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Turn with me to the book of Colossians chapter 3. Pastor Bill has been leading us through the Gospel of Mark, which of course goes through the life and ministry of Jesus, ending with his death and resurrection. In youth group last week we started a series on the book of Acts which is a continuation of the story after Jesus resurrects and ascends into heaven. It’s in Acts that we meet the Apostle Paul, formerly Saul, who helped plant many churches on his missionary journeys. Other churches he may not have directly started himself, but his coworkers, Timothy, or in this case Epaphras started the church. Paul would write letters to these churches–that’s what most of our New Testament is comprised of.
To receive a letter from Paul was usually… meant you were doing something wrong, but sometimes it was a good thing. It was like being called down to the Principal’s Office; maybe you’re being invited to a pizza party, maybe you’ll be invited to detention? Most likely the latter. Often, Paul’s letters were corrective- telling the recipients what they need to work on or do differently. Ultimately, Paul offers a lot of “course correction” as I like to call it, to those he is writing to.
In a similar way, when I was in college at Indiana Wesleyan, at a certain point over halfway through each semester some letters would be sent home to the parents of students who were well, in need of some academic “course correction”. Meaning if you had a C- or lower, a letter was sent home to your parents so they could lovingly encourage you to get your butt in gear and get your grades up. Humble brag: there was 1 semester of my 8, where I did not have a letter sent home.
This letter to the Colossians is meant to be read as a personal letter, written so it can be understood, and sent to them so it can be applied to their daily lives.
Maybe it goes without saying, but the book of Colossians that we have in our Bible is Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae, it is for the believers there. He writes to them to correct some false teachings that had made their way into the church and was beginning to mix with the Christian doctrine they had been taught.
We also ought to read it as a personal letter, not just a historical document. Maybe there are things we can get from it just as the believers in Colossae could.
Paul starts his letter with a greeting and a prayer for the people. Much of chapters 1 and 2 is reminding them of what Christ has done for us. Paraphrasing form verses 13-14 of chapter 1; Christ has rescued us, redeemed us, and set us free.
Followed by some of the boldest statements in our Bible about the Supremacy of Christ, in the second half of chapter 1. Which actually has a lot of overlap with the song “Holy Forever”, that we just sang.
Really, the first half of the letter is deep theology because Paul wants the believers to be built on the solid foundation of Christ and not be deceived and swept away by the high-sounding nonsense that comes from the world.(v.7-8) Paul’s main goal is that the people truly know God- as that is the only thing that really matters!
I. Look Up
The second half of the letter, chapters 3 & 4, begins the practical application. The start of Chapter 3 is where he begins to switch gears from what Christ has done, to what we, as believers, should do in response to what Christ has done.
Now, I know I said to get a letter from Paul meant you were doing something wrong, but he doesn’t write letters to all these churches just to crack the whip on the believers. Not everything they are doing is wrong, and Paul is good about encouraging the things they are doing well.
He writes this passage in a “Sandwich Method” with the first section being a “Do This” section, followed by a “Do NOT Do This” section in the middle, and he concludes the passage with another “Do This” section. He gives encouragement, tells them what not to do, what to avoid and why, tells them what they should do instead.
Colossians 3:1-4 “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”
Again, he’s addressing the believers, those who have asked Christ to forgive them of their sins. “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ…” He starts off by giving us two separate statements that are quite similar. Set your sights, or maybe your translation says “hearts”, on the “realities of heaven”, or “things above” followed by, Think about, or set your minds on things above, not the things of earth.
It starts with knowing Christ on a deeper level. Setting our hearts on things above means striving to put heaven’s priorities into daily practice. It means having our focus on the things that have eternal value.
For us as modern-day New Testament readers, this isn’t particularly new information. It’s a pretty common theme throughout the New Testament; to put our hearts and minds on things above, where Christ is seated.
I think about my favorite passage from the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 6:33 “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”
Even Romans 12:2 “Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, BUT be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
Set your heart and mind on things above, seek first the kingdom, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. He’s saying to focus on the things of this life that actually matter. Things that have eternal value, not just temporary things of this world.
Philippians 4:8-9 “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 11Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing…”
Again, Paul wrote this letter with the ultimate goal that they KNOW GOD, because that is what truly matters. That is what has eternal value. The more you know God, the more you can discern what is from God.
At the end of your life, as you take your final breaths in your last moments, where you went to college will not matter. Who you married- arguably the most important earthly decisions you could make, will not matter. If you started a business, reached your goals, got good grades, won’t matter.
If you have inherited eternal life through a relationship with Jesus Christ, that will be the only thing that is important in that moment as you cross from life to death.
When you have that mindset on behalf of your friends and family, and those around you…it’ll change your perspective on what’s truly important, because it has eternal value.
