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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Colossians, chapter three. Colossians, chapter three, I'll 
just begin reading in verse one. If then you were raised with 
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting 
at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, 
not on things on the earth, for you died. Your life is hidden 
with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, 
appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Therefore, 
put to death your members which are on the earth. fornication, 
uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things, the 
wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which 
you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you 
yourselves are to put off all these—anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, 
filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since 
you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put 
on the new man, who is renewed in knowledge according to the 
image of him who created him, where there is neither Greek 
nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor 
free, but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as the elect 
of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, 
humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another, and 
forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against 
another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things, put 
on love, which is the bond of perfection, and let the peace 
of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in 
one body, and be thankful Let the Word of Christ dwell in you 
richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in 
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in 
your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or 
deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to 
God the Father through him. Wives, submit to your own husbands 
as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and 
do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in 
all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not 
provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bondservants, 
obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with 
eye service as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing 
God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, 
as to the Lord and not to men. knowing that from the Lord you 
will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the 
Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be 
repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. Masters, 
give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you 
also have a master in heaven. Continue earnestly in prayer, 
being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Meanwhile, praying also for us, 
that God would open to us a door for the Word, to speak the mystery 
of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it 
manifest as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who 
are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with 
grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to 
answer each one. Amen. I just want to give you 
a brief overview of the section before we pray. We're going to 
take up verses 1 to 11 this morning. But in verses 5 to 11, what we 
find is the admonition to put off vice, put to death those 
deeds of the body that are consistent with the old man, rather than 
being consistent with the new man in Christ. As I said, we'll 
develop that as we go along this morning. In verses 12 to 17, 
we are to put on In other words, the saint, the believer in Jesus, 
is to live in a very particular way. Chapter 3, verses 18 to 
4, 1, we are to be subject to one another. The apostle highlights 
this relationship between wives and husbands, and parents and 
children, and children to parents, and bondservants and their masters. 
The new man in Christ Jesus is a man who is subject to others. And then the final admonitions 
in chapter four, verses two to six, prior to some parting greetings, 
is the admonition to watch and pray. So having set forth the 
doctrine of the gospel, the truth of Christ and him crucified in 
chapters one and two, the apostle now comes to make relevant application 
with reference to the life of God's people. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for your Holy Word. We thank you for its clarity. 
We thank you that it is God-breathed. We thank you that it's profitable 
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction 
in righteousness. Our heart's desire, Lord God, 
is that we would be attentive, that we would give our minds 
and our hearts to instruction, that we would receive the good 
things that you have for us in your Word, and that it would 
thoroughly furnish us unto every good work. Please forgive us 
now for our sins. We confess our Father. We have 
not lived in light of your holy law. We have not lived in light 
of your holy gospel. We are told by Paul to let our 
conduct be worthy of the gospel. We confess our sin now. We pray 
for forgiveness and we pray for cleansing in the blood of the 
Lamb. And we pray for the ministry 
and the aid of the Holy Spirit, that He would guide us, that 
He would lead us, that He would direct us into all truth. And 
may these things affect us in a very powerful and in a very 
real way. And we ask in the name of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. I suppose you've all heard 
of the Bishop of Smyrna in the second century A.D. His name 
was Polycarp. And there's a book by S.M. Putin 
called Sketches from Church History. And it records Polycarp's martyrdom. I would suppose that you have 
heard this before. I know that I've quoted it. at 
his martyrdom in about A.D. 155. He's referred to as an apostolic 
father. That means he was very closely, 
he just came on the heels of the apostles. He was an early 
church leader. It says at his martyrdom in about 
155, Polycarp was required to venerate Caesar by calling him 
Lord. In other words, at that time 
in the Roman Empire, Caesar was referred to as Lord and Savior. 
So every time you read that ascription given to our Lord Jesus in the 
New Testament, you need to remember that that was almost a revolutionary 
statement. What the Christian church was 
being instructed and being told was not to call Caesar Lord and 
Savior, but to call Jesus Lord and Savior. Remember in the book 
of Acts, in Thessalonica, What was the crime of the Christians? 
They preached another king, Jesus. You could have any number of 
gods in the Roman Empire, but when you said there was one true 
and living God, to the exclusion of Caesar and the rest of the 
pantheon, you were looked at as the vicious criminal. So that's 
what's going on here with reference to Polycarp. He was required 
to venerate Caesar by calling him Lord. Hutton goes on to say 
he was firm in his refusal. I have wild beasts, said the 
consul. If you refuse, I will throw you 
to them. Send for them, replied Polycarp. If you despise the wild beasts, 
I will send you to the fire, said the consul. Swear and I 
will release you. Curse the Christ. Here's Polycarp's 
response. Eighty and six years have I served 
Christ, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme 
my King who has saved me? You threaten the fire that burns 
for an hour and then is quenched, but you know not of the fire 
of the judgment to come and the fire of eternal punishment." 
