Put On pt 1

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an honor to share the Word of God with the saints of Durbin Memorial Baptist Church this morning.

I want to share with you all that I am very excited for Christmas! This Christmas will be special in our house because it will be the first year in which AR can begin to participate and enjoy the festivities. I gotta be real with yall, last year he was only a week old on Christmas Day and he really just sat there like a bump on a log! Now Cassidy and I haven’t finished all the shopping that will need to happen between now and then, but I am looking forward to giving him good gifts. We may touch back on this when we talk about the Christian Household in a few weeks, but in becoming a father, I now have a better perspective on what Jesus was talking about when He said in Matthew 7,

Matthew 7:11 (ESV)

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Parents are designed to seek the well being of their children and give them good gifts. This concept points us to and shows us how God the Father, in a greater magnitude, gives good gifts to His children. What a great gift it is that God the Father would shower us with blessings. Not the least of which being the life-giving, eternity-sealing, heart-warming, spirit-stiring, peace-providing, direction-guiding gift of faith in Jesus Christ! Those who know Jesus Christ as Lord were once dead in the trespasses and following the whims of the world. Dead set on being the recipients of everlasting wrath. The picture was bleak and there was no hope...

Ephesians 2:4–10 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

WHAT A GIFT THAT IS!

And y’all, in this season were thinking about gifts that we are going to give others but it’s also pretty likely that you are going to receive some sort of gift. Just as a side note, if you do not have anyone to share gifts with this holiday, let me know. You can join my family or I can get you connected with someone. Either way, we are called to spur one another on in love and good works and so I do not ever want you to feel like you are alone. If we share the same Christ, we can share the same table, amen?

But to bring it back where I was going, it is pretty likely that you are going to receive some sort of gift at some point in the coming weeks. I want us to think about what our response is when we get a gift? If you are like me, when I receive a good gift, I almost immediately put it into use! This year, Christmas falls on a Sunday. I can tell you this, if that morning Cassidy gets me some sort of clothing that would be appropriate for a church service, I’m probably going to have it on when we all get here for worship at 10:45 that morning. And its not because I want to show off MY flashy new possession, it’s because I appreciate the one who took the time and effort to pick it out for me. Those of you who work in the school system probably see it to some degree when you get back in the classroom after Christmas break. All the students come in wearing the new stuff they’ve received for Christmas.

It is a pretty natural response to USE the gifts you have been given.

It would actually quite offensive to receive a gift from someone you say you care about and then throw it in the closet, never to be seen again.

So track with me here. We understand that salvation through faith in Christ by the grace of God is a great gift. It is THE greatest gift. We understand that the application of that gift is to walk in the good works that He has prepared for us before all time. If we are honest with ourselves, we do not always do that. As we briefly discussed last few weeks, we struggle with sin and the flesh. We don’t live in ways that are a reflection of our salvation. As we battle with the flesh, we often show a lack of appreciation for the gift of Salvation God has given us.

With that in mind, if you have not already, open your Bibles to Colossians 3. Last week we looked at the interpersonal sins and behaviors that Christians are called to “put off”. They are the dirty and ragged clothes that are no longer appropriate to wear in our new life in Christ. Anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and lying are the old ways by which we were defined. We used to be divided by cultural, racial, or socioeconomic barriers, but Christ is all and in all who believe in Him. We leave all that anger, backbiting, and division behind in Christ.

Those who know Him as Savior, seek to take all of that out of their lives. Today we will see the specific attitudes and behaviors that God has empowered believers to put on in stead of those former, wicked ways. Read with me verse 12.

Colossians 3:12 ESV

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

In the famous Children’s story, The Emperor’s New Clothes, the Emperor is tricked by some sneaky entrepreneurs as well as his own self delusion. He convinces himself that he has extravagant new wares when he is really walking around naked.

That part of the story can be used a metaphor for the false religion and fake hopes that are all around us. There are many sneaky entrepreneurs who would love to tell you that their religious program and behavior modifiers are what will cure your ailing heart. They puff you up with false hope all the while knowing that they are giving you nothing. In our self-delusion, we buy what they are selling! We jump from fix to fix thinking that this will finally be the one that provides the deep relief we desire. As so many of us protrude a false confidence in how we carry ourselves through this world while knowing deep down inside that we are still broken.

