Mon 6.1 - undressing

Today’s Readings: Colossians 3.7-9; Ephesians 4.17-32

Yesterday was a huge day of the year for Christians. It is the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord from the dead! What a great time we had in our gatherings yesterday. I believe many people were able to clearly hear a presentation of the Gospel and respond and THAT is bringing great GLORY to our RESURRECTED Lord.

In Sunday school we talked about how fitting it is this study in Colossians to fall during Easter. As we have been talking about MORTIFYING OUR FLESH, we were able to see how CHRIST LITERALLY MORTIFIED HIS FLESH on the cross. By looking at His example of dying, we are able to more fully understand Paul’s words in I Cor 15.31 where he says “I die daily.”

Now, as Sunday has come and gone and we have all been reminded of the GLORIOUS TRUTH of the RESURRECTION of Christ…and we have seen from last weeks devotions how He left us the example for MORTIFYING… let me draw your attention to another verse from our passage today…look back at Colossians 3.1, remind yourself of what this verse teaches is true about the believer, where there ARE currently wit Christ. The verse says we are RISEN WITH HIM. Risen where? When? How? The answer to all of those questions is in what we have just celebrated. We are risen to HEAVENLY places WITH Him, right now as we speak. So, now that we have that nailed down, the whole next progression of Colossians is to develop what should be different about our lives because of that truth.

We have talked about the things we spend our lives chasing after (seeking).We have talked about the things we spend our lives loving, and having a passion for (setting our affection).

We have talked about the need to kill the members (bodies) that we have on this earth to keep from seeking the things of this earth (mortify).

Today, let’s remind ourselves that if we are truly born again…truly risen…truly a child of God, there are things that should be different! We talked about the illustration yesterday in Sunday School about a McDonald’s employee coming to work dressed as a Chick-fil-a employee…how crazy would that be? You would probably lose your job pretty quickly. However, while we would all agree that showing up for work dressed like one of their greatest competitors would be a huge slap in the face to your company…so is living life as a Christian but being DRESSED in a lifestyle that is according to the OLD MAN who was crucified with Christ that the NEW MAN may live with Him…now…in heaven…resurrected.

Paul says we used to LIVE IN OUR MEMBERS ON THIS EARTH (Colossians 3.7) and when we did, we obeyed them, we were slaved to them…but now that we have that SAME POWER that raised Christ from the dead, RAISING US to be with Him, we also have the SAME POWER to mortify, or kill those, members(bodies) on the earth! As we move into this next thought from Colossians, we see God say to PUT OFF the things of those members. In Colossians 3.8-9 he gives a whole list of things that CHARACTERIZED those members we used to live according to. Look at those things…those are the kinds of things that come when we completely yield to the MEMBERS on the earth – those are some of the THIGNS OF EARTH we no longer live unto.Once that body is MORTIFIED, it is just dead weight. It’s like a huge, heavy, winter coat in the middle of the summer. It’s just hot, heavy, stinky, and limits how freely you can move around. So, why let it remain over you…just PUT IT OFF! That’s what Paul’s saying…once it’s dead, it’s just dead weight, so put it off (UNDRESS FROM THE FLESHY NATURE YOU USED TO LIVE UNTO) and now, live unto God!

Tue 5.2 – DOGPILE!

Today’s Readings: Colossians 2.20, 3.3-4,7; Romans 6.2, 7, 11; Galatians 2.20, 5.24; I Peter 2.24

It’s the bottom of the 9^th, your team is up by 3, there are 2 outs and the count is 0-2. Last pitch. Swing and a miss. YOU WIN! Then you hear those dreaded words “DOG-PILE!” and before you know it, you’re buried underneath a mound of sweaty, stinky, ball players.

Well, there is some spiritual truth to this idea that I want you to see. Sunday morning, during the 8.15 service, I was talking to the congregation about many of the same principals that we have been talking about here on the devotions. I received an encouraging e-mail the next morning from one of our members. Through our exchange, a very important truth was brought to life and I want to make sure we do not go on without making it clear for you all.

