We live in a confusing world, and I'm not talking about things like why people would want to eat asparagus or why little children refuse to take their afternoon naps when they give their left kidneys to have one when they hit their 30s.
I'm talking about more serious things than that. You see, our culture tells you, be yourself, be true to who you really are, don't change, be the authentic you, but be a better you.
You see, the US First Lady's signature campaign is called Be Best. Now, that could be anything. It can mean anything you want it to mean, and that's the point.
Be a better person and be the best at something. Work harder to be better and be the better you that you already are.
At the same time, you can see why there's a multi-billion dollar global industry that wants to help us to be a better you with all kinds of self-help advice, all manners of spirituality, to be more mature, more capable, more healthy, etc.
Which, ironically, is having someone else tell you how to change. It's all very confusing, because it is contradictory.
Do I need to change, do I need to change, or do I not?
And Paul writes here to the Colossian church about this very question, and he tells them, you have to change if you're a Christian.
But more than that, you are changed, because everything changes, because everything has changed, and that's not up for debate, but it's that why of the hell that we need to talk about.
What's the background here? Well, he's writing to this church in Colossae, and he's writing to encourage them, and commend them, and warn them.
Because there is some kind of heresy that they're being faced with, and that they're risking being drawn into, with false teachers telling them something, some kind of belief system, that we don't have all the detail of.
But it seemed to involve some kind of seeking of spiritual maturity, through more spiritually advanced people accessing higher powers of some kind, or things above, that they called it, through worshipping angels.
And at the same time, it seemed like they had all kinds of rules and procedures, things you had to do to become more mature.
You know, you can see in chapter 2, verses 21 to 22, he kind of uses their language, it seems, he says, don't handle, don't taste, don't touch.
So there's some kind of Jewish, syncretistic religion here going on.
But the point is, and we don't have all the details, it seems like it's some kind of philosophy or religion that says, if you do this and do that, if you eat the right foods and abstain from doing that, if you're more spiritual than the next person and have the right insight,
if you can gain access to the higher powers, then you will achieve true spirituality.
This kind of change will give you heaven on earth.
Does that sound familiar?
Now there are many ways you can respond to that.
The question is, what did Paul do here?
And interestingly, for two chapters before we get to this passage that we just read, he's extolled Jesus Christ.
See, the reason we don't know all the ins and outs of what this heresy involves is partly because Paul doesn't go blow by blow, point for point, and respond to it.
Which may be a good thing for us to remember when we engage with the culture around us.
But that's a sermon for another day.
See, he tells them, let me tell you about the one who is more excellent than any so-called wise philosophy.
The one who's done more excellent things than any good deeds.
And there's much there.
And we've got to remember, you know, he's writing to these people on parchment and scrolls that were expensive and scarce.
There wasn't a Xerox machine that you could run off a whole book with.
You had to make your words count.
And he's done this for two chapters before we get here, telling them about Jesus Christ and how excellent he is.
Let me just read you a bit from chapter 1.
There's a very well-known bit from verse 15.
He says, he's the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth.
Visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.
All things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things.
And in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
How does Paul encourage the church in Colossal in this situation they face?
He exalts Christ.
He said, let's begin at the beginning.
Not at your situation.
Not the heretical philosophy of these false teachers.
Let's begin at Christ, the head of the body, the church.
If we're talking first principles for the best life, then let's start with the one who created and sustains all life.
And then he says in chapter 2, verse 20, just before the passages that we read, he says,
If you died with Christ in the things of this world, why do you think working on human understandings of how to be better will work?
They appear wise, but they're self-made religions, and they're useless in stopping the sinful nature that is your real problem.
Verse 23.
See, that's where we pick it up.
He says, if you've died with Christ, you're raised to life with him too.
And that changes everything.
The first thing that changes when we're raised to life with Christ, he says, is our perspective and our priorities.
He says, it's not some abstract philosophical or spiritual idea that we should think about.
It's a very concrete person that he wants us to focus about.
When he addresses this heresy, he says, yes, there are more things in the world that we see.
There are more important things in many ways, but the things above you're looking for is the one above.
In Colossians, in chapter 3, verse 1, if then you've been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,
for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ wears your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
He turns the tables on these false teachers.
