The First Letter of Peter- 1

Subtitle: The Chosen Foreigners of Jesus Christ

1 Peter 1:1-4. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, November 16, 2025.

We start the first letter of Peter today.  It is one of two letters written by Peter, one of the three closest apostles of Jesus.  He was an eyewitness of the transfiguration of Jesus before His resurrection.  His actual name was Shimon (Hebrew) or Simon (Greek/Latin).  However, Jesus gave him the nick name in Aramaic of Kephas (also Cephas).  John 1:42 tells us this and that Peter is the Greek translation of his Aramaic name Kephas.  Both of these names mean “rock” or “stone.”

This fisherman from the Sea of Galilee is most known as being an apostle to the Jews following the death and resurrection of Jesus.  However, we did see in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles that Peter ministered to Samaritans and Gentiles as well, especially when he traveled outside of Jerusalem.

Paul mentions in his letter to the Galatians that Peter was at Syrian Antioch for a time.  It is quite likely that Peter also visited other Gentile dominated areas in order to vouchsafe for the churches that were cropping up particularly from the ministry of Paul and others with him.

This brings to a point about the audience of this letter.  Some believe that Peter is addressing Jewish Christians and only tangentially speaks to Gentiles.  However, the letter does not make this distinction.  Peter appears to be addressing churches as predominately Gentiles.

Let’s get into the letter.

Peter’s greeting (v. 1-2)

Peter starts out by identifying himself.  He is Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ.

There is a sense in which all Christians have an apostolic calling because we are sent by Christ to take the Gospel to the world around us.  In fact, this apostolic calling should be seen upon the background of what Hebrews 3:1 tells us.  Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.  Jesus was sent or commissioned by the Father to do a priestly duty among us. 

Yet, Apostle is used in a stricter sense throughout the New Testament.  Just as God moved upon the Old Testament prophets in order that Israel, and eventually the world, would know His will, so He worked in particular people in order to lay down a trustworthy record of what Jesus taught and did, including his death, resurrection and ascension.  They were eyewitnesses of these things.

These apostles were taught directly by Jesus and commissioned by him to lay the foundation of teaching for the church.  These basically became the requirements of any writing that was accepted as inspired by the Holy Spirit (1. Taught by Jesus, 2. Witnessed the resurrected Jesus, 3. Commissioned by Jesus to establish the Gospel in the world).

Notice that he says that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ.  It is easy to see “Christ” and forget that it is a declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One sent from God to save us.  Thus, Peter is one of the men specially sent by Jesus the Messiah in order to declare his teachings and the Good News of his work of salvation.

We should note that Revelation 21 presents the New Jerusalem as symbolically depicting the Church of Jesus.  It is a real place, but its design and setup are also symbolic.  Notice that the walls of this city, which speak of an impenetrable defense, are built upon the 12 foundations of the apostles.  This can also be interpreted as the 12 foundation stones of the apostles.  Thus, it could be picturing 12 layers of foundation, but most likely refer to 12 foundation stones placed side by side (3 to a side).

Peter then tells us who the recipients of his letter are to be.  These are not cities, but provinces of the Roman Empire.  Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia describe most of the isthmus we call Türkiye today.  These were the places where the Apostle Paul established churches during his missionary journeys.  Most likely, some of these churches were founded by churches that were founded by Paul.  Just as Peter eventually went to Antioch of Syria to see the Christians there so it is probable that he may have traveled through some of these areas.  If he did, then it would make sense to send a letter to these churches.  If he did not, then Peter did the next best thing.  He sent a letter to these churches in order to ensure that they would have solid doctrine and encouragement upon which to build the work of Christ in their cities and towns.

Peter also refers to them as “chosen.”  This is also translated as “elect.”  They have been chosen by God for salvation.  This is not in the sense that God plays favorites among humans.  Those who would humble themselves and embrace the crucified and resurrected Jesus as their savior, He chose in eternity past as the ones He would save.

Legally (if such can be said of God), He doesn’t have to save anyone, but His nature of Grace, Compassion, Slowness to Anger, Steadfast Covenant-Keeping Love, and Faithful Truth, compels Him to save those who can be saved.  Thus, the Good Samaritan does a good job of imaging God the Father.  He sees us bleeding and dying on the side of the road.  Instead of going on past us, He comes to our aid.  However, He will force no man.  If a person would rather wait for a Levitical Priest, Rabbi, anyone else but Jesus, then He will leave them be, though He may continue to appeal to them in love.

We have a choice to make.  Will we let a Samaritan heal us and save us, or will we look for another?  You can step into the ranks of the Chosen today by putting your faith in Jesus.

Peter also describes these Chosen Ones as Strangers, Pilgrims, Foreigners, Aliens, Sojourners.  Those who have been chosen from among the Gentiles and Jews, in order to follow Messiah Jesus dwell, dwell in this world as if they were foreigners to it, no matter where they live.  Before you believed in Christ, you were a local, a citizen of the place you lived, but now in Christ, you have become a foreigner, a citizen of a heavenly kingdom.  You no longer live as you used to live following the vain culture of your people.

Peter is using terminology that was connected to the patriarchs of Israel, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  In Genesis 23:3-4, Abraham asks the people of the land of Canaan for a plot of land.  “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

Hebrews 11 emphasizes that the Patriarchs lived as foreigners in the Land of Promise awaiting the time in which God would give it over to them (Heb. 11:9-10, 15-16).  They did not take to the cities of the Canaanites, but dwelled as nomads, waiting for God’s timing.

This world is our inheritance.  Jesus said so in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek (humble) for they shall inherit the earth.”  However, we dwell as nomads within it today, Jews and Gentiles alike.  Yet, we have been chosen by God to receive it one day as an inheritance.

