Col. 3:9-15: Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have
put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is
being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not
Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free;
but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with
one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put
on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace
of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And
be thankful.
Vs.9: “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put
off the old self with its practices…”
We have been called to be HONEST
with each other. This means even when it may hurt. As the truth often does. Maybe there is something you need to confess.
Or maybe there is an offense that needs to be addressed. We must be real with
each other. It was in our fallen nature to lie to one another and be agreeable
even in the face of wrong doing simply to pacify each other or keep a
profitable relationship free of offense. This is NOT the way of Christ however.
As followers of Jesus we owe it to each other to tell the truth in the hopes
that our brother or sister may grow in their faith and obedience to Christ. We
should also hold dearly those who do the same for us. The most dangerous friend
to have is the one who won’t be honest with you when you are wrong. That person
is actually your enemy.
Is there anyone you need to be honest with?
What is holding you back?
Do you love them?
Pray for the strength to tell them the truth.
Vs. 10: …”and have put on the new self, which is being
renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
Our identity and its mentality is
being transformed by the Spirit of God. It is a process for sure. But it is an
inescapable one for those who have truly received the Gospel. The end result is
that we will bear the image of Jesus in all aspects of our lives. In order to
PUT OPN the NEW, we must PUT OFF the OLD. This is done through obedience to
God’s word and intimately walking with God as disciples of Jesus Christ. We
will be unable to have honest fellowship with others unless we die to the OLD
SELF. Only by God’s spirit can we fellowship together as we should.
What traces of the “OLD MAN” do you still see ion your life?
What are you doing to put them off?
What evidence of the NEW SELF do you see emerging in your
life?
How is it effecting the way you treat others?
Vs. 11: Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and
uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
This verse makes it crystal clear
that those of us who have placed our faith are all ONE according to Him. He has
brought us all together and the dividing lines that once were used by the flesh
to separate us, whether blood line, ethnic race, nationality, social or
economic class, or ALL done away with and we are now ONE BODY with JESUS as our
head. It is because of this fact that allowing these things to divide us is
considered evidence that those who do so are not truly in the faith. Because
those who have the true spirit of God will love those born of that same spirit.
Do you view fellow believers as your FAMILY?
Does faith in Jesus define who you consider family? Or are
you still caught up in the issues of the flesh that Christ has done away with?
How does viewing ALL believers, no matter how different from
you they may be, as your family help you to be able to fellowship with the Body
of Christ?
How does this truth challenge you?
Vs. 12-13: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and
beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving
each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
We now see clearly the character
traits and attributes we must strive for if we are going to be able to treat
each other as we should. Notice we are commanded to PUT ON these attributes…
not just simply pray they will naturally develop. There is a work that we are
expected to do in order to develop these characteristics. Simply laying back
and hoping God does all the work is not the proper position to take as
followers of Christ. We have been called to participate in the development of
Christ’s character in our hearts and minds. The Spirit does the work and we
work for the Spirit. Notice that forgiveness is also involved. It is very
important that we not let bitterness and unforgiveness enter into our
fellowships. True fellowship is like a house of cards with Love as its
foundation. If we allow unforgiveness in, it will strike the very foundation of
the house and all other attributes will crumble. We must forgive others as God
has forgiven us. That is our 1st line of defense against the cancer
of offense.
Do you see any character trates that you know you are
lacking in?
Which ones?
Are you holding onto unforgiveness in any way?
If so, what must YOU DO to let it go?
Remember this, if we are unwilling to forgive others… God
will be unwilling to forgive us. We will be condemned to eternal death for our
own guilt before God for being unwilling to release others from their guilt
before us.
Vs. 14: “And above all these, put-on love, which binds
everything together in perfect harmony.”
Notice that we are told to make
LOVE our highest priority. The reason is that all the other attributes that are
necessary for Godly fellowship rely on LOVE in order to be done in correct
balance. Love is the perfect counter weight for the imbalance that fear,
selfishness, greed, and all other manners of evil that our fleshliness
produces. LOVE conquers them ALL. Without it we will not be able to endure or
execute the proper measure of any of the things mentioned in Vs.12-13.
How often do you pursue a better LOVE walk?
What do you do to develop it?
What changes do you need to make in order to Love others
better?
