(based on a sermon series by Tom Ellsworth)
SERIES: “THE OTHER 3:16’S”
TEXT: COLOSSIANS 3:15-17
TITLE: “THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF JESUS”
OPEN: A. Dr. Joe Harding used to tell a wonderful story about a man who decided to ask his boss for a
raise. He had worried and fretted over the issue but finally decided it was the right thing to do.
The morning of the day he was to talk to his boss, he told his wife what he had determined to do.
She agreed that he should talk to his boss about a raise.
The man spent most of his day at work in agony. His nerves were jangled and he dreaded facing
his boss. Finally, late in the afternoon, he got the courage and went in to see the boss. What a great
day! The boss agreed to grant the request for a raise.
When the man arrived home, he found that his wife had laid out a beautiful table – using their
best dishes and best silverware. She had flowers on the table and candles were lit. He guessed that
someone from his office had tipped her off
He walked back into the kitchen and shared the good news with her. She gave him a big hug
and a kiss. She told him that supper was ready so they should go ahead and eat. At his plate, was a
beautifully hand-lettered not that read: “Congratulations, darling! I knew you would get the raise.
These things will tell you just how much I love you.”
When supper was over, the man helped carry the dishes into the kitchen. He found another note
that had fallen out of his wife’s pocket. He picked it up off the floor and read: “Don’t worry about
not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! These things will tell you how much I love you.”
B. Life is difficult sometimes
1. We feel pressure from our jobs, our families, our community, even our church
2. We feel that we don’t necessarily deserve all the problems and pressures of this life, but we
have move forward
--We still have to live life.
3. It certainly helps to know that no matter how things are going, somebody loves us
--Somebody is rooting for us. Somebody cares about what’s happening to us. Somebody wants
to encourage us as we live our lives
C. We’re in our 4th scripture from “Discover Jesus: The Other 3:16’s”
1. 1 Jn. 3:16 – “The Love of Jesus”
2. Lk. 3:16 – “The Power of Jesus”
3. Acts 3:16 – “The Name of Jesus”
4. Today: Col. 3:16 – “The Encouragement of Jesus”
D. Our God is a God of encouragement
--I look at all the people listed in the Bible that got down and discouraged and God lifted them up
and got them through their struggles and trials
1. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
2. Moses and Joshua
3. The prophets like Elijah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah
4. I see the encouraging hand of Jesus in the life of Peter as he encouraged him to “Feed my sheep”
three times after Peter had denied him three times
5. I look at the troubles and trials of the apostle Paul: shipwrecked, stoned, beaten, falsely accused
--and yet, I see the encouraging hand of God in his ministry
E. Like all of the other passages in our 3:16 series, we need to look at Col. 3:16 in context
--Col. 3:15-17 – “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.”
1. The church at Colosse was facing some difficult times
--False teachers had come into the congregation and were leading folks astray
a. False teachers from the Judaizers who tried to say that you can’t be a Christian without first
becoming a Jew
b. False teachers from the pagan religions that taught there were many ways to God
c. False teachers with Greek philosophy mixed in with some Christianity
--These teachers taught that what was done in the flesh was inconsequential. It was what
happened in the mind that was important
d. Some scholars have even seen some Gnostic influences in some of the false teachings Paul
deals with
--Gnostics taught that they had a “special knowledge” that no one else had. This “special
knowledge” made them “special Christians” above and beyond all others
2. The apostle Paul was upfront with the people at Colosse regarding the purpose of this letter
a. Col. 2:2-5 – “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that
they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the
mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.”
b. In other word, this is a letter of encouragement so that the church would not grow weary and
that they would not be deceived by fancy-sounding arguments
3. We face a similar situation in the 21st century
--false teachers are tearing away at the church
a. False teachers that say the Bible isn’t the inspired word of God
--simply a collection of myths and parables that teach us man’s search for God
b. False teachers that claim God wants every Christian to be wealthy, healthy, and prosperous
c. False teachers that short-change salvation by faith through God’s grace
--they literally teach a “salvation through works” theology
4. In all this mess, where do we find the encouragement of Jesus?
--I think our scripture passage gives us the answer
I. SOAK IN THE WORD
--“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”
A. We all know that words are powerful.
--And Christ’s words are beyond powerful.
1. His words are words that spoke the world into existence
2. Words that called Lazarus from the grave
3. Words that calmed the wind and the waves
4 Words that forgave sins with authority
5. Words that ushered a dying criminal into paradise
6. Words that mesmerized the crowds
7. Words that paralyzed His enemies and mobilized His followers
8. Words that are eternal and unchanging
B. What is the “word of Christ”?
--refers to several different things
1. Actual words of Jesus
--all in red letters in some Bibles
2. I believe it actually refers to the whole scripture
--Because the entire Bible was written about Him and for Him
3. The Scriptures are a powerful tool for encouragement in walking with Christ
a. 2 Tim. 3:16 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness.”
b. Heb. 14:13 – “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of
the heart.”
