WEBVTT 00:00:00.980 --> 00:00:09.400 Now there's so much in this passage that we could draw from today. It is the very purpose of what 00:00:09.400 --> 00:00:18.179 we were created to do, who we were created to be. It's really exciting. There's so much we could get 00:00:18.179 --> 00:00:26.080 from just a small section and I would really encourage you guys to go home this week and 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:33.219 ponder on this passage and see if there's anything else that strikes you about this word other 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:42.459 than what we're going to try and draw from today. But for today I really hope that we may go away 00:00:42.459 --> 00:00:51.200 remembering that worshipping transforms our everyday actions with love, with forgiveness 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:53.659 and with thankfulness. 00:00:56.079 --> 00:01:03.039 And the first thing to note from this passage at the very beginning, Paul says to the Colossians, 00:01:03.339 --> 00:01:10.420 you are God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved. And that's the same for us reading it 00:01:10.420 --> 00:01:19.200 today. We are God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved. Before we even knew how to love 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:27.579 God or even knew God ourselves, he first loved us and first chose us. And that's what worship 00:01:27.579 --> 00:01:35.140 is about, giving God back that love and that glory that he so deserves, giving God the worth, 00:01:35.960 --> 00:01:40.740 worthship. So that's what we're talking a bit about today. 00:01:40.739 --> 00:01:48.839 And something Paul is really excited to talk to the Colossians about is this new way of living, 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:58.840 this new pattern of living, this new rhythm of life. It brings fulfillment to our lives and he's 00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:03.719 talking about it through love and forgiveness and thanksgiving. 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:14.500 I've got a little story to tell to you about a moment in my life where I was regularly going to 00:02:14.500 --> 00:02:20.699 summer festivals, summer Christian festivals, which were a real highlight of my year. They 00:02:20.699 --> 00:02:28.159 sustained me, they gave me a real buzz and them in themselves are great things to go along to. 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:37.079 But there came a time where God really opened my eyes to realize that this thing I was living for, 00:02:37.079 --> 00:02:44.699 for the one week of the year, was meaning that I was missing out on a lot in the rest of the year. 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:52.859 My rest of the year was pretty mundane, didn't really include God, didn't need God. I was all right 00:02:52.859 --> 00:02:57.800 on my own because I knew I was getting a buzz later on in the year. But God was saying, 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:04.900 you're missing out, you're missing out on me in the every day. So I decided to take a little break 00:03:04.900 --> 00:03:13.380 from those festivals and try and get that hunger for God in the every day, try and see him in my 00:03:13.380 --> 00:03:22.439 everyday mundane life. And it was really interesting how that hunger developed and how I noticed things 00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:30.800 and was able to be thankful and prayer for what was going on. And I'll come back to that story later on. 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:40.379 But Paul is talking about putting on these Christ-like attributes, these Christ-like things, 00:03:41.139 --> 00:03:48.659 not living in a destructive or selfish way, which he's actually talked about a little bit before this 00:03:48.659 --> 00:03:56.800 passage. Instead, he's saying, put on these new behaviour patterns, put on compassion and kindness 00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:08.759 and humility and gentleness and patience. Put them on. But most importantly, worshipping transforms 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:21.360 our everyday actions with love. Above all, he says, put on love. Now, if I was to take the clothing 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:29.259 analogy a little bit too far, which I'm going to, I was thinking, if compassion was, say, our T-shirts 00:04:29.259 --> 00:04:40.139 and maybe kindness were our shorts. Love would probably be our underwear, I think. It's the most 00:04:40.139 --> 00:04:45.399 essential thing. It's the thing that you would not walk out of the house without wearing. You need to 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:52.879 put on your underwear. You need to put on love. It's the first thing. It's most important. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:05:02.939 If we're kind, if we're gentle, but we don't have love, what are we doing? What are we doing those 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:14.639 things for? Love is our essential underwear. Clothe yourselves in love. Now, that's easy for me to say 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:21.100 and easy for us to do when we love those who we know love us. We love those who we really admire 00:05:21.100 --> 00:05:28.040 and think are amazing. But we also know that that's not just what God is calling us to. 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:33.560 He's saying love. Love all. Love like Christ loves. 00:05:35.620 --> 00:05:44.320 I don't remember it. I wonder what it felt like for Christ to love those who were casting lots over 00:05:44.320 --> 00:05:50.740 his clothes while he was hanging there on the cross. Or what it was like for him to love those 00:05:50.740 --> 00:05:59.900 who completely disagreed with his teaching. Or even what it was like for Christ to love those who 00:05:59.900 --> 00:06:06.699 continually got it wrong and continually disobeyed his father, God. 00:06:08.819 --> 00:06:18.240 Which perhaps is a lot like that for us. But Christ loves each one of us, even as we are. 00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:32.019 As we come to Jesus Christ and we give our whole selves to him, we get just a glimmer of that 00:06:32.019 --> 00:06:43.759 magnificent love that we receive. And this love is not just for us, is it? It's for sharing, 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:51.240 it's for showing others this love that we've received which we can give over and show others. 