Paul McKenzie

Memory Verse, Friday, April 19, Colossians 3:9

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices”

We really shouldn’t separate 9 and 10, because we “put off”, or more accurately “strip off like wet, ratty old graveclothes” the old self by “putting on the new self” in many instances. But these two verses are bookended with two other points as well, so we can finish the week working with both. Besides, trying to memorize both verses at one time is too much for those who may be memorizing.

I think lying is set apart from the others because it is so common for everyone. Sometimes “little white lies” come out so quickly that we don’t even realize we’ve done it until much later. Many are said to avoid personal embarrassment. Most like that are really meaningless, just a little rap on the pride, but we can’t stand making ourselves look less than we think we are.

We love to talk ourselves up, and many times exaggerate to impress others. I was wondering yesterday, while my pretty wife was watching one of those “how to” videos on gardening, how many times those people really go through the steps and processes to accomplish their goals. For example, I see a lot of them say, “now wear protective equipment for your safety”, knowing that there is no way that they do.

We lie more than we think, and we know it. Sometimes I think that the more rigid and legalistic we are, the deeper our lies haunt us. Those who work rigorously to follow the letter of the law live in constant failure, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:14-15)

So the more righteous we try to make ourselves, the more we discover how sinful we really are. “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Why did the Law kill? Because when sinful man tried to achieve the perfection of God from the outside, his sinful nature made him fail. His innate desire to be a little, perfect god to himself could not achieve that perfection, so he would compromise and compromise within his imperfections, lie to himself, justify himself, get consumed in himself and his compromises, and die in his sins.

Only God can live that sinless life. That’s why He “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:7)

And, in being sinless, death could not defeat Him, and He opened to sinful man a new Law, the Law of Spirit of Life. And when He did that, the Law of Christ superseded the Law of Moses, for Christ’s law was now placed in our hearts through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

So, we have died in Christ. We have been born again into a “new man”, and can live free from sin as we walk with Him. And even a simple lie can be overcome, because, if we have our minds on Him, we no longer have our minds on ourselves. This is humility, as many teachers say in so many words: Thinking of ourselves less. Better yet, not thinking much of our “selves” at all. Realizing that anything apart from God is simply “vanity and chasing the wind”, as Ecclesiastes so aptly puts it.

God changes us from the inside out. He is taking us, dead to sin and hidden in Him, and renewing us every day with that new nature. And though we will struggle on this earth, we have that hope that we will be glorified with Him in the end. It is so sure that it is written in the past tense.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

And the sanctification process is a “stripping off” of the old dead clothes, and putting on the new.

Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

Memory Helps:

“Do not lie to one another, 6
seeing that you have put off 6
the old self with its practices”6

Yikes! A 6-6-6 verse! Count off each on your fingers as you recite them.

Did you notice that five of the six words in the first line have “o’s” in them? No lie!

Are you “seeing” “the old self” “that you have put off”? Visualize you taking those old raggy dead things off.

Then throw them into the old “practice bin”, a sports bin where the athletes throw their old sweaty stuff to get washed. These visuals can help you memorize more quickly.

Quick phonetic alphabet review: 0=S or Z; 1=t, or d; 2=N; 3=M; 4=R; 5=L; 6=J,sh,ch; 7=K or hard g; 8=F or V; and 9=P or b. All vowels, and w, and y are fillers. Example: “95” could be represented by PauL, or BaiLey, or PaiL, with the consonant sounds representing the numbers, and the vowels fillers.