Your Sunday Best
Colossians: It's All About Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
When I was about in the 4th or 5th grade, we lived in northeastern North Carolina. My grandparents lived in Iredell County and we would make the trip across the state on holidays and as often as we could to be at my grandparents. On special occasions, we would sometimes venture from Harmony, where my grandparents lived, to the city of Statesville. There was a men’s store in downtown Statesville that had the cutting edge in men’s clothing. One year, my parents thought I needed a new suit to wear to church that Easter Sunday. So we went shopping. I remember they got me this suit. It was a green blazer that came with 2 different kinds of pants, a solid green pair and a checkered white and green pair that matched the green. But wait, there’s more…the jacket was reversible it matched the green and white checkered pants. I had a different outfit for a month of Sundays, as long as I liked wearing the color green.
This suit and the options that came with it gave me several Sunday best options! Many of us grew up thinking we needed to have a Sunday best and to come to church dressed up in the best possibly. Now I am grateful that we have moved from that mentality to the mindset of come as you are.
Our scripture text today shows us a different type of Sunday best. In fact, this is an every day best! We have the distinct instruction to clothe ourselves in a unique way. We are told to put on, put up, put in and put out.
Look carefully at this instruction in .
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.
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 word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 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.
Put On
Put On
Notice first that this passage indicates that Christians are God’s chosen people. We are holy and dearly loved. We are chosen and dearly loved because of God’s grace not because of our own merit. It is not because we are so lovable, but because of His love.
We are to take off the old shabby clothes and put on the new designer robes that are tailored just for us perfectly.
As CHOSEN, we are holy, elect, and beloved. Those of us that experience God’s love imitate it. Those who are chosen are holy and those who are holy are chosen.
Romans
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Chosen means separated unto God.
The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
In essence this passage is saying that God did not choose you because of your number or anything you have done. God set His affections on you and I because He loved us.
He has loved us and chosen us before the foundation of the world!
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
We are not only chosen but set apart. That is the meaning of the word holy. We are not our own, we belong completely to Him.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
Salvation sets the believer apart exclusively for Jesus Christ. As a result, we are to put on God’s designer clothes. The word CLOTHE means to put on, to dress, to sink into a garment.
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Let’s look a bit closer to the the these garments.
First we are told to put on compassion. Compassion is being strengthened from the inside, from the inner parts. It is tender sympathy and heartfelt compassion. The KJV used the phrase tender mercies while the ESV uses compassionate hearts.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
As this idea is being expressed, Christians are bringing mercy into a merciless world.
Next we must put on KINDNESS. The Greek word is CHRESTOTES and it means the goodness which is kind. This is the goodness which Jesus described in the Gospels of the woman annointing His feet.
Are you marked by a goodness that is kindly> This kindness is used by the gospel to not only soften hearts and mins of mankind, but it sweetens them and helps promote friendship as well as reconciliation with God.
Next we must put on HUMILITY. There is no word in classic Greek for humility. In fact, it is said that Christianity helped create this virtue. It comes from a compound of humble and understanding. Paul is emphasizing a genuine kind of humility as opposed the the wrong type that was listed in where it says
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
Humility indicates that there is no room for arrogance when we are living among the children of the King! We all should have a lowly attitude.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew
Next we put on GENTLENESS. This is meekness. It is someone that is self-controlled because of being God-controlled. It consists of strength and the sweetness of true gentleness. It is the effect of humble kindness to other people.
Next is one that I struggle with, we are to put on PATIENCE. Patience is self restraint and a steady response in the face of provocation. I must not be the only one that struggles with this because these last three are listed in the same order in God’s word in three different passages:
here in ,
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Those are the things we are to put on, but we also are instructed to put up.
Put Up (Colossians 3:13)
Put Up (Colossians 3:13)
Specifically, we are to put up with each other’s grievances. We are to put up with each other by putting on the attitudes we have already described in verse 12. We are called to give mutually reciprocal treatment. We are to restrain from our natural reactions towards odd or difficult people. We need to let them be themselves.
We are to forgive whatever grievances we may have against one another. Remember the parable of the unforgiving servant in ? It is inappropriate for one who knows the joy of being forgiven to refuse to share the joy of being forgiven with another! By the way, hasn’t Christ ALREADY forgiven them?
Notice this next phrase: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Only the forgiving can be forgiven!
We are to remember this forgiveness and we are to replicate it!
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
Luke 23:
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Michael Bird wrote, “Forgiveness does not mean one ceases to feel the hurt and pain associated with someone’s failing, but it means that one forfeits their right to express anger, to parade their hurt, and demand reparation.”
In fact, Paul goes on in to remind us to put on one more thing, Love.
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Putting up with others is the direct result of putting on what Jesus told his followers to do in the SHEMA of and the love command of .
De
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Leviticus
“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Paul indicates that love is the most authentic measure of spirituality. Study that passage in more.
The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Paul indicates here that love is the most upper garment we can wear. It is the mark of our dignity and distinction. It is what sets us apart.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
The foundation is faith and the topstone is love! Love is the crowning grace that covers a multitude of sins. Love binds everything together in “perfect unity.” God’s love is perfected in us.
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
Romans
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
1
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
So we have this idea of putting on these things and putting up with others, now Paul reminds us that we have some things we need to put in.
Put In ()
Put In ()
We are to put in our lives both PEACE and the WORD of God.
Peace is the legacy that Christ left His disciples.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John
Paul’s understanding of PEACE in given in . We see love as the capstone or topstone, and when you have love, you have PEACE.
Peace exists in Colossians in three ways:
As a general greeting in 1:2
As the result of being reconciled to God through Christ because of His death and resurrection in 1:20
As a part of instructions for the best relationships ever in 3:15.
It is the last one that help demonstrate the first two!
This concept in so important, we have the same thing mentioned in .
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
E
The closer we are the Christ, the closer we become to each other. Paul says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” The Greek word for RULE is BRABELIO which means umpire. This means that the peace of Christ is to act in your life and my life as an umpire that is giving us the guidelines necessary to get the absolute most out of the game of life!
We are to be about peace and be thankful. Then Paul says to “Let the WORD of Christ dwell in you richly.” Dwell means to keep house. Not as a servant but as a master. We must use the Word of God to get our instructions and our strength.
“We have examined this, and it is true.
So hear it and apply it to yourself.”
Job
We are to allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly. Our soul prospers when the word of God dwells in us richly. There is an implied assumption here that might surprise you. We are all to be teachers of the Word. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another will all wisdom...”
That means we are called to be students of God’s Word and teachers.
We see in the latter part of verse 16 and into verse 17 that we are called to Put Out.
Put Out ()
Put Out ()
We are called to put out worship and in our actions do things that give God the Glory. We are called to receive Christ, then live like we have!
What are you doing that shows you are living like a Christ follower? What are you doing that that shows you are not any different? What changes do you need to make?
What are you putting on? What are you putting up with? What are you putting in? What are you putting out?