00:06:52.759 --> 00:07:00.920 So close yourselves in it. Let others see and experience the love that Christ has given you. 00:07:00.920 --> 00:07:12.080 And moving on to my next point that love mustn't just come on its own. Love includes forgiveness. 00:07:13.140 --> 00:07:18.120 Love includes forgiveness. We forgive because God forgives. 00:07:19.500 --> 00:07:24.780 That person who really irritates you or who you'd rather avoid on the street. 00:07:24.779 --> 00:07:33.199 God forgives and loves and died for just as much as he did for you. 00:07:35.479 --> 00:07:39.819 Worshipping transforms our everyday actions with forgiveness. 00:07:39.819 --> 00:07:47.920 For us, we do not need to operate out of fear or striving to be good enough. 00:07:48.379 --> 00:07:52.779 Because God says, for you I've forgiven you. You are good enough. 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:56.000 You are good. I am good enough. 00:07:57.159 --> 00:07:59.060 We are God's chosen people. 00:07:59.740 --> 00:08:01.100 We have received forgiveness. 00:08:01.659 --> 00:08:05.879 The most powerful form of acceptance. 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:19.139 And forgiveness is the Christ-like way that we are also called to live in community. 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:24.480 Forgiveness is the way that we're called into community to love others. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:37.720 So, as we come to worship, as we worship God just as we are, in our brokenness, in our fallenness, 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:43.680 and we come to know the forgiveness that God pours out on us, 00:08:44.680 --> 00:08:48.639 in community, when we forgive others, 00:08:49.300 --> 00:08:53.279 we are showing that powerful action of God's love. 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:57.480 We're showing it back to others. 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:04.399 So, as forgiven children, we are gifted with the grace to forgive others. 00:09:07.300 --> 00:09:12.060 And again, just as loving can be hard, forgiving can be hard, 00:09:12.740 --> 00:09:19.039 especially when we're caught up in anger or resentment towards someone else. 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:26.639 But when we remember God's grace on our lives, on your life, 00:09:27.839 --> 00:09:29.000 even you, 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:34.860 wouldn't you wish for others to know that feeling of acceptance 00:09:34.860 --> 00:09:37.719 when we realise what God has done for us? 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:39.839 Wouldn't we wish that on others? 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:46.960 So, worshipping also recognising that forgiveness. 00:09:47.680 --> 00:09:52.500 Worshipping transforms our everyday actions with thanksgiving. 00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:54.240 With thanksgiving. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:59.100 Just to recap to that story, 00:09:59.240 --> 00:10:02.460 when I was kind of living a bit of a mundane life, 00:10:02.539 --> 00:10:07.539 hoping for the buzz of the Christian festival in the weeks to come, 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:11.500 I was waiting for that mountaintop experience. 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:18.019 God opened my eyes to be thankful to him in the everyday. 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:21.879 Thankful for friendships, 00:10:22.580 --> 00:10:25.620 thankful for lovely weather, 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:27.960 thankful for the provision of food, 00:10:28.100 --> 00:10:29.519 ability to walk around, 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:32.940 for the gift of knowing God, 00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:35.980 for the gift of God revealing himself to us. 00:10:35.980 --> 00:10:41.759 And as we choose to be thankful in everything, 00:10:42.820 --> 00:10:44.399 our hearts change, 00:10:45.300 --> 00:10:49.680 our eyes are opened to see as God sees. 00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:54.259 And the more we're thankful for things, 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:55.720 it's like it's contagious. 00:10:56.259 --> 00:10:58.379 The more we want to be thankful for things, 00:10:58.500 --> 00:11:01.259 the more it kind of spurs up from within. 00:11:01.920 --> 00:11:04.600 Thankfulness spurs thankfulness. 00:11:06.980 --> 00:11:11.500 I used to commute to work when I was living in London, 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:15.680 and sometimes I would take the opportunity to pray for those 00:11:15.680 --> 00:11:18.220 who were also commuting in to work. 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:19.680 So I'd be on my bike, 00:11:20.259 --> 00:11:22.200 thinking about overtaking this other person, 00:11:22.340 --> 00:11:23.920 but actually then stopping and thinking, 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:26.399 no, I'm going to pray for you while I cycle behind you. 00:11:27.240 --> 00:11:30.720 Because God loves them as much as he loves me. 00:11:30.800 --> 00:11:32.720 And I don't know if they know God or not, 00:11:33.139 --> 00:11:34.879 and I don't know what's going on in their lives, 00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:35.879 but God does. 00:11:36.980 --> 00:11:40.800 And so actually I can engage in what God might be doing in their lives 00:11:40.800 --> 00:11:43.000 by praying for them, 00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:45.879 praying thankfulness over them for that day, 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:49.279 which is perhaps a bit strange. 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:50.519 Perhaps you might think, 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:52.340 well, what's the benefit in that? 