The New Life in Christ.

Steve Gentry

[0:05] We’re going to have a seat. [0:10] Welcome to Village Church. [0:11] This is your first time. [0:12] My name is Steve, one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:14] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:18] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Colossians chapter three.

[0:21] We’re going to be starting in verse 12 this morning. [0:25] Colossians three, as we’ve seen over the last two weeks, [0:27] really builds on the foundation of the Christian life. [0:32] At the very beginning of the chapter, it sets the standard that we are saved by grace through faith. [0:36] And that through that, there is a transformation that God works into our lives [0:41] that begins with his work of regenerating us, or what in contemporary language we call being born again.

[0:47] Apart from Christ, though, we are dead in our sin. [0:50] Apart from him, that’s all that we will ever be. [0:53] And it requires the work of Jesus Christ to make possible [0:56] that God could make us alive in our faith in Jesus Christ. [1:01] And because of his work on the cross and in the resurrection, [1:05] we are made alive to faith in Christ.

[1:09] You know, being dead to sin has ramifications in real time. [1:12] And we began looking at those last Sunday and saw the fact that faith in Jesus [1:17] produces a life in which we repent of our sin. [1:20] Talked about how in Colossians three, nine, it calls putting off the old self with its practices, [1:27] the standard by which all Christians will live, that we don’t define our lives by our sin anymore. [1:32] We define our lives by being alive in Christ.

[1:36] He did not give us an exhaustive list, but instead he showed us a few particular areas [1:40] where in our worship, as well as in the way that we treat others, [1:44] we must put sin to death every day in our lives. [1:48] Because there will be a significant difference between being dead in sin and being alive in Christ. [1:55] If you are alive in Christ, you will grow in your faith. [1:58] That’s the only option. This is going to require putting sin to death in very real ways in your life.

[2:05] The Bible presents this as the normal Christian life, and it doesn’t know of another type of Christianity. [2:12] From verse 12 to verse 17, though, we don’t see what we put off. [2:17] We see what God in his grace is going to call us to put on in light of putting the old man off. [2:24] For many, there’s only a focus in your faith on what you are to avoid, what you are not to do. [2:30] So you define your Christianity by all of the things that you don’t do in your life, all of the things that you avoid. [2:36] But following Jesus, yes, certainly does give you things in life that you abstain from.

[2:42] Anything that would lead you to disobedience to Christ is what you abstain from. [2:45] But realize that if all that you do is abstain, you are creating a vacuum and vacuums will be filled with something. [2:54] Therefore, whatever you put off must be replaced by something that you put on. [2:59] You must replace sin with obedience. [3:03] If you do not focus on what you should be putting on, you’re either going to cultivate a life of stagnancy that will make you miserable. [3:11] And you will end up resenting the very faith you claim to have in Christ or it will require you to become and cultivate hypocrisy in your life,

[3:20] where you simply hide your sin so that no one will know that you do anything wrong and you won’t have to repent of it in the long run. [3:26] Or you just simply will not endure in your faith and you will put on the old self because it was never dead to begin with. [3:34] But friends, the reality is the new life in Christ is one that requires proactively submitting to his authority, [3:43] seeking knowledge from God’s revelation, as well as cultivating environments in which you can obey the commands that God has given you in Christ. [3:52] That is the new life. And apart from doing that, you will not grow in your faith and you won’t endure to the end either. [4:00] Without obedience to Christ, understand this, there is no new life in Christ.

[4:07] Look at what the apostle says starting in verse 12. [4:10] He says, put on then as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, [4:19] bearing with one another. And if one has complained against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. [4:32] Number one this morning, the first thing that I want you to see in this grouping of verses is that Christians are given a new life to pursue. [4:39] Christians are given a new life to pursue. [4:42] You are made alive in Christ to build a life in and for Christ.

[4:49] Life in Christ begins with instant change. [4:52] But that’s where many people kind of lose their vision. [4:55] Is that you think that the moment that you came to Christ, there were radical changes. [4:59] And friends, yeah, there were. You went from dead in your sin to alive in Christ. [5:02] But you look at that moment and you think God did a radical change and that is all of the changes ever going to happen for me, in me, and through me. [5:10] That’s not the story the scripture gives us.

[5:13] The scripture gives us that not only does Christ bring instant change, but there is ongoing change that will continually happen in your life as you grow in your faith. [5:23] And if you are a Christian, you will grow in your faith. [5:27] That is the focus of the sequence offered in verse 12. [5:31] This idea of actively putting on something, though, began in verse 10. [5:36] I want to remind you of what we said last week. [5:38] It says in verse 10, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

[5:47] Note the tenses, though. [5:49] It speaks of the instant as well as the ongoing change. [5:52] He says have put on past tense. [5:55] We talked about that last Sunday, the tense that that was in. [5:57] And that’s the work that Christ has done. [6:01] That’s what happens to you.