This brings us to the last reference in verse 1.  They are “scattered throughout” these areas.  The word behind this is where we get the idea of a diaspora, a dispersed people.  Like seeds, they will lay down their lives in death in order to bring forth life in the areas they have been planted.

In truth, both the wicked and the righteous of Israel were scattered among the nations.  It was a judgment to the wicked as their nation is destroyed and they are cast out into exile.  Yet, it was a blessing in the righteous ones.  They were broadcast like precious seed in order to be a blessing and raise up righteous fruit from among the Gentiles.  Righteous Israelites were literally scattered, but the Gentiles who join them, join the ranks of the Scattered Ones.  They will lay down their lives in death in order to bring forth the life of Christ in the lands in which they lived as foreigners!

In verse 2, Peter says that all of this was foreknown, or foreseen, by God.  By this, we speak of the need of salvation and the mechanism by which God would provide it.  He knew that we would fall into great sin and degradation.  We would need saving, but only some would embrace the salvation that God would provide.

This foreknowledge is partially the idea that God can see the future.  He didn’t actively choose to make something happen, but He knew it would.  Each of these items then could be permitted or stopped by God because He is sovereign over all things.  We should make a clear distinction between the things that God permits us to do and the things that He actively makes to happen.

Jesus came at just the right time, a time when the Law would have had a complete work upon the conscience of Israel, a time when men would rule over Israel that would kill His Anointed Son, a time when the faith of Israel would be hanging by a thread, and a time when the Gentiles would be weary of serving false gods that they had been serving.  At such a time, God sent His One and Only Son.

He foresaw how they would act and the choices that they would make.  He chose this time on purpose to accomplish His will, to provide a means for removing our sin and guilt.

God has also seen and chosen how to respond to the rejection of the Gospel of the Messiah by the nations.  We see it clearly that the politics of the nations, by in large, reject Jesus and his commands.  Even in the Christian West, we mostly see lip service to Jesus.

Thus, a day of judgment has been set by the Father.  A day has been appointed for the Son of Man, Jesus, to come on the clouds of heaven in order to put down the usurpers.  He will take up the kingdoms of the world with the saints at His side!  My friend, you want to be at his side on that day!

We are the chosen foreigners of Jesus the Messiah also by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.  The sanctifying work is the means by which He makes us holy.  This can be seen in two ways.

We are holy in that we have been set apart as belonging to Christ.  We are the people who bear His name and belong to Him.  It is like a legal status change.  This holiness of being takes place as the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us.

However, we are also holy in that the Spirit dwelling in us begins to teach us and empower us to live out the righteousness of Jesus.  This progressive holiness is a holiness of practice.  In our flesh, we fail and would be disqualified, but the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit teaches us to repent, to be cleansed by Him and to be renewed in our fervor for our Lord.

Both the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are connected to the cleansing of the believer (Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5).  In this world and on our own, we become more and more defiled spiritually before God.  However, the Word and the Spirit work to cleanse us and make us holy in practice.

Of course, this sanctifying work of the Spirit is why Peter then refers to obeying Jesus the Messiah.  This is not an obedience where we never fail.  Repentance is just as much a part of obeying Jesus as the other commands.  In other words, his commands have incorporated our weaknesses through repentance and forgiveness.

Peter also mentions that we are sprinkled with His blood.  This furthers the picture of a holy people.  Just as the priests were sprinkled with blood as a consecration to their ministry for God so these are cleansed and consecrated to minister on behalf of Messiah Jesus.  Essentially, Peter is recognizing these Gentile Christians as being grafted into the Holy work that God has been doing through the Patriarchs, Israel, and now the Church of Messiah.  All of these are part of the same root.

His greeting then closes with a prayer that grace and peace would be theirs in the fullest measure.

Grace is a gift from God that should cause joy to the recipient.  Peace is the restful assurance that comes from God’s Spirit dwelling within us, teaching, correcting and leading us.  It is God’s desire that we receive and rejoice in His many gifts and grace to us.  It is also His desire that we have restful assurance of His faithfulness in saving us.

Of course, if we look at the storms, we can lose our peace and joy in God’s grace.  If we are to have His grace and peace to the fullest measure as much as is possible in this life, we will need God’s help.

Praise to God for His salvation (v. 3-4)

To bless God is to praise God.  The word has the sense of speaking good things to and about Him.  In this case, Peter is praising God for His wonderful work of salvation through Jesus.

Father God is the source of the purpose and will to save us.  The Father here emphasizes the relationship between God and man, but specifically God the Father and His eternal Son, the Word.  At a point in time, the Word took on mortal flesh and receives the name Jesus, Yeshua, the Salvation of Yahweh!

To speak of the Lord Jesus Christ emphasizes three aspects of the One whom the Father used to save us.  “Lord” speaks of his authority.  He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.  None are higher than him in heaven or on earth, other than God the Father (see Colossians 1:15-20.

“Jesus” speaks to his humanity.  He was fully human and lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father.  He is the Son of Man who perfectly imaged God the Father, and thus, he obtained all that God had delegated to humanity, making salvation possible for us in the midst of it.

“Christ” emphasizes his role.  He is the One who has the Anointing of God’s Holy Spirit in such a measure (full) that He can save and deliver the worst sinner, and the most wounded of people. 

“He has caused us to be born again…”  There is a true spiritual work that happens inside of a person when they repent and put their faith in Jesus.  This is the backdrop of the discussion Jesus had with Nicodemus in John 3.  To be born again is to have a spiritual birth.  It is also thought of as being born from above (a spiritual birth that is made possible by God Himself).  You were born in an earthly manner by the will of humans, but you must be born in a spiritual manner by the will of God.

