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Colossians 3 and verse 9.
Lie not one to another, think that ye have pull off the old man with his deed, and have put on the Blue Man, which is renewed his knowledge after the image of him that created him.
Where there is neither Greeks nor Jews, circumcisions are uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythians bombed or free, but Christ is all and involved.
Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.
Forbearing one another and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is a bond of perfectness.
And let the peace of God rule in your heart to the which also ye are called in one body, and being thankful.
Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another, in psalms and hands and spiritual songs, seen with grace in your heart to the Lord.
Whatsoever ye do in Word or deed, do all of the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Why submit yourselves unto your own husband, as it is fit in the Lord husband. Love your wives and be not bitter against them.
Children obey their parents and all things, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
Fathers for both, not their children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
Servants obey it all things your masters according to the flesh, not with I service as man pleasers, but in heart during golf, and whatsoever ye do, and heartily unto the Lord, and not unto men.
Knowing that on the floor he shall receive the reward of the inheritance. For ye serve the Lord Christ, but he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done, and there is no respected person.
I suppose that we are agreed the 1St 8.
Names such things that come from the old nature, the fallen nature.
Cannot doubt that I believe that this word anger in this place.
In this place the word anger would have to do with that which should emanate from the old nature. Now we do have the word used a couple of times where it'd be even of the new nature, but in this case, in most cases it is the activity of nature, like the fruit in the 5th of Galatians.
I should say the the works of the flesh in Galatians 5.
Anger.
And wrath and malice. And blasphemy.
And filthy communication.
Told to let no corrupt communication proceed out of her mouth, but that which is.
Good for edification.
Quite nice brother around. And Ephesians.
The 4th chapter where we have a similar recital, we have the.
Opposite object put before each one, don't we? Ephesians 4 and the 25th verse.
Wherefore putting away lying?
Well, that's what we're told in Colossians. Why not? But here we're told something more.
But putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. And the following verse be angry and sin not.
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And the 28th verse led him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor working with his hands.
That he may have to give to him that needed. And the next verse which you quoted, No, that no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for the use of identifying.
Our faithful Lord of God is it not only reproves the works of darkness and our tendency to drift into them.
But it gives us a positive and a more suited occupation to replace that which the old nature was so prone to display.
While they're in Ephesians 4 and these verses here may we?
As it were back up to verse 22 and commenced there to bring out also another line of truth that's going to be before us in the first verse is read this afternoon was verse nine of Colossians 3. But let us look at verse 22 in Ephesians 4.
And may I read it in the other translation which will make this difference?
Show that it's in the past tense as having been accomplished, and not in the present tense of an exhortation of something for us to do.
Now I'll read it in the other translation, namely.
You're having put off. That's in the past tense.
They have put off.
According to the former conversation, which means manner of life, the old man, now it's in the past tense.
The old man has been once for all dealt with.
The old man according to the way scripture reads.
We'll look at that after a bit now in Romans 66.
But here in the 22nd verse, it's in the past tense, having put off.
That is the old man.
Then in verse 23 and being renewed.
In the spirit of your mind.
And your having put on the Newman.
Yet we're not told then to put off the old man. We're not told to put on a new man. We're.
We are told, though, that we have put on a Newman which, according to God, is created in righteousness and true holiness, or truthful holiness, or righteousness and holiness.
Wherefore.
Having put off falsehood, speak every man truth with his neighbor.
For ER members, one of another.
Lovely, isn't it? Now here is a positive command to be angry.
The new nature.
B.
Angry.
And sin not.
In other words, it is such there is such a thing as having the devil at your, at your screen door, at the front door, will say.
And we're not to give any place to him whatsoever.
We are to be angry under such circumstance and to not not to yield.
Not laid down to the enemy in that way in the days of Joshua.
He had power with God.
So that he could enlist the power of.
Of light against the power of darkness, you might say by saying sun stand still.
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And for a period of nearly a day, 23 hours or so.
The sun stood still.
In the IT worried the enemy. The enemy was bested, they were conquered. There was power in Joshua and enlisting God's help. The Kingdom of light was against the Kingdom of darkness, and the enemy was bested. And so in that sense, we're told to be angry. We're also told to.
Neither give place to the devil.
1St that's anger in connection with.
The dishonor of the Lord. It wouldn't be right though for.
Anything that affected you or me?
To be angry? No, I don't say that. We may not be. It's a flesh acts. But it wouldn't be right and scripture does not allow for that.
But to to take.
Like Joshua at the interests of the Lord and the anger against Satan and his even his insinuations as to the person of Christ. Well, the the anger rises in that it's it's because he's been been dishonored. It isn't the fact of of any personal thing against another person. And so we're not to let the sun go down and hold a grudge or anything like that.
In the days of Joshua.
The Word of God, over and over and over again, had told them they were to consume their enemies. Utterly, utterly consume their enemies.
And.
We must ever.
Maintain a righteous indignation.
