Colossians 3:5-14 Jesus arrives at the scene and is met by Lazarus’ sister Martha – who says Lord if you would have Take Off the Grave Clothes been here –my brother would not have died! A)Lord where were you? You let us down – Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, B)Jesus and Martha have a short discussion evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. about the afterlife and Jesus makes his 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is Monumental statement John 11:25-26 "I am the 7 coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, you yourselves once walked when you lived in though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever them. lives and believes in Me shall never die! 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy C)What Jesus does next blows everyone’s mind: 9 language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one Jesus said, "Take away the stone." another, since you have put off the old man with 10 his deeds, and have put on the new man who is Martha protested, "Lord, by this time there is a renewed in knowledge according to the image of stench, for he has been dead four days." 11 Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, E) Jesus looked at that tomb – Cried – Lazarus barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is come forth all and in all. 1) Out walked what looked like a mummy 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, Then Jesus said to those who were nearby – 13 humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing LOOSE HIM – In other words take off those with one another, and forgiving one another, if smelly grave clothes anyone has a complaint against another; even as A)They would Start at the head – now what if 14 Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But Lazarus protested – wait a minute Jesus, I have above all these things put on love, which is the grown accustomed to these clothes – I am bond of perfection. comfortable in these garments There is a saying you have probably heard it – B) Jesus would say: But Lazarus – those are CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN! grave clothes & you are no longer dead ! A)Well Spiritually speaking – Paul the apostle 1) Lazarus – But I like them – I am used to them – would agree with that statement! they are a part of me B)Go back with me in your minds eye 2,000 yrs C) Jesus – But they Stink – they are unpleasant – ago to a tiny village outside of the city of they are repulsive Jerusalem in Israel- scene recorded in John 1) Take them off and put on these new clothes chapter 11 C)The Village is called Bethany – Rocky desert If Lazarus were to react that way over his graves scene – outside the Village – a group of people clothes – we would think that he was nuts – had standing in front of a cave – tomb - mourning some screws lose – A) Because we know that a LIVE MAN – doesn’t D)Reason: A good friend of Jesus, a man named cruise around in DEAD MAN’S CLOTHES Lazarus died four days earlier. 1)His dead body has been wrapped up like a B)Jesus is really good at bringing Dead things to mummy, and placed in an archaic tomb that was life! – People – Marriages – Relationships really a cave C)And that is exactly what Paul has been E)A LARGE STONE PLACED OVER THE wanting us to see here in the book of Colossians - OPENING! 1)You were dead in your sin – Separated from God Jesus has made you Alive – You have been raised So How do we be who we are in Christ and not with Him – United to him in His Resurrection – who we are in the Flesh? Delivered from Darkness! A)You kill things! - Therefore put to death your A)Noted last week – Since you have been raised – members which are on the earth: seek those things which are above not the things that are on the earth! B)KJV –Mortify your members – Mortify – Video game – Put to death – the idea is this is B)New perspective – New mindset that leads to strong reaction. There is a finality to it! New Pursuits C)Notice this first list of sins all have to do with C)As we continue here in Chapter 3 Paul says – sexual immorality! Not just a New mindset 1)You need new Clothes – Get rid of the GRAVE fornication, (Sex outside of marriage) CLOTHES – YOU ARE NOT DEAD ANYMORE! uncleanness, (perverted and kinky forms of sex) D)BIG IDEA: Be who you are in Christ – not passion, (erotic lust –associated with visual who you were in the Flesh! stimulation i.e. porn and movies) How do you do that? – Paul reveals how here in Evil desire is closely associated with lust – it is our text a mental uncleanness. A)THERE IS A Positive and a Negative ASPECT TO IT! D)It is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he said “If a man looks after a woman to lust after her in B)Some people really have a problem with his heart (meaning if he mentally plays over the Pastors being negative in Church – I want a picture of having sex with her in his mind) he has message that makes me feel good about myself. already committed adultery in his heart. 1)So forget about all those negative warnings in the Bible I know some people would ARGUE–hey what C)But the negative warnings and commands does it hurt to fantasize, that doesn’t do any one grow out of the positive truths of Christian any harm” Oh but you see it does, doctrine. A)Because sin is conceived where? In our hearts, 1)Colossians 1:28 “Him we preach, warning evil thoughts turn into evil desires which turn every man and teaching every man in all into evil deeds. wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” James 1:13-15 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be D)WARNINGS ARE NECESSARY! tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.14 But each one is tempted when he is No amount of positive talk about health will cure drawn away by his own desires and enticed.15 a ruptured appendix. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to A)The doctor will have to “get negative” and sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth take out the appendix. death. B)No amount of lecturing on beauty will produce B)James reveals that there is a progressive a weed free garden. natural desire to lust! 1)The gardener has to pull weeds! 1)Feed it – and it grows - C)The desire to experience – sexual pleasure is C)The positive and the negative go together, and natural and God given one without the other leads to imbalance. 1) AND Satan tempts us through natural desires – Puts an image before you or a thought in your mind D)If you dwell on that image or thought – A)What is interesting to me about that idea – is conception occurs in your mind – in the Book of Song of Solomon – inspired 1)Gives birth to sin: Sin grows up, it leads to death! scripture E)You NEED to know that- PORN puts images B)In it God has a lot to say about sexual pleasure in your mind – destroys the intimacy in your in a marriage relationship and in the whole book marriage and often leads to sinful and it never mentions kids once destructive actions C)Now it is true that God created sex for pro- When it comes to the subject of sexuality, Creation – but he also created it for pleasure. intimacy and romantic pleasure, the world has been screaming at the top of it’s lungs for D)The devil has perverted – what God created to centuries be a blessing to man A)Their message: Movies – TV shows – Most 1)Church we need to redeem it – exciting sex is forbidden sex – kinky sex – E)I believe that the Church should be the leaders for the rest of the world on what Passionate B)The world has been screaming their message intimacy and Romance is supposed to look like. for centuries and the Church has been silent – 1)Awesome between a Husband and wife – we don’t want to talk about that. madly in love with Jesus and madly in Love with each other! C)The world exploits the topic of sex – and the Church isn’t sure how to react Back to our text: Put to death these things – I also think it is interesting that – Paul links the If we are Honest - the Church in the past has term Covetousness with sexual immorality in this reacted to the exploitation of sex in the extreme list. A)Wonderful Church fathers who loved the A)It makes perfect sense - Being covetous is Bible – loved Jesus – have had a warped view of wanting something that doesn’t rightfully belong Sexuality and intimacy. Examples: to you! Tertullan and Ambrose – two early Church B)Sexual immorality = (sex outside of marriage) fathers favored the extinction of the human starts with wanting something that doesn’t race over continued sexual intimacy.