It was a cloudy and windy November day, so many years ago. I had just completed a job and was paid in cash. As my buddy and I drove away, it was not uncommon for me to temporarily stick the folded cash between my legs.
It was about a thirty-minute drive home and we decided to get some lunch. The McDonald’s we stopped at was on a busy street full of very large vacant parking lots for strip malls which had been demolished years before. Eight-foot fences dotted the edge of those properties.
We went in and ordered our food but when it came time to pay, I could not find the cash. I looked in every pocket. Then I looked again. No success! Then I went back out to the truck and noticed that a wad of cash was sitting by the door on the pavement. I picked it up and it was only half, and a panic had set in.
Immediately I thought of the great tragedy of losing an entire day’s pay. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I saw one of the $20’s tumbling in the distance. Chasing it down I began to look frantically for the rest of the cash. The wind had driven it all over a parking lot that was the size of three football fields.
I began to pray passionately, “Lord, please, let me find at least half.” In the next ten minutes I found one $20 here and one $50 there. Some were baptized in a water puddle. Most were blown up against the 8-foot chain link fence and the rest were swirling inside a collection of leaves caught up in wind. I did find all the money and a great relief overcame me.
I was extremely thankful, and I repeated several times, Thank You Lord. Later I was reflecting on that moment, and I could not escape that mental image of me frantically searching.
I pondered; was there any moment where I had so passionately pursued anything else? When was the last time I was that motivated?
Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal (I could add here, where forgetfulness and wind will scatter). “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth or rust destroys and where thieves do not break in a steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Mt 6:19-21.
Jesus’ words are not anti-savings account. The purpose of Jesus’ words was to bring attention to what is the chief motive or concern in life.
That November day the chief concern was chasing down on that lost money. It was an all-consuming passion for about 15 minutes, and it should have been.
What lesson can we learn from this text and my mishap?
More on this next time, until then S.D.G.
Colossians 3:10-17
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 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. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Matthew 18:15-18
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
When his mother bought the house next door he sold as quick as he could, moved into same town but near Blacklick creek that flooded basement frequently, one car garage, he had to rent another space to continue his home business. All this because he did not want to live next to his mother.) I don’t know what she did. I did not ask, I did not want to know. Is forgiveness always warranted? What is forgiveness?
The past few weeks we have been dealing with this middle part of Colossians 3. It states that we are to put to death what is earthly in us and then proceeds to give a couple of short lists which are in the negative. As believers, we are to put OFF these things.
We approach the text where Paul turns his attention into the affirmative. He makes a list of affirming things, positive things that we are to put on.
Beginning with 3:10 we put on this new self that is in the EIKON of the Creator (Jesus). We do this because we have been renewed. Our OLD self has died.
What are we to put on? (3:12) He begins to make an affirmative list: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. We do this because we are chosen in God, we bear with one another and forgive each other.
This text happens to come at a very interesting moment. We had a high-profile memorial service where the wife, now widow, of a murdered man, in a very public way proclaimed forgiveness for the killer of her husband.
At Charlie Kirks memorial service you had two extremes. You had the wife who not only forgave the killer, but she also quoted the words of Jesus, as he was on the cross just before he died. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Then you had Stephen Miller who said to the killer, “You are nothing, you have nothing, and we are coming for you.”
I found both of those very interesting statements. That is loaded. You have people who are Christian and non-Christian who say the Christian community has to chose one of those. It can’t be both.
It doesn’t. Before I am done today you will see why that both of those statements are valid Christian responses to the reaction to what has happened.
For many Christians in America have been instructed in forgiveness sometimes in very dangerous ways. It is fortunate for us that this public display happened just as our study came to the topic of forgiveness in our text.
What does the Bible have to say about forgiveness? We have read our text and added the text of Matthew 18. We have the words of Ms. Kirk as she quoted Jesus’ words on the Cross.
We prayed the Lords Prayer together which mentions it and then after we also have the words of Jesus just as he concluded the Lord’s prayer, “If you forgive those who trespass against you then your father will forgive your trespasses. But if You do not forgive those who trespass against you, then your heavenly father will not forgive your trespasses.”
Jesus also taught, love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you. How are we to understand forgiveness in light of Jesus? How does it apply in our text here in Colossians 3?
I will say that this will take a couple of weeks to fully unpack so please stick with me. We are not going to break down every passage and parable on forgiveness, but we are going to give a thorough look at the topic.
The issue is, when we get this wrong it can be very dangerous. The church, in general terms, has gotten this wrong more than it has gotten it right.
There have been some cases, in public life and in the church, leaders have gotten this wrong and it has proved deadly, hurtful and dangerous. It has caused some people to leave church doors to never return.
