Do Everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus

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This morning we have the Lord’s Supper as you can see, we also will be finishing out our series in the letter of Colossians.

With that we will be looking at Do Everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus, as we look at Colossians 3:12-17 what we are told about the Christian life.

We will see four things that we need to do as Christians in our Christian walk to live a greater Christian life, a closer walk with Jesus, and if we are going to grow spiritually, and build the kingdom of God, we must follow what is told to the Colossians here in these verses.

In our text as Paul writes this letter to the Colossian believers, he is writing through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit addressing some different divisions that were taking place in the church, one was social relationships, a second was harmony and a third one was the freedom to allow the Word of God to spread in the Christian community.

With those three divisions that had taken place there are four things that we will look at that we need to do in order to do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

Our text this morning is Colossians 3:12-17

Colossians 3:12–17 CSB

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

It does not matter what group of people you are a part of there will be disagreements from time to time, whether it is a country club, a horse club, a motorcycle club, a art club, or a church.

There are going to be times when there is a problem, when people have disagreements, when this side doesn’t like something that the other side did, or that the younger people did something that the older people don’t like.

Well, our text addresses the social divisions in the church, as we see this morning, that we are given some things to put on.

I. Put on Christian Characteristics. Vs. 12-14

Colossians 3:12–14 CSB

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

We know this is for the Christian, because verse twelve states for God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved.

That is that God chose us, Scripture tells us that no one can come to salvation unless the Father draws them, which we see in John 6:44

John 6:44 CSB

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.

We then see we are called holy, which means set apart, when Jesus saves us we are set apart for his purpose, to do his will, which is to share his love with the world.

Then we are called dearly loved, which we know God loves us greatly, more than anyone else loves us, and he proved his love to us which we see in John 3:16

John 3:16 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Verse 12 continues with put on: now here we know that the Scripture is talking to believers, therefore, we need to listen up and here what we need to put on.

We are given a list of five things that we need to put on, which is: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

These are five characteristics we need to put on in order to stop the problems in social groups, more specifically the church.

If there is problems within the church, then why would new believers, or unbelievers want to be a part of the church.

If there are problems, arguments, gossip, lies, in the church, then we are not sharing the love of Jesus Christ in the church and the unbelieving will not be attracted to the church or to Jesus through us.

There is not a specific problem that is pointed out in the letter, therefore, the focus is more on the individual who needs to have patience, rather than the one who caused a problem. The place to begin in any group tension is with oneself rather than others.

Instead of pointing fingers at others, we need to have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience with others.

We need to realize it is not about us in the first place it is about our Lord Jesus, and bringing glory and honor to Him, and if we are being argumentative or causing problems, or bringing division are we honoring Jesus.

In verse 13, the five characteristics are followed by two others that we need to do in social groups, specifically our church, that is to bear with one another and forgiving one another.

Bearing with one another, can also be - enduring which is putting up with others even when they fail or act differently from what is expected.

It is being patient and holding our tongue, when that one person in the church who gets under our skin, just keeps going on and on, or keeps posting those meme’s on Facebook, we just keep enduring, we just keep praying Lord help me not to say anything.

Then there is forgiving one another, this is based on the root word for grace. That is we are to have grace with others, even when they keep hurting our feelings, even when they keep wronging us.

The disciples asked Jesus how many times do we forgive our brother, which we see in Matthew 18:21-22

Matthew 18:21–22 CSB

21 Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” 22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.

Seventy times seven Jesus is meaning that forgiveness is to be unlimited, another words we do not just say well I am tired of you I am no longer going to forgive you, because God the Father has forgiven us, we must forgive others.

Just as our text continues there in verse 13:

Colossians 3:13 (CSB)

13 if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.

A grievance, that is someone has offended you, has hurt your feelings, has done you wrong, you know sometimes the other person does not even realize they have even done something wrong, and if we wait around for them to apologize, we may not ever get that apology.

Therefore, he is saying, if someone has hurt your, go to them and forgiven them, because the Lord has forgiven you.

