The Afterlife

Paul Simon, at 69, is still producing beautiful and original music:



This song and Rewrite got me to spring for the entire album.

"The Broken Heart"

O Lord,

No day of my life has passed that has not proved me guilty in thy sight.

Prayers have been uttered from a prayerless heart;
Praise has been often praiseless sound;
My best services are filthy rags.

Blessed Jesus, let me find a covert in thy appeasing wounds.

Though my sins rise to heaven thy merits soar above them;
Though unrighteousness weighs me down to hell, thy righteousness exalts me to thy throne.

All things in me call for my rejection,
All things in thee plead my acceptance.

I appeal from the throne of perfect justice to thy throne of boundless grace.

Grant me to hear thy voice assuring me:
that by thy stripes I am healed,
that thou wast bruised for my iniquities,
that thou has been made sin for me
that I might be righteous in thee,
that my grievous sins, my manifold sins, are all forgiven,
buried in the ocean of thy concealing blood.

I am guilty, but pardoned,
lost, but saved,
wandering, but found,
sinning, but cleansed.

Give me perpetual broken-heartedness,
Keep me always clinging to thy cross,
Flood me every moment with descending grace,
Open to me the springs of divine knowledge,
sparkling like crystal,
flowing clear and unsullied
through the wilderness of life.

From The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.

Spurgeon on So-Called "Open Source Authority" Preaching

"Open-source authority" preaching is au courant in certain emergent circles. Details may vary, but at a basic level what you have is a pastor, without any preparation at all, "framing" a scripture text and then inviting comment from whomever wants to speak.

This is what I imagine Spurgeon would say about "open source authority," from his lecture entitled, "The Faculty of Impromptu Speech":

Churches are not to be held together except by an instructive ministry; a mere filling up of time with oratory will not suffice. Everywhere men ask to be fed, really fed. Those new-fangled religionists, whose public worship consists of the prelections of any brother who chooses to jump up and talk, notwithstanding their flattering inducements to the ignorant and garrulous, usually dwindle away, and die out; because, even men, with the most violently crotchety views, who conceive it to be the mind of the Spirit that every member of the body should be a mouth, soon grow impatient of hearing other people's nonsense, though delighted to dispense their own; while the mass of the good people grow weary of prosy ignorance, and return to the churches from which they were led aside, or would return if their pulpits were well supplied with solid teaching.*

I would add a bit more to what Spurgeon says. Instead of the proclaiming the life-giving Word of God through prayerful, faithful, exegetically-sound, Spirit-led preaching, these "new-fangled", "2.0", "open source" approaches usually produce nothing more self-fulfilling, self-justifying "prophecy" rather than conviction, repentance, faith, and belief in Christ.

*From Spurgeon''s Lectures to My Students, 162-163.

Colossians 11: Live for Christ

Scripture Text: Colossians 3:18-4:1

Introductory Comments

Last week, we looked at the second of two word-paintings which shows us what the characteristics of life lived in and for the world and the satisfaction of the self, and the characteristics of the life lived in and for Jesus for the glory of God. The text for last week concluded with these words: “[3:17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

This week, Paul will demonstrate how the celebration of the cosmic, sovereign Jesus Christ translates into everyday life in the family and in the community. I like these parts of Paul’s letters because they show us clearly how Christian faith is not just some kind of pie-in-the-sky idealism. Being a disciple of Jesus has radical implications for all of life, including the most intimate spheres of life, like the home, marriage, sex, etc.

What this section shows us is that Christian faith is displayed through acts of deliberate sacrifice, service, submission, kindness, and love after the life of sacrifice, service, submission, kindness, and love revealed perfectly to the universe through the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So the “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” has real-world implications, and they begin right in the home of the Christian.

