The Heart of Change
For Real Change To Occur, We Must Identify The Sin In Our Life.
George Wright
Jan 10, 2021 37m
This message tackles the difficult topic of sin. As we listen, we will learn that if we desire true and meaningful changes to occur in our lives, we must first pray for God to examine our hearts and identify the sin in our lives. Video recorded at Columbia, South Carolina.
TranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
George Wright: 00:18 Oh, what a gift, what a gift it is to share this morning together. To be able to lift our voices, to be able to worship and declare what we believe is true, that our God is good, our God is at work, and our God is in the midst of the fight with us and he has everything we need. And so I'm so thankful to be here with you this morning.
George Wright: 00:41 I'm actually thankful just to be anywhere this morning. You may have heard last week, but I wanted to be here last Sunday, I was not here last Sunday because our family was in the midst of COVID quarantine. All we wanted for Christmas was COVID, and we got it. So I'm thankful to be through that, thankfully, it was not real serious, we didn't have any severe symptoms at all. But we were on lockdown for about two weeks, and grateful to now be free to be back together, and thankful, thankful for the grace of God in the midst of it all that it was not severe. Because I know for so many, it has been a very, very difficult situation when COVID hits. And so we are praying for those who are walking through it now, for those who are online, because you're wrestling with it, our hearts are with you, we're praying for you.
George Wright: 01:31 And we're praying that the Lord would move in power in the midst of all this, and I'll be talking about that in just a moment. But first I want to turn your attention to our text for today, Colossians chapter 3. We're going to pick up right where we left off last week as Pastor Scott preached in my absence and did a great job kicking off our time in Colossians 3. And the whole point of our study for these next few weeks as we walk through this scripture together is simply this, we need a change. I think we all can collectively agree, whether it's a personal circumstance, or a struggle you're walking through, whether it's what we're seeing culturally right now, whether it's this issue that continues to plague us with the virus, we need a change. And the good news about the Word of God, and what scripture lays before us, is the scripture shows us how change can be a personal reality for those who are willing to trust in the good news of what Christ has done.
George Wright: 02:38 And so today we turn our attention to Colossians 3 beginning in verse 5. And before we read this, before I even invite you to stand, I want you to know this is a sobering passage of scripture, especially right now, considering all this been going on and swirling around us, culturally. This is a very challenging passage of scripture, but I believe it is much needed. Today we are talking about sin, and sin is not a fun topic to talk about, sin is not a fun topic to be honest about. But the Word of God, in God's grace and mercy towards us, is very clear as it relates to this issue of sin. And so we want to look to the Word of God, and we want to ask the Word of God to guide us to see what we need to see.
George Wright: 03:29 So to that end, let me invite you to stand with me as I read from God's Word, Colossians chapter 3 verse 5. And we stand at the reading of God's Word so that we can all be reminded, the Word of God is our authority. We need to see that today. This is God's Word, speaking to us what we need to see, what God says is right and good and true. And the word of the Lord is the foundation on which we stand, it breathes a life and it breathes grace into all who are willing to heed it. Colossians 3 beginning in verse 5, it says this, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices."
George Wright: 04:51 A very honest, sobering word about sin. Here's what I want to ask you to do at the very beginning of this message as we pray and invite the Lord to speak into our lives, Hold up the mirror today, because when we stop and talk about sin honestly, the tendency for us all is to begin to look out at the sin of others. The Word of God is speaking to you and to me, and the Word of God is saying what we need to hear. So let the Word of God speak into your life.
George Wright: 05:38 Let me pray to that end. Father God, we commit this time to you as we come before you now in a very troubling week, in a very difficult season in the life of our country, in a very difficult season in the life of our world. Lord, there are so many challenges and so many struggles, and now they have a message that the preacher brings on sin, oh, this is tough. But, Lord, this is your word, and your word breathes life to those who will listen, your word is seasoned with grace and mercy for those who are willing to hear. I pray, Lord God, that as we see what the word says, that you would show us what we need to see, and you would do a mighty work among us for your glory. We need a change. So we commit this time to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. Thank you for standing.
George Wright: 06:43 I want to let you know of something that we are kicking off here this week in the life of Shandon. This is something that we've done in the past, and something that we believe is incredibly important in the new year, especially important in this new year. Tomorrow, we will kick off a 21 day prayer focus for the church and I, as your pastor, am calling you to join in with us in this intentional 21 days of focused prayer, crying out to God. We're going to be sending out a daily devotional and prayer guide each day for the next 21 days, and that will go out to everybody who receives the emails or information from us here at Shandon. If you're joining us today, or perhaps if you're online and you don't receive anything from us and you would like to, you'd like to get this 21 day prayer guide in devotional. We want to send it your way, just text the word PRAYER to the number that you see on the screen, and we'll make sure you get that. Because we, we want you to be involved with us at a very specific, important time in our lives together. We need to be crying out to the Lord to move in power.
