God does not want us to check off a list. He wants us to put on what we are. Are there lists that describes what this means?
Putting On My Goodness for Others That Was Put on Me by God
Colossians 3:12-17
(Children's Sheet for Sermon Interaction is at bottom. Notes are throughout sermon)
Pastor Kerry Kinchen, Bridgeway Bible Church
Please turn to Colossians 3:12-17. Colossians 3:12-17 is our main text this morning. As we are turning there, I want to remind all of us of a very important truth: The work of the Spirit in the body is to glorify Christ. This work is seen in evangelism, and witness, where we shine the Light of Christ to the world. It is also seen in the Spirit building us (the body of Christ) up in Christ. It is to move toward the maturity of the full measure of Christ in unity of faith, and knowledge of Him Ephesians 4:13. This brings glory to Christ. The Spirit's work shows the outworking of Christ until the end, where in the future, ultimately all will be changed forever, in the ultimate "build up" to ultimate maturity in Him. When we consider this, we know that "building up" is the opposite of tearing down. To tear down is bad. To build up is good. We know this. It is a simple fact, and yet we also know how easy it is to tear down and be disunited, don't we? The "tear down" of disunity touches families. It happens in many marriages; with children and parents, and with spouses. Many of us have seen its effects in the body. We know how bad it is. What we want is the good. God wants the good for all of us. It always brings spiritual health to the body to strengthen and nurture growth. The passage we are studying this morning deals with these things. It has to do with our spiritual responsibilities. It has to do with you and me doing what God is all about doing in and with the body. Yes, once again we are talking bout the doing side of our Christianity. I'm talking about the ministry calling that we all share in of building up each other in Christ. Please read our passage with me now,
"9 ... you laid aside the old man with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new man who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God's elect ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:12-17
Please prepare your heart to learn from God's word along with me in this sermon titled,
Putting On My Goodness for Others That Was Put on Me by God
[prayer]
There are 5 overarching principles that I want us to explore for putting on our goodness to others that was put on us by God. Gleaning from them will help us to walk the pleasing walk of Christ, by the Spirit, in respect to body life.
/1/
The first principle to quickly settle as a matter of our foundation is that, in Christ, your old badness, that permeated you like one solid black cancer from head to toe, was cut away and buried like a dead man forever. Coming into our passage, we instantly see what has happened to us in Christ,
"9 ... you laid aside the old [lost] man with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new man [created in Christ Jesus] who is being renewed to a true knowledge [in discipleship where doctrine drives your action] according to the image of the One who created him--11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all." Colossians 3:9-11
These facts form our foundation. It is the fact of the indicative, which we went over last week. The indicative is what Christ has done, and is doing in you, and with you. There is no way to progress in any spiritual manner imperatively without this as your foundation. It is the good news in you, and on you, as the born again you. You are not the evil of Adam anymore. In salvation, you already laid aside the old man with its evil practices. This was actually the work of God. He laid your old self aside and recreated you in His Son. This is why it is important to recognize that salvation is a miracle. It is much more than a decision. What this means is that when God sees you, He sees the new man created in Christ Jesus. The dark cancer has been eradicated. You are a vessel filled with the Light of God now--a living temple of glory. That is what you are all the time. At work, school, shopping, driving, playing--everywhere. Christ is all for us in all of us, Colossians 3:11. It is an amazing fact to consider that right here, right now, the third person of the Trinity dwells in us as His living temples according to 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:21-22, etc. The Spirit is in us inwardly, and Christ is on us outwardly, in a certain sense, in the new man that has been put on us in salvation,
"For all of you who were baptized into Christ [not into water but into Christ] have clothed yourselves with Christ." Galatians 3:27
Spiritually, God sees you baptized "into" the King, clothed "with" the King. So what this means for the foundation, is that you have already put on the new man in Christ. It is a done deal. It is from this foundation, that in discipleship we are being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of Christ. This is where your thoughts and actions are your clothes of goodness that are continually looking like the man of goodness that you put on in salvation. How many of you know that this is a simple way to describe spiritual growth? It is being more and more conformed to the image of Christ Who is in you, working in you, where you think, act, and look more like Him than your old you.
