Dressed for Success

NOTE:

This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation and that there was additional material in the live presentation that is not included in this manuscript.

Engagement

We’re probably all familiar with the phrase “dress for success”. But did you realize there are actually scientific studies that show that the way we dress actually impacts our performance? In one study, researchers found that those wearing a white lab coat made half as many mistakes as those who did not. And in another study, athletes who wore the color red were able to lift more weight than those who wore the color blue.

Tension

This morning we’re going to talk about how to dress for success in the church. In the first church that I pastored I was expected to wear a coat and tie every Sunday morning. And some of you may have been in churches where everyone was expected to wear their “Sunday best”. But that’s not the kind of dress that we’re going to be talking about today. I don’t really think that God cares a lot about what we wear to church as long as it’s not immodest or it unnecessarily brings attention to us. But He cares a lot about how we dress spiritually.

Truth

As we head into the second half of Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae, we’re going to see that the focus changes. Much like several of Paul’s other letters, this one begins with an emphasis on doctrine and then ends with a focus on how that doctrine ought to impact our day to day lives. So while Ryan has done a really good job of bringing practical applications out of the first two chapters, these last four weeks in our “Rooted” sermon series are going to be even more practical.

We’ve seen so far that if we get Jesus right, we will get everything else right. We’ve learned that Jesus is supreme and sovereign over His creation and His church. And knowing that ought to influence and impact every area of our lives.

While the section of Scripture we’re going to study today probably deserves at least 2 or 3 weeks of our time, I think that that sometimes taking a broader look at a passage without getting caught up in all the details is actually more beneficial. So that’s what we’ll do today.

Before we read this passage, let me make a couple of general observations:

There are nine Greek imperative verbs, or commands, in this section. This is certainly consistent with the idea that this section of Paul’s letter is very practical. I’ve been joking for a couple of weeks that this requires a nine point sermon, but don’t worry, I’m not going to do that to you.

This passage is structured into three major sections:

The overall premise is given to us in verses 1-4: Set your minds on the things that are above, not things on earth

Beginning in verse 5, Paul uses one of his favorite metaphors - that of taking off the old and putting on the new. Verses 5-11 describe those old things that we need to take off.

Beginning in verse 12 and continuing through verse 17, Paul then describes the new things we need to put on.

We’ll go ahead and tackle each section one by one.

Colossians 3:1–4 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Once again the “if” we see in verse 1 is what is known as a first class condition in Greek. That means that Paul assumes that it is true of his audience that they have been raised with Christ. So it could almost be translated “since”.

The very moment that any of us place our faith in Jesus, Jesus makes us a completely new creation. Here’s how Paul described that process in his second letter to the church in Corinth:

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Here in Colossians Paul paints that same picture from a slightly different perspective. He writes that just like Jesus died and was raised to life, we, too, need to die to self so that we can be raised up with Jesus. Once that occurs, our primary citizenship is no longer here on this earth, but in heaven:

Philippians 3:20 ESV

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Therefore, we need to have a whole new mindset in which we are to continually set our minds on the things that are above, rather than on the things of earth. That is the overall principle that Paul will expand in in the rest of the passage.

Then, beginning in verse 5, Paul gives us some very practical advice on how to do that. Before we continue reading, I want to share with you the main idea we’re going to be developing today so that you can keep it in mind as we continue through this passage:

To be rooted in Christ, I must “dress” in a manner that is consistent with who I am in Jesus

Or, to put it in the terms we used earlier, we need to “dress for success”.

With that in mind, let’s read the next section of this passage:

Colossians 3:5–11 ESV

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Before we were Christians, our lives were characterized by certain thought patterns and actions. Paul refers to that as having our minds set “on earth”. And in verse 5 and again in verse 8, he includes two lists of five that are examples of what that looks like. Those lists are not comprehensive - they don’t list every kind of sin that we need to take off. So I’m not going to go through either of these lists in detail. However, I will say that it is probably worth some of your time to go through these lists individually and use them to evaluate whether there are some things from your old way of life that you need to take off.

The first list of five in verse 5 focuses more on what we might call “sins of the flesh”, and particularly sexual sins. While all sins, including the five listed here, have the potential to impact others as well as us personally, this first list focuses on sins that have a more limited circle of impact.

The second list in verse 8 deals more with the way we treat other people. With this list, Paul seems to be focusing on sins that have a broader impact within the body of Christ. These are sins that tend to create division within the church. So it’s not surprising that Paul follows up that list with a command to not lie to one another and then a reminder that despite our outward differences, we are all one in Christ.