George Wright: 08:01 And we're going to do something a little different with this focus this year as well, each day, Monday through Friday, beginning, tomorrow morning, we're going to have a prayer time here at the church at 6:00 AM, for anyone who is willing to join us. And I know 6:00 AM for some of you is incredibly early, that may seem incredibly inconvenient or uncomfortable, but I'll just tell you we're not praying because it's convenient or comfortable, we're praying because we're desperate for God to move, and we need to change. And we're desperate for God to do something that only he can do, to move in power through his people for his glory, and we want to cry out to God together as a church. The power of God is revealed through the power of prayer, so we hope you'll join us, join us tracking through that daily time. Join us, if you can, in the morning, 6:00 AM, we'll be in the lobby. This is just a specific time for us to pray together in a time in our lives, and in our nation, where it is desperately needed.
George Wright: 09:11 Second Chronicles 7:14 and under, this is a verse that many of you are familiar with, but in case you haven't heard it, I want to bring it before you again. And this is why we are committing to this intentional focus on prayer. It says, if my people who are called by my name will be critical and condemning of those who they disagree with, I will heal their land. Wait, I read it wrong. If my people who are called by my name, pay more attention to politics than the Word of God, I will heal their land. No, that's not what it says. Please see this in a personal way, it says, "If my people who are called by my name (listen to this) humble themselves, humble themselves and pray and seek my face." And then this is where we're going today, what does it say? "And turn from their wicked ways." This is a message to the church, "Then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
George Wright: 10:27 Let me just ask you, do you believe there needs to be healing in this land? We need there to be healing in this land. For there to be healing in this land, the Word of God says to the people of God, get on your knees, pray like you mean it, pray like you need it, humble yourself, turn from your wicked ways, and seek the face of God. This is no joke, this is how the battle is fought, this is how the victory of the Lord is demonstrated. When the people of God take serious the call to pray. I pray you will join us for such a time as this. And here's the reality, here's the reality is the scripture says to the people of God, as you pray, you must turn from your wicked ways. If there's going to be true change in our lives, it's going to happen when we are honest about our sin. True change happens when we get honest about sin.
George Wright: 11:42 And remember what we said at the beginning, this is the part of the message when you're going to start to think about the sin of others. You see, it's easy to get honest about the sin we see out there. It's easy to look at our culture and point fingers at the sin we see over there, the sin across the street, the sin over there with those people. But what the scripture is showing us here, church, is if we want to truly see change, and we want to truly see healing, and we want to truly see the power of God, it takes place when we start to get honest about our sin, the sin that is in your life and mine. So this is a call to personal examination. And I know, I know it's not easy, we don't want to be honest about sin, we don't even want to talk about sin. But for real change to happen, it must be fueled by the grace and forgiveness of God that covers sin we are willing to be honest about, this is where change takes place.
George Wright: 13:03 We go back to Colossians 3 verse 5, where we're spending time today, and it has very strong language about this sin that is laid out in the following verses. The Apostle Paul writes, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you." This is strong language, this is not passive language, this is not soft language. This is not, if you get around to it, maybe you want to think about some things you might should deal with. No, it says, "Put to death what is earthly in you." This is aggressive, proactive, language as it relates to sin. And so if there's going to be true change that happens in us, it is going to happen when we get honest about sin.
George Wright: 13:53 And then we see here in verse 5, true change is going to happen when we wage war against sin, when we take serious this fight in our own lives. Again, this is not a fight against others, this is a fight in our own lives, in our own reality of the sin that is waging war against us every single day. You see Paul is imploring the church here to recognize that there is a battle, a battle that is raging in your life and mine every single day. It's a battle that the Apostle Paul calls, in Romans 8, the battle between the flesh and the spirit. This battle is being fought in you right now, even as you listen to me, there's this battle between the flesh and the battle between the Spirit. If you are a follower of Christ, you have been given the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God is prompting you to believe what is true, to do what is true, to live according to what is true. But the flesh, the sin in us, is waging war against the Spirit, and that battle is happening right now. Romans 8 verse 6, says this, "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."
George Wright: 15:18 You see, there's this beautiful good news that we need to see and hear over and over again, that if you are in Christ, not only have you been forgiven, not only have you been covered in the grace of God, you have been given the power of the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit of God, that dwells among those who are followers of Jesus, has been given to us to comfort us in our time of need, but also to guide us to fight against the sin that so easily entangles us. And we all know, we all know if we're honest, that ever if you are a follower of Jesus, sin is continually crouching at the door, and sin is constantly waging war against our hearts, and against our mind. And as long as we are in this broken vessel of our body, in this broken world in which we live, this battle will continue to be fought in us.
George Wright: 16:26 So the Scripture is saying to us, if you want to see real change, you must be honest about this battle with sin, and you must be willing to wage war against the sin that begins to destroy you from the inside out if it is ignored. We are empowered by the spirit of God to actively fight the sin that so easily deceives and entangles us. This battle between the flesh and the spirit, we're reminded that to live by the spirit is to live for the glory of God, to look to the things that are above. That's what we saw last week, Colossians 3:2, "Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things there of the earth." But so often we're just focused on what is right here in front of us, and we miss out on this good news and the power that has been granted to us through what is eternal, through what God has done. Set your mind on the things that are above, for the live by the Spirit is to live for the glory of God, with our minds fixed on who God is and what he has done.
