To Do or Not to Do: That is the Question is a sermon about choosing to set our affections on things above and follow the new man or follow the old man and the sins of the flesh. It is a battle, and it happens every day.

Key verses:
Colossians 3:1-25

Let’s take our Bibles and let’s go to Colossians chapter three. As one person has said, I’m going to say it again this evening, “When you open up the Bible, you’re opening up the mind of God.” We’re going to find out what God wants us to hear this evening in Colossians chapter three.

By the way, the person who said that, if you ever listen to sermons, Dr. Raymond Barber is the gentleman who says that. I think it’s a really good idea to open up the Word of God with this. As you are opening up the Bible, you’re opening up what God really wants us to understand. I like that, how he gets you into the mood and so I want to adopt that in a sense. I’m not trying to copy him, that’s why I’m giving him the credit. But as far as helping us to understand, put aside everything we are dealing with and let’s find what God wants us to think about this evening.

Choices We Make

So, in Colossians chapter three, and by way of introduction as you are turning there, the Christian life is full of choices that we will make on an everyday basis. Some are good and some are bad. It can be difficult to make the right choice all the time when the flesh wants you to do something else that looks and feels so good.

You may think to yourself, “I was here a couple of Sundays ago on the 16th of April, and you said something similar to this.” Yes, I did. But you realize, the Bible doesn’t have only one place where it says that – there are other places. Do you think it’s important to the Lord that you do what’s right and abstain from what’s wrong? I think so.

So, this evening, tonight, we want to examine, the question of what to do and what not to do and see how we can overcome this war within ourselves. To do or not to do. You think to yourself, “Why, I got that easy. I already know what to do. I already know what’s right.” Well, let’s just remind you then. Maybe you don’t. Maybe you are like, “Sometimes, I’m not sure.” Maybe you are like, “I struggle with a certain thing.” Well, we’ll see what it looks like tonight and see how to overcome that.

Colossians chapter three, we’re going to look at verse number one. We’re going to look at the entire chapter. You’re thinking, “You’re going to preach long.” Probably not. There are 25 verses and a lot is packed in all of these. We’re going to look at them and give them due diligence.

Colossians 3:1: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

I encourage you this evening as we look into the Bible, as we look into the Word of God, I encourage us to understand this: Seek the things that are God-honoring, not flesh-pleasing. To do or not to do? That is the question. To do right or to do wrong. We are going to look at Colossians chapter three this evening.

Colossians chapter three. We are going to look at four different ideas here. These are alliterated in the sense; it begins with an “A” and a “D.” I never do this a lot so it was quite difficult to come up with some ideas to try to help us remember these ideas that question to do or not to do.

Affectionate Desire

First of all, in verses one through four, we’re going to see an affectionate desire. We’re going to see what God wants us to do, what God wants us to set our minds to. Verse number one:

Colossians 3:1: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

“If ye then be risen with Christ,” – so there is a qualifier “if” –  “If you be risen with Christ,” – if you are saved, this is going to apply to you. So, if you are saved in this building tonight, this is talking to you. “If you be risen with Christ,” – then what? Seek. Seek those things, worship, plot, plan to find. That’s the idea here behind seek. “Seek those things which are above,” – seek those things that are heavenly. Why? It is “where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

So, as Christians, we ought to be heavenly-minded, not earth-focused. Verse two:

Colossians 3:2: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

So, don’t be satisfied with the things down here. Affection has this idea to exercise the mind to entertain, to have a sentiment or opinion or interest in oneself. Set your opinion, set your mind, exercise, entertain your mind, think about things that are above. You want to think of things that give honor and glory to God, things that are going to satisfy you down here. Verse number three:

Colossians 3:3: “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

“For ye are dead,” – it doesn’t mean that you are dead physically, no. You are dead to the old life. How do we know that? Well, we keep reading, we’re going to figure that out. You are dead to the old nature. You have a new nature because you are saved.

II Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Colossians 3:3: “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

We are dead to the things of this earth because we should be looking forward to the return of Jesus. Ephesians 2:1-3 reads:

Ephesians 2:1: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”

Quicken means to make alive.

Ephesians 2:2: “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”

“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,” – you walked in your flesh, you walked in your old nature. “According to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,” – a reference to the devil, a reference to Satan.

Ephesians 2:13: “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

You are no longer serving sin. You should not be serving sin. You should be serving on things above, setting your life towards Christ because your life is His. Your life is secure in Jesus Christ. Verse four:

Colossians 3:4: “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

So, we see the return of Christ is referenced here. When He comes, He’s going to bring us up together. He’s going to bring us up to glory to be with Him because He is our life, He is our security, and we can rest our hope and our trust in. I hope you’ve done that this evening, those of you who are here, those of you by way of Facebook, and later on YouTube. I hope your life is hidden with Christ, you have that eternal salvation, that security that you need. We see that as a believer, we should be looking at things that are God-honoring.

Atrocious Dilemma

But what causes us to lose our focus? What causes us to have this dilemma? Well, first, we see an affectionate desire. Secondly, we are going to see an atrocious dilemma, and that is in verses five through nine. Now we are going to see the balance between the old man and the new man.

Colossians 3:5: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:”

In verse five, the first word is “mortify,” – which means to subdue or to control, kill off, you could say. Mortify, kill off, get rid of “your members which are upon the earth.” Now, there is a laundry list of things that people have done that are associated with not honoring God.

The first thing there is fornication, which would be a marital act before you’re married. The only child here is my baby and Kelly, so I’ll be careful with this. But basically, so you know, things you are not supposed to do before you are married. Okay, that is an act of the world, fornication, cannot do that. Another thing to look upon that is the Greek word behind that is porneia, which is where we get the word for pornography in the English language, doing that as the lust of the flesh. You have fornication, you cannot do that.

The next one is uncleanness, having this impurity. Not only having immorality for marriage but impurity, things that are not right. Continuing on, inordinate affection is having this passion for things that are wrong. Another idea here is evil concupiscence, a bad lust or longing or basically wanting to do something that could essentially harm someone else. “Well, I haven’t done any of those things.” I’m glad you haven’t, but there are people who have.

But how about this? Covetousness, wanting something that is not yours. Now, we got out of those things most people will generally not do, but now we are getting into some things that could be something that we do. Covetousness, this idea, again, of greediness, jealousy, something that isn’t yours. What happens with that? “Which is idolatry,” verse five continues. Verse six:

Colossians 3:6: “For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:”

“For which things’ sake,” – all the things mentioned in verse five, fornication, uncleanness, all that, “sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience,” God’s wrath is going to come on that. We talked this morning about chastening and scourging, the fact that God does not like the things that cause us to sin. We are doing these things that are causing us to withdraw and fall away from our relationship with the Lord God. Expect God to come and chasten us. Verse seven:

Colossians 3:7: “In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.”

You used to have these come at you because it was all you knew. So, the world teaches, “Hey, I can live my life the way I want to. I’m going to live free and do whatever I want.” And then there is the possibility of a lot of regrets. That is not to be our focus, it is not to be our mindset.

Going to a different list here, we have some of these other members that should be cut off. Now, he’s going into things that you and I deal with on a daily basis here. So, now in verse eight, he says:

Colossians 3:8: “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”

We are to put off, or divorce, number one, anger. Anger here has a desire or violent passion or punishment. The Bible does say be ye angry and sin not. This anger is acting upon that and harming somebody verbally or could go into physicality. Wrath – wrath is this badness or malignancy, this desire to injure. They’re not ashamed, not ashamed to do it and break the law. You do it because you just willy-nilly want to do it. God does not want us to do that. Malice has this wickedness, this naughtiness, to kind of build upon another. Blasphemy is evil speaking or railing, saying negative things against God, or saying negative things about other people.