/2/
This leads us to the next principle to get out of the way as part of the foundation,
"12 Put on then, as God's elect ones, holy [set apart], and beloved, ..." Colossians 3:12
This second principle for putting on our goodness to others that was put on us by God, is that everyone who is clothed with the good man of spiritual salvation is that way in a special grace standing. Here, the Spirit describes what you are by using Greek nouns that are used like names to describe what God has done as indicative work. The names describe what God has done in creating you in the new man. In other words, each name demonstrates God's work. None of the names remotely implies anything that you have done for God as some way to gain some kind of special brownie points with Him. It is important to recognize that Paul's terms are consistent in respect to God's various covenant people He has favored by grace throughout history. All three of these, as descriptive terms, were used by God concerning the remnant of Israel of His Old Covenant. I'm talking about 1) the elect ones, 2) the holy ones [saints (people set apart)], and 3) the beloved, of God. Notice all three in the form of descriptive terms in what God says concerning Israel of the Old Covenant,
"6 For you are a people holy [set apart--that is one] to Yahweh your God. Yahweh your God has elected you [that is the second one] to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that Yahweh set his love [the beloved] on you and elected you [There it is again], for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because Yahweh loves you [The beloved of God again] ..." Deuteronomy 7:6-7
Israel of covenant was showered with all of this special grace favor from God. These things are now true of all who come to faith in Christ under the New Covenant.
Notice that in this trinity of favor (that God gives us in His Son) the first thing that Paul calls us is "the elect." This is the translation of the Greek word "eklektoi." The word is derived from the preposition, "ek," and the verb, "lego." These two words combine in the Greek to mean "pick out." The noun form is, "eklektos." It refers to people who have been picked out. So, when you hear the statement, "I elected you." The equivalent is, "I picked you out" To say, "You are 'the' elect," is to say, "You are 'the' picked out." This is important, so stay with me. This word does not mean that God merely identified you. It means God selected you, and so your identity is that you are elect. But there is more: To be elect always means to be selected unto something. Whenever you elect someone, you are electing them unto, or "to be," something. It is like Deuteronomy,
"Yahweh your God has elected you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." Deuteronomy 7:6
What were they selected out of all the peoples of the earth, "to be" "for?" The answer is: For being God's treasured people possession. Folks, this is you. This is me. This is all who are clothed with Christ in salvation. That's the point. We were elected in Christ Who is the Great treasure to be God's treasured possession forever; and it is all God's sovereign work that He has determined in pure grace that is grace from A to Z. It is grace that leaves us realizing that our salvation is in a certain sense, a mystery.
Why?
Because there really is nothing special about you.
Since there is nothing special about you, then unmerited favor is all based upon what solely comes from God. Without consulting us, and while Paul says we were still reprehensible sinners, (Romans 5:8) we (who are God's New Covenant people) were selected for salvation out of all the peoples of the earth in much the same way that God's Old Covenant people were selected out of all the peoples of the earth. This is why we must always understand that God's election is not the result of something like God identifying people in some kind of foresight into history that has not happened yet. In other words, God is not picking out people through being some kind of great Prophet who foresees all who will supposedly elect Him in the future. The Bible does not explain that God selects certain people based upon some kind of contingency of foresight into the future where He sees that some will elect Him, and so because He sees that some will elect Him, He then responds to them in their future concerning what their supposed calling out to Him will be. He does not elect those particular ones based upon this kind of prophetic merited favor they will impress Him with when they supposedly finally do it. Some people believe philosophically that this is how God elects people. There are problems with this on many fronts. One of which, is that the future has not happened. The Biblically revealed reality (aside from philosophy) is that for God to see the future, what God sees is what He has ordained to come to pass, which is different than seeing something that does not exist yet because it has not happened. Scripturally, what God really does is know from eternity all His works, (Acts 15:18), and in respect to this He works all things after the counsel of His will, Ephesians 1:11. This is why we read God describing that He declares the end from the beginning according to His mysterious purpose in Isaiah,
"9 ... I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' 11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it." Isaiah 46:9-11