What Paul will do in these verses today is show us how the cosmic sovereignty of Christ translates into the ordering of a godly home. He will do this by using three types of relationships common in ancient Hellenistic households: Wives and husbands, children and parents, and slaves and masters. You need to know a few things before we get into the details of these verses, because for many of you it will sound odd or wrong-headed to think of a wife as being in submission to her husband. It may seem strange to you that Paul would encourage almost total obedience of a child to his or her parents in this age of teenaged-enabled social networking on mobile devices. Finally, it may strike you as totally odd or even offensive that Paul will talk about the relationship between slaves and masters of slaves, particularly given the shocking and horrible history of slavery in our own country and in the West. So I want to acknowledge those potential anxieties right up front, and ask you to watch and listen for the principles of Christian household and family life that are underneath the surface of the words here in the text.

The first thing I want to tell you is this: For each set of relationships mentioned in this section of the letter, both parties have responsibilities because both parties, in the Christian household, acknowledge Jesus as Lord of the Universe. For Christians, personal responsibilities and behaviors in the home will reflect the reality of Jesus as Lord.

Second, certain scenarios are assumed in this section. Paul is writing to small congregation where there are married people, and the first two of the exhortations in today’s text are for those who are married and who have children. Paul speaks in other places about single people in the church, for example in 1 Corinthians 7. But here married Christian couples are in view, along with their children, all of whom are considered to be part of the body of Christ. We need to acknowledge up front that this text does not deal with other family configurations, like single-parenthood.

Third, the existence of slave/master relationships in society is assumed in this section. Slavery, which is the ownership of one human being by another, was an accepted practice engrained in the social and economic structures of the time. What is interesting to note here is the existence of a significant tension that many folks sometimes miss. While Paul is clear that there are slaves and that slaves have certain responsibilities, he also says that masters have a Master themselves (Jesus) and should conduct themselves accordingly. So while Paul is teaching about how slaves and masters should behave toward each other if they are both in Christ, both slaves and masters are present in this church. We cannot discount this, because I believe that this bringing together of people of such dissimilar social strata sowed the seeds of emancipation for slaves and set the stage ultimately for the elimination of slavery as a social institution.

Wives and Husbands

And now, to the text:

[18] Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. [19] Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

The Greek word which is translated in the ESV has “submit” is hupotasso, which is in the middle voice and imperative case. I use this technical language because it is essential in understanding what “submit” means here. As an imperative, the word "submit" is an exhortation: Christian wives, do this. But we also must look at the middle voice. Why? Because the middle voice changes the interpretation of the verb. If this were an active verb, it would mean, “place under” or “subordinate.” But in the middle voice, the meaning is more like “subject oneself,” or “acquiesced in.” So this word implies the willing submission of a wife to her husband. But the interpretation does not stop there, because we have to also consider the phrase at the end of verse 17, that this submission to a husband should be done “as is fitting in the Lord.” I like the way Eugene Peterson puts it in his paraphrase The Message, “Wives, understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honor the Master.”

So this isn’t a submission based on inferiority with a command to obey no matter what. This is a self-giving submission to a husband intended to honor Christ first and foremost.

I stand before you as a married man. And as I prepared for the sermon I decided to ask Sara if she would think and reflect on this text for a few minutes to give me her thoughts. She did so, and rather than read them myself, I thought it might be helpful for you to ask Sara if she would offer her thoughts on the application of this scripture.

[Sara presented her application of the text.]

Now that we’ve all heard that, I need to get to the husband. “[3:19] Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.” The love Paul speaks of here is a self-giving, sacrificial love that lays it all on the line for the sake of the spouse. Such a love will never, never, never find its expression in harsh or abusive treatment. Paul is saying here, in effect, be wholly devoted to your wives. Go all out! Never take advantage of them or mistreat them. The unspoken assumption underlying these words is the loving sacrifice of Christ. In fact, in Ephesians 5:25, Paul goes even farther, addressing husbands this way: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Husbands, be prepared to part with everything, including your own life, for the sake and for the welfare of your wife.” Is your job destroying your marriage? Get a different one. Are your recreational activities taking too much time from the responsibility of tending the garden of your marriage? Then find some things you can do together. Healthy marriages show forth the glory of Christ, and husbands have particular responsibilities for tending, fostering, and leading. Every time I read this text, I’m convicted that I have not done enough to show my own wife the love this text commands. I pray that Christ will further sanctify me to become more and more like him in my own marriage, so that I can be a source of joy and support and love for my wife.

