Thank you, Johnny, and good afternoon, everybody.
If you could open your Bibles, please, to Colossians chapter 3, and starting at verse 12.
If you're using the Red Church Bible, that's on page 1184, Colossians chapter 3.
And before we start, let's just pray and commit this time to God.
Father, we believe that your word is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword.
Let it cut through into our hearts right now, and let it expose the sin in our lives.
That sin which takes away our joy in you, and prevents us from becoming who we truly are in Christ.
It's in his name that we ask this. Amen.
Well, let's read from verse 12.
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 one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
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 are called to peace,
and be thankful.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly,
as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom,
through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,
singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
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.
Does that sound impossible to you?
Do you feel that there's just no chance you could be that person,
even just for five minutes of your day,
let alone 24-7?
I do.
Maybe you think,
well, I could be that person,
only problem is this.
All the pressures that I experience in my life,
the exhaustion of work and family,
the health problems that I face,
I just, I can't live this life.
Well, I want to encourage you.
Number one,
it's normal Christian experience to feel this way.
And number two,
you actually can become,
in increasing measure,
that person that you truly are in Christ.
How can we?
And what will it look like?
Well, we're going to find out in our passage today.
In fact, in Colossians chapter 3,
the Apostle Paul is writing to ordinary Christians,
like you and me.
Christians who've been given new life in Christ.
And he wants to remind them something really important about their old life.
Look back at verse 3,
in chapter 3.
He says,
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.
So,
that life that you used to live,
before you trusted in Christ,
it's gone.
It's dead.
You've been given a new life.
Christ's life is now your life.
That's your unchanging status.
You can't lose that.
That's your new self.
And that's brilliant.
I mean, we can all get behind that.
But here's your big problem.
And mine also.
We keep falling back
into the sinful practices
of our old life before Christ.
We don't live like we've been made new.
We continue to sin and fail.
In and of ourselves,
we don't have the power
to live the new life
that Christ commands us to live.
How do we account for this paradox?
We've been made new,
but we don't live like we're new.
Well, look down at verse 9.
This is really important.
Paul says,
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 knowledge,
in the image of its creator.
So, on the one hand,
we have an unchanging status
in Christ.
We are safe
and secure in him.
On the other hand,
we're not yet made perfect.
We have entered
into this gradual process
of being made like Christ.
And that accounts
for why we continue
to struggle with sin.
We are still becoming
who we truly are.
Thank God that the sin
that we continue to struggle with
does not change our status
of being united with Christ.
Yet,
in this passage today,
God commands us
to become
our true souls,
to become
more and more
like Christ.
And it's a command,
my brothers and sisters,
that we must strive
to obey.
And also a command,
we lack the power
to obey.
So before we learn
what the new life
looks like,
and Paul has
three different marks
of the new self of Christ,
which we're going to look at
in a moment,
Paul must first tell us
where to find the power
to become
who
we truly are.
so he starts by telling us four staggering identifiers for anyone who has new life in christ
first one is in verse 12 have a look down there it says we are god's chosen people
you are chosen by god
he chose us before we ever chose him and if that sounds strange to you look back one chapter
to colossians 2 verse 13 colossians 2 verse 13 when you were dead in your sins and in the
uncircumcision of your flesh god made you alive with christ a dead person can't do anything for
themselves let alone place their faith in someone clearly god chose us he chose us to be made alive
with him before we were ever able to choose him that's a mystery i don't quite understand that
yet but it's what god's word says
and it should stagger us and humble us to think that when we didn't deserve his mercy or his grace
god chose us to receive it wow what a deep security that brings not about me holding on to god
he chose me here's a second identifier
we are set apart for him in verse 12 not only are we chosen god chose us to be holy or set apart for him
his treasured possession and that gives us amazing purpose doesn't it we're not living for ourselves
we are living for the king who has rescued us and that in turn leads to our third reality
we are dearly loved by him now if we've been chosen by him and set apart for him
how much more proof do we need to know that we are so dearly loved by him precious sons and daughters
of the king of the universe there is one more identifier though and it's actually found
in our passage in verse
15
we are members of the body of christ
you have a new family
and this is the church all over the world and right here in our local church we are united together
in christ you're part of the family
your identity is inextricably linked with the brothers and sisters sitting around you right now
we are united together in christ both now and into eternity how amazing is that
so that's who you are
you are chosen set apart loved in the family
and when you think about it isn't that what everyone in this world longs for
to be chosen loved treasured
to be part of a family forever we have it all here in christ don't we
these four identifiers here they are the rock solid foundation for your life
in christ your new life in him
so do you feel them do you know them
because only once you know who you truly are can you start to live out your true identity
and paul also very importantly now tells us the power source
