man, but this new man is a part of the body of Christ. We're one. We have this fellowship here. We're believers that gather together, gather together in our worship our God. We're believers that strengthen and renew each other by meeting here, singing and praising to our God, reading the Word of God, becoming one in the body of Christ, where Christ is the head, the head of the church. Becoming a new man is a lifelong process. It is the goal we should always be pressing toward, but through the Holy Spirit, throwing off the old man's clothes and putting on that new garment, the new garment of Jesus, until we stand face to face with Jesus in eternity, God's Word through prayer and meditation will strengthen us and will guide us as we journey through this life. So it is. It is imperative to know who we are in Christ. That is why we'd like to drill down on the three important words of our verse tonight, verse 12. Let's look at verse 12 again. It says in verse 12, chapter 3 of Colossians, "Put on, then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience." I want to focus on what our Creator is telling the Apostle Paul, what he's calling you, calling me, calling all believers in this verse, saints. This is our Heavenly Father, talking through the Holy Spirit, inspiring Paul to write this, and he's calling me, and he's calling you, chosen. He's calling us holy, and he's calling us beloved. Our Heavenly Father chose those three words on purpose. He didn't have to call us that. He could have had Paul eliminate those three words and just say, "Put on, then, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." But he didn't. God told Paul to put in those three words, those three words, chosen, holy, and beloved, and there's a reason for that. But before we get there, let's take a look at those three words that come before that. Put on, then, Paul tells us earlier in chapter 3, verse 10 when he says, "And have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of our Creator." In the book of Romans, Paul also says something very similar. He tells the saints in a very real sense that as Christians, we are to put on this life, this life of Jesus. In Romans, chapter 13, verse 14, the apostle Paul instructs believers to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no, no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. The phrase put on, the phrase put on Christ means to figuratively, I always struggle with that word. Both oneself with the Lord Jesus Christ to reveal the glory of God to the world. Paul was talking about putting on spiritual clothing. Those who clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus are believers who do not, who do not focus on gratifying the desires of the flesh. In the preceding verses, Romans 13, verse 11, Paul encourages saints to wake up from sleep and cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Brevin, like it or not, we are in a battle. And Satan, excuse me, we are in a battle and for believers who are saved, Satan would like nothing better to render us impenate from sharing the gospel. Satan would like to stop us from filling our lives in our minds with temptation, sin, doubt and discouragement. Satan will attack anyone who is a threat to his maintaining his own territory or may effectively be advancing the kingdom of God. The higher the calling from God on your life, the more Satan will press in to prevent you, to prevent me and other Christians from sharing the good news. So when our Heavenly Father calls us chosen, holy and beloved, we are called to believe it, we are called to know it, and we are called to manifest it, each and every morning and throughout the day. Saints, we will never be able to put on this new attire, this new attire of compassionate hearts, this new attire of kindness, humility and meekness and patience, without the strength of the Holy Spirit, we must believe and know that we are God's chosen ones, his holy ones and his beloved ones, not just knowing it intellectually, but knowing it in our heart. Seeing it in a heart that has been circumcised by God and understanding that this is the greatest gift from God. What is so tragic is that so many people have been taught to reject this doctrine of election. Paul is inspired by God to call us believers as chosen, holy and beloved because knowing these miracles and gifts from God will have a profound impact on living a life manifesting the Holy Spirit that is inside of us in our daily lives with compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. God wanted us believers to know that we were chosen for his gift of faith and for his gift of repentance, just as God told Paul to write to the Galatians in chapter 1 verse 15 when he said, "But when he who had set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace, just as God told David to write and saw him 139 verse 15, my frame was not hidden from you when I was made in that secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days adorned for me were written in your book and they came to be. Just as God told Isaiah to write in chapter 5 and now the Lord says, "He who has formed me from the womb to be a servant, to bring Jacob back to him and the Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has become my strength." As the Lord set his sights on David, as he set his sights on Isaiah and Jeremiah, choosing them to be prophets, so Paul taught that God set his love upon choosing you and choosing me. It says in Romans chapter 8 verses 29 through 30, "For God for knew who he has predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born among many brothers and sisters, and those he predestined he also called, those he called he also justified, and those he justified he also glorified." God's purpose in calling people to salvation is that they be conformed to the image of his son. As the Lord said to Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." So he says to us today, "Whoever loves God is known by God." The second adjective that God calls us believers is holy. As believers, we are holy, which means set apart. This is due to God's