Sermon

160 ~ COME ALIVE WITH JESUS - Part 3

We Are Zion - Sermon Podcast

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  1. Hi, and welcome to the real science and podcast.

  2. We are a local church based here in Chennai.

  3. We are so glad you are with us and hope that this will

  4. encourage Inspire, and in still fresh bathing.

  5. As we continue our new series for the Lenten season.

  6. Come alive in Jesus, we pray that you will come alive.

  7. As you hear these words we have Jaron Nicholas.

  8. Sharing the Word of God With Us to do and how we need to come

  9. alive, to them to come alive, in the new, we have to let go of

  10. the world. I pray that we will allow the

  11. Holy Spirit to reveal the dead parts of our life so we can

  12. embrace them. Are you ready to be transformed

  13. into the moon? Hello, everyone.

  14. It is good to be back with you as usual.

  15. So, we've started series called come alive.

  16. And today, the team is come alive to experience the newer,

  17. come alive in the year. So, So we will get on that.

  18. I scripture that we are focusing on today is Colossians chapter

    Colossians 2:20

  19. 2, verse 20, all the way to chapter 3 verse 17, but let me

  20. go ahead and pray and then we'll get started.

  21. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for being us together.

  22. Father, we thank you that. We are part of the new creation

  23. that you have initiated Lord and we thank you that I started a

  24. new creation that you have brought us together in this

  25. Community of Faith that we are part of that.

  26. We are saying father, but we ask that You would use us to show

  27. the people that we come into contact with Lord.

  28. What it means to be human, what is this new Humanity that you

  29. have started? Lord that we are a part of why?

  30. This always we thank you for the safety and the comfort with

  31. which we meet with which We Gather in Your Name.

  32. Lord. And we remember the people

  33. around this world that do not have this Comfort or safety.

  34. And that many times there is anxiety, or maybe even fear when

  35. they think about Gathering or two, because of their

  36. circumstances, their surroundings, what we acid, you

  37. would protect them that you would guard them, that you would

  38. fill them with your courage and that you would give them ways to

  39. be a community, even if they cannot meet in person.

  40. So either we love you. We thank you for how gracious

  41. that you are to us. And father, we ask that you

  42. would truly speak to us through this message, that you would

  43. give me the words to speak that I would help me to recognize

  44. that it is you, that is orchestrating it, this is you.

  45. That is speaking and none of this is because of me.

  46. So father, we come to you humbly.

  47. We your children come to you. To see what day you have for us.

  48. Lord, in Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

  49. So I just mentioned so our team has been Come alive and then

  50. today is come alive to the new come alive in the experience of

  51. the new. The passage we're going to be

  52. focusing on is Colossians chapter 2, 20 all the way to 317

    Colossians 2 chapter mention

  53. rather than read the entire almost 22 verses up front.

  54. As we go through little by little, I read the passage and

  55. then we'll talk about it and then we'll go on like that.

  56. Just a little background for a Colossians.

  57. So this is a letter that the apostle Called wrote to the

  58. church at colossae. So it's called the letter to the

  59. Colossians is very likely that he was in prison while he wrote

  60. this letter. And this letter was likely a

  61. response to visit. He received from a first

  62. epaphras. Is the person that actually

  63. planted the church in the colossi.

  64. So Paul didn't actually planned this church so and so that first

  65. tells them about the fact that the church is doing well.

  66. But he also talks to him about the couple challenges that they

  67. might be facing. Yes, this you community of

  68. Believers is coming together, coming together in this really,

  69. I mean, in this Pagan Society where these had these new people

  70. are come to Believe In Christ. So in response to that, visit

  71. that from a Packers that he got in prison, he pins this letter

  72. to the Colossians. So it's his letter to this kind

  73. of like, New community of Believers.

  74. So the things he has to say is important.

  75. The warnings he has is important for us.

  76. Even us at, we are sign, we're fairly new fairly new church.

  77. So I think there's a lot for us to hear.

  78. So we will start reading at Colossians 2 chapter 20.

  79. They only read like four verses and then we'll talk about it.

  80. So this is chapter 2, 22, the end of chapter 2.

    Isaiah 2 chapter mention

  81. So since you died, Price to be Elemental, spiritual forces of

  82. this world. Why?

  83. I still you still belong to the world.

  84. Do you submit to its rules? Do not handle.

  85. Do not taste, do not touch these rules which have to do with

  86. things that are all destined to perish with use are based on

  87. merely human commands and teachings, such regulations have

  88. an appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship their

  89. false humility and their harsh treatment of the body.