Seek the things above, yes, affirming that there is more than just the things of this world,
using their own phrase, but what they should really seek is the one above.
The Christ who died, was raised from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of God.
But there's more to it than that, even.
So you're now one with him.
You realise that?
You've been raised with Christ.
Your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, he says.
If you're a believer in Christ, that is true for you as well.
What is true for Christ is true for us.
Because he lives, we live.
Because he has his being in God, we have our being in God.
Your existence, he says, is hidden in God.
Safe, secure and untouchable by anyone.
And that's why Paul starts by explaining who Christ is.
And how we relate to him in his death and resurrection.
Your perspective and priorities change because of the supreme excellence of the Saviour who died for you
and now reigns at the right hand of the Father.
But it doesn't just stay with perspective and priorities in this passage.
This isn't some airy-fairy pie in the sky, head in the clouds change in perspective that he's talking about.
Exactly the opposite.
See, thinking upon Christ, he says,
Having our being centered on him and our life from him has a very real effect on our actions and attitude.
There is a dangerous line of thinking that Christians have to deal with more and more.
Which even creeps into the church, influenced and strengthened by the world around us.
It goes something like this.
He says,
If Christ accepts me as a sinner and loves me, I don't have to change how I live and what I do.
And yes, it's absolutely true that God accepts us how we are.
We can't ever bring anything to the table to be saved.
And praise the Lord, that is true.
Otherwise, none of us would be saved.
None of us would be here.
But the point Paul is making is that God doesn't want us to stay the way we are.
We should never fall for that lie.
And even if we tell that lie to ourselves, sometimes, maybe subtly,
not in this kind of over-explicit way,
but the things that we struggle with,
that niggling sin that we just can't seem to get rid of,
that can wait for another day.
I think that's possibly the way that it plays out for us.
And here's why it can't stay the way it is.
He says,
If we're united to Christ, as we've seen,
there's no way that can happen.
Notice the order that Paul does this in.
He says,
Since you've been raised with Christ,
He is your life.
And since your life is hidden,
is secure with Him in God already,
you will appear with Him in glory.
These things are past realities
that shape our present
and will continue for all eternity.
There is no way that we can stay the way we were
if we will be appearing with Christ in glory.
And he says,
Be on that path of change
to appear with Him in glory.
And then he says,
Now go and do these things.
Change because you have been changed.
Change is hard.
And it needs to be so fundamental,
so hard that Paul calls it
putting to death sin.
Notice how in verse 5
he goes for the most intimate
and most besetting,
most secret sins in our lives very often.
He says,
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you,
sexual immorality, impurity,
passions, evil desire,
and covetousness,
which is idolatry.
Now all of these have in common
that they're placing our needs,
our desires,
our idea of what we're owed and want
in place of focusing on Christ
as the one who gives us our very lives.
That's why he calls,
he sums it up with,
which is idolatry.
We're worshipping something else.
Ourselves.
And in verse 8 he goes on
and he says,
you know,
it's not just about
your kind of internal sins,
your internal things
that need to change.
This impacts our relationships
with one another.
And the external manifestation
of that focus on ourselves.
And he addresses all kinds of things
about speech to one another.
How we speak to and about one another.
But then in verse 12
is the positive command, isn't it?
Take off these things,
put to death these things,
and put on,
then,
as God's chosen ones,
holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts,
kindness,
humility,
meekness,
and patience.
Bearing with one another.
And if one has a complaint
against one another,
forgiving each other,
as the Lord has forgiven
you,
so you must also forgive.
Put off the old way
of doing things.
Because you've put off
the old self.
Put on the new person,
because in Christ
you are a new person.
Become in practice
what you are
in principle already.
You know,
I don't know if you've heard
people say sometimes,
dress for the job you want,
not the one you have.
You can't keep on dressing
like the intern
with the torn jeans
if you want to be the CEO.
Paul's saying,
dress like the person
you already are.
Wear those attributes of God.
Kindness and humility,
patience,
like the person
united to Jesus,
that you are.
In Genesis 1
we read how God
makes people in his image.
And we know
what went wrong
with the four.
And here we have
this remarkable phrase
in verse 9.
Not verse 9.
Verse 10,
where it says,
you've put on the new self
which has been renewed
in knowledge
after the image
of its creator.
