ALL DRESSED UP AND SOMEPLACE TO GO

ALL DRESSED UP AND SOMEPLACE TO GO Colossians 3:12-14 March 17,  2002 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory [Enter wearing a very tattered and filthy sport jacket.] Scripture reading… "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 whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Colossians 3:12-14) We're picking up on the "put off - put on" outline of the apostle Paul. Verses nine and ten of chapter 3 say, "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." The old clothing is the old ways of thinking. We all had these unspiritual thinking patterns before we became Christians, while we were living under the law of sin and death. Like raunchy, worn out clothes, we wore such attitudes as "anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language" (Col. 3:8). So the teaching of chapter three, including the teaching from last week on mortifying the carnal nature, is very simple: since we have been raised with Christ, we should set our hearts on things above, where Christ is seated (3:1), and set our minds on things above, not on earthly things (3:2). This will involve taking off the clothes of the old nature and putting on the clothes of the new nature. Before we study the specific virtues involved in our new nature wardrobe, notice how the apostle Paul describes Christians in verse twelve: God's chosen people Entertainer Garrison Keillor recalls the childhood pain of being chosen last for the baseball teams. "The captains are down to their last grudging choices: a slow kid for catcher, someone to stick out in right field where nobody hits it. They choose the last ones two at a time-"you and you"-because it makes no difference. And the remaining kids-the scrubs , the excess-they deal for us as handicaps. "If I take him, then you gotta take him," they say. Sometimes I go as high as sixth, usually lower. But just once I'd like Darrel to pick me first and say, "Him! I want him! The skinny kid with the glasses and the black shoes. You, c'mon!" But I've never been chosen with much enthusiasm." Did you ever think about the fact that you are so valuable to God he chose you early-with enthusiasm? "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight" (Ephesians 1:4). We are "chosen", just like Israel. Before the foundation of the world, God decided He would have a people to be his representatives to the world around them. To these people God gave the awesome responsibility to reflect His nature to others. Under the first covenant He chose anyone who was born in the lineage of Abraham. In the new covenant He makes it clear that the true children of Abraham are those who have faith in God. Through Jesus, God established the "new Israel" and has expanded the "chosen" to include anyone who believes (puts their trust) in Jesus! We are the chosen ones of God. As such, the Bible teaches us, we should inevitably exhibit something of God's nature. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that peacemakers, for example, would be called the "sons of God" (Mat 5:9), because they are like Him; that those who follow Christ should walk in obedience to the truth He taught (Mat 7:21-24), because they are agreeing to be like Him; and that God's chosen people are called to be perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect (Mat 5:48). Holy Anything or anyone that is "holy" is set apart for God's special use. You are chosen by God through your faith in Christ and you are set apart for Him. In the opening paragraph of this letter to the Colossian church, Paul said he was writing to "the holy and faithful brothers" (1:2) and in 1:4 he again refers to Christians as "saints". The popular notion of a "saint" is some dead person who demonstrated an extraordinary ministry, worked a miracle and has been appointed to a special category by the decision of some group of archbishops. The Bible says that, if you trust in Christ and your heart is to live for Him, YOU ARE A SAINT! You are HOLY, set apart for God's special purposes in this world. There are two applications of holiness for the Christian. First, God made you holy through the death and resurrection of His Son. You did not earn a holy status, it was given to you. Second, since He made you holy through the forgiveness of your sins, and since He placed His own Holy Spirit in your life that you might live for Him, you are called to grow in a holy lifestyle. Holiness is a gift and a calling Dearly Loved When my grandchildren, Gage and Alli, spend the night at our house, our tradition is, after all the Monopoly is played, the movie is watched, the popcorn and apples are eaten, the bodies are bathed and the teeth are brushed, Papaw tells a story. Whether they're sleeping on the hide-a-bed, the spare room bed or the floor, I lie down between them, all the lights are turned off and I tell a story. It's always a homespun account of one of my childhood experiences. They love it, and they