But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.but now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.but now do ye also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth:
3 sermons cite this verse
… be angry. Why he says that is that's a natural response. You're not going to stop feeling angry. The question is, how do you express that anger? In Colossians 3 verse 8, the passage we read just a few moments ago, Paul gave us some negative ways to respond to anger. In Colossians 3 verse 8, look at it again. Paul says, but now you also put them all aside. Anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech from your mouth. Notice he didn't say quit feeling anger. He said instead, know how to put it aside. Now this word anger is a general term, but these next two phrases, look at verse eight of Colossians three, wrath and malice refer to two different responses to anger. Now jot this down on your note. What's the difference between wrath and malice? Both are expressions of anger. Wrath, write this down, wrath is anger expressed. Wrath is anger expressed. That word wrath in the New Testament is the Greek word thiamon. And literally it means rage. That's what wrath is. …
God keeps a record of everything we say. Everything. In Colossians, chapter 3 and verse 8, in a somewhat parallel text, we read this, But now you also put them all aside, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. If you're a new creation in Christ, there's no place for that. Let me give you the illustration of all illustrations in the New Testament, James chapter 3. Just listen to this. It doesn't really need much explanation. James chapter 3. You can follow along in your Bible. We'll go down through verse 10, James 3. Let not many of you become teachers, my brother, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." If you're a teacher, you're going to have a stricter judgment because you're going to be in a position where you're saying more words publicly. And we all stumble in many ways. If anyone doesn't stumble in what he says, he's a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. In other words, you better be careful before you become a teacher and you put yourself in the public and you know that all your words are going to be heard, and in this generation heard and recorded and kept forever and ever and ever and ever, you better think before you want to put your entire life on public record, because we all stumble. …
… because I just didn't give the office the proper notice, is let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. It comes at the very end of all this sweeping chapter on how to change, on a changed heart. And there's a parallel to it in Philippians 4. And in Philippians 4, Paul says, the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. For I have learned the secret of being content, whatever the circumstances, whether well-fed or hungry, whether in plenty or in want. Now, what's the principle here? Let me use one more illustration from Pride and Prejudice. My illustrations tend to come in clusters, if you notice. And there's a place near the end of the book where the central character, Lizzie Bennett, one of her sisters is engaged to be married. I wish you could find a man and be as happy as me. Well, now, Lizzie's response is interesting because on the one hand, it's not the traditional response. …