Children and Fathers

[3:20] Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. [21] Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

The first thing to note about verse 20 is that children are addressed by Paul a persons with responsibilities in the congregation of believers and therefore also in the family. Again, this is something we can skip over easily and not realize how important this is. Children are very important in the family of faith, so much so that an Apostle address them directly in this letter, which was read publicly. They are not skipped over.

Children are called upon here to obey their parents in everything. The use of the word “obey” alludes to the obedience owed to parents who have more experience by virtue of age, but also because God has ordained and commanded that children honor their parents. “In everything” assumes, I think, that the parents are Christians and will conduct themselves with their children accordingly.

Paul then addresses fathers in particular. Children are to obey their parents, but fathers have special responsibilities for their children. At the time this letter was written, fathers had basically unlimited power and authority over the household. You can imagine a household where a father with that kind of power could willfully abuse a child without any worries or consequences. Paul command fathers, “Do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

What this means is that a pastor should never hear words like these, which I have heard from more than one child in the course of conducting release time and in other situations: “I was told that I would never amount to anything” or “My parents think I’m useless.” I am very worried that, even here in Jackson, children are increasingly viewed a pawns, tools, or servants by their parents, and by their fathers in particular. I have personally witnessed the discouragement this produces in a child and it breaks my heart. Fathers, do nothing to provoke your children and bring them to discouragement. If you do, you run the risk of destroying, destroying the emotional and spiritual well-being of your children.

Slaves and Masters

[22] Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. [23] Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. [25] For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

[4:1] Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven

The final pairing is the longest in this section of Colossians. Again, we cannot overlook a couple or important features of these verses. Paul is not making a direct social commentary on slavery, which was widely accepted and practiced in the Hellenistic world. But he is articulating how the Christian faith changes even these widely accepted relationships. In so doing, Paul is here, and also in his letter to Philemon (who was a Colossian!) revealing the tension of the liberty and freedom from sin granted to all who are in Christ with a social institution characterized by complete power in the case of the master and complete submission on the part of the slave.

What we see in this part of the text is that salvation relativizes all other relationships. Every human relationship is to be marked first of all by submission and obedience to Christ. And so slaves are to serve their masters, but they are to do so in the interests of honoring or “fearing” the Lord. “[23] Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Christian slaves serve Christ first, and that obedience shows through in their obedience to earthly masters. Moreover, the slave knows that they are actuality the beneficiaries of a divine estate. They are promised an inheritance, which is something no slave in antiquity was ever entitled to. Can you see how the tension is building against slavery because of the gospel?

With this in mind, Paul says to the slave, "Do good, honest work. Your freedom in Christ cannot be used as an excuse for wrongdoing. Live honestly, work hard, and please the Lord first and foremost in your earthly service to a master."

Once again, Paul doesn’t stop there. He concludes by commanding the masters in the church to “[4:1] treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.” You see, in Christ the masters have actually becomes slaves of a new Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. This slavery paradigm is all over the New Testament. This is why Paul is able to say to the Corinthians, “[1 Cor. 6:19a-20] You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Christians have a new master, including those in the church who are earthly masters.

Everyone in Christ at one time was enslaved by sin and death, including you and me. But Christ bought you with the great price of his blood to liberate you from that eternally fatal condition. That is what Paul is alluding to here in this passage. The same holds true for you. You were bought with a price. It makes no difference who you parents are, who you work for, or who you serve here on earth. Your first allegiance to the Lord who, at great expense to himself, purchased you from slavery to sin in order to make you joint-heirs of an internal inheritance in God’s kingdom, where, we are promised, we will judge the angels (1 Cor 6:3). All of your relationships in the church, at home, with your spouse, your children, your parents, who you work for, all of them are altered when Christ is Lord. Amen.

