Steve Gentry
[0:00] If you have your scriptures, go ahead and open them to Colossians chapter 3, [0:03] and I hope you have them this morning. [0:06] Today we’re going to be talking about what Jesus has made us alive for, [0:12] and we’ve talked about worship, we’ve talked about mission, [0:15] we’ve talked about discipleship, and this morning we’re going to be talking about obedience, [0:20] which is one of those issues that we don’t really like to dwell on,
[0:25] because what we’ve done is throughout recent history in church, [0:30] when we go to church, what happens oftentimes is we’re made to feel guilty, [0:36] because we’re not being obedient to this agenda or that agenda, [0:40] and I’m not going to promise you that you won’t feel guilt this morning. [0:43] I’m not going to promise you that you won’t feel conviction, [0:46] or that you won’t get angry at me,
[0:48] but what I will promise you is that I’m not up here this morning trying to guilt trip you [0:53] into obeying some agenda that I have or some preference that I have. [0:58] What I have to offer you this morning, I hope and pray in repentance, [1:03] is just simply the gospel, [1:06] that the village that we would become a people who are obedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ, [1:13] and to do that, that’s where we have to start,
[1:16] because oftentimes where we start is in trying to be obedient,
[1:22] and what often happens, and what’s going to happen every time, [1:25] it’s happened every time in my life, [1:27] the scriptures point out this is what’s going to happen every time, [1:29] is when you start from a place of striving for simple obedience in your life, [1:36] you will fail. [1:38] You will never measure up to even your own standards of what obedience is going to look like,
[1:45] and if you can’t live up to your standards, [1:49] how can you hope then to live up to a holy God’s standards?
[1:55] And so when we can’t live up to the standards that we set or that are set for us, [1:59] we’re either guilt ridden to the point where we give up,
[2:04] or we’re bitter to the point that we blame the one who set the standards, [2:10] either God, someone else, or ourselves, [2:14] and our lives are not lives that are marked by satisfaction or joy [2:20] in the hope that we find in the gospel, [2:22] but rather it’s just this life that’s filled with regret and bitterness and anger, [2:29] and what we’re going to see today through these verses and Colossians,
[2:32] which there are a lot of them, so we’re going to move fast, [2:35] what we’re going to see today is the byproduct of disobedience, [2:40] is that lack of satisfaction that we have, [2:44] is that anger that wells up inside of us when people try to set a standard and tell us to be obedient. [2:51] But what I want to do is I want to start where we’re going to end today. [2:53] I want to begin with the end in mind, as probably Stephen Covey would say,
[2:56] and I want you to repeat after me. [2:59] I know you usually don’t do this. [3:00] I don’t usually ask for participation. [3:02] This is usually a monologue, so just work with me. [3:05] Repeat after me. [3:05] If I want to grow, I’ve got to go.
[3:12] If I want to grow, I’ve got to go. [3:17] All right, and we’re going to talk about that in about a half an hour. [3:21] All right, Colossians chapter 3.
[3:25] Start reading in verse 1. [3:27] If then you have been raised with Christ, [3:33] that very first word is what the next 17 verses are going to hinge on. [3:41] If, that’s a big if.
[3:46] Seek the things that are above where Christ is. [3:51] Seated at the right hand of God, [3:53] set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. [4:00] For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. [4:08] When Christ, who is your life, appears, [4:12] then you also will appear with him in glory.
[4:17] Verses 1 through 4 are just this huge climax [4:23] of where Paul has been going throughout the book of Colossians. [4:27] The book of Colossians is this great book that’s written to the church at Colossae, [4:31] and it is this book that is just simply compounding and profounding [4:36] and doing all these outings on the centrality and the supremacy [4:42] of Jesus Christ in absolutely everything.
[4:47] And I want to point out just a few things in this text, right? [4:51] First, he says, if you have been raised with Christ, [4:54] then jump down to verse 3 and he says, [4:56] your life is hidden with Christ in God. [5:00] And then in verse 4, he says, [5:02] Christ, who is your life.