  90. But they lack Any value in restraining sensual Indulgence.

  91. So he talked. He begins with this idea that

  92. since you have died with Christ, right?

  93. You died to the spirit of the world.

  94. So the initial idea is you have died with Christ, you've died to

  95. this world and then he kind of focus on what it is that you

  96. have died to. So here in this view versus the

  97. focus, our regulations or rules. So one of the concerns he has

  98. for this church in colossae is It.

  99. He is concerned that they will be drawn to Judaism with its

  100. list of regulations. And like when he says, do not

  101. taste or do not touchy stock, probably talking about the list

  102. of Purity laws, they had and the list of dietary laws they had.

  103. So he is concerned that they are being drawn into it because even

  104. being run into Judaism and The Lawns would be something that's

  105. being taken away from what Christ has done, so that is one

  106. of his concerns. So, In this letter, if you read

  107. the rest of it, you'll see that on one side, there are some

  108. concerns about paganism. But on one side, there are some

  109. concerns about Judaism as well. So he's kind of highlighting his

  110. concerns about them being drawn back into these laws and

  111. Judaism. And he goes on to talk about how

  112. these laws, really don't have the desired effect that you are

  113. looking for. They are such regulations are

  114. have the appearance of wisdom, what?

  115. They have an illusion of it but it is just self-imposed worship.

  116. Worship or false humility and really have no.

  117. Value in, what do you feel like you're accomplishing many times

  118. when we follow these rules? We feel like it is going to make

  119. life better or it is me going to make us more spiritual or it's

  120. going to make us more holy but they really don't have that

  121. effect. So he is kind of clubbed this

  122. these regulations these rules into this idea that they also

  123. belong to the world. So we here living in this

  124. present time. I mean many of us probably

  125. Really aren't? I mean, there might be just

  126. listening, I don't know. Maybe some of you that are

  127. listening and practice Judaism, really, not aware of, but it's

  128. like that. We, I myself have never had to

  129. practice any kind of dietary laws any kind of Purity laws,

  130. but This this applies to us because we many times come up

  131. with our own laws or we follow laws that our culture has what

  132. the seems like as impose on us. So this kind of applies to that

  133. to some laws could be one of your last could be, you put put

  134. career first, could be a lot. Now, the law could be time is

  135. money, is something that people say, all the time.

  136. That could be a lot at we follow, we could have lots

  137. around relationships or friendships One of the lies that

  138. we might have, is we only put time into relationships that

  139. increase our Network, I could be one there in terms of culture

  140. are probably lots of other laws or even in our church, we may

  141. have our own laws like don't associate with that person.

  142. Because of this, in this, this person can't come to the front

  143. door of the house. They can only come in the back

  144. door of the house. There are lots of laws that we

  145. Can do follow many some, maybe carrier, some cultural some

  146. personal that we feel is going to make us better or make us,

  147. holy or make a spiritual. But what we see in this passage

  148. is that these are things that we have died to.

  149. So these are things that belong in the world and Paul start out

  150. saying that these little things that you have died to, they have

  151. they do not have the effect that Looking for, they don't really

  152. have the value that you're looking for.

  153. So now when we move on to that, he will see that he contrasts

  154. since you died with Christ to something else.

  155. So this is now I'm going to read from chapter 3 and I believe

  156. this is verse 1 through 4. So since then you have been

  157. raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where

  158. Christ is seated, at the right hand of God, set your minds on

  159. things above, not on Earthly things for you died, and your

  160. life. Life is now hidden with Christ

  161. in God. When Christ, who is your life

  162. appears? Then you will also appear with

  163. him in glory. So you see, there are two

  164. parallels, kind of going on here in verse 20 since you died with

  165. Christ. Now here since you have been

  166. raised with Christ, so Paul is kind of hitting home.

  167. The fact that when Christ died, we died with him and when he was

  168. raised, we were raised with them.

  169. So we have kind of and what we have died too, is he Gents the

  170. world in verse 20 and then what we are alive, and right now is

  171. set your things on things above, he seated, at the right hand of

  172. God, right? Not on Earthly things.

  173. So, these things that are about, sometimes they may be cancelled.

  174. I said, you take mind on Heavenly things, right?

  175. So we have this contrast going on here.

  176. So, these regulations and laws belong to the things that we are

  177. dyed to To they have no real value, they can't achieve what

  178. we want. And so we have died to that in

  179. the world and then now he's talking about things that really

  180. do have values, the things that we are alive and that we've been

  181. raised up. And so, and these are the things

  182. of heaven or these are the things that are not worldly.