We are now alive and able to respond to the Spirit of God.  Yet, we start as spiritual babies and must grow up spiritually.

“According to His great mercy,” this new birth makes us a new creation but also has a sense of mercy in it.  “Mercy” refers to the fact that our salvation is motivated by a pity or compassion over our destitute situation.  God is pained to see us in this condition and is moved to do a work of salvation for us.  This is a tension between the purpose for which God made us and our fallen condition.  He did not make us to suffer under sin on into eternity.

Humans can lose compassion and mercy very quickly, but God is full of mercy and grace.  It is great in quantity and great in quality.  We could say that the pain of the cross was more than counter-balanced by the pain of what would be in the heart of God if He didn’t pay the price to redeem us from sin.

We don’t deserve salvation, but God is pained to see us in a state of being lost.  How can I say, “No,” to such a love?

We were born again to “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.”  A dead hope may seem to be no hope at all, but the resurrection of Jesus changes everything.  Death suddenly is filled with hope in Him.  His resurrection from the dead assures our resurrection.  It also assures us of the fact that his sacrifice on behalf of our sins has been accepted by God the Father.

Jesus Himself becomes our hope, who is alive at the right hand of the father.  We hope in what he has done, but also in what He is going to do.  We live our life, not for the dead hopes of this world, but for the living hope of Christ Himself!

Verse 4 ends with another thing that we have been saved to receive, an inheritance.  Our inheritance is to dwell with Jesus for eternity, wherever that may be.  Our mortal frame would rather have it all now, but we receive a foretaste of what awaits us.  Our resurrection becomes the moment of fully stepping into that inheritance that God has for those who believe in Jesus.

It is an inheritance that cannot perish, corrupt or die.  It is an inheritance that cannot be defiled by sin.  It does not fade, which speaks of the glory of the inheritance.  Like Moses coming down from the mountain with face all aglow, we will stand glowing in glory alongside of Christ.  However, in contrast to the glory of Moses then, we will all participate in the unfading glory of Christ along with Moses!

This inheritance is reserved for us in the heavens (at the right hand of the Father).  No person on earth or wicked spirit of the heavens can wrest our living hope from the hands of the Father.  May God help us to rejoice in His great purpose for us, both now in our mortal frame and then in our glorified bodies!

Chosen Foreigners audio

The Letter to the Colossian Church- 10

Subtitle: Living out Your New Identity- 1

Colossians 3:1-11.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, September 28, 2025.

In the first two chapters, we have looked at the details of who Jesus is.  He is the Messiah, but he is more than that.  He is also the Creator who even hold all things together.  It is a mistake to think of Jesus as merely a human who has been elevated to a high position.  He is the first light that came forth from the Father to do His will in creation, and he is now doing the Father’s will in the New Creation.

The identity of Jesus is also connected to what he has done, particularly in the salvation that he has done for all who believe upon him.  In Jesus, believers don’t just have all that they will need.  We really do have all things, period, in Christ.  There is absolutely nothing that others can come along and offer us that we don’t already have in Christ.  This is where the Colossians have been susceptible to the deceivers and charlatans in their midst.  These charlatans are not adding anything to Christ.  Instead, they are separating you from trusting Christ completely.

In chapter 3, Paul now turns to an exhortation on what it means to live for Christ in the light of these great doctrinal truths laid out in chapters one and two.

Let’s look at our passage.

Those who have been raised with Christ… (v. 1-4)

Paul begins with the words, “Therefore, if…”  He is giving some conclusion type statements that flow out of what has been said so far.  The teaching of who Christ is and what he has done is intended to make an impact upon the life of those who embrace it.

The conditional, “if,” is not so much questioning whether this has happened, but rather, lays out a logical progression from that reality.  Thus, it can some times have the sense of “since this is true, then….”  Of course, Paul is addressing a group.  It is possible that he means it both ways.  Some of them may need to examine themselves, whether they are truly in the faith.  However, the main concern is for the Colossian Christians to see how the truths about Jesus should connect to their daily walk.

Also, though he is speaking to them as a group, and he will list some imperatives that are also in the plural, each one of them (us) will need to make an individual decision to heed the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Paul.

This brings us to the second part of the conditional statement.  Paul basically says the same thing two different ways.  First, they are to keep seeking, and second, they are to set their minds on the things above.  The first has to do with seeking something, which can be seen as an external things.  Yet, the second helps us to see that Paul is not just concerned about external action.  The focus of our minds and the activity of our life need to be the things that are above where Christ is.  Essentially, Paul is calling us to be concerned with heavenly matters, the purposes and desires of God.

We see this in the Lord’s prayer.  We are praying that the Lord’s Kingdom would come and that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Paul is not just talking about contemplating mysteries in the heaven.  He is talking about the reality that it is the desire of God that we live out His purposes on this earth.  However, this takes a person who is looking for that, seeking it, focused on it.  What is God’s will for me down here?

Let’s take Jesus for example.  He could have lived his life in a mortal body any number of ways, but God the Father had a particular purpose for his mortal body.  Jesus sought to live out the purposes of heaven, of his heavenly Father, rather than purposes that his fleshly body would like.  Yet, the Father wanted him to sacrifice that mortal life in order to redeem those who would believe on Jesus.  God’s concerns are very different from ours.  He really wants to save anyone who wants His help.

This helps us to see why the kings of the earth and all those who have power cannot save humanity, even if they really wanted to do so.  Unless they die to themselves and seek the purposes of God, they are doomed to seek the purposes of their flesh.  Humanity has a spiritual problem that cannot be solved through fleshly means.