[6:02] That is yours. [6:03] That was given to you in Christ and is being renewed in knowledge. [6:09] That speaks of what’s going on right now and what is going to continue going on in your life. [6:14] But I want to begin with the change that has already taken place because that’s where the text begins. [6:18] Note that he makes a few statements of what is yours in Christ that you did nothing to gain. [6:25] He gives you a few things to consider about yourself.

[6:28] First, he calls you in verse 12, God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved. [6:34] He begins with the work that has already been done for you in Christ. [6:40] The phrase for chosen ones is the exact same terms in the original language used for the elect of God. [6:47] It’s talking about the doctrine of election. [6:49] This is the sovereign grace of the Lord. [6:52] Ephesians chapter one, verse four states that even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,

[7:00] that we should be and here’s what he says. [7:01] He brings holiness into it again, just like he does in verse 12, that we should be holy and blameless before him. [7:08] That’s what Christ has done for you. [7:10] That’s not something that you do for yourself. [7:11] That’s not something that you can earn. [7:14] That’s not something that you yourself can cultivate.

[7:16] That’s something that Jesus has earned for you. [7:19] And Ephesians one states that you were the chosen ones. [7:21] You were the elect of God. [7:23] But that’s been something that God did from eternity past. [7:26] That’s something that God determined before the foundations of the world. [7:30] And what he’s hoping to show you is just how powerful God is.

[7:34] So don’t think about yourself primarily when you’re thinking about the doctrine of election. [7:38] Think about the power of God that’s being presented to you. [7:41] What Paul is very much saying is that without the sovereign work of God to save, [7:47] there would be no salvation. [7:50] You cannot save yourself. [7:54] And when you lose sight of that,

[7:58] that’s where you will begin to run into a lot of problems where the Christian life is concerned. [8:03] A lot of problems, not just with what has been given to you, [8:06] but that’s going to run into all sorts of problems where the present implications of your salvation are concerned. [8:12] Because when you begin to lose sight of the sovereign grace of God, [8:15] his power to save you, his willingness to save you, [8:18] his work to save you, his gift of salvation,

[8:22] you will lose sight of what the Bible is all about. [8:26] The Bible will not be something that presents the power and glory of God to you. [8:32] Rather, you will reduce it to nothing more than a how-to manual. [8:35] So that you can live the best life possible. [8:40] But in reality, what the Bible does is not present to us this how-to manual for a good life, [8:46] because that puts me at the center.

[8:48] That puts my life at the center. [8:50] Rather, it is a narrative that presents an arc that God has written throughout the history of all that is [8:56] to reveal his glorious power over sin, [9:00] to redeem for himself a people, [9:02] to worship him as well as spread his presence over the face of the entire world. [9:08] It’s this Isaiah 26 vision where he says for the people of Israel,

[9:12] your name and your renown is what we live for. [9:16] So when you focus first on your part, [9:20] you lose everything that God has done for you. [9:25] Because you must look to scripture not as chicken soup for the soul, [9:32] not as a how-to manual for a best life, [9:37] not as how do I find what’s missing summed up in a Bible verse.

[9:41] You ever do that? You try to proof text your way to a better life? [9:45] You know, if there were just a verse that could deal with this specific problem, [9:49] in this specific instance, at this specific time, [9:52] and you can’t find it, and sometimes you do that old method where you misuse the sovereignty of God. [9:57] You say, Lord, I’m putting out a fleece wherever the page I turn to is the answer for my problem. [10:03] And you somehow end up in first chronicles and you’re like, oh, I guess I just need to have babies.

[10:08] This guy to get this guy to get this.

[10:11] So you’re misusing scripture. You’re missing the point entirely. [10:15] The point of scripture is to show us the sovereign power of God to save people from their sin. [10:21] And if you have faith in Jesus Christ, you are one of those people. [10:26] See, it is then that the work of understanding how we are being renewed in knowledge can come from. [10:35] Because when you live your life saturating your mind with the sovereign power of God, [10:40] the Christian life can then produce an ethic that builds a culture worth living in,

[10:50] in verse 12 and following. [10:52] God seeks to accomplish that work through a real time effort from his people [10:57] to submit to his authority every day in your life. [11:01] It’s similar to the two lists that we went through last week for what you should put off by putting sin to death. [11:08] And here he offers a new ethic for putting on the new life in Christ. [11:14] Just like last Sunday, this is not an exhaustive list of every kind of obedience that God is going to require of you.