C. Yet, we rarely have time to spend in Christ’s word
1. The International Bible Reader’s Association reports that 85% of professing Christians have never read
through the entire Bible.
a. We have time to watch television
b. We have time to read the newspaper
c. We have time to attend ball games
d. We have time to surf the Net
e. But we don’t have any time for the Word of God?
2. I find that when people do take time to sit down and read the word of God, most of the time it doesn’t
take the form of spiritual growth or relationship-building with God
a. It’s because their church is challenging the congregation to read so many chapters or reach a
certain goal
b. Or it’s a time of crisis and they’re turning page after page trying to find an answer for their crisis
D. More than reading the word, Paul says that we are to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”
1. That means that we are to allow the word of Christ to live within us
--that it makes its home in us
2. Dave Stone from the Southeast Christian Church in Louisville tells about taking his daughters with
him to San Antonio, Texas for a preaching engagement. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time for much
sightseeing during this particular trip.
When they returned home to Kentucky, Sadie, who was eight at the time, was excitedly telling her
Uncle Paul all about the trip. Being a history buff, Paul was quick to ask, “Sadie, did you get to see the
Alamo?” With enthusiasm Sadie innocently replied, “Yes, we rented our car from there!”
a. She missed out.
b. And if you just study Scripture without internalizing it, you will miss out too.
3. A word closely related to this concept is the biblical word “meditate”.
--You know what it means?
a. It means “to murmur, mutter, to ponder, to study to speak”
--it’s the idea of talking to yourself.
b. So that when the Psalmist says, “I will meditate on your word day and night” or “meditate in your
heart” or “meditate in the temple” or “meditate on your wonders” or “his works” or “his statutes” or
“precepts”, “meditate on his word” it means to let his word saturate and permeate who your being.
4. We are literally to “soak in the word” – like a sponge
a. Christ’s words become a part of who you are.
b. They are integrally, inherently, and inextricably linked, to your being.
5. Gary Johnson wrote: “Worshipping God is intrinsically connected to the Word dwelling within us. If
the Word is not living in you richly, you will not be able to worship God deeply.”
II. SHARE THE WORD
--“ as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom”
A. We’re missing a part of the New Testament worship pattern
--What I mean by that is that we come to church to receive something and not to give something
1. In the 1st century church, each person contributed something to the worship service
--1 Cor. 14:26 – “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or
a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the
strengthening of the church.”
2. I love preaching and I love preachers
--I have favorites just like everyone else
3. However, we’re called to “teach and admonish one another”
--Sometimes, the application of a scriptural principle takes on its fullest meaning when the average Joe
shares how that principle works in his life
4. Here’s the thing: When we’re soaked in the word of Christ, we’re not only encouraged in ourselves.
--We become an encourager to others
a. When we share the lessons we’ve learned and struggles we’ve faced, others are encouraged in their
walk with Christ
b. God designed it to work that way
--2 Cor. 1:3-4 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can
comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
B. We’re called here to teach
--Teaching is done both through information and inspiration
1. Information is when I tell you how to do something
2. Inspiration is when I live it out in my life
C. We’re also called to admonish
1. “admonish” is not a word that we use very often in the 21st century
2. It means to “warn or counsel”
3. When we allow the word to soak through us – to saturate us – it will give us opportunities to hold one
another accountable and to share correction
4. Christian admonition is always done in love and it demonstrates through attitude and action a Christ-
like life
-- One of my preacher friends shared a story about a time in his congregation where several of the
leaders were very upset about a certain person’s attitude and the trouble it was causing. They were
correct to be upset but had shot right past the teaching and admonition stage to the “let’s just gripe
and complain” stage.
His congregation had just recently hired an associate minister. This young man wisely sensed
the situation and told the complainers, “Let’s stop and pray about this situation and the person
involved.” My friend said that’s what they did and told about how much better they all felt.
My friend said it was a great lesson learned. He and the other leaders had been “admonished” by
this much younger associate minister but because he was Christ-like in his attitude and actions, he
taught his mentors something important. He gently and lovingly moved them toward a better
approach.
D. We’re called to teach and admonish with wisdom
1. Knowledge is the ability to work with facts
2. Wisdom is the ability to know when and how to apply what you know
3. Back to the story my friend shared about his associate
-- That young man demonstrated wisdom. He could have told those leaders: “You guys are a
bunch of hateful, gossiping, hypocrites. You’re not acting like Christians. Just stop it.”
He would have probably been clearing out his office a little bit later. Instead, he was wise in
how he approached those in charge over him and yet, was able to admonish and teach.