George Wright: 17:44 But to live for the flesh, or to live by the flesh, listen to this, is to live for the glory of self. And this is where the problem happens, and this is what Paul begins to address in Colossians 3 verse 5. He's addressing sin that plagues so many, he's pointing to some sin that that is very universal in most people, some sin that is a struggle for so many that he begins to name it. And remember, he's talking to the church here. And so he's saying this sin that you see in the world around you, this is sin that is still at work here in the church. This must be taken seriously, this must be brought before the Lord, this must be fought in the power of the Spirit. What does Paul say as he lists these sins. Please hear me, this is to sober us. He's not talking about sin to condemn you. He's not talking about sin so you will feel judged. He's talking about sin so that you will be sober and recognize the reality of what is at play, for this must be taken seriously.
George Wright: 19:05 Verse 5, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming." What a sobering statement. Paul was very clear and very straightforward, so that we will recognize the seriousness of our sin, so we will recognize this is not something to be ignored or hidden in the corner, this is something that must be dealt with. For these verses are showing us the life in the flesh, and these verses are showing us the destructive power of selfish desires, and he starts here with two categories that impact most people's lives. What is he talking about? He is talking about destructive selfish desires as it relates to sexuality, and the destructive selfish desires as it relates to material things. Now, we're not going to take a poll of the room, but I would venture to guess if we said, hey, what are two of the biggest battles in our culture today that people are fighting against? What are two of the biggest idols in our culture today? I think at the top of the list you would say, sexuality and material things, right there. And so here's the Word of God addressing these head on, two of the most powerful idols in our culture are this desire for sexual freedom, and this desire for material possessions. We are intoxicated, intoxicated by these idols. We want to do what we want to do sexually, and we want to have what we want to have materially, and we think that is where true freedom is found.
George Wright: 21:12 So why are we so consumed by these two idols? Why are we so consumed by these two self-centered desires? Well, it's simply this, it's because we have bought into the lie that we know better than God. We have believed the lie that if we get what we want as it relates to our physical pleasure, if we get what we want is it relates to our material desires, then we will be truly free. And that is a lie that is from the pit of hell. Just speaking very straightforward here, this is not fun to listen to, I understand. But this is incredibly important, this is a life and death matter according to the Word of God.
George Wright: 22:06 For the scripture shows us that God actually has a beautiful design for sex and sexuality, it's in the Word of God. God's designed for sex is a man and a woman united in the covenant of marriage for life, this is God's design for sex, and it is beautiful. It is something he created to be enjoyed inside his design, and he wants us to be free to enjoy this gift as it was designed. And so that means that every sexual act that is outside of God's design, please hear this, students especially don't miss this, every sexual act outside of God's design is leading to a path of devastation, shame, loneliness, and brokenness, every time. And we don't want to hear that, but it's true, for you will never be sexually free outside of God's design.
George Wright: 23:27 At the same time, God has a design for the material things, the material wealth, that he entrusts to us. His design for material things, for wealth is twofold, it is generosity with others, and it is contentment and thanksgiving with what he has given, that's God's design. He wants us to enjoy and be content with what he has given us, and he wants us to share, and give, and be generous, with others. This is what God has laid before us in his Word. And that means that every act of greed and selfishness, as it relates to material things, is actually leaving in its path, devastation, pain, and emptiness. If you are not giving, you are outside of God's design, and you will never be materially or financially free, and certainly not materially or financially satisfied, until you begin to live in God's design. This is not to judge you, this is to invite you into what God says is better. For you see, a life in the flesh that fuels our selfish desires always leads us away from true freedom. But a life in the Spirit that leads us to live in God's design, leads us to true freedom. That's what your heart desires.
George Wright: 25:14 We go back to the scripture and Paul moves from selfish desires, to talking about selfish words. Stay with me, Colossians 3 verses 7 and 8. He says, "In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth." Oh, how the people of God need to hear and heed these verses. For our words have tremendous power, and our words are either a weapon of mass destruction, or they are a healing balm of forgiveness and grace. So what are your words?
George Wright: 26:07 Paul makes it clear here, ager, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, this is all flowing out of a life
fueled by the flesh, it's flowing out of a selfish desire that is consumed by what I only want. So what happens? Well, when someone gets in our way, we spew out the venom of destructive words of anger and wrath. When someone disagrees us, we attack them with destructive words of slander, and malice, and obscene talk. This is very much the definition of social media, right here. You disagree, I attack., You get in my way, I attack. I use my words as a weapon, and these destructive words flow out of a life that is fixed on earthly things and selfish desires. But please hear this, please hear this, when our words are fueled by the spirit and not by the flesh, words become a gift of life and grace to others. I just want to ask you, will you take stock of your words this. This week, what words have been coming out of your mouth? What words have been posted this week? It's been a hard week, it's been an ugly week, it's been a really disappointing and disgraceful week. What words have been coming out of your mouth, are they destroying or are they a healing balm of life, and grace, and forgiveness?