[5:07] Oftentimes, and I’ll tell you a little personal story real quick, [5:11] when we are trying to grow in the gospel or even just comprehend the gospel, [5:17] there will inevitably come people into our lives that drive us crazy [5:21] because they seem to have it all worked out. [5:25] And I had an experience like that. [5:27] I wasn’t new to the faith,
[5:29] but I was new in trying to really develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. [5:35] And there was a lot of baggage that I was unloading, [5:38] a lot of sin that I was learning to not do. [5:42] And he looked at me and he basically made me feel guilty for something [5:46] that I didn’t think I should be guilty for and think I deserved it. [5:51] So my response to him,
[5:54] which he was preaching the gospel into my life. [5:56] And if you know me, that’s uncomfortable for both of us.
[6:01] He looks at me and my response to his chiding is, [6:04] look, bro. [6:06] And he knew he was in trouble right there. [6:08] Look, bro, I’d love to sit around and say praise Jesus, praise Jesus all day long. [6:14] But that’s just not realistic.
[6:19] And I have a feeling that somewhere inside of you, [6:22] you’ve had the same feeling. [6:24] You’ve listened to a sermon. [6:27] You’ve been in a small group. [6:28] You’ve been in a Sunday school class. [6:30] You’ve had a friend that tried to lead you through an action
[6:35] or a choice that you were making that was, [6:38] and you even knew it was less than glorifying the God. [6:44] And rather than saying, hey, you’re right. [6:47] You kind of fought back. [6:49] Kind of fought back. [6:50] And you said, that’s, come on.
[6:53] That’s for super Christians or that can’t possibly be expected of me. [6:57] I’ve got to get on with my life. [6:59] OK, you’re talking about spiritual stuff. [7:01] I’m talking about my life.
[7:04] All right, so here’s what I want to do with that. [7:07] I want you to understand that what Paul is talking about in these first four verses, [7:11] first and foremost, is that the gospel makes us alive to the kingdom of God. [7:19] The gospel makes us alive to the kingdom of God. [7:23] And I want you to focus really hard on verse four. [7:27] Excuse me, verse. Yes, verse four.
[7:28] When he says Christ, who is your life? [7:34] When Paul uses language like that, [7:36] he is not using language to help you with an aspect of your life [7:41] or help you to understand something that’s going to be going on in your spiritual life, [7:46] which is disconnected from the rest of your life. [7:49] But what he is doing is is he’s preaching the truth of the gospel into our lives
[7:53] and letting us know that there is nothing else [7:57] and that Jesus, for the believer, for his followers, [8:01] he is the definition of what life means. [8:06] And that outside of Jesus, we do not have life. [8:12] And there is no this part and then this part and then that part in Jesus. [8:17] You get this, but you don’t you can’t quite.
[8:20] I can’t really see how you can possibly impact this aspect of my life. [8:25] So let’s not even mess around with that.
[8:29] Now, what Paul is telling us here is that every facet, every point, [8:36] every aspect of my life, if I am to follow Jesus.
[8:44] Is all about him and it’s found in him, [8:47] and there’s nowhere else I can go because he’s my life. [8:51] That’s what he means when he says that our lives are hidden with Christ in God, [8:57] that Jesus is ruling and reigning right now over his kingdom. [9:02] We haven’t seen it. [9:05] We haven’t tasted of that kingdom.
[9:07] We haven’t seen the perfection of the restoration [9:10] that God will bring through Jesus in his reign in the second coming. [9:15] Which, of course, those didn’t happen yesterday. [9:18] But had to, you know, I had to put it in there somewhere.
[9:27] But everything that we do is lived for that kingdom. [9:31] We have not seen yet because we believe that it will be. [9:35] We believe it was such certainty that we act and we strive [9:39] and we seek to live as if we’re already in that kingdom.
[9:47] First Corinthians 15, the passage that we started this entire series on. [9:53] I want to help you understand it this way. [9:55] When Paul wrote, Now I would remind you, brothers of the gospel that I preach to you, [10:00] which you received in which you stand and by which you are being saved. [10:04] If there’s that if again, if you hold fast to the word, I preach to you, [10:09] unless you believed in vain.
[10:11] And remember, we talked about in the first passage, [10:13] we were talking about being alive in Jesus. [10:15] But every other week after that would basically be compounding on the term, [10:20] the gospel which you received in which you now stand. [10:25] So what we’re talking about when we talk about being alive to the kingdom of God [10:28] is what it actually looks like to stand in the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
[10:35] To stand in the glory that Jesus gives us through relationship with himself [10:41] where he does all of the work and we just simply trust. [10:45] And it looks like this life that comes alive to living in a kingdom [10:50] that we believe he will deliver on.