In these first 4 verses he is telling the believers to focus on what is actually important. WHY? Because they have died to the old life. We are not to be so caught up on the things of the world, but instead to align their thinking with that of God’s thinking. We are a new creation, raised to new life with Christ. And until Christ returns, Look up! Seek first his kingdom (Matt 6:33). ..Be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romas 12:2).
What is your focus on? What are you doing now to focus on Jesus?
Paul is urging us today as he did the believers in Colossae, to set our heart and mind on things above, where Christ is seated.
II. Look Out
He then switches gears, going from “Do This” section to a “DO NOT DO THIS” section! Paul calls them to draw a line in the sand, separating themselves from the sinful behaviors of their past.
v.5 “So PUT TO DEATH the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.”
He uses some strong, graphic words to describe how we ought to handle our sins. “PUT TO DEATH the sinful and earthly things within you” and then he proceeds to list out the sinful things. These are all things below, opposite of the things above. Sexual immorality. Impurity. Lust. Evil Desires. Greed.
Again, we can’t just read this as a historical document. It’s not just a letter reserved only for the believers in Colossians. We also need to hear this message, it’s applicable to the Believers at Eagleville Bible Church as well.
We need to separate ourselves from our sinful desires, and focus on the things above. Paul doesn’t stop there but keeps listing off sinful behaviors to avoid.
v.7-9 “7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.”
I don’t feel like I need to go into any detail defining and describing these terms. After all, this is the “Do Not Do This” section, and I don’t even want to spend too much time here. Yet, we all know someone who is characterized by any one of these terms. People who are just so angry all the time, or constantly use such foul language, or is so selfish. The examples write themselves, as people can so easily be overtaken by these sinful behaviors. “Be careful of your thoughts, they become your words. Be careful of your words, they become your actions. Be careful of your actions, they become your habits. Be careful of your habits, they become your character.”
But, I do want to focus on this: Paul says we need to kill it off and have nothing to do with it. That was our old way of life before we knew Christ. But we’ve been made new, we’ve been redeemed, we’ve been raised to new life with Christ- as he said in verse 1.
In chapter 2 He used imagery of cutting away our old sinful nature. He says in 2:13-14 “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all your sins. He cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
We need to cut away our sinful nature. We need to put it to death so we cannot return to it.
Mark Batterson in his book All In writes:
“On February 19th, 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortés set sail for Mexico with an entourage of 11 ships, 13 horses, 110 sailors, and 553 soldiers. The indigenous population upon his arrival was approximately five million. From a purely mathematical standpoint, the odds were stacked against him by a ratio of 7,541 to 1. Two previous expeditions had failed to even establish a settlement in the New World, yet Cortés conquered much of the South American continent.
What Cortés is reported to have done after landing is an epic tale of mythic proportions. He issued an order that turned his mission into an all-or-nothing proposition: Burn the Ships! As his crew watched their fleet of ships burn and sink, they came to terms with the fact that retreat was not an option.”
In his own words, Paul is urging his readers to do the same. To burn the ships of their old way of living and thinking. We do so by making a defining decision that will eliminate the possibility of going back to the old way of life we left behind.
Batterson goes on to say:
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to lose weight, get into grad school, write a book, start a business, or get out of debt. The first step is always the longest and hardest. And you can’t just take a step forward into the future. You also have to eliminate the possibility of moving backward into the past. That’s how you go after goals. That’s how you break addictions. That’s how you reconcile relationships. You leave the past in the past by burning the ships.”
He doesn’t tell us to manage our sin, and as long as you stay in control it’s alright. He doesn’t tell us to entertain these ideas, just as long as we don’t hurt ourselves or anyone around us we’re good. He doesn’t tell us to ignore them and hope they go away. The bible tells us the consequences of sin is death. If you don’t kill it, it’ll kill you. Paul tells us to put to death the sinful desires within you. Have nothing to do with it!
We need to take practical steps. Some of us have smartphones and social media that we use to give in to every one of these first five sinful behaviors that are listed out-sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil thoughts and desires, greed. We try to manage it, just by putting our phone down. It would do us a tremendous service if our phone was at the bottom of lake erie.
Some of you entertain your sinful behaviors. You get together and hangout on weekends. Some of you have “friends” that enable you to give in to every one of these sinful behaviors. Now is the time to cut off those so-called friends, and start new.
You may just try to ignore them all and act like they never happened in the first place. Maybe it’s the opposite, maybe you’re dwelling on things that aren’t even yours to dwell on. You may need to make amends and do what you can to reconcile a relationship. Until that happens, you’ll slowly but surely fill with anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, dirty language and lies. It’s killing you from the inside out, because you’re trying to have everything to do with something Paul tell us to have nothing to do with.
Have you put to death your sinful desires? Or are you trying to manage, entertain or ignore them?