George Wright: 28:09 It's not fun to talk about sin, it's not fun to listen to a sermon on sin., I know. I mean, this is my first sermon of 2021, and you're probably thinking what in the world. I mean, this guy needs to get some things together, he's, he's kind of angry, he's kind of mad. Here's the deal, if we want to see true change, we have to be honest about sin. If we want to see true change, we must recognize our need for the grace of God and the power of the gospel.
George Wright: 28:46 So what does the Apostle Paul do? He talks about sin in a very honest way, and then he turns right back to the good news of the gospel. Look at Colossians 3 verses 9 and 10, he says, "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." What does Paul do? He says, look, I know that this is difficult to hear, I know that this is a struggle to be honest about, we all have sin, we all fall short of God's glory, we must be real with our sin so that we can then understand the real power of the gospel, and the real freedom that has been granted to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. For there to be true change, we must keep our eyes on Jesus, fix our eyes on what he has done, trusting in who he is, and what he has provided for us through the cross and the power of his resurrection. Colossians 3:9, "Put off the old, put on the new." Take seriously what the cross truly means, for true change, stay with me, true change happens when we fix our eyes on Jesus. That's what the scripture is doing, showing us our need, showing us what Christ has done, and showing us that true change is only possible when we fix our eyes on Jesus, because true freedom is found in Christ alone.
George Wright: 30:39 That's where we come in Colossians 3 verse 11, when we see this beautiful statement here, that in the good news of the gospel, where there should be so much division among people who disagree, and so much division and fighting among people who are not the same, in the good news of the gospel, you have this beautiful gift of freedom and hope because of what Christ has done. It says here, "Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free." But in the gospel you have Christ, Christ that is all for all who trust in him. This is who Jesus is, and what he has done. He tears down the walls that divide us, he invites us to something greater, he fills us with the spirit that there might be true victory in this battle against sin and the flesh.
George Wright: 31:50 And this means that when the freedom that I desire appears to be threatened, I actually have hope because of what Christ has already done. You see, if you're looking for freedom apart from Christ, you will be forced to come to a place where you will have to fight, or argue, or remove the threat, of anyone who gets in the way of your desire for freedom. This means that when I am trying to be free on my own, and trying to be free based on what I want and my selfish desires, if you're against my freedom, you're a threat that must be dealt with. If you're against my freedom, I've got to remove you, because it's so important that I'm free.
George Wright: 32:51 We all desire to be free. Isn't that what we saw this week, it was ugly. The desire for freedom came head to head with the desire for freedom. That's what we saw, the desire for freedom came head to head with the desire for freedom. And do you know why there was no freedom that was found? Because there was one thing missing, the only one who can provide true freedom was missing from the equation altogether, for true freedom will never be found apart from Jesus Christ. And so when you're fighting for your freedom, and you're fighting for your way, anyone, anyone that could be a potential threat has to be removed. That's not true freedom, true freedom is not found in what we have to take to be free, true freedom is found in what was freely given that sets us free. That's the gospel, that Christ has done for us what we could never do for ourselves, and in doing for us what we can never do for ourselves, he fills us with the power of his Spirit that covers us in grace and invites us to live truly free, to be a new creation because of what Christ has done. And so if you desire freedom, if you desire true change, look to Jesus, he is our only hope.
George Wright: 34:50 And when you walk with Jesus, and you realize the struggle that you still face each and every day, the call of the scripture is to fall on your face before the Lord and acknowledge your need for the power of the spirit to fight the battle in you, that you cannot win on your own. This is where true freedom is found.
George Wright: 35:24 So as we close our time here, we're going to give an opportunity, some space for some prayer. We're going to sing a song together, and we're going to give you the opportunity just to reflect on what you hear, and opportunity to pray where you are. And if you feel like you need to come before the altar and pray, you can do that, we'll give you the opportunity to do so. We want you to be honest with the Lord, with whatever it is you need to bring before the cross, recognizing there is power, power through what Christ has done, that sets us free.
George Wright: 35:58 Let me pray for us as we close our time together. Heavenly Father, we are grateful for your love, we are grateful for your mercy and your grace, being willing to be honest with us in the midst of our struggle, in the midst of our pain, in the midst of our fear, you speak not what is easy to hear, but you speak what we need to hear. And so I praise you, Lord God, for speaking clearly through your word as it relates to sin, and as it relates to the battle between the flesh and the spirit, I pray, Lord God, that you would provide victory in the spirit for those who are willing to be honest before you. I pray, Lord God, that you would give us the courage to lay at the foot of the cross, whatever it is, it is entangling us, and deceiving us, and distracting us, today. Lord, we pray that you would show us again, the victory that you have provided over sin as we lay our sin at the cross, and recognize your grace and mercy that covers sin Lord.
George Wright: 37:14 For those among us who have never experienced the true freedom of a relationship with Jesus Christ, I pray that today would be the day that they would recognize their need, and today would be the day that they would say, Jesus, I am ready to be free, I am ready to trust you, I am ready for my sin to be forgiven, that I might walk in newness of life, through the victory provided through the cross and resurrection of Jesus.