He then says, "...bring what you will." dying statement of 
a man prior to his departure from this world to enter into 
the arms of Christ. Well, in this past little while, 
I learned something about his life as well. And I think that 
attaches or that brings us to consider Colossians chapter three 
in a preface to Polycarp's epistle to the Philippians. Michael Holmes 
wrote this of Polycarp. He said that Polycarp believed 
that wrong behaviors were prima facie evidence. That means on 
the face of. Wrong behaviors were evidence 
of wrong beliefs, and that wrong beliefs inevitably produced wrong 
behaviors. Further, wrong beliefs and behaviors 
are a characteristic of outsiders, not insiders. And then Holmes 
goes on to say, for him, orthopraxy is the other side of orthodoxy. I'm sure you're familiar with 
the term orthodox. That means sound doctrine, true 
doctrine, right doctrine. Well, orthopraxy means right 
practice, proper conduct. And so what he says is, for Polycarp, 
orthopraxy is the other side of orthodoxy. If the community 
is behaving properly, it is also likely believing properly. I don't think Polycarp was an 
innovator. I think he is simply reflecting 
the thought, the ministry, and the writings of the Apostle Paul, 
the rest of the Bible as well. But we see that connection here 
very powerfully in Colossians chapter 3. verses one to eleven. So, I want to take up this section 
under three considerations this morning. First, the command stated 
of verses one and two. Secondly, the theological incentives 
given for obedience to that command in verses one and two. And then 
the mortification of sin that should naturally follow or naturally 
flow from. In other words, if we have proper 
orthodoxy, if we believe the truth concerning Jesus, if we 
believe the truth concerning the gospel of free and sovereign 
grace, then our practice, our conduct, our lives will evidence 
that reality. It will display it. It will manifest 
it. So in other words, if we see 
someone who is living consistently, we can assume They're believing 
consistently. Conversely, when we see someone 
who is living like the world, we have no reason to conclude 
that they have believed the gospel of Jesus Christ and are walking 
according to his will. So let's look at this command 
in verses one and two. Notice Paul says, if then you 
were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above. 
where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind 
on things above, not on things on the earth. So he assumes the 
reality. He says basically in chapter 
three, verse one, since you were raised with Christ, since you 
believe the gospel, since you've closed with him, since you've 
been called out of darkness into marvelous light, since you are 
a believer in him, Based on that reality, you ought to seek those 
things which are above. You ought to set your mind on 
those things which are above, not be tied to this earth. In 
many ways, the Apostle Paul is simply encapsulating what Jesus 
does in Matthew 6. Remember, Jesus says, Seek first 
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be 
added to you. Douglas Moos says, Believers, 
seek the things above by deliberately and daily committing ourselves 
to the values of the heavenly kingdom and living out of those 
values. We are to think God's thoughts 
after Him. Notice where He begins, brethren. Before he gets to what you need 
to stop doing and what you need to start doing, the first is 
about mental. The first has to do with intellect. 
The first has to do with focus on the things above. Look at 
the Lord Jesus Christ. In chapter 2, the apostle condemns 
various approaches to Christianity. He says we are not to seek Christ 
through legalism in chapter 2, verses 16 to 18. We're not to 
seek Christ simply in the externals. We're not to seek Christ simply 
in the law. We are rather to seek Christ 
in the gospel through his written word. Now, Paul's not saying 
the law is bad, the law is wicked, the law is holy. The law is good 
if one uses it awfully. But the condemnation in chapter 
2, verses 16 to 18, or 16 and 17, is that idea of those seeking 
acceptance and favor with God based on their law keeping. But 
Paul doesn't stop there in Colossians 2. He says we're not to seek 
God through mysticism. We're not to seek God through 
some esoteric means. We are to seek God through Christ 
in the written Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. That's what 
he means in chapter three. When we seek those things which 
are above, when we set our minds on those things above, not on 
things of the earth, it's not like we're disconnecting our 
minds. It's not like we're letting go 
and letting God. It's not like we're chanting 
some mantra to try and empty ourselves, but rather the means 
by which the believer is to seek and set is through the scripture. 
through prayer, through seeking after Jesus Christ, through those 
things that God has purposed as a means of grace for the good 
of His people. And I wanted to just make this 
comment with reference to this idea of mysticism. Mysticism, 
and we might even see it today manifested in an emotional ism, 
has more taproot in the religion of Baal than it does in the God 
of Israel. I'm not suggesting that the truth 
doesn't inflame our hearts. I'm not suggesting that the truth 
doesn't drive our passions for Jesus. What I am suggesting is 
this idea where we conjure up the right emotion, where we get 
the right things in place, where we go about certain means and 
certain things to sort of prime the pump, and then we're ripe 
for a visitation from God. That is far more consistent with 
Baalism. Remember on Mount Carmel with 
Elijah and those false prophets. What did the false prophets do 
to try and get Baal to respond? They cut themselves with knives 
and lances. They bled on themselves. They 
danced around the altar in an attempt to get Baal to reciprocate. Again, it's not wrong to want 
to be blessed by God. It's not wrong to have our passions 
inflamed by the truth of God. But there's something Baalistic 
about seeking to prime the pump in our own strength or by our 
own means in order to get the blessing from God Most High. 
Paul says that's not what you're supposed to do. He also condemns 
the idea of asceticism. That means as long as we don't 
taste things, we don't touch things, we don't have dealings 
with those things of this world, that somehow God will bless us. 