Too often we look at forgiveness with a monolithic application. Often is the case, the nuances is ignored and the whole counsel of God is bypassed.
Let’s start on the ground floor as we begin a comprehensive look at forgiveness.
POINT: So often is the case in this situation is forgiveness is more for the person doing the forgiving than the person receiving it.
Are there passages that hint towards forgiveness not being automatic? Yes. Consider the following:
This is the process of reconciliation between two people. Jesus did not say:
He says, go to them and address it. That does not fix it? Bring a couple of people. That does not fix it? Bring it to the church. That does not fix it? They are cast out.
This is a situation where they are not forgiven. Something is being held against them, and it is whatever that offense is. Avoid, refuse to be with them.
These are cases where the offended party can leave the marriage. If we are to monolithically apply forgive because we have been forgiven, then it would render Jesus’ teaching on divorce void.
He tells them, this man needs to go. Do not associate with people who say they are brothers and sisters in Christ and are in unrepentant habitual sin. Paul says, do not even eat with such a person.
So, I hope you can better see that forgiveness is not just something Christians automatically dispense. We are not instructed that 100% of the time we are to go from sin to automatic forgiveness. The Christian community has most often been taught if they are sinned against it is universal and unilaterally automatic forgive.
Here is the danger: there have been many cases where something happens in a congregation (sadly this happens more than you know). The elders and leaders of that congregation are made aware of it and then they decide to handle this in house because we are supposed to be forgiving.
IN HOUSE LEADERSHIP: There have been MANY cases of abuse, sexual and physical, where the offended party has been coerced to forgive the offender because the offender said, “I repent” and Jesus says that we should forgive as we have been forgiven.
This has been the source of A LOT of people who eventually leave the church angry, frustrated never to return. They are hurt and betrayed.
Church, we need to understand this. We have to get this right. So how do we get this right?
What has been presented here are some situations that contradict the teaching that Christians are to blanket offer forgiveness to every situation regardless of the offender has done. So how do we justify that which is contradicting? How can we make these teachings line up?
On the ADMINISTERING of Justice, Scripture provides three categories :
Erika Kirk stated in her speech at the Charlie Kirk funeral that she forgave the killer. She quoted Christ, “Forgive them they do not know what they are doing.”
Did you know that most people who offend you, who sin against you, even when it is heinous sin, do not know fully what they are doing? Do you think the killer thought about two baby girls growing up without their father? I really doubt it.
From the slightest sin committed against you to the worst sin that can be committed against you, it is safe to say the offending party did not know the complete impact of their sin.
This position of Erika Kirk, if it is meant from the heart, is the best position to be in. Why? It is a release. It is the beginning of release. Forgiveness is a process of growth.
I would argue it is like our opening illustration; it is a release of a burden. It is making a statement that you will not allow this thing that was done to you to control every part of your future.
There is a public responsibility for these things. The government holds the sword.
For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. . . 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. . . . for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Romans 13:1-2 & 4
The public servant, the government, is the servant (deacon) of God. The government is to carry the sword and act out justice for those who are wronged.
There have been many congregations whose leadership whose actions said, “We are going to force the member of our body to forgive a crime, and we are not going to let the government do its God designed job.”
We also have judges who are not doing their jobs. We have prosecutors who are not acting justly. What happens in these instances?
You cannot treat public enemies from a private method. This is why I said, Erika’s response to the murderer is correct and Stephen Miller’s response to the murderer was correct. It is not an either or. It is both.
You have a young girl murdered on a Charlotte, NC subway train by a criminal who had been arrested and released 14 times. This is the result of treating public enemies from the private method.
The church brings the water, word, wine and the wheat (bread). The church has a responsibility here as well. They are to preach the gospel. These are the tools of the church.
When a congregation of a church has a matter which arises which is in the jurisdiction of the magistrate, the leadership is to allow the civil authority to address the matter. They are not to simply sweep it under the rug.
The church is to pray for repentance of the offender. The offender is to be addressed by the civil authority and the church is to pray for their salvation.
The issue for so many is, if they offer forgiveness when there is a sense that you are justifying what has happened against you. This is not the case.
You are expressing a faith that God will handle this justly. You are releasing your notion of getting even and allowing the proper authorities to enact justice.
Think of the twelve apostles in the first century. Tradition tells us, history tells us that they all suffered greatly. Eleven of the twelve suffered death. John was boiled in oil and lived only to be exiled to the island of Patmos.
Do you not think these had a right to get even? How do you think the church prayed for those involved in the trial, imprisonment and execution?
I am certain that they prayed for them.
If I were to ask you if you believe that the Bible is true, how would you reply? For those of you who are watching this and are also Christian the answer would certainly be yes. True believers have faith that the Scriptures contains God’s truthful word.