George Wright: 37:44 Lord, how we thank you for this time, we pray that you continue to do a work among us for your glory. This is our prayer. It's in Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Recorded in Columbia, South Carolina.
George Wright: 00:41 I'm actually thankful just to be anywhere this morning. You may have heard last week, but I wanted to be here last Sunday, I was not here last Sunday because our family was in the midst of COVID quarantine. All we wanted for Christmas was COVID, and we got it. So I'm thankful to be through that, thankfully, it was not real serious, we didn't have any severe symptoms at all. But we were on lockdown for about two weeks, and grateful to now be free to be back together, and thankful, thankful for the grace of God in the midst of it all that it was not severe. Because I know for so many, it has been a very, very difficult situation when COVID hits. And so we are praying for those who are walking through it now, for those who are online, because you're wrestling with it, our hearts are with you, we're praying for you.
George Wright: 01:31 And we're praying that the Lord would move in power in the midst of all this, and I'll be talking about that in just a moment. But first I want to turn your attention to our text for today, Colossians chapter 3. We're going to pick up right where we left off last week as Pastor Scott preached in my absence and did a great job kicking off our time in Colossians 3. And the whole point of our study for these next few weeks as we walk through this scripture together is simply this, we need a change. I think we all can collectively agree, whether it's a personal circumstance, or a struggle you're walking through, whether it's what we're seeing culturally right now, whether it's this issue that continues to plague us with the virus, we need a change. And the good news about the Word of God, and what scripture lays before us, is the scripture shows us how change can be a personal reality for those who are willing to trust in the good news of what Christ has done.
George Wright: 02:38 And so today we turn our attention to Colossians 3 beginning in verse 5. And before we read this, before I even invite you to stand, I want you to know this is a sobering passage of scripture, especially right now, considering all this been going on and swirling around us, culturally. This is a very challenging passage of scripture, but I believe it is much needed. Today we are talking about sin, and sin is not a fun topic to talk about, sin is not a fun topic to be honest about. But the Word of God, in God's grace and mercy towards us, is very clear as it relates to this issue of sin. And so we want to look to the Word of God, and we want to ask the Word of God to guide us to see what we need to see.
George Wright: 03:29 So to that end, let me invite you to stand with me as I read from God's Word, Colossians chapter 3 verse 5. And we stand at the reading of God's Word so that we can all be reminded, the Word of God is our authority. We need to see that today. This is God's Word, speaking to us what we need to see, what God says is right and good and true. And the word of the Lord is the foundation on which we stand, it breathes a life and it breathes grace into all who are willing to heed it. Colossians 3 beginning in verse 5, it says this, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices."
George Wright: 04:51 A very honest, sobering word about sin. Here's what I want to ask you to do at the very beginning of this message as we pray and invite the Lord to speak into our lives, Hold up the mirror today, because when we stop and talk about sin honestly, the tendency for us all is to begin to look out at the sin of others. The Word of God is speaking to you and to me, and the Word of God is saying what we need to hear. So let the Word of God speak into your life.
George Wright: 05:38 Let me pray to that end. Father God, we commit this time to you as we come before you now in a very troubling week, in a very difficult season in the life of our country, in a very difficult season in the life of our world. Lord, there are so many challenges and so many struggles, and now they have a message that the preacher brings on sin, oh, this is tough. But, Lord, this is your word, and your word breathes life to those who will listen, your word is seasoned with grace and mercy for those who are willing to hear. I pray, Lord God, that as we see what the word says, that you would show us what we need to see, and you would do a mighty work among us for your glory. We need a change. So we commit this time to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. Thank you for standing.
George Wright: 06:43 I want to let you know of something that we are kicking off here this week in the life of Shandon. This is something that we've done in the past, and something that we believe is incredibly important in the new year, especially important in this new year. Tomorrow, we will kick off a 21 day prayer focus for the church and I, as your pastor, am calling you to join in with us in this intentional 21 days of focused prayer, crying out to God. We're going to be sending out a daily devotional and prayer guide each day for the next 21 days, and that will go out to everybody who receives the emails or information from us here at Shandon. If you're joining us today, or perhaps if you're online and you don't receive anything from us and you would like to, you'd like to get this 21 day prayer guide in devotional. We want to send it your way, just text the word PRAYER to the number that you see on the screen, and we'll make sure you get that. Because we, we want you to be involved with us at a very specific, important time in our lives together. We need to be crying out to the Lord to move in power.
George Wright: 08:01 And we're going to do something a little different with this focus this year as well, each day, Monday through Friday, beginning, tomorrow morning, we're going to have a prayer time here at the church at 6:00 AM, for anyone who is willing to join us. And I know 6:00 AM for some of you is incredibly early, that may seem incredibly inconvenient or uncomfortable, but I'll just tell you we're not praying because it's convenient or comfortable, we're praying because we're desperate for God to move, and we need to change. And we're desperate for God to do something that only he can do, to move in power through his people for his glory, and we want to cry out to God together as a church. The power of God is revealed through the power of prayer, so we hope you'll join us, join us tracking through that daily time. Join us, if you can, in the morning, 6:00 AM, we'll be in the lobby. This is just a specific time for us to pray together in a time in our lives, and in our nation, where it is desperately needed.
