6
Does It Lead You to Be More Like Jesus?
Question 1:
As a child, whom did you want to be like when you grew up?
THE POINT
God’s desire is to conform us to the image of Christ.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
In Brazil, I met a pastor who was loved, respected, and faithful to Christ in every way. He had not always been such a man. He had descended from generations of alcoholics and was himself addicted to alcohol. He spent so much money on alcohol that his family often had no food. His wife and children were invited to attend a local church, and they soon became Christians. Through their witness and influence, this man soon came to faith in Christ. He began to faithfully attend a Bible study group. As he grew in Christ, he moved from sitting in a group to leading a group. He continued to grow, and his leadership in the church grew until, ultimately, he became the pastor of the church.
This man was growing ever more like Jesus. God’s desire is the same for you. You may not need freedom from an addiction like this man, nor may you become a pastor, but God’s transforming work in your life is not less powerful and marvelous. God speaks and calls you to be more and more like Jesus.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Colossians 3:1-4
1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
To be raised with Christ is to experience spiritual baptism, or a spiritual new birth. This means that people have died to their old self and have been born again with a new nature that naturally desires the things of God. And this is a sure condition for the one who trusts in Christ. Paul began with “if,” but in the Greek language, that’s not stating something we hope is true. The Greek carries the idea: “Since you have been raised.”
Since we have been raised with Christ, the focus of our lives—the desires of our hearts—ought to be on heavenly matters and not fleshly lusts. “Seek” implies continual behavior. Before you were born again, your sinful passions ruled your life. Now that you have been born again, you have died to sin and can choose to devote your life to nobler pursuits than merely fulfilling your lusts.
Question 2:
What practices have helped you set your mind on the things of God?
Christ now sits at God’s right hand, which is a position of power and authority. Because your life as a believer is inextricably linked with Christ, His concerns should now be your priorities. Because Christ sits at God’s right hand, He has immense power and is perfectly capable of accomplishing His purposes in you.
Whereas verse 1 speaks to the heart and its desires, verse 2 centers on our thoughts: We are to continually set our minds on things above. This is a challenge in today’s world when we are bombarded by social media, TV shows, billboards, and magazines that urge us to focus on worldly lusts. Paul exhorts us to do whatever is necessary so that we don’t immerse our thoughts in fleshly matters but in God’s will. This is a choice we make. By choosing to immerse yourself in Scripture and exposing yourself to uplifting Christian literature and Christian thought, you will raise your thinking to a level that glorifies God.
We died with Christ (Rom. 6:8), and now our lives are closely linked with Christ. Before we were Christians, we had fleshly natures that were in bondage to the evil passions of the world. But that nature died the moment we became Christians. This doesn’t mean we never sin, but our fundamental nature is now driven by a desire to please and glorify God rather than to satisfy the lusts of the flesh.
Jesus doesn’t simply give us a new life; He is our life! Christ gives us Himself. When we learn to orient our lives to be centered on Christ, we will see that He meets every need of our lives. He brings us love, joy, and peace. He satisfies our deepest longings. Satan will seek to convince us, as he did with Adam and Eve, that we need God plus something else to be satisfied. But when we focus on Christ, we rest in the truth that He is everything we need.
Colossians 3:5-9
5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, 7 and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. 8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices.
Paul shifted his focus to discuss the practical implications for the truths he had explained. He urged his readers to put to death any holdover from their sinful nature. As Christians, we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), but we must continually put to death anything in our lives that is ungodly (Rom. 8:13). We are commanded to “put to death,” and that implies decisive action.
Paul presented two lists of five. First, he called us to put to death “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed.” “Sexual immorality” includes any improper sexual activity, anything outside the confines of a marriage between one man and one woman. Impurity results from this sexual immorality. Lust and evil desire are passions that have turned toward improper objects. They can also be selfish desires in which people are viewed as objects to fulfill our desires rather than as recipients of our love. The first four are sexual in nature. The last one is greed, which Paul declared is idolatry. This may be because when we greedily desire something, we value it more highly than we value God.
Engage
MORE LIKE JESUS
Being more like Jesus means eliminating some things and adding others. From today’s passage, choose several negative qualities and several positive qualities discussed.
List these qualities and rank them in order of priority for how you are going to address them.
Negative Qualities to Eliminate Positive Qualities to Add
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.”