“Filthy communication out of your mouth” is cursing, swearing, saying things like “oh, my” and then finishing it out. A lot of people do that today. A lot of people use “Jesus” as a swear word. Hopefully, that’s not on you. God does not want us to curse. He doesn’t want that filthy communication because there is enough of that going on today.

I remember a time and some of you know better than I would, for you to be able to watch a TV show and you would never, ever suspect anybody having a swear word. Not at all. Not even in the younger kid shows, those little PG shows, you used to not hear any of that. But now, it’s in there almost all the time and accepted as common practice. How shameful.

It used to be said that only the sailors and tough men would swear. They would never swear in front of women and children. And now the women and children do that, what a shame. Filthy communication out of your mouth is something that ought not to be so to a Christian.

So, we see first of all that we have an affectionate desire to look at things above. Secondly, we see this atrocious dilemma of all these things that God is going to want us to do and it kind of continues in a little more so. Verse nine says this:

Colossians 3:9: “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”

How many people lie? Unfortunately, a lot of people do that. “It’s a white lie, it’s something small.” No, it’s still a lie. It’s still sin. A lot of pulpits won’t preach on sin today, they just want to make you feel good. They want you to feel encouraged. They want you to jump out of your seat and jump hippity-hip hooray. If this church ever became that, I’m walking out those doors and putting in my resignation letter.

I want to come into a church and find out that I need to be preached to. I need something changed in my life. I want to leave out those doors better changed and on fire for the Lord than I came in through those doors. I don’t mind being told that what you are doing is wrong. “What did you do wrong?” That’s between me and the Lord. I’m not going to say it out here.

The point of this is that all of us struggle with certain things. Why? Because we are sinners, we are in the flesh. There are things we go through on an everyday basis. I’d rather be told, “Hey, here is where you need to change.” And I’m willing to change. I don’t need any fluffy duffy, hippity hooray stuff. Leave that for something else. Mainly, that’s for confidences, I don’t want that in a preaching service.

Colossians 3:9: “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”

We need to rid our mind of things that cause us to stumble but what can we do to override these awful things? We have affectionate desires to see things above. We have an atrocious dilemma of all these sins that try and weigh us down.

Admirable Desire

In verses 10 to 17, we see an admirable desire. What is that? Verse ten:

Colossians 3:10: “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”

The new man is the saved person. What causes us to be renewed? I submit to you the Holy Spirit. He comes into your life and causes you to do things that are right. And there is no difference, verse 11:

Colossians 3:11: “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”

It doesn’t matter who you are. Anybody can get saved. Anybody can have their lives changed. Verse 12, put off, now put on. What do we need to put on? Here are some Christian character traits you can put on:

Colossians 3:12: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”

Mercy is having compassion or care for other people. This kindness – you know, some people just like to be kind. There is not a lot of kindness out there today. Just go out driving and wait by the red light and the light turns green for about two seconds when you hear, honk. I mean literally, the light just turns green and you get this honk. Come on, the light just turned green. Are you in a hurry? Or even better, when you get cut off when you are driving. Don’t you enjoy that? No, you don’t. I just say, “OK, bless you, hope you don’t get hurt. Don’t do this again to someone else.” Be kind. We need more kindness.

“Humbleness of mind,” verse 12 continues, is being humble. Setting ourselves low, allowing ourselves to be molded, to be crafted. Meekness does not mean being weak. I believe that was talked about on Wednesday night, so I’m not going to get into that more but being gentle is the idea. Being longsuffering is patience.

Isn’t it hard to be patient sometimes? It really is. Some nights I wish my daughter would fall asleep. You think, “She’s only five weeks old.” I know, okay. But we’ve got her to this point where we can try to get her to sleep. It’s like right when you are about ready to get her to sleep, like you are rubbing and trying to do the things that you would do and she’s just about ready to go to sleep and then she sneezes, and she’s done. I’m like, try it again. Go through the whole routine. Next thing you know, she does a little move, hits her hand, her hands flail and hits her in the face, and she’s up again. And it’s like, “Baby girl, we want you to go to sleep.” Daddy wants to go to sleep. Mommy wants to go to sleep. Because we know you are going to wake up in five hours crying to want to be fed again. Let’s get to sleep now, I have things to do in the morning. And you kind of think, “Why don’t you go to sleep? I know you are only five weeks old.”