[11:21] Rather, he offers an ethic that builds a community of believers. [11:26] We really see in this text is a picture of the functioning church of Jesus Christ. [11:31] Each of these builds toward cultivating a culture by which we are discipled and we make disciples. [11:40] It builds towards treating others as Christ has taught you to treat them, [11:44] but also how Christ has treated you in redemption. [11:49] And he gives specific outlet that is only possible through Jesus Christ alone.

[11:56] When you really think about it, relationships are a natural outlet for faith. [12:01] As the lists earlier in the chapter built on one another, [12:04] first building on the issue of putting idolatry to death, [12:07] and then on issue of destroying other people through your selfishness to death. [12:12] These are not random things. [12:14] Instead, it’s an ethic for life, as I said, relationships giving us this natural outlet.

[12:19] Teach us to look at it through the life of Christ. [12:23] Your relationships do not exist to bring you glory.

[12:31] Your relationships exist to bring God glory. [12:35] We are saved from sin to become like Jesus throughout the rest of our lives. [12:42] And if we are going to become like Jesus, it is going to involve relationships with other people, [12:48] because that’s what the church is that his disciples gathered for the glory of God. [12:53] It’s pretty relational. [12:55] You can’t disciple yourself and become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.

[12:59] It requires being in relationship with other people. [13:02] And in this text, he’s teaching you exactly how that works. [13:06] And friend, the problem with most of your relationships is you don’t consider the glory of God as the bedrock of those relationships. [13:13] You think your relationships exist, or at least you act as though your relationships exist to fill a void that you have. [13:21] So you treat your relationships as though they exist to make much of you, to heal much about you, [13:28] to fill the void that maybe your parents left or fill the void and replace the chip on the shoulder that someone who hurt you in your past left you.

[13:37] And so relationships become nothing more than another outlet for idolatry in your life. [13:43] And relationships become about status and esteem of self rather than the glory of God. [13:48] And that is why when you think about your relationships, you think first, primarily, who do I have a lot in common with? [13:55] Who can make me feel really good about myself? [13:56] Who would I enjoy eating a meal with? [13:59] Who can help me ignore what a terrible marriage I’m in?

[14:02] Who can give me an excuse to abandon my children for a few hours with a babysitter?

[14:10] You, you, you.

[14:14] Relationships exist because Jesus Christ redeemed us for the purpose of making disciples. [14:20] And I will tell you, as difficult even as I have of a time of doing this, [14:25] relationships exist primarily for the purpose of making disciples. [14:30] See, the issue is that we have not sufficiently allowed the grace of Jesus Christ to invade the vision, [14:38] not just that we have for ourselves, but the vision that we have for others. [14:42] And rather than looking at relationships for how much they make me feel good,

[14:47] what if I looked at my relationship through the lens of how could I disciple this person sufficiently [14:53] to unleash them to make disciples who make disciples? [14:57] What if discipleship was the primary lens and purpose for the relationships in our lives? [15:03] I’ll tell you what would happen. [15:04] You would grow in your faith and other people would grow in their faith. [15:09] Do your relationships look any different from the relationships that unbelievers have every day of their lives?

[15:19] He uses important terminology when he’s describing these relationships. [15:25] I said he starts with you, but then he used the phrase compassionate hearts. [15:31] Compassion is the original language is this term with tirmos, [15:35] which is the same term used for sympathy and mercy. [15:39] This is different than the term empathy. [15:42] Because of our contemporary culture, I find it necessary to point out the difference between empathy

[15:49] and what he’s talking about with having compassionate hearts. [15:52] Our contemporary culture must know the difference and doesn’t right now. [15:56] All that you will hear from people is you need to be a person of empathy. [16:02] Empathy is all that matters. [16:04] We’ve elevated empathy to a place of idolatry, the destruction of people, [16:09] because when all that you do is empathize, all that you will seek is to understand.

[16:15] Empathy can be helpful, but sympathy is what God over and over draws our attention to. [16:22] Empathy means to suffer with.

[16:26] Note that it doesn’t have any inclination to help someone with suffering because that’s why we people like it so much. [16:33] We don’t want anybody to help us. [16:35] We just want people to understand us. [16:37] And so we seek to have people empathize with us. [16:39] Empathy, empathy, empathy. [16:41] It’s solely understanding.

[16:43] It’s never helping. [16:44] And so people will tell you, you need to understand me. [16:48] Why won’t you just focus on understanding me? [16:51] Why are you always trying to solve my problems? [16:53] Husbands, are you with me?

[17:00] When people only seek to be understood, [17:04] it means that they have no intention to change. [17:09] And I will tell you, that is not what Christianity has to offer you. [17:14] The reason that the New Testament focuses so much on sympathy rather than empathy is because the gospel is the solution. [17:21] As a Christ does not just suffer with, Christ suffers for, but from a position on the shore, [17:29] where if you are drowning in the sea of your sin, Christ pulls you out from that drowning and your response will not be,

[17:37] how dare you help me? [17:39] You should have just sought to understand me.