George Wright: 09:11 Second Chronicles 7:14 and under, this is a verse that many of you are familiar with, but in case you haven't heard it, I want to bring it before you again. And this is why we are committing to this intentional focus on prayer. It says, if my people who are called by my name will be critical and condemning of those who they disagree with, I will heal their land. Wait, I read it wrong. If my people who are called by my name, pay more attention to politics than the Word of God, I will heal their land. No, that's not what it says. Please see this in a personal way, it says, "If my people who are called by my name (listen to this) humble themselves, humble themselves and pray and seek my face." And then this is where we're going today, what does it say? "And turn from their wicked ways." This is a message to the church, "Then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
George Wright: 10:27 Let me just ask you, do you believe there needs to be healing in this land? We need there to be healing in this land. For there to be healing in this land, the Word of God says to the people of God, get on your knees, pray like you mean it, pray like you need it, humble yourself, turn from your wicked ways, and seek the face of God. This is no joke, this is how the battle is fought, this is how the victory of the Lord is demonstrated. When the people of God take serious the call to pray. I pray you will join us for such a time as this. And here's the reality, here's the reality is the scripture says to the people of God, as you pray, you must turn from your wicked ways. If there's going to be true change in our lives, it's going to happen when we are honest about our sin. True change happens when we get honest about sin.
George Wright: 11:42 And remember what we said at the beginning, this is the part of the message when you're going to start to think about the sin of others. You see, it's easy to get honest about the sin we see out there. It's easy to look at our culture and point fingers at the sin we see over there, the sin across the street, the sin over there with those people. But what the scripture is showing us here, church, is if we want to truly see change, and we want to truly see healing, and we want to truly see the power of God, it takes place when we start to get honest about our sin, the sin that is in your life and mine. So this is a call to personal examination. And I know, I know it's not easy, we don't want to be honest about sin, we don't even want to talk about sin. But for real change to happen, it must be fueled by the grace and forgiveness of God that covers sin we are willing to be honest about, this is where change takes place.
George Wright: 13:03 We go back to Colossians 3 verse 5, where we're spending time today, and it has very strong language about this sin that is laid out in the following verses. The Apostle Paul writes, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you." This is strong language, this is not passive language, this is not soft language. This is not, if you get around to it, maybe you want to think about some things you might should deal with. No, it says, "Put to death what is earthly in you." This is aggressive, proactive, language as it relates to sin. And so if there's going to be true change that happens in us, it is going to happen when we get honest about sin.
George Wright: 13:53 And then we see here in verse 5, true change is going to happen when we wage war against sin, when we take serious this fight in our own lives. Again, this is not a fight against others, this is a fight in our own lives, in our own reality of the sin that is waging war against us every single day. You see Paul is imploring the church here to recognize that there is a battle, a battle that is raging in your life and mine every single day. It's a battle that the Apostle Paul calls, in Romans 8, the battle between the flesh and the spirit. This battle is being fought in you right now, even as you listen to me, there's this battle between the flesh and the battle between the Spirit. If you are a follower of Christ, you have been given the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God is prompting you to believe what is true, to do what is true, to live according to what is true. But the flesh, the sin in us, is waging war against the Spirit, and that battle is happening right now. Romans 8 verse 6, says this, "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."
George Wright: 15:18 You see, there's this beautiful good news that we need to see and hear over and over again, that if you are in Christ, not only have you been forgiven, not only have you been covered in the grace of God, you have been given the power of the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit of God, that dwells among those who are followers of Jesus, has been given to us to comfort us in our time of need, but also to guide us to fight against the sin that so easily entangles us. And we all know, we all know if we're honest, that ever if you are a follower of Jesus, sin is continually crouching at the door, and sin is constantly waging war against our hearts, and against our mind. And as long as we are in this broken vessel of our body, in this broken world in which we live, this battle will continue to be fought in us.
George Wright: 16:26 So the Scripture is saying to us, if you want to see real change, you must be honest about this battle with sin, and you must be willing to wage war against the sin that begins to destroy you from the inside out if it is ignored. We are empowered by the spirit of God to actively fight the sin that so easily deceives and entangles us. This battle between the flesh and the spirit, we're reminded that to live by the spirit is to live for the glory of God, to look to the things that are above. That's what we saw last week, Colossians 3:2, "Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things there of the earth." But so often we're just focused on what is right here in front of us, and we miss out on this good news and the power that has been granted to us through what is eternal, through what God has done. Set your mind on the things that are above, for the live by the Spirit is to live for the glory of God, with our minds fixed on who God is and what he has done.
