For our scripture reading this morning, let's turn together to Colossians 3. Colossians 3. As we read together the first 17 verses of this chapter. And if you would also turn in the back of the Psalter hymnal to our confessional reference from the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 33, page 45 in the back of the blue Psalter hymnal. Page 45, you recall many of you that last week we began to consider this concept of true conversion, which Lord's Day 33 deals with, and we considered questions and answers 88 and 89 of Lord's Day 33, and this morning, with the second part of the sermon, we considered questions 90 and 91 of Lord's Day 33, page 45 in the back of the Psalter hymnal. First of all, we give our attention to the reading of the Word of God, beginning at verse 1 of Colossians chapter 3. Since then you have been raised with Christ. Set your hearts on things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways in the life you once lived, but now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these, anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. And as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. And if you would turn to page, again, page 45 in the back of the Psalter hymnal as we consider together questions and answers 90 and 91 as we confess together what we believe Scripture to teach with regard to these things. If you recall question 88, with that we began to consider what is involved in genuine repentance or conversion, the answer tells us it includes the dying away of the old self and the coming to life of the new self. And then it talks, what is the dying away of the old self? And then now we come to question 90, which we confess together. What is the coming to life of the new self? It is wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a delight to do every kind of good as God wants us to. What do we do that is good? Only that which arises out of true faith conforms to God's law and is done for His glory and not that which is based on what we think is right or on established human tradition. A beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, a couple of years ago at a place called the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where those who do not have a home could come night after night and receive a hot meal and also receive other things that we need and also hear the Word of God. After one of those services, myself and others from my former congregation had the opportunity to speak to the young chaplain who was working there that night. And as you looked at this young man, you would see that he was clean cut, he was well-mannered, he was pleasant, he was friendly, he had an obvious love for the Lord and he had a desire to use his life to serve the Lord. But what was interesting was that a little less than two years before that night, he was taking drugs, he was apparently drinking excessively, and he was doing jail time. We would say his life was nothing. He said his life was nothing. And while in jail, he somehow found a brochure. We know it wasn't by accident, providentially, God provided him with a brochure or a pamphlet on a ministry called the Forgotten Man Ministry, which deals with those who are incarcerated. And as he read this pamphlet, he thought to himself, that's me. That's me. A forgotten man. And by the grace of God, he was brought to his knees, he gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ, and now his life has been transformed. He is a different man, a new man, and at that time, he was working with gratitude in his heart to God, working in the service of the Lord, helping others. You see, this young chaplain was an example of conversion. His life made a U-turn. Remember, boys and girls, we talked about that conversion is a U-turn. At one time, going in one direction, turning completely around, going in the other direction. That's conversion. And even though He may be an example of what we might consider to be a drastic, visible conversion, yet this is what takes place and this is what must take place in each and every child of God. This morning we continue our consideration of this Word of God. Genuine gratitude. You remember we're in the third section of the Catechism that deals with gratitude. Genuine gratitude flows only from true conversion. And again, we consider together the objects of conversion. The fact that everyone, every single person needs to be converted. But only those who are regenerated, those who are born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, are actually converted, actually turned around. As well, we consider the objective of conversion, that that which must be converted is the whole length and breadth of life, everything that has to do with this life. And we also consider the negative element of conversion, namely, which is repentance. Repentance, which is evidenced by a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a hatred for sin, and a running away from sin. And now this morning we add to this, and we consider the positive element of conversion, Namely, faith, as well as the fruit of conversion. Remember, genuine gratitude or thanksgiving to God is demonstrated only when one is heading in God's direction. In order to truly serve God, one must be in agreement with Him. We might say, have common goals, think alike. In short, be one with God. The conversion or U-turn of the regenerate sinner accomplishes this. This same direction as God begins when the regenerate sinner is stopped in his tracks, recognizes, is sorry for, hates, and runs away from his sin. But this is only the beginning. The U-turn has been made, but now the journey in the