But she has done very well. The first two weeks were a little interesting because I would be her bed for three hours and she would feed and then I would be her bed again. And now, she sleeps in her bassinet and sleeps for five, six hours. But you know what? That’s good I hear. Some parents don’t get that luxury with their first kid in the first couple of weeks. So, I’m blessed that God allowed that to happen. But it’s the getting to sleep part that’s a little hard. And those of you who are parents know what that feels like. So, longsuffering is being patient. Knowing she is going to go to sleep, it just can’t be as quickly as you want it. Verse 13:

Colossians 3:13: “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

“Forbearing one another,” – putting up with people. Sometimes it is just hard to put up with certain people. You might think of some people in your mind right now. I have nobody in mind, no one in this building I’m thinking of. So, not thinking of you. But there have been times I had thought, and this is me being in the workforce and all that, grocery stores and whatnot. You think to yourself, “Oh man, work for that person? You don’t know what that person has done.” You have to put up with them. You’ve got to work with them. Why? Let’s continue.

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another,” – why should we do all this? “If any man have quarrel,” – have strife, have conflict, with you. Notice what the verse says, “If any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” I should forgive that co-worker. I should forgive that neighbor who does this, who beats down on me. And I’m trying to do something and slams my roof.

I remember living in an apartment building with my wife a couple of months ago and if we would drop something, I told brother Joe this yesterday, we would accidentally drop something, [dropping a pen] something that light sometimes. And the next thing you know, she would hit with whatever she had and [stomping noise]. I can’t help that the floors are hollow, I can’t. That’s the way they designed the building. Far as I know, in an apartment building, they don’t make soundproof floors or condos. Maybe they do, I just lived in the wrong place.

If you are living in an apartment building you are most likely to have, especially if someone is living above you or below you, you are generally going to get some sort of noise in some way, shape, or form. I can’t just be walking like this [tiptoeing]. I don’t have to stomp my feet anywhere, but I have to walk. Even while I was walking normally, I’d hear that broom noise slamming up against our floor. It’s like, I can’t. Eventually, she moved out and everything was okay. And we talked before she moved out and I explained to her what was going on. She was finally okay with that, and I told her, “We are not trying to make your life miserable.” But sometimes there is that person we have to forgive, even though they are bothering us. What does the verse say? “Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Verse 14:

Colossians 3:14: “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

Colossians 3:15: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

Another trait that the new man has is the peace of God. “The peace of God rule in your hearts.” Have love that completes everything. Be peaceful. Verse 16:

Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Allow the Word of God to go in and permeate your mind, to your thoughts. Allow the music that’s there to uplift you and encourage you.

Colossians 3:17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

Anything you do, give thanks to God. We do it every time at meals. I do it every day before I go to bed. I’m very thankful for a lot of things. I’m thankful to be at a church where they preach the Word of God. I’m thankful that I’m at a church that allows me to be an assistant pastor. They could vote me out with one shot if they wanted to. I’m glad you haven’t kicked me out yet.

I’m very thankful for my marriage, for my wife, and for my daughter. There are lots of things I thank God for every single day. And I will continually thank God for that. Those of you who have been here for a long time, I have always talked about the desire to be married. It only took 13 years after college that it happened, and I’m glad I waited all those years to do that. I’m thankful to God to do that.

So, now, you see that we should have an admirable desire here, an admirable desire to serve the Lord and to do what He wants us to do. Now, finally, we are going to see some practicality here. We should live for the new man. We should live like Christ. But what’s the example we can follow after?

Acceptable Desire

Finally, we are going to see an acceptable desire – a willingness to do and live out these practicalities. That’s in verses 18 to 25.