No, the command is far more simple than that. Seek those things 
which are above. How do you do that? You read 
your Bible. You pray. You attend church. You use the means. You take the 
sacrament, you fellowship with the saints, you gather together, 
you make Christ your all in all. That's the way we seek those 
things which are above. And then in verse two, set your 
mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Now, again, 
he's not saying don't have any dealings with the earth. Leave 
the earth, construct a spaceship and fly away from the earth. No, what he goes on to say are 
very earthy practical applications. Don't behave this way. Behave 
this way. Why submit to your husbands? 
Husbands, do not be bitter against your wives. Children, obey your 
parents. Fathers, do not exasperate your 
children. He's not suggesting that we somehow leave the earth. 
But what he is saying is that when we set our mind on things 
above, not on things on the earth, And then we're in the better 
position to live the way God has purposed in this world that 
He has called us to Himself in. So that's the command of verses 
1 and 2. Notice, secondly, the theological 
incentives given for obedience to this command. He speaks of 
the past, the present, and the future. He says, for you died. 
You died, he says, in verse 3. You died to that old manner of 
living. The old man is part of the old 
creation. Remember, you're a new man in 
Christ Jesus. The new man doesn't think about 
the things of the earth in the sense that he's obsessed with 
them, in the sense that he is riveted by them, in the sense 
that that is everything for him. His whole life is governed by 
what he senses, what he touches, what he feels, what he tastes. 
No, that is true of the old man. You died. You've died to that old system. You profess to be a believer. 
You profess to be a Christian. You profess to be in Him. You've 
died. What was once there is no longer 
there. What was once true of you should 
not be true any longer. But He not only stops at the 
past, He speaks of the present. Your life is hidden. with Christ in God. Currently, 
presently, right now, your life is hidden with Christ in God. In other words, you're in union 
with Him. When we're in union with Christ, where are our minds 
to go? When we're in union with Christ, 
should our minds go to the gutter? Should our minds go to the base 
sins condemned in verses 5 to 11? Should our minds gravitate 
to those things which are vile and wicked and ungodly? No. Your life is hidden with 
Christ in God. You see, that's an incentive. 
Because of that reality, because of the union with Christ that 
you currently possess and enjoy, it ought to be a no-brainer. You see, verses 1 and 2 are never 
to surprise anybody. Oh, you mean Paul wants us to 
seek those things which are above? What's his problem? What's his 
deal? What's he thinking about? He wants us to set our mind on 
Christ rather than on the things of the world. What is he talking 
about? No, it's evident. It's a no-brainer. It's similar 
to Paul's convention in Romans chapter 12. Therefore, beloved 
brethren, I beseech you by the mercies of God, I beseech you 
by the mercies of God that I just opened up for you in chapters 
1 to 11. I beseech you by the mercies 
of the God of Jesus, the God and Father of Jesus Christ, who 
has redeemed you, who has saved you, who has justified you by 
faith. He says you are no longer to live in that way. But rather 
you are to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. And then 
he says, this is your rational. This is your reasonable. This 
is your spiritual service. This is a no brainer. The same 
idea follows here. So the past, you died. The present, your life is hidden 
with Christ and God. Notice the future. Verse four. When Christ, who is our life, 
appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. I like Paul's 
idea of the end times better than some modern proponents of 
end time theology. End times studies, or we might 
just call it eschatology, wasn't designed so that we have a weekend 
seminar filled with charts and maps and newspapers and the sort 
of goings on in the world so that we can somehow piece together 
the puzzle of who the Antichrist is and whether he's alive and 
well. You see, for Paul and for John the Apostle, eschatology, 
or our understanding of what's going to happen in the future, 
ought to affect us presently in an ethical manner. When Christ, 
who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him 
in glory. Do not forget that reality. He 
is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Based on 
that future truth, set your mind on things above. Seek those things 
which are above. Focus upon the realities that 
are most important. John the Apostle puts it this 
way. He says, Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has 
not been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he 
is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as 
he is. And then he goes on to say, now, 
everyone who has this hope purifies himself, even as he is pure. You see, so Paul wants the believer. Paul wants you to seek those 
things which are above. He wants you to set your mind 
on things above. He has given incentive in verses 
3 and 4. The past, you die. The present, 
your life is hidden with Christ and God. And the future, when 
Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with 
Him in glory. It's a beautiful thing, isn't 
it? A believer always lives in light of the reality of Jesus. No matter what your situation, 
no matter what your challenge, no matter what your hardship, 
no matter what your difficulty, the command does not change. 
Seek those things which are above. Set your mind on things above. And I suspect that as we do that, 
As we adopt the apostles' mentality, as we by God's grace obey this 
command, we will start to see some things straighten out in 
our lives. So many of the problems connected 
to the church. So many of the problems connected 
to individual Christians. So many of the sins of 5 to 11. 
The lack of the virtues in 12 to 17. The lack of the submission 
in 318 to 411. The lack of prayerfulness, the 
lack of watchfulness, the lack of being the Christian that God 
has saved us to be is traced right back to this root. It's 
because our mind isn't where it ought to be. It's because 
our affections are not where they ought to be. It's because 
we're not seeking those things which are above. We're not smarter 
than God. We're not smarter than the Apostle 
Paul. You want to be a better wife? 
Obey verses 1 and 2. You want to be a better husband? 
Obey verses 1 and 2. You know, oftentimes the literature 
today suggests have a date night, man. Have a date night. It might 
help you. But you know what precedes that? 
Get your mind out of the gutter. Get your mind away from the garbage. 