III. Look In
Paul brings the focus back to what we ought to do, with the final part of the sandwich. He lists out the virtues we ought to put on in contrast to the old sinful nature we need to strip off.
v.10-11 “10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
In nearly every letter he wrote, Paul hits the theme of being made new or being made alive in Christ. Most likely because he, himself is living in that newness! Having previously been very against Christ to the point of killing His followers. Paul was present, furthermore condoned the stoning of the first martyr, Stephen in the book of Acts, to now spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the very reason why Stephen was killed. Paul has experienced the forgiveness of his sins, and is now, each day, putting on his new nature, with his new identity and striving to be more and more like Christ.
The racial, religious, cultural, and social barriers don’t matter. Christ is what matters. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is what matters.
He goes on in verse 12
v.12-15 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”
Paul tells us to put on Tenderhearted Mercy. Which is synonymous with compassion. Pastor Bill spoke on this very topic just last week. Being concerned with the needs of those around us, just as Jesus was as we read through the Gospels. Taking responsibility. Meeting both their spiritual needs, and their physical needs as well.
Kindness is closely related to Mercy. The kind person is as concerned about their neighbor’s good as he is about his own. Jesus is kind as he invites us to take his yoke upon us, and learn from him, for he is gentle and humble in heart; and we will find rest for our souls.
Humility: Working in direct opposition of pride and selfishness. Humility is the foundational virtue of recognizing one’s dependence on God and prioritizing others above yourself. Strip off selfishness, put on Humility.
Gentleness: is closely related to Humility. It I not weakness or spinelessness, but instead strength under control especially in dealing with others, knowing we are all sinners in need to God’s saving grace.
Patience: is the opposite of resentment and revenge. I think James said it best “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20)
Paul tells us to “Make allowance for each other’s faults” meaning to endure, to hold out in spite of persecution, threats, injury, indifference, or complaints, do not retaliate, but practice forebearance- modeling God’s grace with and for one another. Make allowance for// leave room for error.
Believers are to be known for their willingness to Forgive one another. Why? Jesus is the ultimate example of forgiveness. [God] is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. God forgave us our sins, and we strive to be like him, must be forgiving of those who sin against us.
Lastly, we cannot achieve any of these virtues if we do not first Love one another. Love is the very glue that holds it all together in perfect harmony. To be clear, Paul is not giving them rules they must follow. That would be Legalism. All of this is living the new life as a result of all Christ has done for us.
To put any of these virtues into practice without love, would be legalism, or rule following, they must all flow from love. Paul says between faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love. (1 Cor. 13:13)
Colossians 1:13-14 “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”
We have been rescued, redeemed and set free from our sins. So we put on our new nature and clothe ourselves with these new virtues.
Paul uses this imagery of getting dressed, clothing ourselves. In verse 9 he says we “have stripped of our old sinful nature”, which makes sense- you can’t put on new clothes without first having taken the old clothes off. Three times from verse 10 to 15 he says to “put on” or “clothe yourselves”.
Previously, in the old life, while we were still prisoners to our sinful ways in the kingdom of darkness we wore what the prisoners wore. I know 2 things about prison. 1: there’s a big fat guy named Bubba and he wants to hurt you. and 2: you’re given a set of clothes. You matched everyone else.
You only ever see prisoners wearing those. But Christ has freed us, and he now tells us to wear something different. He tells us to clothe ourselves in all these better attributes because we’ve been set free, we’ve been redeemed, we’ve been saved! We aren’t in prison anymore, so why wear what the prisoners wear?
And as those in Christ, there should be a noticeable difference between our old selves and our new selves. There should be a noticeable difference between us and those who belong to the world. There should be a noticeable difference between someone set free and someone still a prisoner to their sins.
Clothe yourself in these things and let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Be filled with peace, let the message of Christ fill your life, and overflow with gratitude. That’s how we will know you’ve been set free!
What you say. How you talk. How you act and treat people. What you wear, the shows you watch, the things you post…..would people be able to tell that you’ve been set free?
I love how this passage concludes with verse 17. “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
Look Up: How well are you representing Christ with what you’re focused on? Is your heart and mind set on things that have eternal value? Are behaviors that help you focus on Christ a part of your daily life?
Why not commit to reading a chapter of the bible each day? Or joining a bible study or a ministry where you can be involved? Maybe for the month of May, only listen to worship music instead of anything secular. That will help change your focus.
Look Out: What ships do you need to burn? What behaviors do you need to put to death? Jesus said “if your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out.” That’s radical. But that’s what is required. Not managing, entertaining or ignoring them. Don’t make excuses, make the necessary changes.
Look In: Are you really clothed in love? Is the peace of Christ ruling your life or is Anxiety? Or frustration? or a desire for control? Can the outside world see a noticeable difference since you’ve been set free or are you still wearing the prison clothes?