[10:55] And it’s a kingdom we haven’t seen yet. [10:58] And the problem with that is we say, well, how can I be certain? [11:02] I say, because you trust.
[11:05] What else is faith defined by?
[11:09] If your faith is only defined by that which you see or that which you have already seen, [11:15] I’m sorry, it’s not faith.
[11:19] As the scripture says, faith is the substance of things hoped for, [11:22] the evidence of things unseen. [11:25] And so once you see it, you don’t really have to have faith anymore. [11:27] I had a lot of faith that I would get married when I was a teenager. [11:31] Once I got married, I didn’t have any faith in it anymore because I was, what, married? [11:35] I just was.
[11:38] But see, when you’re living your life in obedience to Jesus Christ, [11:42] in obedience to the gospel, [11:44] what you have is a life that is alive to a kingdom that you believe is coming, [11:49] but you have not yet seen. [11:51] So how does that work out? [11:53] I’m glad you asked.
[11:56] Keep reading in verse five.
[12:00] Put to death, therefore. [12:02] And this is where we get uncomfortable because we’re really cool with all this in Jesus stuff, [12:06] where he’s alive, but now we’re talking about death, and that’s not cool. [12:10] Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you. [12:14] Wait a second, slow down. [12:16] All right.
[12:17] I’m alive to the kingdom of God. [12:20] So I’m living as if I’m already in a kingdom, [12:23] as if God has delivered this kingdom to myself, [12:25] and I have no idea what that looks like, [12:27] and I must begin by putting to death what is earthly within me.
[12:32] All right, well, let’s keep dragging.
[12:36] And it gives us a great list.
[12:41] Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, [12:47] which is idolatry. [12:49] On account of these, the wrath of God is coming.
[12:55] Interesting. [12:57] So it gives us a list, and what would be really simple, [13:00] and what we often do is we look at that list, [13:02] and what we do is we form a checklist. [13:04] All right, checklist of the dos and the don’ts. [13:07]
[13:08] All right, well, you know, I’m married, I’m faithful to my wife, [13:10] so I’m not in sexual immorality. [13:12]
[13:14] Impurity, I’ll define that however I want to. [13:16] Check, I’m good. [13:17] All right, I’ve got a job, I don’t steal, I don’t lie that often. [13:21] I do all this, check, check, check. [13:22] And so what we do is we go down the checklist just to measure how we’re doing. [13:25] And when actually Paul is talking about a reality that’s greater,
[13:28] because if we were to define all sins specifically, [13:31] wouldn’t our list be much larger than this?
[13:36] I submit that it would. [13:38] So what is Paul talking about this? [13:39] Notice what he says in verse seven. [13:43] He says, in these you too once walked when you were living in them. [13:52] Okay, note that word living.
[13:56] In the gospel, where does Paul say my life is right now? [14:00] It’s sitting with Christ in God. [14:04] My life is defined by Jesus Christ. [14:08] But then he says, at one time I walked in those things, [14:13] and I found life in them. [14:17] He’s talking about this great transformation that takes place in the life of a believer.
[14:23] Where if you are to look at those things, [14:26] which is the list of sexual immorality and purity, covetousness, [14:30] which is idolatry, he seems to sum them all up by idolatry. [14:33] So what is he saying? [14:35] Well, what he’s saying is what do all of those things have in common? [14:40] Why do people chase after and lust after and desire,
[14:46] watch television, they desire sex as much as possible [14:50] with as many people as possible as often as possible?
[14:56] Why are people covetous? [14:58] Why do they look at what someone has and then begin to demean them? [15:02] Because you believe you deserve it better. [15:04] So what you do is you set up your life to get that stuff either away from them, [15:09] if it’s a position or a title or an office or things that they have, [15:14] their cars, their homes, I want just like what they have.
[15:17] So I’m going to live my life in striving after those things. [15:23] Look at the list. You can go point by point and see how each and everything [15:26] in this list is something that we yearn for, [15:29] something that we find life in or that makes us feel alive even for a moment.
[15:38] But in each thing there comes a point where it’s not enough
[15:46] or it just becomes old hat. [15:50] It just doesn’t work anymore. [15:52] So you’ve got to move on to something else. [15:55] Every one of these things is something that gives you a sense of joy in your life. [16:02] It gives you a sense of feeling.