I want to press on that just a little today. My hope is that my challenge will bring a deeper conviction to your faith.
The focus Monday was the writer of Psalm 77 who was going through a difficult time and it seemed as if God was not hearing his cries, prayers and expressions.
This writer could have given up, pouted or gotten angry but rather he chose to remember God’s mighty acts.
Do you believe in Scripture in the same way the Psalmist did? Do you have real faith in Scripture?
When God’s word states that the Israelites with no where to turn were backed up against the sea with the Egyptian troupes after them, do you believe that God walled up the waters and made dry ground for them to cross the Red Sea?
Scripture says that God He poured water from a rock. It says that small David defeated a nine foot giant Goliath. It says that Lazarus was raised from the dead. Do you believe it?
The overwhelming number of believers would say yes. I know those stories. I believe the Bible and I believe those things happened.
Why do we live our faith and pray our prayers as if they did not happen? I say this not to shame anyone but rather to encourage you. Is our Lord weak? Is our Lord incapable?
Is our Lord so distant from you and me that you and we can’t have the same confidence that the writer of Psalm 77?
This should change our posture in prayer. It should change how we look at life, struggle, heartache, and disappointment.
Our God is Almighty. Let us rejoice and be greatly encouraged in how He has worked in the past. Let us be confident that His strength in no way has diminished in the present.
In short, believe dear Christian, really believe.
S.D.G.
Psalm 77 is written from a soul that is distressed. We may even today consider this person depressed.
Verse 2 says that this person is seeking the Lord, stretching out their hand until it gets tired.
Ever felt that? Like maybe raising your hand in a class setting but you aren’t being called on and your arm or shoulder starts feeling weak or tingly or weird? This psalmist is praying like that but finding no comfort, no relief.
This is one distressed person. Looking for help, looking for relief from God and yet there seems to be none. “Will you spurn me forever and never again be favorable to me?” it says in verse 7.
I have been here. As a Christian I have had seasons of despair and there seem to be no relief. There have been times of consistent prayer over a matter, and it seems God has no desire to provide relief in that situation.
The psalmist does something amazing. He says, alright, I am just going to remember your works of old. You won’t deliver me from my distress right now, let me focus on how you delivered others.
I have never had that reaction. I find it fascinating. The example here is to think of the time God allowed the people to cross the Red Sea on dry ground. To do this when God SEEMS (key word) to be far away and not providing me delivery. My habit is usually to be further depressed and question if God even loves me. Have I done something to anger you?
The Psalmist increased his faith. He looked at historical events, things that took place hundreds of years before he was born. Things of Scripture.
He did not just say, “I believe Scripture.” He treated it as fact. He used it to affirm that God is almighty. There is something in that for you and me. More on this next time.
Until then S.D.G.
Date: September 21, 2025
Lord’s Day: 38
Series: Colossians the Mystery of Christ
Title: Bearing His Image
Text: Colossians 3:9-10; Genesis 1:26-27
Colossians 3:9-10
Colossians 3:9 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self[d] with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Genesis 1:26-27 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Edmond Rostand wrote the play Cyrano de Bergerac in 1897. Anyone know what that is about? The movie Roxanne was released 90 years later, in 1987 and it starred Stephen Martin and Daryll Hannah which was a loose modern bend on Cyrano de Bergerac.
Cyrano had a very low opinion of himself because his nose was too large, and he had gained a love interest who was very beautiful. His interest in this beautiful woman was not just a physical desire. He cared for her completely, her mind, her heart, her likes, her dislikes. Yet he would not allow himself to pursue her because of the possible rejection that he faced.
There was another man who also was interested in this beautiful woman. This man was extremely handsome. He had all the outward marks of an attractive male, tall and strong but he was not in any way smart or intelligent.
Cyrano found his way to express himself and it was through this handsome man. He would write her letters and poems and send them to her with this other man’s name attached.
There would be scenes in the play where Roxane, the beautiful woman in the play, would be on her balcony speaking to the handsome man at night and Cyrano would be hiding nearby, whispering words for him to say. It is these very words that caused Roxane to develop a deep affection for this handsome young man.
Cyrano continued to harbor his own affection for Roxane but remained hidden. He did not want to be vulnerable. He did not want to face the rejection. He was ashamed.
This came to mind while considering our passage here in Colossians 3. Last week we introduced this idea of the old self and the new self. We will be building on that idea this week.
If we do not properly understand our relationship with Jesus and more importantly, OUR POSITION IN JESUS, we will begin to resemble Cyrano. HOW? It is in the struggle between good and bad, righteousness and evil. When confronted with holiness, we will see our deficiencies.
