R212 Putting on the New Man

Putting on the new man, that's the topic from Dr. Don Wilton today as we open God's Word to the book of Colossians in Chapter 3. As we study the Word together, you can connect with us online at www.tewonline.org.

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And now, today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. What we're dealing with today is not a subject that is just important for young people. This is critically important for all of us. Every person who claims to know Jesus Christ needs to have an understanding of what God is endeavouring to teach us right here at this point where we find ourselves in Colossians Chapter 3. In 2 Corinthians Chapter 5 and verse 17, Paul wrote these words, Therefore, if any man or any woman or any boy or any girl is in Christ Jesus, he or she is a new creature. All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. By the way, that word passed away, whether you say passed away or passed away, it means exactly the same.

I thought I'd just put that in there. Just in case some of you are struggling this morning. When the Bible says that all things are passed away, what God's Word means is that the things that you once were no longer are. What the Bible means there quite literally is that when you come to know Jesus Christ as your saviour, that the things that once controlled your life no longer control your life.

They are no longer relevant to the person that you have become. A young man by the name of Adam came walking up the stage and wanted to talk to me. I love Adam, has had a very sad life, has gone through many, many trials, even told me that he had tried to take his own life and that was verified later on. Many ups and downs and right there sitting on that stage in that massive auditorium where 4000 teenagers were gathered. I had the privilege of leading Adam to trust Jesus Christ as his saviour, bandages on his hands.

A look of hopelessness in his eyes. And yet friends, the Bible says that what has happened to Adam is that he has not just come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, but he is about to begin from that moment a walk in newness of life in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a brand new hope. It's a new direction. It's a new song upon his heart.

I was once lame, but I now walk. I was blind, but I now see. Now, what is Paul trying to say here in Colossians chapter three? Our subject is simply this, putting on the new man. Well, once I've put off the old person, once the old person has died, the Bible tells me that I have a great deal to do.

In fact, it's going to take me an entire lifetime. That should be good news for some people. So let's have a look at this beginning at verse nine of chapter three, Paul's letter to the Colossians. Paul says, do not lie to each other.

Why? Because you have taken off or you have put to death your old self with its practices. I want you to notice that.

Something interesting happens here. And as a consequence or subsequent to that, verse 10, you have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator. Here, that is, as a new person, there is neither Jew nor Greek, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all. Therefore, on the basis of this, on the basis of these established facts in verse 12, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, with kindness, with humility, with gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all of these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. May the Lord write His word upon our hearts this morning and give us a special understanding of God's word as we apply it to our own hearts and lives.

Putting on the new man. The Bible is very clear at this point, my friends, that there are many instances at which you and I can evaluate or can judge the genuineness of our own walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. One of those ways in which we can evaluate ourselves to see whether we be found in the faith, to see whether we be genuinely converted, to see whether we have genuinely been forgiven of our sins, to see whether we genuinely for sure can know that we know that we're going to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ, is not just whether or not we have put off the old man, but whether or not we are putting on the new man.

I want you to notice something very interesting here before I get into these first three points. Look there with me at verse 10. The Bible says, you have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator.

That is a logical progressive statement based upon the progressive nature of my Christian experience. In fact, Jesus said it like this in John chapter three when he was speaking to Nicodemus. He said, Nicodemus, except you become as a baby and are born again, you shall not see the kingdom of God.

Now, what did Jesus mean by that when he said that to Nicodemus? Well, we've had two precious babies born into our church family this week. You know, apart from all the dreams and aspirations and all those things that we have about our babies, there's one thing that I do pray about.

I hope that they begin to grow. That's right. You say you mean to tell me I came to church just to hear that profound statement. I want to tell you something, folks, we are willing to accept the obvious as far as we're concerned, but we're not willing to accept the obvious as far as God is concerned. God says that when we are born again of the Spirit of God, we become as babes in Christ. Then as we begin to put on the new self, we are continually being renewed in the image of God, my Heavenly Father.

I am in the process of reconstructive surgery. I am in the process of being made into the image of God, my Creator. The Christian walk is a daily exercise in the grace and in the continuing forgiveness of Almighty God in Christ Jesus. You see, friends, the born again life is not just what I have done, it is what I am becoming. It is the progressive nature of my growth in the knowledge and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what is Paul saying here?

May I suggest to you this morning that what Paul is saying is that the evidence of the new man is the renewing in the knowledge of Christ and the renewing in the knowledge of Christ provides the marks of the genuine believer. And so as we get into these first three points, I'm going to preach this in two parts because there's a whole lot more next week. We'll never get through it in these few moments that we have this morning.

I tried to, but it doesn't work. Too much to talk about here. God's Word is so rich and so wonderful and so mighty and so action-packed and so full that, friends, we would never hope to even scratch the surface. And so let's ask God to just speak to us at the point of our own particular need this morning. How can I know that I'm saved? Have I put on the new man? If I'm putting on the new man, how do I know if I am putting on the new man?