At anything of that sort and give no place to it whatsoever, and not be worried, but to weary the enemy by the power of the Kingdom of light. In other words, it's it's not merely permission to be angry, but it's a command. It will be angry.
It was only perfectly displayed, I believe in the Lord Jesus whose moral glory and all these things could not be hidden. They came to the Lord Jesus and said sadly not well, that thou art a Samaritan and hasta devil. Now the Lord replied immediately to that double accusation, said we not well that thou art a Samaritan and hast the devil. The Lord's reply was, I have not a devil.
The one was a personal insult, which he left alone completely. The other attributed the power of his ministry to the power of Satan, and this he would immediately correct. Well, I believe that has been brought out, that we, beloved brethren, ought to be very specially on guard in a day like this, concerning that which would be so derogatory to the person of Christ, the work of Christ, the authority of this precious Book, and.
Of God, I hope we do feel angry. We ought to feel angry, and although I have no doubt there is the need of our being warned lest we hold a personal grudge, yet that which I see in the statement, Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, seems to indicate that there is a danger that we become.
Accustomed to that which is so blasphemous against the person of Christ.
Work in a factory and the man beside me is a blaspheming so-called Jehovah Witness. Well, I worked with him for a while and I find that he's very kind and hard and willing to help me out in my problems at work if I am not watchful. I let the sun go down upon my wrath. I overlooked those blasphemous tendencies because I find something rather pleasant about this man.
And I'm afraid that because we see and hear continually around us.
That which is totally opposed to the Word of God, the truth of God and the person of Christ, that we're in danger of letting the sun go down upon our wrath and we don't feel that which we ought to feel when the Word of God is mocked in the person of Christ is attacked. There was a an opposite case to Joshua's. I think I have it here before me.
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In the last verse of Second Chronicles 18.
I believe I have it.
The battle increased that day.
How be it the king of Israel?
Stayed himself.
In his chariot against the Assyrians until the evening.
In other words, he was able to put up a pretty good appearance that far, and about the time of the sun going down, he died.
Vested by the enemy in that case.
Now.
I'd like to also read Mark chapter 3 and verse five in particular.
Where the Lord Jesus in the synagogue is being watched by the Pharisees on the Sabbath, Those hard hearted enemies to the Lord.
And.
The Lord.
Said in verse.
After saying to the man withered hand stand forth.
In verse 4, Mark 3/4, he said unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil, to save life or to kill? But they held their peace, and when he had looked round about on them with.
Perfect anger with anger.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
He was distressed, being grieved.
At the hardness of their hearts.
One instance where we see the word anger rightly used in a holy way.
It's a natural thing for the Pardon me, you are not finished. You go ahead, dear brother. I was just thinking of this expression. Lie. Not one to another was a natural thing among the heathen. They knew nothing else. We see examples of it in the time of rehab and so on. It just seemed to be the custom to the lie. And it is. It is so with the natural man. Not always. There may be some.
With in a as a result of Christianity.
Been other than not saying they have.
Ways about them that commend them. But in general, I believe this is what characterizes the natural man. The first thing a person does to defend himself is to lie himself out of a difficulty. And so it is.
We we need to remember this, that there are certain tendencies that unless we're exercised before God.
They'll come out, they'll show themselves and we don't think it's too bad. Sometimes when you say something, it isn't quite.
The right color, but it's a lie.
Now the opposite of this.
In the 10th verse is and have put on the Newman, which is renewed in. I believe this should read full knowledge, isn't it?
This takes us back to the first chapter.
Not to refer to it exactly more than just.
By the way that it's in contrast with the mind.
Working on its own.
God has provided in Colossians one the full knowledge of God when Paul was given to complete the scriptures as it were the mystery Christ in the church.
And so we have now a completed record. We have the full knowledge of God. Now this should exercise our hearts because it's only in a sense of this that the truth can go out in grace and love as it should.
And instead of lying to one another, there will be just the opposite result if there is the full knowledge of God. Because in Ephesians we learn that the Lord calls upon them to forgive one another even as Christ has forgiven you. That's the measure, that's the way.
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And so the full knowledge of God then brings us to an understanding of how we should act. It's a wonderful thing, you know, to know you're saved.
Here we have that, which brings us not to reasoning.
No.
Not the mindset on things here or on man's intelligence, but we we derive all of our intelligence from the one who's on high. But through the Word is the Spirit of God opens it to us. And the result is that our ways will be in keeping with Scripture if we're exercised by these things.
I was wanting to.
Say a word on our verse.
9.
As to the last part.
Part of the verse.
We just pointed out there in Ephesians 422 That there in it, I believe the correct translation is in the past tense. I mentioned that this morning. I want.
Saints to see this that as to the old man truth itself.
Scripture ever puts it in the past tense and it carries you back to the cross of Christ.
Now.
Our verse 9 puts it having put off the old man. Now that's past tense. That was back at the cross when the Lord Jesus Christ substitutionally took our place. He was made sin.