Within us, the Spirit begins to work and Jesus becomes precious to us. He is no longer just a good teacher. He is no longer just an old Rabbi. He is precious and we love him. We want to read of him and learn from him.
But when we do not understand our position IN HIM, and we see our Spiritual life as totally dependent upon ourselves, it is a heavy burden. When failure comes, and it will, we do not feel attractive enough to approach him. Let’s just stay on the downlow. There are others who are much more attractive than me to Jesus.
This position keeps us from fully experiencing Him. Loving him from far away. Living with this notion that if we get too close, he will reject us. Let’s not get too close.
3:9 “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.”
This section began in 3:5 that we are to put to death what is earthly in us. As believers, here are our marching orders. What are we to do? It is an imperative. It is passive (according to the grammar). What does that mean? We are commanded to perform a thing which we will be helped to perform. You are not alone in this.
Then there is a list of things and we dealt with those over the past few weeks. Sins of the flesh and sins of the mouth.
Then he gets to 3:9-10 and says, we are to put these things away “seeing that we have put off the old self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
We see this word appear again. It is a word that we talked about way back on June first. The sermon title was Iconic Jesus.
That word here for image is the Greek word icon. Remember that Sunday? I put up a bunch of icons on the screen and you had to guess the brand that the icon represented?
That same word is used here. There is this statement about the OLD SELF and the that old self is being renewed in knowledge after the of its creator. Interesting isn’t it? What does it mean?
There is a lot going on there in that statement. Let’s spend some time unpacking it.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
On day six God made man, it was the pinnacle of His work. How is this true? It says that man (which means humanity) was made in the image of God. Here is our word. Greek eikon was used to refer that man is in image of God. The male is in the image of God and the female is in the image of God.
How were we made in the image of God? In what ways do we look like Him? What traits or characteristics do we have that are similar to God?
There are what we call communicable and incommunicable traits of God. The Incommunicable traits are ones that only God possesses such as this partial list would be what I call the Omni’s which means ALL or EVER.
God is omnipresent. He is everywhere at once. There is nowhere God is not. “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there” (Psalm 139:7-8).
THIS WOULD INCLUDE Eternality– God does not have a beginning or an end. Hard to fathom this but it is true. “From everlasting to everlasting, you are God” (Psalm 90:2).
God is Omniscient (all knowing). God learns nothing. There is nothing God does not know. There is nothing you can do to teach God something. He does not learn something new from you. “God is greater than our hearts and He knows everything” (1 John 3:20). I know most things, but not everything.
God is Omnipotent (all powerful). God is all powerful. There is nothing outside of His power. He does not need to sleep. He does not need to work out. “Nothing is too hard for me.” (Jeremiah 32:17). I am not all powerful. I get injured. I get tired.
This would includeIndependent– It is said by some that God created the Universe and humanity because he was lonely. There are variations of this but it is untrue. I don’t know who started it but it is false and bad theology. Paul said in Athens, “God made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man NOR is He served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives all men life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:24-25)
These are a few of the attributes of God that He has that we do not have. He alone has them. Even Adam and Eve, before sin, did not have ALL the attributes of God.
Communicable attributes of God. These are things that God has that we also have. It would include this partial list:
Knowledge – God possesses all knowledge, but we do have some knowledge. Some have more than others. Some are geniuses, most are not. But all have an ability to retain and learn something.
Love – 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. I can love. I do not love like God, but I can love. Everyone, even Hitler, loved someone and was loved by someone.
Wisdom – We read that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. God possesses all wisdom, but we have some too. Again, like knowledge and love, some have more than others. But everyone has some wisdom.
So, you can see, this is a partial small list of the characteristics that God has, that we also have in our own lives.
In what way were we made in the image (the eikon) of God? How do we resemble Him? How do we reflect His image?
It is in holiness. How do I know this? From our passage in Colossians.
“Since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being RENEWED in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:9-10)
There was something lost in the paradise of Eden. Something that happened that damages that reflection of God’s image that it needed to be restored.
Holiness.
That is it. We still retain, at least some wisdom. We have retained our ability to love. Some to the degree that they love things more than God. We love ourselves more than we do the Creator. We are able to gain knowledge but, in the flesh, it is void of the author of knowledge.
What was lost for humanity in Adam is holiness. That which was lost can be regain in Christ Jesus. Because of this, put off that which is earthly.
That ICON we regain IN CHRIST is Holiness. We do not need to hide like Cyrano.
Andrew Murray[i] says that Christians have 2 natures that are striving within them. And they are striving against each other (Ga 5:17, 24-25; 6:8; Eph 4:22; 1 Pt 4:2). The motive to achieve holiness is the new self, which is the life in the Spirit.