What Paul is saying here is the same thing that Jesus was saying in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:31-34.  He was challenging his followers to quit seeking the things of their flesh and focusing their minds on how they can get the things of this world for their flesh.  Rather, we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and God will make sure our bodies and lives are provisioned.  Notice, that seeking the Kingdom of God is seeking His purpose and will.  Yet, the rule of God has very real focus on what happens on this earth.  If you live for your flesh, you will live at a level that only brings death.  However, if you live for the will of God, then you will live at a level that brings life into this world.

You see when we pray, “Your Kingdom Come; Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are not asking God to fix everyone else around us so that our experience and circumstances are good.  Rather, we are praying for God to show us what that would look like in us, in our life.  God, let your Kingdom come…through me!  This is what Jesus did.

God is greatly concerned about the earth, about our jobs, our marriages, our families, the politics of our land, etc.  But, He is calling us to seek Him and live lives focused on what He would have us do.  His heart will direct our earthly enterprise, and we will become something greater than we could ever be as His purpose flows through us into the world around us.  It starts in me, and then moves to my family, then to my neighbors, and beyond.  This is to be our focus.

In verse one, Paul emphasized that Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father.  On one hand, he could know this because Jesus ascended into heaven before his disciples.  Also, the Deacon Stephen described Christ standing at the right hand of the Father during his stoning.  Yet, this is also a direct allusion to Psalm 110.  David’s lord is seated at the Father’s right hand, and he rules over those who volunteer to serve him.  This will go on until the time the Father is ready to put Messiah’s enemies under his feet.  This is also connected to the Son of Man in Daniel 7, although we are not told there that the Son of Man sits at the Father’s right hand.  To be seated at the right hand of the throne is to be able to exercise the power of the throne.  Jesus has authority over all powers and authorities in the heavens and on the earth (Colossians 2:10).

Why does the Messiah sit at the Father’s hands for a season?  The Father is allowing people on earth to make a decision.  Will they be on the side of His Messiah, or will they follow the path of the flesh?  Yet, his sitting at the right hand of the Father also has a sense to it where the Christ and his glory is “hidden” (verse 3).  Jesus did not show himself to the whole world following his resurrection.  Rather, he showed himself to a select group who would be his witnesses to the world.  More than this, he confirmed that this was more than a trick through signs and wonders, which involved amazing healings, casting out demons, and many other amazing miracles.

Of course, we are not in heaven.  We are here on the earth.  This is why Paul reminds us that our life is hidden in Christ and will be revealed in glory at the glorious Second Coming of Jesus.  This isn’t obvious to the world, and you too may have trouble believing it at times.

At the Second Coming, Christ in all his glory will be revealed to the world (Revelation 19).  Yet, at this time, we also will be revealed in glory.  This is what Romans 8:19 is referencing.  The whole creation groans, eagerly awaiting the revelation of the sons of God (that’s you and me!).  It will be quite obvious who you are on that day.  We are to live today in the light of the glory that we are destined to receive.

Put to death the connection of your body to sin (v. 5-7)

Since you are a child of God who is going to come with Christ in glorified form, then you should be focused on something in particular today.  Verse 5 literally calls us to put to death “those members that are connected to the earth.”  What does that mean?

This is limb terminology, the members refer to the parts of the body, particularly the limbs.  Of course, Paul is not suggesting that we lop off hands and start gouging out eyes, literally.  The “limbs” or “members” that we are to remove are listed in verse five.  But, before we get into the list, we should recognize that we do not do these things in order to be saved.  Paul is pointing to the glorious future we have with Christ as the reason to remove these things.  Simply put, we do not do these things in order to be saved, but because He has saved us.  We don’t do them to have a future, but because God has promised us a glorious future.

It might be easier to think of this in pruning terms.  Jesus in John 15:2 says that every branch in him that bears fruit will still be pruned in order to be more fruitful.  Paul is picturing bad things that need to be cut off.  However, pruning may also cut off perfectly good things.  They are removed in order to make room for carbon dioxide and sunlight.  This increases fruitfulness.

Though pruning may be easier for us to understand, putting things to death and hacking off limbs refers to war.  And, if you have ever tried to fight against sin, you know that it is a difficult battle in which you will need to kill the lusts of the flesh within  yourself over and over again.

Christ is coming (verse 4), and the wrath of God will come upon those who continue in disobedience to the Father and His Messiah (verse 6).  They continue to reject Jesus and the new life that he offers.

So, we need to be cutthroat about sexual immorality in our life, that is any sexual activity that is outside of a marriage commitment between one man and one woman.  We need to remove that from our life.  We also need to cut off impure things, passion (driven by the flesh), evil desires, and greed, which is called idolatry.

Idolatry is the worship of something that is not God in His place.  It is to surrender to something that is created the type of devotion and influence on your life that only God should be given.  A greedy person can never have enough.  They are never satisfied because the thing they greedily desire has become something more than it should be in their life.  We see this in the lives of people who are greedy for money, or can never get enough alcohol or drugs.  These things take over their lives and become the sole purpose that directs their lives to the detriment of all other people, even themselves.

In verse 7, he highlights that this is how they used to live (before Christ).  You used to be this way, but you can also be pulled back into those things.  A believer lives a life of focus on the purposes of heaven and not the purposes of their own flesh.  Believers are putting off these things of the flesh. 

This is what verse eight emphasizes.  Paul uses the language of taking off and putting on clothing.  We are to put off the “clothing” of the prior life, lived in the darkness of ignorance.  We can take off the sinful desires and actions of our heart, and we can then put on the righteousness of Christ.

This leads to another list.