  183. These are the things that are above above as in.

  184. These are the things that are in the same place where Christ is

  185. seated, at the right hand and then in verse 4, he ends with

  186. this. Insurance rate.

  187. That when Christ, who is your life right appears?

  188. Then you will also appear with him in glory.

  189. So like this issuance that we have eternal life and that we

  190. will be with Christ as part of our Salvation.

  191. So now he sets up these two parallels die to the world

  192. raised up in Christ or die with Christ and raised up with Christ

  193. and he kind of fleshes out these ideas even more.

  194. As we read further on in chapter 3, So this is, I'm going to read

  195. verses 5 to 11 and chapter 3. So, put to death therefore

  196. whatever. Belongs to your Earthly nature,

  197. sexual immorality, impurity lust, evil, desires and greed,

  198. which is idolatry because of these, the wrath of God is

  199. coming. You used to walk in these ways

  200. in the life you once lived, but now you must also rid yourself

  201. of all such things as these Anger, rage, malice slander and

  202. filthy language from your lips do not lie to each other.

  203. Since you have taken off your old self with these practice,

  204. I'm just going to read you a verse 9.

  205. So he kind of highlights here, right?

  206. What he beans of this world, what?

  207. He means of the things that you have died too.

  208. So, put to death, therefore, and he starts men talking about

  209. sexual immorality, lust impurity, and then he goes on to

  210. talk about Anger and rage in Malice and Slaughter slander and

  211. filthy language. So he kind of clubs two areas

  212. here. So we are talking about sexual

  213. immorality or sexual impurity so pretty much sex.

  214. And then here we talk about filthy talk and slander and

  215. Malice, and rage, many of these things are expressed in speech,

  216. right? So when he's writing to this

  217. church, and he's talking about what that, these old things that

  218. we are to put away. Are the two things that he

  219. deliberately chooses to mention our sex and speech to things

  220. that are gifts from God. However, have been painted, and

  221. use in ways that they were not meant to be used both these

  222. things have the capacity to, I mean, to really ruin lives, but

  223. more. So, in the context of a church

  224. when these things are Widespread or when they happen, they have

  225. the ability to tear down this community that you're trying to

  226. build so many times these practices cause divide, right?

  227. And These aren't just struggles that the church in colossae was

  228. facing, okay? He didn't just write about the

  229. sexual impurity just because that was what was happening in

  230. the Pagan world around them. I mean, he did mention to them,

  231. but it is also to us because this is kind of what is

  232. happening. All around us in the context of

  233. pollen colossae, if you wanted to commit sexual, Sin.

  234. You can kind of, I had to get up from your house and go to a

  235. temple and engage in Acts that you thought was worshipful but

  236. they really weren't. It was just sexual immorality.

  237. Nowadays, to be honest, you don't have to leave anywhere in

  238. the comfort of your home. In your bed, you have a 6 inch

  239. screen that brings everything to you, right?

  240. So, it is important that these are addressed.

  241. These are talk about, because This is the kind of things that

  242. is important to scripture because here are scriptures

  243. highlighting that. These are the things that we put

  244. to that in the time that he had to write a colossal, he

  245. mentioned two very important things that was necessary to put

  246. to death, sexual impurity and wrongful speech, right?

  247. It is important for us to take that into consideration to the

  248. mere fact that he mentions, this means that it is important for

  249. us to have a good look at this. And At church, we might fall

  250. into this notion that. That there's no sexual impurity

  251. because you're like, I'm married, I don't sleep around.

  252. I waited till I got married to be with my wife and you might

  253. kind of think of those things and kind of brush it under the

  254. carpet and then move on. But then we really can't move on

  255. from that because the thing that Paul clubs it with is speech,

  256. right. There is a lot of speech that

  257. Happens at church, right? And it is important to keep in

  258. mind that a lot of the speech that could be happening, are the

  259. things that we that need to be put to death.

  260. Even simple things that we think are simple like gossip.

  261. Even the mere fact that I said, simple things, you know I don't

  262. have the right idea about the biggest things like gossip could

  263. really bring Division and strife into a community.

  264. So That is something that Paul wanted them to be, are aware of

  265. and that's something that we have to be aware of.