[17:43] Friends, that self-centered idolatry.

[17:46] We offer the solution of Christ to a world dead in sin. [17:52] But note that in every one of these virtues, discipleship is assumed as a community of disciples. [18:02] Note, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, all direct us to the person and work of Jesus Christ. [18:08] We do not have these things naturally. [18:11] He is saying, once you have put on Christ, these are the things that you seek. [18:14] And why do we need Christ?

[18:16] Because Christ is the ultimate embodiment of all of these things. [18:19] But if we try to do these things and have these things and seek these things apart from Christ, here’s the deal. [18:26] We’ll get them wrong. [18:28] In Romans 2, chapter 2, verse 4, the apostle Paul again states that the kindness of Jesus is something that leads to repentance. [18:35] But know where he starts. [18:36] He says, do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience?

[18:42] Why does he ask that question? [18:43] He’s looking to people who claim to have God, but they’re not living in righteous obedience to the law. [18:50] And he’s saying, you’re just presuming that because he is kind, he’s just going to accept you in your sin. [18:57] You’re just assuming that he’s going to be patient with your sin. [19:00] But note how he finishes. [19:01] He says, not knowing what?

[19:03] That God’s kindness is meant to do what? [19:06] Lead you to repentance. [19:08] The kindness of God is not meant and designed to accept sin. [19:16] The kindness of God is so powerful that it brings life, change and repentance. [19:23] That’s why in Ephesians chapter 4, starting in verse 1, he says, [19:27] Therefore I, Paul, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you’ve been called,

[19:33] with all humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, just like verse 13 says. [19:41] We live out these fruits of salvation by turning from sin and toward holiness of Christ in scripture. [19:49] Many look at this list and then they will say, ah, okay, so I get Christianity. [19:55] I get it. [19:56] Christians are just the nicest guys in the room. [20:00] Christians are so nice that they just accept whatever is thrown their way.

[20:04] They accept whatever you’re doing with your life. [20:07] And no matter how destructive you are in your sinful patterns, [20:10] the Christian one is always the soft handed guy that’s just nodding along saying, good for you. [20:17] If it makes you happy. [20:20] Friends, that’s not what’s happening in this text at all. [20:24] Many times, niceness is actually destructive and niceness,

[20:30] if it’s this agreeable, never confronting anyone in their sin, [20:34] never dealing with anyone’s sin, never calling anyone to repentance, [20:38] never confronting the reality of radical evil and soul and society. [20:43] Niceness is actually the most unkind thing that you can give anyone. [20:49] And that is why becoming like Christ offers kindness [20:53] and gentleness that deal with sin in a world cursed with it.

[20:59] Even if that world hates us for it, [21:03] we do not shy away from being patient as we offer Christ over and over to others [21:11] and tell people to repent of their sin and pursue faith in Him. [21:15] That is what produces the disciples. [21:17] Jesus wants fearless disciples who can take a hit [21:22] because an unbelieving world will hit you over and over for the sin of not being nice enough.

[21:32] Christians are not just a bunch of nice people who smile at you in the face of your hellacious rebellion against God. [21:41] Christians are the ones who are kind enough to confront you in your sin [21:45] and tell you you’ve offended a righteous and holy God. [21:49] And if you do not repent, He is the most fearful one for you to have in your life [21:55] because He will pour His wrath on you. [21:57] That’s the Gospel.

[21:59] For an unbelieving world, the Gospel is not nice. [22:04] But I will tell you, the Gospel is the most loving, the Gospel is the most kind, [22:08] the Gospel is the most compassionate, [22:10] the Gospel is the most patient thing that you will ever live for. [22:15] That is what produces the disciples that Jesus wants. [22:18] And then He gives two phrases, bearing with one another, forgiving one another.

[22:23] Again, these are not about niceness. [22:27] You want to know how I know? [22:28] Because bearing with and forgiving both assume that there is sin to be dealt with. [22:33] You ever thought about that? [22:36] Why would you have to bear with each other if everybody’s perfect? [22:39] Why would you have to forgive someone if they didn’t sin against you?

[22:43] They assume sin, and they also assume that in community, in discipleship, [22:49] that sin must be dealt with, [22:51] and the process of dealing with it in the Church of Jesus Christ is one that is gracious, [22:56] but it is one that is firm in identifying and calling people to real repentance [23:02] from real sin in real lives. [23:05] Jesus died for these sins.

[23:08] Therefore, friend, we do not ignore it to make people feel better. [23:13] Rather, we confront and exhort in kindness.

[23:18] You are going to be hurt by people in your life. [23:23] If you’ve never been hurt by someone, you must be an infant.

