1215. Understanding Sin

Welcome to The Daily Platform, our program features sermons from chapel services at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Every day students are blessed by the preaching and teaching of the Bible from the University Chapel platform today on The Daily Platform were continuing a study series entitled seeking things above, which is a study of the book of Colossians. This study explores and applies the timeless truth that Christ is our sufficiency in all relationships, responsibilities and circumstances. If you would like to follow along in the study booklet you can order a printed copy from the Bob Jones store website shop.BTU.edu. Let's listen to today's message from chapter 3 verses five through 10 which says, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man will learn about sin which will help us understand ourselves, our fellow man. The world we live in, and the Christian faith this morning were looking in the book of Colossians chapter 3 as we have been working through our series on seeking things above and were coming now to verse five we talked, we talked about our identity in Christ, the new life in Christ and today in the idea of what it means to seek things above and that's more of a general picture and now Paul becomes very very specific by actually treating the opposite of what it means to seek things above, and he also tells us not to seek the things that are below so let's look this morning that Colossians chapter 3. Notice what he says in verse five he says mortified. Therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry for which things say that is because of these things the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience in the which you also want some time when you lived in them, that is before your conversion. But now he also put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth will I not to one another, saying that you put off the old man with his deeds, the famous writer JI Packer wrote a book entitled the most important words you will ever know. 18 words specifically one of those 18 words is the word sin, and he said our first need in life is to learn about sin that you learned it when you are child because somewhere between six months old and 14 months old, your parents taught you a very very important to letter word.

What is that word is the word no and you will hear the word no. The rest of your life.

Packer goes on the says if you have not learned about sin.

You cannot understand yourself you cannot understand the people around you. You can understand the world you're living in. You cannot understand the Christian faith and you cannot understand the Bible. Understanding sin is crucial to understanding our theme because what is the theme is seeking things above, and because we are to seek things above, Paul is implying that there are things below that we should not be seeking look at what he says in Colossians 3. If you then read be risen with Christ, seek those things that are above. Set your affections on things above and not on the things of the earth mortified. Therefore your members he says in verse five, which are upon the earth.

So what does that mean we're talking about sin and he's talking about not seeking the things that are down here.

What are the things below will obviously it's things that they're not doing in heaven.

In other words, he says we should pursue a lifestyle that is heavenly and we should not pursue a lifestyle of things that are being done on the earth that they're not doing in heaven.

So what are those things while in verse nine we read this morning. He says that you put off the old man with his deeds and the old man is everything you are before your say in that old man has actions. The old man that's what you are before you become a Christian. He says these are things that you do and specifically these are the choices. These are the actions these are the reactions that you have in your life that come out of your own sinful desires. They come out your own sinful heart. When a person gets saved, they become deeply aware not only of the bad choices they make, but also the bad desires that they have their sinful emotions and so what Paul does and Colossians 3 is he identifies in a very straightforward very clear manner. You can't mistake what he saying he is identifying those very sins that are part of the old life but even goes further than that and that is, he says these things that these people are doing is actually the reason why God is bringing judgment on the look at what he says in verse six, for which St. things say the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. He saying that these are not just wrong things for believers to do but God is actually reacting to the sins with his wrath. What we mean by the wrath of God welcome word wrath event.

How many of you ever seen your father man, you have ever seen your mother mad that's even worse fire comes out of her eyes. You understand what I'm saying you that people get upset with you or you got upset with others. That's called anger will God. The Bible says is angry with the wicked every day, but is not the emotional reaction like we see in people because is also measured with God's patience and God's love. But yet the wrath of God is real. It is God's punishment for the sins that people commit. And Paul is speaking specifically in a very unique way when he says what he says in verse six, for which things say the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience that were cometh, there is not in the past tense.

That is, it's already come.

It's not in the future tense is going to come. It's actually written in the present tense.

What is that mean it means the wrath of God is being poured out on humanity right now. At the very moment that you and I are living today in 2021 God's judgment. God's wrath is being poured out upon mankind.

You say you say how do you understand this.

How do you explain this set your Bibles and turn with me to Romans chapter 1 because of Romans chapter 1, Paul explains how God's wrath is being revealed on earth today right now and 2021 beginning as we read in verse 18.

I want to read the passage and I want you to take notice of how God brings judgment on humanity. He says in verse 18 for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them. For God and showed it under them for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, tell me to stop you.

What is he saying saying basically the people of the world recognize that there is a divine creator because they see creation. Creation says there has to be a creator and he says God's wrath is being poured out on mankind because they reject the create tour with verse 21 because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were they thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became his fools.

They change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image. This is idolatry is the idolatry of Paul's day is the same idolatry of today. Look at verse 24 is a result of what happened. What is God do. He reveals his wrath.

