It’s all about Jesus: Colossians 3
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 11/6/2016
For the last couple of weeks we’ve been making our way through the book of Colossians, which is all about Jesus. In the first chapter Paul spotlights Jesus with a poetic declaration of Christ’s supremacy. He states definitively that Jesus is the image of the invisible God—that all things were created by Christ and for Christ, that he is the head of the church, and our only means of reconciling our relationship with God. In the second chapter, Paul then assures us that we can find fulfillment in Jesus. In other words, we have everything when we have Jesus.
As Paul moves into the third chapter, he begins to sketch out what the All-About-Jesus life looks like. Something to keep in mind is that the pagan religions of Paul’s day said little or nothing about personal morality or lifestyle. A worshipper could bow before an idol, put his offering on the altar, and then go back to living his life however he saw fit. What a person believed had no direct relationship with how he or she behaved.
But the Christ-centered life brought a whole new concept to pagan society: what we believe ought to dramatically impact how we behave. If we are committed to Jesus and connected to Jesus, then Jesus is going to influence how we live our lives.
So if you have a Bible or an app on your phone, open it up to Colossians 3. Here Paul highlights three areas of our personal lives that will be touched and hopefully changed by Jesus. First, is our focus.
• OUR FOCUS
Paul starts off talking about our focus as follower of Christ. He writes, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4 NIV).
First, Paul says that because we’ve got this new life in Jesus, we ought to “set our hearts on things above.” We know what it means to have our hearts set on something, don’t we? It means having a strong desire and expectation for something.
We get our hearts set on all kinds of things, don’t we? Maybe you’ve got your heart set on some dream vacation or a new car. Or maybe you’ve got your heart set on a certain person and you’re just hoping that he or she notices you and that person is all you can think about. You get what the wise old owl in Bambi called twitterpated. Earlier this week, my son had his heart set on going to see the new Marvel movie, Doctor Strange. He wanted to watch all the trailers for it. He wanted to go see it on opening night. Then he got so bummed out when I told him that Ashley and needed to preview it first and he was going to have to wait. So we know what it’s like to have our hearts set on something.
But then Paul throws out this similar but slightly different concept. He says, “Set your minds on things above…” The word translated mind in the New Testament doesn’t simply refer to our brain or even our thoughts; rather, it includes our volition, our will. So it’s actually very similar to our phrase “set your mind to it.” We tell our kids “You can do anything if you really set your mind to it.” In other words, we’re talking about focused determination and hard work.
So when we put these two concepts together Paul is saying that you’ve got to have desire and determination. Where should our hearts and minds be set? “On things above, where Christ is” and where we will be when Christ comes again, Paul says. In other words, we’re talking about heaven! Our affections and aspirations should be set on heaven. Not because of the place, but the people—because that’s where Jesus is.
Far too many of us, myself included, are so focused on earthly things, rather than things above that we hardly give heaven a thought. Are you excited about heaven? Do you have your heart set on spending eternity with Jesus? Are you determined to get there?
I’m reminded of a Sunday School teacher who just finished a lesson all about Heaven, then asked her students, “How many of you want to go to Heaven?” Of course, everyone in the class raised their hands… except for one little boy. “William,” she asked, “don’t you want to go to Heaven someday?” Suddenly perking-up, the boy replied, “Oh yes ma’am. Someday. I just thought you were taking up a load right now!”
I think we’re a lot like that little boy. We all want to go to Heaven… someday. We’re just not in any hurry to get there. We might feel differently if we took seriously what the Bible says about heaven. Revelation describes the New Heavens and Earth as a place of sensory delight and breathtaking beauty with rivers, trees, cities, buildings, gates, streets, mountains, and houses (Revelation 21-22). But the most wonderful thing about Heaven will be its chief resident.
Paul writes, “On the day when the Lord Jesus comes, all the people who have believed will be amazed at Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:10).
Amazed at Jesus. Not amazed at angels or mansions or new bodies or new creations. Paul doesn’t measure the joy of encountering the apostles or embracing our loved ones. If we will be amazed at those things, which certainly we will, he does not say. What he does say is that we will be amazed at Jesus. It’s all about Jesus!
So the first area of life that Jesus ought to impact is our focus. If it’s all about Jesus, if we’re living a Christ-centered life, then let’s set our hearts and minds on things above. Furthermore, Paul talks about our fight.
• OUR FIGHT
As we continue, Paul writes, “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you” (Colossians 3:6 NLT). He then goes on to list some of these sinful, earthly things lurking within us: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed and idolatry (vs. 5), anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language (vs. 8), lying (vs. 9), and racism (vs. 11). That’s a pretty ugly list, wouldn’t you agree?
As I read this passage, it’s as if Paul is saying there’s a monster lurking within each one of us. And there is. The Bible calls it our sinful nature—it’s beastly, ugly, defiant, angry, hateful, greedy and immoral. Because of it, we hurt the people we love. We do things we know we shouldn’t do and wonder why we did them.
John Cooper knows all about that. John is the lead vocalist and bassist for Skillet. On their album Awake, John wrote the song Monster to describe our battle with our sinful nature. The song starts like this:
The secret side of me, I never let you see
I keep it caged but I can't control it
So stay away from me, the beast is ugly
I feel the rage and I just can't hold it
It's scratching on the walls, in the closet, in the halls
It comes awake and I can't control it
Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head
Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?