Given at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota
June 5, 2011
Seventh Sunday in Eastertide
Copyright © 2011 by Christopher Donald Drew

A Prayer for Purification

I sin - Grant that I may
never cease grieving because of it,
never be content with myself,
never think I can reach a point of perfection.

Kill my envy, command my tongue,
trample down self.

Give me grace to be holy, kind, gentle, pure,
peaceable,
to live for thee and not for self,
to copy thy words, acts, spirit,
to be transformed into thy likeness,
to be consecrated wholly to thee,
to live eternally to thy glory.

Deliver me from attachment to things unclean,
from wrong associations,
from the predominance of evil passions,
from the sugar of sin as well as its gall,
that with self-loathing, deep contrition,
earnest heart searching
I may come to thee, cast myself on thee,
trust in thee, cry to thee,
be delivered by thee.

O God, the Eternal All, help me to know that
all things are shadows, but thou art substance,
all things are quicksands, but thou art mountain,
all things are shifting, but thou art anchor,
all things are ignorance, but thou art wisdom.

If my life is to be a crucible amid burning heat,
so be it,
but do thou sit at the furnace mouth
to watch the ore that nothing be lost.

If I sin wilfully, grievously, tormentedly,
in grace take away my mourning
and give me music;
remove my sackcloth
and cloth me with beauty;
still my sighs
and fill my mouth with song,
then give me summer weather as a Christian.

From The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.

Colossians 10: Live As Christ

Scripture Text: Colossians 3:12-17

Introductory Comments

This is the second of two messages that paint pictures of the two basic ways in which human beings live. We talked about the first painting, which consisted of two panels, last week. You may recall that the first painting presented, as it were, the same person from two different perspectives, in sin, and apart from God. We imagined together that the person in question was wearing the tattered clothing of human, worldly sin: “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (3:5). That was the first panel of the first painting. In the second panel, we see another view of the same person, this time with the sin-saturated clothing of anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk.” (3:8). Writing to a group of gentile Christians who have received the Gospel, Paul admonishes the Colossians, and us, to be sure that these old, tattered garments have been put off completely so that no remnant remains, not even a thread. Why? Because Christians are those who have been transferred into a new kingdom, the kingdom of God’s beloved Son, and have been issued new garments that are appropriate for a place of marked everywhere with God’s holiness and peace.

This week, we look at the second of the two paintings. This painting shows us the glorious garments of the new life in Christ. The same person is pictured, having been rescued by God from slavery to sin in the world, and transferred into this new kingdom. What does this new life in Christ look like? What are some of the hallmarks that identify a life lived for Christ rather than for the self?  What we find out is that the new life in Christ looks very much like Jesus.

You Have New Titles

Before we get there, though, Paul opens by referring to the Christians in Colossae with some significant new titles. He refers to them as “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” (3:12).

A couple of truths stand out here. First, Christians are chosen by God. You do not become a Christian by simply exerting willpower. Salvation comes to men and women by the gracious choosing of a totally sovereign, just, and righteous God. No one deserves to be chosen because of sin. Nevertheless God, in his great mercy and out of his steadfast love, chooses those whom will become heirs in the kingdom. R.C. Sproul succinctly captures just how astonishing a thing it is for God to so choose a people for himself. He said: “The question is not, ‘Why is there only one way [to God]?’ but ‘Why is there even one way?’”¹ His quote captures the tragic seriousness of the sin that condemns us to eternal separation from God and the gracious love of God that chooses to save people from such just fate.

Second, when a person is chosen by God and given the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, that person becomes “holy and beloved” by God. Christ is called the Holy One of God by Peter in John 6:69. And here it is Christians being called holy. This means that if you are in Christ, if you are alive in him, you are a holy creature in the eyes of God. Moreover, because you have the appearance of Christ, you are beloved by God, even as Jesus is beloved by God.  At the river Jordan, what were the words that God spoke at Jesus’ baptism? “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mk. 1:11). In Christ, you are beloved by God, just as God’s Son is beloved by the Father.

