Pastor Tim Mengler continues in the series Winning the War for Your Mind this week dealing with temptations.
• 1 Cor 10:13 There is nothing unusual about our temptations.
• Why is this important? Because the enemy tries to convince us no one else has this problem.
o Use this verse, don’t condone the sin; just silence the lie that keeps you stuck in the sin.
• This verse also gives us hope that in the midst of temptation, we can overcome.
Colossians 2:12 When you go under the water in baptism you are dying to everything, your old life, your sins.
• Through confession of faith and baptism we become the righteousness of Christ. This is our new identity.
Verse 13 His reference to their “uncircumcision” here refers to their spiritual alienation from God.
• Paul is writing to gentile Christians not Jews, so he is not referring to physical circumcision.
Verse 14 Jesus has not only canceled the debt; but he has also destroyed the document on which it was written.
• The word translated here as “written code” refers to “a note of indebtedness.”
o A hand written note for proof of a dept.
• These regulations or some translations use “legal demands,” was death.
o This was our identity, someone who was owed the death penalty because of our sin.
Verse 15 Powers and authorities refer to the enemy and his demons.
• Jesus has disarmed the enemy; all the enemy has left are lies.
Verse 20 Paul was not talking about the God given law, the ten commandments, rather manmade rules.
• Paul is implying here is that these rules, are actually product of the “powers and authorities” from v15
Verse 21 Paul now gives sort of a mocking example of these man-made rules.
Verse 22 These rules are not eternal, they are destined to parish, they have no lasting effect.
Verse 23 These man-made rules or regulations have the appearance of wisdom, but are not actual wisdom.
• Focusing on man-made rules will not deliver us from temptation.
o Rules don’t prevent sin. They merely tell us what sin is.
Chapter 3:1 Notice the difference in where our focus is?
• My continual focus or active seeking is to be on the things above, and the position of Christ.
Verse 2 In the Greek it says to have the same mind, or to be of one mind.
• Our focus is to have the mind of Christ, to have the same mind as Christ.
• Side note: We also need to pay attention to our emotions.
o At that moment of temptation, we are usually also feeling an emotion.
o The emotion fuels the temptation, and diverts our focus.
Verse 3 One of the definitions of this word is to “escape notice.” The enemy can only attack us if he sees us.
Verse 5 Because of our baptism, we can now consider the parts of our body dead to sin.
• This speaks to identity; I am the righteousness of Christ.
• And focus, I am not focused on myself, but on Jesus.