opposite direction must take place. The journey in the new direction. You see, beloved, we need to understand that the narrow road that leads to eternal life does not run parallel and alongside in the same direction as the broad road that leads to eternal death, like railroad tracks. That narrow road goes in the completely opposite direction and against the flowing stream of the natural man. And this journey along the narrow road is characterized by what the Catechism calls the coming to life of the new self. And it's coming to life, you see, because it includes the awakening of new light in the understanding and producing new qualities and new activities in the will and in the heart from which a new life and new works flow forth. This is what characterizes those who are brought to faith and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the positive element of conversion and demonstrates gratitude to God in a positive way. Now please don't misunderstand and don't forget, sorrow and hatred for sin as well as running away from sin also demonstrates gratitude to God. Because God is glorified when one is sorry for committing the sin that provokes Him, when one hates sin that provokes Him, and when one runs away from sin in order not to provoke God. But we can also think of the thanksgiving of the new man then in positive terms, as the Catechism now says, wholehearted joy in God and a delight to do God's will. Yet we must also realize and understand, beloved, that there is a sense in which these two elements of conversion, the negative or dying away of the old man, and the positive, the coming to life of the new man, There is a sense in which these are simultaneous in this life. They are side by side in some respects. Indeed, there is the definite death of the old man in which sin no longer reigns in the believer. And the believer is given new desires and a new direction. That is definite. It happens. But there is also the constant daily struggle in the believer until the end of our days between the old self and the new self as Paul makes clear in Romans 7, as he struggled himself as a believer with doing what he didn't want to do. In Hebrews 12, verse 1, there it speaks of the race that is set before us. And the writer says, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance. And Paul here as well in Colossians 3 says these things must be put off and these other things must be put on. You see, this dying away and coming to life then are also like two pans on a way scale. The old balance scale. And as one dies to sin, the measure of the characteristics of the old man decrease and the measure of the characteristics of the new man increase and therefore the balance on the scale shifts. The pan with the old man gets lighter and lighter as he becomes less and less and the pan of the new man gets heavier and heavier as he becomes more and more. Again, for example, using Paul's language in Colossians 3. As sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry, and anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips, and lying, as these things are to become less or put off at the same time, as Paul says, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with each other, forgiving whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as God forgave you, and over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. These things are to become more and more. They are to be put on and to become greater. But we know that all of this is often gradual, isn't it? Just like a tree that sheds its leaves a few at a time. In the same way, mortification of the old self, the dying of the old self, doesn't happen in a moment. We used to be surrounded by oak trees. And I learned that oak trees sometimes keep some of their leaves all winter long. The wind and the ice and the snow do not blow these leaves, certain leaves, off the trees. And even when the new leaves are growing, the old leaves are still hanging there. Sin stays with us our whole earthly life long. The old dies gradually with old habits and old traits trying to hang on. And in the same way, the coming to life of the new man is like the shrubs that come to bud slowly in the springtime as if resurrected from the dead. That congregation in genuine conversion, the transfer. The transfer from old to new, no matter how slow or no matter how fast, the transfer must be real. In the measure that the old self dies, the new life comes into force. And the goal of the new life is to take control so that we are completely new and completely different and completely dedicated to the Lord both inwardly and outwardly. And the result then is to be a new way of thinking and a new way of speaking and a new way of acting. A whole personality change. The new man is life in which Christ lives in me more and more, gaining stature in me so that my whole life is governed by the mind of Christ, as Paul says in Philippians 2, verse 5. And again, although there is an initial, a real initial conversion that takes place so that one stops, turns around, and begins going in the opposite direction, there is also daily conversion as the Christian, by the grace of God, does battle with the flesh and is more conformed daily to the image of God. Beloved, this takes a lifetime. And that's why the Catechism can rightly say at the end of its treatment of the Ten Commandments, a few Lord's days down the road, it can say, in this life, even the holiest have only a small beginning of this new obedience. But the destruction of the weeds and the cultivation and growth of the fruit of the new man will continue as long as there is continued fellowship with Christ. As long as one's life