I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin
I must confess that I feel like a monster
I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun
I must confess that I feel like a monster
Can you relate? At one time or another, hasn’t each of us been perplexed and disgusted by our own actions? We swear we’ll never again do a certain thing, then just a few weeks (or hours) later we find ourselves doing exactly that. Again. We’re horrified by our own weakness and resolve once more to be done with past behavior. But far too soon, we’re back at it.
And my sin may be different than yours. That’s why Paul gives us such a long list. But all sin is vile and evil and ungodly. So what do we do about it? We kill it! , “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you” (Colossians 3:6 NLT).
Sin is like a dragon that needs to be slain!
So how do we do it? How do you kill something within yourself that you can’t see or touch? Paul elaborates on this idea in another passage: “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live” (Romans 8:12-13 NLT).
Here Paul says we don’t have to keep doing what our sinful nature urges us to do. If we do, we die. So it’s kill or be killed. But he says we can kill off our sinful nature through the power of the Spirit. So what does that mean and how do we do it?
Do you remember full armor of God described in Ephesians 6? The only offensive weapon listed there is: “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). So if I’m piecing this together properly, Paul is saying we can slay our sinful nature by wielding the Word of God—by believing it, banking on it, and trusting in its promises. What happens is—the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make you more like the Son of God.
Jesus himself teaches us how to wield this weapon. Preparing for his public ministry, Jesus spent forty days alone in the wilderness. Isolated and hungry, Jesus was at his most vulnerable. That’s when Satan attacked. The Bible records three specific temptations that the devil dangled in front of Jesus. Yet, each time Jesus responded with the same words, “It is written…” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10) and then he proceeded to quote Scripture to Satan!
We glorify Jesus and follow his example when we wield the word of God. No matter what sin you struggle with, God’s Word will speak to that issue. Let God’s Word speak to you. Memorize some verses that relate to your life and struggles. Then, when your sinful nature rear its ugly head, cut it off immediately by speaking God’s Word aloud from your arsenal of Scriptures!
So first of all, Jesus influences our focus. Furthermore, Jesus influences our fight. And finally, Jesus influences our fashion.
• OUR FASHION
You can tell a lot about people from the clothes they wear. The clothes that we choose to wear often reflect our status, our values, and even our priorities. At Hollywood red carpet events reporters often ask actors and actresses "Who are you wearing?" to find out which designer created the clothes they are wearing.
As Paul continues, he makes some recommendations about who and what we should be wearing. He writes, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:12-15 NLT).
In contrast to his earlier list of sins, Paul now gives us this beautiful list of godly actions and attitudes—mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, etc. And twice within this four verses, Paul says to “clothe yourselves” in them. What they all have in common is that they are all characteristics of Christ. Elsewhere, Paul puts it more succinctly, saying, “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14 NCV). By “putting on” these Christ-like virtues and qualities we actually become more like Christ. And it’s not just a surface change; something deeper happens.
As a costume creator, I know a little something about that. I’ve dressed up as nearly every superhero you can imagine. And something happens beneath the surface whenever you put on a costume. For instance, if you put on a Superman costume it just makes you want to put your hands on your hips and puff out your chest. If you dress up like Batman, you can’t help but scowl and talk in a gritty voice. If you dress up like Spider-Man, you instantly have an urge to make witty wise-cracks.
In fact, I have a friend named Anderson Marchack who takes the command to clothe yourself with Christ very literally. He’s known online as Cosplay Jesus because that’s what he does. He’s an actor who frequently played the role of Jesus in various local productions. Then in 2012, he decided to dress up as Jesus to attend Wizard World Philadelphia. The reception was overwhelmingly positive. Since then he continues to cosplay as Jesus at Comic-Cons all over the east coast. When I asked him about it, he said that when he puts on that costume, he feels a burden to represent Jesus not just in his appearance but in his attitude and actions. He said, “I believe that many Believers have misrepresented what Jesus is truly about: Love. My hope is to bridge the gap between the Church and world, through this fun and creative venue… I just want to be a positive representation of Jesus, as a person.”
I think Paul is calling each one of us to do the same thing. Paul’s idea, simply put, is that acting like Jesus—spiritually dressing up like Jesus—will gradually make us more like Jesus inside and out.
Conclusion
So here’s what it comes down to. If you’re living the all-about-Jesus life, then you’re going to have a different focus than the rest of the world. Your heart and mind will be set on things above. You’re also going to have a fight on your hand. Through the power of God’s Spirit and faith in his Word, we need put our sinful nature to death—getting rid of the long list of sinful, earthly things lurking inside of us. And finally, we’ll have to start making the right fashion choices. We want to dress up like Jesus, clothing ourselves in mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love.
This is what it looks like to live a Christ centered life.
Invitation
Next week, we’ll continue on through Colossians and see how our relationship with Jesus ought to impact our relationships at home.
In the meantime, I just want to encourage you to set your heart and mind on Jesus, slay the dragon of sin in your life, and clothe yourself with Christ. If you need help in any of those areas, I’m here and the church is here to help. We can come along next to you, encourage you and pray for you. So if you need some prayer or encouragement this morning, just come forward as we stand and sing together.