III. CELEBRATE THE WORD
--“…as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”
A. If the word of Christ dwells in us richly, we can’t hold it in
1. We have to let it out
2. It’s like shaking up a bottle of Coca-Cola
--If you shake it up hard enough and long enough, the Coca-Cola will bust right through the seal and
spray all over the place (Don’t ask me how I know that fact.. I just do!)
3. My friend Matt Sullivan says you study it through, soak it in, and then speak and sing it out!
B. God has been so good to us that we can’t help but shout it out!
1. When God saved the Israelites from the armies of Pharaoh
--Ex. 15:1 – “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD : ‘I will sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.’”
--Most of the chapter is a song of praise to God
2. Ps. 13:6 – “I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.”
3. At least 65 times in the Psalms, it mentions singing to the Lord
4. James 5:13b – “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.”
C. Celebration is important for encouragement
1. When your favorite sports team wins the championship, you gather with other fans to celebrate the
victory
--You might have a rally, a parade, or any combination of events but in the celebration, you’re
encouraged and so is everyone else
2. When we gather together to share our celebration of God’s love and faithfulness, we are encouraged
as we go forth to live in this world
IV. LIVE OUT THE WORD
--“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
A. What if every person worshipping in this place adopted and lived that verse?
--that whatever we did would be done to honor and glorify Jesus?
1. How would our families change?
2. How would our marriages be different?
3. How would our workplaces be affected?
4. What would happen in our schools?
B. The encouragement of Christ in our lives should serve as an encouraging influence in the lives of those
who live around us
1. Jesus told us in Mt. 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how
can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled
by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a
lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven.”
2. Salt and light always make a difference in the environment into which they’re introduced
C. Baroness Isak Dineson – aka Karen Blixen – was bron in Denmark in 1885. She lived for many
years on a coffee plantation in Kenya, Africa. She was an author best know for her autobiographical
work Out of Africa. You may have seen the movie starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
In the book, Dineson told about a young native boy named Kitau who came to work for her as a
houseboy. She wrote, “After three months, he asked me one day to give him a letter of
recommendation to my old friend Skei Ali Ben Salim. I did not want Kitau to leave just when he had
learned the routine of the house, and I said that I would raise his pay. No, he said, he was not leaving to
get any higher pay, but he had made up his mind that he would either become a Christ or a
Mohammedan [a Muslim], only he did not know which yet. From me he would go for three months to
Sheik Ali in Mombassa and study the ways and habits of Mohameddans. Then he would decide.
Dineson said that she was shocked, thinking of all of her obvious imperfections. She exclaimed to
Kitau, “Why didn’t you tell me!”
V. BE THANKFUL FOR THE WORD
A. Several times in this passage, the concept of thanksgiving is emphasized
1. vs. 15 – “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to
peace. And be thankful.”
2. vs. 16 – “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.”
3. vs. 17 – “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.”
B. We tend to be gripers and complainers instead of “thankers”
1. Phil 2:14 – “Do everything without complaining or arguing.”
2. 1 Pet. 4:9 – “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
3. One thing that marked the children of Israel as they journeyed to the Promised Land was their
grumbling and complaining over Moses’ leadership and God’s provision
C. We’re called to live with thanksgiving
-- Steve Brown, Jumping Hurdles, Hitting Glitches, Overcoming Setbacks:
The most unhappy person in the world is not someone who didn’t get what he or she wanted. The
most unhappy person is the one who got what he or she wanted and then found out that it wasn’t as
wonderful as expected.
The secret of a happy life is not to get what you want but to live with what you’ve got. Most of us
spend our lives concentrating on what we don’t have instead of thanking God for what we do have. Then
we wake up, our life is over, and we missed the beauty of the present. You think about that.
D. Two responses to life:
1. This is the day the devil has made; I will complain and be miserable in it.
2. This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.
--What’s your response?
CLOSE: A. What are the results of Jesus’ encouragement in my life?
1. The peace of Christ rules in my heart
--Col. 3:15a – “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”
2. The unity of Christ rules in my church
--Col. 3:15b – “…since as members of one body you were called to peace.”
3. The wisdom of Christ permeates my decisions
--Col. 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one
another with all wisdom…”
4. The joy of Christ invades my circle of influence
--Col. 3:17 – “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.”
5. The attitude of Christ controls my life
--I do it “all in the name of Christ”
B. One of my favorite singers of all time passed away not too long ago. He was the most brilliant
and talented operatic tenor of all time – Luciano Pavarotti. The beauty and passion of his voice
still move me when I listen to his recordings.
Pavarotti shared this story: When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the
wonders of song. He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a
professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a
teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, “Shall I be a teacher or a singer?”
“Luciano,” my father replied, “if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For
life, you must choose one chair.”
I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional
appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it’s
laying bricks, writing a book--whatever we choose--we should give ourselves to it. Commitment,
that’s the key. Choose one chair.”