Isn't that staggering?
What went wrong
with the four
is being corrected
every day
in a Christian's life.
As we put off
this old self
and put on
the new self.
And it feels hard.
It doesn't feel that way
every day
when we battle
the sin,
when we lose
our temper again.
when we enjoy
that off joke
at work
slightly too much
or something like that.
But don't give up.
There is a finality
to this.
He says,
put off all of these things
once and for all
and once you've come
to faith in Christ,
sin never has
the same power over you
as it has before.
But there's an ongoing
nature to it too.
we must continue
putting off sin.
We must continue
seeking more and more
to be like Christ.
I don't know
if you saw
the HMS
Queen Elizabeth
on a new aircraft carrier
set sail for America
this week
on a kind of
main and Atlantic voyage.
It's a fantastic ship.
But when it needs
to turn around
it doesn't happen
in a moment.
It takes a while.
But when it starts
to turn
it turns.
And you don't want
to be a sailboat
that gets in the way
of that ship
turning.
And if you're sitting
here tonight
discouraged about
something that you're
struggling with
that you've been
struggling with
maybe for years
maybe all your life
some kind of sin
that maybe someone
doesn't even
someone else
doesn't even know about
take courage
from this.
Your change
to the person
that will appear
with Christ in glory
is more powerful
than that ship
turning around
and is done
by God himself.
You see
Paul is not
trying to rebuke
these Christians
in Colossae
and I'm not
I'm not trying
to do that
tonight either.
Take heart
and be encouraged.
God is doing
a great work
in you
but we will only
see the result
of finally
when he returns
in glory.
See here's how
John Owen
writes about it.
He says
set faith
at work
on Christ
for the killing
of thy sin.
His blood
is the great
sovereign remedy
for sin sick
souls.
Live in this
and thou
will die
a conqueror.
Yeah thou wilt.
Through the good
providence of God
live to see
thy lust dead
at thy feet.
We all look forward
to that.
But there's more
to it than
that needs to change
Paul says.
It's not just
our perspective
and priorities
or our actions
and attitudes
it's our very
identity
and ideology
that changes.
You see
in a few places
we've read some
pretty fundamental
things
about who
we should
think
we are.
In verse 4
he says
Christ who
is your
life?
Verse 9
put off the
old self.
Verse 10
you've put on
the new self.
And then
verse 11
here there is
not
Greek
and Jew
circumcised
and uncircumcised
barbarians
in the slave
free
but Christ
is all
and in all
and he's
talking about
the body
of Christ.
You see
it's so
fundamental
this change
that happens
when you
come to
faith in
Christ
when you're
united to
Christ by
faith.
That all
of these
human
distinctions
all of
these human
divisions
very often
that cause
so much
difficulty
and so much
discord
in the world
that we live
in fall
away.
He's covering
everything
Jew and
Gentile
those who
have the
promise of
Abraham
and those
who didn't
cultured
people and
uncultured
those who
are masters
and those
who serve
those with
social status
and those
who didn't
have any
social status
any value
in society.