Do not hold grudges, Jesus also taught this same principle in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:14-15

Matthew 6:14–15 CSB

14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.

How do we forgive someone that has hurt us, that has done us wrong, I mean that has really wounded us bad, well we see the answer in verse 14.

Colossians 3:14 CSB

14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Put on love, not just any love either that is the love of Jesus Christ, as Christians we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have his love in us, and in order to be able to forgive those deep wounds of hurt, we must put on the love of Jesus to be able to forgive.

Because it is with the Love of Jesus that creates the perfect bond of unity, it is only through Jesus that we can come together as diverse people as a body of believers in unity.

See we are all made up differently, we all have different ways of life, different backgrounds, different ways of thinking, but one Lord, one Savior, and One body that unites us.

II. Let the Peace of Christ Rule. V. 15

Colossians 3:15 CSB

15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful.

Here we called or commanded to let the peace of Christ rule our hearts. Peace is a common expression in the Letters that Paul wrote.

This is the inner peace that we get from God at salvation, the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Philippians 4:7 CSB

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

When a believer loses this inner peace, they know that they have in some way disobeyed God, and it is time to get right with God.

The word translated rule is an athletic term. It means to preside at the games and distribute the prizes.

In the Greek games there was what we would call the umpires who rejected the contestants who were not qualified, and who disqualified those who broke the rules.

The peace of God is the Umpire in our believing hearts and our churches. When we obey the will of God, we have His peace within; but when we step out of His will, even if it unintentionally, we lose His peace.

We must be aware, however, of false peace in our heart. Jonah deliberately disobeyed God, yet he was able to go to sleep in the hold of a ship in a storm!

To say to our self, I had peace about it, is not sufficient evidence that we are in the will of God.

We must pray, surrender to His will, and seek His guidance in the Scriptures, seek Godly wisdom, and Godly counsel.

Proverbs 22:17–19 CSB

17 Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge. 18 For it is pleasing if you keep them within you and if they are constantly on your lips. 19 I have instructed you today—even you— so that your confidence may be in the Lord.

The peace of heart alone is not always the peace of God.

Something else is involved: if we have peace in our hearts, we will be at peace with others in the church. We are called to one body, and our relationship in that body must be one of harmony and peace.

If we are out of the will of God, we are certain to bring discord and disharmony to the church.

When a Christian loses the peace of God, he begins to go off in directions that are out of the will of God. He turns to the things of the world and the flesh to compensate for his lack of peace within.

When there is peace in the heart, there will be praise on the lips: as the end of the verse says there: And be ye thankful.

III. Let the Word of Christ Dwell. V. 16

Colossians 3:16 CSB

16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Here we see the word of Christ dwell richly among you, this means, of course, the Word of God.

The false teachers came to Colossae with man-made traditions, religious rules, and human philosophies. They tried to harmonize God’s Word with their teachings, but they could not succeed. God’s Word always magnifies Jesus Christ.

It was not the word of False teachers that brought salvation to the Colossians; it was the Word of the truth of the Gospel. This same Word gives us life and sustains and strengthens us.

The Word will transform our lives if we will but permit it to dwell in us richly. The word dwell here means to feel at home.

If we have experienced the grace and the peace of Christ, then the Word of Christ will feel at home in our hearts. We will discover how rich the Word is with spiritual treasures that give value to our lives.

Many saved people cannot honestly say that God’s Word dwells in their hearts richly because they do not take time to read, study, and memorize it.

Certain activities encourage the freedom of the word of Christ. These occur in two descriptive statements introduced by the prepositional phrase discussed.

First, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs...

The statement naturally divides into three parts: the importance of wisdom, the activity of teaching and admonishing, and the matter of the songs themselves.

Wisdom in this letter to the Colossians has a spiritual dimension and is related ultimately to the mind of God.

Paul encouraged the believers to express their corporate worship in real wisdom, which centers in and promotes Christ.