Now in Romans chapter 6 and verse six we get the first time at this old man. Truth is brought before us.
Romans 6 and verse 6.
Knowing this, that our old man, it should read, has been crucified.
We are never told.
To put off the old man in the correct translation.
Nor to crucify the old man. Were never told you, because it was done long before I was born.
In God's purposes and the cross of Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ was cut off in my stead, and that took care of the old man.
Romans 66 Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with him.
Body of sin might be unknown.
Now in we read this morning in Colossians 211 how this circumcision took place at the cross of Christ, he himself being cut off.
I think these four scriptures all show that it's in the past tense and done once for all. It's related to circumcision. Truth in the days when they first went to Gilgal and crossed the Jordan. What were you going to say about the deeds then?
Brother, what the deeds the last of that verse that you thought? Well now.
All of what I was as a fallen Sinner, Son of Adam, child of Adam.
With all my deeds was once dealt with.
Now we have the other Guild. All truth of needings go back continually, but that has to do with the old nature.
As the Lord says, I will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. We have three enemies as long as we're here.
The old nature, the flesh, the world.
And the devil.
And therefore, as long as this old nature is in us, we do have truths like Colossians 35 put to death the deeds of the body, and it names those filthy things of the old nature. That's the way Scripture reads.
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I first enjoyed this many years ago in Rossiers book on judges. He puts it very clearly.
I believe it's the thought of the garment that's just guarded to be put off. I believe that's the real illustration of this. It's it's to be done with and put off. That is the deeds. The deeds should be.
A present, continuous thing without reoccurring. I believe anyone knows how brother Paul Johnson here understands what I'm talking about. It's a continuous, permanent thing that an act to not be. It doesn't look upon as though it has to be repeated, but actually.
As long as they have the old nature in us, we're going to find out that we have to.
Keep nipping it every time it shows itself.
In the 5th chapter of Galatians, which might come in little handy.
Relations, Chapter 5.
We're talking about the Newman and the old Man.
In the Gospel of John.
3rd chapter.
Nicodemus.
The Lord told Nicodemus.
Which is flesh is flesh.
And as long as we're in this Tabernacle.
And there's a round of reflection in the Galatians Chapter 5 we might begin.
Verse 15.
But they feel tired and devour one another.
Take heed that she did not consume with one another.
This I say then walk in the Spirit, and he shall not.
Fulfill the lust of the flesh. Now the next verse is the one I had in mind.
The flesh lesseth against the Spirit, the spirit against the flesh. These are contrary 1 to another, so that she cannot do the things that you would.
The flesh is in every believer, and so those that those that are Christians are born of the Spirit. So we have both.
And that they continually fight against one another. Which one are we going to give in to? If we're going to give in to the flesh, we're going to get in trouble.
Flesh can only produce things that are for this world and that are natural to the flesh.
If we walk in the spirit, we produce things that are in this book here, and that's what we're here for, is to walk in the Spirit, isn't it?
John chapter 3 that you mentioned.
In John chapter 3 you mentioned, we get that little verse that tells us that which is born of the flesh is flesh. Now that speaks of the nature.
Of the nature. Of the nature.
And that which is born of the spirit is spirit that speaks of the nature.
Within.
Galatians 5 we have the Christian who's indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
And.
Having a new nature.
A nature that is all together and always dependent.
Dependent thoroughly, and always fully dependent upon the power or the strength of the Holy Spirit.
Now the new nature cannot war against.
The old nature, The old nature can war against the new nature. The only way of overcoming is by walking in the spirit, as verse 16 tells us.
If.
We're told to walk in the Spirit. Notice that, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
So the power of the new nature is the Holy Spirit.
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In our 11Th verse of our chapter we have three things here mentioned. We have that which would be.
More of a national thing, first of all.
Greek or Jew?
And then we have that which would have to do with the.
Traditions, or what we might say.
A religious line of things. Circumcision or uncircumcision.
And then social distinctions, barbarian, Scythian, bond are free. Now all this is set aside, and Christ is all and in all.
So the believer is really set free from everything.
He finds everything in Christ. He's set free from all of these things that go along with either nature or natural religion, and he's a free man.
I believe we have that here.
Christ is everything is the point here now. God had created Adam and there was his race, and the entire race had fallen and become of absolutely no worth whatsoever.
Man is a breathing shame. That's what Mephibosheth means.
And when we look upon everything of the old creation related to Adam, sinned through the enemy, Satan, that old serpent, and so on, sin has come in and ruined it all and all together.
Now only.
In the new creation that God.
Creates us a new new creatures in Christ.
And in Ephesians 210, I don't know if I can quote it right, but.
Ephesians 210 gives us the truth of it, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.
Wonderful and in James 118 is it that we are a kind of a first fruits that or is that that?
No, he begat us again.
Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures, so that only as being in the new creation in Christ risen.
Have we that life?
That is pleasing to God, and it is his own.
It is his own production.