is hidden with Christ in God, as Paul says in Colossians 3, verse 3. The branch will blossom and it will bear fruit only as it remains in the vine, drawing life-giving sap from the vine. And our comfort is that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. Now notice also of what this new life consists. Question 90 again asks, What is the coming to life of the new self? The answer, it is wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a delight to do every kind of good as God wants us to. You see, this is the exercise of faith. And do you notice also the emphasis on the heart once again? Just as with the negative element of conversion, the emphasis was on the heart, a sorrow for sin and a hatred for sin. In the same way, with the positive element, the emphasis again is also on the heart with wholehearted joy and delight. Those things which spring from the heart in regeneration, being born again. One receives a spiritual heart transplant Where, as Ezekiel says, the heart of stone is removed and it is replaced with a heart of flesh. And that heart of flesh then exercises both sorrow and joy, both love and hate, both running from and delighting in. You see, a wholehearted joy in God through Christ, as the catechism says, is the counterpart to a genuine or heartfelt sorrow for sin or that we have provoked God by our sin. You see, there must be both sorrow for sin and joy in Christ in the believer's earthly life. They go together. Because only in heaven will sorrow be left behind forever and the crown of eternal joy be given to us. Yet, congregation, the deeper the sorrow for sin, the higher the joy in God. You see, this may sound like a contradiction, and to the world it is a contradiction, but it's not. The deeper the sorrow for sin, the higher the joy in God. You see, the joy is in God and His salvation. And the more we understand the depths of our sin and misery, the more we understand our desperate condition, the more glorious the salvation appears. Indeed, new life includes joy in God. The old life was at enmity with God and was against God, and the old self wanted to be apart from God. But the new life is joy in God, and the new self can't stand to be apart from God. Beloved, the Catechism describes this life in another place as a veil of tears or as a sad world. And that means that we cannot draw our joy from anything around us. Joy comes only in the Lord. And apart from Him, we cannot find our joy in our spouses or in our children or in our parents or in our friends, in our work, in our hobbies, or anything else. Only in Him will these other things give us joy. And that's why Paul says rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I will say rejoice. And the psalmist in Psalm 89 says, Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound. They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long. And in Your righteousness they are exalted. So then how can there be joy in God? Very simply, only through Christ. The secret of the true joy of living is that Christ has brought us back into favor with God. And even though at times the burden of a sin may be so great, yet my sins are forgiven and my guilt is removed and God is my Father for the sake of Jesus Christ. Like Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, we may be hard pressed on every side. we may be perplexed or persecuted or struck down, yet not crushed, yet not in despair, yet not forsaken, yet not destroyed, because the Lord thinks on His people and causes all things to work for our good. And therefore, we can confess in confidence with the psalmist, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with Me. And by the grace of God, the believer is able to express confident joy as he confesses the words of Romans 8, verse 18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Beloved, through Christ, I as a believer am reconciled, brought face to face once again to God. Because Christ has removed His wrath from me, God's wrath, and in Christ I have absolutely everything that I need. This is the greatest reason for joy. And that means, congregation, that God is our highest good. Not our life. Not our freedom. Not our prosperity. But God is our highest good. And therefore only in Him can I confidently sing, let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also, the body they may kill. God's truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever. And this joy is to be in God Himself, knowing Him, knowing the safety of His hand, walking with Him, and having His peace that passes understanding. But we need to emphasize something here. If you are a Christian, if you are born again, you must have joy. It must be real. It must be there because it will be natural. The Reformed folk, as some of you know, have always had the unfortunate reputation for being or appearing joyless. Those outside the Reformed camp often see us as stiff and lifeless, smile-less and emotionless, less than joyful, and I'm afraid sometimes a reputation that we have earned all too well. So that some want to ask us, do you really have the Spirit living in you? Some Reformed who claim to have been rescued from the miry pit, They continue to wallow in the miry pit of sorrow for their sin and their misery. They can't seem to get out of it. They see no joy. But I ask you, is that true sorrow? Is it? And the reason I ask is because true sorrow for sin knows the Savior. The two are not disconnected, but the two are very much connected. And a true knowledge of the Savior is a joyful thing. It must be. Now this doesn't mean that there has to be uncontrollable dancing in the aisles or constant giggling. But at the very