As we begin looking here at the adornments talked about in verse 12 Know this, what is being discussed here is not the fabrication of a sneaky entrepreneur. This not a self-help guide of behavior modification to live your best life now.

These attitudes and behaviors are the real response from the real reception of the real God’s real gift of salvation. I am not suggesting to you that if you are able to master these behaviors that you will then finally be right before God. I am telling you that if by faith in Jesus Christ you have been made right before God, here is your proof! Here is the fruit and the calling of the one who has been reconciled to God.

It is written, “Put on then, AS God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.” That is saying do these things because you are the chosen of God! You have come to faith in Jesus Christ. You have been washed by the blood of Jesus. You are sealed and hidden in Him. You are no longer dead but alive in Christ! You are holy, that is set apart! There is a different quality to you than the unbelieving world. You are beloved! God loves you so much that while you were still a sinner Christ died for you! He shows you the immeasurable riches of His grace In kindness. You are the elect! And who are the elect? All those who believe in Jesus! We don’t have to run from such doctrine, we just need to know our place! God hasn’t called me to be Sovereign. That’s His job! He has called me, us, all those who believe in Him, His holy, beloved, chosen ones to actively, submissively, and joyfully live in response to what He has done for us.

For the rest of our time this morning we are going to look at 8 attitudes and behaviors that are how we live out what God has already done for us. These are the realities and expectations God has for believers in view of what He has done for us through Jesus Christ.

First we see that believers are to put on compassionate hearts. The bowels of mercies, as other translations say. The imagery being used here is describing the physiological response we have to deep emotion. This is a disposition of Great care and concern for the world around us that strikes us to the core of our being. Compassionate hearts. God is calling us to actively live with compassion to others. One theologian wrote, “That call is more than an appeal for us to feel with and for the needy. It is a call to care enough to become involved and to help by taking some action that will set others' lives on a fresh, new course.”

If we were to contrast this with the list of things to take off that we looked at last week, this compassionate heart is the opposite of smoldering anger. Instead of brooding over the ways things have offended our sensibilities, Christians are called to mourn over the carnage around us and point others to the cure for sin. That is what true compassion does. It moves to act. Our act is to be a light in this lost world that others may see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven. Our act is to be ambassadors for Christ pleading others to be reconciled to God. Our act is cling to truth and reject the lies this world would pass of as truth. And we act, not out of spite or from a sense of superiority, but rather we act out of sympathy because as we look at the world around us, destined for wrath, we know that there but by the grace of God go I. We know that we too were once lost and that God is still saving sinners. We have compassion because have experienced the tender mercy of the Father.

Christian, if have trouble viewing this world with a compassionate heart, remember the great lengths to which Christ had to go to save you. Remember the heinousness of your own sin and remember that you are only saved by God’s grace. Show that grace to others.

Next in our list we see kindness. Spurgeon said, “Be ready to feel for others; be very considerate of their needs. Look at others as if they were your kith and kin; if you and they are in Christ, they are indeed your kin, so put on kinned-ness, or “kindness,’”

How often do we dwell upon the fact that the believer sitting beside you in the pew is your brother and sister! You share spiritual DNA! You have both Been adopted as sons and daughters of God’s promise! I know that families all fight from time to time. But isn’t interesting, especially in this time of the year, even the secular world recognizes the familial bonds and celebrate such in their holiday movies?? How much more should we celebrate, cherish, and cultivate, the true connection we have in Christ Jesus! We should treat each other well as the family of God! Here there is no division of Jew and Greek, barbarian, sythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all! We seek the well being and promotion of other believers because they are our spiritual family! Kindness should mark the way we present ourselves and treat one another.

Then we see humility. This is recognizing your insufficiency but at the same time recognizing the powerful sufficiency of God! Humility is viewing the world in the proper order. God above all things, and ourselves as His servants. I believe that the sin most common in our society is the lack of humility. We think ourselves too big and God too small. We assert our opinions were our listening ear should be. We put our pride above all.