[23:28] And if you haven’t been hurt by a Christian, you must be a new Christian. [23:32] Stick around for a while. It’ll happen. [23:36] The fact of the matter is is bearing with one another and forgiving each other tells us [23:41] this is what is possible in and through your faith in Jesus Christ, [23:47] because the forgiveness that Christ has to offer is not one where you are just a doormat for everyone. [23:53] Rather, it is the type of forgiveness that really deals with a person’s sin,

[23:58] really finds justice for their sin, but it finds it on the cross. [24:04] You will know this if you show people the love of Christ, friend, I will tell you [24:12] when you live with nothing but resentment towards other people for the hurt that they have brought into your life. [24:19] You will think you are holding them accountable, but you are not. [24:23] I cannot tell you the amount of people that I have resented in my life. [24:26] And I thought that my resentment was creating a prison for them.

[24:31] Say, ha ha ha, got you. [24:34] Come to find out when I actually dealt with the sin, when I actually confronted them with the sin, [24:39] they thought they were free. [24:42] They get back in that prison cell. [24:44] How dare you not know that I’ve been holding you in prison?

[24:49] See, that’s a fool’s errand. [24:51] When someone sends against you, don’t harbor resentment. [24:54] When someone either sends against you or when you find someone in sin, [24:58] confront them with it because that is the most loving thing that you can do because the goal is to take them to the cross [25:06] where they can see their sin. [25:08] And here’s the deal.

[25:09] You do not just walk around pretending as though no one ever offends you. [25:16] That’s no life to live. [25:18] Rather, you deal with sin. [25:20] And if you are caught in sin, here’s the deal. [25:23] Make it right. [25:25] Apologize.

[25:28] If you’ve never been sorry for sin, friend, I’m sorry. [25:31] You’re not a Christian.

[25:33] And if you’re unwilling to forgive people when they sin against you, friend, I’m sorry. [25:37] You’re not a Christian. [25:40] Bearing with each other, forgiving each other. [25:44] This is what Christ has done for you. [25:48] And this is what Christ expects you to do for others. [25:52] Do you think you don’t offend Christ by your actions and attitudes?

[25:57] And yet he still forgives when people repent. [26:01] They are forgiven through faith in Jesus. [26:04] Therefore, when someone repents of sinning against me, who am I to withhold that which Christ has so liberally given me? [26:13] We confront and we exhort in kindness. [26:18] We do not ignore to make people feel better. [26:24] How?

[26:25] Secondly, this morning, love and peace find definition in Christ. [26:29] Love and peace find definition in Christ. [26:32] Love can only ultimately be defined through Christ. [26:35] I hope you understand that. [26:36] Look at verse 14.

[26:39] And above all these things, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. [26:45] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful. [26:55] Colossians 314 there begins with an important phrase. [26:59] It’s actually not the word love. [27:01] What does it begin with? [27:01] Above all.

[27:03] That is a phrase that really leads to understanding that love is the binding element that draws all these other qualities [27:13] previously mentioned together. [27:16] As the verse 12 and 13 are given meaning by verse 14. [27:20] So if you try to define all of these other virtues where relating to other people are concerned without the love of Christ, [27:30] you won’t have love. [27:31] You will just end up with a bunch of self-centered definitions.

[27:36] That’s how you get to niceness. [27:38] But that’s also how you get to a place where you are the definition of what being kind is. [27:44] And even if you walk around acting like a jerk to everybody, your response is always, well, I don’t know what everybody’s problem is. [27:50] I feel pretty kind.

[27:54] Well, yeah, what’s the definition of your kindness? [27:57] GK Beale notes that love then in this passage is treated like an over garment under which the rest of the qualities rest. [28:06] And so without the love of Jesus giving a definition of active obedience, those qualities will be wrongly understood. [28:15] That is how you can walk away from a list like that and think Christians are just supposed to be nice. [28:20] We aren’t just supposed to be nice. [28:22] It’s not that we’re not supposed to be nice.

[28:24] Rather, we define all of those things, even niceness through the love of Jesus, rather than whatever contemporary model of love the world throws at you in the moment. [28:35] The contemporary model of love is love is love, which is as meaningful as nothing is nothing. [28:42] Everything is everything. [28:43] All is all. [28:45] In other words, you’re just left with word soup with nothing having any real objective definition, nothing corresponding to reality at all. [28:52] But Christians have the love of Christ.

[28:55] Second, John, chapter excuse me, verse six puts it this way. [28:58] This is love that we walk according to his commandments. [29:01] This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. [29:06] So how do we define love? [29:08] It is submission to the commands of Jesus. [29:11] That is how we show our love for Christ.

[29:13] And because of that, it will be the type of love that we show to others. [29:18] Look further at Romans 13, 10, speaking of the love of Christ. [29:22] Paul writes again, Love does no wrong to a neighbor. [29:25] Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. [29:28] And so that begs a question. [29:29] How, then, does love fulfill the law?