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:53.639 You're not going to see the results. 00:11:54.659 --> 00:11:55.600 But does that matter? 00:11:55.600 --> 00:12:03.440 The gift is that we get to engage in what God is doing around us. 00:12:04.120 --> 00:12:07.379 We get to partake in what he is about. 00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:09.379 God is in the now. 00:12:10.200 --> 00:12:11.560 He's working around us. 00:12:11.620 --> 00:12:13.639 He's prompting us to engage in it. 00:12:13.639 --> 00:12:23.519 So as we worship our God and acknowledge all that he has done, 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:29.240 even the fact that he has adopted us as sons and daughters into his family, 00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:33.659 he has called us and he has fitted us for a purpose. 00:12:33.659 --> 00:12:36.279 How can we not be thankful? 00:12:37.059 --> 00:12:40.779 How can we not want to engage in what he's doing? 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:48.759 I wonder when June was asking what was going on in your week this week, 00:12:49.220 --> 00:12:54.279 I wonder if there is anything that God is prompting you to be thankful about today. 00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:59.899 What's going on around your life today that God is engaged in? 00:13:03.740 --> 00:13:07.620 And it is a joy to engage in what God is doing. 00:13:08.819 --> 00:13:14.079 It's a bit like a child operating in a playground. 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:17.879 Sometimes you make mistakes or trip up and fall over, 00:13:18.059 --> 00:13:24.179 but God is the parent just watching and affirming and picking you back up and saying, 00:13:24.279 --> 00:13:25.000 have another go. 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:26.779 Here's another activity. 00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:29.759 Here's another apparatus to have a play with. 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:32.100 Here's another person to speak to. 00:13:33.100 --> 00:13:35.279 Here's another person in need. 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:38.000 Here's another person you can encourage. 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:42.779 God is so involved in our lives and it's a joy. 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:43.779 It's a playground. 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:51.120 When we worship and keep our eyes focused on Jesus, 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:55.700 in love and as we forgive others 00:13:55.700 --> 00:14:01.179 and as we recognise and are thankful to God and give him the glory, 00:14:02.179 --> 00:14:05.220 we begin to see as God sees, 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:07.700 which is just an incredible gift. 00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:13.440 He might start to reveal a heart for the hungry 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:18.800 or he might give you a real passion for justice 00:14:18.800 --> 00:14:21.820 or a compassion for your neighbour. 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:27.780 He might give you the boldness to speak to someone 00:14:27.780 --> 00:14:29.360 that you haven't spoken to before. 00:14:31.040 --> 00:14:33.180 God is at work in our lives 00:14:33.180 --> 00:14:35.140 and it's a joy to engage in it. 00:14:35.139 --> 00:14:40.539 And the great thing to note is that it's never a burden. 00:14:41.080 --> 00:14:42.559 It's not ours to hold. 00:14:43.539 --> 00:14:44.699 It's God at work. 00:14:45.199 --> 00:14:48.019 It's us to take part in. 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:51.199 It's a bit like, 00:14:51.559 --> 00:14:53.360 I wasn't going to share this, 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:56.419 but it's a bit like when, 00:14:56.559 --> 00:14:57.819 if you imagine a surfer, 00:14:57.939 --> 00:14:59.639 when he's riding a wave, 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:02.980 we're the surfer 00:15:02.980 --> 00:15:06.439 and God is the power behind the wave 00:15:06.439 --> 00:15:09.460 and we just get to enjoy that power 00:15:09.460 --> 00:15:11.059 and ride along with it. 00:15:11.899 --> 00:15:13.500 God is at work 00:15:13.500 --> 00:15:15.799 and we get to take part. 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:16.879 We get to enjoy. 00:15:20.100 --> 00:15:22.500 So as I come to close, 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:25.519 let us remember to 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:27.899 put on our essential underwear 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:29.740 and wear love 00:15:29.740 --> 00:15:31.699 above all those other things. 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:34.720 Wear love so others can see. 00:15:36.699 --> 00:15:38.220 Not see your underwear, obviously. 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:39.360 Just to know. 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:42.799 So others can see your love 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:44.059 is shining through. 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:46.299 And let us forgive 00:15:46.299 --> 00:15:48.439 because God forgives us. 00:15:49.100 --> 00:15:50.699 Because God forgives us, 00:15:51.079 --> 00:15:52.799 it's a gift to forgive others. 00:15:52.799 --> 00:15:57.479 And let us be thankful in all. 00:15:58.259 --> 00:16:00.079 Let us give God back the glory 00:16:00.079 --> 00:16:01.039 that he deserves, 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:03.159 the worship that he deserves. 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:06.159 So transforming, 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:07.719 worshipping, 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:10.939 transforms our everyday actions 00:16:10.939 --> 00:16:14.559 because worship becomes 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:16.059 our everyday actions. 00:16:16.740 --> 00:16:17.939 It transforms us 00:16:17.939 --> 00:16:20.939 because worship is our everyday actions.