Sermon Tone Analysis

The Heart of the New Life

Col. 3:15-17                June 7, 1998

 

Introduction:

 

          We decided upon a new annual church verse three weeks ago.

You will notice it on the back wall of the sanctuary.

It is Col. 3:16, and we thank Ray Gustafson for printing it for us.

It replaces 2Chron.

7:14 which stirred our corporate consciousness for the last 2 or 3 years on the O.T. command to seek renewal for our church and nation by humility, prayer and repentance before God.

It is now time to re-focus, but not as much as you might think.

Our new verse gives us the same three commands from the N.T. perspective.

It is from the new perspective of the new life we have in Christ, and it is from his context that we must re-focus.

These three parallel commands cover the same topics of attitude (humility), speech (prayer and praise), and action (turn from sin).

Our new verse forms the heart of today’s passage upon which I would like to preach, “The Heart of the New Life,” appropriate for us as believers in Christ who have been, and are being, totally transformed by his peace, through his Word, and for his glory.

Col.

3 begins with a beautiful reminder of our new life in Christ.

Our old life is now dead and our new life is Christ himself.

Beginning in verse 5 we are then told to put off the things of the old life (we have some responsibility in this).

Then starting in verse 12 we are told what to put on.

The clothes of the King’s wardrobe are much more glorious than the rags we are told to remove.

Since we belong to the King, we must dress in a manner which will not discredit him.

But our new life is not one of merely outward appearance.

These clothes are inner qualities of a transformed heart, the home of righteousness, the home of Christ.

So we come to today’s passage about the heart of the new life which is the closet these clothes are kept in.

Every time we walk in this closet we come out with the clean clothes of Christ-like attitude, speech and action.

We are re-outfitted in the way we think, speak and act.

But it begins with a heart given to Christ.

This is a heart that has died to self and lives to God.

In a sense, it is a heart attack.

Without a heart, there is no life.

In Christ we have a new spiritual heart and a new spiritual life.

We go in to the closet to meet him and he tells us what would look good on us today.

And when we look good, he looks good.

And God will have the glory.

And he shares all things freely with us because we are his - we are in him and he is in us.

We are to be profoundly thankful for this new life, considering what our old one was like.

Let us look at these three commands which are at the heart of our new life in Christ.

*I.

The heart of the new life is ruled by Christ’s peace.*

*          (Expressing thanks to God through attitude.)*

*Col.

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.*

First, the believer is to have a heart ruled by Christ’s peace.

He is to let the peace of Christ rule in all things and differences.

Where Christ is King, peace rules.

War with God ceases.

The shed blood of Jesus has made peace between the guilty sinner and the holy justice of God.

The word “peace” means to be bound, joined, and woven together with God.

It means to be assured, confident, and secure in the love and care of God.

It means to know that God will take care of us no matter the problem or circumstance.

It means to be absolutely assured that God will allow nothing to defeat us.

He will strengthen, sustain, provide, encourage, deliver, guide, save, and give real life both now and forever.

But note that this peace is the peace of Christ.

He alone possesses it.

A person can only experience true peace as he comes to know Christ.

Only Christ can bring real peace to the human heart which is deliverance from sin to the human soul.

It is an inner transformation.

We see three things about the peace of Christ.

A.

A choice:  Let the peace of Christ rule.

The believer has a choice whether or not to let this peace rule.

We do not automatically experience the peace of Christ.

We are supposed to, but we may choose not to do so.

That is why this is a command.

It demands obedience.

God wants us to live peaceful lives.

The word “rule” means to act like an umpire.

Peace is to be the umpire, the deciding factor in all situations and circumstances of life.

Matthew Henry wrote, “Let this peace rule in your heart - prevail and govern there --- as an umpire let it decide all matters of difference among you.”

William Barclay said, “Let the peace of God --- be the decider of all things within your heart.”

The point is that we have a choice whether to let the umpire of Christ’s peace rule our hearts.

We have to be willing to accept his decisions in the plays of life.

He will decide fairly and we can have peace about his decisions.

Contending with him doesn’t work.

Letting him call the shots brings peace to the game of life, both with the other players and with the owner of the team.

*Joh 14:27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.*

*Joh 16:33  "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart!

I have overcome the world."*

*Ro 5:1 ¶ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,*

*Eph 2:14 ¶ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,*

*Ps 119:165 ¶ Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.*

*Isa 26:3  You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.*

*Isa 48:18  If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.*

B.

The reason:  Peace is the foundation for unity.

The reason why believers are to let the peace of Christ rule is clearly stated:  we are called to be in one body.

Any believer who stands out there in another body is not a genuine believer.

There is only one body of Christ, only one body of believers, only one church.

This means something significant:  believers are to act as one.

They are to live an behave as one body, as a body of people in union with each other.

How?

By letting the peace of Christ rule in their hearts.

Peace is to be the deciding factor, the umpire in all relationships between believers.

Peace with God brings peace with others.

Why is this exhortation given?

Because all too often some person arises within the church who is cantankerous and divisive, critical and judgmental, murmuring and grumbling, or gossiping and spreading rumors.