This is what it means to live by grace. For the Christian, God’s choosing puts you into a new status of holiness, and in that status you are beloved by God, just as Jesus is beloved by God. This should come as a great joy to you, because it means you have been totally, fully accepted by God. You have been granted full, free pardon for the sin that would disqualify you from His presence, You lack nothing if you are in Christ. You are co-heirs with him in the Kingdom of God. And nothing in the universe can take that away from you.

So that is the status you have before God when you are saved and granted the gift of eternal life. This is important to know before we get into the details of the Christian’s new clothing. The list we’ll go through assumes salvation from God. The list itself is a overflowing of what God does when you are saved. If you think this is a list of how to be good so as to receive God’s favor, then you need to pray deeply that God will show you the truth in his Word. These next exhortations are for those who have already been chosen for salvation in Christ Jesus. That is precisely what the person in this second painting represents.

As we look at the painting, then, what do we see?

[12] Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, [13] bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. [14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

The New Person Looks Like Jesus

What we see is a new person, putting on news clothes with attributes that are those of Jesus Christ. Therefore, what these verses tell us about is not who we are by ourselves, but who Jesus is and what we look like if we live for Him as Lord.

It is Jesus, the holy and beloved one of God, who in his ministry exemplified the perfect compassionate heart. He cared for other people, he healed the sick, he gave sight to the blind, and he cast out demons. It is Jesus who showed the perfectly kindness of God. He showed tremendous mercy and forgiveness to sinners, Jew and Gentile alike. It is Jesus who lived with perfect humility and meekness before God the Father. Paul writes in Philippians 2:24 about Jesus this way: “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” He humbly served his disciples in the upper room when he washed their feet. Jesus showed perfect patience, keeping his disciples close by even though they at times seemed totally clueless as to who Jesus was and what he would do. Finally, does not Jesus show us the perfect picture of bearing with us by granting perfect forgiveness to us through his death on the cross? Though he was totally without sin and innocent before God, he nevertheless willingly took the punishment that was due to us for our sin so that we might be preserved from God’s wrath. As he did this, he said these words, in the midst of the pain and agony, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:24).  That is the picture of perfect forbearance and forgiveness rooted in perfect love. It is available to you if you have not already received Jesus and believed in Him.

The picture we are looking at then, of this man wearing these new clothes, looks remarkably like the person and work of Jesus our Lord. And we are charged with living life in Him. And so Paul admonishes Christians to live into this new life they have already been granted in Christ.

As the Holy Spirit works sanctification in the lives of the saints (that’s you) your life will increasingly take on these attributes. Not because you think that by doing them you’ll advance in spiritual sophistication, but because God is working in you, “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). God desires you to live in such a way as you will please him and bring him glory, and it is God who does this work in his children. This was the plan from before you were born. Most people know Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” But you can’t interpret that verse without verse 29: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Your salvation was part of God’s eternal plan from before you were born, but so also was your sanctification. If you are in Christ, you will be conformed to the image of God’s Son. And that image looks like the image of the man clothed in Christ here in Colossians 3:12-14.

Is Your Life Peaceful?

[15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

As those who confess Jesus as Lord live with one another, Paul charges them with letting Christ’s peace rule their hearts. You can’t very well live as Christ’s body in unity unless Christ’s peace dwells within. We often want to resist this peace, especially when we become angry with one another. If there is a disagreement between believers, the sinful response will be an overriding desire to win the argument at the expense of the other believer. But Christians are called to let peace reign over theirs hearts. When this happens, when you now the peace of Christ, you are enabled by grace to seek reconciliation first, rather than victory, because you already share in victory of Christ.  This kind of reconciliation and peace can only be experienced if truth faith in the Lordship of Jesus is present throughout the body of believers.