Don't you notice what he does. He reveals the wrath of God by removing the moral restraints that are within human society.

Do you know that when we are restrained from doing what our heart wants to do. That's actually a good thing. How many of you have ever gotten angry while you are driving your car at another driver. Okay, I mean never heard of road rage. Now if every body operated on the anger their heart and road rage. How many people would get killed on a regular basis in grievous South Carolina. So what happens is we are restrained from doing what our natural heart wants to do. That's actually good and what Paul is saying is the wrath of God. God's judgment is being revealed because he is removing those moral restraints. Notice what he says in verse 24 wherefore God also gave them to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies among themselves, what is this all about. This is all about the. The unrestrained sexual activity that is going on in the world today and that is God's created sacs out of out of his kindness and goodness to mankind.

But where this is unrestrained is actually God's judgment. But what he says in verse 26 for this cause God gave them up unto vile affections for even the women did change the natural use into that which is against nature.

This is speaking of lesbians and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meter which was fitting here is talking about homosexuality in the notice what he says in verse 28 and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, that is, they were mentally pushing God out of their minds.

God gave them over to a reprobate mind so actually three times it's as God gave them up. Never one to unrestrained sexual activity number two inordinate inordinate homosexual acts in the number three basically societal disruption because that's what happens when you keep reading on pass verse 28 a breakdown in society. Now let me ask you question is God's wrath being revealed today in the United States of America yes or no, absolutely, because we're living in a society today.

This unrestrained sexual activity that that is filled with inordinate inordinate homosexual acts and were living in a society today that instead of becoming strong is becoming weaker through societal disruption in the presence of these sinful actions in society is a manifestation of the present current judgment of God on the world today.

So here Paul is writing to the people of his day in the city of Colossae who are experiencing the judgment of God. The judgment of God is not just what he did yesterday is not just what he's doing tomorrow about what's going on right now. What Paul is saying here in Colossians to the believers, is that you are to seek the things that are above and not the things that are below.

You have been saved and you have been delivered from God's wrath.

Christ, for your sins on the cross. You are now dead to sin and alive under Christ. So as you think, seek the things that are above, then you deny the things that are below. That's the essence of what he is saying and then what he does is against two specific types of sin that we are to not pursue after what's the first one is found in verse five where he talks first of all, about sexual sin, he says, mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.

Then he gives a list, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence.

What is saying here is this that sexuality lies at the very core of our human creation and it said the very core of our social culture. When God created you and I he created us with strong sexual desires. There are natural attractions to go zone on the campus of Bob Jones 24 seven.

It's normal. It's the way God made us and he also created the means to satisfy those sexual desire and how are those desires satisfied, he tells us he says in Hebrews 13 for marriage is honorable and the bad is undefiled.

God never said that the sexual experience was sinful. It's not dirty it's clean because it was made by God and it was a part of creation before the fall and everything that God made. He said was good. The garden of Eden was a perfect environment where sex was experience guilt free in the covenant of marriage.

God is always intended for sex to be that kind of experience, one that actually enhances Mary. It blesses marriage. Why, because you experience together something that is enjoyable and something that is pleasurable, but with the fall of man, sexual desires became enslaved to our fallen human nature and where all this way.

That's why there's always a struggle with sexual tension, especially in the lives of college students.

At this point in your life before your Mary what was one of God's greatest gifts, which was reserved for for the commitment in marriage is now been turned into a self-centered desire that flows out of our own heart. That's what Jesus said when he said for four from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, and out of that comes our adulteries in our immoralities we all understand that the battle against immorality is a fault life issue. It comes from within. Why because we're born sinful and out of a defiled heart comes the desires to fulfill our sexual appetites regardless of the walls of God or even the person themselves and this is deeply infected our culture in which we live because in many ways the culture that we live in our social social coculture is a sensual culture sacs cells.

All you have to do is look at a billboard. All you have to do is watch a commercial on television. All you have to do is watch story because there's always good to tension with sensuality in our social culture, and this is the tension point for us as believers. This is the struggle that we face because we live in human society and were supposed to live here were supposed to interact were supposed to connect especially for the sake of the gospel. However, we are all called to be set apart were not to seek the things that are below. We are not to do if I could say this way.

Be a part of the expressions of human culture that emphasizes sensuality and another word for sensuality is the word sexy, so Christians should not be viewed as being sexy and that is a part of our fallen culture so as believers we live in the world but were not to be a part of the fallen sensuality of our world and that and that should be in every aspect of culture. So for example that would include our language in our conversation. What we talk about that should be in our entertainment that should be in our form. So here Bob Jones. We have multiple artworks whether it's drama or whether it's Muzak or whether it sent a mom or whatever we doing that being the art department, whether it's the fashion design department or the graphic design department. There are thousands of ways that we can express our without having to be sensual and Christians should not seek the things that are below and so what does Paul say our attitude should be. Any uses a very graphic what is the word look at what he says in verse five he says mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth. What is it mean to mortify it means to put into death like a mortician or a mortuary. It's a death term. What happens when somebody dies. Life is over. There's been a separation. What Paul is saying is this, that as believers we should say we should put to death, a death blow to the immorality that is within our heart, our thoughts and our actions and inability to say this, then obviously this is a battle is not like oh this is easy to do what you been doing all day long piece of cake. I've been killing myself she's not the way we are.