If you want to dig deeper in this, I encourage you to read John Owen who wrote, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. Be prepared NOT to read one chapter at a time. Be prepared to read one page at a time. Be prepared to read this over the course of a year. This is not a quick fix.
But also, be prepared to grow deeper and deeper in love with Jesus. Be prepared to see the work of Christ in your life from an entirely new perspective.
John Owen says that this new nature is like turning on a lamp. It is not simply knowledge. We do not just gain knowledge, but we gain illumination. We see ourselves differently. THE NEW NATURE SPEAKS
We find with this light that we look in a mirror. The mirror is Christ. We begin to see things in this reflection that we want to change. Things that do not look like our life.
Do you remember, “Christ, is our life” Colossians 3:4. As we go through this life, there are the two natures. These are at war with each other.
Throughout our time in this section, I have really wrestled with how to present it. Here is my issue, because we have these two natures in us, I do not want to appear flippant and just proclaim, we are going to sin. At the same time, I also do not want to appear too harsh because we are going to sin.
It could be this is what John felt when he was writing 1st John when he said, “If you say you have no sin you are a liar and the truth is not in you.” Yet a few words later he says, “But I am writing so you will not sin.” Then next breath says, “If you do sin, we have an advocate who is faithful and just to forgive us.”
There is this back and forth. It is the struggle. I want to encourage you to strive for holiness. At the same time, it is not your striving that is saving you. It is your striving that points to whom you belong. You belong to the Savior, and it is His righteousness that will save you. HE IS THE NEW CLOTHING.
I have an old t-shirt, grey in color. I got it from Walmart about ten years ago. I bought about 5 of them, I often do this because when I like something I stick with it.
But out of the 5 I have one remaining; it was different than the rest and it is my most comfortable shirt. I like to wear it. It is growing thin, almost to where you can read through it. It is still my favorite.
You have any clothing like that? Clothing that maybe you put on that you do not wear out of the house. You wear it because it feels right, and you can relax in it.
You find out that I am coming over to visit with you and now disappointment because you have to change. You were comfy, now uncomfy.
This is life for the believer with these two natures, one in the flesh and one in the Spirit. When you sin, it will not feel right. It will not fit right. You will not be satisfied. You will want to get out of that as quickly as you see it.
While going through Colossians, we have looked at some of the original grammar. It reveals more than often the English text provides. However, I did find a translation of 3:10 that I really like:
“Put on the new self, which is continually being renewed in fuller and fuller knowledge, closer and closer to the image of its creator.” Jewish New Testament
This is progressive sanctification.
This translation shows that this growth in Christ is not just a one-time thing. Just as we have two natures striving in us, there is one nature, the one of the Spirit, that keeps lovingly and faithfully drawing us to the image of Jesus.
This is the eikon that has been restored. The image and likeness of Jesus that we see in Colossians 2:15-20 is the eikon that has been given to us. What was damaged in the Garden has been restored in Christ Jesus.
Zechariah 3 there is this beautiful scene where the enemy brings Joshua in a court setting. The enemy is the prosecuting attorney, and they are standing before Jesus. Joshua is said to be standing there guilty. The guilt is in his garments. He was filthy.
It was then that Jesus commanded his garments be changed. Joshua was to be clothed in clean and pure garments. Jesus said to him, I have taken away your iniquity.
Christ has robed us in righteousness. What is our charge? Grow in Him. Our image has been restored. Grow in Him.
I want you to love Jesus. I want you and this community to see Jesus, grab hold of Him and love Him. To forsake ourselves. To live for something more than our appetites. To taste and see that the Lord IS GOOD.
[i] Andrew Murray, The Essential Works of Andrew Murray, Barbor Publishing, page 190.
Several years ago, while in Tennessee, Tina and I were hiking on a trail. The trail was a 5-mile loop and the sign at the trail head said that it would take 2.5 hours to hike.
I took mental note of that sign and thought to myself, 2.5 hours? At an average pace it would take less than 2 hours to walk 5 miles.
It was not long before I realized why it was going to take 2.5 hours. The trail was loaded with rocks; I mean, rocks, not limestone.
There were trip hazards everywhere. A root would make an appearance here and there. At one point there was a sink hole that was at least 50 feet deep and big enough to fit a smart car.
The entire time we walked, we had our heads down. We did not want to trip or fall into a 50-foot hole.
It was a beautiful day and the temperature was perfect; the sun was bright. But I remember saying to Tina, “I am enjoying our hike, but it would be nice if we could look up and around and see some beauty.”
How much that hike resembles life. If you are like me, too often I get so focused on concerns and trials in my own life that I fail to look up and look around me.
I can look around and see the beauty in the struggle. Maybe I need to slow down and little, come up alongside someone else who, like me, is also experiencing trials.