[16:08] Even drug addiction and alcoholism, these are things that make us feel something, [16:13] make us forget something or have something.
[16:19] Paul is saying the root of every sin, every disobedient struggle that you have, [16:26] that life was not created to be lived around, [16:30] the root of them is this desperate pursuit to feel alive,
[16:40] feel joy.
[16:44] Ultimately what Paul is saying in the first four verses is that [16:48] they’re not going to be found in those things. [16:51] They can only be found in God.
[16:55] So if you just jump straight to making a checklist [16:58] and striving for obedience in your life, [17:02] you will turn that list into something that you feel life in. [17:10] And inevitably it will disappoint you.
[17:14] So we must figure out what the basis of obedience should be. [17:21] And for us parents it’s very hard not to simply say, because I told you so.
[17:26] And so often what we do is we transfer that kind of attitude onto God [17:30] and say, well, because you told us so.
[17:33] Ultimately, sure, but that’s not how he explains it.
[17:42] The basis of obedience first is built on our affection.
[17:49] Because when we look at those lists, what we’re doing is we’re feeling some type of affection. [17:55] And I know in my life and all the strivings that I’ve had, [17:58] even in fatherhood or for my wife, it’s been for some type of affection. [18:02] I’ve been yearning after that and striving for it. [18:04] And every struggle of sin that I still have is because I’m striving to feel something [18:08] and I’m finding joy in those things.
[18:12] And Paul is telling us, stop trying to find joy in things that were not created [18:17] for you to find your ultimate joy in. [18:20] We can enjoy those things, but only when we know that the root of real joy is found in God. [18:27] Note the way that he talks about it at the very beginning. [18:30] If you’ve been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above [18:33] where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
[18:35] Set your minds on the things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
[18:41] It’s not just to do this, don’t do that. [18:43] It’s a reality that you will never be satisfied with anything that God has created
[18:52] because he didn’t create them for that. [18:55] You will only find satisfaction when you strive to put your affection on the Creator.
[19:07] But we can’t do that.
[19:12] Because we just fail over and over again.
[19:20] And that’s why our life has to be hidden in Christ.
[19:28] See, obedience isn’t about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and trying harder.
[19:34] Obedience is about realizing that you are disobedient in every turn.
[19:42] That you, even in absence of doing the things on this checklist, you are disobedient. [19:47] You are seeking something other than God to fill your heart.
[19:53] And that is not what life was designed to be like. [19:58] And in that you are disobedient, and so am I. [20:03] But Jesus was and is completely obedient to the will of the Father.
[20:15] He was obedient for us. [20:20] And so when we read things like, our life is hidden with Christ and God, [20:23] don’t read it so mystically, you know, like, oh, it’s a spiritual reality that I have to meditate on and yearn after. [20:30] No, it’s this understanding that you’re disobedient, he is obedient. [20:35] He is your only hope. [20:38] And he covers all of your disobedience.
[20:44] He covers every single one of them. [20:46] And the only hope that we have is when God looks at our life, if he just could see Jesus and not me.
[20:55] You can see his obedience and not my disobedience. [20:59] And in the cross and through the resurrection, that is what Jesus does for us. [21:06] We are sexually immoral. We are impure. [21:09] We are covetous. We have passions that do not go towards God, but rather run from God in rebellion against him. [21:18] And my affection to inform my affection to be for God, I must cling to the atoning work of the cross. [21:28] Because that is the only place that perfect obedience is shown.
[21:33] Completely.
[21:37] If I’m hoping to be obedient enough, it won’t happen.
[21:44] So I must realize that Christ must be my life.
[21:51] Because apart from him, all I’ve got is me.
[21:56] I don’t know about you, but if I were to wake up one morning, and I do sometimes, [22:03] and the dread of all their being is me because I’m not feeling it that day, [22:10] there is no greater feel of dread and guilt and condemnation [22:17] than when all I’m depending on is my own strength to obey God. [22:22] And the answer is never for me to say, all right, I’ve got to start being a better husband, [22:26] or all right, I’ve got to start being more obedient.
[22:28] I’ve got to read the Ten Commandments twelve times before I go to work [22:31] and make sure I don’t break any of them on the way.