When we recognize that God declares His grace as a matter of His own determination based upon nothing that we do, or will do, then we recognize the fact is that grace is really grace, and that means it is really undeserved, unmerited, favor that humbles us down to realizing that what God sees concerning the future is His determination. This is why we must be careful not to begin thinking that people have been left to do their own sovereign work of selecting God by their own human favor that is bound to sin, Romans 8. Redefining the biblical terms puts God in the place of a mere onlooker who identifies certain kinds of people who supposedly will select Him someday, rather than a true selector who miraculously creates people into His elect based completely upon His determination of the fact that this is what He desires to do completely in His unmerited grace. In the process, at the appointed time, the elect willingly, lovingly, and joyfully respond positively to their loving Father forever. They do this freely because they have been freed from the bondage to sin that previously kept them from doing so. To accomplish this whole process in salvation, God elects to spiritually rebirth you in His Son, where He has elected you unto becoming the image of His Son. This also does not mean that God elected His Son, and so because His Son is the elect, then everyone is the elect in His Son. No, this means that God elected us, an actual remnant from among the world, in the sphere of His Son, and God did this since before the foundation of the world, and God did this for something. We find this in the parallel epistle of Ephesians,
"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He elected us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, ... 13 In Him, you also, [the saved Ephesians in which all the same things just presented by Paul also apply to them too]... 16 do not cease giving thanks [to the sovereign electing God] for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;" Ephesians 1:3-16
Notice that all three are there in 1:4. 1) He elected us 1:4; 2) Holy and blameless 1:4; 3) in love 1:4. The point is that the whole fact that God identifies anything, and anyone, is not really an issue, unless we have some philosophical tradition about salvation that bolsters it as an issue. 2 Thessalonians brings more clarity to this. As we look at it, I want you to notice that the same three designations are there too. The consistency is amazing,
"13 we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers dearly loved by the Lord, ..."
@1 All of the Lord's people that He has chosen are dearly _______________ which is seen in their salvation. (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
[Paul thanks no one but God for the Christians. Notice again, the designation. It is one of the three. They are God's dearly loved. But why does not Paul thank the Thessalonians for electing God? The reason Paul thanks God is because God sovereignly elected them to be saved. Paul goes on,]
"... because God has elected you from the beginning for salvation ..."
[Dearly loved and elected. These are both in our Colossians passage. This is both the process, and the point, of election. Paul finishes the point with the means, and in it he mentions that third thing,]
"... through setting apart [made holy] by the Spirit, and faith in the truth." 2 Thessalonians 2:13
This is the third one. Being set apart here is hagios in the Greek. It is the same word we translate as holy, sanctification, saint, or sacred. So what is the point? The point is that God is the One, in His love, by the Spirit, Who sets people apart, where He gives them the gift of faith, to believe the truth (cf. Acts 18:27, Philippians 1:29, 2 Peter 1:1, Hebrews 12:2, John 6:29, Romans 12:3, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Acts 16:14, etc.). This setting apart by the Spirit is what Paul mentions next in our Colossians passage where He calls us the Holy. Holy is that same Greek word--hagios. A Saint is a holy one, which means, someone who is set apart. So, 'the holy' in this verse, are the saints. Again, this is also seen in Deuteronomy 7 with God's dealing with Old Covenant Israel,
"6 For you [Israel] are a people holy [set apart] to Yahweh your God." Deuteronomy 7:6-7
For us who are partakers in the New Covenant blessing, to be one of the holy, is to be a person that God has set apart from the domain of darkness and placed in the Kingdom of His Son, Colossians 1:13. It is to be set apart from the Old man, and placed in the new man, created in Christ Jesus. It is passing through the world but not being "of" the world. If someone asks you if you are holy, then you should answer quickly and with full confidence,
"Yes!"
You can say,
"Yes, I have been set apart in Christ as a miracle work of God."
They might say,
"Oh, so you think you are holier than thou."
And we answer,
"No, I know that I am holy because Christ is my all in all. He is holier than anyone. I'm just a sinner who is saved by grace."
The Spirit also explains that we are God's beloved. In the parallel epistle of Ephesians, Paul says,
"In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will" Ephesians 1:4-5
@2 God predestines the people He saves to adoption in love, according to the _________________ intention of His will. (Ephesians 1:4-5)
God's love for His elect set apart ones is a privilege of grace. Again, Leviticus 7 describes God's relationship with Old Covenant Israel,
"7 ... Yahweh set his love on you and elected you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because Yahweh loves you ..." Deuteronomy 7:7
You and I fulfill this in the New Covenant where we are God's choice-beloved ones. Even while you were still a wretched wicked sinner who looked and smelled like the old man in Adam, God demonstrated His love for you in electing you, and setting you apart in salvation through the great love act of the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. Even when you sin and fail God, (and you know when you do because the Spirit convicts you through the word), and even when propaganda thoughts from the world of condemnation come to oppress you and try to convince you that you are not really saved, or that you are a second rate Christian, God demonstrates His continuous love for you in the forgiveness that is in Christ who is your all in all.
