Last week Ken really challenged us, didn’t he? Now, to be fair, he told you going in that it was going to be something we have come to call a “no-hug” Sunday around here, so you were warned that it was going to be a challenging Sunday! But that really has me thinking as I listened to his talk last week, as he worked his way through some of the practical choices Paul wants us to make as disciples of Christ in Colossians 3, I just kept thinking that it’s important that we stop and ask ourselves why? Why would making the practical choices to live holy lives, and live life as disciples of Christ be so challenging? Why does this make us uncomfortable, and not give us those warm and fuzzy feelings as we leave church in comparison to a Sunday morning when we talk about God’s love and grace? I really want you to see that there is a reason for that. The challenge is found in the very thing that makes your faith real…the challenge is found in how we actually live our lives, the choices we make, the things we do and stop doing now that Christ is in our lives and supposedly leading our lives.
Last week Ken told us that to be right with God we simply need to believe. Which is so awesome. This is the beauty of God’s love for us, and we can back this time and time again in Scripture.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. NIV
But we also learned last week that there is a second part to our faith and it’s the one area where many of us can get stuck spiritually and struggle with our faith. Do you remember what that second part of our faith was? Ken said that to be a disciple of Christ we must make choices to live differently. This means we surrender our lives to Christ and allow him to lead our lives. But let’s be honest, this is the challenging part. It’s one thing to find ourselves in painful or desperate places in life and know that we need God…and desire a new eternal destination…but it’s a whole other thing to give our entire lives over to God, isn’t it? I mean, we want to know that when we die, we are going to Heaven and entering paradise for all of eternity, but it’s just a whole other thing to live differently, because let’s face it, there are parts of us that want to do life our own way. We really don’t want to talk about things like surrendering our lives or submitting to God. This is why last week was so challenging, because Paul was telling us the things we need to stop doing, and interestingly enough those choices we need to make were hitting some really sensitive areas of our lives and our culture today! I mean we were talking about greed and our finances, and then if that wasn’t bad enough, we talked about sex and sexual purity and sexuality! Good grief Ken, should have just brought up politics last week to completely make us uncomfortable right?!? Now the good news is that today, instead of talking about the choices we need to make to stop doing or to put specific things to death in our lives, we get a little happier as we talk about the choices we make to put on and make part of our lives, as we learn how to honor Christ in all areas and things we do which is a big deal, honoring Christ, living for Him in all we do!
Before we move on, I was just thinking about how it must feel to sit and listen to Paul push in on our lives so confidently about the things we should stop doing like we did last week. How did that make you feel? You know what’s interesting, Paul is confident, but he also lets you know that it isn’t easy. He himself felt this struggle and tension in living out this new transformation in his own life.
Romans 7:15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway…24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. NLT
So, as you struggle with how confidently Paul is talking about what you should stop doing and the choices you should make, remember, we humans do struggle, we have challenges to live out this new life, which is why we have God’s word and the Holy Spirit to guide us, and why we have Jesus! It’s also why we have the support from our church communities to help us…because it is challenging! But it is so important, and only gets easier as we let go and center our lives on Christ. So, let’s talk for a few moments about where we have been and really dive into this study today because we have a lot of ground to cover today as we try to close out chapter 3 of Colossians. You know how intentionally Paul has been building. In chapter one Paul was talking about the magnitude and supremacy of Christ in our lives. He is ALL and He is ENOUGH, and we must center our lives on Him. Then we saw that Paul doesn’t want this just to be a spiritual concept but actually part of our lives! He wants us to experience this life in Christ and Chapter two really was all about us getting to a place where we could experience this new life in Christ! Then chapter three really challenges us, trying to get us to live out our real lives in Christ.
Colossians 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. NIV
We spent that first Sunday in chapter three talking about our real life in Christ, and what makes our faith real…and we wanted you to see that what makes it real is how you live now that Christ is in your life…it’s found in life change. You know, those choices Ken brought up last week, that we will once again be in today. What makes this real is who you are and how you live and those choices you make to live for God and not yourself. We learned that we must set our hearts and minds on God and things above pursuing and focusing on Godly things and that our real life is found in this new life in Christ. Which led us to Ken’s no hug Sunday last week as he worked us through the things Scripture says we should stop doing or put to death in our lives. So, if Ken had the don’t do’s last week, this week as we continue our study, we talk about what we should be doing! We pick up our study in verse 12 and try to make our way through the rest of Chapter 3, but you will see right away what we God’s chosen people should do… it will all center around love. Let’s just read a few verses and then stop and talk today.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. NIV
I love the way this starts, as God’s chosen people, holy and loved…there are some things we should put on and wear in our lives. Let’s read these three verses in the Message and talk a bit.