George Wright: 17:44 But to live for the flesh, or to live by the flesh, listen to this, is to live for the glory of self. And this is where the problem happens, and this is what Paul begins to address in Colossians 3 verse 5. He's addressing sin that plagues so many, he's pointing to some sin that that is very universal in most people, some sin that is a struggle for so many that he begins to name it. And remember, he's talking to the church here. And so he's saying this sin that you see in the world around you, this is sin that is still at work here in the church. This must be taken seriously, this must be brought before the Lord, this must be fought in the power of the Spirit. What does Paul say as he lists these sins. Please hear me, this is to sober us. He's not talking about sin to condemn you. He's not talking about sin so you will feel judged. He's talking about sin so that you will be sober and recognize the reality of what is at play, for this must be taken seriously.
George Wright: 19:05 Verse 5, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming." What a sobering statement. Paul was very clear and very straightforward, so that we will recognize the seriousness of our sin, so we will recognize this is not something to be ignored or hidden in the corner, this is something that must be dealt with. For these verses are showing us the life in the flesh, and these verses are showing us the destructive power of selfish desires, and he starts here with two categories that impact most people's lives. What is he talking about? He is talking about destructive selfish desires as it relates to sexuality, and the destructive selfish desires as it relates to material things. Now, we're not going to take a poll of the room, but I would venture to guess if we said, hey, what are two of the biggest battles in our culture today that people are fighting against? What are two of the biggest idols in our culture today? I think at the top of the list you would say, sexuality and material things, right there. And so here's the Word of God addressing these head on, two of the most powerful idols in our culture are this desire for sexual freedom, and this desire for material possessions. We are intoxicated, intoxicated by these idols. We want to do what we want to do sexually, and we want to have what we want to have materially, and we think that is where true freedom is found.
George Wright: 21:12 So why are we so consumed by these two idols? Why are we so consumed by these two self-centered desires? Well, it's simply this, it's because we have bought into the lie that we know better than God. We have believed the lie that if we get what we want as it relates to our physical pleasure, if we get what we want is it relates to our material desires, then we will be truly free. And that is a lie that is from the pit of hell. Just speaking very straightforward here, this is not fun to listen to, I understand. But this is incredibly important, this is a life and death matter according to the Word of God.
George Wright: 22:06 For the scripture shows us that God actually has a beautiful design for sex and sexuality, it's in the Word of God. God's designed for sex is a man and a woman united in the covenant of marriage for life, this is God's design for sex, and it is beautiful. It is something he created to be enjoyed inside his design, and he wants us to be free to enjoy this gift as it was designed. And so that means that every sexual act that is outside of God's design, please hear this, students especially don't miss this, every sexual act outside of God's design is leading to a path of devastation, shame, loneliness, and brokenness, every time. And we don't want to hear that, but it's true, for you will never be sexually free outside of God's design.
George Wright: 23:27 At the same time, God has a design for the material things, the material wealth, that he entrusts to us. His design for material things, for wealth is twofold, it is generosity with others, and it is contentment and thanksgiving with what he has given, that's God's design. He wants us to enjoy and be content with what he has given us, and he wants us to share, and give, and be generous, with others. This is what God has laid before us in his Word. And that means that every act of greed and selfishness, as it relates to material things, is actually leaving in its path, devastation, pain, and emptiness. If you are not giving, you are outside of God's design, and you will never be materially or financially free, and certainly not materially or financially satisfied, until you begin to live in God's design. This is not to judge you, this is to invite you into what God says is better. For you see, a life in the flesh that fuels our selfish desires always leads us away from true freedom. But a life in the Spirit that leads us to live in God's design, leads us to true freedom. That's what your heart desires.
George Wright: 25:14 We go back to the scripture and Paul moves from selfish desires, to talking about selfish words. Stay with me, Colossians 3 verses 7 and 8. He says, "In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth." Oh, how the people of God need to hear and heed these verses. For our words have tremendous power, and our words are either a weapon of mass destruction, or they are a healing balm of forgiveness and grace. So what are your words?
George Wright: 26:07 Paul makes it clear here, ager, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, this is all flowing out of a life
fueled by the flesh, it's flowing out of a selfish desire that is consumed by what I only want. So what happens? Well, when someone gets in our way, we spew out the venom of destructive words of anger and wrath. When someone disagrees us, we attack them with destructive words of slander, and malice, and obscene talk. This is very much the definition of social media, right here. You disagree, I attack., You get in my way, I attack. I use my words as a weapon, and these destructive words flow out of a life that is fixed on earthly things and selfish desires. But please hear this, please hear this, when our words are fueled by the spirit and not by the flesh, words become a gift of life and grace to others. I just want to ask you, will you take stock of your words this. This week, what words have been coming out of your mouth? What words have been posted this week? It's been a hard week, it's been an ugly week, it's been a really disappointing and disgraceful week. What words have been coming out of your mouth, are they destroying or are they a healing balm of life, and grace, and forgiveness?
George Wright: 28:09 It's not fun to talk about sin, it's not fun to listen to a sermon on sin., I know. I mean, this is my first sermon of 2021, and you're probably thinking what in the world. I mean, this guy needs to get some things together, he's, he's kind of angry, he's kind of mad. Here's the deal, if we want to see true change, we have to be honest about sin. If we want to see true change, we must recognize our need for the grace of God and the power of the gospel.