Get your mind off of your belly aching and start focusing upon 
the things above. And just see if, perhaps, that 
some of the difficulties associated in your life are smoothed out. Yes, wives, there might be a 
book written on how you should be a good cook. I remember, I 
think it was from Housekeeping Magazine for Better Homes and 
Gardens, something like that, from the fifties. You know, make 
sure you Take time to get yourself spruced up before your man comes 
home. I don't know if it said man. It probably said husband. 
I'm just trying to make it sound even more chauvinistic. Make 
sure you spend some time to comb your hair to look nice. Your 
husband's been in the world dealing with ugly people. He wants to 
come home and see a lovely wife. Make sure the children are calmed 
down. He's been out in the world. He's 
had to deal with children all day. When he comes home, the 
children shouldn't be swinging from the light fixtures and running 
around spraying water on it. He wants to have a haven of rest. Make it happen. Make sure you've 
got dinner ready. This isn't Christian Christianity 
today. This was a secular housekeeping 
magazine in the 1950's. We've come a long way, baby, 
as they say. That's a hate manual today. What 
do you mean? He can get it himself. Make sure 
the dinner is delicious. Make sure you do the dishes afterward. 
This whole list of things. You know what Paul says? Get 
your mind out of the gutter. Get your mind off this world. 
Get your mind fixated upon Jesus. So that when your husband comes 
home, you have dealings with Christ and then this other stuff 
just falls into place. You see, we've missed the mark. 
We've tried to deal with the symptoms of the problem without 
going to the root of it the way Paul does. Your Christian conduct 
or lack thereof can be taken right back to orthodoxy. What 
do you believe? If you are believing consistently, 
if you are believing the truth, as Polycarp says, well, then 
your practice will follow. If the practice is there, we 
can reasonably conclude that the doctrine is in place. Let's look at the mortification 
of sin, verses 5 to 11. It's a vice list, a very common 
vice list in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul deals in two 
major categories here. The sins of the flesh, verse 
five. And then he gives reasons why 
we ought to avoid those. And then the sins of the tongue 
in verses eight and nine. And he gives reasons why we ought 
to avoid those. Not rocket science. It's pretty 
clear, pretty straightforward. It's pretty simple. Note first, 
the sins of the flesh. He says in verse 5, Therefore, 
put to death your members which are on the earth fornication. That comes up first. You've got 
to remember, ours isn't the first generation with sexual sin. Ours 
isn't the first generation with sexual immorality. Now, it's 
probably easier access today. Three quick clicks, or two, or 
one, or five, or however, can bring the most base and carnal 
things right into your living room. But it's not to say that 
there hasn't always been sexual sin. In fact, the Roman Empire, 
the Greek Empire prior to that, they were notoriously wicked, 
notoriously evil. Ours isn't the first generation 
with homosexuality. Ours isn't the first generation 
with these sins of the flesh. Paul says, for those who are 
in Christ, for those whose minds are where they ought to be, Put 
off fornication. Don't sin this way. Don't engage 
in that muck. Illicit sex. Activity outside 
of marriage. Unlawful sexual activity during 
marriage. Adultery is encompassed here. 
Paul often warned about this sin. 1 Corinthians 5, 1 Corinthians 
6, 1 Corinthians 7, 1 Corinthians 10. You see a pattern there in 
Corinth? Paul says, fee it. Free sexual 
immorality. You've been bought with a price. 
You've been redeemed by blood. Therefore, glorify God in your 
body. He deals with this sin here. 
He deals with this sin in Galatians 5. He deals with it in 1 Thessalonians 
4. For those of you who are struggling 
with finding God's will for your life, may I suggest 1 Thessalonians 
chapter 4 and verse 3. You ever met those people? I'm 
just really wondering what God's will is for my life. Now, I know 
what they mean. They mean, is God going to give 
me a husband? Is He going to give me a wife? 
Am I going to go on to college? Am I going to engage in post-grad 
studies? Am I going to be a minister? 
Am I going to be a plumber? Am I going to be a bookkeeper? 
I really want to know what God's will is for my life. One of the 
problems with that mentality, though, is we neglect what God 
really does say is His will for our lives. We're so busy trying 
to find out the secret things. We're so busy trying to find 
out those things that, you know, we just got to wait till we get 
there, that we neglect 1 Thessalonians 4.3. This is the will of God 
that you abstain from sexual immorality. That's it. I mean, there's other things 
the Bible says in terms of the will of God for you. You need 
to get that in your mind and in your heart. Notice Paul goes on, he says 
uncleanness. The term here is usually associated 
with sexual sin. He then mentions passion. The 
word indicates a driver force which does not result until it 
is satisfied. It's used with this connotation 
in Romans 1 26 and again in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. He then condemns evil 
desire. The word desire in and of itself 
isn't bad. He uses it in 1 Timothy chapter 
3 and verse 1. If any man desires the office 
of an overseer, this is a good thing. But here the word modifying 
desire is evil. More than likely, it has to do 
with sexual sin. Paul doesn't have a one-track 
mind. Paul isn't consumed with this sin alone. But Paul knows 
his audience. Paul knows the people to whom 
he is writing. And Paul is cautioning them against 
this truckless society that is marked by sexual sin. I've often supposed that if Paul 
fell out of heaven and he took the pulpit, he probably preached 
the same sermon in 21st century North America. There's nothing 
new under the sun. The availability, the accessibility, 
the carnality, the baseness, all that stuff may have taken 
on some technological dimension, but the 1st century Christian 
had his or her temptation as well. And so Paul is saying that 
your mind ought to be rooted on Christ. Your mind ought to 
be above, and you ought to disassociate with these vices that are characteristic 
of an unbelieving world. And then the final statement 
with reference to the sin of the flesh, he says in verse 5, 
and covetousness, which is idolatry. Now its association with other 
sexual terms there could mean sexual covetousness, Or it could 
be the broader category of garden variety, covetousness. But notice 
what he says with reference to covetousness. You take that tenth 
word, you shall not covet. That has broad implications. 
