The Life That is All About Jesus – part 2
Colossians 3:1 – 4:1 (3:12-17)
May 10, 2015
As you know we are in the middle of a study called “It’s All About Jesus”
We’ve been studying through various passages in God’s Word
That help to remind us that the life that we live here on this earth
Is a life that is meant to be all about Him.
As a church loving Him is most important
As a Christian worshiping Him is most important
In fact, everything we do must be done because of Him.
And that is what we’ve started talking about here in Colossians chapter 3.
To briefly remind you of the scene again:
THE COLOSSIANS WERE BEING BULLIED.
• Some false teachers had claimed to have angelic visions that enlightened them to the expectation of God.
• According to them, the way to please God is to attend every feast and ordinance, to honor certain days above another, and to abstain from basic every day things.
One of their favorite sayings was quoted by Paul in chapter 2, verse 21:
Colossians 2:21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
According to these false teachers, you became pleasing to God
Through strict religious ritual and self-abasement.
Now, the reality is that those things may in fact look good,
But they won’t help you in the war against the flesh at all.
Colossians 2:23 “These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”
The real goal of the Christian is
To walk by the Spirit and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires.
Doing without basic things won’t make you more holy,
In reality it will probably only make you want those things more.
But this is what the Colossians had been taught.
And because the Colossians were eager to “look” like real Christians
They were actually submitting to these false doctrines.
Colossians 2:20-21 “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
And so you remember the problem.
The Colossians had been snared.
They were trapped in a legalistic and depriving system of religiou all because they wanted to look real to the people who were teaching them.
To this Paul stepped in.
In chapter 3 Paul addresses the issue, and his solution is clear.
Start focusing on what Jesus wants and not on what these men want.
We actually saw the first point last Sunday night.
#1 THE PLEA FOR A JESUS FOCUSED LIFE
Colossians 3:1-11
And in this plea, we broke it down into 3 points.
1) The Request (1-3)
And the request was simple. Quit focusing on the things of this earth, or the things that people want from you.
Instead, fix your eyes on the heavens, because Christ is there
And start focusing on what He wants from you.
Next we saw:
2) The Reassurance (4)
The reassurance Paul seeks to give is that
Right now our spiritual life is hidden, undetected by people.
So trying to prove how real you are to other people is a futile endeavor. Instead, just seek to prove your love to Christ,
And when He appears, He will reveal that you were real.
3) The Requirement (5-7)
The false teachers were requiring adherence to ritual and self-abasement.
Well, God wasn’t opposed to sacrifice,
But His list was a little different than theirs.
He wasn’t asking you to quit drinking cokes,
God wants you to quit gratifying the flesh.
Things like “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed”
These are the things that motivate God’s wrath, not eating meat.
GOD’S DESIRE IS THAT YOU LIVE HOLY, NOT DEPRIVED.
And finally we saw:
4) The Reminder (8-11)
And the reminder was simply
What God is actually trying to accomplish in our life.
Verse 10 reminded us that our old self has died and we have been given a new self “according to the image of the One who created him”
God’s objective is to conform you into the image of Jesus.
• God wasn’t trying to make you look more Jewish, or more Gentile.
• God wasn’t trying to make you look more circumcised or uncircumcised
• God wasn’t trying to make you look more Baptist or Methodist
God wants you to look more like Jesus.
And with that Paul’s request to the Colossians came into focus.
Please quit trying to live up to all the man-made standards
That these false teachers are throwing at you.
Instead fix your eyes on Jesus, look at Him, learn from Him,
And above all seek to be like Him.
That is the real goal.
And that is where we left off last Sunday night.
Tonight we move on to the second point.
#2 THE PATTERN OF A JESUS FOCUSED LIFE
Colossians 3:12-17
And of course this one is obvious.
There can only be one pattern for the Jesus focused life…Jesus.
And that is the point Paul unmistakably drives home here.
Verse 13 tells us we are to act “just as the Lord”
If we are to focus on being like Him,
Then certainly when we see what He is like,
We should pattern our lives after His example.
This is why I do hope to take this study to another level soon and start simply looking at some of the attributes of Jesus. They will give us the pattern to follow.
