Kaleo San Diego Church

Note: Beginning of sermon audio was cut off.

STUDY

Verse 12- So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

Paul's motivation to the Christians in Colossae to put on these Christ-like virtues is the wonderful and humbling truth that God has chosen them. This is yet another way in which grace is the motivator for our actions, not moralistic ideology or pious babble. What else could magnify God's grace than the majestic and mysterious truth that God chose us, God sought us, God separated us for Himself, God poured out His love upon us in the most scandalous way?

What Paul is going after is a matter of the heart. Since the heart is his focus, he realizes that the way in which the heart will most respond is through the profound truth of God's grace, not mans self-effort. Listen to how Paul handles this truth in Ephesians 2:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We tend to view the doctrine of predestination and election as nothing more than a confusing doctrine which we shouldn't discuss in polite Christian circles. Or, we view this doctrine purely from an intellectually perspective and hold it dear because it is good fodder for our canon when we want to win a theological argument. It is either diminished into obscurity because we are lazy, or it is detached from the greater story of God's redemption so we can stick it into our systematic compartment.

We shouldn't fear this doctrine since God seems to make a pretty big deal about His choice to choose whomever He wants to, in a way that only He fully understands. Yet, in all of this He is kind enough to tell us when He chose us, how He chose us, and why He chose us.

Ephesians 1:4-12 just as He chose us in Him (when?) before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. (How?) In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, (why?) according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, (how?) which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

We are described as chosen, holy, and beloved. Or, in other words; picked out by God, counted as special and separated for him, and loved as His very own. Now, if you have never been orphaned or abandoned, this may not be all that significant to you. I happen to have been adopted which means that when I read this I am stunned that God would describe me in this way. There was a time when I was rejected, considered common and dispensable, and unloved. Though I don't remember this time because I was adopted when I was only a few months old, the fact remains that before my parents had decided to choose me by their grace, separate me as their own, and pour their love upon me, I was without those things.

Think about the significance of being unable to speak, unable to impress, unable to coerce your potential parents to pick you, take you as their own, and lavish their love upon you. It is a place of utter helplessness. I think of how oblivious I must have been since I was so you and unable to fully understand all that was occurring. Yet as I grew, I began to experience the change in my identity and status. I began to experience what it meant to be a son of my Father and a son of my mother. I began to feel the significance of being chosen, being set apart, and beloved. Though my status and identity changed years prior, as I grew into maturity I experienced more and more the incredible gift of human grace.

Now, this is an overly simplistic and inadequate description of God's grace in choosing us, separating us, and pouring out His love upon us because the difference between myself and my parents was not nearly as great as that between us and God, and yet God desires communion with us. God paid a tremendous cost by putting to death His own true Son so that He could adopt you and I and call us His chosen. This wasn't to make much of us, it was to fundamentally change us so that we could now give praise and honor to Him. In being freed from our sin, being changed in our identity, we can now be who we were created to be- sons as daughters of the Father, bearing His image to the world as His very own.

What is the only appropriate response to God's grace? What does a heart that beats in rhythm with God's sound like?

It's a heart that is full of compassion: This means that we have hearts that have pity and mercy, sympathy and deep compassion for those who are orphaned, those who feel rejected and unloved. Those who suffer are in desperate need of compassion because those who suffer usually suffer alone. Only with Christ's compassion can suffering make any sense. When we consider what Christ endured and how He suffered in our place, it should cause our hearts to melt like wax for those who have been given a bitter cup to drink.

It's a heart that is full of kindness: Since God's kindness has led us to repentance (Rom. 2:4) we should be generous and giving to those who are ungrateful and sinful. God was kind towards us when we were ungrateful and sinful and yet He forgave us through the greatest act of kindness by sending His son to die in our place.

It's a heart that is full of humility: Humility was not looked at as a virtue within Greek circles, yet Christ came in humility. Christ emptied Himself and left His robes and stepped down from His place of honor and came to us, sought us. He was humiliated by being mocked as King when He was the true King. He was beaten by those that He created. He was nailed upon a Roman cross for all the world to see, yet He saw this as the only way that our self-love and self-worship would be conquered. He chose what we would have never chosen for ourselves, and he gave what we could have never earned through our own merits- His grace.

