Col 3:12-17 - LIVING OUT GOD’S DESIGN
In today’s passage, Paul paints for us a blueprint for living as God’s chosen people.
• As Christians, being saved by Christ, we are changed by God’s grace and given a new life. And therefore a new way of living that reflects the character of Christ.
• When man first fell into sin, the image of God in us was destroyed. But the good news of the Gospel is that now, because of Christ, He has restored that lost image.
• We are able and called to live out God’s design for us as children of God and followers of Jesus Christ.
From the text this morning, we can see at least 3 aspects of this new life that Paul expects to see from the Colossians:
1. WE LIVE OUT THE VIRTUES OF CHRIST
Paul starts by telling the Colossians to PUT TO DEATH the vices and sinful habits of the past because those do not belong anymore.
• 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
• 3:6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
• 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
• 3:9-10 9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have PUT OFF THE OLD SELF with its practices 10and have PUT ON THE NEW SELF, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. [… after the image of Christ]
3:12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…
• Can you think of someone with all of these qualities? Jesus.
• Together, these virtues display the character of Jesus; which is correct because we are made in the image of God and now restored to that image.
• We are saved by Christ to now live like Christ.
• In Gal 5, Paul expresses it in another way – we bear the FRUIT of the Holy Spirit, some qualities we see repeated here.
That’s WHO we are in Christ. This is GOD’S WILL and HIS WORK in us.
• God changed us and made us “new creation” in Christ,
• 2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
This life change has been prophesied in OT through Prophet Ezekiel.
• Ezek 11:19-20 19And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
• If you say, “I cannot change” - that can only be true if you do not know Jesus.
• When we trust Jesus as Saviour, God changes us and gives us a new HEART.
• The Holy Spirit dwells in us and enables us to obey God. We bear the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT and become more and more LIKE CHRIST.
This is the work of God, not of man.
• 3:10 - Paul says we “have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
• 3:12 - we are “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved…” This is true of everyone who has trusted Jesus as Saviour and received Him into his life.
This NEW identity in Christ will bring about a new way of life, a different way of life.
• Therefore Paul says PUT ON compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…
• They are not something we try to create or produce; God changed us so that we can live this way.
• In the past, we could not do so because we were sinners, following the desires of our flesh. But not so today, “THEREFORE put on these virtues and live out God’s design for us.”
In the past, we are sinners trying to do good. Today we are made good and do good; to live out who we have already become in Christ.
• Martyn Lloyd-Jones: “Our greatest need is to become who we already are in Christ.”
• KNOW WHO YOU ARE and live like Him. We are children of God, born again in His likeness.
Before we move to the second point, give a thought to these qualities.
• Which one of these virtues do we lack? In what ways can we be more like Christ?
2. WE SEEK TO BLESS OTHERS MORE THAN SELF
The interesting thing about these qualities is that they are all others-centred.
• Compassion: A heartfelt concern for the needs and suffering of others.
• Kindness: A generous spirit that seeks the good of others.
• Humility: Recognizing the value and good of others above ourselves.
Not to think too highly of yourself.
• Gentleness: Responding to others with patience and care.
• Patience: Bearing with one another’s shortcomings and trusting in God’s timing.
Did you notice this - all these qualities have to do with benefitting others, not self.
• And all these virtues can only be cultivated in relationships or community.
• In other words, you cannot learn compassion when there is no one with you; not with patience, gentleness or forgiveness. You don’t learn to forgive if no one offends you.
A Christian PUT OFF his fleshly desires and vices that gratify only self and PUT ON the new self that has the well-being of others as his prime goal.
• Just like Christ, Paul says in Phil 2:3-5 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.
Our relationship with one another must bear witness to our new life in Christ.
• It is not easy and Paul knows it too, because after listing all these virtues, he went on to talk about the need to bear with one another… (Malay tahan – to endure)
• 3:13 “…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.
• 3:14 “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
• 3:15 “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
The context is clear. These exhortations typically address bad situations like quarrels, disagreements and misunderstandings.
• Paul knows that living in a community is difficult and calls the Colossians to BEAR with one another’s imperfections and forgive others as the Lord has forgiven them.
• Which is not optional but expected of – from those who have been forgiven and redeemed by Christ.
We all quarrel and we fight. But in Christ, we can still bear with one another and forgive.
• Let me suggest one way that can help if there is someone you find it hard to live with – pray for him and ask God to bless him.
