Colossians 3:12-17

The elect of God, holy and beloved

Read 12-17 and then pray

Verse 12

So often i think we can blow right by these times when scripture reminds us of who we are to God.

We who trust in Jesus as our savior, are the elect of God. Holy and Beloved. What does Beloved mean? Dearly loved, or much loved one. I would use the word describe how i feel about my wife rae. A committed, steadfast, and deep love.

What does Holy mean? Set apart, dedicated for a special purpose.

What about elect? What does that mean? It means God has chosen you. He set in motion a plan of pursuit, before the beginning of time. Pursuit of you. And not a lackadasical pursuit- a RELENTLESS pursuit of you, because He genuinely loves you.

So in the first half of this first verse, we are reminded that God has chosen you, He has set you apart and dedicated you for His special purpose, and that He truly loves you, with a committed, steadfast, unchanging, faithful, and deep love.

We’ll read next of the ways we need to behave towards others, but it’s CRUCIAL to understand- that it’s from the understanding and remembrance of who we are to God, and how He feels towards us. I don’t know about you guys, but i’m not always diligent to remind myself of what God thinks of me, how He feels towards me. My security in Him as His child. And then i start buying all those little lies the enemy puts in my mind about the Lord. “Oh He’s disappointed with you and ashamed of you”. “You didn’t read enough of the Bible today, so He’s disappointed with you.” Some of you need to live in this part of verse 12- He’s chosen you, He’s set you a part of His special purpose, and He loves you with a love that you cant even understand.

So knowing who we are in Jesus, what HE says about us, we then RESPOND from that place of understanding in how we deal with other people in our lives.

Tender mercies (ESV Compassionate hearts)

Kindness

Humility

Meekness

Longsuffering

Bearing with/Forgiving one another

Verses 13-15

Bearing with/Forgiving one another

Story of recently me and rae going on a date- texas roadhouse and going shooting (i don’t listen to a lot of country music though, so i’m not a redneck), and i ran into an aquaintance who asked what i had planned, and when i told them about me and rae going on a date, she rolled her eyes and said “Oh wow a date!” (sortve the ‘must be nice” attitude). I could tell in that moment, and prior moments i’ve had with this person, that they we’re insinuating that i was weak somehow because me and rae work to prioritize each other and keep dating eachother.

And i just had to let it go, brush it off, and know in my heart that i’m doing what God has asked me to in His word with how to treat my wife.

But man did i want to clap back and go off. In that situation, i had a justifiable complain against what this person said and how they said it.

But look back at verse 13- Catch this, even if your complaint against another is justified. You need to respond to others sin and evil towards you, the way that Jesus responded to your sin and evil.

You think Jesus has a right to make a complaint to the Father about you? About your evil done against God? Your evil done against those made in His image? He absolutely would’ve been justified naming all of the things you’ve thought, whispers under your breath. But instead, He says in Luke 23:34 “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

My heart sinks at the thought of how many times i’ve said or done something that’s really hurt the Lord’s heart. More times than what people have committed against me.

Something else in this verse we need to talk about- forgiveness as Christ forgave you. In order for Christ’s work of forgiveness to be effective and complete in my life, i need to repent- literally change my mind, and agree with God about what He says about my sin, and His claim that Jesus is the Messiah sent to die for me, and rise again. Until that happened, i did not have the forgiveness of Christ.

Not everybody is going to heaven, not because Jesus refuses to forgive them- but because they refuse to change their mind. They refuse to agree with God about their sin, they refuse to believe and trust in Jesus as their Savior.

Romans 12:18 “ If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

IF IT IS POSSIBLE. You are not always going to have peace with all men. True forgiveness and reconciliation can only happen if person A comes forward and apologizes and asks for forgiveness, and Person B accepts and forgives. If Person A never comes forward and apologizes, there is not true forgiveness that’s happening- but the “olive branch” in your heart, needs to be extended, leaving you ready to forgive at the moments notice.

So check your heart right now. Think about that person, that situation, where someone legitimately wronged you. If they came up to you and apologized, are you in a place where in your heart you really can say you forgive them?

And maybe you’re saying, Greg i just can’t get myself to the place where i feel forgiveness. I get that, i’m not saying it’s easy- i’m saying it’s right. Not just because it’s culturally moral, but actually because this is how Jesus is towards you, right now in this moment. If you are struggling with getting to a place where you’re ready to forgive, you need to take some time in prayer and ask the Lord to remind you of all the ways He’s forgiven you. All of the things you’ve said and done, and how He’s responded to you.

