Life in Christ

Father’s Day

I love Father’s Day - probably because I always get a bit more spoilt than usual. But also because I just love being a Dad.

But you know what? We sometimes paint a picture of fatherhood that, to be honest, is not altogether realistic.

The father is the rock. He’s the one where nothing is too difficult. He can fix anything. He knows everything. He is steady and level-headed and make good clear decisions. He is the provider. He ensures the family never goes without anything that is needed. He is the disciplinarian.

But guess what? The modern father gets to add even more feathers to his bow. The modern father also cooks and cleans. He gets down and plays with the kids. He provides emotional support for the family.

Now, fathers are pretty amazing people I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that there is not a father on this earth that perfectly fits this description. Maybe some might come close but we all fall short.

You see, it turns out, while father’s know a lot of things, they don’t know everything, and while they might be able to fix a lot of things, they can’t do it all.

But even in acknowledging this, they still fall short. You see, the discipline they deal out becomes an overflow of their own frustrations, many of which has nothing to do with the child.

Sometimes factors are out of their control. They’ve lost their job and they can no longer provide (and this is quite common in this Covid period). Or sometimes, making that big life decision is next to impossible due to every factor being outside your control.

If we add some of those modern expectations in, then we find ourselves in a situation where it is almost impossible to fit everything into the 24 hours that exist in a day.

But then, here’s the thing, under all this pressure, we’re meant to stay this calm, level-headed rock in the family.

It’s no wonder that many fathers suffer from a lot of mental health problems but they don’t want to talk about it because that would be just one more failure in being a father.

Try harder!

So what do you do once you recognise that you’re not meeting this ideal picture of a father? Well, you try harder of course.

You push yourself to be a better provider, so you work harder at your job. But then you realise you’re neglecting your family, so you resolve to spend more time with the family. But then you become more frustrated and snap at everyone all the time, so you resolve to become more calm - but wait a second - how do you do that?

You see, the strategy of ‘try harder’ is actually very limited. It might work to a limited extent, but it can only get you so far.

Take for example swimming. Last summer, I was getting in the pool and swimming laps most weeks. While I’m a confident swimmer, I’m not about to start winning any races. Now if I tried harder, I could go every day, and I dare say I’d become a better swimmer - but no matter how hard a try, I will never be an elite swimmer.

Try harder to be better Christian

This morning as we come to chapter 3 of Colossians, and on first reading, you might come away with the impression that Paul is saying - try harder.

You see, as we explore it shortly, we see Paul making two lists of behaviours we should avoid and one list of attributes we should aspire too. And so it would be easy to assume that Paul is saying to move from the bad list to the good, you should just try harder.

And to be honest, I think this is our natural inclination.

Just like the Dad who realises they need to try harder, the believer sees the huge gap between us and Christ and thinks - I can only try harder.

Well, that might seem the case if we only read verses 5 through to 14.

But Paul didn’t just write those verses in isolation. Instead, he actually framed them very deliberately, and it is as we see how it is framed that we begin to understand that Paul isn’t arguing for a ‘try harder’ strategy.

Background

Now let’s step back and remember what Paul is trying to achieve in this letter.

You might recall that Paul is writing this letter from prison to this young church that Epaphras had established.

After setting out the necessary ground work for these Colossians, a few weeks back we saw how Paul starts to get to the main thrust of the letter which was spelt out in Col 2:6-7. You see, Paul wants them to know what it means to live you lives in Christ, being rooted and built up in him.

The previous two week we saw Paul exhorting these young believers to be careful of that which can displant us.

Firstly it was the hollow and deceptive philosophies. And last week it was mistaking the shadows for the real thing.

This week however it is not another warning, but rather it is a practical outworking of living in Christ.

You see, Paul knows that if you are in Christ, then something is going to be different.

But this is where I want you to take particular note. Our tendency (and it can often be subconsciously), is to think that it’s our job to make ourselves look like Christ. This is why we are so prone to that ‘try harder’ strategy I was describing earlier.

Resurrection

But Paul is about to raise a familiar topic for us, but not one that you might naturally think of that will counter the strategy of ‘try harder’.

You see, at the start of chapter 3, Paul alludes to Christ’s resurrection.

Christ was raised and now sits at the right hand of God.

Now, the resurrection will readily bring to mind Christ’s defeat of death.

And resulting from this, you would be very familiar with one of Christianities core teaching, that we too will be given our resurrected bodies when Christ returns.

