¡Practica La Nueva Naturaleza! (Col 3:12-14)

a) Intro

La gente no está satisfecha. They feel like something is missing. What do they need?

They also feel like failures. The can’t seem to win, despite all these self-help gurus with their steps to la auto-realización and victorious living, and even mystic practices. What they teach supposedly is the answer, and at the same time...

There are many religions too, which have various rules and rituals, claiming they have the right answer, and with them, your life will be victorious.

There has also been a massive tendency in the last decades to seek spiritual experiences, both in the church and the world. Surely if you experience this, or that, of if you go to that place or that person, you will feel realizado and be able to win in life.

Yet, you don’t have to look far to see that man is not happy, and is dominated by selfishness and self-oriented living. They feel empty and depressed, like an island in a sea of disconnection.

Even Christians, though they think they are supposed to be feeling happy, and though they may even want to live right, are feeling insatisfechos y derrotados.

What’s the answer to all this? More self-help gurus, different religious practices, a new spiritual experience or trend? Another sermon on Youtube by a famous preacher?

Well, this is actually what the book of Colossians is all about...

Cómo llegó el autor a escribir la carta:

The Author of the letter to the church in Colossae is Paul, the 12th apostle, commissioned by God to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul spent about 3 years in a coastal city of Ephesus about 200km to the west of Colossae teaching the truth to the people, and through his ministry the gospel came to be known by everyone in the entire province. But there were also visitors to the city from other places.

One of these was a man named Epaphras, and he just happened to be from Colossae. While he was visiting in Ephesus, he heard Paul preaching and was soundly converted. When he returned to his town, he planted a church there. Now Paul had never been to Colossae and had never met the congregation. He only found out about them when Epaphras came to visit him in jail and told him about the church he had planted...

La Situación de la Iglesia:

Now this Church would have been mostly Gentiles (non-Jews like you and me) who had a mixture of beliefs from various sources, including the worshipping and appeasing of a variety of gods who apparently had control over the world. At the same time, there was a large Jewish community there who actively persuaded people they had to believe as they did, though their belief system also seems to have been a mixture with other things, which of course we have here in Saraguro also.

Epaphras gave Paul a really encouraging report at first. These believers were full of faith, love and hope, which we’ve said before are the characteristics you want to cultivate in your life as a believer. Up until now they had been strong in Christ, despite never having the opportunity of hearing Paul, but only his spiritual son Epaphras. But Epaphras also told Paul that the church was facing a major challenge. As he heard about this challenge, the Holy Spirit prompted and inspired Paul to write a letter to the church with the revelation they needed to address this.

The challenge was that False teachers had come into the church, and were teaching the Colossians that they had the real answer, and that the Colossians had to listen to them, and to follow their rules and rituals and have their same spiritual experiences in order to win in life.

And in our world, we have the same situation of people feeling like they’re losing, feeling like something is missing, and then people from different religions and philosophies claiming that they have the answer, and their principles and rules and rituals and experiences should be followed. For that reason, the message of Colossians is very relevant to our world.

Propósito de la Carta:

So Paul wrote the letter to address this situation. The answer is not in following people at all, nor in rules, rituals or spiritual experiences. The answer in fact is Jesus Christ Himself! He is the Center, the Answer, the Head, the Source. So throughout the letter, Paul exalts Jesus Christ over every other attempt to win in life. He tells them how much greater Jesus is, greater than anything in all creation - in fact, Jesus Himself is the Creator and has made everything! But not only is He the ruler of Creation, He is also Ruler of the Church, and not only its authority, as opposed to any person, but is also the answer to every spiritual need. He is what is needed for spiritual fulfillment, and He is the answer for living victoriously. Any teachers, rules, rituals or experiences that don’t point to Jesus have no value to believers. In fact, having been born again in Jesus meant there was a whole new way of living. The Colossians needed to see this and resist the legalistic and mystical teaching of these charlatans in favor of a life centered in Jesus and His grace!