Colossians 3:18: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”

Submitting here is this idea to obey, place under authority, or subordinate, work well together. That’s what He wants us to do. That way, we can keep the unity.

Colossians 3:19: “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”

Two things for the husbands, one for the wives. Two things for the husbands, number one is to love your wives. Men, sometimes it’s hard to love, especially your wife. What does the Bible command us to do? Love. It doesn’t command a woman to love her husband. You’ll never find that in scripture. You’ll see the desire to be with him in Genesis after childbearing. But you will never see in the Bible where it commands a wife to love her husband, it just says to submit. Husbands, it tells us to love our wives and be not bitter against them.

I have seen working in grocery stores, I have seen examples of the wife doing whatever it is, probably an unsaved lady, she’s doing like this [nagging] and the husband is just like this [head hanging saying “yes dear”]. That man was either very miserable or told enough. It doesn’t seem like he’s reciprocating. I could be completely wrong. I could be misreading it. But it doesn’t look like he’s reciprocating the same kind of love back as he should, and he is bitter about something she has done toward him. I don’t know. But we ought not to be bitter to our wives to exasperate, to be irritated, to render anger. Don’t be bitter against your wives.

Colossians 3:20: “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.”

Notice it says, “all things.” And “Children, obey your parents in all things,” – why? “For this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” God enjoys it when children honor their parents.

Colossians 3:21: “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”

To provoke is to stimulate, anger, stir up or excite them. “Hey, I want you to hate me as much as you can today.” No, dads ought not to do that. Why? Well, here is a reason, “Lest they be discouraged.” We don’t want to put our children down.

This is completely off this idea. I read an article a few weeks ago. I told this to my wife, and she laughed. It actually helps children when you say dad jokes in front of them. Some dad jokes are corny. Yes, they are. It helps them with their self-esteem. It helps them not feel awkward or embarrassed in front of the public. So, dad if you do dad jokes, continue with them because it’s going to help your child to develop. That’s basically what the article came out to because it helps with that social awkwardness and things like that. So, I would rather tell dad jokes than provoke my child to anger. I don’t want them to get discouraged. I want them, I want my daughter to feel comfortable and confident in herself. I’m not going to find a way to make her feel discouraged and that’s what the passage tells us.

Colossians 3:22: “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:”

Don’t try to perform jobs just so your employer can see you so you can get the raise, do the job because you need to do the job. “Singleness” –  with sincerity. Do your work with mental honesty, with generosity. Why? To do what? To honor God.

Colossians 3:23: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”

Piggybacking off on verse 22. Do things to serve God, not to people’s praise. Matthew 6:5-7, you’ll find out the reason why you don’t do that.

Colossians 3:24: “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

This is the reason why we serve Christ. Last verse:

Colossians 3:25: “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

There is no favoritism. God accepts everybody the way they are. We should not have favorites. “This is the person I want to be with more.” No, we should accept everybody, no matter how “weird” they may be, no matter what the issue may be. We ought to accept and enjoy everybody.

What choice will you choose? To do or not to do? Do you choose to set your affections on things above and follow the new man? Or will you choose to follow the old man, following the sins of the flesh? It is a battle, and it happens every day. May we choose what to do is right and avoid sin as much as we can. When we do sin, do not let it linger. Ask God to forgive you right away or before the day is out. Set your desires on heavenly things, not earthly things.

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Father, as we come to you in prayer, we thank you for all you have given to us. We thank you for the opportunity we have for being together. I pray that you will help us this evening as we seek to honor you, that you help us in our hearts so that we can serve you, that we can love you, and that we can be able to just see what you have for us. Help us to honor you so your name will be glorified and show you the praise. And show people who you are in what we do and what we say. But people can’t see our hearts, you do. But they can see on the outside whether we are a child of God or not.

Father, I pray that you would bless and move in this invitation time. I pray that we just choose to rather have Jesus than anything. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen

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