Another list (v. 8-9)

The things of our past, flesh-focused life involve anger and wrath.  The word malice ahs the idea of having an over all demeanor of being bad to others.  We are to take off (or put off) slander.  The word is literally blasphemy, but was used of both God and other humans.  At its core, blasphemy is saying something that is not true about others.  It is a form of lying.  It can be done knowingly, on purpose, but it can also be done out of a lack of concern about the truth.  I can slander people who I don’t like because I feel like they are bad, but have never taken the time to find out the truth.  These things are wrong and called blasphemy.  He also tells them to put off abusive (or filthy) speech.  He ends the list with lying to one another.  Verse 9 refers to this activity as the “old self,” or “old man.”  These are the kinds of things that your old self used to do.  Cut them out of your life.  Take off those clothes and burn them in the fireplace!

Of course, we will have failures, but over time, if we keep focused, God will give us victory and we will become more and more fruitful for the Kingdom of God.  You can’t do this alone, or by your own strength.  The good news is that it is God who is working with you and in you to make this possible.

Put on the new self (new man) (v. 10-11)

In verse 9 and 10,  Paul pictures this taking off and putting on as something that happened in the past.  “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self…”  This is something that we have to embrace.  There is a point in our life where we hear the Spirit calling us to die to the old life and come alive to the new.  The positive response of our heart to the Spirit happened at a point of time, and it had a real transformative effect within us.

Yet, this putting to death of the flesh is not done in one day.  It will not be done by one decision or action.  I see this first part as a sort of burning the ships behind you.  Another image is that of “crossing the Rubicon.”  You reach a place where you are committed to putting these things to death.  This is what Paul is referencing here, your decision to follow Jesus, and not yourself or the world.

Yet, verse 10 tells us that the new self “is being renewed (renovated) to a true knowledge…”  This renewal is not in the past tense.  Rather, it is a present process that is happening in the life of the person who has chosen to follow Jesus.  The Holy Spirit daily works in our life to help us prune, put to death, those things that are of the old man.  He also works in our life to help us put on, cause to grow, the new self that looks like Jesus (the image of Christ).  Next week, we will look at a list of good things that Paul gives, but verse 10 gives us the principle that governs the list.  We are not only being renewed into the image of Jesus as he is right now in the heavens.  We are first being renewed into the image of Jesus as he lived out the purposes of God the Father on this earth.  We are learning to follow him in his humility, suffering, and commitment to pleasing the Father.  He is our pattern, our template, the image that we seek to live out in this life.

There is a cooperation between the Holy Spirit and us in this renovation.  The power is His, but we must take the steps of faith to see it flow through our lives.  This renovation is finally completed by the power of Christ at our resurrection.

Verse 11 ends with the point that this renewal is such that the distinctions of this world become irrelevant.  The distinctions that he lists could be expanded into others.  In Christ, believers are not focused on distinctions that have been important in the past: Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian or Scythian, slave or free, etc.  The purpose of God is to save all people no matter how far from him they have been, and no matter what class of people they are a part.

Why is this so?  It is so because Christ is everything and is in everything.  That last part is not meant in a New Age sort of way.  Paul is telling them that Christ is everything you need, regardless of how many poor categories you may find yourself.  He is your everything, and he will be in all the things that you face in  your life.  He is with the martyr at the end of his life.  He is with the evangelist when someone ridicules and spits in his face.  Christ is with you in all these battles that you fight against your old man.  When you feel like God has forsaken you, trust His word that says He hasn’t!  Know that even in this thing you are facing, the Lord Jesus is working out the purpose and will of God the Father.  You are a part of His Kingdom coming into this world!

New Identity I audio

Seeking the Things that are Above II

Colossians 3:12-17.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 15, 2018.

Seeking the things that are above is a phrase that is used to change our perspective on how we live our life.  We can either live with our heart and mind, which is naturally fixated on the earth, leading us, or we can live with our heart and mind, turned towards heaven and the leadership of Christ.  Our flesh will lead us to destruction, but the leadership of Jesus will lead us to eternal life.

Thus, Christians need to be followers of Jesus in deed and not just in word.  To truly follow someone involves watching what direction they choose and making corrections accordingly.  Similarly, to be a disciple of Jesus, we must do more than just show up for His lessons.  We must actually take time to study the lessons that He teaches and then put them into practice in our lives.  In that way we will truly become more like Him over the course of time.

In our passage today, we will see the why, what, and how of doing this.  This passage will not answer every question that you may have.  However, it will encourage you to be a person who is seeking the things that are above rather than a person who is pursuing the things of this world.

Putting on the New Man

In verses 8-10, Paul has introduced the metaphor of taking off our old man, like you would a set of clothing, and then putting on the new man.  In this metaphor the old man represents my life as led by my own fleshly heart and mind.  The new man is Jesus, and by faith Christians are those who are taking off the old way of life and putting on the new way of life that is directed by Jesus.  Now, this is not intended just to be a nice platitude, but a template for our daily transformation.  This is something we must wake up every day and pray, “Lord, show me where I need to put off the old man today, and strengthen me to put on the new that you have for me.”

Thus verse 12 quickly explains why we should give ourselves to such a task.  The first is that we have been chosen by God.  God chose us for the purpose of becoming like Jesus.  He did not choose us just to warm a pew on Sunday mornings.  Also, this choosing was not based upon the fact that we were better than others around us, but simply because we humbled ourselves, and turned from the wisdom of this world and turned towards Jesus, the wisdom of God.  If I refuse to take off the old man and put on the new man, then I am rejecting the purpose for which God chose me.  In fact, I am ultimately rejecting His choice, period.