Secondly, verse 15 says to put on love. Verse 12 said it to, “put on”. What could that mean? Some would say- just do better. Just be a better person. Well we know throughout scripture that no one is good. Romans 3:10–11 “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” Paul’s quoting psalms in that romans passage. So he’s agreeing that nobody is good, nobody is seeking for God on their own. So how do we make sense of Paul telling us to “put on” all of these things?

Don’t forget that Paul started this part with reminding us of what God has done , what He says about you, His plans for you.

That’s the answer you guys, that’s the answer the winning the daily battle against your flesh- it’s the gospel. It’s reminding yourself of just how deep and wide the love of the Father is for you, culminating in the moment of Jesus being lifted up on the cross, giving His life for you so that you could come back.

The reality is- that rolling up your sleeves and muscling your way through everything and striving to be a “better Christian” is going to leave you burnt out and confused. I know, because i’ve been there. Trying to prove to God, myself, and everyone else with my works that i’m not a fraud.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Let it. Some people man, they’re just not at peace. They’re professional pot stirrers. They thrive in drama and debate and distractions. And i feel like the Holy Spirit is saying to some of you today, “chill out”. “Be at peace. Stop striving, stop clamoring, rest in the finished work of Jesus for you. Stop trying to convince everybody you’re authentic. Just rest, be at peace, and enjoy the security of My finished work for you.”

Verses 16-17

Read verse 16

Can i be real? It might sting a little, but i think some of you need to hear it. I know i need to hear it. It says here to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

And some of you, the only thing that’s dwelling in you richly is thoughts of dwellings and riches. Let me make it more plain, the main thing you really spend time thinking about is your future, your comfort, your job, your car, your setup, your this your that. I’ll be the first to call myself out. If i spent half as much time in God’s word, as i do dreaming of the day i get to pay off debt and buy a house, my battle with anxiety and carnality would be a lot easier.

But why? Reading the bible is not a check box platitude, it is a live and powerful, it changes hearts. Side note, who knows what a platitude is? “a remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful.” An example would be “everything happens for a reason”. We hear that and our heart just sort’ve rolls its eyes and ignores it, and if i’m being honest- we do that with scripture. We think because we’ve heard it so many times that it’s lost it’s power to change hearts. WRONG. So then we know it changes hearts, but how? As we read, we hear the promises of God, we see how He has worked to change lives, we see Him pointing us to what really matters- Eternity. Not a comfortable life, not a cushy fat bank account and a four car garage, Eternity with Him. The Lord course corrects our hearts as we spend time focusing on what really matters.

When we gather and sing to the Lord during worship, the scripture says here that there’s actually an element of teaching and admonishment that SHOULD be occuring, as we sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. Our songs that we lift to the Lord, shouldn’t just be all about us, but rather it should be a time where others are learning and being corrected as they hear the word of God being sung.

I love our worship team, God has drawn a lot of gifted people to this congregation to lead. They have an incredibly high calling- to lead His people in the worship of a Holy God with truth that comes from the word of God. If they aren’t in God’s word for themselves, letting the word of Chris dwell richly in them, it’s not good. The same for me, if i’m not in God’s word for myself in my own time, my family suffers, you guys suffer, i suffer. Why? Because we need to be constantly reminded of the truth of God. Who He is, what He’s done, and what He says about you.

This is what Jesus had to say about God’s word in Matthew 4:4 “But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””

Illustration of a knife getting dull, and how to sharpen it compared with our quiet time.

We end here in verse 17, reminding us that whatever we do or say, to have Jesus at the forefront of our mind. Again, the answer to how we can behave compassionately, kindly, humbly, meekly, with all longsuffering and forgiveness. When you consider Jesus with a thankful heart, what He’s done for you, what He says about you, and how He feels about you- walking in the spirit becomes a reality, not just a platitude.

I want to end with this last scripture and thought:

Galatians 3:3 “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

As we’ve been going through the book of Colossians, we’ve read alot about how the old person before the Lord is now dead, as we believe in Christ and live in Him.

How there should be a difference between what we looked like before Jesus, versus now. And we come to this place of “I believe in Jesus, and i agree that my sin is evil and wrong and i don’t want to live that way, and yet i struggle.”

And so many times we can miss the point scripture is making. God is not instructing us to just do better, that if we were just more disciplined, then we would be perfect and not sin anymore. That’s the law. The gospel, is that Christ stood in your place and continues to stand in your place- as the perfect one.