“Debido a que Cristo se encuentra en una relación única con Dios, él, y solo él, es capaz de traer todas las cosas en la creación bajo la soberanía de Dios y, por lo tanto, proporcionar a los creyentes los recursos que necesitan para vivir y florecer en un mundo dominado por poderes hostiles.”

Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 2008), 61.

2 puntos de interés:

1. Epaphras was not able to return to Colossae, because he ended up in jail with Paul, so Paul had to send the letter with another guy called Tychicus.

2. The other is that in the year 60, perhaps just a couple of years after this letter came to the Colossians, a massive earthquake destroyed the city.

Application: We don’t know how long we really have till it is our time to go, so we should take the instructions God gives us seriously and live them out as if there is not long to go before Jesus returns or we go to be with Him for eternity.

Contexto de nuestro pasaje:

In Chapter 1, after telling them how he prayed for them, he exalted Christ as Ruler and Provider for all Creation and the Church. No one else is needed, least of all false teachers claiming they were the answer.

In chapter 2 he continues like this, but emphasizes that rules and rituals won’t fulfill or change you, which these false teachers said would. Christianity is not about rules, but about relationship, and that relationship with Jesus is where it’s really at.

Because of this, in Chapter 3 he first tells the believers to set their minds on heavenly realities, the new Kingdom and its culture and power residing within us. Then in the verses preceding our passage, he tells them to get rid of the kind of practices and behaviours that are called earthly or carnal, and he lists them, saying that this is how we were, but are no longer!

When we were born again, God have us a brand new heart and the indwelling Holy Spirit. We are a brand New Creation, and in our spirit, we are completely new, full of love and holy inclination. But that doesn’t mean we instantly think and live that way when we first receive Christ. There is a process of understanding Christ, believing and practicing His nature in us, also called the new man. This process includes getting rid of wrongful attitudes and practices that were typical of the old man without Christ, things like 5 la fornicación, la impureza, las pasiones, los malos deseos y la avaricia, que es idolatría. ...: 8 ira, enojo, malicia, insultos, lenguaje ofensivo de su boca, y mentira

In contrast to this, in today’s passage we are urged to put on new attitudes and behaviors, meaning to understand them, believe that this is how we are now in Christ, and to practice them. And that we will look at this morning...

Preguntas

Who are we really, now that we are a new creation?

What are we like?

What are our new attitudes?

What is our lifestyle like?

And how do we live this way consistently?

Let’s read the passage...

6. Read the passage with passion and purpose

Colossians 3:12–14 NBLA

Entonces, ustedes como escogidos de Dios, santos y amados, revístanse de tierna compasión, bondad, humildad, mansedumbre y paciencia; soportándose unos a otros y perdonándose unos a otros, si alguien tiene queja contra otro. Como Cristo los perdonó, así también háganlo ustedes. Sobre todas estas cosas, vístanse de amor, que es el vínculo de la unidad.

7. Transition to body, series of preparatory statements

There is a new nature, a new set of attitudes and behaviors. And we are going to practice them because this is who we are...

b) Body: Main points (MACPAIT):

1. Vivamos la Nueva Naturaleza porque Tenemos Nueva Identidad

Meaning of words, phrases (explain)

Let’s look at that phrase, “como escogidos de Dios, santos y amados”

This is a phrase explaining our identity. We are 3 things, escogidos, santos y amados.

Escogidos: Una comunidad especial seleccionada de toda la humanidad por Dios - para ser Suyos.

We are a special people, that God has chosen out of all of humanity, not based on anything we’ve done or were, but on His grace. But this choosing us is with a purpose. We were chosen to belong to Him. We are His family! And being His family means that we are associated with Him and should represent Him here on earth. When people see us they should see His characteristics and nature present in us.

The way we live reflects on Him and tells the world about Him. This is how He is, when they look at us. We glorify Him, our representing Him well lifts Him up in the eyes of the world. In fact how we live should be a demonstration of His transformative grace in our lives.