And so we equate the resurrection with a future hope.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is a future hope with the resurrection (and Paul will allude to that shortly), but he is more keen to draw out another implication, and this implication concerns the right here and now.

You see, I want you to pay close attention to this first verse. Paul acknowledges that the believer will rise with Christ, but notice the tense.

It isn’t: “Since you will be raised with Christ”...

But rather: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ...”

Paul is not talking about something that will happen. He’s talking about something that has happened.

So now the question is: what does that actually mean?

Well, while we know that there is a final point in time when all will be made complete and we will literally have a new heavenly body, but that transformation has actually already begun.

You see, right here and right now, Christ is moving in your life. He is moulding you and forming you into the someone that resembles Christ. Like the expert potter, he is smoothing out the bumps and giving shape to who you are meant to be.

Now the reality is that this is a process and sometimes the change may be imperceptible.

Set mind on things above

But given that this is how the process of improvement is going to occur, Paul gives a much simpler instruction rather than ‘try harder’. You see, his instruction is simply: “set your minds on things above”.

And to be honest, it’s as simple as that. Now if you forget everything else I say today but just remember one thing, let it be this verse: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things”.

Because the change isn’t going to occur by any effort on your own behalf.

Process

Now in verses 3 and 4, Paul briefly considers the process that happens.

You see, it is all tied up with the process Jesus went through in his death and resurrection.

When Jesus died, he was putting to death sin.

When we believe, we identify with this death.

In fact, for those of you who have been baptised (and for the person here who will very soon be baptised), when we go into the water we symbolise this death.

That sinful nature that once had such a huge hold of us has now suffered its fatal blow. That’s not to say that it still doesn’t linger, but through our identification with Christ, it can no longer have the same effect.

As Christ rises, we identify with that too - again identified in baptism in the coming out of the water. We take hold of our new life.

And as Paul says in verse 4 - when Christ comes back, then we will take full possession of it. But for now, we still get to experience our new nature.

Earthly nature

So it is very important that as we move into this section starting at verse 5 we recognise that Paul has these previous verses in mind. That is, that he’s not expecting you to do this in your own strength, but as we allow the power of the resurrection to work through us.

You can see that this is what he has in mind with the way he starts verse 5 - saying: “Put to death...”, very much in line with the process of death and resurrections.

But the thing we are to put to death is our earthly nature.

Now Paul devotes quite a few verses describing this earthly nature, so let’s explore this now.

In fact he gives us two lists of things belonging to this nature, firstly in verse 5 and then in verse 8.

Now Paul isn’t trying to give a comprehensive list here. But you’ll notice both lists give 5 things, and there is a kind of theme to both.

Sexual immorality

The first list focus on sexual immorality.

In fact the first thing on the list is sexual immorality.

Interestingly, the Greek word used here is porneia, which of course is where we get our word pornography.

Now there is sometimes debate about exactly what is in mind when this word is used. Sometimes people put quite a detailed definition to it.

Based on my reading of various scholars, it would define it as any sexual activity outside of God’s design for it.

And I would suggest that sex as God designed it, it sex, within a marriage, that honours your spouse.

Now, quite possibly, you might think, well, I can tick that box.

But the list goes on. The next one is impurity, then lust, evil desires and finally greed.

Can you see the progression in the list? It starts with actual indiscretion, but then narrows it down to the root of it.

And the root is greed.

That desire to want more. God has given us good things, but we want more.

It’s essentially the same sin that we saw in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree. They did wanted more then the very good gift God had offered them.

What’s the big deal?

Now, before I move on, it’s worth asking a question which many outside the church ask (and probably many inside the church): why does God care so much about my sex-life?

Surely as long as it’s consensual, it’s shouldn’t matter who I have sex with.

Well there’s probably lots of ways we could answer this question, but let me suggest for now, that God is so concerned about it because he knows how destructive sex can be outside a committed relationship that you have with marriage.

And I think if the people asking that question are honest, they will see that sex is a powerful tool that can tear apart if not in its proper place.

Anger

But let’s quickly jump to the next list describing the earthly nature, and this time its characterised by anger.

And remember, this is the sin that Jesus linked with murder back in the Sermon on the Mount.

Again it includes five vices. Anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language.

We could explore the nuance of each one, but hopefully you can see that they are different expressions of this hate that burns within us.

And I suspect each of us from time to time have outbursts where one of these aspects come out and before we even realise it, we’ve done or said something that we regret.

And this is the problem with the earthly nature. It sits within us and even if we can be mostly good most of the time, that nature will spill over.

And it’s for this reason that the ‘try harder’ strategy doesn’t work.

