Pastor Jim’s Blog

Put Off the Old (Part 1)

Put off the old and put on the new
(Part 1)

Col 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Col 3:6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
Col 3:7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
Col 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Col 3:9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
Col 3:10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Our lives should reflect our submission to Christ.

Put off (vs. 1-4): set your sights on the reality of Heaven; think on the things of God, not the things of this world.

Verse two says to set your mind on things above.  Much like a compass points north, we are to “set” or fix our minds on things above- heavenly things in the spiritual realm.  This is contrary to our pluralistic society where there are not rights or wrongs.  We must come out from the world and fix our compasses on the heavenly. 

Sinful earthly things lurking within you:

1. sexual sin- anything sexual outside of marriage; this sin is tearing apart our society today.  From child rape, incest, bestiality, to homosexuality- these sins tear at the very fiber of our society today
2. impurity- sexual deviances; this includes anything that causes our minds to drift away from the pure things of God’s Word (Phil 4:8)
3. lust- selfish fulfillment with no regard for others; this is seeking after pleasures and desires are purely selfish in nature
4. shameful desires- wicked sexual desires; these are the unmentionable desires which cross the line of purity and delve into the wicked
5. greed/idolatry- worship of self or material items; this includes anything which replaces our worship and admiration of the Lord

These things are contrary to the word of God and destructive to the lives of Believers.  The fact that these things are mentioned in this text means that believers can and will sin in their new walk with Christ.  The good news though, is that we don’t have to.  We can consciously choose not too.  These things are not to be an active part of a believer’s life.

Where are you at today?  Are you bogged down with the circumstances of life, going from trial to trial, tossed to and fro?  Or are you striving through each battle coming out stronger and stronger because you are being exercised each time by God’s Word.  Colossians 3 and 4, offer us vital clues as how to live as believers today.  We are to put-off our old nature and the sins associated with it, and put-on the new nature of Christ and all that comes with it.  He empowers us to live a Holy, separated, consecrated life unto Him! 

What Are You Thinking?

Have you ever wondered why we do the things that we do sometimes, individually?  I mean to say, what exactly is our motivation?  Like, what were people thinking when they came up with phrases that make no sense.  I mean, who came up with the fact that we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway?  These things go through my mind and really make me wonder what people are thinking sometimes.  More importantly though, what am I/are you thinking about?  In Phil 4:8 we are given a list of things we are to think about.  I call this list my THJ PLG Filter.  Here’s a breakdown:

True/Honest- Honorable/Reputable- These words literally mean true to fact, conforming to reality, honorable; purveyors of truth. 

Just- Righteous- This is a state of being right or of right conduct; this means something is judged whether by the divine standard, or according to human standards, of what is right. 

Pure/Lovely- Pure is what is Godly/acceptable; Pure from defilement, not contaminated.  Morally clean and undefiled.  Lovely is pleasing, agreeable, lovely- to love. 

Of Good Report- Commendable/Laudable- This means uttering words or sounds of good omen.  Those things that are of a good reputation; That which is highly regarded or thought well of.  This refers to that which is generally considered reputable in the world, such as kindness, courtesy, and respect for others. 

Thus, in this brief verse, we see how we can commit ourselves to thinking on the things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 
St. John Chrysostom (way back in the fourth century) said “If only ten among us be righteous, the ten will become twenty, the twenty fifty, the fifty a hundred, the hundred a thousand, and the thousand will become the entire city. As when ten lamps are kindled, a whole house may easily be filled with light; so it is with the progress of spiritual things. If but ten among us lead a holy life, we shall kindle a fire which shall light up the entire city.

Where are you at today?  Are you committed to a life of purity of thought?  Are you committed to a life of Righteous, Holy living?  Give yourself completely to the Lord and pledge to live a life pleasing to the Lord- denying the flesh and living for Jesus.  Want you say like Paul does in 1 Cor 9:27, “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
And then in Phil 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Give up your way for His and live a life which brings glory and honor unto Christ, our Great and mighty redeemer.  Commit today to thinking that is excellent and worthy of praise.

Discernment

Discernment:  Are You For Real?

Gal 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Gal 6:4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.
Gal 6:5 For each will have to bear his own load.