Paul in 2 Corinthians (1:3-4) speaks about this:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
A few sentences later Paul defines the weight his burden as more than he could bear. Yet he still was able to give us an example of looking around.
He was not just looking at the ground, head down, going through his circumstances. Rather, while he was working through his trials, he was helping others deal with their issues.
What a beautiful example for us to follow!
S.D.G.
Date: September 14, 2025
Lord’s Day: 37
Series: Colossians the Mystery of Christ
Title: Old Self, New Self
Text: Colossians 3:5-10; Matthew 26:41
As a pastor, it is my desire to keep the main thing, the main thing. The MAIN thing here is Jesus Christ, our Savior.
There are certainly moments when SOCIAL matters find their way into the church body and when they do, it is wise for us to consider them and discern what we must do. This week past week is one of these moments.
On Wednesday I watched with great difficulty and sadness, as the events unfolded in Orem, UT with Charlie Kirk. Because I watch very closely, every day, social matters, I have remotely followed Charlie Kirk and his organization Turning Point USA, from its very beginning.
I say remotely because this organization has a focus on high school and college age people. For those of you who are not aware, in about 13 years he grew this organization from an event that had 200 people to 14 events yearly that had 10,000 people.
Charlie would respectfully take questions from audience attendees on a wide range of topics. I admired him for he was incredibly knowledgeable, humble, respectful, thorough and above all, he represented Christ well.
If I had to think of a modern-day Paul, from Acts, when he would go to the Areopagus and face opposition while standing for truth, it would be Charlie. He has done this for years, going from campus to campus all over these United States. In these campus’ he would freely exchange ideas and defend the faith.
As you may know, Charlie was shot Wednesday while doing one of these college events. In my opinion, he was killed instantly and is now in the presence of our Lord and Savior.
In the hours after this incident, I monitored many reactions. Most of that reaction was great sadness. A significant portion is celebration and mockery.
I wanted to address this with the congregation for several reasons:
Firstly, the description of what happened to Charlie Kirk has been labeled an assassination. I do not agree with this. Charlie held no political office, nor was he running for political office. He did support various political candidates through the years. He also discussed political matters in relation to faith, for so much of our political focus today absolutely bleeds over into morality and matters of faith.
For this very reason, Charlie was not assassinated. Charlie became a martyr.
Charlie represented the faith and morality of Scripture, and it cost him his life. There are many people who die as martyrs every day on this earth, but rarely do we witness one this public and in the United State of America. He absolutely, represented Jesus well and also Scriptural truths.
Charlie was just a man. He was heard often confessing freely he was a sinner saved by the Grace of God. Just like you and me he was ONLY perfect in Christ. Every public moment I witnessed, He represented Christ very well.
Secondly, because of this, I want to pray for his family. He leaves behind his wife, two daughters and a father and mother. Because the internet is forever (as far as we know), the video of the husband and father to these children will forever be there for them to see. It is hard for me to fathom this.
Not only will they have to experience the remainder of their life without their loved one, the videoed events which unfolded Wednesday will be a constantly available reminder.
Thirdly, Charlie did not leave this earth one second earlier than our Lord had planned. God is sovereign over all things. He is Almighty, Creator God. There are things regarding His rule that we do not understand and for me, this is one of those things.
This has been hard for me to process. My prayers this week have sounded a little like Habakuk questioning God.
But I trust in the Lord. I have faith in Him. Psalm 103:19 says, “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” And Psalm 135:6 states, “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the deeps.”
As a congregation this is one of those moments where we must stand firm even when it is difficult to grasp; even when it does not make sense.
I want to pray for the Kirk family and all those close to him; His wife, children, parents, siblings and others. I also want to pray for this country and its leaders. The fall out of this moment has an extraordinary possibility to expand into a much more serious matter.
Would you please pray with me?
Lord, we come today with humble hearts and heavy hearts. The condition of the world around us and even in our own country has been stretched and strained. There are wars and conflicts abroad and at home and we long for peace.
At this moment we pray for the Kirk family and the tragedy that they faced this week. There is no emotional relief for them for some time to come as this event will play out in the media and courts and in the political arena for the foreseeable future.
We pray for peace for that family. As I voice this prayer, I do believe that Charlie is with you. He had all the visible fruit of a devout Christ follower. Because of this, we pray that you comfort his wife, children, parents, extended family and coworkers. The visions of Wednesday will remain abundantly available. We pray for those who were at the event Wednesday, the students and the attendees, that for those who have been traumatized by what took place, you would comfort them as only you can.
We pray for the leaders of this country. We pray that you, Jesus, as you reign as Lord, that you would act and bring peace. Help us to trust in Your sovereignty. Strengthen us that You know best.