/3/
This leads to the third principle to glean for putting on our goodness to others that was put on us by God. The Spirit wants us to,
"put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you." Colossians 3:12-13
@3 God wants people who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior to be ____________________ each other. (Colossians 3:13)
All of this is a manifestation of supernomianism. When I use the term "supernomianism" I am meaning that all of these things describe the great royal Law which is the highest law. It is the High Law of our Lord. The Law of Christ is to love God, and to love your brothers and sisters as Christ loves you. These things that Paul lists come from the Spirit as manifestations of this high law. Now think about this; God already put the new man on you. It is what you are now as your state of being. So now that we, (His elect, set apart, and loved people), have put off the old man, and put on the new man, we need to put on the heart clothes for others. Another way of saying this is that we need to express Jesus to others. In Romans Paul says,
"put on the Lord Jesus Christ, ..." Romans 13:14
This means action. This particular urging from Paul has to do with your relationship with the rest of the body. Look around you right now. What you see are people. Who you are looking at is who you are putting these things on for. You already have the attributes of Jesus in you. What God wants you and I to do is be obedient and treat the body like Christ treats the body. Bringing the sweetness of Christ to others requires you to bring Christ out of you, by the Spirit, and into the forefront and live Him for the good. We want the growth, which is to manifest Him--right? We want the good.
{a}
Notice that the first thing in this list in wearing Jesus to others, is to express Him in being compassion minded. This is what putting on a heart of compassion is. The world is not set apart to be manifesting the tender mercies of Christ to our brothers and sisters. We are. So, if you are not doing this, then this means that something is wrong spiritually. The way of Christ is that he had compassion for people, Matthew 9:36. When you are putting this aspect of Christ on, you are tuning yourself in to the suffering of others, and then you take action. You really do something about it. Why? Because love is a doing word. When Jesus felt compassion for the people, he did something--He proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom. He healed people of their diseases. In His compassion, He urged the disciples to pray for more laborers to minister, Matthew 9:35-36. The point is that the compassion of Christ is something that means that the Spirit moves you to do something. You soothe, you help, and you encourage the other members of the body. It is God's work, but you are the one who must be willing to do it. Do you want to be used by God? God will use you, in compassion, to accomplish what it is He is focused on doing by the Spirit through His people. There are way too many non responsive, non caring Christians that are consumed with their own selfish agendas. Actually, there are two remnants of the old man that will eclipse a heart of compassion in an instant. One is strict legalistic standard bearing, and so mercy is put aside. It drowns out a heart of compassion quicker than just about anything. The other is selfishness. Strict standard bearing in disregard for compassionate mercy looks at others and says,
"Well, that is the way things go. They got themselves into this mess, so they get what they deserve. Let them get themselves out of it."
Then there is selfishness. Selfishness extinguishes compassion because you look at your own self and you say,
"Nobody helped me when I went through my hard times."
"We all have to deal with our problems on our own."
"You've got your own life, and I've got my own life"
There is no compassion. But the fact of the matter is that it is not your own life. You have put on the life of Christ of the new man. Your life is really His life. It is hidden with Christ in God, Colossians 3:3. You belong to Him. You don't belong to yourself. Christ is your Master. You are His slave.
"you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:20
Glorify God in being compassionate in your body, as a member of the body of Christ, out to the other members of the body.
{b}
This also goes for wearing Jesus to express His kindness. In Proverbs 19:22 the Spirit tells us that
"What is desirable in a man is his kindness." Proverbs 19:22
What is desirable in the body of Christ is that we be the kindness of Jesus to others. Our desirability is an extension of Him. Taking the principle further, we need to ask ourselves:
Am I manifesting things that are desirable to the body?
Ask the contrast:
Is what I am manifesting, repulsive to the body?
