Text: Colossians 3:5-11

Theme: The sins of the old man are supposed to be forsaken, and the new life in Christ embraced.

Intro:

  1. The first 4 verses of this chapter were an exhortation to set our focus on the things which are above, on things of eternal value rather than on the temporal.
  2. In the pursuit of those things above the Apostle give us some instruction regarding things which will get in the way of our pursuit of Christ and eternal things. Now Paul is going to give us some instruction regarding things that must be forsaken to enable us to set our whole heart and focus on the eternal.
  3. We will look at the instruction given here under three headings:
    a. Mortify Your Flesh – Vs 5-7
    b. Put Off the Old Man – Vs 8-9
    c. Put On the New Man – Vs 10-11

I. Mortify Your Flesh (Vs 5-7)

  1. Our passage opens with this command to mortify our members on the earth.
    – To mortify something is “to subdue it or make it dead”
    – The word ‘members’ refers to “limbs, or a part of the body.”
    – As the passage develops the ideas it becomes evident that it isn’t the physical limbs of the body that need to be subdued, but rather the passions and lusts of the body, with all its sinful desires.
  2. These members, or sinful passions, are portrayed by several terms.
    a. Fornication
    b. Uncleanness
    c. Inordinate affection
    d. Evil Concupiscence
    e. Covetousness / idolatry
  3. These are the sins of our past that characterized our life before we were saved.
    – The phrase “ye also walked some time” means, in days gone by you were occupied in these same sins.
    – Before you came to Christ, you were in bondage to sin and sin is what dominated your life. But now you are washed and set free from sin, and your life should be different now.

II. Put Off the Old Man (Vs 8-9)

  1. There are another 6 sins we are commanded to put off.
    a. Anger & Wrath
    b. Malice
    c. Blasphemy
    d. Filthy Communication
    e. Lying
  2. The reason for putting off sin (Vs 9b)
    – For the Christian, we have fully done away with the old man so that we can be new creatures in Christ.
    – The sins of the self-life are the sins of the past, and we are now wholly dedicated to serving Christ.

III. Put On the New Man (Vs 10-11)

  1. The description of the new man (Vs 10)
    – To put on the new man is to take it as our pattern for life, to wear it like a garment that represents who we are.
  2. The new man is created in righteousness and true holiness
    – Ephesians 4:24 “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
    – The new man is created to be fit for a new home. We have been made holy and righteous in Christ and are now fit for heaven.
  3. Since the new man is made in the likeness of Christ, it doesn’t matter what you look like here because we’re alike in Christ.
    – In Christ, there are no racial distinctions or levels of social status.
  4. The conclusion is that none of it is about you anyway. It is all about Christ. He is all, and in all.

Conclusion:

  1. The old man, with his sinful lifestyle and wicked habits, is finished. We have been commanded to cast him off like someone would throw away an old garment that was full of holes.
  2. We need to put on the new man with all his good habits and with Christlikeness. We need Christ to fill all our vision, after all, it’s all about Him anyway.
  3. Don’t look down on your brothers and sisters in Christ, because we are all equal in Christ, and when you start to feel like you’re better off than someone else, just remember all that you are is because of Christ. He made you who you are and gave you all you have.