It’s important to note that we don’t become new creatures by taking off our old way of life. The “therefore” at the beginning of verse 5 is crucial. Paul never says to take off our old way of life and then Jesus will make us into new creations. The fact is that we’re incapable of doing that in our own. We might have a bit of success for a time, but it won’t last because we can’t overcome our sin nature on our own. Instead, when we put our faith in Jesus, He raises us up with Him and makes us new creatures and gives us a new identity. And He then gives us the ability to put off the old way of life. But that doesn’t happen automatically. I have to choose day-by-day, moment-by-moment to put those things off in order to live in a way that is consistent with who Jesus made me to be.

But it’s not enough to just take off our old spiritual clothes. We also have to put on the new. That’s what Paul writes about beginning in verse 12:

Colossians 3:12–17 ESV

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In verse 12, Paul includes another list of 5 character traits. This list includes the kinds of things that ought to be present in our lives now that we know Jesus. Again the list is not all-inclusive. But is does demonstrate the kinds of things that will characterize our lives when we set our minds on the things that are “above”. And again, we are to put on those attitudes and action so that our life will be consistent with who we already are in Jesus.

You’ll note here that Paul continues to move from the personal toward the corporate. The things we are to put on all impact our relationships with others, particularly with those in the body of Christ. This entire section is summarized really well in verse 14:

Colossians 3:14 ESV

14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

If we are truly dressing in a manner that is consistent with who we are in Jesus, then that will be demonstrated by the love we have for each other and the unity that is present within the church. So how do we get there? Fortunately Paul provides us with three very practical steps we can take in order to dress for success in the church.

Application

HOW TO DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Live based on what I know, not what I feel

Most of you know that I have been officiating basketball and volleyball for a number of years. And one of the things that I have learned is that the best officials are the ones that keep their cool under pressure. They know the rules and they do their very best to enforce them fairly based on what they observe rather than to respond based on their emotions.

Paul is expressing a similar idea in verse 16 when he commands us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. The underlying Greek word translated “rule” originally described an umpire or referee who controlled the athletic competitions that were so popular in the ancient world. It is in the imperative form, which means that it is a command. It is also a present tense command, which means we could translate it “keep on letting the peace of Christ rule...”

Because we are all human, we are going to have conflicts and disagreements with others, even within the church. And when that occurs, our natural tendency is to respond with some of the emotions Paul listed back in verse 8: anger wrath, malice. But what we are to do instead, is to let the peace of Christ take control of the situation and make the call instead of letting our emotions rule us.

So what exactly is the “peace of Christ”? First, let me explain what it is not. Unfortunately, this verse has sometimes been pulled out of context and used to teach that one of the ways to determine God’s will for your life is whether or not you have “inner peace”. While there may be some other Bible passages that suggest that is a factor, that is not what Paul is talking about at all here.

The peace he is writing about is not inner subjective peace, but rather the objective peace which Jesus secured for us at the cross. There, He broke down the barriers that separated us from God and also the barriers between groups of people, such as Jews and Gentiles, who had previously been hostile to each other. So whenever I’m faced with a potential or real conflict, I am to decide how to respond based on the fact that Jesus died to make it possible for me to have peace with Him and with others, not based on my emotions.

Or to put it another way, I choose to preserve the unity of the body rather than pursue my own selfish desires.

Be a grateful person

You’ve probably heard the phrase “first world problems”. These are minor problems or nuisances that we experience in prosperous third world countries like the U.S. A good example would be that when the COVID pandemic first started and I was wearing a mask all the time, I got frustrated that my facial recognition wouldn’t work on my iPhone. That’s just one example that leads me to believe that we live in one of the most ungrateful cultures in the history of mankind. And none of us are immune to getting caught up in that.

I know this week the heartbreaking pictures from the Ukraine have been kind of a wake-up call for me, and for many others. They are a stark reminder of just how good we have it in this country in spite of whatever problems we might face. The people in the Ukraine would gladly pay $5.00 per gallon for gasoline if they had a car they could use to escape the war.

The theme of being grateful has been woven throughout this entire letter we’re studying. So it’s really not a surprise that Paul would give us a command to “be thankful” in verse 15. Again this is a present tense command so it is something that we are to do continually, not just once in a while.

This principle really isn’t complicated. I don’t need to spend the next 20 minutes explaining how to apply it in your life. So let me just make a couple suggestions.