But even until that part of the study begins,
Paul already gives us some great attributes to consider.
And just as we did last Sunday night,
We can break this point down a little further as well.
There are three easy commands that Paul is giving us here.
1) FOLLOW CHRIST’S EXAMPLE (12-14)
I love the fact that Paul starts verse 12 with the word “So”
It carries an idea of an obvious response.
Since we are the new man, being conformed into Christ’s image,
Our next steps should be rather obvious.
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved…”
Not only is this the obvious response, it is the deserved one.
Paul reminds us that
• We are not new creatures by our own doing.
• We are not redeemed by our own efforts.
• We are not set free because of our own worth.
It was all by God’s sovereign election.
He chose us.
He made us holy.
He set His love on us.
Ephesians 1:3-8a “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”
You didn’t choose God, He chose you.
You didn’t move into His family, He adopted you.
It was all done out of His kindness and grace.
And if you grasp that, then you know that each of us
Owes all that we are to this gracious God.
I realize today is Mother’s Day, and trust me when I tell you that no one in here loves their momma more than I do.
How could you not love a woman who went through labor to get you here, met your every need, nursed your every wound, supported your wildest dreams, fought your hardest battles, and still thinks you’re the best looking thing the world has ever seen?
You ought to want to please a person like that. (and today we do)
But believe me that your mother has done nothing for you
Like what God has done for you.
Your mother didn’t chose you…you were assigned to her.
Your mother didn’t make you holy…she could barely keep you clean.
Now your mother may have loved you…but even that falls short of God’s love.
So when Paul reminds you that God chose you
And set His love on you, and made you holy,
Then you should instantly be motivated to do what He is asking.
And the clear request here is that you and I follow Christ’s example.
This is what God desires.
“put on a heart of compassion”
(also translated “mercy”)
Literally there he says to have “bowels of mercy”
It is the idea of just having an emotional pain for someone else.
And a pain that doesn’t just stop with the emotion,
But moves toward actual action.
I’ll show you some other times this word is used.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
2 Corinthians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,”
Obviously mercy and compassion are attributes of God.
And they are far more than mere emotion.
Jesus didn’t just weep over Jerusalem, He died on a cross for her.
And the compassion of Jesus
Is something we see time and time and time again.
Matthew 9:36 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”
Matthew 14:14 “When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.”
Matthew 15:32 “And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.”
Matthew 20:34 “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.”
And you get the idea.
Paul said, “put on a heart of compassion”
For some people compassion comes natural.
• Some people just have a bleeding heart.
• When they see someone hurting, they instinctively run to them.
But the rest of us must make a conscious effort to have compassion.
• You must choose to put it on.
• You must choose to demonstrate it.
• You must make an effort.
It is a conscious decision to follow Christ’s example.
But compassion isn’t the only thing you put on.
Paul also commanded us to “put on a heart of…kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”
And of course every one of those attributes are attributes of Jesus.
(Incidentally they are also fruit of the Spirit)
“kindness” treats people better than they deserve.
“humility” considers others as more valuable than yourself.
“gentleness” doesn’t dominate those who are weaker.
“patience” doesn’t give up on people.
Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
It’s obvious isn’t it?
And if it’s not, we’ll read the next verses.
(13-14) “bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”
We must thank Paul here for reminding us that
We aren’t talking about being compassionate or kind or humble or patient
With people who are always easy to deal with.
Here Paul is talking about people we actually have a complaint against.
Here we are talking about people who aren’t easy to deal with.
And you know what I mean.
It’s not hard to be compassionate, or kind, or patient with people like Paula Fincher, but not everyone is like Paula Fincher.
Some people are hard to deal with.
Some people are like the people Jesus dealt with.
• Endless crowds who only wanted their physical needs met.
• Fickle crowds that doubted His power.
• People like Peter who tried to talk Him out of the cross.
• Or Israel in general who would nail Him to a cross.
Jesus dealt with difficult people and yet,
He forgave whatever complaints He had against them.
He chose compassion
He chose kindness
He chose humility
He chose patience
And the command is that you follow His example.
You do “just as the Lord”
And not just because He did it for others, but because He did it for you!
Matthew 18:23-35 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. “Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
It makes the point doesn’t it?