Paul continues with his exhortations, this time regarding our worship: “[16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”  What does it mean to “let the word of Christ dwell in your richly”? It means to deeply drink from the word of truth, the bible, which is the key to developing a deeper understanding of the implication of the gospel - of what Jesus accomplished for our salvation.  How do we drink deeply from this well? One way is here in worship when we submit before the word of God with thanksgiving and praise. Another way is through the self-discipline of daily bible readings. The word of Christ cannot dwell deeply if we watch three or four hours of television a night, followed by three minutes in the scriptures.

The word is necessary for life in this new kingdom into which we have been transferred. The book tells us who the king of the land is, what he is like, and what he commands. Paul also tells believers that they are to teach and admonish others with all wisdom. This kind of think cannot happen unless believers, and especially church leaders, drink deeply from the blessed font of God’s Word, in worship and at home. Paul indicates that we actually show our thanks to God when we do this.

Paul concludes this section of the letter in verse 17 this way: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Christians live all life in a state of gratitude and thanksgiving. If God did nothing else for you other than bring you to a saving knowledge of his Son, Jesus Christ, the rest of your life can be lived with gratitude. This thanksgiving finds its expression first of all in preaching and worship: “[16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Do you listen to the word of God with thanksgiving? Do you sing hymns and spiritual songs without fearing what your neighbor will think, instead singing out loud to the God who has saved you, and who saved you for the purpose of giving him glory? Some of you may be dismayed to know that this text precludes your silence in worship. Silence can actually be interpreted as a sign that you are worried more about the opinion of your brother or sister than with giving God thanks for your salvation.

Verse 17 also means that all of facets of life we are to give thanks to God. When you get up in the morning, give thanks. Before every meal. Before going to work. During work. As you finish the day’s work. As you share time with friends and family. And as you prepare for sleep. For your next breath. All of life is a precious gift, made more precious for the Christians because it is eternal. Let it always be said of this congregation and of the Church of Christ, “Boy, that is a thankful bunch.” People will want to know why. If they ask, tell them - It’s because of everything Jesus has done for me. Jesus is glorified when we live in a state of gratitude. Amen.

¹As quoted in a tweet from Reformation Trust.

Given at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota
May 29, 2011
Sixth Sunday in Eastertide
Copyright © 2011 by Christopher Donald Drew

Colossians 09: Put on the New Self

Scripture Text: Colossians 3:5-11

Introductory Comments

For the next two weeks in Colossians, Paul is going to paint a couple of pictures for us. The first picture, if you were to see it in a museum, would consist of two sections. We can imagine that Paul might entitle this painting, “The Old Life as Adam.” Each section of the painting shows us an image the same sinful human being from two angles.

The second painting could be entitled, “The New Life in Christ.” In this second painting, Paul will show us the appearance of the person who is born again. The two paintings, as we will see, stand in stark contrast with one another. The subject for this week’s sermon is the first painting. We’ll talk about the second painting next Sunday.

The First Painting – The Old Life as Adam

The first painting shows us the old, dead, worldly life of an unsaved, sin-enslaved human being. The painting shows us the cause of death, which is sin. Paul commands those in Colossae, who have known the mercy of Christ and are empowered by the Holy Spirit, to cast off the trappings of this old life of sin and death.

[5] Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. [6] On account of these the wrath of God is coming. [7] In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.

This list of five items is the first section of the first painting. The first four items in this list of sinful vices are all related to sexual behavior. God’s Word has much to say about human sexuality and God-honoring sexual relationships, despite what many in the culture and the church would prefer. I’ll touch on each of these briefly:

Sexual immorality – This Greek term Paul uses here refers to almost all sexual sin apart from that ordained by God at the creation between one man and one woman united in marriage. Included under this term are unchastity, fornication, prostitution, relations with those who are too close in the family tree, et cetera. Paul makes it clear that those who engage in these behaviors have broken away from God.