The second reason he gives for putting on the new man is because we are holy.  We are not holy because we got our act together better than those who are not.  We are holy because when we were chosen by God, He also set us apart for His holy purposes.  Those purposes do include taking the good news about Jesus and His salvation to all people, even to the ends of the earth.  However, we cannot preach salvation if it is not happening in our daily life.  Salvation is more than a legal standing before God.  It is also something that God does in our life every day as we listen to Him and find deliverance from our old man.  The foundation of the Gospel is God’s ability to take the worst of sinners and enable them to become like Jesus, the sinless one.  It is Jesus who purchased us with His blood on the cross, and He did so in order that we would become like Him.  When we are like Him then we can produce deliverance throughout the earth.  However, to use our life for worldly and selfish purposes would be to profane (use a holy thing for common purposes) what God has made holy.

The third reason he points out for putting on the new man is because we are loved by God.  When you have the love of the Creator, then nothing else matters.  It doesn’t matter when the world rejects me because God loves me.  It doesn’t matter if I am lacking in the things of this world.  In Christ I have everything I need.  He is the one who takes care of my needs.  Thus there are two loves that we must choose between.  We can remain in the love of God and pursue His purposes, or we can remain in love with the world and go after the purposes of our own flesh.  We cannot love both because they are diametrically opposed to one another.  I can’t love the ways of the world and the desires of my own flesh, and still love God.  I will go towards one and away from the other.  When we turn towards God in reciprocal love, then He teaches us how to love the world properly.  The proper way to love the world is to lay down your life that they might live, rather than plunging headlong with them into destruction.  May we love God enough that our hearts are changed regarding the world.  Then we will love people enough to call them back from the edge of destruction.

So what does it look like to put on the new man?  In the second part of verse 12 through verse 14, Paul lists many things that show us what this looks like.  He does so not because we need a checklist to accomplish, but because of the deceptions that Christians encountered then and of course also today.  There is one Lord, Jesus, and we are called to one life, putting Him on.  There are no such things as Christians who are at such a high level that it is now okay for them to do things that the Bible tells us are sin.  Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  These are listed to guard against error.

The first thing he tells us to put on is tender mercies, also translated compassionate hearts.  This parallels Micah 6:8 where we are told to love mercy enough to live it out in our daily lives.  Thus Christians are told to choose the tenderness of God over the hardness of the world.

The next word is kindness.  Kindness goes beyond doing the right thing.  It involves going beyond.  Jesus helped people, but more than that he did so in a kind manner.  We see such tenderness in John 4 as He talks with the woman at the well.

Next we are told to put on humility.  Humility is the disposition of the mind in which we do not see ourselves as superior or above others.  Christ is above us all and asks us to position ourselves beneath each other, so that we can serve one another in His name.  Of course, this is exactly what He did when He yielded to the cross.  Though He is God, He embraced the lowest place.  How much more ought we to do so?

Next we are to put on meekness.  This word is often defined as strength under control.  Its emphasis is gentleness and being mild-mannered, not because you lack strength, but because the Spirit of God enables you to control yourself.  A meek person is not pushing themselves and their agenda, but leaving room for others and what Christ is doing through them.

Patience in this passage is having a long fuse with others.  It is easy to be short-tempered and easily aroused to anger.  However, Christ is patient and slow to anger.

We are told to bear with one another.  We would probably call it putting up with one another.  Yes, it is not always easy to put up with YOU, just as it is not always easy to put up with ME!  This has more to do with the personality differences and disagreements we may have.  Christ puts up with our pettiness and slowness to follow Him, and He does so because He loves us.  Our flesh is too quick to write others off and refuse to deal with them.  This is not the heart of God.

Then we are told to forgive one another.  Here we get to the parts where may do each other wrong in one way or another.  The heart of God wants to forgive us for our sins and works towards reconciliation.  Thus, those who follow Jesus must also be a forgiving people.  This is one of the hardest things for our flesh to swallow.  Forgiveness is not saying, “It’s OK.”  Rather, it is saying, “I am not going to hold this against you.  It is now between you and God.”  If a person is repentant and wants reconciliation, then we embrace them as Jesus embraced Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in John 21.

Lastly, Paul tells us, “above all these things put on love.”  One way to view these different virtues is to see them as different facets of what it means to love Christ and to love others.  When you love someone you have a tender heart towards them, are kind to them, and humble around them, etc.  When we live out the love of Christ in our life it perfectly binds us to one another.  Genealogy, blood, race, nationality, and any other thing cannot perfectly bind people to one another, but the love of Christ can.  Such love cannot be commanded or forced by any human being.  But, every one of us is led by the Spirit of Christ to let the love of Christ be expressed in our life.

So how can we live in such an incredible way?  Verse 15 transitions to answering this question.  Putting on Christ is a daunting task and an extremely high bar.  How can God expect us to do it?  Paul points us back to Christ as our hope of accomplishing such a task.

The phrase, “let the peace of Christ rule in your heart,” has two parts to it.  First we must let it.  Those who put their faith in Christ are the recipients of His peace.  This is given to us by the work of the Holy Spirit in our heart.  The picture I would use for this situation is when the disciples were with Jesus in a boat on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:39).  The sea represents our heart and all the emotions, desires, and thoughts that can stir up such an internal tempest that we fear for our lives.  Letting Jesus bring His peace into our hearts involves having Jesus in our “boat” in the first place.  But, more than that, we must call out to Jesus and ask Him to quell our inner storms.  When we call on Jesus, He says the words, “Peace, be still!”  Once Jesus calms those fears, emotions and desires, we then must let it rule in our hearts.  The word “rule” means the peace that Christ has brought to us is now calling the shots about what we will think, desire, and feel.  When you let Jesus lead in your life, you are enabled to have an inner peace that directs you without turbulence and chaos.  Clearly, this is something we must do each day.  Our hearts tend towards chaos, but letting Jesus rule in our hearts brings peace.  You don’t do this by yourself and all in one day.  You simply need to let the peace of Christ take up residence in your heart and let Him be your King.  “What are we working on today, Lord?”