It's a heart that is gentle: This is the attitude of the heart that is able to bear up under persecution or pain which is inflicted by another and yet doesn't respond in kind. It is the gentle person who knows he is a sinner among sinners and is wiling to suffer the burdens of others' sin. It is a heart that doesn't need vengeance because it has been altered by grace. God's grace invades the heart and causes it to be aware of what price Christ paid for our own sin. This frees us to then respond with gentleness even when someone is harsh. This is a tough one for me.

It's a heart that is patient: This is the attitude of the heart that keeps its calm when others get angry. Patience is the opposite of resentment and revenge. Were it not for God's patience, none of us would have been saved (2 Peter 3:15).

Verse 13- bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

It's a heart that is willing to bear with one another: This means that a heart changed by grace can endure, can hold out in spite of threats, or pain. This kind of heart can bless when we are persecuted (1 Cor. 4:12). In the pain of human relationships we know all too well that we will hurt one another. A heart that is able to bear with each other even when sinned against will profoundly affect a community, a church, a family.

We should also have a heart which is so changed by God's grace that we can forgive one another. Why? Because our great and glorious God forgave us. Our debt was wiped away in a moment of time through the work of another. Our sin was placed upon Jesus and He was treated as if He lived our life. His righteousness was placed upon us and we are treated by the Father as if we lived His life. This causes our hearts to be willing to forgive one another even when someone has a complaint or is at fault, or error, or debt. He forgave our sins, our errors, and our debts and so we are called to take on that same attitude of grace with others.

Verse 14- Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

This is the belt that ties all these garments together. It is a love which only comes from God because God is love. He is the very definition of what love is and how it looks.

Love acts as the belt to pull all these things just mentioned together. Love is the most important moral quality in our life because it is the glue that produces unity in the church. We will never enjoy peace with one another, and true community in fellowship unless we love one another. Without love, all we have is legalism. All our actions should flow from the love God has given us, which in turn is a fruit of the Spirit. Nothing is acceptable to God if isn't motivated by love, including knowledge.

Love is the beauty of God which kills off the ugly sins of the flesh that destroys unity.

Tell about Spurgeon's King and the farmers' carrot. The farmer gave to the king out of love for the king, the nobleman did so out of love for himself.

Verse 15- Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

In Roman history, there was a period of about 200 years (roughly 30 BC to 180 AD) in which there was peace which was imposed by Rome upon all the Roman Empire. This peace was won through the rule of Rome. It was a time in which safety and security was realized by those within the Empire. The continuous wars which once plagued cities and towns within the Empire came to a halt. Augustus began this period by securing and ensuring the safety of the citizens of Rome and those under his rule. This peace came at a cost and was won. It wasn't a simple absence of war, it was an active peace which was guarded and secured by a ruler.

The same is true of those who have heard the announcement of what King Jesus did to win victory over our enemies and declare peace to all those within His Kingdom. It came at an infinite cost to Him and is upheld by His rule. Our peace isn't ruled by circumstance or condition, it rules. It rules because it is given and promised from the one who secures it for us. As Christ sits on His throne at the right hand of the Father, His rule over our hearts is secured by His victory and maintained by His active loving reign. And though the Pax Romana ended with Marcus Aurelius, ours will never end because our Emperor, our Ruler, our King will never die and His reign will never end. He will never be voted out, impeached or overruled.

With all this said, there still is a call for us to let this peace rule in our hearts. Essentially this is saying that to the degree we get this, to the degree we believe this, to the degree we allow this reality to be our reality, to that same degree this peace, which is now our peace, will rule and guard our hearts. Look at Philippians 4:7 and consider what else this supernatural peace will do.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Do you see that this is the peace of God and the peace of Christ? This means that this type, this kind, of supernatural peace is not accessible in a purely naturalistic fashion. In other words; it can't be attained or realized through human effort because it doesn't come from the will or nature of man. It comes purely by God through grace. It is given to us as unmerited favor and therefore it can't be gained through technique or effort. To tell you to go get peace on your own is to offer you a sure recipe for frustration and disaster. It is to encourage you look for something which in your own efforts you will never find. It is to encourage you to attempt to attain the unattainable through human willpower.

