(Audio/Video/Text)
Title: Put on/Put off Part Six: Bitterness to Love
Intro:
Why does good teaching, particularly good difficult teaching, usually have a summary at the end of it?
Similarly, today we reach the apex and the final of the six changes that Paul outlines in which we transform as believers putting the old man off and the new man on. Unlike the previous five lessons we’ve focused on to this point, today we are going to look at not just one verse or word, and rather look at the way Paul summarizes his teaching over four verses.
And unlike the previous lessons where we drilled down and focused on one or two concepts, today is more of broad stroke lesson in which Paul both summarizes and encourages us over a variety of topics. He paints a broad picture here for us to follow. Let’s dive in.
(read/pray)
- Put it ALL away
Paul says in verse 31: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”
“Clamor” may be the word here that is a bit unfamiliar, it simply means “harsh words” or “slander.”
The rest of this instruction falls in line with everything we’ve already studied in this passage thus far, and the word I want to focus in on here is “all.”
Note that Paul does not say, “Let SOME of these things be put away” or even “Let MOST of these things be put away” but rather “all”
This leads us to a really important theological reminder: Holiness is total. Holiness is complete. Holiness is 100% pure without ANY defect. The Holiness that God calls us to is God’s holiness, not the world’s. Now, how can we do that?
(take answers)
My answer: We can’t.
What CAN we do, STRIVE for holiness, trusting the grace of Christ to cover what we cannot do, filling in the gaps in our inadequacies, and act in grace towards both ourselves and others when we fall short.
So let me put this in practical terms; Let’s say five years ago you became a Christian, and you’ve made great strides in the areas of bitterness, anger, and wrath, but you’ve made little strides, and little effort, in the area of gossip and slander. And furthermore, you don’t see it as that big of deal anyway. You are, apathetic in your approach to sanctify yourselves in regard to this sin. By virtue of Paul’s words here, you are falling short of the command.
Now let’s say you struggle, and strive against ALL of these things, but your really struggle, you really give effort, you do not ignore any of your deficiencies, you do not rationalize why certain sins aren’t really sins for you, you just say, “I’m not there, I’m trying, and I’m often failing, but fighting like crazy…”
Let me put it this way: The mark of real Christian is not how much they sin or don’t sin, it’s what they do AFTER they sin, how they REACT to their sin.
2. Live in Grace towards others as Christ lived in Grace toward you.
What does it mean when Paul says to be “tenderhearted” in the manner of how you forgive others?
What does it NOT mean?
Bullet point this question for me: What are the ways in which Christ forgave us?
-our nature
-our secrets
-our sins that others said weren’t sins
-our sins even we didn’t know about
-our sins of ignorance and our sins of innocence
-sacrificially (it cost Christ something to forgive us)
-with utter patience
-others?
Is this not Matthew 7:1 precisely?
Do we have any right to withhold ANY of these characteristics from others? But we do! Even with other Christians…how?
3. Imitate, and in so doing, become a living sacrifice
(read v.1,2)
Be like your father.
-Story of conversation with Silas discussing basketball players, “Silas if any professional athlete is your hero, I’ve failed you.”
It is impossible to “be like Jesus” without sacrifice.
Have you ever asked yourself…what does being a Christian REALLY cost me? Would anyone care to answer this? I don’t think we discuss this enough, and Dan touched on this concept Monday night and I want to close with this discussion.
Pray and Q&A