  266. This is, I mean, it really shows us that God is really concerned

  267. with our speech and God is really concerned it.

  268. When it comes to matters of sex, these things are important to

  269. him and the way in which we used to view these things before we

  270. were raised in Christ, has to be put to death.

  271. And if they are not put to that, they will not only affect us but

  272. they affect the Greater Community, right?

  273. You might be telling yourself that there are secret sins that

  274. you can do in the privacy of your home.

  275. That doesn't affect anyone else. But the thing with any kind of

  276. sin, as it always affects your relationship if it affects you.

  277. It affects your relationships, there is always a way it affects

  278. something else, so these things should be put to that.

  279. So these are the things of the world is talking about.

  280. These are the things that we have died to, that is mentioning

  281. and so it should cause us to pause and think about these two

  282. specific areas that is calling us to put to death because they

  283. are important to consider uncomfortable.

  284. They might be, but it is important to consider because

  285. they are important to God. So now in verses, so do not lie

  286. to each other since you have taken off.

  287. So again, this thing, he specifically says, do not like

  288. one of the reasons he's probably highlighting.

  289. This is, Our Gospel is a Gospel of Truth, right?

  290. So any time, there are lies, are being told in the church, it

  291. undistributed almost understood, the gospel.

  292. So it is one of its. So it is very important.

  293. I understand that along with all at the speech that has Put the

  294. debt lying has to be put to death as well because our gospel

  295. is a Gospel of Truth and when there are lies it undoes that.

  296. So now starting with verse in the middle of verse 9, okay.

  297. Since you have taken off your old self with its practices and

  298. have put on the new self which is being renewed in the

  299. knowledge, in the image of the Creator.

  300. Here, there is no Gentile or Jew circumcised or uncircumcised

  301. Barbarian. Viridian City and slave or free,

  302. but Christ and all and Christ is in all.

  303. So, Paul here is bringing to mind imagery that was probably

  304. common in the first century early church.

  305. So during baptism when the new car believer, we go into the

  306. Waters of baptism and come out when they came out of the Waters

  307. of baptism, they were given a new white room to kind of

  308. symbolize this new creation or this new person that had become

  309. so they would take off. Close.

  310. They've been baptized in input on this new wide room to

  311. symbolize that. So that is the imagery that

  312. policy is here. It's talking about take off your

  313. old clothes. This old self used to be and put

  314. on the new. And this new one is has a new

  315. context, right? The you New Life, the cop

  316. primary context is that in the knowledge, in the image of its

  317. creator. Meaning you are an image bearer

  318. of the one true God. That is the new context of our

  319. life. The new context of this new

  320. being that you put on is you are an image bearer of the one, true

  321. God. And then the first thing, he

  322. mentions that he talks about putting on this new life, is

  323. that there is no Gentile or Jew. There is no slave or free.

  324. There is no circumcised or uncircumcised, right?

  325. But Christ is all and it's all. So the first thing that comes

  326. down or like, barriers that divide us humans, many times

  327. location and ethnicity and Heritage are or nationality.

  328. A lot of things that tend to divide but in this new creation,

  329. when you put on this Euro, the first thing that goes away are

  330. these things that divide us with and the thing that comes up to

  331. unites is recognition that we are image bearers in this

  332. Community of Faith, we are image bearers and that Christ is in

  333. all of us. So that becomes a thing that

  334. unifies us right? And it is not the divisions.

  335. It's not the things that make us different that matter anymore,

  336. but it is. This one thing that unifies us,

  337. there is no longer division. So, one of the first things he

  338. tackles as life in this new creation of this new life, we

  339. put on our the divisions that we have that, so they can no longer

  340. so they can no longer be any division.

  341. So, so it's part of the old life.

  342. We see that he tackles the laws and regulations and then Sexual

  343. immorality, and then speech, and then with the new life, he

  344. mentioned about, setting your mind on Heavenly things and then

  345. put on this new self. And then the first thing you

  346. down hose is there are no longer divisions, right?

  347. And so we're going to read on from 12% 17.

  348. So therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved

  349. clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness humility,

  350. gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive

  351. one another. If any of you have a grievance

  352. against someone forgive as the Lord forgave you, and over all

  353. these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in

  354. perfect Unity, Let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts since

  355. as members of one body, you were called to peace.

  356. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell

  357. among you richly as you teach and admonish.

