OPEN: April 17, 1964 something unique and noteworthy took place in America… That event was the introduction of the Ford Mustang. On that day the following events took place:
1. A Mustang had been chosen as the pace car for a stock car race in Huntsville, Alabama. When it drove onto the track, thousands of people scaled the retaining wall to get a better look at it and the race was delayed for over an hour.
2. A cement truck crashed through the plate-glass window of a Seattle Ford dealer when the driver lost control of his vehicle. The reason: He was staring at the new Mustangs on display there.
3. A Chicago Ford dealer was forced to lock the doors of his show-room models because too many people were trying to get into them at the same time.
4. A Texas dealer put a new Mustang on a lift to show a prospective customer the underside of the vehicle. By the time his demonstration was over, the showroom was filled with people, and he had to leave the Mustang up in the air for the rest of the day.
5. A New Jersey Ford dealer had only one Mustang and 15 eager buyers, so he auctioned it off. The winner of the auction insisted on sleeping in the car to be sure the dealer didn’t sell it to someone else before his check cleared.
APPLY: Why did they do all this?
Why did people behave in such bizarre ways over a simple car? I mean they...
* crammed into showrooms and scaled retaining walls at races just to get a look at it
* One man slept in their newly purchased car
* And another man lost control of his vehicles because of the sight.
They did all of this because of a Ford mustang!
BUT it was THE car they wanted to see.
It was THE car they wanted to have.
It stood for everything they ever wanted in a vehicle
ILLUS: About 20 years ago, I knew a man in his 70’s who kept a vintage Mustang in his shed. He drove it ONLY on nice summer days. But otherwise he kept it the shed… and it was in mint condition. It was the car of his dreams. He had literally fallen in love with that vehicle and his love for that car caused him to behave in ways he NEVER would for any anything else in his life.
I. The church at Colossae had been visited by false teachers who tried to convince the Christians there that rules and regulations could change them. They tried to convince them that a strict life style would could make them moral.
But Paul wrote and explained that “such regulations … lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." (Colossians 2:23)
In other words, rules and regulations couldn’t change you. Rules and regulations couldn’t make you a better person. Only Jesus could do that.
Now, in this 3rd chapter (having said that), Paul explains that:
God does expect us to change.
He does want us to be moral.
He does want our lives to be pure and undefiled.
BUT – God knows there is a better way to change us than by asking us to keep a list of do’s and don’ts.
Now, Paul does make a list of things that upset God…
Sexual immorality
Impurity
Lust
Evil Desires
Greed (which is idolatry)
Anger
Rage
Malice
Slander
Filthy language
He’s saying: if you want a list - consider this one.
BUT just understand... merely knowing the list will not change you. Knowing the list will not make you a better person.
In fact, even if you STOPPED doing all of those things, you wouldn’t necessarily be acceptable to God. Because lists and rules "lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." Colossians 2:23
In fact… if I focus on the evil things on the list – that list will dominate my thoughts. It may, in reality, make it harder for me to not sin!
ILLUS: For example: Look at this picture on the wall. (we put a cute picture up on the wall).
For the next few minutes I want you to close your eyes, and I don’t want to think about this picture at all. (Close your eyes) NOW DON’T THINK about that picture you just saw!
(pause for a couple of minutes, periodically reminding them NOT to think about the picture)
NOW. How many of you had trouble not thinking about the picture you saw?
You see, the problem with trying to be moral by keeping a list of things you SHOULD’T DO, is that the list becomes that which you look at all the time! And thus, the list is what fills your mind.
And, because it FILLS your mind, the things on the list become hard to avoid. Another way of saying it: That which you keep your eyes on is that which shapes your thinking.
That’s what Paul meant when he wrote: "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:2)
In fact, he told us we should “Put to death… whatever belongs to your earthly nature” (vs. 5). And we should “rid yourselves of all such things (vs. 8)
ILLUS: At the last church we served, Diana and I lived in a parsonage out in the country. One night, a shrew got into our house. It’s a tiny little mouse-like creature that doesn’t harm anybody. But it was driving my cats crazy and it was driving Diana crazy, and that in turn was driving me crazy. In the process of trying to get it out of our house… I killed it.
Now what do you suppose I did with that little dead shrew?
* Did I put it on top of the TV in the Living Room?
* Did I put it in a Tupperware box and put it in refrigerator?
* Did I put a string on its tail and hang it from my car’s rear view mirror?
Nooo… I threw it out the back door and I never gave it a 2nd thought. I hadn’t wanted it my house to begin with and now that it was dead, I DEFINITELY didn’t want it around.