Discerning right from wrong is a key concept every believer needs a firm grasp on.  In Gal 6_3-5, we see several things that can help us in determining this.  First we need to look at ourselves honestly and consider how we view ourselves.  Do you have a high or low view of yourself?  We need a biblical view of who we are in Christ- a sinner saved by grace!  Next we need to examine our walk with Christ.  Is there blatant sin present in our lives or are we “walking the walk” and “talking the talk”.  Lastly, we need to realize the cost of both obedience and disobedience.  If we make bad decisions, we will face the consequences of those actions.  So what’s the answer?  Invest wisely in your spiritual walk with Christ, for you will give account.

Questions: 

1) Do you have a “high” view of yourself or a low one?

2) Is this view an accurate reflection of who you really are?

3) What are some areas in your life that don’t match up to your faith (Be honest!!!)?

4) What does it mean to bear your own load?

5) How have you had to “bear your own load” before (consequences of a bad decision)?

Individual Prayer

What’s up?  Thought I would give everyone a resource I’ve used for prayer.  It’s not to be used as a “YOU MUST DO IT THIS WAY OR GOD CAN"T HEAR YOU!!!” type thing, but an outline to help you in your discovery of God through prayer.  Check it out!!!
Individual Prayer

Individual prayer is to be personal and private.  It is to be a time when you lift your prayer requests up to a Holy and Perfect God.  It can be planned or spontaneous but it is to be constant.  It should demonstrate a complete and utter dependence upon our God and maker.  An easy acrostic for prayer to help us stay on track and not get distracted is A.C.T.S.  This stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.  It is based on the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostle Paul’s teaching (Matt 6:9-13, Phil 4:6) and is one I often use.  Let us break these down individually and discuss their meaning. 

Adoration- We should approach a holy and just God with a heart of utter devotion and praise for His awesome power (Matt 6: 9).  Consider this:  He alone created the Heavens and the Earth (Gen 1:1) and He alone is worthy to be praised Matt 6:13).  Do we flippantly approach Him as the “man upstairs” or as the Holy God of everything that ever was and everything that ever will be?  We must approach Him in awe of who He truly is: the God of everything!

Confession- We should acknowledge our sin and our utter dependence upon God for the forgiveness of our sin (Matt 6:12).  Sin and its penalty can no longer bind us.  We have been forgiven of our sin- past, present and future.  Christ died and rose again to free us from the penalty of our sin and we should never lose sight of the price that was paid for us.

Thanksgiving- We should thank Him for His wonderful provision and care He has shown for our lives (Phil 4:6).  We can thank Him for the things He has shown us (wisdom and growth), the things He has blessed us with (Salvation, a family, friends), and the things He has provided us with (a house, car, job).  We must realize our utter dependence upon Him for everything we have in this life and thank Him accordingly.

Supplication- We should ask Him for the things we need in life and the things we would like to have for His honor and glory (Matt 6: 11; Phil 4:6).  God not only provided a means for our sin to be forgiven but also opened up a way for us to have a personal and intimate relationship with Him through prayer.  He tells us to ask Him for provision and resources and He will give them to us to prove what an awesome and righteous God He truly is.  He provides for us and takes care of us.  We can approach a Righteous and Holy God who created the Universe and everything in it and make our requests known unto Him.  That is truly awesome in nature!

The Rich Young Ruler

The Rich Young Ruler

(This is a summary of the sermon given on 30 Mar, 2008, with some follow up questions for study)

Mat 19:16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
Mat 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Mat 19:22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Have you ever wished you had it all?  I don’t mean everything, but everything you want.  Like cars, houses, season tickets to your favorite team’s games (NC State or Tarheels?).  Well this young guy did, yet he sought something else.  Money had gotten him everything physically, but spiritually he was needy.  Yet when Jesus told him what he really needed he went away said.  Why?  Because what Jesus was asking him to do wasn’t give away all his physical possessions, but give away his freedom to control his own destiny.  HE was asking him to give up control of his own life and give that control to Christ.  The rich young ruler could give up control and follow Christ or stay in control and perish.  Said to say, he chose to perish.  Why would he make such a choice?  Because his god was money, possessions, and things.  He was not willing to lose all that and trust God for his future.  Where are you today?  Do you want to stay in control and do things in your own strength?  This will only lead to destruction.  Christ gives you a choice to follow Him and trust His ways- His way is so much better than our ways (Matt 11:28-30).  Take that invitation and follow Him- you will not be sorry you did- but you will be if you don’t!  God blesses,
Pastor Jim

1) What do you think the rich young man was really looking for from Christ?

2) How was he trying to earn favor with God?

3) What problem did the rich young man have with Christ’s teaching?

4) Why is it so difficult for sinners to come to Christ?

5) What must we give up to follow Christ?