Paul uses the Greek word for "guard" which in this context means that this peace marches around our hearts and guards it as a solider would be on the look out and guard his fortress.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

Christ gives a peace which is in contrast to the peace the world offers, gives, and takes away. His peace is left with us and is sure since it is Christ's peace given to us. This peace is not based upon circumstance or condition. This peace is found in a person, Jesus. How does the world give peace? It gives it conditionally, and it takes it away without permission because it is always based upon a value you possess or a technique you master. When the world talks to us about peace, whether it is in GQ magazine, Cosmopolitan, or on Oprah, it doesn't begin by getting you to think about where you came from and who you are. It isn't concerned about ultimate questions. It doesn't ask you to think, it tells you "to do." The peace the world gives doesn't care about where you came from or where you're going. It isn't interested in history, it only cares about technique. The peace of the world is works based religion. It is a peace that comes through following advice, or steps, or technique. It isn't received by what someone else has done, and it is maintained by the efforts of the individual seeking it. It is a stupid kind of peace because it encourages you to dumb down your questions and focus on what you can do to fix your problem. Do you see how this overwhelming rush to technique in our day is nothing more than an alternate religion which assumes that peace and safety comes from works and technique. Can you imagine what those within the Roman Empire, who desperately wanted peace but were woefully inadequate to find it, win it, and secure it, would think if they were told by their Emperor to get peace on their own and keep it with their personal strength? The gratitude of the citizens of Rome for their leaders was due to the fact that the peace they wanted was won for them. It was kept secure by the strength of another. It was given, ruled, and guarded by someone other than themselves.

Peace which Christ gives isn't dependent upon circumstance, and therefore it isn't lost when circumstances change. When we lose our peace, the cause is our heart and not the occasion for the loss of peace. The occasion brings to light what is wrong in our hearts. The peace the world gives is like a mirror which is either dark because the room is dark or light because the room is light. This kind of peace is dependent upon outside circumstance. Christ's peace dwells in us and even when it is dark outside, still shines brightly.

This kind of peace for the Christian is our Pax Christiana.

Verse 16- Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

The word of Christ refers to the truth and revelation He brought into the world, which is contained in Scripture. Peace, thankfulness, unity, and love all flow from a mind controlled by Scripture. Dwell means "to live I," or "to be at home." Paul calls upon believers to let the Word take residence and be at home in their lives. This thinking through and dwelling upon radically changes how one makes decisions and lives in response. The Holy Spirit uses the word in the heart and mind as a handle to turn the will.

Two results come from dwelling upon the word of Christ. Teaching is the giving of positive truth, admonishing is the negative side of teaching. It warns people of the consequences of their actions. Both result from a life overflowing with the Word of Christ.

This dwelling upon God's truth creates an emotional response. It generates psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and signing with thankfulness in our hearts to God. Psalms refer to the Old Testament book of Psalms. They would sing psalms put to music, much like we do today. Hymns were expressions of praise to God. Some portions of Scripture were originally written as hymns in the early church (Col. 1:15-20 and Phil. 2:6-11). Spiritual songs emphasized testimony. They express in song what God has done for us.

Believers a to sing out of thankfulness for God's grace. When Paul tells believers to sin "in your hearts" he does not mean not to sing with the voice. His concern is that the hart agrees with the mouth. Singing is to be directed to God as praise and worship offered to Him for His pleasure and glory. Since God is glorified in our singing to Him we are satisfied as a result. Why? Because we are most satisfied when God is most glorified in our lives!

This is the Gospel!

Verse 17- Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Here the most simple and clear instruction for the Christian life. It is the "catch all" for everything discussed above. Do every single thing, whether in word or deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus. When a Roman soldier was given a task to perform, he would do that task in the name of his emperor. He would come in his emperors name and would be responsible for doing everything under the banner he flies.

Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we are to do it to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). How is this possible? Because when we are living in response to what God has done, when we are letting the word dwell in us richly, there is a change in the way we live and act. We are able to do this because Christ did everything to the glory of the Father and His righteousness and live is then imputed to us. This means God sees us as doing all that Christ did and through that counting us as His righteousness. We do these things because we are accepted already, not to be accepted. We live with a desire to do everything in this world according to the name of the Lord who we represent, since He is the one that represents us to the Father. We are sons and daughters by faith in what Christ has done, and therefore we are now freed to live like it in everything.

Since it is by grace, we do it with a heart of thanks through Christ to God the Father. Grace causes us to live in an attitude of gratitude which motivates our actions. It is because God loves us that we can love Him. It is because Christ is righteous that we are counted as righteous and can live righteously.

We are to be so clothed with Jesus Christ that when this world sees us, they see us as the Father does, they see Christ!

0 Comments | Login to Post Comments

Comment:

Name:

• Calendar
• Agenda