Vs. 15: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to
which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
One thing I’ve noticed about myself is that when I have no
inner peace, my ability to love others as I should plummets. The reason we are
commanded to put on the “PEACE OF CHRIST” is that it never fails. Jesus is the
only constant. We are unable to truly find peace in anything else because all
else fails and fades. Jesus is God and therefore unchanging and unmovable. When
we focus on the eternal hope we have in Him rather than our situation, we will
have a peace this world cannot take from us. This will enable us to live selfless
and be able to truly love and serve others as we should. Being THANKFUL allows
us to ward off anxiety and anger, fear and bitterness. Having an attitude of
thanksgiving puts God above ALL and helps us walk in Love with pure motives and
a pure heart.
What is your faith in?
What gives you peace?
Do you trust God?
How can you demonstrate your trust for God better in your
day to day life?
If someone is deprived of food and water for an extended period of time, their physical body will weaken and eventually die. there is a spiritual parallel. The Word of God is our spiritual food and water. As surely as we will die physically without food and water, we will die spiritually with out God’s Word.
1. What was David’s greatest desire? Psalms 119:81
‘2. How did the sons of Korah describe the conditions of their souls? Psalm 42:1-2
3. What was the Psalmists attitude towards God and his presence? Psalm 84:1-2,10
4. Who did Jesus say will be filled? Matt. 5:6
5. What do you think it means to hunger and thirst after righteousness?
6. What did David say about God’s word and its importance in his life?
Psalm 119:72
Psalm 119:103
Psalm 119:127
7. Describe Job’s hunger for God’s word. Job 23:12
8. What did Jeremiah say about God’s word? Jer. 15:16
What was God’s command to Joshua, and what was His promise of he obeyed? Joshua 1:8
Describe the person who meditates on God’s Word. Psalm 1:1-3
What are the scriptures useful for? 2 Tim 3:16-17
How did Jesus overcome and defeat the Devil? Matt 4:1-11
The idea is NOT that having a few magical memory verses can get us out of any situation. It’s that when we meditate on the scriptures, turning to them for strength and guidance becomes second nature – as it was for Jesus when he was tempted by the devil.
How can God’s people experience victory over sin?
Psalm 119:9
Psalm 119:11
List some of the ways God’s word benefits the believer.
Psalm 119:98-100
119:105
119:165
Prov. 4:20-22
What did you learn from this lesson? How will you apply it to your life?
The most important relationships in my life has become the one i’m cultivating with God’s Word. For a long time in my life I viewed God’s word as more of “good advice” and not necessarily ABSOLUTE TRUTH. This left me ultimately in the driver seat and as you can imagine… i often crashed. But now that i have learned to see God’s word in its proper light, i have so much more peace, clarity and am able to help people navigate through problems so much better than i could when i was mixing the Word in with my own corrupted ideas and conclusions. I pray that this study helps you get to the same place.
HOG MOB STUDY – WEEK 19 – SPIRITUAL HUNGER & GOD’S WORD
The bible is more than an instruction manual or a rule book. It is more than a random collection of stories, poems and letters. It is the voice of God communicating with us. That is why the bible is often referred to as “the Word of God.”
In Psalm 119, the Israelite King David shows us how we should approach the Bible. David saw God’s word as his source of life and hope. He delighted in it. He continually meditated on it. He understood that God spoke to him through it.
The bottom line? We know the sound of God’s voice in our lives when we read His word.
THE AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE WORD
“The Word of God” is a big concept to grasp. No simple and one-line definition will suffice. As you’ll see in this lesson, the bible refers to “God’s word” as the driving force behind the creation of the universe. It’s also a term Christians use to define the Bible. Sometimes “the word of God” refers in a more general sense to God’s message of salvation that the very first followers of Jesus proclaimed to the world – for example, Acts 6:7 and 8:14. And sometimes “the Word” also refers to a person, as it does in John 1:14. In this amazing passage we find out that Jesus is GOD’S WORD WITH US!
The foundation of any healthy relationship is communication. God’s word – in all its fullness – is his way of communicating with us.
How does the Bible say the world was created? 2 Peter 3:5
What were the first followers of Jesus devoted to? Acts 2:42
What were the top two priorities for the early church leaders? Acts 6:4
What happened as “the word of God” spread? Acts 6:7
What was the “word of the Lord” doing in Ephesus while Paul was there? Acts 19:20
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