If you are not manifesting the warm kindness of Christ, then you are manifesting the meanness, and coldness of the dead flesh--or, you just aren't around the body manifesting anything anyway. All this does is tear down the body. It ostracizes the members. This particular word is more than acting amiable to people. The implication of this word is in respect to providing acts of grace to others. It is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22. The Spirit is telling us that we need to put on this gracious characteristic of Christ. Be kind. Reach out to others--help them, comfort them, serve them. Listen to them. Truly care for them.
{c}
Wearing Jesus for others also means we express His attribute of being humble. The ultimate teaching on this attribute of Christ that we need to put on is in Philippians 2,
"3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, [Put Him on]" Philippians 2:3-5
@4 God wants us Christians to think of others as being more __________________________ than ourselves. (Philippians 2:3-5)
This takes all attention away from yourself for the Spirit to use you in a powerful way among the body. We already know how this works. When you are nothing, then He is everything. This is the point.
{d}
Along with this, Paul says that wearing Jesus for others also means expressing His attribute of gentleness. Putting on gentleness means that God wants you to be non-aggressive in your relations with the other members of the body. Be mild mannered. This is also a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:23. Humility and gentleness, were not considered virtues in the Roman culture of Colossae. They were considered weakness. But these are the mighty virtues of Christ; and it is so hard to understand, because while you are doing this, it doesn't always seem like strength for you to be humble and gentle with others. But gentleness can accomplish more spiritually than all the multitudes of Christians who minister in a haughty sense of self importance, and abrasiveness. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of both humility and gentleness, Jesus said,
"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your souls." Matthew 11:29
This strength of Christ is your strength too; if you will put it on. Our calling is to help the other members of the body to rest in Christ by bringing restfulness to them. I ask you,
How are you going to be the grace place to your other brothers and sisters when you are full of pride?
You aren't.
How are you going to be the grace place to the body when you are rough and caustic?
You won't.
Those kinds of things are all the wrong kinds of clothes. As we seek to build one another up, part of the way we want to do this is by teaching the truth. We want to wear the truth on our sleeves in such a way that we teach by precepts, but we also teach by what we do. These things: compassion, kindness, gentleness, are the precepts of your witness. During the days of the protestant reformation in Wittenburg, Martin Luther taught at the university, and in the church meetings. At the time Prince Fredrick of Saxony, was the man who supported Martin Luther. Though not a theologian, Fredrick was an active force in the Protestant reformation. On his coach, he had these words advertised for all to see;
"Gentle in manner, strong in truth."--Fredrick of Saxony
Gentle in manner, strong in truth, is the banner God wants you to wear everywhere you go as a living precept that teaches truth.
{e}
Then, the next manifestation of wearing Christ for others, is to put on His attribute of patience, also called longsuffering. Patience is an attribute of God, Romans 2:4. It is another fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22. Christ has perfect patience, 1 Timothy 1:16. Patience is the self-restraint that bears confrontations. It is steadiness when you are being injured by other members of the body of Christ. Are you wearing it? It is the stability of commitment when you are insulted. Think about whether you bear irritations from other members of the body without resorting to quick retaliation. Being slow to anger, James 1:19, and slow to action is patience. Patience is an attribute of Christ that will keep you balanced and mature in respect to how you respond in relaxing instead of reacting, and in relating instead of retaliating, to people. Patience is our big reaction attribute that we need to nurture no matter how hard it seems.
{f}
Then next Paul weaves the garment together based on all the five attributes. He tells us to bear with one another and forgive each other whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you. This is the fashion statement of body life that never goes out of style. This is also where the Spirit really sifts your soul to see how doctrine drives your actions. Essentially God's will is that we support one another through our weaknesses by sticking with each other in our weaknesses. God leaves no room for wiggling out of this manifestation of love. Even though we can complain, and complain, and complain, God says forgive and bear with those people anyway. Yes, they irritate you. Yes, they are offensive. Yes, you can come up with a million things they have done to you. They hurt you. They are hurting you. All of these things may be true, but if you're holding a grudge, then you are in sin, because that is what God is telling you not to do. The Holy Spirit speaks through this passage and puts the spotlight on you in your walk. In the parallel epistle Paul calls it walking the worthy walk of Jesus.