work in us, not in our own good deeds. In 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 16, Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is talking specifically to believers when he says, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." As believers, we need to be set apart from the world and unto the Lord. We need to be living by God's standards, not the world's standards. God isn't calling you and me to be perfect. He's calling us to be set apart, to be distinct from the world. First Peter chapter 2 verse 9 describes believers as a holy nation. It is a fact. We are separated from the world. We need to live out that reality in our day-to-day lives, which Peter tells us how to do. It says in 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 13 to 15, "Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober minded, set your hope fully on the grace that we be brought to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you as holy, you also be holy in all your conduct." After hearing this verse, I hope this spirit leads you to ask yourself some questions. I hope this spirit leads you to reflect where are we setting our hope on today in this life or on the other side of eternity because that is what Peter is addressing in verse 13. Our hope, my hope as a Christian, needs to be set on Jesus Christ. As a believer that has been chosen by God before I was born, I humbly thank Him for His grace and for His mercy. I humbly thank Him for His saving work on the cross. I thank Him for that gift of faith and repentance. I pray and I thank Him for knowing that I am at peace with our Heavenly Father. I humbly thank Him because He has called me and those who we have called He has justified and those He has justified He will glorify. I thank Him for His gift of holiness, holiness only results from a right relationship with God by believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior. If we have not placed our faith in God's Son alone to save us from our sins, then our pursuit of holiness is in vain. If we truly are believers, then we recognize that our position in Christ automatically sets us apart from the world. After all, we have a relationship with the living God, saints. I am better than nobody, but I'll tell you this. I am better off and I am better off because I have Jesus Christ as my Savior. Because this is true, we must live a life that is set apart, not trying to blend in with the world, but being distinct and being different. Live according to God's Word as we study, we study the Bible and grow, and we grow in it. The third gift and our final gift that Paul describes us as in verse 12 is knowing that I am beloved. A beloved person is one who is dearly loved. In the Old Testament, the word beloved is used repeatedly in the Song of Solomon as the newlyweds expressed or deep affection for each other. For reasons known only to God, God sets a special attention on some people and uses them in greater ways than He uses others. Israel is often called beloved of God. God chose this group as beloved in order to set them apart for His divine plan to save the world through our Savior Jesus Christ. All those adopted in God's family through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ are beloved by our Father. It's an amazing, lavish love that says in 1 John chapter 3 verse 1, "See what a great love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called the children of God and saints." That is what we are. We are children of God because God shed His love on us. We are free to apply the words of Song of Solomon chapter 6 verse 3 to our relationship with Christ. I am beloveds. I am, excuse me, I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine. Many New Testament writers use this word beloved to address the recipients of their letters. Because of the time the Greek word translated for beloved is agape toe related to the word agape. The inspired letters beloved means friends dearly loved by God. In the New Testament, the use of the word beloved implies more than human affection. It suggests an esteem for others that comes from recognizing their worth as being children of God. Those address were more than friends. They were brothers and sisters in Christ and therefore highly valued. When I think of being His beloved, I can't stop thinking about what it says in Romans 8 verses 38 and 39 when Paul describes how much God loves us. This is, for I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things that come nor powers nor height nor death nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God and Jesus Christ our Lord. In closing, knowing God's Word, knowing the Bible, knowing what the Bible tells me that I'm chosen by God and he knew me and called me before I was born. Knowing that I am holy, knowing that I'm set apart, knowing that God loves me and God loves us only because of grace and mercy, knowing what a great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called the children of God and that is what we are saints. I don't know about you but that should give you strength and it should give me strength as it gives us hope in a world filled with hopelessness to put off the evil desires of the flesh, to put off sexual immorality, to put away our anger, to put away our wrath, to put away our lying and to put on the life of Jesus Christ. One with compassion and hearts to demonstrate the kindness of God, to exhibit humility, to forgive others when they hurt us and to love others only because he loved us first. Amen. Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you for today. We thank you for your word. We thank you for Paul. We thank you for inspiring through the Holy Spirit to strengthen us knowing that we are chosen, knowing that we are holy, knowing that we are loved. Please continue to guide us. Please continue to lead us. Please continue to be with us as we make our way through this world, to this world being set apart, to show others by our thoughts, by our actions, what we say, that we love you and we thank you. We thank you for your amazing grace. Jesus' name I pray. Amen.