least, beloved, true joy ought to change our countenance. So that the smile that is supposed to be in our hearts is reflected on our faces. and the hope and the joy and the peace and the contentment and the love that we enjoy in Christ Jesus must affect everything in our lives. Every situation, our work, our marriages, our relationships. Everything. As one commentator rightly said, it is an insult to the Father, a denial of Christ, and a grieving of the Holy Spirit when one remains stuck in misery. When one imagines to have found true Christianity in a sighing and lamenting instead of journeying on the way with joy like the Ethiopian eunuch. There will be tears in the life of a Christian. Many in our congregation have experienced those tears even in the last couple of days. Many of you have as well. But the joy of the Lord wipes those tears away. And in the same way, the Christian life is not to be a life of complaining about what's wrong, but it is to be a life of being joyful in what's right. For those who know how great a salvation it is in Christ that saves them from their sin and misery, there's no room for gloom. But the joy of the Lord must radiate from their lives. But notice also that in the New South there is, as the Catechism says, a delight to do every kind of good as God wants us to do. A delight. Again, coming from the inside. Just as sorrow for sin resulted in hating it and running away from it, joy in God results in love for His law and a delightful desire to walk according to His law. The old self we know hated God's law and wanted nothing to do with it, but the new self loves God's law and wants to be obedient to it. A life of joy must be intimately connected with a life of obedience. Congregation, new obedience is an obedience that delights to obey the commands of God and doesn't find them to be burdensome because the believer has graciously come to know that God's commands, God's precepts are sweeter than honey. A slave obeys out of fear and out of force, but a child of God obeys out of love with the peace of Christ ruling his heart, as Colossians 3 verse 15 says. For the believer, the law of God is a pleasure. It is a delight. We enjoy doing those things which give us pleasure, don't we? Is the law of God a pleasure for you? What is the purpose of conversion? that one might do every kind of good as God wants us to. In other words, the purpose of conversion is to reflect His holiness. True love for another, we all know, seeks the best for and the welfare of that other. And we know that on Valentine's Day this past week, much love was poured out, wasn't it? Much expression of love. But it's not just to be a one day per year thing, is it? but true love for God then seeks His honor. And living according to the will of God is of course a living that is shaped by His commandments and God is honored in the obedience of His children. Our conversion is indeed for our eternal benefit, but the most important reason is that it is for the glory of God. That He be recognized and He be worshipped as He is and as He deserves. And God is glorified as His children are restored in His image and also display the fruit of conversion. Good works are the fruit of conversion. Fruit which grows from the branch that is living from the vine. Conversion cannot be separated from the conduct of life. In fact, the conduct of life flows from conversion. Believers are called to walk the way to heaven and that walk is a walk of working good works. Jesus tells us Himself that conversion must be seen by its fruit. In Matthew 5 or 16, He says, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. As well, the desire, the desire of the converted person is to live according to the will of God, which is then the practice of good works. As we said a couple of weeks ago, doing good works is not a going above and beyond the call of duty. It is instead performing the command of God in common, ordinary, everyday life. What do we do that is good, question 91 asks, or what are good works? The answer, only that which arises out of true faith, conforms to God's law, and is done for His glory, And not that which is based on what we think is right or on established human tradition. Now we need to confess that although we like to think that our works are good, the truth is they are absolutely below standard and they are imperfect when measured against the standard of the Word of God. Yet the fountain of good works, the fountain from which good works flow, is through faith. Faith makes the difference. Cain and Abel, you recall, both offered sacrifices, but only Abel's was considered good because he had faith. In the same way, one goes to church out of habit or routine, but another from true faith. Yet God knows the difference. All that we do must naturally flow from a believing heart, out of faith in and gratitude for the saving work of God. You see, beloved, for a work to be good in relation to God and in relation to salvation, it must be rooted in true faith. Paul says in Romans 14, verse 23, for whatever is not from faith is sin. True faith is talking about that saving relationship with Jesus Christ and everything, every decision, every action, every word that does not proceed from that relationship, as Paul says, is sin. Many people, we have many neighbors that do things that we would consider to be good, civil good. We say these things are good for one reason, because they're not bad. They don't hurt anyone. They don't threaten anyone. So these things are good. But the truth is, if those things do not spring from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, then those works are not the good works of the saved. And