  358. Punish one another with all wisdom through psalms hymns and

  359. songs for the spirit singing to God with gratitude in your

  360. hearts. He kind of fleshes out what he

  361. means by these heavily things are things that are above or

  362. things that are not worldly, right?

  363. So these heavily things he's talking about our compassion.

  364. Kindness humility gentleness patience, right?

  365. And above all love. So he is setting out the things

  366. that we should be dwelling on. Right.

  367. The things that we should be living in.

  368. So we have died in Christ, right?

  369. So we have died to the regulations to pretty much and

  370. the immoral speech or sexual impurity.

  371. And then we have been raised to this new life.

  372. That things, aren't Heavenly things.

  373. And these are those things that he's talking about compassion.

  374. Kindness humility gentleness about love and then he talks

  375. about how you treat people, right?

  376. He says, if anyone has a grievance against you, forgive

  377. them as the Lord forgave you? So, he setting up and expanding

  378. on what this new life is what it means.

  379. To clothe ourselves. In this new creation that we've

  380. been created, and this is what it looks like so.

  381. And then, after you tell us these things, right?

  382. And he talks about love He goes on to give a glimpse of what

  383. life in this community of Believers in Colossus should

  384. look like and what our life as a commuter Believers here should

  385. look like to write, says, Let the Peace of Christ rule in your

  386. hearts since as members of one body, you were called to Peace.

  387. So, peace peace Among Us is one thing that you drool and be

  388. thankful. That the message of Christ

  389. dwell, among you richly as you teach and admonish one another

  390. with all wisdom. Through psalms hymns and songs

  391. from the spirit singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

  392. So this word of calculus in gratitude or mentioned.

  393. You're right. That should be the way of life

  394. in this community thankfulness and gratitude to God for what he

  395. has done thankfulness and gratitude that because of him we

  396. have died to the old world and because of him we have been

  397. raised up into this new creation.

  398. And the way we keep this community strong is through the

  399. sharing of the word through worship together.

  400. So all of these things, build, a strong Community, all of these

  401. things, he's encouraging the church in colossae to take

  402. pardon. So kind of the recap, right?

  403. We started with We've died in Christ.

  404. So we kind of died to the law and then you mention about your

  405. you've been raised with Christ. And then when you erase, you

  406. talked about the Heavenly you of mindset on have a few things.

  407. And then he talked about because you have died in Christ, put

  408. these things to death. So the things that were

  409. important or the things that were part of our old life, he

  410. said put to death, right? And you mentioned two things

  411. sexual immorality and speech and Then he talked about what it

  412. means to have this new life will be raised in this new life and

  413. the things that govern the new life.

  414. Our kindness gentleness meekness humility, love forgiveness,

  415. right. All these things had the

  416. standard. Those are the Heavenly things

  417. that govern it. And then he talks a little bit

  418. about what the group of Believers might look like who

  419. are part of this new life. So All in all, when you look at

  420. this. What Paul is really conveying to

  421. us to the church is the gospel. The gospel does care about

  422. eternity, right? However, more often than not the

  423. gospels main concern throughout scripture is a life here on

  424. Earth is how we live this life here, and that is what Paul is

  425. talking about here. The gospel message that he wants

  426. to convey to the church in colossae is that we have died in

  427. Christ and that we have put to that those things and that we

  428. have been raised and again. So as we've been raised, we are

  429. part of this new creation. We have died and we have been

  430. raised. So we have died to the world,

  431. this old creation and we've been raised into this new order it.

  432. The idea is very much that we've been East into almost a new way

  433. to be human. A new way to be human, meaning

  434. the most genuine and only way to be truly human, is in light of

  435. the Gospel. Only way to be truly human, is

  436. to be part of this new creation. That Christ is the firstborn of

  437. that because of his that we have died to the old and because of

  438. his resurrection we have been raised to the new.

  439. So we are part of this new creation rate and the things

  440. that Govern Us in this new creation, are not the things

  441. that used to go. Unless, in the past, those

  442. things are to be, put to death, the things that are the

  443. governess, our kindness humility meekness love forgiveness, right

  444. gathering together in worship, having an having thankfulness

  445. and gratitude be the rhythm of our life.

  446. Because of because we know that we are part of this new

  447. creation, we know that we can generally be human because of

  448. the work that Christ has done. for us as as I Was preparing the

  449. sermon, I Probably for the first time in my life for at least the

  450. first time in recent history. I was reminded again that I

  451. indeed and part of this new creation, right?