[22:35] The gospel says that even in that, I’m rebelling against God. [22:41] Because his plan is for me to find my hope of obedience in Jesus.
[22:52] And notice he continues.
[22:56] Verse eight, he says, but now you must put them all away. [23:00] So he’s talking about this reality that something is changing in me. [23:04] When I come alive in Jesus, when I come alive to the hope that I have in Christ,
[23:11] he says, but now you must put them all away, and he gives me another list. [23:14] And I’m like, what in the world, Paul?
[23:18] Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. [23:23] Well, there goes Friday night.
[23:26] Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices, [23:32] and you have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. [23:38] Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, [23:43] barbarian, Scythian, slave, free.
[23:49] But Christ is all and in all.
[23:56] Paul has a way of always bringing it back to Jesus.
[24:00] Because this is what we do. [24:01] We like to look at the imperatives of Scripture, the dos and the don’ts, [24:06] and we like to look at the commands. [24:07] And what Paul always does, and Tulian Chevigian points this out so wonderfully, [24:12] when he says, every time there’s a gospel implication or something that I need to do, [24:17] Paul either starts it or finishes it with a gospel declaration,
[24:21] because there’s no hope of me doing it perfectly.
[24:25] And here’s what happens. [24:26] Here’s why he gives this second list. [24:28] All right. [24:29] The first list is these things that we seek life in, that we chase hard after. [24:36] And ultimately there’s going to be a great deal of disobedience. [24:41] And rather than turning back to Jesus, what do you do with that disappointment
[24:47] when the thing you’ve been living your life for, you either don’t get or you do get it, [24:52] and you’re like, it’s not that great. [24:54] What do you do with that disappointment? [24:56] Do you run to the cross? [24:58] Typically, no. [24:59] Our default mode?
[25:03] Anger, wrath, malice, slander, blame someone, obscene talk, or you lie?
[25:15] See, this amazing thought in Scripture that when you live a life of sin, [25:21] what typically happens is that sin, well, it begets sin.
[25:26] And so when the very sinful thing we were pursuing doesn’t work out for us, [25:30] we try to cover it up with more sin.
[25:38] So we’re angry. [25:40] We’re wrathful. [25:41] We have malice.
[25:43] Typically, that works its way into our relationships. [25:47] And so we blame each other.
[25:51] Husbands blame their wives. [25:52] Wives blame their husbands. [25:53] Kids blame their moms and dads. [25:56] Moms and dads blame their kids.
[26:00] And the cycle of sin just goes on and on and on. [26:06] And life just never becomes what it could because we are not walking in the resurrection.
[26:17] So where’s our hope?
[26:19] Our hope is found in this reality that Paul, and Paul uses this analogy all the time. [26:25] He uses this analogy of putting off the old self and then putting on the new self. [26:31] And in that we must understand that obedience is built on transformation.
[26:38] Obedience is built on this reality that through Jesus, God is doing a supernatural work in your life [26:46] where you do not have to depend on your own sinful self to obey God. [26:55] But rather, you can depend fully on the person and work and current reign of Jesus Christ in your life [27:04] so that you will be obedient. [27:07] You see, through transformation, he’s replacing the affection that you find in sin [27:13] and the desires that you have, and he’s going to replace them with a joy that’s only found in him.
[27:20] And he’s going to completely transform you. [27:25] But see, the problem with that is the reality that most of us, we misunderstand forgiveness [27:30] as if it leaves us in our sin and we just then are given a second chance.
[27:38] With Jesus, there is no second chance. [27:41] There’s simply a new life. [27:45] Because if I was given a second chance and it depended on me, I would need a third one, [27:52] and then a fourth one, and then a fifth one. [27:54] Ask my wife. I’m one like my 627th one with her. [28:00] When it’s just me, I’m just going to go back into sin.
[28:04] So I don’t need another chance. I need a new life.
[28:11] And through the transformation that is offered in the Gospel, that is what we are given. [28:17] It’s a new life. [28:18] You see, what happens in our lives is we spend a lot of time, we talked about this in week one, [28:23] identifying with the death of Jesus. [28:26] When all that you can do is identify with the death of Jesus, you are still sitting in your sin. [28:34] Because He died for our sin.
[28:37] And that is so important in realizing your sin and the cost of your sin, [28:42] and the death of the Son of God who is our substitute, who pays the penalty. [28:47] Because He is perfect and He can pay the penalty for us because He didn’t need to pay the penalty for His sin.
