Kingdom Clothing

Colossians 3:5-10 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: [6]  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: [7]  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. [8] But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. [9]  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; [10]  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him"

This is a violent passage of Scripture, and as we read it tonight we may be attacked where we live. Yet this violence is a part of Kingdom Living, something that is rarely explored in our modern pulpits.

Paul begins by saying: "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth". "Mortify" is NEKROO, an Aorist Active Imperative, a command, which means "begin to put to death". The believer is to take the various parts of his body (his members) and "put them to death" insofar as sin is concerned. How can we do this?

If we are saved in Christ, then the Scripture teaches that we are no longer under the bondage of sin:

Romans 6:1-2 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? [2]  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"

The miraculous conversion experience we each had at salvation removed us from the dominion of sin: sin cannot reign over us as Lord anymore. Yet Christians can, and do, fall into sin. How then are we to live free from sin? Paul's advise: put that member to death!

When we, as believers, realize in our innermost selves that we are indeed dead to sin, when we realize that we are dead with Christ, when we reach this mindset we will have no part with that sin. You are children of the King, paid for in full. Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are saved by Grace, not by the Law. Sin can only have dominion over you if you let it, if you invite it into your life. And if you invite it into your life, you will become enslaved to its wiles all over again.
 
 

A beggar lived near the King's palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted that invited anyone to come and dine with the King. Yet the beggar looked down at his filthy rags and realized there was no way he could dine with the King. He was just too poorly dressed. The beggar thought, and went to the servant's door of the Castle. When the King's servant answered the door, the beggar blurted out "Do you have any clothes that I can wear? I want to go to the King's dinner, but I can't go this way." The servant smiled and led the beggar into the Castle, to the King's very chambers. When the beggar saw the King he was so afraid that he failed to notice the loving compassion in his eyes. In a quavering voice he repeated his request, and the King said "You were wise in coming to see me." He called the prince and told him, "Take this man and dress him in your finest clothes, get him cleaned up for the great dinner".  The prince took the beggar off and dressed him in the best the Castle had to offer. When the beggar was fully clothed the prince said, "You can now attend the dinner without fear. And what's more, these clothes are the best that money can buy. They will last you forever." The beggar thanked the prince, but, as he prepared to leave, he began to wonder "What if the prince is wrong? What if these new clothes won't last forever?". So the beggar picked up his old rags, put them in a bundle, and carried them with him to the banquet. The dinner was greater than the beggar had ever imagined, but the beggar couldn't enjoy himself. He had to hold his old smelly clothes on his lap, and spent so much time watching the old clothes that he missed some of the greater delicacies that were served. After the dinner the beggar went out, dressed in finery, and continued to carry the rags with him. When people saw the beggar they didn't see the fine clothes he wore, but they saw the rags that he carried. The beggar became known as "the man with the rags", and his life was miserable. Years later the beggar laid dying, and the King came to visit him. The King sadly looked at the bundle of rags, and, as he lay there, the beggar realized that these rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his foolishness - and the King wept with him.

We have been called to God, loved by God, saved by Grace, and we are Kingdom people. If we hold on to those old smelly rags that God took away from us at the moment of our salvation, we are giving up our heritage of peace and power on this earth. We must violently throw these things out of our lives, leave them behind in the name of Jesus Christ - or we're Kingdom people living like beggars.

The sins that bind us from Kingdom living are:

Colossians 3:5 ......... fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Fornication, Accusative Singular, PORNEIA, illicit sexual intercourse between man and woman.

Uncleanness, Accusative Singular, AKATHARSIA, immoral sexual activities such as homosexuality, bestiality, incest.

Inordinate affection, Accusative Singular, PATHOS, depraved passion, sadism, masochism

Evil concupiscence, Accusative Singular EPITHUMIA + KAKOS, evil lust patterns

Covetousness, Accusative Singular PLEOMEXZIA = insatiable attitude toward sexuality

Sexual sins are at the head of God's list of sins that "bind" believers. In the past few years we have heard of believers, even ministers,  who have succumbed to the temptation of the flesh and have lost their ministries because of it. Yet these sins plague many Christians because they have not taken a firm stand within themselves that I will not allow it, for I have died with Christ. Many believers, like the beggar, have put these filthy clothes back on to the weakening of their spiritual lives.

Yet these are not the only sins that Kingdom people can allow back into their lives. These are not the only sins that bind. There are also:

Colossians 3:8-9 "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. [9]  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds"

Anger, ORGE,  uncontrolled or violent anger

Wrath, THUMOS,  emotional temper tantrums

Malice, KAKIA,  meanness of spirit

Blasphemy, BLASPHEMIA,  a maligning tongue

Filthy communication, AISCHROLOGIA = talking to shame or hurt someone

What do all these sins, both the former and latter list, have in common. They show lovelessness on the part of the doer. They show selfishness on the part of the doer.

You are Kingdom People if you have accepted Christ as your Saviour, but you cannot live victorious Kingdom lives with the old beggars rags at your feet. You need to NEKROO or kill these things in your lives.

Colossians 3:12-17 "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; [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. [14]  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. [15] And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. [16]  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. [17] And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

Just as we actively kill certain sins in our lives, through the power of Jesus, we need to be clothing ourselves with the Christian Virtue collection. All of these virtues have as their main ingredient love for others, love for God. These virtues, if active in the Christian's life, bring power for living.

Bowels of mercies, SPLAGCHNA, Accusative Singular  + OIKTRIMOU, emotions of compassionate Grace. The Kingdom believer understands that he has been saved by Grace and, since he was saved by Grace, he must treat all others that he comes in contact with with that same Grace. Do you remember the parable of the servant Jesus told in Matthew 18:21-35. The King forgave his servant a debt, but the servant refused to forgive his servants, but cast them into prison. He was punished for his actions. We are forgiven by Grace, therefore Grace should be our overpowering theme of living.

Kindness, CHRESTOTES, a gracious disposition. This word just further emphasizes the walk of the Kingdom believer mentioned above.

Humbleness of mind, PAPEINOPHROSUNE, a mental attitude of Grace and humility.

Meekness, PRAUTES, humility, courtesy toward others.

Longsuffering, MAKROTHUMIA, patience in life, patience toward others. We are not all growing at the same rate. Don't judge your brother harshly because he's not where you are in Christ - love, love one another.

Colossians 3:13-14 "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. [14]  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."

Forbearing, Forgiving, and Loving. These three garments are the most important of the Christian Virtues, and the most sorely lacking in our Churches today.

Forbear one another:

Romans 15:1-3 "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. [2]  Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. [3]  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me."

We're all in this great Body of Christ together, and the body will not grow if you have the attitude of the prima donna. Support one another, not tear down one another

Forgive one another:

Ephesians 4:31-32 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: [32]  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

For who among us has not sinned? Who among us has not fallen into error? Forgive those who have offended you, as Christ forgave you, as Christ forgave us all. Finally, Love one another. When we love, as a Body, the peace of God rules in this assembly. As the Scripture says:

Colossians 3:15-17 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. [16]  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. [17] And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
 

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