What is the thought of first truth? Well, James is writing to the.
12 tribes that are.
Last letter you might say to the nation of Israel.
And.
In connection with that verse first fruits he first speaks about of his own will He begat us, gave us new life, a new nature, so that we are the new creatures, and according to other truth we are new creatures in Christ. Well.
To be thus.
We are.
A kind of a first fruits. Now the Lord Jesus Christ is spoken of as the first fruit.
And we are a kind of a first fruit that are begotten of God.
Have you another thought better? Well, I was just thinking of the broad aspect of first fruits and not specially in James, but in its general thought that.
It's that which is taken out of the old to start the new. Now the Lord Jesus came down into this world. It's a precious thought, and he took part. It speaks of Abraham's seed really in Hebrews, but we'll say in man's race in that general sense.
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Set apart now he died, the whole race is under condemnation.
But when the Lord Jesus died, he rose again, and he rose as man, but in a life that could never fail, in a life that never could be corrupted. And so he became a part of the old, as it were, for the moment, and then to start the new order of things. And so, brethren, it's an entirely new order. It's man, but it's a new order of things entirely.
He became man He died.
That cord of wheat fell into ground and died. It bore a new crop. That's incorruptible. Everything else goes. Adam's race goes completely but the new order of things to which the believer belongs.
The Christian is a sort of a first fruits as it were. Now in that sense we have a verse in Romans, the 8th chapter I'd like to read. I don't want to get off the subject but just this far to notice this because I think it's a lovely thought.
In the eighth of Romans.
The 19 verse.
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Now that chapter is Deliverance, the 8th of Romans, Deliverance which takes in even the creation.
But no deliverance will come until the Lord Jesus has his place with his bride and.
So in that sense, too, the Church with Christ is a sort of first fruits of the new order of things.
Right.
One thing I trust the Saints we ought to appreciate.
A very careful and important distinction, that is.
If I'm if I'm not mistaken now brother and I want to be corrected, I wouldn't dare want to make a mistake here.
I do not believe he he uses any material whatsoever of the old.
He uses persons.
That were sunken in sin. He uses persons, and he sets aside the entire old thing, and he brings in an entirely new thing. I think in your last words you were endeavoring to emphasize that. Most important, I believe he's not patching up or adding to or using anything of the old.
Now except the corner wheat fall on the ground and die.
But that death has to do with the entire thing, death completely setting it aside. And then he introduces a life. We have resurrection life in Christ.
I wondered if that's quite a word of God refers to Isaac as being Abrahams only son. Even in Hebrews 11 Isaac is referred to as Abrahams only begotten son. This used to puzzle me quite a bit. I thought. Of course the scripture had full liberty to use such terms even if I couldn't understand them, and I just took it that way.
We knew, of course, that Abraham had Ishmael as well.
So that only God could refer to Isaac as Abraham only.
Begotten Son. And I used to say to myself, where does Ishmael enter into this picture? And it was a great delight to me to feel that this was just an illustration of what has just been spoken of. Ishmael has been so completely.
Satisfied and written off that Isaac is referred to as though Ishmael just didn't exist anymore at all.
Eyes extends before Abraham as his only begotten son.
And you and I don't stand before God this afternoon as partly fallen sons of Adam patched up, and partly children of God. That which we were has been written off and done with forever, and we stand now. And that which is so new that I believe perhaps we can see a picture of it in Isaac with Ishmael out of the picture.
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Amen.
A little thought too, that used to trouble me quite a bit in a practical way in connection with the application of these very things that are spoken of. I'm sure the beloved young people who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior have felt this within them and have felt something of what has just been spoken of by our dear brethren.
And I will remember when I was going to school and certain things would be suggested that sounded quite attractive and interesting to me.
And it was suggested that I might attend or participate or something of this kind.
Well, shall I say, simply because of my upbringing, the feeling of my father's hand on my collar, a good deal of the time I would say no thanks, I don't want to.
I guess that wasn't a very complete answer, but it seemed to keep me out of these things anyway.
But it left me feeling rather odd. I felt I hadn't been very truthful. I felt I had said no thanks, I don't want to, whereas in reality I did want to. Now, did I tell a lie? Was I entitled to speak as I did? Well, I tell you, when it came to a wonderful truth of the latter part of Romans 7, I felt so greatly relieved.
I thought there is something inside there that says, yes, you do want to, but I'm perfectly entitled, brethren, to recognize that as a voice from the dead.
And to answer on behalf of the Newman, by the grace of God, even as Paul says, I delight in the law of God after the inward man. So I believe that we are entitled to turn to those things which are put before us which we know very well would not meet with the approval of the Lord Jesus.
And say no thanks I don't want to in the eye that says I don't want to.
Is the new man that stands before God.
Now the Christian. The Christian has pardon me for saying this every once in a while. The Christian has two distinct natures.
And the allowance of one disallows the other. If I cater to the flesh, I'm going to grieve the spirit and defeat my going on in the enjoyment communion in the spirit and and vice versa.