  452. And it made me look at things when they popped up a little

  453. different. Some of the examples are a

  454. couple examples I'm going to share with you or probably maybe

  455. on the sillier side. But they were important to me

  456. because that was kind of what I was going through when I was

  457. Prepping for the sermon there, always distractions.

  458. Primarily the 6 inch screen that we all have distractions.

  459. Do go look at every notification distraction is to browse the

  460. news after I was in the middle of prepping and I was thinking

  461. through this idea that I'm New Creation when that distraction

  462. popped up first. I found myself telling myself I

  463. am dead. So anytime there was a

  464. distraction to take me from what I was supposed to be doing.

  465. I told myself I am dead I was actually Priced when it came

  466. when that happened to me, but it made me feel like an

  467. internalized, this to that, that I was learning for by starting

  468. with scripture. So, this past couple days as it

  469. as I've been prepping anytime. I was tempted to go to the phone

  470. to distract myself. I said I am dead and I was able

  471. to come back and stay on course and not the silly example.

  472. I I chew my nails, right? Might be a very trivial example.

  473. I don't have any crazy stories for you to it, but I found

  474. myself saying and I was tempted to too many, too many ills.

  475. I am dead and there was this reminder that I was dead to the

  476. always. Am I live in the new creation

  477. and I have self-control and when I've found it difficult to be

  478. part of this new creation, right?

  479. The thing. Govern, the new creation,

  480. humility compassion, meekness are difficult things.

  481. So when I was faced with those difficult things, I told myself

  482. I'm alive because we are alive in those things and we can

  483. function those things and let those things govern our lives.

  484. So it is just my example. I was telling myself, it's when

  485. things were pulling me back to the old told myself I was dead

  486. when things were difficult as we Embrace, as we Moving forward in

  487. the new life. I told myself.

  488. I was alive to remind myself, right?

  489. We live in a world that is constantly tugging at us.

  490. Back to the old. We just have to step out the

  491. door or turn on our 6 inch screens to know that it doesn't

  492. look like a new creation around us.

  493. It doesn't look like New Creation has been initiated so

  494. the world reminds us in tries to pull us back.

  495. So we taking the initiative and choosing to I believe that we

  496. indeed are part of this new creation is an Act of Faith.

  497. So faith is a big part in. This is just not believing God

  498. for something, but in this case, faith is actively choosing to

  499. believe that even though around us, it doesn't seem like New

  500. Creation. Oh, we constantly being pulled

  501. back into what was old. We in faith.

  502. Believe that we truly are part of this new creation, that god

  503. and goddess initiated through what Christ has done, right?

  504. And so and that we can be this new creation in this world that

  505. we can show the world around us that new creation indeed has

  506. been initiated right and that people are welcome to be part of

  507. this new creation. So now my wife shared something

  508. with me which I think I really fleshes out this almost constant

  509. tug-of-war that we have. So it's it's a story, a short

  510. story or more like Imagery to help us understand.

  511. So I'm going to read it to you and I'm going to kind of close

  512. after that. So imagine yourself traveling

  513. down a long Country Road, looking ahead on one side, you

  514. see a high chain-link fence and on the other side, you see an

  515. open field as you drive closer, you can see people behind the

  516. fence and people in the field. You slow down to take a closer

  517. look and you discover that the fence is actually part of a huge

  518. cage. The people inside are trapped

  519. with no way out. There is a man in the cage who

  520. seems to be in charge and he is angry.

  521. He shouts orders at the people telling them what to do.

  522. Sometimes the people in the cage seem to protest but eventually

  523. they do with the angry man tells them to do or what he tells them

  524. to do. The cage is a picture of our

  525. situation apart from Jesus, apart from Christ.

  526. The angry man's name is sin and he reigns in the cage.

  527. Syntel's, the people what to do? The whole world is a prisoner of

  528. sin. But those who are in Christ have

  529. died to sin, Paul uses his picture to describe what God

  530. does for us in Christ. When you come to Faith In Jesus,

  531. God moved you out of the cage and into the field.

  532. God moved you from imprisonment to freedom from an old life, in

  533. which sin was your master to a new life in which sin is no

  534. longer in a position to control you.

  535. Being in Christ puts you in a new position in relation to sin

  536. sin is still your enemy, but it is no longer your master.

