Colossians 3:8-9
~17 min read
💭 Consider this: What specific sins in your life do you need to ask God to help you put off today? How will you ask God to help you “nip them in the bud” before they get worse?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for today's message is taken from Colossians 3:8–9. Allow me to read for you. “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”
In the preceding verses, the Apostle Paul gave a list of sins that the believers must mortify, which means put to death. And they are the sins of fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection or sexual passion, evil concupiscence or evil desires, and covetousness. Those were personal sins that affected oneself. Now he move on to talk about those sins that would affect others. As we study this list of sins, we notice an interesting pattern. There is a progression, moving from the motive, it progresses to the evil act.
To put off has the idea of taking off one's clothes, like when a person removes his dirty clothes at the end of the day and put on a new set of clothes. In the early church, when the believers were baptized, it was a common practice that they would lay aside their old clothes before the baptism and be given a new set of white garments afterwards. Most likely Paul had this picture in mind as he spoke about putting off, because in the spiritual sense the believer is a new man in Christ and he is clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Therefore, the old clothes, the old man with all his sins, must be set aside.
It does not mean that the Christian is perfect and will never fall into sin again. From time to time, we may fall into sin when we succumb to temptation. What it means is that we cannot be living in those habitual sins. Since we have been delivered from the body of sin, we no longer live in that realm. Those sins are the remnants of our old life, and they are totally inconsistent with this new spiritual position we have as a Christian. So they must have no place in our lives.
Dear friend, these sins are very serious because they involve conflict between person and person, believer and unbeliever, and worst still believer and believer. These are sin that will destroy relationships and break fellowship. These are sins that will weaken the church and tarnish our testimonies before the world. When an unbeliever sees the Christian behaving just like the rest of the world, the church will be blemished in his eyes, and he will be stumbled to further reject the claims of the gospel. So what must we do? The title of our message is Put Off All These Sins.
I. The Restriction
Firstly, let us consider the restriction. Paul said, “But now ye also put off all these.” Which means after you have mortified those sins that affect yourself, now you have to put off all these sins that will affect others, whether directly or indirectly. And on the top of the list of sins was anger. Anger can represent an emotion, good or bad, depending on the motive and purpose.
Jesus was angry when he cleansed the temple because the people had turned the temple into a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13). God was angry when the children of Israel sinned against him in building and worshipping the golden calf (Exodus 32). When we hear the name of Jesus Christ being blasphemed or the word of God being attacked or in the face of sin and immorality, we should be angry. Righteous anger is a sign of spiritual health and life.
When you hear of an evil man trying to entice a young girl into prostitution or someone trying to influence your little child to drink alcohol or take drugs, surely you will be angry. If you are not angry, then something is terribly wrong. There is such a thing as righteous anger, a proper anger, an anger that is directed at evil.
Here obviously Paul was not referring to righteous anger because he said put off this anger. It had to be cast aside. This anger is sinful. It is self-defensive and self-serving. You are resentful because something has been done onto you rather than what has been done unto God. Anger that is selfish, undisciplined and vindictive is sinful. And it has no part in the Christian's life. It is an anger that has nothing to do with God, and it is all about self.
But righteous anger is different. It always refers to God, his word, and his righteousness. However, even in our righteous anger, we must be very careful because anger often leads to sin. It can easily turn to bitterness and self-righteousness. It may begin with a healthy anger against sin. We are angry at how sin has affected the people and the church. But if we hold on to that anger and we are not careful, slowly it turns to bitterness, and soon it becomes personal. Instead of being angry with the sin, we become angry and unforgiving toward the sinner.
That is why Ephesians 4:26–27 says, “Be ye angry, –this is righteous anger–and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil.” Do not let your righteous anger turn to sin. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Do not prolong that anger. Neither give place to the devil. In other words, even in our righteous anger, we must commit it to God. Otherwise, we will give the devil something to work against us.
The next sin to put off is wrath. Some theologians believe that the difference between anger and wrath is that anger is a deep resentful bitterness that is simmering and boiling inside you. On the other hand, wrath is that sudden outburst of anger. Both these two sins are connected. Perhaps the best example to illustrate this connection is the volcano. There is the lava in the volcano which is boiling. That is anger until finally it boils over and there is an eruption. That is wrath.
Whenever we see someone bursting in anger, we know it did not come from nowhere. There was already this anger simmering or boiling in his heart, and then it erupted. Sometimes we hear people say things like, “I would not have done this. I would not have burst out if I was not provoked.” Provocations do not create anger, but simply reveal that the person is an angry man.