Next, we are told to be thankful.  Learning to be thankful in each moment is a difficult thing.  Without the assurance that Christ is with us, it would be an impossible thing.  Thankfulness begins with contentment.  When we are content with what God has provided in our life and the station of life in which we have found ourselves, it transforms how we approach others.  Thankfulness needs to become the atmosphere of our daily life.  Each morning, rise up and thank God for the day, but not because it is an opportunity to get more.  Do so simply because it is another day to be faithful in those good things that the Lord has given you.  Instead of looking to the hills for something better, ask the Lord how you might care for what He has already given you.  When you are faithful with the “little” that He has given you, then perhaps you will find that those little things are far greater than you imagined.  It seems impossible to be able to choose to be thankful.  It involves getting our eyes off of what you don’t have here on earth, and looking towards what you do have there in heaven.  God, help me to see what I have already.  Lord, help me to want to please you, in order that I might be more like you!

Lastly, we are told to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.  Notice that we are to “let” it happen.  God is working to put His Word in us and to have it richly bless our inner life.  This definitely involves reading the Bible, and spending some time in studying it yourself and with others.  However, Jesus is also called the Word.  Thus it is both, the commands that He gives us and He Himself.  Like the glory of God coming upon the tabernacle or the temple of Israel, so we should want the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.  We must not only memorize the word of God, but also have the Spirit who spoke it working inside of us that it might be fruitful.  This process of letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly is expressed in several ways.  We are told to teach and admonish one another, in the ways of Christ.  Also we are to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (alone and with others).  God’s people are intended to be a singing people.  We sing not because our voices are so good, but because we have something worth singing about, Jesus!  Our hearts are full of the grace of God, and He is pleased to hear the sound of our hearts as we sing about it.

Paul ends this passage with a powerful statement.  Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him!  We are representatives of Christ in this world.  How well do I represent Jesus?  To some degree, we all fall short.  However, that is why we are told to bear with one another and forgive each other.  Jesus knows that we will have bumps and scrapes along the way, but He promises to dwell within us and enable us from the inside out.  The path forward is not an easy path, but it is a good one in which God will give us all the resources we need to put on the New Man and become like Jesus.  He will help us to be His spiritual children, amen!

Seeking things II Audio

Society under Siege: Sexual Boundaries

1 Corinthians 6:9-20.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 11, 2016.

Since the 1960’s a sexual revolution has been going on within our society.  However, in the last decade a “breaking of the dam” has accelerated the pace that Americans are embracing sexual sin.  On one hand we do need to remind ourselves that these sexual sins are not new.  There prevalence in our society may be new, but sexual immorality has enjoyed the embrace of many a society throughout history.  In fact we have not plumbed the depths of sexual immorality.  The Christian foundation that lies beneath this country has been rejected by a steadily increasing number.  We are in the process of replacing the old foundation with a new one.

It is important for Christians to stop themselves, before they wax eloquently against homosexuality and transgenderism, and deal with the truth that we are all drawn to some form of sexual immorality.  Many who are vocal against homosexuality can be guilty of the hypocrisy of pointing out another’s sin without dealing with their own.  The Bible makes it clear that sexual fantasy is sin.  Pre-marital sex is sin.  Adultery is sin.  Divorce for selfish reasons is sin.   The Church has struggled over the last century with these issues as well.  Sometimes we have done well in holding up biblical truth.  Other times we have done poorly at forgiving people whom Christ has forgiven.

We must also remember that sexual sin is not just wrong.  It destroys a person and robs them of life.  Compassion must be the essence of our response, and not a fake compassion that embraces destructive life choices.

The Christian must leave behind the old life

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul is dealing with the Corinthian Christian’s who were embracing all manner of sinful activities.  Though they had received the truth of the Gospel of Christ, it had become a blanket absolution for continuing to make sinful choices and live sinful lifestyles (at least for some).  In challenging these Christians, Paul gives a list of sins that they were apparently doing.  This list begins with sexual sins and then includes some non-sexual sins.  The first word is “porneia” in the Greek.  It can cover a range of sexual sin (pre-marital sex, prostitution).  The second word, idolatry, is not actually a sexual sin.  But, throughout the Old Testament idolatry is connected with sexual sin.  The reason is because idolatry is unfaithfulness to God, who is often depicted as a Husband to His people.  In fact, we should note that sexual sin can be so powerful that it often operates as an idol in our life.  We will make any sacrifice in order to please it.  Adultery and Homosexuality are pretty clear.  He goes on to list: thefts, coveting, and drunkenness, which are pretty obvious too.  Revilers are those who use harsh, abusive and caustic accusations against others.  It has the sense of a harsh attack.  Lastly we have a word that is translated as "extortioners" in the NKJV.  It is the same word Jesus used of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing, but inside are “ravenous” wolves.    Thus extortioner probably falls a bit short.  It references ravenous con-men who are out to eat you.  The emphasis for this list is that God did not change His mind at the cross and suddenly decide to let these kinds of people into His kingdom.  Some of the Corinthians were being “deceived” in this matter.  They felt that they could have Jesus and continue living out these sins.  No.  The Christian is called to leave the old life behind.