[29:32] The only way to find that answer is through the person and work of Jesus Christ. [29:39] And so if you try to love your neighbor without the love you have received through the gospel of Jesus Christ, here’s the problem. [29:48] You would be doing wrong to your neighbor. [29:51] Why? [29:52] Because only Christ fulfills the law.

[29:56] I break it. [30:00] The text says it’s my schoolmaster to lead me to Christ. [30:03] Because what does the law actually show me? [30:04] Yes, the law shows me the righteousness of God, but the law also shows me how unable I am to live up to God’s standards. [30:13] Because what is God’s standard? [30:14] Well, God’s standard is God, and I’m not God.

[30:19] If love fulfills the law, then what Paul is actually doing is he’s drawing our attention to the work of Jesus Christ. [30:26] And he’s saying, if you have any hope of knowing what love actually is, you must look to the life, death and resurrection of Christ. [30:37] Because in scripture, Jesus offers a distinct type of love that only Christians know, but also only Christians can understand. [30:46] That is why it requires putting on the new life in Christ. [30:51] If you are a Christian, you want to love other people. [30:55] That is a core value of our faith.

[30:58] As if you’re sitting in here and you’re like, I am a Christian. [31:01] I will never love anyone. [31:03] You are not a Christian. [31:06] That’s impossible.

[31:09] Polar opposites, totally contradictory. [31:12] A core value of our faith is our love for others. [31:15] Again, why? [31:16] Because of Christ’s love for us. [31:20] He loves us to the extent that he lowers himself to becoming a human being. [31:25] He lowers himself further, Paul says in Philippians, to the cross, to death, to the grave.

[31:33] You see, the love of Christ shows us that if we don’t love other people, we can have no part of Christ. [31:40] And that is where I think.

[31:44] It’s so important to understand what he said in verse 12 about holy.

[31:49] Note, I said that he calls you holy because that is something that Jesus has done for you. [31:54] The term there, haggios, means to set apart or to separate from. [31:59] What he’s saying is, is God has elected you to separate you from your sin, [32:04] but also to separate you from the world in a way by which you can learn what it is to have a holy love from God to offer to other people. [32:15] You are loved by God to the extent that he sets you apart for his purposes. [32:21] And you find those purposes in the commands of the Bible.

[32:25] Then you cultivate an ethic of compassion and kindness. [32:31] Excuse me. [32:31] You see, you are in the Church of Jesus where you disciple one another toward Jesus through bearing with and forgiving. [32:40] And this is how you win the world to Jesus. [32:44] You say how? [32:46] Because you build a better culture than they have, and they will desire the love of Jesus in you.

[32:55] See, friends, the Church of Jesus Christ is the culture by which all of these things about putting on the new self creates environments that you can grow into it. [33:05] But he doesn’t just give you the love of Christ. [33:07] What does he say in verse 15? [33:09] Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called. [33:16] But think about that. [33:18] So the love of Christ is the over garment under which the other virtues rest.

[33:23] But then he notes the peace of Christ brings in the rule of Christ in your hearts. [33:29] How does that work? [33:32] Because that peace that Christ gives you is meant to rule your life. [33:37] Think about this. [33:38] You have reconciliation with God because of what Jesus has done for you. [33:43] If you’re a Christian, if you have faith in Christ, you have reconciliation with God.

[33:48] And I think we underestimate what that means. [33:51] Jesus, the most powerful being in the universe ever, he created all that is by speaking it into existence.

[34:10] Being his enemy is the worst possible status you could ever find yourself in. [34:20] Why? [34:20] Jesus in Luke chapter 12 gives us the reason why. [34:24] Because what does Jesus say? [34:25] Jesus says, surely God can kill you whenever he wants to. [34:27] I mean, do you know that?

[34:30] Like if God decided right now, because he’s God and he’s got his wisdom, that I should not exist in this plane anymore. [34:37] I wouldn’t. [34:39] I would just drop.

[34:42] But Jesus says, don’t just fear him who can kill the body. [34:46] Fear him who, after killing the body, can damn you to hell for all eternity. [34:52] That’s God.

[34:55] You were at enmity with him. [34:58] And what he’s saying is, let the peace of Christ. [35:01] What is the peace of Christ? [35:03] The peace of Christ is that the most powerful, omniscient, all powerful, eternal being in the universe has loved you with the type of love [35:15] where at great cost to his own son, he has made you not his enemy. [35:21] He has made you his beloved chosen child, holy, set apart for his purposes.