George Wright: 28:46 So what does the Apostle Paul do? He talks about sin in a very honest way, and then he turns right back to the good news of the gospel. Look at Colossians 3 verses 9 and 10, he says, "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." What does Paul do? He says, look, I know that this is difficult to hear, I know that this is a struggle to be honest about, we all have sin, we all fall short of God's glory, we must be real with our sin so that we can then understand the real power of the gospel, and the real freedom that has been granted to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. For there to be true change, we must keep our eyes on Jesus, fix our eyes on what he has done, trusting in who he is, and what he has provided for us through the cross and the power of his resurrection. Colossians 3:9, "Put off the old, put on the new." Take seriously what the cross truly means, for true change, stay with me, true change happens when we fix our eyes on Jesus. That's what the scripture is doing, showing us our need, showing us what Christ has done, and showing us that true change is only possible when we fix our eyes on Jesus, because true freedom is found in Christ alone.
George Wright: 30:39 That's where we come in Colossians 3 verse 11, when we see this beautiful statement here, that in the good news of the gospel, where there should be so much division among people who disagree, and so much division and fighting among people who are not the same, in the good news of the gospel, you have this beautiful gift of freedom and hope because of what Christ has done. It says here, "Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free." But in the gospel you have Christ, Christ that is all for all who trust in him. This is who Jesus is, and what he has done. He tears down the walls that divide us, he invites us to something greater, he fills us with the spirit that there might be true victory in this battle against sin and the flesh.
George Wright: 31:50 And this means that when the freedom that I desire appears to be threatened, I actually have hope because of what Christ has already done. You see, if you're looking for freedom apart from Christ, you will be forced to come to a place where you will have to fight, or argue, or remove the threat, of anyone who gets in the way of your desire for freedom. This means that when I am trying to be free on my own, and trying to be free based on what I want and my selfish desires, if you're against my freedom, you're a threat that must be dealt with. If you're against my freedom, I've got to remove you, because it's so important that I'm free.
George Wright: 32:51 We all desire to be free. Isn't that what we saw this week, it was ugly. The desire for freedom came head to head with the desire for freedom. That's what we saw, the desire for freedom came head to head with the desire for freedom. And do you know why there was no freedom that was found? Because there was one thing missing, the only one who can provide true freedom was missing from the equation altogether, for true freedom will never be found apart from Jesus Christ. And so when you're fighting for your freedom, and you're fighting for your way, anyone, anyone that could be a potential threat has to be removed. That's not true freedom, true freedom is not found in what we have to take to be free, true freedom is found in what was freely given that sets us free. That's the gospel, that Christ has done for us what we could never do for ourselves, and in doing for us what we can never do for ourselves, he fills us with the power of his Spirit that covers us in grace and invites us to live truly free, to be a new creation because of what Christ has done. And so if you desire freedom, if you desire true change, look to Jesus, he is our only hope.
George Wright: 34:50 And when you walk with Jesus, and you realize the struggle that you still face each and every day, the call of the scripture is to fall on your face before the Lord and acknowledge your need for the power of the spirit to fight the battle in you, that you cannot win on your own. This is where true freedom is found.
George Wright: 35:24 So as we close our time here, we're going to give an opportunity, some space for some prayer. We're going to sing a song together, and we're going to give you the opportunity just to reflect on what you hear, and opportunity to pray where you are. And if you feel like you need to come before the altar and pray, you can do that, we'll give you the opportunity to do so. We want you to be honest with the Lord, with whatever it is you need to bring before the cross, recognizing there is power, power through what Christ has done, that sets us free.
George Wright: 35:58 Let me pray for us as we close our time together. Heavenly Father, we are grateful for your love, we are grateful for your mercy and your grace, being willing to be honest with us in the midst of our struggle, in the midst of our pain, in the midst of our fear, you speak not what is easy to hear, but you speak what we need to hear. And so I praise you, Lord God, for speaking clearly through your word as it relates to sin, and as it relates to the battle between the flesh and the spirit, I pray, Lord God, that you would provide victory in the spirit for those who are willing to be honest before you. I pray, Lord God, that you would give us the courage to lay at the foot of the cross, whatever it is, it is entangling us, and deceiving us, and distracting us, today. Lord, we pray that you would show us again, the victory that you have provided over sin as we lay our sin at the cross, and recognize your grace and mercy that covers sin Lord.
George Wright: 37:14 For those among us who have never experienced the true freedom of a relationship with Jesus Christ, I pray that today would be the day that they would recognize their need, and today would be the day that they would say, Jesus, I am ready to be free, I am ready to trust you, I am ready for my sin to be forgiven, that I might walk in newness of life, through the victory provided through the cross and resurrection of Jesus.
George Wright: 37:44 Lord, how we thank you for this time, we pray that you continue to do a work among us for your glory. This is our prayer. It's in Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Recorded in Columbia, South Carolina.
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