R1660 The Believers Anchor

God has an encouraging word for you to read today as we launch a new year together with Dr. Don Wilton and the believers anchor today's message Texas to Colossians chapter 3 in just a moment would know that we're here for you connecting as we launch the new year together, praying together at 86689 anytime day or night. That's 866-899-9673 connect with us online@twonline.org yes we still have a few of the leather devotionals letter carriers all the way through this wonderful new year. You're available on our website TE WR online.org or by calling 866899673 begin this brand-new year together. We are excited to see how God's going to encourage us by the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton, Dr. Don is I want to speak to you today about the believers anchor. Let me read it to you. We going to be in Colossians chapter 3 and beginning at verse five. Remembering again that Paul has just told us God has just told us that we are hidden with Christ in God.

God has just told us to place our affections and bolts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God beginning in verse five he breaks it down into minute detail. This is what he sees verse five point today. Therefore, what is in you sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry on account of these the Roth of God is coming. In these you to once will when you were living in them. But now you must put away all of the anger Roth malice's longer and obscene from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge off to the image of its creator. There is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian city and the slave free, but Christ is your anchor hole in the hole because he is old, put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, giving each other as the Lord has forgiven you, so also must you forgive and above all put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony by the Lord Jesus righties word upon our hearts. One of my many experiences in life is fishing. I love any kind of fishing and I'm open to all invitation. It doesn't matter to me if I'm fishing for tadpoles and upon all in the beautiful city. I just enjoy fishing and I don't have to catch anything. I'm just happy. I love the whole issue but one brand of fishing is actually getting into the sea and about sees be licensees or lakes can be very up-and-down into Multics and winds and waves are very real. I have personally been court in very difficult circumstances. Perhaps my most favorite was with my late father-in-law bumpers. We called him in Africa. Fishing and being court in a terrible storm while in about I've never forgotten that never will will speak about it all my life. It was terrifying was just me and bumper. I was given the responsibility of standing on the bow of the boat swinging on anchor and we would throw that anchor out.

We couldn't see 5 feet in front of our face.

The waves were coming and we were sinking.

It was desperate and that anchor would go down to the bottom of the ground and my job was to pull that anchor until it court on a rock many times that that anchor would skim across the bottom of that waterway and it would catch on something that was totally undependable but gave the impression of being a rock but as soon as we gain traction as soon as the wind began to blow it detached itself and we drifted further away toward the treachery of the rocks and not pick that up and swing it and throw it again. Hoping, praying that it would attach itself to a rock when it attached itself to a rock. I was able to pull ourselves in the right direction.

In many ways this is what Paul is saying here to all of those of us who love the Lord Jesus and he speaking to us. I want you to notice something he speaking to us in the context of our relationship with the rock is Jesus with the anchor is the Lord Jesus Christ and essentially and in a very direct fashion. What he seems to these believers to all of us is there are two things that every believer must do this is not presented to us as an option. This is what makes for Christian living. This this is God's word and this represents perhaps some of the greatest points about difficulty because of the flesh in which we live, and by which we live, and he he unpacks these one at a time and he gives them to us in terms of two essentials to mass two things that every believer has to do here they are. First of all, he says there is a list of things that you have to put off. Now the word can I want you to look at this in in verse five you can see it for yourself right there in the Bible the word that he uses here is absolutely radical. He says you have to put today these things now my friends what Paul is telling the people like you and me is you cannot afford to entertain the you cannot afford to dabble in these he doesn't suggest to us look, I know that you are earthly beings and that you struggle with your flesh, but you can try a little bit of the soul. Just as long as you don't keep on doing it.

Can you hear us. Many of us who are parents. Perhaps we'll say to our sons and daughters.

Perhaps well listen you just go out and so your wild seeds and I'm just gonna pray that you get. Listen, it's okay. Just going do this for a little while but don't keep doing it. Paul is not giving any option here.

Eat.