This understanding helps us to better manage our anger. We know who we are and how we feel inside us. Right? Whenever we feel this anger boiling within our hearts, what must we do? We must nip it in the bud or else sooner or later it will erupt and burst into wrath. How do we nip it in the bud? We pray and commit it to God and ask him to remove this anger in our hearts. God is faithful. He's gracious and he will do it.
Next is malice. Malice stems from the wicked attitude in the heart which then plans evil and rejoices in the iniquities of the one you hate. One classic example in the Bible is Haman in the book of Esther, who rejoiced in building the gallows for Mordecai, and ultimately it was meant for himself (Esther 7:10). You can imagine as Haman was building the gallows for Mordecai, he was rejoicing as he thought about how the person whom he hated with great anger will be hung on that particular instrument.
Malice again is also connected with wrath and anger. It did not come from nowhere. First, there's this anger simmering in the heart, which leads to the outburst of anger, and when it is not dealt with, it will lead to malice. Often times the first outbreak of malice is blasphemy, sometimes translated as slander. When used in relation to God, it is translated as blasphemy. When used in relation to men, it is translated as slander.
However, to slander people is to blaspheme God because he has created man and woman in his image. So whenever we slander someone, in essence we are blaspheming God, because God has created man in his image. Some people think that as long as I do not speak words of slander, I'm fine. I'm all right. I just listen, and I can enjoy listening to slanders.
Thomas Watson the Puritan once said, “He that carries a slander in his tongue carries the devil in his tongue. He that listens to a slander carries the devil in his ears.” So one is in the tongue, the other is in his ears. How true. We must not take this sin lightly. Remember Jesus warned us in Matthew 5:22: “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca or empty one, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”
Filthy communication means obscene, dirty and abusive speech. This would include all manners of filthiness, like foolish talking, dirty and obscene jokes, unwholesome jesting. As Ephesians 5:4 says, “Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.” Such languages are not fitting for the believers. Today people joke about almost everything. There's nothing wrong about having a sense of humour or merry making. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
I read an article in the American Health magazine that says medically a good laugh is like inner jogging. It is good for the heart. In other words, laughter is like a form of medicine. It does not mean that Christians cannot have a good laugh. Ecclesiastes chapter 3 says, “To every thing there is a season”, and there is time to laugh, as long as it is not sinful and it is beneficial and healthy to the soul. But when it has to do with filthy communication and the conversation turns to be dirty, vulgar and obscene, then we must have no part in it. Sometimes a conversation in the office pantry may start off with some pleasantries. Then slowly it evolves into something dirty. We must know where to draw the lines and when to walk away.
Another example is in the talk shows on the television where the witty host would joke about almost anything from politics to religion, from adultery to murder, where sin is downplayed and even laugh about making a joke about serious sins. We must know when to stop watching and listening. Whenever we speak filthy communication or we hear filthy communication, both are sinful and wrong. When we do that, we are revealing what is actually in our hearts. The reason why we are so willing to listen is because of what is in our hearts.
Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” (Mark 7:21–23). So it is from within that comes out. And it is also from within that we long to hear those wicked and dirty things - filthy communication. Ultimately we have to give an account for every word we speak.
As Jesus said, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36–37). So be careful of what you speak and also be careful of what you hear. When we speak evil, wicked and filthy languages, we laugh at dirty jokes. Our life is in total contradiction with our professions as new creatures in Christ. Instead, our words must be pure and edifying. As Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (Colossians 4:6). Let is a command. God commanded us that our speech must always be with grace and seasoned with salt.
Finally, Paul said in verse 9, "Lie not one to another." Lying is a dominant characteristic of the old life. Today we are immersed in a culture that lies, deception and falsehood is almost a way of life. Take a moment and consider the advertisements you watch on the television. It is common to see an advertisement projecting a particular brand of toothpaste. And they would tell you that your thief will sparkle and shine like silver. And after you use it, your life will be changed forever. Many of us have used the same toothpaste. Life is pretty much the same.
Or they will project a weak and sick men, tired men drinking a particular drinking supplement or drink supplement, and then all of a sudden he was transformed into the physique of a bodybuilder. Or they will tell you that if you buy and wear this particular brand of clothes, they promise that your life will never be the same again. We have seen all that and we know that they are not true. Lying is not just happening in the advertisement industry. It is also happening in the political arena, in businesses, in organisations, in your office, in your workplace, everywhere you go.
Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, lying has become a common characteristic of the unregenerate men. The first lie was told by Satan in the Garden of Eden when he lied in deceiving Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:4). Then Cain lied to God after killing his brother Abel (Genesis 4:9). Then Abraham lied claiming that Sarah was his sister instead of his wife (Genesis 12:13). Then Sarah lied to the three angelic visitors (Genesis 18:15). Then Isaac lied, denying that Rebekah was his wife (Genesis 26:7). Then Rebekah and Jacob lied in deceiving Esau of his birthright (Genesis 27).
We did not even read the other passages in the Bible. We have not even gone through the entire book of Genesis and we could see so many lies. It is so contagious. The sin of lying trace it roots all the way to Satan who is the father of lies. What about us Christians? Christians should have no part in any kind of lying. So serious was this sin of lying that the Bible records for us in Revelation 21:8 that liars will not inherit the kingdom of God. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8).
A believer can fall into lying just as he can fall into any sin. But if his life demonstrates a habitual flow of lies that proceeds from a heart that seeks to deceive, then he has no biblical basis to believe that he is a Christian. The person who continually lies as a regular part of his daily life shows himself to be a child of Satan rather than a child of God. Who said so? Jesus himself said in John 8:44. He spoke of the Jews during his time. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44).
People lie when they disregard the truth. But lying includes more than simply speaking falsehood. It also includes exaggeration, adding falsehood to what is true. Many years ago, a Christian man became widely known for his powerful and moving testimony. Then several years later, he stopped sharing his testimony. People were puzzled and they asked him why. He said, “Over the years, I have exaggerated and added more to my testimony.” So much so that I no longer knew what was true and what was not. Thank God he was very truthful. Hopefully he repented.
Cheating is a form of lying, making foolish promises with no intention to fulfil. Betraying confidence, flattery and making excuses are also different forms of lying. Gossip can also be a form of lying. It is more than just talking about other people's business. Most gossip contains a fair amount of misinformation. As wrong as it is to gossip, it is just as wrong to listen to gossip. It has often been said that gossip kills three persons: kills the one who speaks it, the one who listens to it, and the one whom it is spoken of.
What do we do when someone tell us something we know it is not true, it is a lie or it is plain gossip? We should say I don't believe this is true. We should speak the truth. Or this conversation is not edifying. I think this is starting to become a gossip. We need to talk about something else or we need to stop. Better still, we should say, “Wait a moment. Before you continue, why don't we just stop and pray?” Would you do that?
The Christian's life is characterized by putting off lying because lying is in total conflict with his new nature and new man in Christ. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit is a spirit of truth, and the word of God is truth (John 17:17).
A Christian is someone who embraces the truth of God's word, indwelled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He follows his master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, he steps out of a life of lying and into a life of truth. And thereafter any form of lying is totally inconsistent with his new man. That is what you and I should be. If we are true believers, we have stepped out of a life of lying and into a life of truth. We should not lie. Period.
But here Paul was speaking in the context of the church. Lie not one to another. He was speaking to the Colossian believers. Christians must speak the truth to everyone at all times and in every situation. And how much more we must speak the truth to other believers because we are fellow members of Christ's body, the church.
If I can give you an illustration, look at this physical body. Our physical bodies cannot function rightly and effectively if each member does not communicate correctly with the others. Can you imagine if you are standing in front of a coming truck and your brain sends the false signal that you are in a beautiful garden? That would be most devastating. Or if you are standing under the shower and hot burning water is pouring on you and your brain gives the signal that is false, that the water is cool, you will be burned terribly. Or if you are playing sports and your nerves fail to tell your brain that an injury is occurring, you'll be hurt.
What will happen if members of Christ's body, the church, they do not speak the truth to one another? When the pastor does not trust his own board of elders, when the session does not trust the members, when members within the fellowship groups do not trust one another because they do not know whether the person is speaking the truth or it is a lie. The church cannot function rightly and effectively if her members hide the truth from one another or will not work together in honesty and truthfulness. The only way for the church to function rightly, effectively, and to flourish is when members speak to one another in truth and with love. This is the only way.
II. The Reason
Paul ends by giving the reason why we should put off all these sins. “Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.” (Colossians 3:9b) With his deeds means the deeds that belong to the old men, the unregenerate men, the unconverted men. Those sins that we used to indulge in, we used to feel comfortable with when we were still unbelievers. Put off all those sins.
Remember, we must mortify, put to death, put off all these sinful practices of the old man because we are a new man in Christ. We are born again and we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” All true believers must put off the old man and put on the new man. When we return next week, we will dwell more on what it means to put on the new man and put off the old man.