And if you want to know how Jesus was able to be so compassionate?
(14) “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”
Jesus could do it because He chose love.
He chose to sacrifice Himself for the good of others.
So, to keep it all in context:
You don’t have to spend your life trying to prove to people you are real,
Or trying to live up to their expectations of what a religious life looks like.
Instead fix your eyes on Jesus and strive to be like Him.
Follow His example – He is the pattern God wants you to copy.
He is the mold God wants to pour you in to.
So follow Christ’s example.
2) SUBMIT TO CHRIST’S DESIRE (15-16)
I hope you remember our study of these two verses
Back when we did our study on the Holy Spirit.
You first recognize that each command begins with a passive verb.
Paul isn’t commanding you to do anything here,
But rather for you to “Let” something happen.
The implication is that God is seeking to do something
And the command is for you not to resist it.
• The first command is to let something “rule”
• The second command is to let something “dwell”
And without even telling you what those things are,
You already know it is not something you will naturally do.
Paul is asking you to let someone live in your house and call all the shots.
AND OBVIOUSLY THAT PERSON IS CHRIST.
He wants you to let His word into your heart.
And when he says to let it “richly dwell”
He means for you to make it a place.
He means for you to let it be at home in your heart.
He means for you to let it be at peace in your life.
Don’t fight it.
Let me illustrate it:
Matthew 10:11-15 “And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. “As you enter the house, give it your greeting. “If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.”
This is when Jesus first sent out the 12.
He commanded them to go and preach the gospel,
But He warned them that they were sheep among wolves.
They were to take the truth and preach it,
And those who accepted that word were to receive the blessing of peace.
Those who would not receive it would receive judgment.
This is the same thing Paul is referring to,
Only the missionary here is Christ.
Let His word dwell in peace in your life.
And incidentally this is what you were called to do.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed your were called in one body; and be thankful.”
You were called to submit to Christ,
And you were called to be thankful that He is guiding you.
You are also called to let His word have its place in you.
How do I know if it does?
That’s simple:
If Christ’s word is in your heart, it will come out of your mouth.
(because the mouth speaks that which fills the heart)
“with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
It’s making sense isn’t it?
You are called to follow the pattern of Jesus.
You do this when you follow His example,
And submit to His desire.
• When He speaks, you listen
• When He makes changes, you submit
• When He walks, you follow
• You do as He does
• You do as He says
It’s not about following some earthly example,
We are being asked to be conformed into the image of Christ,
So work toward that.
Follow Christ’s Example
Submit to Christ’s Desire
3) HONOR CHRIST’S NAME (17)
And this may in fact be the key verse to the whole passage.
It most certainly is what Paul is driving at.
“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
How is that for blanket coverage?
“Whatever you do in word or deed”
I would say that sums it all up, wouldn’t you?
“do all in the name of the Lord Jesus”
What does that mean?
• It means you do everything you do for His glory.
• It means you do everything you do with the understanding that it effects how people will view Him.
Paul isn’t asking you to be compassionate and patient and kind and humble and loving and submissive
Because it will make YOU look good.
Paul is asking you to do those things
Because it makes CHRIST look good.
Christ is the goal
Christ is the example
We seek to be like Him so that people will see Him.
Is there a better verse in Scripture
For making the point that “It’s All About Jesus”?
Do everything you do in His name…for His glory.
1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 “Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah; and he did what was good, right and true before the LORD his God. Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and prospered.”
That is certainly the idea.
We know that Paul wants us to live a life focused on Jesus.
And tonight He gives us the pattern to follow, which is Jesus.
All that Paul just asked of you was Jesus to a “T”
• He was compassionate,
• He was kind,
• He was humble,
• He was gentle,
• He was patient,
• He was forgiving,
• He was loving,
• He was submissive,
• He did everything He did for the glory of the Father.
He didn’t live this life for what was best for Him.
He lived this life for what was best for sinners
And for what was glorifying to God.
HE IS THE PATTERN.
It’s All About Jesus
And that is what Paul wants these Colossians to know.
Quit submitting to decrees such as
Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.
Instead fix your gaze on Jesus,
And do everything in your power to live like Him.