Christians have always sung their faith, and here in verse 16 we have a biblical basis for it. We are given three terms providing insight into the nature of early Christian singing.

First, is Psalms, which you may guess is the Psalms of the Old Testament.

Second, is the word Hymn, which only occurs twice in the New Testament, the other place is Ephesians 5:19.

The word hymn here may describe a festive hymn of praise.

The third and final, is Spiritual songs this seems to describe other musical compositions, like gospel songs, praise and worship songs.

The important thing is that music is to be a vehicle or a tool if you will, through which a message is delivered.

That can be done through the Psalms of the Old Testament, it can be done through the hymns, and it can be done through praise and worship, with all kinds of different genre’s of music, I have heard rap music with a salvation message to it, I have heard heavy metal with a message of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, I have heard blue grass, country, jazz, all genre’s of music with the message of Jesus Christ, the important thing is that it has the message.

The problem is to many times, we hear the beat, or it is on the screen, and we immediately block it out, we tune out the lyrics of the music, when we should be listening to what the message of the song is, what is God trying to say to us through the song.

But we would rather get all up set and mad because it is not what we wanted, it was not what we like, instead of coming with a heart prepared that is open to what God is trying to say to us.

The second, thing that we see in verse 16 here is that we are to do this with a gratitude in your hearts.

Instead of standing or sitting there like a bump on a log, or mad because this is not the song we wanted to sing, instead we need to come with a heart of gratitude to worship the One who died on the cross for our sins, who gave his life so that we could have eternal life.

Psalm 96:1–6 CSB

1 Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord. 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples. 4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised; he is feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

When we sing it is not about us and what we want but about what God has done for us, it is about the transforming power of God in our lives, and we sing with an awareness of that grace.

The song is to come from a thorough and consistent commited life to the Lord. Nothing else pleases God.

Nothing else teaches and admonishes others as well as the heartfelt, enthusiastic singing that comes from those who know personally what grace means.

The Word of Christ is able to dwell richly in the congregation when we are able to teach and admonish each other with a mutual involvement through songs of various kinds.

These songs, in turn, were energized by the freedom of the Word of Christ so that an ever new song of grace appears.

IV. Whatever you do - Give thanks to God. V. 17

Colossians 3:17 CSB

17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Here Paul wraps up this paragraph, this section with whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, that is whether you are talking, singing, or if it is doing something for yourself or someone, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.

We are not to just come here on Sunday mornings to worship Jesus for what he has done for us on the cross, but we are to live our lives for him 24/7/365.

At all times we are to live our lives in the consciousness of the authority and reputation of Jesus Christ.

We must remember that we are ambassadors that is representatives of Jesus Christ, that everything we do, we are representing Jesus.

See the person of Jesus should be everything to us, and because of his grace, all of our life should be a contribution to him.

Another words, listen closely, we need to wake up and realize it is not about us, it is about Jesus and only Jesus, it does not matter what we want, it does not matter how it use to be done, what matters is Jesus, that is the only thing that matters.

1 Corinthians 10:31 CSB

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

We are here for Jesus, and as the verse ends, we are to give thanks to God the father through Jesus.

Thus God is to be thanked for delivering believers from darkness and placing them in the Kingdom of his Son through the work of Jesus on the cross.

We can only come to God the Father through the work of Jesus, and it is only through Jesus as he is the way.

John 14:6 CSB

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Our thanks, our praise is to rise to God the Father through God the Son, Jesus Christ.

It is because of Jesus that we can have salvation, that we have grace, we must understand that it is all about Jesus, and without Jesus we are nothing.

Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior of your life.

I would like to give you that opportunity today before we observe the Lord’s Supper and remember what he did for us.

Salvation is explained in Romans 10:9-10

Romans 10:9–10 CSB

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, then three days later raised from the grave to conquer death and sin, so that we can have salvation and eternal life in heaven.

If you believe that will you come and confess that to me today, to make Jesus the Lord of your life and receive salvation in your life.