• The more you pray for him, the less you will detest him, because you cannot hate the one you pray for. Keep praying until you find your heart changed by God.
• God might not change him but He changed your heart towards him.
THE UNSELFISH ONE
A man was at the airport early for his flight. He grabbed a cup of coffee and a small bag of cookies and finding a table in the crowded area, he planned to enjoy his snack while waiting.
As he began to sip his coffee and read his papers, a stranger approached and asked if he could share the same table since there were no empty ones. The man nodded, though quite unwilling.
After some time, he noticed the stranger reaching into the bag of cookies on the table and to his disbelief, the stranger took one of the cookies and began eating it without asking!
Fuming inside, he reached into the bag to take a cookie for himself, glaring at the stranger. The stranger simply smiled at him and then took another one.
This silent battle continued until there was only one cookie left. The stranger picked it up, broke it in half, and offered one piece to him with a kind smile. Then he stood, waved goodbye, and walked away.
The man sat there, stunned and offended. How could this man be so rude, eating his cookies and without asking?
As he prepared to leave for his flight, he reached for his belongings — and discovered his unopened bag of cookies still sitting in his bag. He was eating the stranger’s cookies!
Who has been the unselfish one? Who has been generous and kind?
• And who was the angry one blaming the other in his heart, thinking that someone else had wronged him?
This is a common mistake we make. Let us seek to bless, rather than to be blessed, and live to be more like Christ.
3. WE LET THE WORD OF CHRIST GOVERN US
3:16-17 16Let 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. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
One of the reasons why Paul needs to write Colossians is because there were false teachers that came with man-made traditions, religious rules and human philosophies.
• But all these cannot and did not change them. Their lives were transformed by the Gospel, the work of Christ on the cross.
This new life feeds on the truth of God. We don’t live according to someone’s opinions.
• We seek to know God’s Word and let the Word of Christ govern our lives.
• Paul says (1) we teach and admonish one another to walk in His ways and (2) we encourage one another to sing and worship God with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
• Even when circumstances are bad, we focus on the goodness of God and we praise Him, with grateful hearts, Paul says.
• Paul and Silas sang when they were in the Philippian prison (Acts 16:22-25).
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Paul ends with an important principle – 3:17.
• 3:17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
• Everything points to Christ. We live to bring honour and praise to His Name. That’s the ultimate goal of the Christian life.
• And we do it out of freedom, not compulsion; out of delight and a grateful heart.
Do we look like Jesus today? Do we behave like Him?
ARE YOU JESUS?
A group of friends were rushing to catch their train. In their rush to the platform, one of them accidentally kicked over a table of apples. The apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they ran towards their train except one.
He felt bad. He paused and glanced back with compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He returned to find all the apples scattered across the floor.
The young girl who manned the stall was blind. She was softly crying in frustration and at the same time groping helplessly for her fallen apples. No one stopped; everyone was in a hurry.
The man knelt on the floor with her and gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. He noticed that some of them had been damaged and set them aside. When he had finished, he took out his wallet and said, “Here, please take this for the damage we did.”
As the man started to walk away, the blind girl called out: “Sir, are you Jesus?”
The young girl had prayed for Jesus to help her. She said, “I prayed and He sent you.”
Can our words and deeds speak of Christ? That verdict will come from others, not ourselves.
This new life is a gift from God. What we do with it is our gift to God.
• Our lives tell of WHO Jesus is. Our words and deeds can bring glory to His Name.
• In a world where people need to see Jesus, so often the only Jesus they will see is through us – those who walk with Him.
Since Jesus calls us to follow after Him, let His character be seen in our actions.
• When we clothe ourselves in His virtues, forgive as He forgives, love as He loves, and let His peace and Word dwell in us, our lives become a testimony of His goodness.
• Let’s commit today to putting on Christ and letting His love shine through us in all we say and do.
• Not just for today but throughout this year. Our theme is, living wholeheartedly for God! Amen!
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, we praise You for the gift of a new life in Christ. Help us stay faithful and true to Your call for us to live like Christ, in our words and deeds.
Create in us a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within us. Let the Fruit of Your Spirit grow abundantly in our lives, so that we may be a living witness to Your love and grace. Make us more like Jesus each day, Lord. Less of us and more of Him.
For Your glory and the good of the people, we are called to love and serve.
In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