It's a struggle. And this is struggle with your own desires really there. There is there's not going to be real spiritual surrender to God until you surrender your sexuality. There a lot of things will say will give the God but were not going to give that to God and a part of surrender to God is a surrender of your sexuality and what is he say he says you can only deal with that one way. You have to put to death.

Jesus said this way, if your hand offends you what you do you cut it off didn't say you take it to the bathroom and wash her hands. He says you take a radical step and Paul uses all these different words, typical words, we don't use we don't use words like evil concupiscence hey how you doing. Pray for me. I'm struggling with being concupiscence you what the world is that me pray for me. I'm struggling with inordinate affection that might be a little closer but essentially what he's dealing with is he dealing with the desires of the heart. He's dealing with coming in the contact with that which is immoral or corrupt. He's dealing with fornication, which is basically sacs male to male female to female male to female. These these are all the issues issues that he's addressing here and what he is saying is that we are to put these things to death because where they come out of they come out of a greedy heart and that's why uses the word covetousness were all by nature cottages. We all have these desires and we are to put to death these things in our current promiscuous society sexual liberty is promoted Sivan being promoted by churches. The more liberal a church becomes, the more they promote sexual liberty. For example right here in Greenville, South Carolina 2015 and May the Southern Baptist convention magazine for the upstate of South Carolina called the courier had an article this is what is said. They wrote it. We didn't write it it said it may First Baptist Church, a green ball already known as a more liberal church took a step even more to the left when it agreed on a nondiscriminatory policy that would allow gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered people not only to be members of the church, but to be ordained into the ministry.

The consensus statement of the church reads as follows in all facets of the life and ministry of our church, including but not limited to, membership, baptism, ordination, marriage, teaching and committee organizational leadership first Baptist of Greenville will not discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Liberalism always promotes a form of sexual freedom that is not actually freedom but it's actually bondage true biblical Christianity always leads us to deny the sinful aspects of our nature to bring them under constraint to God's way. God's plan and that is loving each other in marriage because what is marriage picture you've ever been to a Christian wedding. You always hear this, that when when the when the young man and the young lady get married together, they are picturing something they are a metaphor and what are they a picture of.

They are picture of Christ and his church, and what is Christ doing with the church.

He has purified us through his blood, he is sanctifying us through his blood, so that one day we will stand before him as a pure church as a virgin bride and he is actually purifying the sins out of our lives so that we stand before him. We stand it before him in wholeness and impurity in an ultimate joy I've been privileged to be a part of many weddings have done lots of weddings and I'll tell you what there is nothing more joyful than the being a Christian wedding.

But here's a Christian young man in a Christian young lady who essentially guarded their purity and they've entered in the marriage with a good conscience and a commitment to one another and I watch that marriage thrive and grow in the sad thing is, I've seen people who are involved in sex before marriage, get married, and all of a sudden this time goes along. They begin to have a disintegration in the relationship because they never ever denied themselves and love the other, because true love waits and true lost wants and so God is called us to put to death. The sense of time is running out. I've got another point I pick it up next Monday as we continue to understand how it is we deal with sin in our life that we pray Lord, thank you for your word. Help us to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord.

In Jesus name, amen like to thank you for listening to The Daily Platform. I hope that you enjoyed it.

I hope it's been a blessing and encouragement to you. We are living in very unusual times. This is just such a crucial time for all of us as believers to walk closely with the Lord. So I hope you'll take the opportunity to follows up on these other things that we have it be GU.edu and find out what it is that God is doing and through the ministry of Bob Jones University with a 2500 students were coming here to get a biblical worldview and see life from God's lenses and then go out with an accredited first class education go out of the world and make an impact for Jesus Christ in the workplace is a go out and serve in local churches not only here in the United States, but our students are globally in demand.

Christ centered servants who were trying to serve the Lord throughout the world for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So thank you again for listening and encourage your friends to listen and to be nourished and strengthened through God's word. God bless you.

You been listening to a sermon from the study series in the book of Colossians by Dr. Steve Pettit, Pres. about Jones University. For more information on Dr. Pettit series, visit the Bob Jones University store website shop.be GU.edu or you can get a copy of Steve's study booklet entitled seeking things above. Thanks for listening and join us again next week as we continue the study and Colossians on The Daily Platform