Sermon Tone Analysis

We have been talking about how one grows spiritually, or how one stops the indulgence of their flesh, or how one becomes mature in Christ.

That is Paul’s goal in the letter of Colossians.

Paul wants these Colossian believers to become mature- he wants them to actually grow in their relationship with Christ- he wants them to learn what it means to faithfully walk in Christ.

In Colossians 3 Paul has given us a pattern to follow in order to be able to grow unto spiritual maturity.

If we would become spiritually complete, spiritually mature believers then we must seek after Christ and set our minds on the things that are above.

We must put to death what is earthly is us, we must be renewed in knowledge after the image of our Creator, and we must put on or clothe ourselves in the very character of Christ.

Here in Colossians 3:14-17 Paul concludes his model for sanctification.

All along in our study of Colossians 3 we have been stressing that real spiritual growth is only possible IN CHRIST.

That is, spiritual growth is only attained out of a growing relationship with Christ.

The closer you become to Christ the more you become like Christ- that is the only way practical holiness is attainable.

Here in Colossians 3:14-17 I think we find 4 elements of our relationship with Christ that are paramount to spiritual growth.

I think it is safe to assume that if you are a believer at some point in you spiritual walk you have expressed something like this, “I wish my relationship with God were more real, or that I was closer to God, I wish it were more personal, or I wish it were more genuine.”

I think ever believer has expressed this sentiment.

The burning question is, “How do I do that?”

I don’t know that you could do better than to focus on these 4 aspects of your relationship with Christ.

In other words if you “work out your salvation” as Paul says in Philippians, in these four areas you will grow in your relationship with Christ.

And not only will these areas effect the closeness of your relationship with Christ they will also effect the closeness of your relationships with each other.

So what are these four areas, and how can we put them into practice in our lives?

I. Putting on love is paramount to our spiritual growth IN CHRIST (v.

14)

A. The bond of love (v.

14a)

“Above all these things”

What are the “these things?”

I think it is the list of virtues that Paul began back in v. 12

Put on all these virtues, but above all these things put on love.

But the clothing imagery that is picked up from v. 12 suggests rather that love is being pictured as a garment that is to be put on “on top of” the other items of dress that Paul has enumerated in v. 12.

In this case, the implication would be that love is not just another virtue to be added but the supreme virtue

Love is the supreme virtue.

I think that is exactly right.

In fact all of these other virtues are just different aspects of biblical love.

Turn quickly to I Cor 13.

Put on kindness — Love is kind

Put on humbleness of mind — Love doesn’t vaunt itself, it is not puffed up

Put on meekness — Love seeks not her own

Put on longsuffering — Love suffers long

Forebear one another — Love is not easily provoked, Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

If we are to put on all of these characteristics of Christ, then above all or over them all (like a garment) we must put on love for it is the supreme virtue.

“Compassion,” “kindness,” “humility,” “gentleness,” and “patience” attain their full power only when they are unified by and empowered by love.

That is why Paul calls love the bond of perfectness.

Love is the thing that unifies all the other virtues.

In fact if you try to be compassionate and kind and humble without love those other things cease to have the value they are meant to have.

Kindness without love is empty and meaningless.

Patience without love is force and insincere.

This is exactly what Paul expresses in the first part of I Cor 13

Love is the bond the unifying force the thing that gives value to all other virtues.

B. The goal of love (v.

14b)

Bond of perfectness-

Perfectness- perfection, completeness, maturity

Completeness or maturity in contrast to the elementary principles of the doctrine of Christ.

This is again the goal of what Paul wants to see accomplished in the lives of these saints.

I think what Paul is saying here at the end of v. 14 is that love is the binding force of all the other virtues and that the goal of this binding force of love is completeness or maturity.

The goal of love is spiritual maturity or genuine growth.

So, if you want to effect the closeness of your relationship with God and with each other, you must put on love.

How do we do that?

Love God primarily

When we put on love, primarily we must put on a love for God.

When we love God with all our heart and soul and mind it transforms all other loves in our life.

When we love God, then we will love what He loves, in other words we will love our neighbour as ourselves.

2. Win the battle of love

In Col 3.5 Paul tells us that we are to put to death covetousness which is idolatry.

You see there is a battle that is taking place in our hearts.

We struggle every day with idolatrous loves that replace our rightful love for the Lord.

Today, am I going to put on love- primarily love for the Lord- and as a result produce spiritual fruit such as compassion, kindness, humility, patience… or am I going to be allow myself to participate in idolatry?

Am I going to love something else other than the Lord?

What doe I usually end up loving?

The answer is myself- primarily we replace our love for God with an idolatrous love for ourselves.

So instead of putting on that which would please God out of a love for Him, I clothe myself in that which pleases my flesh out of a love for myself.

Instead of compassion I am filled with anger, instead of kindness I lash out with slander and obscene talk from my mouth.

And it all stems for the fact that I have become an idolater in my heart, because I rather than putting on love for my Lord, I rob that love and instead I love primarily myself.

So If if am to become spiritual complete spiritually mature, I must put on love.

I must cast down all idolatrous loves and instead give all my love to the Lord.

As I put on love it becomes the unifying factor of everything else in my life and love brings me to the goal of maturity.

Pastor Jon how do I put on love for God?

II.

Being ruled by peace is paramount to our spiritual growth IN CHRIST (v.

15)

A. The source of peace (v.

15a)

“Peace of God” alternate reading “peace of Christ”

We have positional peace with God because of the reconciliation made possible through the blood of the cross.

Beyond the peace that we have with God through the blood of the cross- we can also have daily practical peace because of our relationship with Christ.

B. The purpose of peace (v.

15b)

Paul here commands these believers to let the peace of God rule in their hearts.

“Rule” translates a Greek verb that refers to the activity of the “umpire,” who renders verdicts in contested situations.

The verb thus naturally takes on the connotation of “control”; the standard Greek lexicon paraphrases, let the peace of Christ “be the decisive factor.”

The decisive factor / that which controls your heart ought to be the peace of God.

The mature believer is the one who learns to put their trust in Christ, who learns to rest in Christ and thereby becomes one who is controlled by peace.

When things in life go wrong (struggling with kids, struggling in your relationship with you spouse, loose your job or your job isn’t going the way you want it to go, when the money gets tight, or when life just seems to fall apart) what is the controlling factor in your life?

Is your heart controlled by peace, because you have been seeking Christ and growing in you walk with Him, and you can say- I know that God will use this trial for my good, that He will work even this terrible thing in my life unto His praise and honor and glory.

I have confidence that He will do so, so I can rest in His peace.

Notice the other effects of being ruled by the peace of God-

You will have peace with each other-

“unto which (that is unto the peace of God) you have been called in one body.

The body, the church will function in peace, because each one of its members is being controlled by peace.

2.

You will be thankful

This is an imperative, we are commanded to be thankful.

When one grows in their relationship with Christ, and learns to be controlled by His peace how can we be anything but thankful.

III.

Letting the Word of Christ live in us is paramount to our spiritual growth IN CHRIST (v.