He starts out any sense to us. Put today. Therefore what is earthly in you and here's the list and he begins with the essential greatest struggle that humankind has and he gives it to us in four parts. He speaks about sexual immorality be interested to know that that word there literally comes from the word: Leah from which we get our word pornography, which is what the total distortion of all that God has given to us, which in and according to his purpose is good, but it's been distorted and taken out of the context of God's perfect plan for us. Put today. Secondly, impurity by the way, the word impurity they is the word from which we derive our understanding of anything which is on it's not wholesome it's not wholesome it's clean, according to God's standards. Perhaps the question that he saying is he saying to people like you and me who are believers. What ever it is that you're about to do to participate in with that please God.

If not, it's unclean. Would you take the Lord Jesus. They where you were the other day, would you invite him to watch what you watch. This is a stringent list show that he gives to all believers. He's trying to establish the anchor. He said you put your anchor down over these things. What's going to happen is you going to think that you've taken a hold of something, but it's going to link you go and it's going to cause you to run into the rocks number three ungodly passion… Two things your first of all, passion, and then he speaks next about evil desire, and what Paul is doing here. He's talking to the human freshness of our earthly bodies and he's speaking. First of all about the physical side of our bodies. That's why he singles out ungodly passion. But then he switches to evil desire, he switches from the physical to the main: what did he tell us in the first four verses of Colossians chapter 3. He told us to sit our hearts on things above and to set our minds on things above, that's exactly what he was talking about all guarding our hearts and minds to set them on things above, forgive the interruption will be back with the completion of today's message with Dr. Don, just a moment what he wants me to remind you we are available to pray with you anytime at 866-899-WORD. I pray you would jot the number down or start your cell make as a contact 866899673 will connect with one was 24 hours a day average talk and listen and pray and connect with one of the resources as a matter fact this resource are fresh, new devotional is what I want to encourage you to pick up today. Many people have endured a lot of changes. Lawson hardships over the past two years. As you reflect upon your life this season about getting a gift of hope and encouragement to your friends and family this Christmas this season.

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Christmas to you from all of us here@theencouragingword.x is one of the many resources available online@twonline.org, including the book Dr. Don Wilton writing that is times the pastor Dr. Billy Graham call Saturdays with Billy all it's there at tewonline.org Archie now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton hole at another site. Should we all conquerors through him. That's why Spain is so much time talking about the God by his spirit will not abandon when not often we in his name is the Lord Jesus Christ. He moves on from there and he singles out idolatry. What is idolatry. It's the desire to have more idolatry is the worship of anything and anyone other than God. That's what idolatry is. Idolatry is the worship of anything or anyone other than God says we've got to put to death out on all the tricks earthly nature. He moves from that point and he begins to single out character disposition anger what is anger what is anger when you talk to someone and you say he's an angry person.

Anger is a resentful bituminous. Are you angry, my brother, my friend, you and gave you a resentful bituminous in your heart. God's telling us something to be rid of this put it today if in Christ gain the victory over there.

Not too long ago had an opportunity to speak to a couple and in their marriage became very evident that probably the single most destructive thing in their marriage was this issue of anger. He the husband had a resentful bituminous and that develops into the next point which is range. What is range range is the venting of a resentful bituminous it's anger on display. It's a sudden outburst of anger, you lose your temper you ripped he's talking to you. You get so angry that you lose control emus from victory. He speaks of malice that would malice they out English word better would malice is a very British word you know always just flew malice walk walked better word for that is the word salon.

If you have a slow onerous nature. It means that you have a vicious nature paint on doing harm to another person. This is a tough list is a speaking here to the church he's he's reminding them of these things.

I think Paul is saying listen the this is incompatible with your Christian fight why you put this today. I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ who lives within me and then he brings it all together by warning them about the tongues obscene talk. What is obscene talk. It's filthy language. Let's all ask ourselves the question when is it all right for a Christian man to use bad language. Anyone like to tell us when is a justified under what circumstances. At what point can you and I stand him so you know I'm a Christian man you know I just let it rip every now and again at what point do you think Jesus justifies the guys we living in the world today.

Coming from our politicians to our coaches to our teachers. The language today like it doesn't matter now asking us as believers.

What does God say about this. It's abusive speech and in that context, he sees don't lie to each other.