In the list of verses above, you will find some critical teachings about the death of our flesh. Now, obviously it is not literally dead because you and I are still breathing. However, because of the working and power of Christ, it’s ways and methods are. Don’t forget the truth of Romans 8 when we learned about the DEATH SENTENCE that is already passed on our BODY. What tends to happen in our lives is that after salvation we receive (via the new man) the right DESIRES and WAYS that can rule our lives. Then as time goes on, we allow little bits of that old BODY to creep in, and before you know it we still have that NEW man inside to give us the VICTORY in CHRIST, but he is buried under a DOGPILE of sinful lusts, pride, and so many more.

Students, I cannot express strongly enough to you what YOU ALREADY HAVE IN JESUS CHRIST if you are a born again believer. HE is the one who GIVES US THE VICTORY (I Corinthains 15.57). Do NOT miss that! Our victory over this fleshy state is going to be THROUGH CHRIST JESUS and no other means. The only way for us to mortify, the only way for us to LIVE life as DEAD people, is to allow CHRIST to be our VICTORY over sin and flesh.

Never lose sight of Galatians 5.17 – There will ALWAYS be a battle between the FLESH and the SPIRIT. They are fierce enemies at the very best, and if we think for one second that they can co-exist, we are sadly mistaken. Do not allow yourself to enter this war with your MIND. Do not yield to the CARNAL or FLESHY mentality that the world floods you with. Remember I Corinthians 2.16, we HAVE, currently, the MIND of CHRIST.

My prayer for you today is that you would realize your identity in Him. I pray the MIND of Christ would have freedom in your life to rule and to reign over you. I pray the DOGPILE of the worldly, earthly, fleshy things would cover the Spiritual things. Rather, I pray that TODAY as you spend time with God in prayer and opening the doors of your heart to the VOICE of God through His Word, that you would say with Paul, “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us!”

4.1 – Dead men can’t jump

Today’s Readings: Col 3.1-4, I Pet 2.24, Rom 6

What a terrific week! I hope and pray that everyone has been enjoying these studies as much as I have! I am excited about the new opportunities we have with the new schedule on Wednesday’s at the Fridge. It has been great to see some of you grasping this concept from the DIRECTIONS study! This is honestly a KEY TRUTH to the Christian life if we will only grasp a hold of it.

Today, I just want to share one simple truth to start us off. As we continue through these verses in Col 3, preparing for our study on Wednesday night, you’ll notice that Paul says we are DEAD! Wow. How is that? Because the last time I checked I was still breathing, thinking, and doing all the stuff folks who are alive do…so how am I dead? The Scripture is talking about something more than our physical existence.

Do you remember when we first started this series and we talked about our IDENTITY in Christ. How we EXCHANGED LIFE with Him when we were saved? That is exactly what this passage is talking about. Finish verse 3, you are dead – sure, but your LIFE (currently) is HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD. There you have it. You still have life. However, the life you now live, is to be lived by the operation of Christ, not yourself! If we ARE RISEN then we ARE DEAD because we exchanged our sinful life for Christ’s righteous one, and in the process we were applied to that payment from the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord.

Check out Romans 6, Paul goes into details about how this relationship works. He gives some keys to getting this down in our minds…answer these questions and see how we are to live like dead men everyday of our lives:

• If we are dead to sin, what should we not live in? (v3)
• What do we need to KNOW to live this life correctly? (v6)
• What are we to reckon (or make an accounting of) in our lives? (v11)
• Why is the word “yield” important in verses 12-13 &16, what does it apply about our role in the process of living for Christ?

Spend some time asking God today to help you KNOW the things you should about who you are in Him and what that means. Then pray about how to RECKON or realize that truth in your life toady. And lastly, because of those two things, what do you need to be YIELDING your life to today???