Feeding the Sheep - Living the New Life 4
-Apostle Paul, 1st century
Colossians 3:8
[This is the 19th message of this series]
This lesson is intended for mature believers (or adulting believers). For a more orderly study, please go through all the previous messages first, if you haven't yet.
Malicious Behavior
This is the 4th part of this series, within a series.
To continue, we were talking about how the Apostle Paul is telling the first church in Colassae what "to do", now that they are living their new life.
He listed the following as things we used to have in our old life:
anger, rage, (wrath), malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language (obscene, abusive, filthy, vulgar speech) to name a few.
And that these things are those which we shouldn't be engaging in anymore. For these are contrary with our new life in Christ.
So now we know the "what", so "how" are we really supposed to do it?
New Creation
When one is made new, the old person has passed away. The new person, a baby was reborn in its place. But like a newborn, we still aren't aware of what we can and cannot do yet.
Have you noticed that some of the not so good things you used to do, you are not doing anymore? I hope so. This is a good sign that you have been reborn.
Say for example you used to say filthy words on each and every sentence. So are you still doing that? Or have you noticed that those hurtful words are now almost entirely gone from your vocabulary? Or is there something inside you becoming uneasy when you hear someone using obscene or vulgar language?
Changed
This could be instantenous for most. But might also be a gradual process in others. When we meet with and gather with other believers we would eventually get used to the language they are using. The same as when we got used to the language and the practices all around us back when we were still dead in spirit.
We got used to that atmosphere and culture. But our new nature in the inside is now silently telling us that we are no longer of that old world we used to live in. Yes, we are still on earth but not anymore of this world.
So we may used to enjoy listening to vulgar music and singing obscene lyrics but now our mouths are singing to God songs of praise and thanksgiving, we are now singing of hope and love, grace and mercy.
Earthly vs Heavenly
More and more we will come to a realization that our appetite for earthly, temporary or worldly things is being taken away and our hunger for more of God and heavenly things is growing. And as we immerse ourselves in this new culture, and walk daily with the Holy Spirit, the more God's Spirit will change us from the inside out.
We do not and cannot change ourselves, that's the work of the Holy Spirit. Now God's Word and God's people are necessary components to help us to fully change into the person that Our Lord has made us to be.
Seek God in the morning as you wake up and continually walk in His Spirit throughout the day and you would be surprised that God's Spirit who is living inside of you has been changing you without you even trying or knowing about it.
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