I sometimes said.
That we can very easily quote not.
My will but thine be done.
But oh, how frequently and how easy it is to turn that around in practice when we want to have our own way and to.
And do as we list, as we say, and we turn it around as much as to say not thy will, but mine be done. I say in practice, I don't think the Christian intentionally, intentionally or deliberately, you know, we do these things, but all when we get careless in our lives.
I know it that I there's a will, there's a flesh in there that wants.
To do its own will.
Had a wonderful and heart cheering truth for us to be reminded that.
If any man sin, we have an advocate for the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous.
And so we we know our misbehaviors.
We know our tendencies, our failures, and indeed we well know what this old nature, how forceful it still is in US.
But we have had before us already the remedy, and that's to be occupied with Christ. Yet if we fall from the pathway and carelessness, there's a real material difficulty in occupying ourselves oftentimes with Christ. Perhaps some of us know what it is to have been dull apart, and pick up the Word of God and find it has no real.
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Conveyance of a message to us because we're so dull, but still we have that one up above the limit that is an advocate for us.
We still the old man has been taken care of through grace. Positionally, we're still his. We're not in jeopardy as to eternity, but we have marred the communion and the pathway. It now is no longer happy. But if we remember this lovely verse, the Advocate above, Jesus Christ the righteous.
If we dwell on it and think on it, does it not then provoke us to that point where we make confessions?
Of that error, where we humbly acknowledge being away from the past through our shame and to the dishonor of the Lord, and sometimes the grievance of our brethren, And how quickly and readily He restores us, when even in the feeblest measure, we prove something of this.
He's the most gracious God and the most gracious Savior.
Do not reconcile his own to him.
When we have failed in the pathway, and may we not be discouraged, Dear young people, we've spoken here.
Lovely truths, and yet sometimes one.
Wonders if perhaps even these truths are discouraging to us, that we feel we don't rise up to them, we're not equal to them.
But God is gracious to us in the measure in which we walk in the good of His Word. When we desire to walk in His truth, and recognizing our faults, we readily and promptly confess and express them to Him in our prayer. There's a remedy, and it restores us again to the past.
In verse 12, I'd just like to call attention to the way in which the exhortation is put.
And following up what you've said, Brother GAIL, because I believe this is the natural result of the soul in restoration.
Is not occupied with self now, but with others. We learn in the Epistle of John that the way to express our love for God is seen in the way we act toward our brethren.
And that takes us to this 12Th verse. But now the exhortation is this way.
Put on therefore.
Bowels of mercy? No, no. What does it say? It says as the elect of God.
Holy and beloved.
Now, brethren, when we exhort one another.
Are we able to admonish one another? Do we see one another in this light as the elect of God? Do we see them as holy and beloved, or do all we see is there? Do we see only their faults? I believe we have a principle here, and I believe it's important to notice that.
To to see every member as God sees them now. It's one thing to be in a position, it's another thing to fail.
But we still are in that position. Even though we fail, we still.
Are holy and beloved. We still are the elect of God. And so we must remember that when we look at our brethren, that if we think of their failure, we must remember that they're a part of the body of Christ. We must regard them as such. And if we're going to be a help to them.
We'll have to do as the Lord Jesus put on the town and gird himself and take the low place.
Because oftentimes there's an attempt to.
Be a help to others and to take a place as though we were higher than they are or that we were better spiritually than they are, which certainly doesn't bring any good results. I think it's very instructive to see how that the apostle opens his letters, commences them, and how he closes them.
Connection with your remarks.
Go back to the first chapter and the second verse, and there he as he opens this letter, he addresses it to the Saints, unfaithful brethren in Christ, which are a colossi, all he sees in them.
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The Spirit of Christ.
He sees them as Saints of God by calling. He seems their faithfulness, even though he warns them all the dangers, as we have noticed in the Epistle. But he addresses them as Saints and faithful brethren in Christ. I'll take the opening words of the Epistle to the Ephesians. Take Corinthians.
Take all the apostles letters.
In which he addresses the dear Saints of God, with the exception of Galatians. Oh, I believe it's very, very instructive and becoming to us to have that same Spirit and see Christ in one another. And when we enjoy that, we'll enjoy the manner in which the apostle closes his letters.
I've enjoyed it very much. I pass it on for the young people to meditate upon.
This verse 12.
Really gives you.
As it were the character of Christ himself to be.
To be lived by you and me.
So he says put on therefore.
May I drop back to verse five, the opposite truth?
Mortifier put to death. Therefore now in that case, it's the all the activities of the old nature in verse 5. Now in verse 12, it is really the character of Christ, is it not but on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved.
Bowels of mercy sets compassion, kindness, humbleness or loneliness of mind, meekness and long-suffering. Now, is that not the new nature and the nature of Christ?
In character and in practice.
How easy it would be for us to display these things if we were a little more conscious of the fact that we were elect of God.