I don’t have the time this morning to go into the great detail that this topic deserves, but the Remedy for a lack of humility in your life is to saturate your life with the holiness of God. By this I mean to read His Word and see His greatness cry out on every page.

Writing on the Holiness of God, Paul Tripp wrote, “There is no holiness as holy as God's holiness. If you allow yourself to gaze upon his holiness, you will feel incredibly small, and what has previously impressed you and commanded your awe will do so no more. It is a good thing spiritually to have the assessments of your own grandeur decimated by divine glory.”

Christian, gaze upon God’s holiness and adorn your life with humility, we are weak but He is strong.

This ties right in to the next attitude from verse 12, meekness or in other translations gentleness. I often like to say meek ain’t weak! Rather meekness is power under control. Meekness is submitting all of the blessings and giftings God has given you and using them for His glory! The here for gentleness or meekness in this verse is the same Greek word that describes a horse, a stallion, being under control of its master.

Meekness is often misunderstood and misapplied. You should not take the command of meekness to suggest you need to think little of yourself. Meekness is thinking Big of GOD! It is honing the gifts and abilities He has given you and submitting them to His direction! Meekness is understanding He is at the reigns leading you into battle!

Meekness and gentleness also implies a tempering of unhinged emotion. Because you know God is in control and you are submitting to Him, you do not have to go off in a tizzy when something does not go your way. You do not have to be jealous and cause division within in the church because you know that the whole congregation is submitting to the same God who in control.

THe fifth attitude and behavior to adorn in the life of the believer is patience. Patience or also called long suffering. Like the compassionate heart, patience or long suffering is the antithesis of smoldering anger. You have heard someone called short-tempered before. The patient person would rightfully be called long-tempered.

I believe that, like most every attitude and behavior on this list, the key to applying this in our lives is to gaze upon the goodness of God. That provides Christians with two benefits. First we are given His model of patience. How much patience has God shown you? How many ways did you sin against Him before coming to know Him as Lord? How often do you continue to dishonor Him by knowing Him and still succumbing to temptation? The Lord is good and faithful, He will keep us day and night. His patience knows no equal and as we pursue lives that honor Him, we should seek to follow HIs direction. The second benefit of gazing upon the goodness of God is the reminder of His Sovereign rule! We can be patient, longer suffering, long tempered with the wicked world because we know God has a plan and His will will be done. We still mourn the sin around us, but we do not lose hope and perspective of the eternal glory that is to come when our eyes are fixed upon the goodness of God.

We then see two more attitudes and behaviors for the redeemed to apply in their lives in verse 13.

Colossians 3:13 ESV

bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

These two attitudes are both particularly corporate commands. We will break both of these attitudes separately, but first just note that these directions are given within the context of “one another”. Bearing with ONE ANOTHER, has a complaint against ANOTHER, forgiving EACH OTHER. Three times in just one sentence we are shown the communal nature of these attitudes.

So what does this mean? This means that our faith, our identity as followers of Christ is not lived out properly in isolation. Christian hearing this message, you NEED to be connected to other believers. The local church, the local congregation, the local gathering, is the means through which God has called His children to accomplish His work as well as be publicly identified as His followers. It is not the end of our evangelism strategy, but I promise you that your neighbors notice when your car is out of the driveway on Sunday morning. The people who live on this street see when people are coming into the building. Participation in the local church is a part of our testimony and tells the world that our God is important to us.

Now, it needs to be said that church attendance alone is not enough to save anyone nor is it enough of a witness to be called our evangelism. Unfortunately there are church goers all across the state, country, and world who are spiritually nothing more than white-washed tombs. But nevertheless, church participation is a part of the regenerate believer’s life.

All of the attitudes we have talked about thus far this morning, should be regularly exhibited between other believers in the local church setting. The next one is particularly applicable to life between believers. That is, we are to adorn our lives with bearing with one another.

Do you know what bearing with one another means? Very simply, it means that we put up with one another!

I know that it is very likely that some how, at some point, if you have been around this church long enough, some one has rubbed you the wrong way. It is inevitable as we battle this sinful, that we are going to cause conflict or someone else is going to bring conflict to us. We are going to have personality differences. We are going to inadvertently offend others. But the Christian is called to stick with the assembly and give some allowance for others and ourselves to grow in sanctification.