As His chosen people, we belong to Him, and are called to live a certain kind of life, one that reflects the New Nature in Christ. Similar to this is the next word...

Santos: ser reservado o apartado del resto para un propósito santo y especial.

We are not part of the masses. We are a special group that has been set apart for a special and holy purpose. And we are not our own, but we were bought with a price. We are consecrated for a holy purpose, like a special utensil in the Old Testament. And that purpose is be like God. This is who we are.

But we are also...

Beloved: It’s true that God loved the world by sending His Son to die for them. But there is a special and unique love that God has for us, His people. We are His children, and we have a very special place in His heart! By calling us to live a certain way, it’s not just to achieve a certain purpose in the world. It’s also because this lifestyle He is urging on us is good! It is good! Good for us, and good for others. He asks us to live this way because He loves us and knows it is for our benefit. The attitudes and behaviors He’s going to ask us to put on are pure gold, valuable, special, incredibly helpful, for us personally and for others around us. Whereas the characteristics mentioned before, like la fornicación, la impureza, las pasiones, los malos deseos y la avaricia, que es idolatría, la ira, enojo, malicia, insultos, lenguaje ofensivo de su boca, mentira, are destructive for the relationships of the body, for people’s lives in general. But these New Man attitudes and behaviours are like oil, creating unity and blessing for the people.

Illustration: Diario de una princesa

She thought she was

But she was chosen and set apart for a specific purpose.

She was actually a princess.

Because she didn’t know it, she lived a certain way.

But once she knew that this is who she really was, and that she had a specific purpose, it changed the way she spoke and acted.

But she had to practice, until it became second nature to here, which in her case took some time.

She had to put on being a princess...

Now since this is who we are, people set apart for God, for His holy purposes, and His beloved children whom He loves, and whom He asks this of us because He loves us, what is it that we must do? Live by a set of rules, do some rituals, no, we must put on, or practice until they become second nature, or rather first certain...

2. Vivamos la Nueva Naturaleza que Consiste en 5 Actitudes Específicas.

Actitud: Una forma de pensar o sentirse asentada sobre alguien o algo, típicamente una que se refleja en el comportamiento de una persona.

Attitudes are a choice. There are 5 of them listed in this verse (12). They are: tierna compasión, bondad, humildad, mansedumbre y paciencia. Let’s look at them one by one, with a view to understanding our new nature and how we live it out.

tierna compasión: La demostración sustancial o concreta de inquietud acerca de las circunstancias negativas de otra persona.

It is definitely not living for yourself and ignoring the needs of others. But it is also not the same as sympathy, where you feel bad for someone but do nothing. Tierna compasión is a feeling of sorrow (pena o tristeza) that also te conmueve a actuar al favor de la persona. When Jesus had compassion on the people, the very next thing you see is always practical action for their good, like healing their sickness or the sickness of a relative.

This is a characteristic of the New Nature, and one we should practice living out. We should not ignore the needs of others, but as we have opportunity act to help them. As New Creations we feel for those who suffer, and this feeling also moves us to action on their behalf. It can be the hungry who need a meal, the depressed who need encouragement, and especially the lost, who need Jesus and need us to share the gospel with them.

The next characteristic of our new nature that we are to live out is...

bondad: Utilidad, la calidad de ser de ayuda o útil para alguien. Una acción que suple eficazmente una necesidad.

This is also how the new man or person in Christ is, they are active and effective in addressing other’s needs.

humildad: ‘pensar bajo’, pensar en ti como pequeño.

No es degradarte o pensar en ti como nada o una víctima. It is realizing that all you are, everything you have and everything you can do comes from God. You are nothing without Him, and can do nothing without Him. Humility also never compares yourself to another person.

So you can, and should be humble, but walk around making full use of the personality, gifts and talents that God has given you for the benefit of others.

Moses led Israel and brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt. God used him to do the most spectacular miracles in the bible, like the plagues and the dividing of the Red Sea. And he led well and confidently. And even so, the Bible says that he was the most humble man on earth. That is because he knew that his calling, birthright, abilities, the staff in his hand, it all came from God.