QUESTION: When I put something to death that I didn’t want around to begin with, how long do I keep it around the house?
ANSWER: I don’t. I get rid of it. I throw it in the trash. I throw out in the field. I remove it from my life. Because I didn’t want it to begin with. That’s why I killed it!
Don’t focus on the evil earthly things of this life that God didn’t want in your life to begin with.
Throw it out the back door and don’t spend a lot of time focusing on that part of life.
Paul says, put those old things of life to death. Take them off like old garments and put on Christ
II. How do I put on Christ?
Galatians 3:26-27 tells us “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
ILLUS: There’s a custom amongst some of the churches in Africa that (after they’re baptized) they burn their old clothes and then put on a new white robe to show our new position in Christ
What Paul is telling us here in Colossians is that when we become Christians, we need to change our clothes. Our old way of living life is like filthy garments that need to be taken off & burned. Then we need to cloth ourselves with a lifestyle that glorifies Christ, because we have “put Christ on” like a new and beautiful garment.
III. I need to be as excited about this “new life in Christ” as the owner of those early Mustangs are about their cars.
Do you remember how those people back in 1964 reacted when they first saw a Ford Mustang?
They crammed into showrooms and scaled retaining walls at races just to get a look at it. One man slept in their newly purchased car to keep it from being sold to another buyer. And another man, when he saw it, lost control of his vehicles because of the sight.
When you and I first became Christians, there was that same excitement!
I’ve seen a man cling to the front of the pew in front of them til his knuckles turned white
because he was struggling with the decision to become a Christian.
I’ve seen people nearly cry as they told of wanting to become a Christian.
I’ve seen the excitement in people’s eyes as they told of what Jesus meant to them.
Why do they react that way? Because Christ supplies what they have needed in their lives.
It could be because they have always wanted another chance. A fresh start in life. And they realize that once they become Christians they have a “new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:10). They have a new self, a new start to a life they have fouled up on their own
Or… it could be that they realize that – in becoming a Christian – they can gain the love of they may have missed in life. As Paul says, once we were baptized – we became “…God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved" (Colossians 3:12)
Once we realize what we have gained by “Putting On Christ”, we can experience a constant state of excitement and thanksgiving. Just by putting on Christ…
IV. But, how do I know if I have put on Christ successfully?
Well Paul gives us a list of those too:
Don’t lie to each other
Show compassion
Show kindness
Be humble
Be gentle
Show patience
Bear with one another
Forgive grievances
Forgive as the Lord forgave you
Be thankful
Sing songs of praise
Teach & admonish one another with all wisdom
AND over all things, put on Love which binds all things together
Do you recognize something all these have in common? (pause and wait for an answer)
Answer: These are descriptions of how a Christian should treat others.
Tell each other the truth…
Be compassionate, kind, patient, forgiving others
Sooo… think about this…
Is there anyone you are having trouble forgiving?
Is there anyone you have trouble speaking nicely about?
Is there anyone you have problems being kind and compassionate and gentle with?
“Oh…” you might say… “that doesn’t count – they don’t go to this church!”
That’s cheating. Notice what it says in Colossians 3:13 "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
Did God forgive you because you were in the “right place”?
Did God forgive you because you DESERVED to be forgiven?
Did God forgive you because you were better than the person next to you?
Oh no… God forgave you EVEN when you were His enemy
God forgave you even when you were self centered and self righteous.
God forgave you even when you deserved to die for your sins.
The way you KNOW if you’ve put on Christ completely is when you can honestly look at someone who’s offended you - forgive them. It’s when you are willing to bear with them.
ILLUS: Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, was reminded one day of a vicious deed that someone had done to her years before. But she acted as if she had never heard of the incident.
"Don’t you remember it?" asked her friend.
"No," came Barton’s reply, "I distinctly remember forgetting it."
CLOSE: The beauty of becoming a Christian is that – God gives us a new life.
A life freed of the filth and shame and guilt of the past.
A life filled with God’s love and acceptance.
There is nothing like it in the world….
There is nothing in this world that even compares…
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES
· Remembering What We Have - Colossians 1:1-1:14
· He Is Lord Because Of Who He Is - Colossians 1:15-1:23
· The Mystery - Colossians 1:21-1:29
· Jesus is Lord Because Of How He Rules - Colossians 2:1-2:23
· Feet On The Earth, Head In The Sky - Colossians 3:1-3:17
· Prescription for a Healthy Family - Colossians 3:17-3:21
· Working For Jesus - Colossians 3:22-4:1
· Thinking Like Jesus - Colossians 4:1-4:6
· Someone Else - Colossians 4:7-4:18