Why am I in the possession, and perhaps in some little measure in the enjoyment of these wonderful things? It is altogether the matchless sovereign grace of God from beginning to end, and I suppose a sense in our own soul that we are elect of God poorly and beloved from that starting point. How easy it would be for us.
To look around with vowels of compassion and love and forgiveness and tenderness.
Toward all our brethren, How could we ever find it in our hearts to the short, in any of these things, if our souls were really in the enjoyment of that which is our portion, and of the sovereign electing grace that made it our portion?
The because I believe it's both the measure and the motive. At least that's the way I see it in the end of verse 13.
Both the measure and the motive of our conduct toward our brethren should be the unlimited, immeasurable love and kindness and forgiveness that has been shown towards us. Seems to me that thought of election is really very humbling and very beautiful.
Putting off the old man and putting on the old Newman. The old man has been put off. But because we are new creatures in Christ, there are those things that are becoming for us to do. Isn't that what we had before us?
Activities of the old man and put on the activities of the Newman.
I suppose what our brother is saying to us.
Is an effect that we discern, perhaps?
Some error in which we've allowed the old nature to.
Be active in it. And our conscience bothers us. We wish to correct this. And he, our brother Alarcon, says it's an error for us to think we can correct this, which has been allowed to the old nature by merely seeking to get into the power of the new nature we need to put away.
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That which the old nature allowed first. I think we all agree with this. Do we not least to do evil, learn to do well?
Yes, the.
The.
Getting careless.
Getting out of Communion?
And.
Having a guilty conscience. And also there's such a thing as having a sense in our hearts.
Not having a good.
How is it? Well, a favorable heart toward God. That's first. John 3 verses about 20, for instance.
That's it exactly. You see there. It's a matter of the state of the heart. If my heart gets careless, I feel it.
Well, not at ease, but I feel uncomfortable, I'm out of communion and so on. I think there's that.
But we get careless, we'll say, in the heart and the conscience. Then what?
All God by the Holy Spirit would work in us to to to humble ourselves in his presence, to judge ourselves thoroughly about it and to confess it. And that is the route to restoration. And don't fool yourself by thinking that you're going to get any other route.
God will carry us by that route for restoration. It's all through the Word of God. I'd like to read one person, one chapter of Matthew.
Matthew Chapter 11. This is the Lord Jesus speaking.
Verse 29.
Take my yoke upon you.
And learn of Maine.
Learn of me.
Are we learning?
Learning something this afternoon that pleases the Lord Jesus.
Let me close on and say.
For I am Nick and lonely at heart.
Whether it takes meekness and loneliness to learn what we've been going over.
And that's something that we haven't got very much of his meekness.
The children of Israel.
Before they started their journey to the wilderness.
Said the reason I lead you through the willingness is to learn something. The first thing that they have to learn is humbleness.
The next thing they have to learn is what was in their heart.
And the other thing was to prove them and see what's in their heart, those three things that was necessary.
And if we learn some of those things, it won't be hard.
To put off the flesh.
We learn what the Spirit would have to steal, what the Spirit, what the Spirit teaches us.
Take my yerk upon you and learn of me. The Lord teaches us what to do, but we have to be in the state and condition.
To learn it.
I believe that verse 12.
As you say, is the result of what we have in verse 11.
I believe the right translation is Christ is everything.
It isn't just an agreeable social climate that's before us here.
It isn't just making ourselves agreeable to others. These are things that are learned in the presence of God. They're the the result is that which comes out the scene of a new nature in the believer.
It isn't true of the world now there may be a certain amount of.
Agreement.
There might be a certain amount of.
Things in which you can go on and the the world is.
Will go on together, even in a nice way. But that isn't what we have here. It isn't just getting along, In other words, it's a question of what we find.
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With this one object before us, the hope that is laid up in heaven and is occupied with him.
This will be the result in the life of the believer. It's the Spirit of Christ. It's the life of Christ that's seen in the believer as the result.
In this 12Th verse.
The fruit of the Spirit, yes.
I suppose that the Spirit isn't mentioned though in Colossians so much, possibly once, and it's more the thought of of our hope which is laid up in heaven. It is the work of the Spirit, I'm sure, but it's really fixing our eyes on Christ and on heavenly things, and this is the result.
This is verse 13 written to believers.
What would you think?
I'm sure it is, brother.
Well then, is it that they we need this exhortation?
Yes, often these expectations that we get are both for old and young. Keep this in mind, some of us older ones need these exhortations more than the younger ones. Sometimes the younger ones will follow if they see these things and the older ones.
There is perhaps a danger that we might pick out some of these things that are mentioned here and think they sound very fine and even.
Have a dreadful thought entertained that we would like to seek after what he's spoken of here. Kindness. I would like to be considered a kind brother. I would like to be considered a humble brother or a meek brother. I think there may be just a little danger in this direction that we read these things that are so acceptable to God and so pleasing to the Lord Jesus.