So we are to recognize that all we are, have and can do is from Him. It’s not of our own doing. We would be nothing without Him. And then let’s use that wonderful goodness he has given us for His purposes and glory!

The next attitude we are to put on or live out is...

mansedumbre: la calidad de no estar demasiado impresionado por una sensación de su importancia propia.

This is similar to humility, but it carries the idea of being willing to bear with offenses against you without getting even, even though you could. It is a kind of inner gentleness and patience with people.

Example ???

Application ???

The final attitude mentioned in this list is

paciencia: sufrir extendidamente. Soportar a largo plazo los gestos y ofensas de otros sin enojarse o vengarse, asociado con la misericordia.

There’s someone you find irritating because of their voice or that they keep pinching their skin, and this attitude of patience puts up with it, over and over again.

Or, there is a persona who continually insults you to your face, or gossips against you behind your back, and you forgive them. They do this again and again, and each time, you choose to continue to love them in God’s grace.

And these 5 characteristics are who we truly are inside, the New Nature, and we need to put them on, in other words, we need to live them out in this physical world in which we live.

But there is an overarching attitude that binds all of these things together, which we find in verse 14. It is the attitude of love...

3. Vivamos la Nueva Naturaleza dejando al Amor Dominar

Colossians 3:14 (NBLA)

Sobre todas estas cosas, vístanse de amor, que es el vínculo de la unidad.

amor: La calidad del cálido respeto e interés en otro.

Love is 2 things, it is having a heart value for a person, considering them as valuable in your heart. It is also taking active interest in them, their lives and especially their wellbeing.

We are told to put this quality on above all others, that we value others in our hearts and take an active interest in them, their lives and their wellbeing.

And this supreme attitude of love, of valuing and taking an interest in others and their wellbeing binds it all together.

binds: brings various entities into a unified relationship

love brings all these different qualities, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience into one package. In fact if you truly value a person in your heart, you will take an active interest in their wellbeing, and this will also cause you to show them compassion, kindness, to be humble and meek with them, and to be patient with their mannerisms, faults and even, by God’s grace in you, their offenses towards you.

Antonyms / Contrasting Ideas

Connection to the passage

Application: attitudes, lifestyle, speech, personal identity, appealing to conscience, conviction and commitment to Christ

Illustration

Transition to final point:

Si es que estas 6 actituded están presentes en nuestro corazón, nuestro piloto automático, nos va a llevar a 2 acciones...

4. El Vivir la Nueva Naturaleza significa que siempre sorportas y perdonas

Meaning of words, phrases (explain)

vs 13. bear with someone literally means to tolerate, to put up with.

It doesn’t mean that you have to like someone or everything about them, but you endure the parts about them you don’t like.

Forgive comes from the word grace. It is showing kindness to someone undeserving. They said or did something that was against your wellbeing. You could take offense and hold a grudge against that person, crediting a debt to them. But to forgive them means to no longer count that offense or debt against them. It is to put that offense away, no longer acknowledging it. It is saying in your heart - this person owes me nothing.

And that is what God did for us in Christ. We sinned, massively, against God. Lord if you marked our transgressions, who would stand? They are too many to number. We had a massive debt with God. We had offended a holy God, the One who gave us life, countless times. But He chose to forgive us, at great cost, the death of His own Son. Having forgiven us such a huge debt, He asks us to live a life where we forgiven the comparatively small offenses of others against us. And we know by the seriousness He always uses to express this that it’s very important to Him, and that a lack of forgiveness to others is very insulting to Him.

Antonyms / Contrasting Ideas

Connection to the passage

Purpose in the argument

Application: attitudes, lifestyle, speech, personal identity, appealing to conscience, conviction and commitment to Christ

Illustration

Transition to next point

c) Conclusion (4P)

Passage Summary: restate & summary explain how statements

Prototyping, Christ and you.

Practice Steps: specific and concrete steps to apply principles

Prayer / Confession & go do this!