"1 ... I, ... implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love," Ephesians 4:1-2
@5 God wants us to patiently be ____________________ with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:1-2)
This should be the tapestry of every Christian relationship. It is where real forgiveness occurs in real manifestations of longsuffering, and forbearance even though you have real complaints that you can justify. The point is that it doesn't matter if you can justify your complaints against others. Jesus could complain against you if He wanted to. Your job is that you are called to wear Jesus, and walk His walk, and forgive, over and over, and over again. He is our standard. That's what the Spirit is saying,
"... just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you."
All these things, (compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you), are love things. But I want us to notice what Paul says next.
/4/
It's the fourth principle. After Paul lists what God expects you to manifest, he says,
"4 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity."
Think about this. All those other things are manifestations of love. But, right here, Paul says beyond all these things put on love. Follow me very closely here--At this point it is important for us to realize that all the various clothing attributes of Christ are also things that can be acted to others from the unsaved as a matter of duty in a religious discipline aside from true Holy Spirit generated love. In other words, even Buddhists, or Mormons, can do actions that look like "these things" as a matter of a religious kind of discipline. People can do these things among the saints too, and look like they are saved, but they are not saved. It is like someone being what is called, "street wise." But, I like to call it "church wise." They have been raised among the body. They know the language. They know the act. They appear like the real clothing, but they are fakes. The point is that if these are merely things that we are trying to follow without being saved, then they are just outward expressions of a written commandment, and so Colossians 3:13 just becomes another law list to follow in the lost flesh. But, since for us who have put on the new man in the Spirit, to put these things on in Christ is to put on Him, and so the key to what Paul is saying is that what ties all this together is the main outer robe that is like the layers of clothing that people would wear in the time of Paul. You would have your undergarments, and over them, you would have your tunic, and you would have your main outer robe that brings it all together and covers it all. The love of Christ is that beautiful outer robe that covers all the other manifestations, and brings it all together. This kind of love is not an emotion. This is action love of commitment, and caring, that is stronger than emotions. In fact it keeps on going even when emotions die or change. But, for us this is even deeper. The reason is because,
"God is love," 1 John 4:8
Further,
"... the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:5
The greatest commandment is spiritual love. The Law of Christ of the New Covenant is love. So, the point is that though we can do all the other things, the outer love garment must be there as part of the complete outfit. We can even piously speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but if we do so, and do not have love, we are just noisy instruments making loud sounds. Even if we have the gift of prophecy, without love, we are nothing. Even if we have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, we are nothing. Even if you give all your possessions to feed the poor in a religious act, and if you surrender your body to be burned in a religious act, but do not have love, it profits you nothing (cf. 1 Corinthians 13). Listen, Being able to do a list of religious, or nice looking, things does not make you manifest the King. Doing things that look like love, does not mean you are doing the love itself. You are on the throne. You think you look good, but the reality is that the emperor has no clothes. The big point with this principle is that without real, Holy Spirit, love, then you are just an actor, and acting is what anyone can do.
/5/
This leads to the fifth principle to glean for putting on our goodness to others that was put on us by God. We must
"15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful."
Just as the love we have is Christ's love, the peace of Christ that rules our hearts, is Christ's peace. When Paul talks about the heart here, he is talking about what he meant back in 2:2 in his desire for the hearts of the Christians to be encouraged. Paul is talking about your mind. He's talking about how we are all thinking. The big point here is that everyone's minds are to be together in the peace of oneness in the church community. This is the body life stuff that we were called to. This is all connected to what Paul has been saying all along. We were called to peace in Christ in salvation. We are no longer at enmity with God. So now, (just like we put on what we are), God wants us to abide in the Prince of peace by being peace to one another. You and I and all Christians, manifesting Christ, are supposed to be a Sabbath rest to each another. If you are not this to other Christians, then the point is that you are naked. You have not put on Christ like you should be doing. God's peace isn't ruling and reigning in your thoughts because you are not being "one" in the one body like you should. But there is more: In all of this, be thankful. Ungratefulness is a manifestation of selfishness and pride. It leads to jealousy, and other self centered attitudes. Once this infects you, then you become contagious-disunity in the body. There is so much to thank God for concerning the riches of Christ. God wants us to be just as thankful for the people around us in the body. The Spirit wants us to recognize the Spirit in them too. They are riches too. Do you follow what I am saying? Your other body members are real live treasures. As usual we do all this according to the word.