that's why good works must conform to God's law. True faith believes, as the psalmist says, the law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. The opposite of this are those things done based on what we think is right or on established human tradition. And this is talking about those things that are contrary to the law of God. Things that exclude Him. Things that dishonor Him instead of honoring and glorifying Him. Because all that we do is to be directed to and is to direct others to God, as Jesus said, so that He may be glorified. Beloved, the only standard for right and wrong, for good and bad, is the Word of God. Often it is said, let your conscience be your guide. Even in the church, let your conscience be your guide if you can live with it. It must be okay. But the truth is, even our conscience is imperfect and stained with sin, and even our conscience must be regulated by the Word of God. But, beloved, only the law of God is the pure standard of right and wrong, of good and bad, of holiness and unholiness. One phrase that seems to be common to young people of all generations is everybody's doing it. Well, you see, that may be a better reason not to do it. The psalmist also says, the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. That's the effect on the heart of the believer, of God's law. God's law is His good pleasure. And therefore, His pleasure is to guide the path of the new man. and when our good works of gratitude are according to His law, then we can be assured beyond a shadow of a doubt that our obedience is acceptable to Him as thanksgiving because it is commanded by Him. People of God, a life of conversion is to be a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. Again, that means the whole life, inward and outward. That means the breadth of life, including every area or aspect or situation of life that includes the length of life, every moment and every day of life. Take some time today to meditate on Romans chapter 12, the whole chapter, but especially verses 9 through 21 as Paul gives a beautiful demonstration of what this new life is to be. And the purpose of it all is for the glory of God. You see, the life of the new man recognizes the sovereignty of God over all of life so that not only what we do but how we do it must be glorifying to God. The law of the Lord reflects His holiness. And keeping His law then is a reflection of His holiness. And congregation, to be a reflection of Him is the only way to truly say thank you to Him. True conversion is God's gift to His people earned by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Our Lord became like us to pay for our sins and earn for us the right to be restored after His own image. That's the greatness of salvation. To be raised up with Christ. And therefore, as Paul says again in verses 1 and 2, Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. True conversion is walking close with God. Walking in His direction. Following His lead. And those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, who set their minds on the things that are on earth and who walk opposed to Him, unless they repent and believe, will one day find themselves opposed to heaven in the depths of hell. Listen closely to what the psalmist says in Psalm 5. You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil. With you, the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong. But the beauty is that there is forgiveness with God for those who turn to Him and repent and believe. And there is life, new life, forevermore in Christ Jesus. You see, your conversion and my conversion may not be or may not have been as drastically visible as the young chaplain. Yet it must be real, and it must be visible, and it must be lived to the glory of God. Are you converted? It's an honest question. Do you demonstrate a genuine sorrow for and a hatred from and running from sin? and as well do you have a wholehearted joy in God through Christ and do you have a genuine love for God and His law and a delight to be obedient to His law? His law, does it rejoice your heart? You see, only those who truly know the Savior and His salvation can truly say yes. These alone find refuge in Him. To walk with God with heartfelt joy and to love and delight to live according to His will, that's genuine gratitude, you see. And anything less than that is just paying lip service. What is true conversion? For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Amen. Shall we pray? Dear Heavenly Father, as Your people, we pray that You would continue that great work which You have begun in our hearts and lives by the power of Your Holy Spirit. We thank You that You have caused us to change directions. We confess, O Lord, that sometimes the narrow path that leads to eternal life is not always easy as we are faced with temptation and the snare of the devil. But Father, help us to remain strong and firm. Do not let our feet slip. More and more, we pray, would You take away that which remains of the old man, the residue of the old man. And more and more, would You cause the life of the new man to come into being. And Father, may we desire to be obedient to You in all things, demonstrating gratitude and thankfulness to God for your precious gift of salvation to us. Father, if there are those here this morning who have not yet known that new birth and that converting power of the Holy Spirit, work in their heart and their life powerfully and effectively that they too might stop dead in their tracks and turn the other way and desire to walk according to your holy way. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, We pray all of these things. Amen.