[28:54] But in that, when we just stay there, we find forgiveness but we don’t find a new life. [29:02] And so what happens is, this is the very thing that happened in the Roman Church, [29:06] and Paul writes to them, is that they kind of got this strange understanding that, [29:11] okay, so when I sin greatly, and I have, and they understood their sins so much, [29:17] grace is bigger than my sin. [29:19] So I get forgiveness, and so maybe the more I sin, the more glory God gets because the bigger His grace gets.
[29:27] So in order to glorify God, I should just sin more.
[29:34] And so Paul, in Romans chapter 6 verse 1, he answers this question, [29:39] should we continue in sin so that grace can just get larger and larger and God can get more glory? [29:45] In Romans 6, 1, this is how he puts it.
[29:49] He says, what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin, that grace may abound? [29:53] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? [30:00] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? [30:05] We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death. [30:08] In order that, and here’s what I want you to see, [30:11] just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
[30:15] we too might walk in newness of life. [30:19] For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, [30:23] we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.
[30:30] Do you see that? The cross is a great part.
[30:38] But like Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, [30:40] if Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead, we are to be pitied. [30:44] Because the cross isn’t all we needed.
[30:47] See, God in His amazing sovereign omniscience, He knew that we needed a new life. [30:55] And so His plan was the death of the Son, but also the resurrection of the Son, [30:59] so that we didn’t have to live in sin any longer. [31:08] Now we are made alive for obedience. [31:15] And when He says things like down in verse 11, He says, [31:19] Here there is not Greek and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised,
[31:23] buried in city and slave free, but Christ is all and in all. [31:27] He’s dealing with one of the most racist cultures that’s ever existed, [31:33] where Jews wouldn’t even share meals with Gentiles, [31:35] where wars are happening all over the world. [31:39] And Paul says, if you’re finding hope in that, [31:43] because if you’re finding hope in anything but Jesus, the great equalizer,
[31:54] then you’re actually hopeless.
[31:56] Because your definition in the new life and life in the resurrection is not based on you. [32:04] See, my life isn’t based on me, but how often do I use me as a cop-out? [32:10] Well, that’s just my personality.
[32:14] You know, I’m just a jerk. Love it or leave it.
[32:20] How often do you do it? I do it all the time. It usually works. [32:24] No, Steve, you’re right. [32:27] That you, you.
[32:31] Paul says, no!
[32:35] Your level of obedience is not based on you. [32:38] Your level of obedience is based on Jesus. [32:41] You are in Christ capable of more than you would ever even think to believe you are capable in. [32:47] And the only way to realize what you are capable of is to truly have faith in the Son of God [32:53] that rose from the dead and that He is literally transforming me and has transformed me, [32:59] but is going to continue the work of transformation in my life until the day that I die.
[33:03] And when I die, I’ll be transferred into a kingdom that I’ve already been living for in this kingdom.
[33:14] But as long as I’m basing it on me, I’ll never do it.
[33:21] I must base it on the transformation that comes only from God.
[33:32] So what does this do? [33:35] It’s a lot of heady stuff. [33:37] What do?
[33:40] Look at verse 12.
[33:43] Put on them. Oh, thank God. [33:45] Positive. A lot of negative, then some positive. [33:49] Positive, negative, positive. [33:51] Put on them as God’s chosen ones. [33:54] Look at the identifying marks that he gives us. [33:57] These words that are nothing but good about me.
[34:00] Because when I’m in Jesus, guess who’s getting seen? [34:03] Him.
[34:06] My baggage, my sin, my disobedience doesn’t define me anymore.
[34:14] I’m now regarded by God as one of His chosen ones because I’m in Jesus and He defines me. [34:22] Holy and beloved.
[34:28] You know, Paul in Ephesians chapter one talks about Christians being in the beloved. [34:34] You know who the beloved is? Jesus. [34:37] First Corinthians 15, he uses a similar language for me.
[34:43] Sinful Steve. [34:45] Because in Jesus, that’s the affection that God puts on me.
[34:52] This is put on compassionate hearts.
[34:58] Kindness. [34:59] Humility.
[35:01] Meekness. [35:04] Patience.