Colossians 3:12 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. 13 Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. 14 And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. MSG
So right off the bat here in verse 12 Paul is reminding us once again of this new, real life we live and who we are in Christ which is all about life change. This life change starts with what we already have become because of all Jesus has done for us! We are chosen, valued, loved, and holy in Christ. I love this and remind you again this is who you are to God because of Jesus and all He did for us! Then we start talking choices again, while last week where we were told what we needed to choose to get rid of, now we see what we should choose to do…he doesn’t just say we should choose it, but we should put it on and wear it. I like the imagery of wearing or putting these things on in our lives. That feels stronger than just making a choice. This is who we now are as people changed by God! We are valued, chosen, pursuing holy lives…and this life change, this new life or real life produces some amazing things in us.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. NIV
Then verse 13 adds something else to it and that was a forgiving heart.
Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. NIV
Then the next verse makes sure you understand that all of these qualities are all about love!
Colossians 3:14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. NIV
Listen, this is the very essence of our faith and our real lives in Christ, it’s love. It’s all about love which Paul really doubles down on in 1 Corinthians 13, which we often call “The Love Chapter.” Where he talks about what love is, which can remind us a good bit of the clothing Paul just said we should wear as God’s chosen and loved people, but he also lets us know that we can do a lot of really good things and look profoundly spiritual and it’s all nothing without love.
1 Corinthians 13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing…13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. NIV
The greatest of these is love. So, love is a big deal, it’s what this is all about, which really leads us into a thought that I would like to spend some time on today. Because I think it’s what Paul says as we move through the rest of Colossians 3. Paul says this in Galatians in a conversation about our freedom that I want to tie to today’s discussion.
Galatians 5:13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” NLT
This is Paul talking about loving and serving others and not using our new freedom in Christ to cause others to trip up in their faith but loving and serving…living out the clothing that we are choosing to put on here in Colossians…compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, forgiveness…love! So, we spend a lot of time and focus and energy on talking and trying to lead you into a true and real relationship with God. We want you experiencing real life in Christ, which we know comes down to your heart condition and inner world. It takes effort to be working on the good and bad areas of your life and finding true inner health in Christ. We know that all of these qualities that center on love only happen as we draw closer and closer to God and can’t happen without us choosing to allow Him to lead our lives. It’s growing Spiritually and that growth is all about our relationship with God. Now, I want you to think through something that has been on my mind a lot lately, and it’s something we have talked about a lot over the last few years here at MRC and it will really tie into our talk today. Your Spiritual life, your relationship with God really shows itself in your relationship with others. That inner world that is just between you and God is seen in your relationships and how you relate to and treat others, and vice versa. I want you to think this through, if what I just said is true, then it leads to something that can really help us understand where we are at with God. This can enable us to grow in some ways where we may have felt stuck spiritually for a while, so here’s the thought – Who we are with others, is revealing who we are with Christ. Let’s think about that for a bit, it can be both good and bad, but it can help us learn and grow. Our spiritual Maturity shows itself in love, and our life change reveals itself in changed relationships.