Because of these sins, God’s wrath would be expressed upon those who were disobedient. Both the Old and New Testaments refer to God’s wrath. It is much more than an emotional expression of anger. Rather, it is the utter revulsion of God toward sin and anything which is contrary to His holiness. Sin brings death and destruction to all it touches; therefore, a loving God hates sin, and will express His wrath against it. His wrath is against those who disobey.
In verse 8, Paul introduced a second list of five. We are to “put away” as if we were removing soiled clothes. The first item to be put away is anger. There can be occasions where we can be angry without falling into sin (Eph. 4:26). We see Jesus express such anger when He overturned tables in the temple (John 2:13-17). Righteous indignation is one thing; self-centered anger is to be avoided. Anger can quickly get out of control, but we are not to be slaves to our anger. Rather, by God’s power, we can renounce its hold on our lives.
Along with the anger, we are to put away wrath, malice, slander, filthy language, and lies. None of these are becoming of a Christian—and none of these are beyond the Spirit’s power to remove from us!
Question 3:
What’s challenging about putting away ungodly attitudes and actions?
Colossians 3:10-14
10 And have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all. 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
We don’t just put away old, soiled clothes; we put on new clothes. Just as Christians should put away sinful practices, we are to put on godly practices that reflect our new nature. This comes from having our minds renewed so we adopt the same viewpoint as our Creator. As the Holy Spirit renews our minds, we are transformed to act like Christ.
Question 4:
What part do we play in putting on more of God’s character?
To be “in Christ” is an incredibly wonderful position to be in! His life becomes your life. When your life is no longer your own, your identity comes not from your nationality, culture, family background, or gender, but from your relationship with Christ. Everything that divides people in society is insignificant compared to Christ in us. Greeks and Jews represented the divide between Jews and Gentiles. Circumcision and uncircumcision reflected God’s people and those opposed to God. Barbarians were Gentiles who were considered uncivilized. Scythians were viewed as some of the cruelest people in the ancient world. A vast number of people in the Roman Empire were slaves. They posed a stark contrast to those who were free. The Roman Empire was filled with people of various social classes and ethnicities, yet for Christians, this did not matter. In Christ, they were all beloved brothers and sisters.
Paul summarized this section with an exhortation. But before calling us to live a certain way, he reminded us of who we are: chosen, holy, and dearly loved.
Paul gave another list of five. He told us to put on, “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Just as we would put on a new shirt, so we can choose to put on these qualities. On top of all this, we are to “put on love.” Love is not something we feel; it is something we choose.
Question 5:
What role does our group play in helping one another cultivate godly character?
LIVE IT OUT
God’s desire is to conform us to the image of Christ. What will you do to live out this truth? Choose one of the following applications:
Put away. Review the list of sins in this passage you are called to remove. Identify any you still need to remove, confess those sins to God, and choose to follow Him in obedience.
Put on. Review the list of traits in this passage you are called to put on. Identity specific ways you can exhibit these qualities to specific individuals. Ask God to empower you to live these traits out for His glory.
Reflect and share. Meditate on the fact that you are chosen, holy, and dearly loved. Write a paragraph describing how these three truths ought to influence how you live. Share this with someone this week.
The good news is that you are not bound to remain the same person all your life. You have the power by the Holy Spirit to put away anything that dishonors Christ and to put on anything that brings Him glory. Devote yourself to putting away and putting on until there is nothing left in you but what looks like Christ.
Teacher Notes:
God is Holy, and His Character is Perfect
By contrast, we are sinful, fallen human
beings, and we are far from matching the character of God. Yet when God calls
us to Himself and saves us, He empowers us and calls us to become like Christ. As daunting as that may sound, God equips us to grow progressively
in conformity to Christ. Everything He calls us to do will support that goal.
He calls us to revival – He calls us to a
spiritual awakening – He calls us to become like Christ.
God’s desire is to conform us to the image of Christ.
Paul explains this process in Colossians 3:1-14
Paul wrote Colossians to combat errors in
teaching in the church and to show that believers have everything they need in
Christ.
He begins with what constitutes true Christian
behavior.
Christianity, despite what some think, is not a
religion of rules — dos and don’ts. It is a lifestyle based on a
relationship with Christ.