Verse 11 points out that coming to Jesus involves a real spiritual work that has real effects upon the sin in our life.  They had been washed.  This is a reference to the reality that sin defiles us and must be removed in order for us to be acceptable to God.  It is disingenuous to say that the death of Jesus covers our sin and then continue to pursue it.  Jesus did not wash us so that we can go back out and wallow in the mud.  Next, Paul tells them that they had been sanctified.  This means that God had made a distinction in their life that they were no longer a common person.  They had been set apart as a special person for the work of the Lord.  To say that Jesus has sanctified us and then live the common life that the world is living is also disingenuous.  Lastly the Corinthians had been justified.  To be justified is to be put in a position of acceptability before God.  If these are only spiritually, unseen, things then why would Paul list them?  He is trying to help them see the contradiction between what Christ was doing in their life and what they are doing.  They are working against Christ.  I am not talking about perfectionism, but rather about the real change that happens in the life of a person who rejects their old life and embraces the new life in Christ.

The Christian must leave behind the old lies

In order to leave behind the old life we have to let go of the old way of thinking, and any deceptive lies that would “justify” continuing in what Christ is saving us from.  In verses 12 and 13 Paul takes a couple of statements that the Corinthians would use and rebuts them.  The first is “All things are lawful for me.” It seems that they were taking the truth that Christians are not under the Law of Moses and twisting it to mean that sin doesn’t matter anymore.  This one is still used today.  This idea can be answered a couple of ways.  In Romans 8, Paul reminds Christians that we are still under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.  You are either being led by the Spirit of God or by the sinful nature.  So Christians are not under the law of Moses, but neither are they called to “lawlessness.”  Our relationship with Jesus through the Spirit leads us into what is good, and away from what is bad.  Now to the Corinthians Paul approaches it differently.  In verse 12 he counters that not all things are beneficial.  For example, it is technically legal for you stick your hand in a viper’s mouth or on a hot stove.  But why would you?  It is not beneficial.  In fact it can do great harm.  Sin is destructive and those who go after it invite destruction into their lives.  In verse 13 he reiterates their argument, “All things are lawful for me,” and rebuts with the reality that sin is enslaving.  Once you give an inch in these areas, they will begin to dominate your life until you become a slave to unrighteousness and an adulterer against Christ.  This is a dangerous half-truth at best and you will have to reject it if you want to follow Christ.

In verse 13 we have a second Corinthian lie, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food.”  Basically they are saying that what we are doing is natural.  God designed us this way.  In referencing food, Paul is touching on the issue of eating meats sacrificed to idols and yet still keeping it connected to some of the sexual sins listed.  The argument works either way.  God designed us with sexual desires and abilities.  Therefore nothing is wrong with it (they would argue).  We could even go further and say something like this: In the age to come God is going to give us new bodies in a new heavens and earth.  Thus what we do with this one is irrelevant as long as our “spirit” is connected to God.  This kind of reasoning is pure sophistry.  It is a person wanting to do something so bad that they justify it over the top of the truth.  Yes, God did create sexuality and He created man’s digestive system.  In fact, having sex within the bonds of marriage is more than natural.  It is a part of God’s will for many.  But this does not mean that all boundaries are null and void.  Do we eat rocks or poison for that matter?  Why not?  We were not designed for them.  Paul states that the body and its desire for food are going to be destroyed one day (the same is true for sexual desire).  This is meant to sober their thinking.  God did not design us for sexual immorality, but to please His purposes.  Like any designer, God designed sexuality to be expressed a certain way.  Sexual immorality destroys the ability of sexuality to accomplish God’s plan in our lives.  It is also destructive to relationships between people and between us and God.  To go after sexual immorality is not to embrace your design, but rather to reject it.  God’s plan for humans involves laying down this body and the resurrecting of a new glorified body.  Though we will lay down the old body for a new one, the quality or kind of resurrection is dependent upon what we do in this body.  Do we put our trust in Jesus or in our own wisdom?

The last lie is in verses 15-17.  Apparently the Corinthians weren’t saying this, but there is an assumption that underlies their activity and Paul points it out to them.  They are acting as if these sins don’t involve or affect Jesus.  They had compartmentalized their approach to Jesus.  As long as I have a spiritual “faith” in Jesus, it doesn’t matter what I do with my body.  Paul reminds them that their bodies belong to Christ because he bought them with his own blood on the cross.  Thus we are not just the bride of Christ.  We are a bride that he purchased back from slavery and death.  We are in relationship with Him “who knew no sin.”  When we go after sin our unfaithfulness to Christ does affect our relationship with Him.  This brings us to the conclusion of the matter.

The Conclusion

In verse 18 Paul lays out the categorical rejection.  A Christian must flee sexual immorality as defined by God’s Word, not our sophisticated, twisted reasoning.  So why is so much energy spent on trying to justify it?  We do so for the same reasons that people have affairs every day.  Our lips say we love Jesus, but our hearts have quit loving Him.  If you truly love Jesus then you will flee sexual immorality.  Like Joseph fleeing Potiphar’s wife, we must be people of action.  We must set up protections and accountability so that we are not caught up by the temptations of our flesh.  We must learn to control our thought life, by first controlling the garbage that is coming in, and then focusing our thoughts upon that which is good.

Thus in verse 20 we see that it is more than just freeing our lives of vices.  We must positively do something and that is to glorify God by living the life He has given us to the full.  The vice of adultery is to be rejected.  However, then a husband and wife must learn to give themselves fully to grow in loving another person for life, and for better or worse.  Young people can control themselves and wait until they are married.  Married people can control themselves and mature into the man and woman that God has designed you to be.  To do this you must learn to love your spouse in the various situations that this life will throw at you.  We have a responsibility to glorify God in how we live out our sexuality in this life.  Christians, this world needs role models of God’s plan, a plan to make us all into the image of Jesus Christ.

Sexual Boundaries Audio