Dear friend, at the beginning of the message, I mentioned that there is a progression in all these sins. Moving from the motive, it progresses to the evil act. If I may add this, it will then become a way of life. If anger is not dealt with in the heart, then it will lead to wrath, the outbursts of anger. Then it will lead to malice. We will plan evil schemes and rejoice in the iniquities of others. Subsequently, it will lead to blasphemy. We will openly speak against God and others.
And before we know it, we'll be indulging in filthy communication, engaging ourselves in dirty jokes and all filthy manners of speech, and lying will become a way of life. If we continue in all these sins, then it goes to show one thing, that we are not true believers in the first place. Because no true believers will dwell in all these sins habitually, continually as a way of life. So at the very first instance when we notice the sin simmering in our hearts, we must nip it in the bud. Stop it. Kill it before it kills us. Put all these sins away. May the Lord continue to teach us.
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we give Thee thanks for how Thou has taught us through Thy word about what it means to be a new man in Christ. And this morning Thou has taught us to put off all these sins, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication and lies. This ought not to be the characteristics of our lives because we are a new man in our Lord Jesus, born again and indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth and Thy word is truth.
And we have embraced all these three important things: thy word, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit indwells in us. How can we then live a life that is contrary to thee? We must put off all these sins. It is inconsistent with our new spiritual position as a Christian. So may we be mindful that we will live our lives putting off all these sins. The moment we see this sin simmering in our hearts, we must nip it in the bud.
And we pray and call out today to remove these sins and to help us to overcome it. And Thou art faithful and Thou will help us because it is Thy will and desire that as believers we live our lives to glorify Thee. And so we ask of Thee to continue to teach us so that we will live in such a way that our lives will always demonstrate the love, grace and mercy of God. We pray all this in Jesus' name.
THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANSA Faith And Love That ShinesA Faith And Love That ShinesColossians 1:1-4
The Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeThe Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeColossians 1:5-6a
The Transforming Power Of The GospelThe Transforming Power Of The GospelColossians 1:6b-8
The Need For PrayersThe Need For PrayersColossians 1:9
Prayer for Spiritual ExcellencePrayer for Spiritual ExcellenceColossians 1:9-12
Walk Worthy Of The LordWalk Worthy Of The LordColossians 1:10-11
What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?Colossians 1:12a
What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?Colossians 1:12b-13
I Am Redeemed And ForgivenI Am Redeemed And ForgivenColossians 1:14
Christ, The Invisible GodChrist, The Invisible GodColossians 1:15
Jesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowJesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowColossians 1:16-17; Romans 8:37-39
What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?Colossians 1:18
What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?Colossians 1:19-22
The Evidence Of Our SalvationThe Evidence Of Our SalvationColossians 1:23a
Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?Colossians 1:23b-24
How Faithful Are We?How Faithful Are We?Colossians 1:25-27
What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?Colossians 1:28-29
The Indispensable Component In Serving GodThe Indispensable Component In Serving GodColossians 2:1-2a
This Is What I Wish For You To Have And To BeThis Is What I Wish For You To Have And To BeColossians 2:2b-5
Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Colossians 2:4-9, 19
The Evidence Of Our SalvationThe Evidence Of Our SalvationColossians 2:6-7
Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Colossians 2:7
Our Spiritual Union With ChristOur Spiritual Union With ChristColossians 2:11-12
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
What It Means To Be ForgivenWhat It Means To Be ForgivenColossians 2:13-14
Faith In Christ Is The VictoryFaith In Christ Is The VictoryColossians 2:15
The Danger Of Being LegalisticThe Danger Of Being LegalisticColossians 2:16-17
The Danger Of Spiritual DeceptionThe Danger Of Spiritual DeceptionColossians 2:18-19
The Vanity Of Self-Denial To Achieve SpiritualityThe Vanity Of Self-Denial To Achieve SpiritualityColossians 2:20-23
Seek Those Things Which Are AboveSeek Those Things Which Are AboveColossians 3:1-2
What Does It Mean To Be In Christ?What Does It Mean To Be In Christ?Colossians 3:3-4
Mortification Of SinMortification Of SinColossians 3:5-7
Put Off All These ThingsPut Off All These ThingsColossians 3:8-9
Put On The New ManPut On The New ManColossians 3:10-11
Recipes For A God-Honouring ChurchRecipes For A God-Honouring ChurchColossians 3:12
Human Wisdom Versus God’s WisdomHuman Wisdom Versus God’s WisdomColossians 2:8-10