And we think now, how shall I go about developing this in my life?
What a sad object that would be. We would end up either proud or discouraged, one or the other. If we set out to attain to any of the things mentioned here, even if it be humility, we would end up either proud or discouraged, depending on whether we think we have gotten along well. I believe, as our brother London remarked, that it is having the Lord Jesus Christ before us.
That causes these things to be displayed in our life. Without our having these things before us as an object, there is always a danger with us. I greatly fear that we have in mind our own reputation.
He had none. He made himself. He made himself of no reputation. And if you'll forgive a quotation, occupation with Christ will keep us humble and happy. Humble because we're so little like Him, and happy because He loves us so much.
And I believe that's true.
If you and I want these things to be displayed in our lives, let us not seek after them, because just as surely as we do, they will become objects for a reputation. But in walking in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, these things in their proper balance will be displayed always. I'm sure that in the life and testimony of the Lord Jesus we can see that perfect balance.
There were times, undoubtedly, when a casual observer would think that the Lord was perhaps.
Lacking in gentleness because of the way in which he answered, I said. Casual observer. But his ways were perfect, and I believe that if we walked in his presence, there would be displayed in us also each in their time those things which are mentioned here.
What I read in Ephesians 4.
Related truth to what we have in our verse before us.
Ephesians 4. I just read 2 verses. Let me see 1-2 yes, 2 verses.
I therefore.
Oh, verses one and two. Thanks. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the calling. I'm going to read it instead of location. It's really the same word.
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As you get from the end of the verse, virtually the same word.
That we walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye are called. I want to read the second verse, but make a remark on the first one.
Are we not living at the tag end of this long church age and at the bad end of it? Not the best end of it, The bad end of it.
Is all around us and the tendency is to live like the world.
And is it not true?
That if you ask most of us, you and me, that we had hardly recognized what really is Our Calling.
Our heavenly calling, brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling.
We have the heavenly hope of waiting for the Lord Jesus because our citizenship, our Commonwealth, is in heaven.
And.
If my soul could be freshly enjoying and living in the good of that calling on high, too soon, soon, very soon will be called on high with resurrection bodies to be with it, with and like the Lord Jesus, the Lord of glory.
But this is so important.
Over and over again. I think 9 times.
The apostle says I would not have you to be ignorant.
And the 13 times.
Know ye not? Do ye not know?
All brother who are living in days when we seem to be getting by with a possible not even knowing Our Calling or that anyone else would recognize that we have a heavenly calling. It's very, very important.
But in connection with it.
In verse 2, with all loneliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another.
In love, divine love, we're in love, in the love of God and in the love enjoyed by all of us that are born again. By this we know we fasten death and life because we love the brethren. We're in love. Wonderful to be in love.
In this special way that really counts for eternity to be in love.
Well, this is related to our verse because we read it now, verse 13 forbearing one another.
In other words, holding self back and regarding and respecting one another.
We are members one another, we love one another, we help one another, we serve one another, we pray for one another, we have fellowship with one another, and so on. Now here it is.
Forbearing one another and forgiving one another.
Now that is the attitude of the new nature in exercise, in practice, forbearing one another and forgiving one another.
Now, if any should have a complaint, notice how different I read It is not even a quarrel.
It's a complaint. I think the Pharisees criticized Him because they ate without washing their hands. They had a complaint in Mark. I could turn to the verse. It's in Mark 7, verse 2, the same word, a complaint. Just think of just a complaint against some little thing.
Now when the Saints try to use this verse to cover all kinds of things.
All it is a careless misuse of Scripture. It has its own place. It's a very, as it were, light matter. It's a complaint. A complaint, not a continuous program of hatred and malice and things like that. But in this case, it is a a complaint.
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That there be a forgiving spirit and a readiness to for bear and all that. Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
All these things remind us, brethren, that as we walk together on the pathway to glory, we are going to find intrusions.
As to personality conflicts.
Irritability. Sometimes we wish they weren't there, but we know they're there. Sometimes we cause them, sometimes we are.
The ones who are irritated.
And how gracious God is that He has been faithful in giving these exhortations to us, that we might present a testimony of that body that He is raising up, walking in harmony together in spite of these differences of personality which often are so very marked amongst us.
One has thought how?
We have a tendency, brethren, to think of these Scriptures in connection with our own company, but this is addressed to the whole Church of God. This is to all believers everywhere, and as we meet Saints of God, they may not be walking as we are in the same.
Meeting Hall and may not subscribe fully to what we have, but what a joy it is to meet those who are of like precious faith and to seek to enjoy the things of God with them rather than get in a conflict with them. I believe we have that involved in here too. The world is reading us. We are the official written on the fleshly tablets of the heart that the world sees.
Rather, what a travesty it is on our profession when we are found.
In disharmony and confusion among the Lord's people.
So God has through the Holy Spirit in His Word and joined us here and elsewhere over and over again.