[35:30] Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts. [35:33] And that gives you a basis by which you can love. [35:38] That gives you a basis by which you can be kind and all of those other things. [35:44] You see, friend, when the peace of Christ rules your heart, it is also why you can endure through the Christian life. [35:53] We are patient. [35:55] We are bearing with one another.

[35:56] We are forgiving one another. [35:58] Why? [35:59] Because no matter what others do to us, no matter what others do against us, no matter what people say about us, we have the peace of Christ ruling over us. [36:10] Never lose sight of that, because when you lose sight of that, you will not have peace. [36:19] You will have chaos.

[36:24] Many of you came in this morning and you’re miserable. [36:29] You’re not just miserable this morning. [36:31] You live a miserable life. [36:32] You are never happy. [36:34] You have no joy. [36:36] You are filled with vitriol.

[36:38] You are filled with resentment. [36:39] You are filled with anger.

[36:43] You don’t have peace of Christ.

[36:47] Many of you anxious every moment of the day. [36:51] You know the word fret? [36:52] My mom, she sees it all the time. [36:54] Stop fretting. [36:55] That’s when I got a little rambunctious.

[36:59] You’re fretting all the time. [37:01] You’re worried all the time. [37:02] And if somebody comes to you and says, why are you so anxious? [37:05] Why are you so anxious? [37:06] Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

[37:15] This is not just some spiritual thing. [37:19] It is. [37:21] But the practical implications are real.

[37:25] That’s why I know that I’m going to endure to the end. [37:29] I’ve been a Christian for a long time and I’ve been in pastoral ministry for a long time. [37:33] I’ve been hurt by people. [37:33] People come in here all the time from other places. [37:36] You’ve got church hurt. [37:37] You’ve got a chip on your shoulder.

[37:39] You’re bringing baggage from your last church. [37:40] You’re bringing baggage from a pastor that mistreated you, a deacon that mistreated you, a small group leader. [37:45] Somebody that was a member of the church mistreated you. [37:48] And you bring it in. [37:49] I like to compare stories. [37:51] You bring me your church hurt, I’ll bring you some real hurt.

[37:54] I’ve been around for a minute. [37:57] I’ve seen some real charlatans at the highest levels. [38:01] I’ve been hurt by people. [38:02] I’ve been betrayed by people. [38:04] I’ve been vilified by people. [38:06] And so sometimes when people are hearing my story of always just being raised in the church and all the people that have hurt me,

[38:12] I’ve had people literally look at me and say, I don’t even understand why you’re still here.

[38:18] And my response is always the same. [38:20] It’s because my faith has nothing to do with anything anyone has ever or will ever do to me. [38:28] I am a Christian and will always be a Christian because Jesus Christ has saved my life. [38:35] Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. [38:42] Look at what Jesus says in John 16. [38:43] He says, I have said these things to you that in me you may have what?

[38:48] Peace. [38:49] But I love Jesus because he doesn’t just sell you a used car with that bogus warranty. [38:54] All right. [38:55] He doesn’t just say, I give you peace. [38:57] And then you walk out and somebody punches you in the face. [38:59] You’re like, hey, wait a second.

[39:02] He says, in this world, you will have tribulation. [39:05] There are dark days ahead. [39:10] If you follow Jesus, you are walking down a hard road where there will be dark nights, [39:16] where there will be hurtful moments, where there will be suffering, where there will be pain. [39:20] And Jesus says, it’s coming. [39:23] But take heart.

[39:25] I have overcome the world.

[39:29] And I take him at his word every single day of my life. [39:37] You vilify me. [39:39] Peace.

[39:41] You hurt me. [39:43] He’s overcome the world.

[39:48] Never let anyone or anything rule in your heart more than Jesus Christ rules in your heart. [39:58] When you allow the actions of another person dissuade you from faithfulness to Christ, [40:06] you are letting that person rule in your hearts. [40:09] And Jesus says that is where his peace belongs. [40:11] And if you do not follow Jesus, people will sin. [40:14] You will sin the peace of Christ.

[40:17] Therefore, whatever unbelievers or even sinful believers throw our way, [40:23] I am ruled by the peace of Christ rather than the crazy of others.

[40:29] Number three this morning, all of life must be taken captive for Christ. [40:33] All of life must be taken rather captive to Christ.

[40:37] Life must be rooted in the word of Christ. [40:41] Note that in the end of verse 15, he makes the statement. [40:45] He says, we are one body and be thankful. [40:49] That is less, hey, we are in this together. [40:52] And so some of you want to take that. [40:54] And you take that as unity is the most important thing we could ever have with other people.

[40:59] That’s not what he’s saying.