It's as if the Decalogue starts where it began. What's the first 
commandment? You shall have no other gods 
before me. Right? The Tenth Commandment says, you 
shall not covet. According to Paul here, and Paul 
in the book of Ephesians, covetousness is what? Idolatry. You see, the Decalogue has as 
two ends, book ends, or inclusios, or the end pieces of a loaf of 
bread. It is governed by that reality. You shall have no other gods 
before me. You shall not be an idolater. This is what Paul says 
is conduct associated with the world. This is not conduct associated 
with the believer, with the new man in Christ. When your mind 
is where it ought to be, when you're seeking those things which 
are above, you're not going to engage in these realities. You're 
not going to engage in these base practices. Rather, you will, 
by the grace of God, let your orthopraxy reflect your orthodoxy. Notice the reasons, very specifically, 
we won't get into opening these up in detail. Verses six and 
seven. He says, don't do these things, 
put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, 
uncleanness, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry. 
Verse six, because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon 
the sons of disobedience. Don't do that, that angers God. Don't engage in that which is 
going to bring down God's wrath. Don't do those things which are 
associated with the sons of disobedience. In other vice lists, he says, 
you will not enter the kingdom of God if you practice these 
things. And then he says that this is 
the characteristic of the unregenerate. Notice in verse 7. After saying 
upon these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons 
of disobedience in which you yourselves once walked when you 
lived in them." Again, that whole idea, this is old man conduct. This is old man characteristic. 
This is old man stuff. This is old man life. This is 
what used to typify you, but such is not the case anymore. 
We've gone through that portion of the vice verse, and you may, 
in your nobility, In your righteousness and in your ability, be congratulating 
yourselves. Well, you know, I don't look 
at internet pornography. I've never had homosexual thought, 
never engaged in fornication. I've never looked at those magazines. 
I'm doing quite well thus far in the vice list. He doesn't 
stop there. He deals with the sins of the 
tongue as well. I suspect that if by God's grace 
you've made it thus far, maintaining moral purity with reference to 
your sexuality. You have probably stumbled a 
few times along the way with reference to the tongue. Isn't 
it a sad reality? James says this little tiny pink 
thing between our lips is the cause of such chaos. A little rudder guides a massive 
ship. A bit and bridle restrain a horse. The tongue is an unruly evil 
that he says no man can tame. I often thought about that. Is he trying to discourage us 
in the attempt? Isn't that James's words in James 
3? He essentially says men can teach 
bears to dance. Men can open or have a crocodile 
or an alligator, I'm not sure which one, maybe both, open their 
jaws and put their heads in and not get bitten off. Why any man 
would want to train an alligator or a crocodile in such a fashion 
is beyond me. Imagine the learning curve on 
that one. James says we can do that. That's doable. You can hold out a ring. and 
make a lion jump through it. You can let dolphins eat fish 
right out of your hands. You can do all these things. 
I just read in the news recently, some child got bit by a pet piranha. Who teaches piranha as pets? 
Can't tame that one. But James' logic in James 3 is 
impeccable. Man can tame these beasts. But 
no one can tame the tongue. Is he saying that to cut out 
all attempts? No, I think he's saying it to 
cast us upon the lap of sovereign grace. You can't do it. You can't tame the tongue. You 
can't stop it. You need the Spirit. You need 
the Word. You need the Gospel. You need 
Jesus. You need the blood. You need 
power from on high that is alien to you. Paul says, when you set 
your mind on things above and you seek those things that are 
above, you are not to speak as an ungodly man or woman. Notice 
the specific sins. Verse 8, but now you yourselves 
are to put off all these, anger, wrath, malice. You say, well, 
you can't hear anger, wrath, and malice. Oh, yes, you can. I had cause to drive to Richmond 
on Tuesday. Unbeknownst to me, the Massey 
Tunnel only had one lane going into the city. That's not fun. And if you're 
like me that struggles with patience, it's a recipe for disaster. Especially 
as you're making the approach, you already see the red X up 
here in this lane. The bottleneck doesn't come for 
quite some time. But the red X is here. So a lot 
of people, I won't say all, a lot of people when they see that 
red X already make their venture. They already merge over. And 
then if you're sitting there with your green X, you're watching 
all those other people drive as far as they can down that 
red X lane. And you know in your heart of 
hearts that that's going to create a bottleneck. And it's going 
to create more time. You say, why don't they just 
put the end here? Well, then they do it back here. You start 
in Chilliwack just to try to get through the Massey Tunnel. 
Such is the nature of man. Now, you're sitting there stewing. 