To know and prove this spirit of forbearance, of love, of kindness, of gentleness, and what has been brought before us is the key to it indeed, is having Christ as the object. And if my eye is on Him, if my devotedness is to my Savior and to the Word of God, I'll have little time.
To be occupied with the failures that I may sense or think or imagine in others. I'll see more of what is in me That is a myth, and there will be greater.
Greater demonstration of these attributes that we are called upon to display.
This 14th 1St gives us the finish of the clothing, doesn't it? We hear about being clothed with humility. Well, that's a wonderful thing, but we started out by.
Putting off certain things like clothing that we're not in keeping with Christianity.
Now we find that there are certain things that adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in the Christian, the clothing, but now we put on the person says, well, I'm not dressed until I put my hat on. And so this 14th verse and above all these things put on charity or love, which is the bond of perfectness.
Now this tops it all off. It's the really the very nature.
Of the believer. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
And so the Christian puts on then love, but not.
Only in the sense that he has it in his nature, but now in practice.
He applies this now if we don't love our brother, if we hate our brother, John says. There's evidence there that you don't have the love of God. We hate our brother.
And so we put on this now that completes the clothing here, that we see the believer now closed, as it were, with the result of being occupied with Christ, and his ways are in keeping with it. It's his outward character that's seen before the world.
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Not as a result of that, which would bring pride in trying to do this or do that, but the result of proper occupation with Christ and reading the Gospels, reading the epistles.
Uh, reading the gospel to warm our hearts as we as we see Christ in them, and reading the epistles to instruct us in doctrine as it should be.
Why? In connection with your thoughts, the verse love covereth the multitude of sins indeed.
All in writing the 1St chapter to the Philippians repeatedly speaks of his his love toward them all is really quite impressive in that first chapter how often he says I long after you all well, I'm sure he wouldn't say that unless it were absolutely true and I have pictured perhaps the.
Philippian Jailer might have been there to have heard that chapter read for the first time and must have made quite an impression on him to read from the pan of the Apostle a very man whom he had treated so cruelly.
That he longed after you all. If you would permit me, Brother Gill, I would like to quote what your father said about that quite a few years ago. One time we were having a reading on this very topic and he was listening very intently without saying anything until we reached what seemed to be the point where we were.
Almost congratulating ourselves on doing a pretty good job of loving one another very, very much.
And then he spoke up, and these, if I remember rightly, are his very words. They just hit me so hard and impressed me so much I clenched them right there, He said. Brethren, the measure of divine love operative within the soul, it can be judged by the affection you bear toward the most ugly and cantankerous brother within the sphere of your acquaintance.
I tell you, there was real silence when he finished that, and I thought it was so searching and so needful.
I may content myself into feeling that I do rather well with this cloak of charity and look around the assembly and love all my brethren. All but that one whom nobody can get along with anyway. Well, your Father would say that's the measure of divine love. You love the rest of them because they're more or less compatible, but the one who is so hard to love?
Reveals the measure of divine Love operative within the soul. It's searching.
Just one more word in connection with forgiving.
Before we forgive anyone, it's.
Nice to confess our fault. If I hurt your feelings, if I step on your toe, I say forgive me.
I own and I own and confess that I stepped on your toe, didn't I?
It says if we confess our sins.
Lord is willing to forget, Confess your faults 1 to another. It's a very, very good thing.
And we feel so much better.
It's for our brother that we that we hurt one another. We feel so much perished. But it comes and says I've done, I made a mistake, I've done, I've done you wrong. Will you forgive me?
The forgiving is much easier.
By owning and confessing our sins first.
That's what the Lord asked us. We might just turn to a verse in the first in the Epistle of John in closing.
1St Chapter Where is the pistol of John?
And the ninth verse.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and the Clintons from all unrighteousness. Confession comes before forgiveness.
If we hurt our feelings with one another, let's own our wrong and it's much easier to forgive that way and just take a cover up.
We're not to wait for another to confess. No. Never before we forgive it. It's nice to do that, Yes. How about Luke 17? Three brother.
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Read it.
To yourself, If my brother trespassed against the rebuke him, and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespassed against the seven times in a day and seven times in a day, turn again to be saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him.
Wouldn't that suppose?
That you're doing him good by.
Expecting a real confession.
It'd be better for his soul than to just gloss over it and forget about it. And. And yet there may be.
Continue to be there. I believe it is calling for a real work and it be a benefit for that brother to really produce, you know, a broken down confession. I think it calls for nothing less than this verse. It's for his own good. If I love him, I'm praying for him. I'm seeking and do everything if possible to encourage.
Come to it. But it is not to just simply Passover the thing.
Surely because it says.
If thy brother trespass against the rebuking.
And if he repent, forgive him, that'll be good for his soul, for him to confess. And how we're waiting happily and quickly.
To to forgive him. Oh my God, Oh my, what a wonderful thing it is to be able to throw your arms around the brother that has been.
Frank enough and upright enough to own the thing that has been distressing.