Alive: The Truth of Us Being Alive

Alive 2

The Truth of Us Being Alive

Message by Jeremy Sanchez

Written by Sholeh Alodia Ensafian

Going to parties and getting drunk may be fun at first, but once the haze is lifted and your hangover creeps in, it’s not fun after all, is it?

Doing crazy things to fit in and “belong” to a world that is ruled by sin is not a good picture of Christianity; it’s the opposite of it. We are too engrossed to live to the fullest that we set aside the One who gave us that life in the first place.

We can feel that rush again against our skin, we can live happily ever after like those fairytales, if we are one and in-line with the One who invented these- God.

What does being ALIVE really mean?

“So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

Colossians 3:5-14

For those who don’t know, the book of Colossians is written by Paul while he was in prison. And in this chapter he wanted to relay the message that “Jesus died for us so we could be ALIVE again.”

“So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires.”

Here, it clearly states that we must forget, abandon, and kill all the earthly things that lurk within us, that these habits are nothing but distractions and hindrances that would keep you from being completely alive.

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

2 Corinthians 5:17

 Christ didn’t make us better people, he made us BRAND NEW people.

"Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world."

Colossians 3:5-6

Being selfish and greedy would make us idolaters, even having an obsession over the things of this world can take us further away from a relationship with Him. Let’s admit it, we have sinned at least once in our lives, but that is the past, we have accepted God as our saviour and it comes hand-in-hand with a new you. We need to put to death our old self.

BEFORE CHRIST WE WERE DEAD IN SIN but IN CHRIST, WE ARE DEAD TO SIN

Sin’s presence is still there, but if we remain in Him, it will have no power over us.

"So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace."

Romans 6:11-14

DON’T SAY I CAN’T, SAY I DON’T TO SIN .

Imagine being an athlete for your university, you become really famous and you get offered to play for the Olympics after you graduate. You are now wearing a different jersey, playing for a different team and therefore, your old team can’t dictate rules to you anymore.

Same goes for our Christian life, when we accepted Christ we’ve been totally changed for the better, we can no longer obey what our past tells use, moreover, do what we used to.

“OU’RE IN GOD’S TEAM NOW SO PUT ON YOUR JERSEY AND PLAY FOR HIM.

“But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.”

Colossians 3:8

The Bible teaches us to be patient, understanding, responsible, to not gossip and be pure with our words we say, to be honest and keep on practicing these for we are now another person. You are now part of the Olympics, not your University’s team.

“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.”

Colossians 3:10-13

And since you’re now a pro, you need to act like one; counterpart with Christianity. We can’t be that mediocre-type player- we are now new creations. A Christian is approachable, kind, gentle, and most of all patient. If we convey these, we emulate the values of Christ, we reflect Him. These are what set us apart, from the rest of the world.

“Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

Colossians 3:13b-14

Let’s pause. Ponder how we got to play in the Olympics in the first place, ‘cause there was a chance and because it existed. Who made it possible for us to be saved and become Christians?

“We love, because He first loved us.”

1 John 4:19

If we want to stay an Olympic player, we have to be close to the Source of all of these:  through devotion, joining a ministry, your break-out group, through PRAYERS. They remind us of why we’re here and it keeps us close to the source.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

You might have all these crazy questions in your head like “What if I sin (fail to become patient or  commit a wrong doing) , am I out of the Olympics?”

 NO.

Our God is a merciful God, He forgives and guides us to our better selves. Sinning is not a bait, that once you fall for it, you’re doomed. It remains to exist yet we have the power to battle it- through prayer and devotion. Think of this quote from Augustus Waters (The Fault in our Stars) revised a little, “You coexist with the thing that kills, but you don’t give it the power to do its killing.”

IN JESUS, YOU HAVE NEW CLOTHES SO WEAR THEM EVERYDAY AND BE ALIVE!