So, let’s slow down here and personalize this for a moment because it may be hard to see the connection. What does this mean for me today? Well, it’s important because it will frame a lot of what we are about as we move through the rest of today’s study. My ability to love others and my relationships can show me how I’m relating to Christ. So, this becomes an important gauge for me, how I treat people around me, and what those relationships look like really can show me how I’m walking with Christ. Hmm, are you buying that? Well, Let’s test this out! Because it may really help us see some things that I think otherwise stay a little fuzzy. Do you want to know what your relationship with God looks like? Ask yourself how you treat people? Do you struggle to allow people all the way into your life? Pulling everything inward, afraid to let people in? Do you like to keep things surfacy and make sure people only see the good stuff in your life? Odds are that is how your walk with God looks too. Do you need control, and struggle to allow someone else to lead you in life? Odds are you wrestle for control of your life with God. Are you one of those people who takes and reaches out to people when you need something and no other time? I wonder if that matches the times when you reach out to God. Do you go up and down and all over the place with people, they are in your life, out of your life, as the wind blows? Odds are your relationship with God looks very similar. Do you really need people to know your greatness, and wisdom? Are you constantly trying to prove your worth to people? Odds are you are doing that with Your Heavenly Father too. Do you see this? Your real life is coming out, but we have to slow down, focus, and see it, so we can grow! Our relationships are a great way to see this real life we want in Christ…and what have we learned today? It’s love…so what do you choose to wear?
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. NIV
This is our real life, it’s a life of love and is seen in our relationships with others! It’s interesting, that love is so central to who we are in Christ, and it’s this love that proves we are living a new life…this transformational love that only comes from choosing to live for Christ and allowing Him to lead our lives. That’s real life…and it doesn’t just come from believing in Christ but by choosing to live this surrendered life in Christ, where God who is love, runs the show and it’s this love that is visible to the world and shows God to those who need Him as we all do!
Now what’s interesting is that after we see this call to put on and live out a life of love Paul shifts gears and talks about a couple different areas of our lives…and it starts with our church lives.
Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 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. 17 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. NIV
Ok Sam, how is this about my church life? Well, we know that the church is the body of Christ and here we see some things that our church life should be as we choose to live differently and put on this life of love. So, we are to get along with each other, teaching, and worshipping all done in such a way that it always points to Jesus. We are learning that our real life in Christ is shaping our hearts towards people, and that a great way to see how Christ is changing our lives is how we relate to people. Remember it’s life change that makes it real and last week Paul was telling us what we should get rid of…
Colossians 3:7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. NIV
And this week we are looking at what we are to put on and wear as we choose to live for Christ.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. NIV
And then in verse 15 we see him really reminding us that Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace lives in and amongst us and should be reflected out in us and our churches. Which is interesting because I’m not sure I have lived through a more volatile time in the church world. Right now, we see church communities fracturing, more and more people leaving a church to go to another or just leaving church all together…there is so much fighting, and volatility right now. Which is heartbreaking, and if we are to believe Scripture is revealing the true heart condition of us people. What’s interesting to me is that with all the division and fighting…it’s never over Jesus and the mission of Christ…but always on things outside of Christ. Politics, sex, mask or no mask…what one church provides for fun or security that another does not…it’s amazing isn’t it? And another heart-breaking example of how we drift away from Christ. All these fights, debates, and division would be the opposite of how we are called to live as we choose to put on this life of love…but I digress. Let’s go back to this section as we get some direction here.
Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 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. 17 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. NIV
I see a few things here that seem to let us know what we the church should be doing. First, I see that our churches should be shaped and directed by God’s word…we should be in the Word. Which is interesting because if we were in God’s word and allowing it to shape us, we probably wouldn’t have all this division in our churches, you know if we lived out what the Bible says and calls us to do rather than what our preferred news outlet tells us to do, but again…I digress. Second, we should be filled with gratitude and worship for Christ as He dwells in us! I have told you that Paul’s secret weapon is thankfulness, it’s why he could persevere through everything he walked through in life…he is so thankful for all God has done for Him and he wants us being thankful in our churches…and then verse 17 hits, and it’s another area where we really need to stop and think for a moment…
Colossians 3:17 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. NIV
Do everything in your life for Christ! Do everything to honor Him! Well, wait a minute here…this means that Christ and this real life we are living in Him is part of every aspect of my life…not just my Sunday mornings at church, but everything we do…that includes our work life, our home life, our relationships, out in the community, and even our lives in private when no one is looking…it’s all to be lived for Jesus. So many of us compartmentalize our lives. We wouldn’t necessarily want our church lives meeting our work lives…or our home lives crashing into our work lives because we live differently in each environment…yet Paul says whatever you do, all of it is to be done for Jesus. Do you live this way, or would you say that the person you are out on the job site would probably not want to meet up with the person you are on Sunday mornings or in your home life? Paul says do everything for Christ, be the same person in every part of your life. So, Paul starts with us choosing to live differently and to put on love, discussing our relationships, then our churches, and then after reminding us to be the same person in all areas of our lives moving now to our families.
Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. NIV
So a couple things here, this is where many women feel some tension in verse 18 because once again we do not like this word submit but this is not a negative or disrespectful or an outdated word here…but really as we have talked the last two weeks it’s the key to all of us living Godly lives…and I would also once again remind you that your relationship with God comes out in your relationships. If you struggle to allow your husband to lead and refuse to respect and follow him it can be showing you something very important. It can reflect the tension and wrestling match you are having with giving up control to God which is brutal because we know God truly runs the show and does as He pleases. Listen wives, I get it you don’t like hearing this word submit but frankly it’s what all believers are called to do…this area of Colossians and Ephesians 5 really echo each other, but I like adding this here because we all must practice this to each other, we submit to each other.
Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. NIV
We can also look to the leadership of Jesus who also practiced this…submitting to His Heavenly Father.
John 5:19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. ESV
Husbands you are not let off the hook here but challenged to choose this life of love in your marriage.
Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. NIV
And I would add to this that Paul also says we must submit to each other, and part of that is giving love, and treating your wife as she should be treated. Remember leading is done with love, and it’s not easy, and is done regardless of the response…which makes it even harder, but we choose to wear the clothes of love…we wear them at church, at work, and at home…men, your relationship with God is seen in how you treat your spouse and those around you. If you are harsh or distant or checking out on her when it gets tough, it is probably no different than your walk with God regardless of how Christian, you may look or tell others you are. We must choose to put on humility, compassion, patience, and forgiveness. Then Paul goes on to challenge children to obey their parents…kids it’s the same thing! When we choose to put on this new life in Christ we love others, submitting to each other. How you relate to people is telling you a lot about your walk with God. Children, do you struggle to obey your parents? Well, this may say a lot about your walk with God…then Paul ends the chapter pushing in on our work life…
Colossians 3:22 Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. 23 Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, 24 confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. 25 The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being Christian doesn’t cover up bad work. (Colossians 4:1) And masters, treat your servants considerately. Be fair with them. Don’t forget for a minute that you, too, serve a Master — God in heaven. MSG
So, what do we see here? Just like at home, and at church, all areas, everything we do is for Christ…all of it. We go to work, and we work hard doing our best! We treat our bosses with respect and bosses you should treat your employees with respect because again, your walk with God is coming out in how you treat people here on this Earth…we honor God in all we do, in every environment, and in all aspects of our lives. So, as we close today I have some really important questions for you…
- When you look at your life do you see love? Have you made the choice to clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiving others as Christ forgave you?
- When you look at your relationships, what does it tell you about yourself and your relationship with God? Can you see the connection there? If you aren’t happy with what you see it’s ok because now you can take the steps towards this real life that is found in a true relationship with God!
- Are you the same person in every environment of your life? Do you honor Christ and live for Him in every environment? Would you want the person you are on the job site to bump into the person you are at home or at church?
- What is the most challenging thing to you when it comes to your faith? Is it believing in Christ? Or choosing to live differently because God is now part of your life?
- As you look at your life today, what are some changes that need to be made? What do you need to stop doing or put to death in your own life? What do you need to put on and start doing in your life?
Listen, we love you and know this is challenging, it’s why before we even continued pushing through this challenging chunk of Scripture on choosing to live differently, I wanted you to see that we all struggle with it, even Paul said it was difficult…but he also told us the answer to truly living differently and being able to live out this real life in Christ that comes through Christ. You can do it, and the answer to how is also Jesus, it’s found in Him. So, if you are sitting here today, feeling conviction, or challenged from these last two talks on the choices we make to live differently as a disciple of Christ, maybe you are feeling deeply aware of the changes that need to be made, but struggling to make those choices and live differently. If that’s the case, please remember the answer is Jesus Christ. You can do it with and through Jesus Christ! If you want help with this please reach out to us here at MRC, and we can help lead and point you to the answer to life change, which is Jesus…so to end today sI will take you right back to Paul’s struggle and challenge in the choices we make and where our true freedom and answer to this battle we face on the choices we should make is found…which is Jesus.
Romans 7:24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. NLT