listen intently to every word. They ask questions, insist on just one more story and then we pray. I never miss the opportunity to tell God in their hearing how much I love them. Friday night's stories must have been extra good, because when I told them how much I loved them, Alli scrunched over put her head on my chest and her arms around my neck and hugged me. That hug said, "I love you, too, Pa-paw." I fell asleep with a smile in my heart Friday night, and so did two sweet kids. This is what God has said to you in Christ - I love you, and I have proved it by sending my own Son to die for your sins and bring you close to me again. Well, that's who you are, Christian - chosen, holy and dearly loved. And since God has done all that for you, Paul says, here is what He wants from you in response. Five virtues, two social behaviors and a special overcoat. Five Virtues 1. Compassion One version translates this interesting word as "heart of compassion" The meaning of the Greek word here is a "stirring" in the gut-and it is not referring to indigestion. You know that feeling-it's what you sense deep inside you when you have worked at cultivating a deep and rich relationship with a few other believers. You've gotten to know them, you've studied scripture with them, eaten meals with them, been to their home and had them to yours, you've ministered to others alongside them, prayed with them, argued with them, offended them, apologized to them and forgiven them, just as they have you. You've come to care for them and their family. You have come to feel deeply for them-this is the sense of COM-(together with) PASSION (deep emotion). You didn't know how close you were until that day the crisis hit them, and you went to be with them, and you wept together and prayed together with great empathy. You didn't know how strongly you loved them until you had been gone for two weeks and on your return to went to the cell meeting. You walked in the door and were welcomed by broad smiles, sincere greetings and lingering hugs. Sometimes it sneaks up on you-this tender compassionate relationship God has graced you with. And here Paul says, get this virtue. This is a character quality of the God who loves you and saved you. Be compassionate-both to friends and strangers. 2. Kindness In almost every other instance where this word appears in the Bible, it is used of God. For instance, in Ephesians 2:7 we read that it is God's will to "...show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his KINDNESS to us in Christ Jesus." Kindness is always "extended" to others Henry James--you didn't expect me to mention him particularly--when Henry James, the great old fuddy-duddy and American novelist, was saying good-by once to his young nephew, Billy, son of his brother William, he said something the boy never forgot. Of all the fancy, labyrinthine, impenetrable things that fancy, labyrinthine, impenetrable old novelist could have said, what he did say to Billy, or Willie as he called him, is this: "Willie, there are three things that are important in human life. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind." In Conspiracy of Kindness, Steve Sjogren tells the true story of Joe Delaney and his eight-year-old son, Jared, who were playing catch in their backyard. Jared asked, "Dad, is there a God?" Joe replied that he went to church only a few times when he was a kid; he really had no idea. Jared ran into the house. "I'll be right back!" he yelled. Moments later he returned with a helium balloon from the circus, a pen, and an index card. "I'm going to send God an airmail message," Jared explained. "Dear God," wrote Jared, "if you are real, and you are there, send people who know you to Dad and me." God, I hope you're watching, Joe thought, as they watched the balloon and message sail away. Two days later, Joe and Jared pulled into a car wash sponsored by Sjogren's church. When Joe asked, "How much?" Sjogren answered, "It's free. No strings attached. We just want to show God's love in a practical way." "Are you guys Christians, the kind of Christians who believe in God?" Joe asked. Sjogren said, "Yes, we're that kind of Christians." From that encounter, Steve led Joe to faith in Christ. Many people may be only one act of kindness from meeting a true Christian.     