So let's just let's just understand this. I'd love to one day go to Paul in heaven inciting pole. You told us what we needed to put to death and pulled off but you know could you not just of left that out and let's get to the good stuff because there are two musts for every believer when it comes to the anchor that God gives to us in our Christian life is not any poodle put to death, but he gives us this beautiful picture of putting long look at verse 12. I love verse 12.

Put on Van take off put to death rid of these things, but in so doing, the second is to put on put on van because you are God's chosen children, holy and beloved, and then he lists this extra ordinary list of Christ's black character that can only come from the seat of God in heaven.

These all amongst others. The essential attributes of a holy and a righteous God. This is the discipline of our Christian life. Any listing me share a couple with you number one compassion and only talks about compassionate hearts have compassion. I love watching you up. I told myself when I began to Bob on trying to resist overtly congratulating us it was because none of us deserve to be that would compassion is unbelievably precious.

It carries with it an empathetic oneness with someone who has lists all may find themselves in an untoward situation. All who may need help. Ministry of compassion. Paul just talking about believer who is compassionate. He talks about kindness next you know kindness finds its root in compassion but kindness is that grace which pervades the whole person. You look around and you see men and women, young people and you say and she's just so full of grace, that man is so full of grace.

You know what I loved about just I just showed they would just so graceful with everything compassion kind, and then he he gets into the right down to the heart of humility. What's humility. We will know it.

How do you express it.

We find it so difficult. Humility in many ways is the empty note to self love. What is self-love self love always poisons relationships humility always enhances relationship one looks in and the other looks out in the Lord Jesus, who is our anchor. What's humility that he the son of God would've taken upon himself the sin of the world and would've died for us.

He then talks about putting on weakness, then the word meek is an interesting word because it gets very misinterpreted. Really means gentleness "with one another. That's a tough one. Hard to always be gentle.

Gentleness is a spiritual virtue that comes from the heart of God.

Weakness. It's not softness. Meekness is not a sign of weakness, gentleness, the most wonderful gentle people are some of the most greatest of people that you and on they have the capability they been placed in many ways, and they were able to do things that are just wonderful. He goes on, he talks about patients be function and when he talks about being patiently since put that on never get angry with another person as a believer just make up your mind in Christ that you never going to get angry another person that patients empathy that he talks about in verse 13 empathy. And empathetic person is a person who has a spiritual ability to share with others their one another's burden.

Let me carry that this morning as we met for prayer ministry team. We talked about several of our people and I could feel the empathetic prayer is even picking up in your carrying one another's burdens together the moves on to that erstwhile most difficult forgiveness, forgive one another. After all, Jesus has forgiven you.

If you got a forgiving spirit. Is there someone that you need to forgive today regardless love in verse 14 piece let the peace of God shines through your hearts and lives be peace because Christ is your peace talks about the word in verse 66. Let the word of God raining your hearts put on the word of God's grace your self in God's word. Why because your mind will flow from the heart of God's revelation that when you put on the word of God, your mind begins to flow with the fullness of the revelation of God thinking becomes adjusted into thinking God your whole perspective changes and he culminates with the word thankfulness thankfulness in verse 17 do all this with her thankful heart is what Paul is saying just drop your anchor put it down, put it down with you know you're on solid firm footing. Put these things that are going to kill you and destroy you and put on all that God is in your anchor will hold. Would you bow your heads with me for a moment as Dr. Wilton is praying for others in the auditorium right now.

Let me pray for you. Perhaps the Lord has convicted you and you know today's the day you need to give your life to Jesus Christ or rededicate your life.

It's as simple as a prayer like this. Let me lead you could just say me too. As I lead you in the spirit. Father, we know that as we launch a brand-new year together. We need to be in tune with you what I pray for those that are re-dedicating their lives that this is going to be more than a resolution but a determination to follow you completely and for those Lord there. Just saying yes Jesus, I love you. I believe you are the son of God died for my sins and I asked you to safety. Come into my life in Jesus name I pray that whether you've rededicated your life or giving life to Christ for the first time we have free resources. We want you to have if you call 8668. That's 866-899-9673 or email us at online@tewonline.org