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This leads to the last principle to glean for putting on our goodness to others that was put on us by God;
"16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." Colossians 3:12-17
@6 God wants the ______________________ of Christ to dwell in us. (Colossians 3:12-17)
This sixth principle is that to manifest Christ to one another, where we are the body of Christ to one another, we let the word live in us in fullness. We fill ourselves with the word so that we will have wisdom for living out Christianity in this dark world. The wisdom of the word keeps us, encourages us, and guides us, for example, in all we have learned this morning and volumes more. When the word dwells in you richly then it comes out richly. It builds up. It comes out in ministry to the other members of the body through teaching and admonishment, and yes, in singing. What is the goal of the word's ministry? The goal is to build each other up in the Lord until we all attain to the full stature of Christ Himself. Now, I want us to think about a few things. God loves it when we sing to Him. When we do this together, we are manifesting the Spirit in togetherness that is directed to Him. But, notice what Paul is saying. He says the same thing in the parallel epistle,
"18 ... be [being on an ongoing basis] filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;" Ephesians 5:18-20
Did you notice it? Here Paul says,
"16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs," Colossians 3:16
In Ephesians,
"18 ... be [being] filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs," Ephesians 5:18
In our unity where the word of God is filling our hearts, God wants us to unite to sing pslams hymns and spiritual songs to each other. We actually build one another up by singing the treasures of God to one another. When Paul talks about the Psalms, he is talking about what we find in the book of Pslams. The Psalms are repeated in the New Testament at least 116 times. The Psalms were filled with Messianic prophecies that declared the reality of the Messiah that was to come, and now has arrived, has given His life, raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of the Father as King of kings and Lord of lords. To sing these, is to sing Scripture to one another. We can use music to do this too, because in the Psalms that we are to sing, the use of musical instruments is prescribed, like in Psalm 98, and Psalm 105, where we are directed to use stringed instruments, trumpets, and horns. Singing hymns is a practice where we exalt God, and Christ, like in praising His excellence, wonder, and greatness. We are exalting Christ in song to build one another up. It is the body being the body to the body in the Spirit with the word of God is on our lips. Spiritual songs are spontaneous songs, or compositions. They can be personal testimony songs where the body sings about victories, desires, fulfillment, salvation, and hope in Christ. Spiritual songs, by implication are not carnal. They come from the Spirit and the word in our hearts. Together, we give thanks to our great and glorious God. We do all of this as the one body, operating the way we should--connected--in unity--focused. This last verse is the classic pattern for all church assemblies. It all culminates in the bottom line,
"17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."
@7 As Christians, whatever we do, we should do _________ in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Colossians 3:17)
I urge you to recognize all we have gleaned. The foundation is that your old lostness that permeated you like cancer, was cut away and buried, forever. Remember the second principle: you are clothed with the good-man of spiritual salvation. You are God's elect one, you are one of the holy. You are one of God's beloved. Make it your ambition to live the third principle for putting on our goodness to others that was put on you by God. Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with the people in the body. Forgive the people in the body. This means forgive whoever has a complaint against you; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Always remember the fourth principle for putting on your goodness to others that was put on you by God. The love of Christ is the outer garment that holds everything together. Love is the perfect bond of unity. Abide in the fifth principle: Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. This is what you and I and all Christians were called to in one body. Let the word live in you in in rich fullness that overflows. Be filling yourself with the word so that you will have wisdom for living out the life of Christ in this dark world. Let's all of us, teach and admonish one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in our hearts to God. Finally, whatever we do in word or deed, let's do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Amen.
@1 All of the Lord's people that He has chosen are dearly _______________ which is seen in their salvation. (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
@2 God predestines the people He saves to adoption in love, according to the _________________ intention of His will. ( Ephesians 1:4-5)
@3 God wants people who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior to be ____________________ each other. (Colossians 3:13)
@4 God wants us Christians to think of others as being more __________________________ than ourselves. (Philippians 2:3-5)
@5 God wants us to patiently be ____________________ with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:1-2)
@6 God wants the ______________________ of Christ to dwell in us. (Colossians 3:12-17)
@7 As Christians, whatever we do, we should do _________ in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Colossians 3:17)