I’m going to put this bluntly, Christian you are called not to be petty. In our hypersensitive, self aggrandizing world, many are quick to write others off for any offense and move on. What Christians share in the source of salvation, adoption, and mission should empower us to see past petty.

Please do not take this to mean that we should look past great harm when it is done. We bear with petty interpersonal issues. But as we see in the second half of verse 13, when real harm has occurred, we call it out, rectify the situation, ask for and extend forgiveness. When we sin against a brother or sister in Christ, we must be compelled to sincerely ask for forgives. In the Sermon on the mount Jesus said if you are offering you gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the alter and go. First, be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. When we have harmed our church family, we cannot worship properly.

I’ve shared this before, but a few years ago I saw a list of the best gifts you could give your pastor. The number one thing on that list was to seek reconciliation with someone you’ve been fighting with in the church. Let the pastor know that there is Christ-centered peace within the church. What a beautiful sight that is.

Not only does this suggest that we seek forgiveness, but we also extend it. We forgive those who share with us in Christ, because God has forgiven us even more.

How do we know if we have really forgiven someone? Here are four diagnostic questions:

(1) When you think of that person are you still angry, bitter or resentful?

(2) Do you have a subtle desire to see that person "pay" for what they did to you?

(3) Do you have a secret desire for revenge, which says something like "I wouldn’t mind if some "hurt" happened to the person who hurt me"?

(4) Do you find myself telling others how the other person hurt you?

Forgiving does not mean whitewashing the past, but it does mean refusing to live there. Forgiveness breaks the awful chain of bitterness and the insidious desire for revenge.

Thus far we have looked at seven behaviors or attitudes that Christian is called to decorate their lives with. There is one more that undergirds them all. Look at verse 14.

Colossians 3:14 ESV

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Charles Spurgeon called this love the great girdle that goes around and keeps every other garment of virtue in its place.

Others have said that love is the glue that produces unity in the church.

This love is sincere affection and desire for wellbeing and while it provides singular unity in the church it is expressed in two directions. One direction is horizontal. We are called to love one another. People should know we are Christians by our love for one another. But our horizontal love for one another is ultimately worthless if it is not supported and centered around vertical love for the Lord. The only reason we know what true sacrificial love is, is because Christ first loved us. We must have a deep affection for the Lord. It is love for the Lord that propels us to live for His glory. We WANT to Serve Him. We WANT to see His Kingdom come. We WANT to be near to Him. Because we love Him. Love for the Lord and Love for His people ties everything we have talked about this morning together in perfect harmony. That part of verse 14 is referring to something that has maximized its maturity. As we grow in the Lord, we grow in love, and we adorn our lives with these heavenly virtues, willfully and joyfully following His command.

Ken Robinson, who is now a pastor, at one time served as a police officer. He said people treated him differently when he was in uniform than when he was off duty and wearing plain clothes. Something about the badge and "blues" gained him instant respect and authority.

He was often addressed as "Sir." When he told people something, they believed him. And when he gave an order, they were quick to obey. Robinson concluded, "I guess the clothes made the difference. And in uniform, I acted with more confidence."

In Colossians 3, the apostle Paul told followers of Christ to put on a new uniform. First he described the clothes we are to "put off" (Col 3:8, 9-note). Then he told us what kind of uniform we are to "put on" (Col 3:12, 13, 14). In place of anger, wrath, slander, dirty language, and lies, we are to put on mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love.

Most people respond positively to someone with these virtues. Their respect grows, They talk and act differently toward such a person. They listen to his words, acknowledge his authority, and are drawn to the God he represents.

Christian, adorn yourself with heavenly attitudes and behaviors.

But I must stress, everything that we have talked about this morning is only of real value if you know Jesus as your Savior. This is not a list of actions that will force God to treat you well. This is list of actions are how you put on the gift you have already received. This is the outworking of humbling confessing your sins and trusting in Jesus’ life death and resurrection as the payment for your sins. If you are being drawn to know more about what Christ has done for you, signify that by coming forward during this hymn of response. I would love to talk to you more about that.

Let’s pray.