First, make sure you take some time on a regular basis to thank God for all you have. And don’t just include all the physical things you have. Thank Him for your salvation, for your confident hope in the future, for the ability to speak to Him personally and have a relationship with Him. Thank Him for the people He has placed in your life.

Second, throughout the day, whenever you’re tempted to get angry or to have a pity party for yourself, turn that around and find something you can thank God for. When someone cuts you off in traffic, instead of cursing that person, thank God for the car He has provided for you to drive or thank Him that he prevented an accident. When you’re waiting in a long line in the supermarket, thank God that He has provide the means for you to buy your groceries.

Finally, quit looking around at what others have. That is probably the most common way we become ungrateful.

Actively participate in corporate worship and ministry

Almost every week, we stress the importance of spending time in God’s Word. And it would have been real easy to use verse 16 to make that same point again this week. But there is a lot more to the command to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” than just reading the Bible.

You definitely should read your Bible on your own. But letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly requires more than that. The verb “dwell” that Paul uses here is a compound word that describes taking up permanent residence. The idea here is that God’s word is to penetrate and govern every area of our lives. And that requires more than just reading the Bible.

The verbs, nouns and pronouns in verses 15-17 are all plural. That means that every time the word “you” is used there, you could replace it with “y’all”. And then, to further emphasize that the emphasis here is on the entire body and not just individuals, Paul includes the phrase “one another”.

This last command makes it really clear why Jesus never intended for there to be “Lone Ranger” Christians. In order to fully have the word of Christ dwelling richly in our lives, we need each other. We need to gather together and sing and praise Jesus and serve together. And we need to do that for more than just an hour on Sunday mornings.

Over the years, I have often learned more about how to dress for success in the church from just being with other mature disciples than I have from reading the Bible on my own:

I’ve learned how to be an encourager by watching Susan Hawthorne do that so well on a consistent basis.

I’ve learned about what it means to love a spouse “for better or worse” by observing how Jon Settlemeyer agonizes over how to best care for Dee and then how he makes whatever personal sacrifices are needed to do that.

I’ve learned about how to humbly serve the needs of others by watching Gene Melzer help so many people inside and outside this body quietly and without any fanfare.

I’ve learned how to be more compassionate by seeing how Cindy Petrack is so observant about the needs of people in our church family and how she serves those people.

I’ve learned how to serve humbly by watching Steve Jacob do whatever is needed - everything from repairing a broken amp to teaching our kids to faithfully leading our hospitality ministry each week.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately I don’t have time to list everyone in this church family that has had a tremendous impact on my walk with Jesus. But none of that would have been possible without living life together.

Action

We’ve seen this morning that...

To be rooted in Christ, I must “dress” in a manner that is consistent with who I am in Jesus

There may be some of you here this morning, that have been trying to come to God on your own. You’ve been trying to take off some behaviors and attitudes that you know are displeasing to God. And then you’ve been trying to put on other behaviors that you think will please God. But my guess is that has been a frustrating process. If not, I can guarantee that it will become frustrating at some point because none of us can do that on our own.

So if you’ve been trying to come to God like that, I want to encourage you to try a different path. Will you instead come to Jesus and ask Him to change your life? Will you put your faith in Him and what He did on the cross where He paid the penalty for your sin to make it possible for you to have a relationship with God? If you do that, Jesus has promised that He will change you and make you into a new person. And then once He does that, He also will give you the power to dress in a way that is consistent with who He has made you to be.

For the rest of you who have already let Jesus change your life, will you ask Him to help you dress in a way that is consistent with who you are in Him? Jesus will never force you to do that nor will He do that for you. But if you truly desire to live as His new creation, He will provide you with the power to do that.

Inspiration

If you’ve ever watched the NBA or NFL draft, you’ll notice that as each player gets drafted, he usually puts the hat from the team that has drafted him. He didn’t become a member of that team because of anything he did, but rather because the owners and management of that team chose him. And he can’t just choose what team he wants to be on by putting on the hat of his favorite team. He has to wait until he is chosen and then once he is selected, he then puts on the correct hat.

That’s a pretty good illustration of what we’ve talked about today. I don’t become a disciple of Jesus by deciding to quit engaging in certain “bad” activities and thought patterns and by deciding to take part in other “good” activities and attitudes. I can only become His disciple because He has chosen me and because I responded by putting my faith in Him. And even that faith is a gift from God. But once I become His disciple, out of love for Him and a desire to live in a way that is consistent with who He has made me to be, I need to, with His help, take off some things that characterized my old life and put on some things that are consistent with my new life. That’s how I dress for success in this body of Christ.