Impurity – The term here is frequently paired with the previous term in the bible and in extrabiblical literature. This term refers to someone whose behavior is “determined by his commitment to his natural lusts.”¹. These natural lusts are the result of living in the worldly ways of sin.

Passion – This word was commonly used by Paul to describe a “shameful passion which leads to sexual excess” and so is included in the list of things to be abandoned by faithful Christians.

Evil Desire – Not all desires are evil. But some are. Some desires take over the person who is still rooted in the ways of the world and can consume them. When I see this term here, I think of stalkers, for example, who are consumed with their desire for someone. This kind of desire represents a carnal lust which separates a person from God.

Covetousness, which is idolatry: The fifth and last item of this first list gets additional emphasis because Paul calls this covetousness “idolatry.” This is “the insatiable desire to lay hands on material things.”². Because this covetousness is idolatry, it means that the thing, rather than God, becomes the object of worship. In the bible, idolatry is presented as a most grievous sin. Almost all other sins in the bible are inevitably the product of covetousness which is idolatry. It is covetousness that creates the unhealthy objectification of another human being in order to pursue sexual pleasure at all costs. It is covetousness which is at the source of our greed, our desire for more and more material and monetary goods. It is the seed which when it takes root in the heart leads increasingly us to increasing sinful outward expressions of sin. Covetousness leads to evil desires leading to sinful passions which lead to impure thoughts which ultimately lead to sexual immorality. What this first list, this first panel of the painting, shows us is how the sinful heart enslaves the sinner.

Paul says that it is on account of these things that the wrath of God is coming. God’s anger will be poured out on those who are idolaters in the heart and whose idolatries play out in the bedroom. Among other things, this text teaches us that God indeed knows everything that goes on with us. He knows the conduct of our hearts and he knows that corrupts our desires and our thoughts and he knows how that is lived out in our “personal” lives.

Paul also reminds the Colossians and us, somewhat uncomfortably: “Hey folks, you once walked this way. This is how you used to live. This is what life was like before Christ. But you’ve received Christ now. You’ve been transferred into his kingdom and have been raised with him into a new life which increasingly reflects Jesus’ life. Therefore, all these things I’ve just listed? They need to die, and they need to die right now if you have received Christ. If they haven’t died, then you are still in your sin and subject to God’s justified wrath.”

Think about where we live as a culture right now. Think of some of the images you see on the television or in movies or hear in music. Is this world not fraught with temptation for the Christian? Are we not always under assault to make an idol our of sexual pleasure? We must always take care when we put images in front of our eyes or when piping songs into our ears. And we should be especially on guard for the young people in our communities who are pelted by these things and are subject to even greater temptations.

All of these vices are part and parcel of the old life as a member of Adam’s fallen people, who are by nature subject to God’s justified wrath and anger for sin. Therefore, Paul says, Christians who have been saved must throw these things out of their lives because they are now Holy People in Christ, empowered by the forgiveness of Christ.

Paul reminds the Colossians, and us, that we all walked in these ways before our conversion. Think back to your own conversion. Do you not remember how your mind used to function? I can tell you most people do remember. For those who have not confessed and received forgiveness, the usual result of theses memories is a deep, deep shame. It is a shame borne out of the knowledge that what was done was contrary to the will of the creator. The shame is unresolved because the guilt remains. And the reason the guilt remains is that there has been no confession of sin and a pleading to God for the forgiveness granted by Christ. The reason we won’t confess is because our hearts our hardened. There are, perhaps, other vices besides these to for which we still find the illusion of joy. We are wary of letting them go, because we are convinced that the joy of following Christ could never exceed that of the joy of our sin. Think back over your life, dear ones. Reflect on your life now. Are there activities you are engaging in which cause you feelings of guilt? There is a reason for that. R.C. Sproul someplace once said that the reason a person feels guilty is because they actually are guilty. Everyone is born guilty. Not everyone seeks forgiveness. If you have not confessed your sin, will you not do so now, and receive the full and free pardon offered by Christ. He died to free you from guilt so that you can live into holiness in total peace and joy.