[35:06] Bearing with one another. [35:08] And if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other. [35:13] As the Lord has forgiven you. [35:16] So you also must forgive. [35:18] And above all these, put on love. [35:22] Which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
[35:25] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body. [35:33] And be thankful. [35:35] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. [35:38] Teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. [35:42] Singing psalms and hymns. [35:44] And spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
[35:47] And whatever you do in word or deed. [35:52] Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. [35:57] Giving thanks to God the Father through him. [36:01] Now I want to do something real quick with you and your Bibles. [36:04] If you have a pen, I want you to underline a couple of things. [36:06] Go back to verse one.
[36:08] I’m just going to put a few phrases across to you. [36:12] If then, you have been raised with Christ. [36:14] Go down to verse three. [36:18] Your life is hidden with Christ. [36:21] Verse four. [36:23] Christ is your life.
[36:26] Go down to verse eleven. [36:28] But Christ is all and in all. [36:32] Verse fifteen. [36:34] Christ rules in your hearts. [36:38] Verse sixteen. [36:39] Christ dwells in you richly.
[36:43] Verse seventeen. [36:46] In light of all that, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.
[36:57] Do you see your identity?
[37:02] Do you see what God is doing inside of you? [37:06] Do you see the transformation that he wants you to have in Jesus? [37:11] Do you see the definition of life that you have in Christ? [37:18] He is emptying us of our sin and replacing it all. [37:25] Not with stuff. [37:26] Not with just simple obedience.
[37:28] Not with more of me. [37:30] Not with more of sinful passions. [37:32] He’s replacing it with Jesus.
[37:41] Do you see?
[37:44] Obedience is built on affection. [37:47] Obedience is built on transformation. [37:49] But finally, it’s built on missional discipleship. [37:54] Because Paul gives us this amazing life that we are to live throughout this 12 through 17. [37:59] And we look at it and it’s intimidating. [38:02] It’s intimidating.
[38:04] But oftentimes what we do, like I said at the beginning, is we start with those verses. [38:10] But the reason I went by and I pointed to all those places where Jesus is our life, [38:14] where our life is hidden in Jesus, where Jesus is dwelling in us, where Jesus is ruling in us,
[38:21] is because we don’t just start by running headlong into obedience. [38:26] We start by running headlong into Jesus.
[38:32] In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus says these very interesting words. [38:38] And we started by talking about the kingdom. [38:40] Because he tells us to set our minds there. [38:42] In light of Jesus, set your mind on the kingdom.
[38:46] Jesus says, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, [38:49] and all these things will be added to you.
[38:54] It’s interesting the way he says that. [38:56] But what’s more interesting to me is how he follows it up. [38:58] Verse 34, he says, Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, [39:02] for tomorrow will be anxious about itself. [39:04] Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. [39:07] It’s always kind of boggled in my mind, are these just like simple proverbs that Jesus is giving.
[39:12] But as I’ve kind of grown in my understanding of the kingdom of God, [39:17] I’ve been reading verse 33 wrong, and that’s why I didn’t get verse 34. [39:21] Jesus is telling the crowd, he says, seek first the kingdom of God [39:25] and what they heard and what I typically hear, and maybe this is what you hear. [39:29] Alright, seek the kingdom. [39:30] Alright, I’ve got to find it.
[39:33] Seek. [39:34] So I’ve got to spend my life looking for the kingdom of God. [39:40] But then if you read through the book of Matthew,
[39:44] when Jesus is talking about the kingdom, [39:47] he’s talking about it with this understanding that he is the embodiment of the kingdom of God. [39:57] And so when he says, seek first the kingdom of God, [40:00] what he’s really saying is just look up, [40:06] because it’s standing right in front of you. [40:11] And so in all of my strivings for obedience,
[40:13] in all of my strivings to fit into the kingdom of God, [40:18] I’ve been looking in all of the wrong places [40:21] because the one who is speaking is the embodiment of the kingdom. [40:25] He’s where the kingdom is found. [40:27] Through him and only through him can I ever find the satisfaction, [40:30] can I ever find the joy, can I ever find the hope of repair
[40:34] and the hope of transformation that I’ve been looking for my entire life.
[40:40] So he says, in light of the fact that the kingdom is right in front of you, [40:47] don’t be anxious.
[40:50] Don’t be anxious.
[40:54] Because I’ll take the responsibility.
[40:58] I’ll take your pain.