[41:01] Yes, there’s a little bit of that. [41:03] But what he’s really saying is we are united in and by Christ. [41:07] That is why he uses the word body. [41:09] If you want unity, you have to have it through Christ alone. [41:14] And therefore that leads into verse 16. [41:17] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,

[41:20] teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, [41:23] singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with faithfulness, [41:26] excuse me, with thankfulness in your heart to God. [41:29] And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, [41:34] giving thanks to God the Father through him. [41:38] And those two verses, Paul gives a reminder of in instructions for

[41:42] what he talked about at the beginning of the chapter. [41:47] Note that everything that he says here from the worship of Christ to God, [41:51] to whatever you do in word or deed, do all to the glory of God. [41:55] He’s talking about setting your mind on the things that are above, [41:59] seeking the things that are above. [42:02] It is the ever present reminder of who saved you,

[42:05] what he saved you from and how he saved you that will endure you through life. [42:11] I don’t believe that this should be reduced to facts about the work of Jesus while he was on Earth. [42:17] That’s not what he’s limiting words of Christ to, in my opinion. [42:21] I believe that he is talking about Genesis to Revelation. [42:24] This is about real life. [42:25] This is about the arc of Jesus’s redemptive history for his people.

[42:30] And then he uses two words, teaching and admonishing. [42:34] Both of those words are forms of instruction. [42:37] Teaching is a positive form of instruction. [42:40] It’s the knowledge by which you will grow in your experience of and with Christ. [42:46] It is the life of discipleship. [42:48] But admonishing is a negative form of instruction.

[42:51] That’s why some of you don’t like it. [42:54] It’s a warning of the consequences of bad behavior. [42:58] And he connects this first to wisdom. [43:01] The wisdom for life is found in God’s revelation. [43:05] The term richly means abundantly or extravagant. [43:10] It is about saturation.

[43:12] There is no limit to how much of the word of Christ you need. [43:18] You need all of it. [43:19] You need every ounce of it and you need it in abundance. [43:23] Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, and even thankfulness direct your attention to worship. [43:30] Note that verse 16 begins with the word of Christ and ends with to God. [43:40] Do not make life about you.

[43:45] It’s about the worship of God because of the work of Jesus. [43:52] It’s true life in Christ does require action for Christ. [43:56] And that is why verse 17 says whatever you do. [44:01] But I want to caution you. [44:02] It doesn’t say whatever you want to do.

[44:07] See, people are really good at just doing whatever you want [44:11] and then tacking in Jesus’ name on the end of it. [44:15] There are limits to what you can do for God. [44:18] He is not glorified by whatever you just wanted to do. [44:23] And so you did it and you gave yourself glory. [44:26] But you think that you have pacified the situation because you put the name of Jesus on the end of it.

[44:32] That’s not the way that this works. [44:34] First Corinthians 10 31 states that whatever we are doing, we must do it to the glory of God. [44:39] And this chapter with the putting off and the putting on clearly shows that there is a limit to what can be done for God’s glory. [44:48] And we must always be reminded of that reality because every part of my life is meant to be lived for God’s glory. [44:57] Because of that, it is the great effort of my life to take everything captive to that vision and that vision alone. [45:04] Do not just resist doing what is wrong, friends.

[45:09] Living for Christ requires positive action. [45:12] It requires living with the intention of cultivating an ethic that will bring God glory through what I do in the place of what I don’t do. [45:23] Put on the new life in Christ. [45:26] Live for His glory. [45:28] Don’t excuse yourself for immaturity. [45:32] I love how people will do that.

[45:33] They do something because they’re immature. [45:36] Then you talk to them about how they’re immature. [45:37] Then they get offended because you had the audacity to say they were immature. [45:41] How immature of them?

[45:44] Don’t just excuse things because you are immature. [45:48] Pursue maturity in your faith through the knowledge of Christ that will produce action for Him. [45:56] And when you live like that, you will make disciples through the lifestyle that you build for His glory. [46:03] And you will do that so that you can worship God through every part of your life to show His love and peace and rule to everyone in the world. [46:17] A few application points this morning. [46:18] First, pursue the knowledge of God and His Word.

[46:22] That’s where it’s found. [46:23] It’s not a guessing game. [46:25] Look to His Word. [46:26] Secondly, replace sin with grace-filled obedience to God.

[46:32] He forgives you and strengthens you so you can obey Him. [46:37] Thirdly, love others with the love of Christ. [46:40] It’s specific. [46:41] It’s real. [46:42] You can find it in Scripture. [46:44] Fourthly, live under the rule of the peace of Christ.

[46:49] Only submit to Him. [46:52] And then finally, teach and admonish yourself and others with the Word of Christ. [47:01] See, when you start with yourself, it makes it when you have to confront other people a lot easier. [47:10] And you don’t have to make it up. [47:11] It’s right here. [47:13] It’s in His Word.

[47:13] He’s been so gracious and loving that He’s given you a word to teach and admonish yourself with so that you can help others grow in their faith and beyond.