May your Church grow in number and influence. May it grow here in Springfield, in America and in the World. Isaiah says that of the increase of Jesus’ government and of peace there will be no end, that on your throne you will establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness forever more. That the zeal of the Lord will do this. We say Amen, come Lord Jesus.
We turn our attention to this text in Colossians and ask your blessing on our time in Your word. I sincerely ask a blessing upon myself as I deliver these thoughts.
It is in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Colossians 3:5-10 and Matthew 26:41
Colossians 3:5: 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self[d] with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Matthew 26:41: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation”
This has been the world of the Lord
I would like for you to think about Samson, the Bible character from Judges who was strong. He had to take a Nazarite vow and his strength was in his hair. As long as he did not cut his hair he would have miraculous strength.
For just a moment, I would like you to picture in your mind what you think Samson looked like. There are no wrong answers because we are not told and there are no pictures in the Bible, but just imagine what you think he looked like. If you need to shut your eyes you can.
Alright, you have a mental image? Does he resemble Arnold Swarzenegar? Does he look like the Rock or Andre the Giant? Is he really big and muscular?
That was the image I had for most of my life. When Samson came to mind I thought of a very large (the fit large) kind of man. But when I consider it further, I don’t think so. I think Samson looked like every other average man out there during his day.
If you remember the story Samson defeated Israel’s enemies the Philistines. They were always trying to find a way to get him so there came Delilah. Samson was sweet on her and she kept trying to trick him.
What was she trying to find out? What is the source of your strength Samson? Please tell me, how are you so strong?
If he were the Rock or Andre the Giant, there would be no doubt that Samson was strong on his own strength. There had to be a mystery as to the source of his power because they tried tricking him many times to get him to reveal what it was. He was 100% dependent upon God for his strength. (Which is true if he were little or big I just think he was average or small because it baffled people as to how he was so strong.)
We return to our text of Colossians 3 and we see here in verse 5 that we are to put to death what is earthly in us. We have been on this section and this verse for several weeks. Today I want to address how can we put to death what is earthly in us? There is the old self and this new self, what does this mean?
From the beginning I would like to say, the source of the strength Samson had during his time is the exact same source of strength for us to put to death what is earthly in us. It is God!!!!
In our text a list is made of what we are to put to death:
So the issue here is, is Idolatry pointed at covetousness or the entire list? The answer is yes to both. In one sense, the way the sentence is constructed, covetousness IS idolatry.
What is coveting? When you strongly yearn for something. It is an unusual yearning. It is not a yearning like, I would like to have a skyline hot dog. I would like to have that Carhart shirt because it looks nice. To covet is to have such a desire to have a thing that you would sin to get it. It places that thing FIRST. Any affection that is before God is an idol.
Therefore, The things that begin that list, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire can be things that are coveted. Also Idols.
Except, for those whose lives are hidden with Christ in God (3:1-4). What is true for those who find themselves IN CHRIST they are a new creation.
The old self looked like one thing, the new self looks like another.
Now, I have some people who are going to assist me today.
What a beautiful day to have Milani baptized into Jesus. She has symbolized today this new birth. We have been given a visual presentation of what happens to the believer. They are buried and raised just as Jesus was.
I have asked her and some others to come up and help me today.
Point 1) Your greatest enemy is your sin:
The flesh has desires. This list that I just read is a reality. Paul in this letter is telling the believers, put these to death. HOW CAN THEY DO THAT?
When we gain Christ, we are changed! We are “RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE after THE IMAGE OF THE CREATOR.” (3:10) This Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:25-27) becomes a part of us. Our affections change. (Bring the “Holy Spirit” representative on stage who will be holding the Ezekiel passage)
GOD AT WORK IN MILANI – Just like Samson
This influences your whole life. You begin to love all things Jesus (at this point put on her new sticky notes that represent the new Milani and separate her from the evil desires). The old Milani dead, the new Milani alive. She is a new creation.
We (She) are still here on this earth. We are still in this body. Our affections changed but we fight. Christ is our righteousness. When God looks at Milani He sees Christ.
Point 2) Putting to death our sin (3:5) means there is sin to put to death. Jesus died FOR our sin, we are to die TO our sins[i]
Milani, and us, have these fleshly desires that just pop up. They want to come in.
These are tongue in cheek but I know you are aware of how out of bounds our flesh can take us. It is there. Trying to convince us, go this way! Do this.
But Paul says, “Kill it. Put it to death.”
Here is the picture of temptation: Jesus says, “watch and pray that you may not enter temptation.”
Have you ever prayed that prayer? Lord, do not let me be tempted today.