The kind of kindness Paul is talking about is extending the blessings we have received to others. "we love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19) 3. Humility Twice already in this letter Paul has warned the Colossians against the "false humility" of the heretics, but what is true humility? Humility is the one quality that sets Christians apart most readily. You see, if anyone else had the other virtues (compassion, kindness and gentleness), they would see them as reason to boast. But the Christian recognizes that all the good virtues we ever will have are ours only because of the grace and mercy of God, who gets all the credit. Humility is the unique quality of the Christian. "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5) William Willimon preaches at the chapel at Duke University. Students aren't required to attend chapel there, so he was intrigued by one student who enthusiastically attended every day. He asked him one day, "How do you like chapel?" "I like it." "What do you think about the preaching?" "I like it." "What do you like about it?" "I don't know- I just like it." Willimon kept pushing, and the student finally said, "Look, Dr. Willimon, I'll be honest with you. I come to chapel to meet women." Willimon responded, "Thank you. This has done me good. In case I should ever become presumptuous, I will remember this little conversation." 4. Gentleness This quality involves considering others highly and being willing to give up our rights to help them. Some translations use the word "meekness" here because gentleness has to do with self-control and avoidance of excessive self-concern. Many people are just plain mean-and among them are many Christians. What we say and how we say it represents to the people around us what God is like, and what God can do in a person's life. To listen to some Christians would be to conclude that God is cantankerous and unable to do anything about it in Himself or His people. Gentleness is a fruit of His Spirit at work in our lives, and it IS on God's agenda for you. 5. Patience This of course is the quality that endures wrong and puts up with others without becoming unduly irritated. Aren't you glad God is patient? Where would we be if God had a short fuse? I know one thing, if God had a short fuse I'd be speaking to an empty room-and I wouldn't be here myself!   Two Behaviors - Now, I'm going to start preaching! This virtue of patience leads directly into this first behavior: 1. Bear with each other (vs 13a) This little word is a verb in the imperative, which means it is a command from the apostle. He is calling for mutual forbearance, tolerance. Because you are my brother in Christ, you are obligated to put up with me! And what's worse is, I am obligated to put up with you! And he says nothing here about only the people you LIKE If there is someone else in the body of Christ whom I find intolerable (and it has nothing to do with sin), then I have a problem (not the other person - ME!) 2. Forgive one another (vs 13b) The usual word used for forgiveness, APHIEMI, is not the one Paul uses here. Rather he uses the word CHARIZOMAI, which carries the idea of forgiving FREELY, COMPLETELY. Jesus said that those who seek God's forgiveness must be ready/willing to forgive others. Not that forgiving others is a pre-requisite of God's forgiveness of them, but… unforgiveness in someone's heart is a barrier to receiving God's forgiveness. "Forgive whatever grievances…" These are unremitted debts. NB: in the New Testament, the aggrieved person is to take the initiative. Again, the word used, CHARIZOMAI means free, complete and unconditional forgiveness. That means the Christian is called to grant forgiveness even before the offending party apologizes or asks for forgiveness. In fact, if your offender NEVER repents, you are still to extend your forgiveness. It cannot be appropriated by the other party until the other party RECEIVES it in humility, but you-you, the forgiver-you are free and healthy anyway! Now, consider the last sentence in verse 13 - "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." This is how God forgives you. "God demonstrates His own love for us in this-while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."[webmasters note: Romans 5:8] He did not wait for you to clean yourself up before He decided to forgive you. You see, it doesn't make any difference what kind of clothing you wear, what depth of sin you have experienced, or how bad you have been. God has made provision to forgive you. And, even though you've continually refused Him all the way to this point in your life, He still loves you and offers to forgive you, if you will come to Him in simple trust through Jesus, His Son. [Take off the old coat and put on the new coat] One Grand overcoat. These virtues and behaviors are the things we are to "put on", even as we "take off" the sins of the flesh. "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (verse 14) Love is the one binding element of the church. Jesus said that the one thing about the church that would cause unbelievers to recognize us as Christ's disciples is our love for one another. Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…" Love leads to perfect unity and when we are clothed in godly love all other problems can be solved. I believe the reason it is the one we put on "over all these" [webmasters note: vs 14] is because we will always come up short in these areas of virtue, but "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). Love leads to perfect unity and when we are clothed in godly love all other problems can be solved.   [Back to Top]