COLOSSIANS LESSON 4


     We will begin this lesson in Colossians 3:1 "If ye then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth
on the right hand of God."

     Christians are in this world, but not of this world. Our home is
in heaven. We are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. We are
strangers in this land. We are foreigners, since our homeland is
heaven. We are to lay up our treasures in heaven, not here on this
earth. We should get our eyes off the circumstances which surround us
on this earth. We should keep our eyes on Jesus and heaven. The
desires of this earth, and of our flesh, should be far from us. We
should be looking to heavenly rewards. Jesus is seated in heaven at
the right hand of the Father, because His work is done. It was done
when He said, It is finished, on the cross.

     Colossians 3:2 "Set your affection on things above, not on things
on the earth."

     Our affections should be for our home in heaven. We should not
love the earth.

     Colossians 3:3 "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ
in God."

     We are dead to this world, dead to fleshly desires, even dead to
sin, itself. We must be buried with Him, to rise to new life in Him.
It is a mystery, indeed that we are in Christ and He is in us. We are
seated in the heavenlies with Him, and yet He dwells within us here on
the earth. This has to be the omnipresence of God. This is saying that
Christians are dead to the lusts of this earth, but alive to heavenly
thoughts and deeds.  Romans 5:21 "That as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by
Jesus Christ our Lord."

     Colossians 3:4 "When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear,
then shall ye also appear with him in glory."

     It is our spirit that will appear with Him. Our body will be
waiting for that glorious day of redemption. Though our body be here
on the earth, our spirit dwells with Jesus even now. Paul says it best
when he says, absent in body, but present in spirit. All of our hopes
are caught up in Him. We are in Him and He is our life.

     Colossians 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the
earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil
concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:"

     All of these things are earthly things. These are sins of the
flesh. These things are no longer part of a Christian's life, when
they become born of the spirit. "Mortify" means to totally do away
with.  These are all sins of flesh man. They are not part of the life
of a spirit man. The desire to commit any of these sins must be put to
death that the spirit might live. I have mentioned so many times, that
we are a spirit living in a body of flesh, and that one of the two
will rule the soul, or will of man. If we follow the flesh, we are
flesh man. If we do away with fleshly desires and let the spirit rule,
we are spirit. If the sins mentioned above are active in your life,
you are not spirit man. You are of the flesh.

     Colossians 3:6 "For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on
the children of disobedience:"

     Notice, the word children, in the verse above. This means, then,
that these are people who profess Christianity. Wrath is when God can
not look the other way any longer. His fury {wrath} comes up in His
face, and He rains terror upon those disobedient. God will not
overlook the sins mentioned in verse 5.

     Colossians 3:7 "In the which ye also walked some time, when ye
lived in them."

     This is saying that all have sinned and come short of the glory
of God, when they were walking in the flesh, before they were saved.
This is the walk of the flesh.

     Colossians 3:8 "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath,
malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."

     All of these sins are part of that old flesh man that must be
buried for the spirit man to live. All of the things above such as
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy communication should not
be a part of the Christian. The Christian is a new creature in Christ.
The spirit is in control. The Life within them is Christ living
through them.  The words of our mouth speak what is in our heart.
Filthy communication comes from the mouth of the lost.

     Colossians 3:9 "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put
off the old man with his deeds;"

     We can see from the following Scripture, where lies come from.
John 8:44 "Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode
not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a
lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
Look with me at the seriousness of lying in the next verse. Revelation
22:15 "For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and
murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."

     Colossians 3:10 "And have put on the new [man], which is renewed
in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"

     When we become Christians, we have turned our will over to the
spirit and have taken all authority away from the flesh.  Romans 8:5
"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh;
but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit." God is a
Spirit, if we are in His image, we are a spirit man, as well.
Christians should be Christlike. We should reflect the Light of Jesus
in our lives.

     Colossians 3:11 "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free:
but Christ [is] all, and in all."

     We find a companion Scripture to this in Galatians 3:28 "There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is
neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." God
looks on the spirit of mankind, and not on the flesh. All of the
separations mentioned in both verses above are in the flesh. A spirit
does not segregate because of nationality, or color, or gender.
Circumcision is not even important in the spirit, because the flesh
has been done away with. Those who are free, are Christ's servants,
and those who are slaves, are Christ's freeman. The Spirit of Christ
is in all who believe.

     Colossians 3:12 "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and
beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
longsuffering;"

     This is describing the personality of those who have Christ
living in them. These are really the gifts of the Spirit that come to
us, when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit of God. Paul is saying,
you are the elect of God, now do your part by living like the elect of
God. We are to be holy, for He is holy. These virtues of kindness,
mercy, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering are
descriptions of the Lord's personality. If we have taken on Christ,
then they are our personality, too.

     Colossians 3:13 "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one
another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave
you, so also [do] ye."

     God loves the unloveable, as He loved us while we were yet in
sin. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. Matthew 18:21  "Then came
Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me,
and I forgive him? till seven times?" Matthew 18:22 "Jesus saith unto
him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times
seven."  This is just saying, forgive him every time he asks for
forgiveness. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath. Do not be angry
without a cause.

     Colossians 3:14 "And above all these things [put on] charity,
which is the bond of perfectness."

     The charity that this is speaking of, is a Godly kind of love.
This is love in spite of what a person has done to you, not because of
what they can do for you. Jesus told the rich young ruler, if he would
be perfect, to sell what he had and give it to the poor. Charity
covers a multitude of sin. God deals with us in the manner we have
treated others with. There is no greater gift than Agape love.
                        Colossians 4 Questions


1.  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are
    ________.
2.  Where does Christ sit?
3.  The Christian's home is in _________.
4.  Why is Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven?
5.  Set your affections on things ________.
6.  Your life is ____ with Christ in God.
7.  What are some of the things we are dead to, if we are Christians?
8.  What is a mystery indeed?
9.  Quote Romans chapter 5 verse 21.
10. What appears with Him, our spirit, or our body?
11. Name some of the things Christians should mortify in their life?
12. What does "mortify" mean?
13. How can you tell the difference between spirit man and flesh man?
14. The wrath of God comes on whom?
15. Verse 8 says, Christians must put off what things?
16. The _______ of our ________ speak what is in our heart.
17. Quote John chapter 8 verse 44.
18. What other sins are grouped with loving and making a lie?
19. Quote Romans chapter 8 verse 5.
20. How are we in the image of God?
21. Where is there a companion Scripture to Colossians chapter 3 verse
    11?
22. Why are none of these separations not important to God?
23. Describe the personality of the elect of God.
24. ___ loves the unloveable.
25. How many times did Jesus tell Peter to forgive someone?
26. What is the bond of perfectness?