Well, let's have a look at it. Number one, number one, if you are born again and you are putting on the new person, number one, there will be a new understanding of the death of your old self with its practices. I want to run that by again. Just listen carefully. According to the apostle Paul, if you are engaged in growing and becoming more like Christ, if you are in fact a genuinely born again believer, according to God's Word in verse 9, there will be a new understanding of the death of your old self with its practices. Now look with me at verse 9. Paul says here, do not lie to each other on the basis of the fact that you have already, that's past tense, you have already taken off your old self with its practices. You say to me this morning, Dr. Wilton, what are the practices of the old self?

We looked at that last week, didn't we? But let me remind you from verse 5 through verse 8, Paul said, put to death therefore whatever belongs to your old self. In other words, to your earthly nature and he lists them, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry because of these things, the wrath of God is coming. Verse 7, you used to walk, note the past tense, you used to walk in these ways in the life you once lived, but now you must rid yourself of all such things as these, anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.

Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices. What is Paul trying to say here? Paul is trying to point out to the Colossian Christians that if you and I are going to come to an understanding of the preeminence of Christ Jesus, the full and complete control and authority of the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ, number one, we must have a new understanding of the death of our old self with its practices as evidence of the fact that we are putting on the new man. To put it in another way, before my friend you can have an understanding of the fact that you're saved, you have got to have an understanding of the fact that you're lost. My father said to me one time, he said to me, Son, you cannot get saved unless you're willing to accept the fact that you're lost. Jesus didn't die to save the saved, Jesus died to save the lost.

That's the very reason why Jesus died upon the cross. And what the Apostle Paul is endeavouring to inculcate into the minds of these believers here is that the practical manifestation and outworking of my born againness as a new man walking in newness of life is that I have a new understanding of my lost condition outside of Jesus Christ before I was saved. If I was to ask you this morning to share your testimony, it is absolutely imperative that the first part of your testimony ought to be the fact that you were lost outside of Jesus Christ, that you had no hope outside of Jesus Christ, that you were helpless and aimless, that you were wandering around, that you were lost in your sin, in your degradation, that you accept fully and completely that the wages of sin is death and that there are none who are righteous, no, not one, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I have been saved by the grace of God. You're listening to Dr. Don Wilton, our teacher here on The Encouraging Word and he'll be back in just a moment. Please don't go away with the rest of today's message, Putting on the New Man from the book of Colossians. But Dr. Don wants me to remind you, we're available for you in a couple of ways. First, you can call us anytime for prayer or to connect with some of our resources at 866-899-WORD. Jot the number down, store it in your cell, 866-899-9673. Or meet us online at www.tewonline.org.

There are resources like the I Give Up book by Laura Story, so many folks have asked for that, as well as the Walking with Giants series from Dr. Wilton. You can take a peek at both of those on our website right now at www.tewonline.org. And while you're there, sign up for the free email. It's a launch to your devotion every single day with Dr. Wilton. Again, sign up today online at www.tewonline.org for the daily Encouraging Word devotional. Now back to today's teachings with Dr. Don. Number one, if you are in the process of putting on the new man, there must be a new understanding of the death of the old self with its practices.

Just let me put a little aside here. From time to time, I've met people who would say to me, well, I am a Christian. But it becomes very, very apparent very soon that they have no concept or understanding or practice of the death of the old self. If I encounter a man who says that he knows and loves Jesus Christ, but business continues as usual and his life has never changed and his attitude has never changed and there's never been marked repentance in his life, my friend, according to Paul, not only is he not saved, but he has never even begun to put on the new man. In other words, spiritually speaking, you will never carry through a resolution to turn over a new leaf until you've got rid of the old leaf. You will never make a resolution to turn your life around until you put it back into its right perspective, which must begin with a putting to death of the old self.

Business cannot continue as usual. And so Paul is saying here that the evidence of the new man is renewal in the knowledge of our creator, the Lord God in heaven, which is manifested, number one, by a new understanding of the death of the old self with its practices. But number two, there will be a new attitude towards all people. There will be a new attitude towards all people. You say to me today, Dr. Wilton, how can I know whether I'm saved or not?

How can I know whether I'm engaged on putting on the new man? How will I ever know if I'm actually a spiritual person growing spiritually, moving progressively toward that mark of the high calling of which Paul speaks about in his letter to the church at Philippi? You'll note number one, if you have a new understanding of the death of the old self and its practices, but you'll note number two, if you have a new attitude toward all people. Look with me at verse 11 and verse 14. Paul says something rather remarkable. He says, those who have put on the new self have, there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all in all. By the way, the Scythians were an unbelievably barbaric people, folks.

They used to drink the blood of their victims. And I'm not going to go into all the ramifications of what these people did. But when Paul wrote about the barbarians and the Scythians, he was saying that the gospel of Jesus Christ transcends even the most unbelievable differences among people.

Here's what the issue is. According to God's word, it is biblically impossible to say that you are a born again believer, that you are putting on the new man and to hate anybody at the same time. Now don't misunderstand me, folks, and I don't mind saying this publicly. There are lots of things that I don't like. In fact, there are lots of people that I don't particularly enjoy too much because of what they represent. It's not the people, but it is what they represent.