for becoming who we truly are
and that power source is simply christ in us i mean if you remember back to
verse four there we read it at the start
when christ who is your life appears then you also will appear with him
the power source is his life in us now think about it christ is the only person who can
really live the life that we've read about in our passage today
because we participate in christ's life his spirit is alive inside of us and so that means we have all we
need to live this new life christ is empowering us to become like him and i have to warn you
if you don't understand that you're going to be crushed under the weight of the commands coming up in this passage
because you might wrongly think that you must garner some inner strength from somewhere inside of you to live this new life in christ
or you might think oh well it's half my strength half god's no
we can only become who we truly are in christ in the power of christ working through our efforts
so with that firmly in mind let's now look at three marks of that new self
which paul describes
we are to
put on our new clothes of love
submit to the rule of christ
and do everything in the name of jesus firstly
put on
the clothes of love
look in verse 12 it says therefore as god's chosen people
holy and dearly loved
clothe yourselves
with compassion
kindness
humility
gentleness
and patience
clothe yourselves in compassionate hearts
now
i don't know about you but does that not strike you as impossible
i mean
how do you put on
a compassionate heart
if you were to ask me to put on a smile
even when i'm really not feeling like it
i can put on a smile i can fake it right
how on earth am i supposed to put on a feeling
a compassionate heart to be touched by my brother or sister's pain where i just simply am not feeling it
well the only answer is it's a miracle of christ
it's got to be his power
in us
changing us giving us new hearts
and what is the result of that new heart of compassion well
i think acts of kindness naturally flow out of that
kindness towards our brothers and sisters in the body
he goes on in verse 12 clothe yourselves in humility
now i think this is another big heart issue
do we look down on other members of the body
and think in some ways we are better than others
or do you elevate your brothers and sisters above you
in serving their needs first
treating them better than they even deserve at times
that's humility
and then what flows out of that humble heart that god gives us
it's the next thing on paul's list isn't it
gentleness
gentleness towards all not a judgmental or harsh demeanor
but gentleness towards our brothers and sisters
next paul tells us to put on the garments of patience
to be long suffering with one another
and there's a reason why we need to do this
just nobody in this room has been made perfect yet we are
a beautiful but a messy church
so paul calls you to something radical
in verse 13 read it with me
bear with each other and forgive one another
if any of you has a grievance against someone
forgive as the lord forgave you
to bear with our brothers and sisters in their sin
and their mess is to help them on their journey to becoming their true selves in christ
we pass over
all the different wrongs that might be done to us
we don't bring every one of those up
we know that we do need to confront our brothers and sisters at times with their sin
and yet we also pass over
and knowing that there will be times when we
will hurt each other either unintentionally or not
and we must forgive
as christ has forgiven us
and then in 14
let's read it
and over all these virtues
put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity
basically become a loving person in the church
filled with not just any love
christ's love
because christ is your life
you can love like he does
in increasing measure
as you depend on him
so i want to encourage you
if you are in christ today
you have all these clothes of love
in your spiritual wardrobes
in the power of the spirit of christ
keep putting them on
moment by moment
and become
who you truly are in christ
second mark of the new self in christ
is that we
submit to the rule of christ
now we read back in verse one of this chapter that christ is seated at the right
hand of god in the place of authority
and we as a church family
we're to submit
to his loving rule over us
specifically here
christ's peace
and his word
look at what paul says in verse 15
let the peace of christ
rule in your hearts
since as members of one body
you were called
to peace
we're called to submit
to christ's peace
what a wonderful thing to submit to
but sometimes the last thing
our selfish hearts
wants to submit to
how often in the church do we
disagree over
petty things that don't really matter
we grumble and complain about so and so doing this or that
and sometimes
it's not even a primary issue
maybe it's the length of the sermon
what that kid did
which songs were chosen
what way the chairs were set out
all such grumbling
and complaining is not in submission to the peace of christ
christ's
so if we do see something in the church that's
not in a line with god's word
let's go
with the clothes of love
on us and address it
but always with the intention to promote peace in the church
not division
let's not come in all guns blazing
but instead clothe ourselves in compassion
kindness
patience
gentleness
speaking the truth in love
of course we're going to disagree
that's part of
life together as a family
but we can do so peaceably
in the power of christ
one other thing we're supposed to submit to
in verse 16 we're supposed to submit to the word of christ
let's read there
let the message of christ dwell among you richly
as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom
through psalms hymns and songs from the spirit
you know
it's not my word
or your word
actually that's the authority
it's christ's word isn't it
it's
we are to let it dwell
richly among us
don't you love that language
to dwell richly
and what does that look like well
no matter what you feel your main gifting might be
in the church body
here we are all
instructed to teach each other
to do what the word says
and we are all instructed to
admonish or warn one another when someone is not doing what the word says