[41:00] I’ll take your baggage. [41:03] I’ll take your disobedience. [41:05] And I’ll die for it.
[41:11] But I’m going to raise again.
[41:15] I’m going to give you my life in return.
[41:19] So don’t be anxious, because this is on me. [41:24] But be ready, because my life is going to be in you.
[41:33] Obedience is found when we live life in light of what Jesus has done and is doing. [41:44] There’s this amazing look at has done, [41:47] but I want you to stop for a second and say, what is he doing?
[41:52] He’s ruling and reigning at the right hand of the Father right now. [41:55] He’s interceding on my behalf so that I can actually communicate and be in relationship with God.
[42:05] And the outpouring of that reality through my life is going to manifest itself [42:13] in looking at the person of Jesus, looking at how He lived, looking at what mattered to Him.
[42:24] I mean, did you ever notice that Jesus spent time alone so that He could prepare to spend time with other people? [42:32] Did you ever notice that usually in the Scriptures we see Jesus surrounded by a group of people? [42:37] We see Him partying, we see Him celebrating, we see Him weeping with people when their loved ones die.
[42:45] And so when we look in verses 12 through 17, when we see compassion at heart, kindness, humility, [42:52] what we’re seeing is everything that Jesus fashioned for us as He lived His perfect life. [42:57] But then when we look further in Scripture and we see the Acts of the Apostles and we see the writings of the Apostles, [43:03] what we see are these people that were drastically changed by the truth of Jesus Christ. [43:08] And we see them acting suspiciously like Jesus.
[43:15] And so if you want to be obedient, do not start with making a list and checking it twice. [43:23] I couldn’t help myself.
[43:26] It’s one of those things that just comes out subconsciously. [43:29] Don’t start there.
[43:32] Start with Jesus. [43:35] And just worship in awe of what He’s done and who He is. [43:40] Now, we started out the sermon, and it’s been over a half hour, so I’m sorry. I lied.
[43:46] I said, if you want to grow, you’ve got to go. If you want to grow, you’ve got to go. [43:54] Because there’s one thing that I always look in Jesus’ life and all of His humility and all of His meekness [43:59] and all of His compassion, all of His kindness, His forgiving people, His lack of lying to people. [44:07] I see Him constantly going with hope to people.
[44:12] He even identifies Himself that way when the Pharisees picked on Him because He was in the house of a tax collector. [44:17] And I said, what are you doing in there with that sinner? [44:18] He says, I came to seek and to save that which was lost. [44:22] We talked about in our week on mission, John chapter 20, when He says, as the Father sent me, so I am sending you.
[44:31] Because you see, there’s a position that we hold with God, and that position is the perfection of Jesus Christ. [44:36] That’s how He sees us. [44:38] But what He gives us in His life are the things that motivated Him to live His life, the things that motivated Him to be obedient. [44:44] And so what He does is He sends us. [44:47] And obedience isn’t something that can be done while you’re sitting still in your own life. [44:53] Obedience is something that you must go with the intention of mission to be discipled and to disciple others.
[45:06] You see, Jesus sends us in our response when we’re in Him, when our life is based on Him. [45:17] His answer is, yes, I will go.
[45:25] Because I don’t see any other response by anyone else that trusted in Him in Scripture. [45:35] And when they do, it’s disobedience.
[45:41] They’re not acting like who they are. [45:43] Because who they are is wrapped up in Jesus. [45:48] And if, remember, if who you are is wrapped up in Jesus, you will be transformed.
[46:05] Father, I come to you boldly through Your Son as You command me to in Hebrews chapter 4. [46:14] Lord, we need grace and mercy.
[46:21] But I don’t have to beg You for very long because You just give it.
[46:26] You give it over and abundant what I would ever give.
[46:31] May I stop defining myself by my failures, my own injustices, and the injustices of those around me. [46:47] But rather, may I find my identity in the perfect Savior who forgives perfectly, who loves perfectly, [46:54] who gives of Himself perfectly, who goes with a mission of redemption perfectly.
[47:03] And may I glory in Him and may I hide myself in Him. [47:08] And Lord, may I be transformed in Him and go with the hope that is only found in Him to those who do not have it and do not know it.
[47:22] Father, today may we not look at this and be intimidated, but rather may we simply begin a journey of finding our worth and then our purpose in You.