We avoid some things not because there is a
rule against them, but because they are not true to the relationship we
claim with Christ.
Paul begins with how we think – what do we fill
our minds with.
Colossians 3:1-4
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek
the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your
minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is
hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you
also will appear with Him in glory.
As Christians, what ought to guide our thinking?
Christians desire the things of Christ
and make them the focus of their lives. Things above - eternal things,
not earthly things. Being a Christian is not a one-time event, but an ongoing
lifestyle. Christians are responsible for
what they think; what they think does matter. The primary perspective for Christian thinking is to be in
accord with new life in Christ. Paul is not saying Christians should never
think about earthly things; only that those things are not our chief aim, life
objective, or our major perspective for making decisions.
God’s voice calls us to change the way we think.
Christians live with an upward view of life,
looking toward Jesus.
Setting our minds on things above means
concentrating on the eternal rather than the temporary.
What practices have helped you set your mind on
the things of God?
We are to continually set our minds on things
above.
This is a challenge in today’s world when we
are bombarded by social media, TV shows, billboards, and magazines that urge us
to focus on worldly lusts. Paul exhorts us to do whatever is necessary so that
we don’t immerse our thoughts in fleshly matters but in God’s will. This is
a choice we make. By choosing to immerse yourself in Scripture and exposing
yourself to uplifting Christian literature and Christian thought, you will
raise your thinking to a level that glorifies God.
We died with Christ (Rom. 6:8), and now our
lives are closely linked with Christ. Before we were Christians, we had fleshly
natures that were in bondage to the evil passions of the world. But that nature
died the moment we became Christians. This doesn’t mean we never sin, but our
fundamental nature is now driven by a desire to please and glorify God
rather than to satisfy the lusts of the flesh.
For you died, means that we should have as little desire for this world as
a dead person would have. The Christians real home is where Christ lives (John
14:2-3). This truth gives us a different perspective on our lives here on earth.
To set your minds on things above means to look at life from God’s perspective
and to seek what He desires. This is the answer to materialism – we gain a proper
perspective on material goods when we take God’s view of them. The more we
regard the world around us as God does, the more we will live in harmony with
Him. We must not become too attached to what is only temporary.
Hidden means concealed and safe. This is not
only a future hope, but an accomplished fact right now. Take heart that your salvation
is sure and live each day for Christ. Christ gives us power to live for Him
now, and He gives us hope for the future – He will return.
Jesus doesn’t simply give us a new life; He is
our life!
When we learn to orient our lives to be centered
on Christ, we will see that He meets every need of our lives. He brings us love, joy, and peace. He
satisfies our deepest longings. Satan will seek to convince us, as he did with
Adam and Eve, that we need God plus something else to be satisfied. But when we
focus on Christ, we rest in the truth that He is everything we need.
Becoming like Christ will require that we get
rid of some things.
Colossians 3:5-9
Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality,
impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these,
God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, and you once walked in these things
when you were living in them. But now, put away all the following: anger,
wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the
old self with its practices.
These verses describe some of the sins of the
former life that are to be abandoned by one who is in Christ.
What did Paul charge the Colossian believers to
do about the practices of their former way of life?
Put these practices to death (a decisive
action):
sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire,
and greed, which is idolatry.
anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy
language from your mouth.
Put off all these practices, the practices in
verse 5 and the other attitudinal issues that are listed in verse 8, which are
more social in nature.
One final admonition. Do not lie to one
another. Truthfulness in dealing with others is critical. No relationships
can be sustained, and no true communication can take place without people
telling the truth to each other. That this sin is given apart from the lists in
verses 5 and 8 may suggest this was a major concern for Paul. This violation
was a practice of the old self not the new self in Christ.
We should consider ourselves dead and
unresponsive to sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed.
Just like a diseased limb of a tree, these practices must be cut off before
they destroy us. We must make a conscious, daily decision to remove anything that supports or
feeds these desires and to rely on the Holy Spirit’s power.
The wrath of God refers to God’s judgment on
these kinds of behavior, culminating with future and final punishment of evil.
When tempted to sin, remember that you must one day stand before God.
We must rid ourselves of all evil practices and
immorality. Then we can commit ourselves to what Christ teaches. Paul was appealing
to the commitment the believers had made and urging them to remain true to
their confession of faith. They were to rid themselves of the old life and put
on the new way of living given by Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. If you
have made such a commitment to Christ, are you remaining true to it?