Because sin is not something that can be defeated by effort. If it could, then there would have been no reason for Jesus to come.

But because he has, as it says in verses 9 and 10, we are able to take off this old self, and put on the new self.

The New Self

And this is where Paul takes from verse 12. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Now, do you notice the big difference between this list and the other two lists? The things on this list bring people together, whereas the other lists tear people apart.

When you show compassion you are understanding the needs of the other. Kindness helps others. Humility put the other person above yourself. Gentleness allows us to see the other person. And patience gives us the time we need.

The common ingredient is that it’s not about us, but about the other person, and when this happens, we are drawn together.

And this idea of unity is also picked up in verses 13 and 14 - where Paul throws in the big one: “Love”. It is love that will bind each of these attributes together in perfect unity.

Clothing

But, did you notice the language Paul used about gaining this new self. He said we should clothe ourselves with these attributes.

The thing I love about this image is that if you think about clothing, they are external to yourself.

You see, I want to suggest that these attributes are not things that will just occur by earthly means.

Sure, you might want to argue that you’ll find non-believers who exhibit some of these qualities. I’d probably suggest that this is more as a result of a culture that has been influenced by Christian teaching, because if you go back before the time of Christ, these were not attributes that people would have admired.

But here’s the main point I want to make today. We don’t move from the earthly nature to the heavenly nature by just trying hard. We do it by putting to death the old self, something that can only be done by the power of the cross, and putting on the new self, which can only be done by allowing Jesus in our life.

How

Now, this all sounds very nice in theory. The death and resurrection gives us the power to change. But that can be a rather abstract statement.

If we want change, we don’t want some abstract idea, we want to know how to make the change happen.

Well, after the first four verses describe the process. The next ten describe the outcome. The last three thankfully give us some practical hints as to how to allow the power of the resurrection take hold in our life.

Well, I’m going to briefly consider three different things that we should foster in our lives.

Foster peace in your life

Firstly peace. Now essentially, the end game in all of this is reconciliation. As we find reconciliation with God, we are also reconciled to one another, and this is the peace of Christ.

And we can allow it to rule in our life.

So I’m going to suggest the first thing is to become a lover of peace. Dwell on the fact that Jesus came to unite, not divide. And in doing so, foster peace in your life.

Foster thankfulness in your life

Secondly, we need to foster thankfulness in our life.

Paul doesn’t actually elaborate much on this one in verse 15, simply saying: “and be thankful”.

But there is an element to which, when we foster this attitude in our life, we become more aware of what Christ has done for us, and in doing so, allows Christ to work in our life.

Foster the message in your life

But perhaps the one Paul spends more time describing, is the idea that we need to foster the message in our life.

He tells us to let the message of Christ dwell among you richly.

You see, this message is powerful. And we need to hear it. It is so easy to just become ingrained in the way the world thinks. That is, that you just need to try harder.

But God says: no, you need me!

So how do we get this message to sink in?

Teach and admonish

Well, one way is to teach and admonish one another.

Interestingly he is not just saying this to the preacher, this is a message to everyone. You see, while some people might have specific gifts to teach others, we can all be part of the process of learning together. Whether formally in things like Bible Study groups, or informally like in the conversations we have over coffee. But continue to discuss with one another what God is doing in our lives.

Singing

But the other way is through singing.

In Paul’s words, he says, “through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit”.

Now, while some people have tried to put precise definitions on each of these, I think Paul is really trying to make the point that he’s not just talking about one specific way of singing, but rather more generally, when we lift our voice to God, we are actually allowing that message of Christ to dwell in us richly.

It is unfortunate that in this time of Covid, we are no longer able to sing. But, you can still sing at home. So don’t be afraid to sing out loud in the shower, or when your washing the dishes or folding the washing. And don’t worry if you sing out of tune. Just belt out those words, because in doing so, you’re allowing that message to dwell in you richly.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, this comes back to that idea we got back in verse 2: “Set your minds on things above”.

It is not possible for you to change by just trying harder.

You can’t, because that sinful nature is too strong.

That sinful nature can only be dealt with as it is put to death, and it can only be put to death as we align ourselves with Christ who has the power to do it.

And once it is put to death, to put on that new self.

It’s surprising that we struggle with this message so much. In reality it is so simple, but yet we want to hold on to the control. But it is as we let go and allow God to take control that we will really see change in our lives.

So foster that peace of Christ. Foster an attitude of thankfullness. And foster that message of Christ and lets see the change occur powerfully.

Lets pray...