Now of course
all distinctions
between human
beings
all the rich
diversity
that God
created us
in
doesn't
immediately
disappear
and won't
disappear
and that's
a great
thing
but it
propels
into
insignificance
he's arguing
compared to
the very
source of
our new
lives
the very
core of
our identity
being a
new creation
in Christ
those things
don't define
us primarily
now you
may ask
why is
this all
that strange
even
if we
know the
culture
around us
get their
identity
from these
things
and what
people do
in a city
like London
one of the
primary
things
that defines
you
we know
mostly
that that's
not true
why does
Paul put
so much
emphasis
on it
you see
it's relevant
for us
I think
because he's
not writing
to a church
that is
struggling
they've not
bought into
this false
teaching
it wouldn't
seem
here's how
he describes
them in the
letter
in chapter
1 verse
4 he
says
we've
heard of
your
faith
in
Christ
Jesus
and of
the love
that you
have for
all the
saints
chapter 2
verse 5
he said
though I'm
absent in
body
yet I am
with you
in spirit
rejoicing to
see your
good order
and the
firmness of
your faith
in Christ
chapter 2
verse 8
see that no
one takes
you captive
by philosophy
and empty
deceit
according to
human tradition
according to
the elemental
spirits of
the world
and not
according to
Christ
implication being
they've not
been taken
captive by
these things
yet
and even
just in
this passage
that we
read
they have
God's
chosen ones
holy and
beloved
and let's not
forget those
words spoken
of Christ
in the
New Testament
and Israel
in the Old
Testament
so that's a
good reference
from the
apostle Paul
for a
church
if a
church
got a
letter
from
Paul
giving them
an appraisal
this is about
as good
as you can
expect
this is not
as good
as they
come
this isn't
the
Corinthian
church
or the
Galatian
church
where Paul
is very
direct
in addressing
their
immorality
their
divisions
or even
their
downright
racism
we need
to be
reminded
of this
ourselves
because
day to
day
it's very
easy to
be influenced
by the
world
around us
in our
thinking
about
who
we
are
just
like
this
commended
church
in Colossum
needed to
be
reminded
of this
and were
at risk
of finding
their identity
in something
the exclusivity
of this
spiritual realm
that they were
able to
access
it's not
even that
our identity
primarily can
come from
being members
of IPC
healing
but it
must be
that we're
members of
the body
of this
one living
saviour
reigning
and ruling
over all
things
at the
right hand
of the
father
the head
of this
body
Jesus
Christ
here's
we've seen
our perspective
and priorities
our actions
and attitudes
and our
identity
and ideology
change
when we're
raised to
life with
Christ
but of
all of
these things
I think
the last
one is
maybe the
most
difficult
and our
identity
and ideology
influence so
much of
what we do
on a day
to day
basis
our actions
unthinkingly
even flows
from those
things
so that
church in
Colossal
with a
glowing report
from Paul
needs to
hear this
maybe we
need to be
reminded of
our common
identity in
Christ as
well
here's a
question
when you're
asked to
describe
yourself
to someone
what is
the first
thing that
comes to
mind
is it
that you're
a redeemed
saved
child of
God
united to
Christ
by faith
I don't
think I
would always
start off
with that
if I had
to write
a short
blurb
about
myself
and it
can be
subtle
it can be
subtle
even at
church
how easy
is it to
only speak
to the
people we
know
the people
we know
we've got
something in
common
with
put on
the old
self
Paul says
put on
the new
self
and that
happens
he tells
us in
verse 15
by letting
the peace
of Christ
rule in
your hearts
to which
indeed you
were called
in one
body
and be
thankful
and let
the word
of Christ
dwell in
you richly
teaching and
admonishing
one another
in all
wisdom
singing
psalms
hymns
and spiritual
songs
with
thankfulness
in your
hearts
to God
isn't it
spectacular
that even
when Paul
calls us
to actively
work towards
Christ
likeness
where
Christ's
image
supersedes
our own
that
Christ's
word
does the
work
isn't
that
grace
upon
grace
see we
can do
this work
because he
does the
work
but we
need each
other to
do this
the church
this church
every Sunday
when we're
together here
models
this very
new humanity
that he's
talking about
and in this
church
in this very
church
we have
English
people
Welsh
people
Americans
Iranians
Canadiens
South
Africans
and and
and
if I give
a number
of how many
nationalities
we have
I probably
have it
wrong
there are
many
we've got
families and
single people
old and
young
wealthy and
not wealthy
people
powerful people
and struggling
people
every Sunday
we model
the fact
here together
that we're
putting on
that old
self
and putting
on the
new self
and change
is hard
fundamental
hard change
is very
hard
identity
change
is incredibly
hard
identity
theft
it seems
it's much
easier
but this
is how
we manage
to change
in such
a way
that we
do
everything
we do
as Paul
calls us
to do
whether
word or
deed
for Christ
by Christ's
own word
changing us
by being
encouraged
through our
singing
together
singing
psalms
hymns
and spiritual
songs
and teaching
and admonishment
and encouraging
each other
to remember
what he's
done
for
and in
and through
us
every Sunday
how often
do we think
about it
like that
when we
get up
to sing
there's
much more
going on
there
than singing
words
of the page
let us
keep
encouraging
and admonishing
one another
to put on
that new
self
day after
day
doing
everything
for Christ
and looking
forward to
appearing
with him
in glory
amen