You're sitting there looking at your watch. You're sitting 
there thinking, you know, don't these people know I have to be 
somewhere in an hour? There's a lot that goes into 
it before you finally shout, no, to the guy that's driving 
down the red X lane. Or you look at him and you scowl 
at him and you shake your head. He's doing this, by the way, 
he doesn't care. This is what Paul is saying. 
There are certain realities in the heart of man that precede 
the outburst of sinful anger. Notice, anger. Jesus says in 
Matthew 15, 18, "...but those things which proceed out of the 
mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man." Paul is consistent. He says, anger, mental excitement 
to which bitterness gives rise. Before you ever shout at those 
people, you've already been angry in your heart. Before you ever 
shout at your child, you've been angry in your heart. Before you 
shout at your husband or your wife, you've been angry in your 
heart. You see, these are the precursors. The shout is simply 
the opening up of the floodgate to let that garbage out. You 
see, Paul deals internally before he gets to the externals. He 
says in verse 8, now you yourselves are to put off all these. Anger. You got a problem with your tongue? 
Cut it off at the root. You got a problem with your choice 
of language? Cut it off at the root. It's 
easier to crush the serpent while it's in the egg, rather than 
when it's a full-grown snake that's coming after you. He says 
wrath. This is burning anger which flares 
up and burns with the intensity of a fire. This isn't righteous 
indignation. See, I'd like to be able to say 
while I'm sitting there, to borrow a pastor, Dr. Dale Ralph Davis-ism, 
that I'm just concerned for my neighbor behind me. I don't want 
him to be late. I don't want him to miss his 
appointment. I'm simply angry because it's 
a righteous indignation which manifests my love for those people 
behind me. I want to see them pass through 
the Massey Tunnel and make it to their appointment on time. 
This is not righteous indignation. This is unrighteous hostility. 
And then malice. It refers to the vicious nature 
which is bent on doing harm to others. God have mercy that that's 
still in us. God have mercy that Paul has 
to write Colossians 3. God have mercy that anger and 
wrath and malice are in the redeemed's heart. You see, the very fact that He's 
addressing these issues means they're realities. I don't believe 
we'll ever, on this side of heaven, get to the point where we have 
no anger, we have no wrath, we have no malice. The idea is that 
by the grace of God, we mortify sin. If by the Spirit, Romans 
8.13 says, you do mortify the deeds of the body, you will live. The idea is that the Christian 
man has been purchased, body and soul. He's been brought out 
of darkness into marvelous light. Regeneration has occurred. That 
radical revolution has occurred. That there is remaining corruption 
in the heart of man. And Paul speaks to that here. 
And the primary element, the primary offensive measure to 
take to destroy these things is where is your mind? You see, 
if you're focused on Christ, you're not raising your fist 
at the neighbor. You're focused on Christ. You're not screaming 
at the wife. You're focused on Christ. You're 
not disobedient to the master who's paying you. You see, you 
start to think the way you ought to think. You ought to do what 
Christ calls you to do. You ought to function in the 
manner that Christ function. You ought to be like him by the 
power of his spirit. You see, that's the dynamic that's 
in view here. So anger, wrath, malice precedes 
these things. And then the actual acts themselves. Blasphemy, filthy language out 
of your mouth. The blasphemy with reference 
to God we understand. I believe here the reference 
is to man and the idea is to slander. to slander. You see, you let that anger settle, 
you let that wrath settle, you let that malice settle, and it's 
a recipe for disaster. Because the issuing forth is 
not love, it's not charity, it's not psalms and hymns and spiritual 
songs, but because you let that stuff brew, what then flows is 
slander to your neighbor. That's what Paul said. Blasphemy. It indicates the attempt to belittle 
and cause someone to fall into disrepute or to receive a bad 
reputation. God have mercy on us. Cut it 
off. Destroy it. Put it to death. Deal radically with this sin. 
You know, we've been studying on Wednesday night. The Israelites 
were to go in and utterly dispossess the land of the Canaanites. They 
weren't supposed to let them stay alive. They weren't supposed 
to let them inhabit the land with them. They were to dispossess 
the land of the Canaanites in a very bloody manner. Paul's 
saying that ought to be the war in the heart of every redeemed 
Christian. Don't let these Canaanites stay 
in the land. Put off anger. Put off wrath. Put off malice. Don't let blasphemy 
or slander arise. He then says filthy language. 
This isn't just the F word. This isn't just the S word. This 
isn't just the bad words that you've been told you ought not 
to say. No corrupt speech flow from your mouth. But what is 
good for necessary edification? Whatever is contrary to necessary 
edification is filthy speech. Have you ever had that word? 
Maybe you're a little upset with your wife or your husband and 
they do something for you and you say, thank you. And then she or he responds, 
you're welcome. We're using the acceptable terms. We're using the agreed upon conventions. We're using the words we ought 
to use. But the heart is far from us. You say, well, I never used the 
F word. Yeah, you do. It's filthy speech 
if you say things in a spirit that betrays the words themselves. And then he says, lying to one 
another. Now, I don't think Paul means 
you can lie to people outside the church. As long as you're 
not lying to one another, you know, all bets are off. Lie to 
the pagan. Lie to the heathen. Lie to those people and take 
everything. No, he's speaking about context. He's speaking in the context 
of the local church here in verse 9. Do not lie to one another. 