  537. The angry man will still shout instructions across the road and

  538. when he does, you will immediately feel that you should

  539. do what he says after all. That's what you always did

  540. before. But the fact of the matter is

  541. that the angry man is is no longer your master.

  542. You are under no obligation to do, what he says, you are not in

  543. the cage. You are in the field, you are

  544. free. Resistance to sin was ultimately

  545. futile. When you were held hostage in

  546. the cage, but out in the field, you are in a position to fight

  547. and you can triumph over your enemy.

  548. Every person is either indicator in the field.

  549. You cannot be in both places at the same time and knowing where

  550. you stand is a crucial part of discovering your new identity in

  551. Christ. So We are part of New Creation,

  552. just like that told you, right? Many times things.

  553. Our old world sin are the old creation that we came out of is

  554. constantly shouting barking orders at us.

  555. And maybe our initial reaction is do it, because that's kind of

  556. what we've always done. But we are part of this new

  557. creation. We no longer need to listen to

  558. those commands, right? For some of us, those shouts

  559. come from all over the place many times.

  560. The shouts are probably coming from your phone and they want

  561. you to do something. It could be coming from people,

  562. it could be coming from past experience, you'll be coming

  563. from anywhere, but fact of the matter is we are part of this

  564. new creation, we have a new master, our masters Christ and

  565. our masters no longer sin. So kind of want to end with how

  566. This, the passage ends up with over 17 and I'm going to leave

  567. with you a couple of thoughts about what how they really

  568. fleshes out, how to distinguish our old life from our new life,

  569. okay? And it says, whatever you do,

  570. whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord,

  571. Jesus giving. Thanks to God the Father through

  572. him, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.

  573. As I was reading a resource that was using to prep for this

  574. message. It said, Could you put the

  575. banner up in the name of the Lord?

  576. Jesus to anything you do or do anything you say?

  577. And it really got me thinking, because I think that would help

  578. us to distinguish old from New, Right?

  579. Could be in the name of the Lord Jesus yell angrily.

  580. At our children. Could we in the name of the

  581. Lord? Jesus?

  582. Shame. Our spouse because we just don't

  583. agree on something. Could we in the name of the

  584. Lord, Jesus be rude to somebody because they were rude to us.

  585. Right? Could we in the name of the

  586. Lord? Jesus think about somebody else

  587. when we are married. So we couldn't write, but could

  588. be the name of the Lord Jesus show compassion when compassion

  589. was not shown to us. Yes.

  590. Could we in the name of the Lord?

  591. Jesus be. Loving when what we have

  592. received this hatred? Yes.

  593. Could we in the name of the Lord?

  594. Jesus. Show love to our children or be

  595. gracious to them despite anything that has happened.

  596. Yes. So let's keep that in mind.

  597. As we come to the end of this, right?

  598. Can we do, or say the things we say in the name of the Lord?

  599. Jesus. So, thank you so much for

  600. joining us and being with us. I want to say a word of Prayer.

  601. Every father, we thank you so much for giving us this message.

  602. Thank you so much for giving us your word.

  603. Thank you so much for this. Reminder that we indeed are part

  604. of a new creation that you initiated or we no longer have

  605. to suffer under the old. But we can live in Freedom under

  606. the new record so far, they help us to internalize this help us

  607. to remember this Lord this week, and for the rest of our lives,

  608. that you indeed have called us to this new creation that we are

  609. part of Of this because of what you've done when we died with

  610. you but more. So we have been raised into this

  611. new creation with you and let the way we live.

  612. Our lives can be different and that's not have to be the same

  613. like it was before you raised us father to Lord.

  614. We thank you so much for this word.

  615. We thank you that we can truly and genuinely be human now.

  616. And don't have to be Listening to orders be yelled by our old

  617. Master but that we can live in Freedom with our new master.

  618. That is pressed. So father we love you.

  619. We thank you again for bringing us together.

  620. And that we thank you, that you are the one that binds us

  621. together. In Jesus name, we pray.

  622. Amen. The grace of our Lord Jesus

  623. Christ. The love of the father and the

  624. Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

  625. So Church, go out in the power of the Gospel.

  626. Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed today's

  627. message and were blessed if you liked what you heard and want to

  628. hear more messages from us, you could read this and subscribe to

  629. our podcast channel for more content from me as I am.

  630. Or if you'd like to get in touch with them, as you can go to VI

  631. Zion.T, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

  632. More importantly, remember that whoever finds Jesus Finds Me?