this should actually be a normal part of our lives together as a family believers
now if you're the one teaching or admonishing
you better come clothed
in love
and humility
and gentleness before you even think about approaching your brother or sister
and likewise
on the flip side
when you're the one being taught
if someone comes to you sharing god's word with you
admonishing you
you also need to be clothed with humility and love
willing to listen
being thankful for your brother or sister who cared enough
to bring god's word
his healing word
to you
yet i think it's clear and you probably noticed this that the context which paul is mainly thinking of
in this passage
is teaching and admonishing one another through our singing
now
that's an interesting one isn't it
because oftentimes we're not mindful
of this main purpose of singing in our gathering
our purpose when we sing is not simply
vertical
singing praise to god although that is a primary purpose for sure
what a joy to sing praise to him but we're also singing horizontally to each other
some sunday mornings i walk in here
and i'm struggling to believe the promises
i'm disappointed i'm weary
on those days
you my brothers and sisters are teaching and admonishing me
by singing the word over me
whether you're young or old you're singing
when i just look around and see you singing
that encourages me that the promises are true
to keep going in the faith
so sing out
and teach and admonish your brothers and sisters around you and let the word of christ dwell richly
among us
become who you truly are in christ
and submit to that peace of christ and the word of christ
lastly
and briefly as part of our new life in christ
we do everything in the name of jesus
read verse 17 with me
and whatever you do
whether in word or deed
do it all in the name of the lord jesus giving thanks
thanks to god the father through him
in becoming who we truly are in christ
our old motivations
often selfish
are replaced with new ones
we don't live to satisfy our own selfish desires anymore
no matter what we accumulate
it's never enough anyway
and we don't live to please people anymore either because
we can never measure up to their standards no matter how hard or how long we tried
instead we do everything in the name of jesus
whether that's doing jobs around the house
sitting around the dinner table with your family
setting down chairs at church
going to work on a monday morning
scrolling through your phone in the evening
no exceptions
every action
every word
do it
do it in the name of jesus
i think that means three things
a
representing him
when people see you
they should see something different about how you speak and act
do they see kindness
compassion
the humility of jesus
you're representing him
when you're doing it all in his name
secondly i think this
could imply that we are also empowered by him
if we're doing it in jesus name that means
we are depending in everything we do
on christ's power to enable us to do it
not on our own strength
and thirdly
i think to do everything in the name of jesus means
to simply do it for him
we make it our aim
to please him
and i think that changes
the way we do the things that we do right
if you're doing those mundane jobs around the house
do it for christ
to serve him
and your family
if you're watching tv
think carefully about what you consume
is it pleasing to christ
is it good for your heart
if you're going to work on a monday morning
don't do a half job on it
give it your very best
do it for christ
aim to please him
and let your boss see your good deeds
if you're setting up chairs and you think
do you know what nobody ever thanks me for doing this job
do it for christ
do everything in the name of the lord jesus
giving thanks
to god the father through him yes
giving thanks in everything
paul fits in one more beautiful item of clothing into this passage
the garment of thankfulness
what a difference it makes to put on
the clothes of thankfulness
in place of mumbling
and complaining
so become who you truly are in christ
and do everything in the name of jesus
giving thanks to god the father through him
to finish
i'm not sure
what challenges you the most from this passage today
but for me
there are some days i'm tired
disappointed
feeling weak
and i actually just give up on those days living the new life in christ
i don't know if you can relate
i just pull on those old clothes of
selfishness
harshness and speech
being a big old grump really
do you have days like that
well this is what got me this week
the amazing news of this passage is that at every moment in your life
you actually have the power to live your new life in christ
because you are always in christ
you can always become more like christ
isn't that just transformative
it's not some special strength you must drum up from inside yourself
it's christ's power
already dwelling inside of you
his spirit
so it's possible
to put on your new clothes of love even when you're tired
disappointed
and suffering
you can
you can submit to that new authority of christ's peace and his word
and you actually are able
to leave your old motivations behind and do everything for jesus
it's all by christ's power in us
so let me encourage you
go
become who you truly are in christ
work hard at it
with christ's power working through you
go and live it
let's pray
oh father
we confess
we don't have the resources to live this beautiful new life
in and of ourselves
thank you
thank you for giving us new life in christ
thank you that
christ is in us
so fill up our weakness with your strength and save us
from depending on ourselves
give us new grace
each day
to live the new life
you have won for us
it's for his sake we ask
amen
we're going to sing a song
which brings together some of these themes we've been talking about
it
it's called there is one gospel and
in the third verse there's something that really struck me from this
it says
now on my savior i fix my eyes
my life is his
and his hope is mine
for he has promised i too will rise
i stand in the gospel of jesus christ
are you standing in that gospel today
are you fixing your eyes on your savior
using this song i encourage you to do that
to place your hope and your trust in him again
let's all stand and sing if you're able thank you
do
Thank you.