Worshipping Transforms Our Ordinary Actions

Passage

Colossians 3:12–17 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Introduction

Good morning church,

This morning we are looking at the next in our series on Whole Life Worship.

Have looked at ....

Worshipping Engages Our Whole Lives

Worshipping Offers Us Fresh Insight

This morning ...

Worshipping Transforms Our Ordinary Actions

Sometimes when I listen to or read the Bible, I can feel really challenged …

In fact, that is often the case … there’s often something that I am challenged with, or God highlights to me …

But, particularly in Paul’s letters in the New Testament when we get a passage like this, when Paul creates a list, it can feel really challenging.

But before we get to that sense of challenge, just pause for a moment this morning.

Imagine what a community that had those characteristics would look like?

Imagine a community that looked like this ...

Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience

Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, to bear with each other, to forgive

Colossians 3:14 “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, to bear with each other, to forgive, to love

Colossians 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.”

compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, to bear with each other, to forgive, to love, to peace, to be thankful

Colossians 3:16 “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, to bear with each other, to forgive, to love, to peace, to be thankful, to teach and admonish, to be gratitude

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, to bear with each other, to forgive, to love, to peace, to be thankful, to teach and admonish, to be gratitude … to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus

It is a beautiful picture

How much does our world long for some of these characteristics?

What would this world look like with more of these in it?

What would relationships look like?

What would families look like?

What would ‘the system’ look like?

What would workplaces look like?

What would trade look like?

What would justice and law look like?

What would global politics look like?

Our world needs these … it longs for them … it cries out for them

Whether it’s a person caught in debt … or a family broken apart … or a person traumatised … or the gap between the rich and poor getting bigger … or nations caught up in war and conflict where there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight ...

The world cries out for these

The church is called to this way of life … and it’s hard

We are called to …

compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, to bear with each other, to forgive, to love, to peace, to be thankful, to teach and admonish, to be gratitude … to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus

I’ve said before that we often reflect on the passage for the coming week on a Monday when we pray together as a staff team

And someone said after a while … it’s just so hard … it’s such a challenge.

It can feel impossible

How can you do all of that even on a good day? ... let alone when you feel tired as a parent, or exhausted by work, challenging relationships, grief, family problems, difficulty in your marriage, health problems, friends let you down, or more ... or maybe more than one at the same time

How?

How do you do that when you might feel that you’re working as hard as you can just to keep your head above water?

Maybe this morning you are doing your best to do a swan impression … looking good on the surface but paddling like crazy underwater to keep on top of things.

Is there a magic formula? Is there a quick fix?

Not sure it’s a magic formula, and it’s not necessarily a quick fix, but Paul seems to outline a way

Paul seems to think it is possible …

And this isn’t a man that has had it easy … 2 Corinthians 11

This is someone who has faced the challenges of life … he’s facing them whilst he’s writing this letter …

Worked hard, prison, flogged, exposed to death, lashes, beaten with rods, pelted with stones, shipwrecked, open sea, constantly on the move, danger from rivers, bandits, fellow Jews, Gentiles, in the city, in the country, at sea, from false believers … laboured, toiled, gone without sleep, known hunger, thirst, gone without food, been cold and naked, daily pressure of concern. 2 Corinthians 11:23-29

2 Corinthians 11:23–29 “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?”

But in and amongst all of this, Paul seems to think there is a way to live like we read in Colossians 3 ...

And the clues are all throughout the passage …

Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Therefore, ‘what is it there for’

In light of all this … through all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ, we have become … his chosen people, holy and dearly loved

Chosen ...

Holy … made righteous

Dearly loved

Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Only forgive through looking to the one who forgave us … the power of forgiveness is found in the cross

Colossians 3:14 “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Put on a love that is not our own … perfect … the love that creates perfect unity cannot be ours … our love is imperfect, it is broken, it can be selfish and greedy … but the selfless perfect love is the love of the Father who sent his only Son, it’s the love of the Son who for the joy set before him endured the cross … it’s the love that comes into our hearts through the Holy Spirit

Colossians 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.”

The peace that is mentioned is not our own … it is the peace of Christ …

Colossians 3:16 “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”