Peter takes it one step further, he says the devil, your enemy, prowls like a roaring lion. How many of us would go to the Cincinnati Zoo or the Columbus Zoo if there was a warning that the lion was out of the cage?
No one would go. Why? Because it is dangerous. This is the image we need in our mind that for the believer we are to just avoid temptation. (Milani just turn away. Point your back to that which is trying to kill you.
Point 3) The best way to kill sin is to starve it. When something is getting fed, when it is receiving a steady diet it will live.
Last week when I said I guard my heart, I meant it. I was not bragging. It was not false humility. It is a statement of fact.
I do not want to feed anything that my flesh may want. Part of this is gaining the wisdom that the flesh will whisper subtly. Before long, if left unchecked and unguarded, it will be screaming.
The more mature you grow, the more the fleshly desires in your life will bother you.
“The greatest lie of Satan is this, you can have both Jesus and an unchanged life.” Derek Melton.
You can’t kill sin without reading God’s word. Find the time of day that works for you. I don’t sleep much, I am up early. My best time in early. Not everyone is like me. But dedicated the time of day that works for you and read everyday.
I get my journal and write the passage. I read the passage and while reading it the words or phrases that stick out I write down. For whatever reason they stick out, write them down.
Then I write out a brief summary of what I just read.
Then I put heart, mind, soul, strength and write out how this applies to me. In light of this text, how can I love the Lord with my heart, mind, soul and strength. Take time. Slow down. Do not go fast. Allow God’s word to lead you.
You can’t kill sin unless you identify it. Secret sin is the worst. Maturity will reveal and open you to see your secret sin. Immaturity will hide it from you.
This is a matter of the old self and new self. I am so thankful for Jesus and the work of God that reveals these things. Oh the mercy and patience of God as He works for us and in us and through us.
Let us pray.
Merciful Father, what a day we have had. So thankful for Melani and her baptism. Thank you For the family here at Donnels Creek. Thank you for Your word.
We come before you asking for a deeper holiness. Grow us in Christ. May we hunger and thirst for righteousness. Point to us the things in us that are to die and continue to provide to us the things that give life.
We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Messiah, Amen
The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance[c] upon you and give you peace.
Go in the peace that Jesus has offered himself for you and me. May the peace of Christ be with you and on you.
[i] Michael Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims On the Way, p. 661
A few days ago while reading I came across the name Boaz. Even though the reading was NOT in Ruth that name is prominent in the Old Testament book of Ruth.
It triggered a question in my head, what does the name Boaz mean?
I got a little disappointed in myself. I just preached through the book of Ruth THIS YEAR. How could I forget what that name means? How do I expect the people who hear my sermons remember things if I, the one who is preaching them, CAN’T remember them?
I was very disappointed in myself. My adult ADD kicked in and I was reminded of this fact that I came across some time ago about squirrels.
They love acorns. It is one part of their food supply and when they find them, they burry them for later in the winter when they need it.
Here is the crazy thing: even with snow on the ground they can find the buried nuts (most of the time). I call it Acorn GPS and (mostly) they find the buried nut later.
I say mostly because scientists have found they forget, or do not uncover, 80% of the acorns they buried. From this forgetfulness, the acorns often grow into oak trees.
Psalm 19, the heavens declare the glory of God. What this means is creation screams, proclaim, speaks that there is a Creator God. Just look around. Just observe. There is a designer. This squirrel fact, is one of those silly little screams.
Squirrels not only have Acorn GPS but in case it is not needed a new tree grows! ALL from forgetfulness.
Oh the beauty and glory of God S.D.G.
What did Jesus think about how important His teachings were?
He who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
The comparison here is your life is a house. Jesus words are a solid foundation on which to build your house.
Why is this important? “When the rains come ( and they will ) and the streams rise ( and they do ) and the winds blow and beat on the house, (It happens ) it did not fall because its foundation was on a rock.
Good foundations withstand turbulent times.
On Monday, I had referenced some foundation work which needed to be done on my office. Have no doubt, the problem could have been ignored.
Rather than spending the time to fix the foundation issue I could have gone to play disc golf, watched some college football or anything other than fix the problem. I could have kicked that can down the road for weeks or even months.
The result of indefinite delaying the fixing this problem would have been disastrous. It would eventually be the end of this building. That is the importance of a foundation.
Knowing about the importance of foundations is not enough
Likewise, hearing Jesus’ teachings is not enough.
He who HEARS & DOES THEM is like a wise person . . . building on a solid foundation.
Building your life on the foundation of Christ is It is being righteous in your thought life, being righteous in how you handle anger, being righteous in self-control. This is a solid foundation in Christ. Even more it is honoring God, the Creator, with your life.
Jesus is a Solid Foundation
S.D.G.