Truth. Truth and uprightness of speech. Absolutely crucial. Turn back 
for just a moment to Proverbs chapter 6. Having driven to Richmond, 
I had the time, the blessed time, to spend listening to some Dr. 
Davis sermons. For those of you who do not know, 
he's my favorite living preacher. Somebody says, that's my favorite 
ice cream. It's my favorite candy bar. He's my favorite living 
preacher. He pointed out something in a sermon on Proverbs 6 that 
you probably have already recognized, but it was new to me. You know, 
we often go to that statement of verses 16 to 19, these six 
things the Lord hates. Yeah, seven, seven are an abomination 
to him. He says, a proud look, a lying 
tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked 
plans, feet that are swift and running to evil, a false witness 
who speaks lies and one is so is discord among brethren. Go 
back for just a moment in verses 12 to 15. A worthless person, 
a wicked man walks with a perverse mouth. He winks with his eyes. He shuffles his feet. He points 
with his fingers. Perversity is in his heart. He 
devises evil continually. He sows discord. Dr. Davis says is that this convention, 
these six things, Yahweh, eight, seven are an abomination to him. is really an idiom, really a 
means by which he stresses the awful nature of the seventh. Of course Jehovah hates a proud 
look. Of course he hates a lying tongue. Of course he hates hands that 
shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet 
that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks 
lies. He really hates one and sows 
discord among brethren. That's the connection in the 
context with verses 12 to 15. Perversity is in his heart, verse 
14. He devises evil continually. 
He sows discord. He's not a peacemaker. He's a peace breaker. He's not promoting health. He's 
promoting illness. He's not promoting tranquility. He's promoting chaos. You see, 
death and life are in the power of the tongue. The Apostle Paul 
says that if we seek those things which are above, if we set our 
mind on those things which are above, where Christ is at the 
right hand of the Father, we are to put to death the sins 
of the flesh, and we are to put to death the sins of the tongue. It is simply inexcusable. It is simply ungodly. It is simply 
unrighteous to sow discord. That's what Paul's getting at 
in this section. Do not put off all these anger, 
wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do 
not lie to one another. It's better to shut up. It's better to close the gate. Solomon says, even a fool is 
counted wise when he keeps his mouth shut. It doesn't matter 
that he's thinking about how many monkeys can fit into a barrel. 
It doesn't matter that he's thinking about whatever. He's sitting 
there thoughtful. He's thinking about whatever 
else. He's not involved in your meeting, but he looks wise because 
he's quiet. The best help with reference 
to verses 8 and 9? Just shut your mouth. If anyone 
among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his own tongue, 
this man's religion is useless, according to James 1. Pure and 
undefiled religion in the sight of God and the Father is this, 
to visit widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself 
unspotted from the world. all the while bridling the tongue, 
keeping the mouth shut. If you do not have something 
nice to say, I'm sure your parents all said this to you when you 
were little, don't say anything at all. It becomes destructive 
in families. It becomes destructive in churches. It becomes destructive I remember 
being a kid watching the Droopy cartoons. He was a dog that looked 
sad, and they called him Droopy. And there was one particular 
episode where he was supposed to, or someone was supposed to 
keep quiet around this big sleeping dog. So somebody else was smashing 
the hand of the cat, so he would make noise so the dog would wake 
up and the dog would get him. What would happen, the cat's 
hand, not a hand, the paw, would get smashed, and he would Run 
to the top of the hill and go, ahhh! So he could scream it out, 
not wake up the dog. The cat could teach us something 
about Christian ethics. Don't say it. You shut your mouth. Run to the top of the mountain 
and say, ahh! Don't say it at your brethren. 
Don't say it at your family. Don't say it in your workplace. 
Because you've died. Your life is hidden with Christ 
and God. Jesus is coming again. New man in Christ don't live 
that way. You see, that's Paul's point. 
Orthodoxy promotes orthopraxy with reference to the sins of 
the flesh and the sins of the tongue. His reasons for this 
statement concerning the tongue, verse nine, do not lie to one 
another. Why? Since you have put off the 
old man with his deeds. You see, the old man is characterized 
by anger, wrath, and malice. The old man is characterized 
by blasphemy. The old man is characterized 
by these sins of the tongue. But you have put off the old 
man with his deeds. You have put on the new man who 
is renewed in knowledge, according to the image of him who created 
him, where there is neither great nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, 
barbarian, Scythian, slave or free or nor free. But Christ 
is all and in all. Paul's points, according to Murray 
Harris. He says, Paul's point, 11a, is 
that the new humanity, just as old practices were abandoned, 
so too traditional distinctions are obliterated, whether they 
be racial, ceremonial, cultural, or social. When we are new men 
in Jesus Christ, we don't treat each other as Scythians, who 
are barbarians, by the way. We don't treat each other as 
black or white. We don't treat each other as 
male and female. He's not speaking about role distinctions and ethnicity 
that is true in the world. You can't get rid of that. What he is saying that is in 
the church of Jesus Christ, the slave set free by Jesus can be 
freed by his human master to go and preach the gospel as a 
brother in Christ. Not only those social distinctions, 
but the ethical things. The new man in Christ does not 
conduct himself in this way. Now you say, Pastor Butler, I've 
got some issues and I have sinned. Then repent. Believe on the Lord 
Jesus. Go back to the blood. I'm not 
suggesting that no Christian ever does these things. I've 
admitted it. At least one Christian you're looking at has done this 
thing last Tuesday. Getting angry, you shout it. 