It is not the people, but it is the practice of their life. And when I discover things that are in diametric opposition to the voice and to the will of God, I'm not just going to get up there and love them and sugar all over them and tell them they're okay and can do anything they want to. That's not what Paul is saying. But Paul is finding himself aligned in agreement with the express commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ when Jesus said, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you love one another. Now folks, that's unbelievable. If you disagree without being disagreeable, my friend, you are agreeing with the basic premise of putting on the new self according to the biblical prerogative.

God's Word says that if I am living progressively, growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, that one of the things that I'm going to discover is a newfound love for all people. Now that's a remarkable statement, isn't it? You know why it is? Because some people are jolly hard to love, aren't they? All nod like that. Come on.

You don't need to elbow her like that, brother. I mean, listen, some people are, boy, they are hard to love, man. I'm telling you, I've met some strange people in my life. I mean, difficult folks, you say to them, you want your eggs up this way or you want them down that way? You want them this shape or that size? You want it out there or up there?

You want it pink or green or black or blue? And they say yes, no, and you don't know whether they're Arthur or Martha. And they always like this and up that way and down the next way. They're twisted and contorted, always arguing about everything, always trying to find fault with everything.

And after a while, you want to go and just do something radical to them. But God's Word says, my friend, by this, Shall all men know that you are my disciples. You see, God's Word is not saying, well, let's just all just go out here and come on, let's just, everybody just got to love everybody.

Folks, man, listen, the Bible is the most real book about real life, about the stuff of which life is made. And the Apostle Paul says here, as far as God's economy is concerned, there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female, neither bond nor free. We are all one in Christ. I've got an announcement to make, at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, South Carolina, every single person upon the face of the earth, red and yellow and black and white, are precious in God's sight. God died for every single person, male and female, bond or free. The Word of God says that Jesus Christ died for the entire world. And I want you to know, friend, even despite my own prejudices and even despite my own hurts and even despite my own preferences, I want you to know if there is anything that God has done for me, He has burned within my heart and soul a love for all people. How do you know that you're walking in Christ?

How do you know that? You'll not only have a new understanding of the death of your old self, you'll have a new attitude towards all people. Red and yellow and black and white, all are precious in God's sight. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you love one another. Ah, there must be a new understanding of the death of the old self with all its practices.

There must be a new attitude toward all people. But I want you to notice in the third place, there will be a new understanding of your position in Christ. There will be a new understanding of your position in Christ.

You see, friend, if you are going to be someone who is about the business of putting on the new man, of becoming a new person, of being transformed with all your idiosyncrasies and all your hurts and all your pains and all your ups and downs that I've got as well, how are you going to know that? What is a living testimony to that fact? You will have a new understanding of your position in Christ. Look what Paul says right there in verse 12. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved. There are three designations that God gives to those who are in Christ, who are being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator.

There are three designations. And the Bible teaches, my friend, that after you receive Jesus Christ and as you begin to walk in Him, you're going to come to a new level of understanding about who you are, your position in Christ Jesus. Paul, first of all, says you are designated as God's chosen people. That word there means that you are God's elect, no longer limited to the nation of Israel, made available to all people everywhere. You are God's elect. Someone said to me, how do you describe God's election?

It's like journeying down a road and across the road is a big signboard right across the highway. It says, whosoever to the Lord may come. It's what John 3.16 says, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not die but should have eternal life. And as I journey down this life and the Spirit of God draws me because I cannot be saved outside of the sovereignty of God. God initiates salvation, not me. It is the sovereign work of God and He draws me by the power of His Spirit. His Spirit convicts me, woo's me, draws me, nudges me into the very heart of God. I repent of my sin, by faith I receive Him into my heart and I begin to go under the journey and step over that precipice into God's eternal life at the moment of my salvation. As I walk down that road being renewed in the knowledge of my Creator, I turn around and I look back over my shoulder and on the other side of that billboard are written the words, You are my elect.

What a powerful illustration. I pray that in the moments we've had together in the book of Colossians and studying with Dr. Don Wilton, we've heard not only the voice of Paul from the Scriptures but more importantly the voice of God who uses His living Word to speak to us and through His teacher, Dr. Don Wilton, in our teachings every single day. But I pray now that as we've kind of moved from the teaching moment instead of from teacher to pupil, just friend to friend, would you open your heart to what Dr. Don Wilton wants to share next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news. Before we get away, maybe you just gave your life to Christ as Dr. Don was leading that prayer or rededicated your life to Christ. If so, we have resources we want to put in your hands absolutely free that will help you grow in your next steps in following Jesus. Give us a call right now at 866-899-9673 and let us put these resources in your hands. There are a lot of great resources. As a matter of fact, right now, the book called I Give Up is one of those that folks are asking about all the time.

Here Liz with all the details that you can find out online at www.tewonline.org. Discovering the paradoxical peace and joy of surrendering your will and giving God control. In this four-part study, Laura uses her own story to explain why giving up is important, whom we are submitting to, how to go about doing it, and the effects of this decision on the lives of the people around us. I Give Up, The Secret Joy of a Surrendered Life by Laura Storey is available for your gift of $18 and support to The Encouraging Word this month. Limited quantities available. The Encouraging Word is a viewer and listener supported ministry. Thank you for listening today. There are more great resources on our website just like that at www.tewonline.org.