Lying to one another disrupts unity by
destroying trust. It tears down relationships and may lead to serious conflict in
a church. So, don’t exaggerate statistics, pass on rumors or gossip, or say
things to build up your own image. Be committed to telling the truth.
God’s voice calls us to put to death the earthly
nature.
Though we are redeemed from sin by Jesus
Christ, as believers we have the responsibility to manage the way we live our
lives. We must eliminate those practices in our lives which are of the life
without Christ (of the “old man”). The disobedient are subject to punishment
from God.
What’s challenging about putting away ungodly
attitudes and actions?
Being more like Jesus means eliminating some
things and adding some things.
Colossians 3:10-14
And have put on the new self. You are being
renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. In Christ there is
not Greek and Jew, circumcision
and uncircumcision, barbarian,
Scythian,
slave and free; but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen
ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and
forgiving one another if anyone
has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are
also to forgive. Above all, put on
love, which is the perfect bond
of unity.
What does it mean to put on the new self?
It means that your conduct should match your faith.
If you are a Christian, you should act like it. To be a Christian means more than just making good
resolutions and having good intentions; it means taking the right actions. This
is a straightforward step that is as simple as putting on your clothes.
Every Christian is in a continuing education
program. The more we know of Christ
and His work, the more we are being changed to be like Him. Because this
process is lifelong, we must never stop learning and obeying. There is no
justification for drifting along, but there is an incentive to find the rich
treasures of growing in Him. It takes practice, ongoing review, patience, and
concentration to keep in line with His will.
BEING MORE LIKE JESUS
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. The law is not against such things.”
GALATIANS 5:22-23
God’s voice calls us to cultivate godly
character.
Believers are to be forgiving toward one
another just as Christ forgave them with love and grace. Love is supreme; it
holds all other virtues together so they can be expressed to their fullest.
What part do we play in putting on more of
God’s character?
We don’t just put away old, soiled clothes; we
put on new clothes.
Just as Christians should put away sinful
practices, we are to put on godly practices
that reflect our new nature. This comes from having our minds renewed so we adopt the same viewpoint as our Creator.
As the Holy Spirit renews our minds, we are transformed to act like Christ.
To be “in Christ” is an incredibly wonderful
position to be in!
His life becomes your life. When your life is
no longer your own, your identity comes not from your nationality, culture, family
background, or gender, but from your
relationship with Christ. Everything
that divides people in society is insignificant compared to Christ in us.
· Greeks and Jews represented the divide between Jews and
Gentiles.
· Circumcision and uncircumcision reflected God’s people and those opposed to
God.
· Barbarians were uncivilized Gentiles.
· Scythians were viewed as some of the cruelest people in the ancient
world.
· A lot of people in the Roman Empire were slaves.
They posed a stark contrast to those who were free.
The Roman Empire was filled with people of
various social classes and
ethnicities, yet for Christians, this did not matter. In Christ, they were all
beloved brothers and sisters.
Paul summarized this section with an
exhortation. But before calling us to live a certain way, he reminded us of
who we are: chosen, holy, and
dearly loved.
Paul gave another list of five. He told us to put
on, “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and
patience.” Just as we would put on a
new shirt, so we can choose to put on
these qualities. On top of all this, we are to
“put on love.”
Love is not something we feel; it is something we choose.
Summary
Because our eternal destiny is sure, heaven
should fill our thoughts, sexual impurity and other worldly lusts should not be
named among us, and truth, love, and peace should mark our lives.
In Christ we have everything we need for
salvation and for living the Christian life.
“Christianity is not a spectator’s sport, it’s something
in which we become totally involved.” – Billy Graham
Conclusion
The good news is that we are not bound to
remain the same person all our life. We have the power by the Holy Spirit to
put away anything that dishonors Christ and to put on anything that brings Him
glory. Our call is to devote ourselves to putting away and putting on until
there is nothing left in us but what looks like Christ.
The point of the session is clearly stated: God’s desire is to conform us to the image of
Christ. The application of this session is rather simple.
We see what God wants us to become.
Some specific outcomes are stated in these
verses from Colossians.
We can live new life in Christ. It is possible.
Will we allow it to happen by choosing to obey what
God says or will we continue to do only what we want?