More Old-Self Tattered Garments

Paul continues:

[8] But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. [9] Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Here is another perspective of the old self rooted in the sin of Adam. What is interesting about this list is how the first items, anger, wrath, malice, lead to the last two items – slandering others and using obscene language and the utterance of lies. The first list moved from the outside to the heart, and this list moves the opposite way. Imagine accidentally slamming your thumb with a hammer. Doesn’t the resulting anger and wrath produce obscene talk?

Anger and wrath are the tough ones on this list, I think, because it is extraordinary easy to get angry. But we must be careful. Not all forms of anger are sinful. For example, there is an anger which is rooted in witnessing things like gross injustice. In Ephesians 4:26, Paul writes, “[26] Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, [27] and give no opportunity to the devil.” The teaching implication is this: Christians can get angry about things, but the anger ought not to last. The anger that Paul is writing to the Colossians about is the kind of anger which is rooted in the hatred of something or someone else, and which festers and over time grows over time. How often are you angry with circumstances or with other people? Does it last? Unresolved anger has a corrosive, divisive, isolating, effect. Resolve your anger, and if you need help resolving it, get it. Don’t let anger consume you.

Malice here probably means bad things we do to one another. This is troublemaking for the sake of inconveniencing or harming others. The word is placed next to slander. Slander defames someone else, and when the object of defamation is God, it becomes blasphemy. Christians are commanded to “speak evil of no one.” Small towns like Jackson are easily filled with these things, and greater harm usually results because there isn’t as much anonymity in a small town.

Paul concludes by telling Christians do not lie about anything to each other. Don’t make blithe promises you cannot or will not keep.

In this first painting presenting theses two views of the old, Adam-like life, you can imagine a central figure, representing an unsaved human, burdened by the tattered clothing of the old life, emblazoned with the vices and sins Paul has been listing out. The pictures aren’t very pretty, are they? And yet, Paul tells the Colossians, and us, that everyone is guilty of these things prior to our salvation.

Throw Off the Cursed Garments and Receive the Pure Clothing of Christ

Sara and I have kind of a recurring fun argument about my t-shirts. She monitors the condition of the necklines very closely, because they eventually wear out and become frayed. Inevitably, the request comes to throw out the tattered t-shirt. I usually protest a hasty trashing. Why is that, do you suppose? Well, I think it might be the same reason I like keeping blue jeans past their expiration date - they are comfortable.

Sin can be comfortable to us because it’s the way we’ve always lived. T-shirts are one thing, but sin is quite another. As Christians who are saved by the precious blood of Jesus, we are remade into holy people who need the new clothes that can only be granted by God. Those clothes are Christ. In Romans 3:14 Paul instructs his readers, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” In the Old Testament, a constant refrain is to be clothed with righteousness. Psalm 132:9 reads, “Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.”

That’s what Paul means when he says, “[9] Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” He uses the “put off” and “put on” phrase as one would with clothing. He’s reminding the Colossians, and us, that because you are in Christ and have been forgiven of all the sins represented on the two panels of this painting, you need to throw off the tattered garments, burn them up, and put on the new garment which is the righteousness of Jesus. Just as I should listen to my wife and toss the old, frayed, t-shirts, Christians are to immediately throw of any vestiges of sin which do not reflect the righteousness they have already been granted by being saved by God through Jesus Christ.

How about you? Are there some sins still clinging to you that need to be thrown off? Don’t hesitate! Throw them out by repenting, confessing, and living more fully into the news clothes of righteousness that you’ve already received in Christ’s death and resurrection.

Next week, we’ll look at the second painting, the one that describes how the “chosen one,” the elect of God ought to live, clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Amen.

¹O'Brien, Peter Thomas. Colossians, Philemon. Nashville: T. Nelson, 1982. 182.
²Ibid.

Given at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Minnesota
May 22, 2011
Fifth Sunday in Eastertide
Copyright © 2011 by Christopher Donald Drew