You know what happened when I did that? The tunnel opened up and 
I just soared right through. It doesn't do any good. That's 
it? Just get y'all worked up. This is Jesus' point in Matthew 
6. Don't worry. Don't worry. Don't 
worry. Don't worry. How has worrying 
helped your life? You added cubits to your span? 
You live another 10 years because you worry? Don't do that. I'm 
not suggesting Christians never do these things. The example 
of King David in our Bible. The example of the Apostle Peter 
denying his Lord. We've got several examples in 
the scripture, but what I am saying is the Christian, when 
he does sin, seeks blood. When the Christian does sin, 
he goes to the cross. When the Christian does sin, 
he seeks forgiveness. connection between orthodoxy, 
what we believe, and orthopraxy, how we live. We are to put to 
death, we are to put off those things that are contrary to our 
position as new men and women in the Lord Jesus Christ. So if we take Pauli Karp's words, 
and I think he accurately reflects the Scripture, and we see a life 
given to these sorts of things. We see a life steeped in the 
sins of the flesh. We see a life steeped in the 
sins of the tongue, a life wherein one does not repair to the blood, 
wherein one does not go to that fountain that is open for sin 
and uncleanness. What must we conclude at the 
end of the day? We must conclude that their orthopraxy 
is the way it is because they have no orthodoxy. They have 
not believed the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Suppose 
you had a man that was a window washer. This man didn't just 
wash windows in homes in Chilliwack, but he went to Vancouver. He 
braved that tunnel every day or those bridges every day. And 
he worked on the high rises. You've seen those guys before? 
They're on those scaffolds hanging from the top of a building. I 
mean, it's just amazing. Suppose his son wants to be a 
window washer someday, just like his old dad. Lo and behold, he's 
18. He goes out on his first apprenticeship, 
and he's paralyzed with fear. He's afraid of heights. He can't 
even look down, let alone hang there and wash windows the way 
Daddy does. You see, it's not in his nature. 
Now maybe several years, several thousands of dollars, a professional 
might be able to help him inch a little closer to the edge of 
that scaffold His feet don't tingle when he starts to look 
down. So perhaps there could be help with him. But don't make 
the mistake of saying, I need to beat my sexual sin. I need 
to beat these sins of the tongues by behavior modification. You need a new nature. You need 
regeneration. This is why Jesus said, you must 
be born again. You see, Nicodemus' entrance 
into the kingdom of God isn't simply altering your life a little 
bit. It's not simply just sprinkling 
a little reform in there. It's not just concluding, I ought 
not to look at that Internet site anymore, or I ought not 
to yell at people on the freeway anymore. Your nature needs to 
be changed. You must be born again if your 
conduct, if your lifestyle, If it is true of you, these things 
are reigning and not just remaining. And there is no repair to the 
fount that is open for sin and uncleanness. There is no casting 
oneself upon the mercy of God and Christ. There is no belief 
in the Savior. There is no repentance from sin. 
The problem isn't that you just need to align your conduct up 
a little better. The problem is you need to believe 
the Gospel. You need to look to Jesus and 
be saved. You need to look and live the 
way He describes in John 3. As Moses lifted the serpent out 
in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man also be lifted up. What's the implication? All those 
looking to the Son will live. We need to make sure we're not 
just dealing with behavior modification. This is Christianity. What we 
believe precedes how we act. And for the Christian, if you 
are dealing, struggling with these particular sins, praise 
God, it's a struggle. Praise God, it's a fight. You 
see, the heathen, the pagan, the unbeliever doesn't struggle. I want to clean up a few things 
for appearance sake. They might have some consciousness 
or some semblance of, well, maybe God won't be as mad at me if 
I don't do these things. But Christians struggling. Christians 
fighting. This is martial language and 
this depicts the biblical reality. What does Paul say in Romans 
8? I've already cited it. If by the Spirit you do talk 
nicely to the deeds of the body and ask them to leave. If by 
the Spirit you Make peace treaties with them to try and coax them 
to the door if by the Spirit you do mortify the deeds of the 
body. You fight. You struggle. You labor. You deal. You cut off hands. You gouge 
out eyes. But never take your eyes off 
the Savior. That's Paul's point. Verses 1 and 2. foundation for 
Christian conduct. If then you were raised with 
Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting 
at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, 
not on things of the earth. You don't know this Christ. He 
is there enthroned on high. The Bible says everyone who believes 
in him will have everlasting life. blessed, beautiful promise 
given from God Most High. All those who come to Me, I will 
certainly not cast out. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
Your Word. We thank You for the Apostle and the good instruction 
that he gives to the churches. We just pray that You would help 
us to receive these things. Caution us against the mindset 
of thinking these are good words or a good passage for just about 
everyone else that we know. But God, may we take these things 
to heart in our own life, in our own practice, and help us 
to truly focus upon the Lord Jesus Christ, to believe the 
truth of the Scripture, to believe what the Bible says concerning 
Jesus. And for any and all who are here 
that do not know you, we pray that you'd open their minds and 
their hearts to receive the truth of God by the power of your Spirit, 
that they may pass from death unto life. And we pray through 
Christ the Lord,