Live as God's Chosen

Colossians 3:12-17

Last week we looked at the first ten verses of Colossians 3; Jesus took upon himself every one of our sins and nailed them to the cross and we were raised with Christ, and because of this, we are commanded to set our hearts on things above. This isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a command. We can’t just expect our minds to go where they aren’t trained to go. I don’t ever remember being told how important it is to train my mind. Our culture lies to us and tells us how we are is how we are going to be, that there is no changing. Of course, every parent and teacher works on the assumption that we can change our kids, and society expects us to be able to, but why should we even want to change ourselves? Or to allow God to do so?

As we set our hearts and minds on things above, it is going to change who we are. Paul continues by telling us: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, This is the context of God’s commands. God isn’t some cosmic meanie, just up there in the sky trying to bully us into changing. This is God’s love for us. If you hear nothing else today, hear that God has chosen you. God doesn’t choose based on the criteria that our cultures chooses; God chooses based on what would bring Himself glory. God didn’t choose you because you were already holy; God chooses you to make you holy. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, you have been made holy, which doesn’t mean you’re perfect. It means you are set apart by God for God. This is our primary identity now: God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.

If you have ever watched a professional sports draft, there is a moment when each player is called up that the player will put on the cap or a jersey of their new team. We, too, are called to wear the clothing of our new team. We are called, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, to clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

When anyone looks at us, they see what we’re wearing. Without these garments, we are naked, and the idea here is that if we’re walking around naked, without these clothes, we will be ashamed. So when someone looks at us, this is what they should see.

Compassion is not only feeling sorry for someone’s suffering, but is also working to relieve that suffering. I’ve heard it said: “let your heart dictate to your hand” – in other words, don’t just feel bad about people going hungry right here in our area, because feeling bad isn’t compassion. Compassion is working with the Food Pantry to feed them and working to find the underlying causes of their hunger, then working to alleviate those causes. Kindness goes along with this; it is abundant mercy put into practice.

We are also supposed to exhibit humility. We generally accept the ethos of Muhammad Ali: “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am” – when someone is good at something, we generally expect them to toot their own horn. After all, who else is going to speak up on your behalf? That comes in direct contrast to biblical humility, which recognizes that we are hopeless sinners, capable of only evil on our own, but that the Holy Spirit is the one who moves in us to do good.

The Greek word that the NIV translates “gentleness” might be better translated “meekness” – even though we don’t use that term much these days. Meekness is great strength held under control. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you do it. Realize that you have great power. Your words carry great weight, having the power to heal or to hurt. Meek people recognize that God is a God of justice – he will repay. This goes along with the next garment:

Patience.We often look at patience through a short-sighted lens: let me be patient while I’m driving. I need patience for waiting in line. Give me patience with my kids. All these things are just practice to help give us real patience, the kind of patience that allows us to bear up under injustice and to allow God to bring justice. Do you really trust that God’s justice is enough? Or do you need to provide it yourself?  

Instead, we are called to Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Last week I mentioned that the default position of our hearts is evil and deceit, and our hearts won’t go where they aren’t trained to go. Bearing with one another and forgiveness are not our default settings; who had to teach you to hold a grudge? Plotting revenge, gossiping, complaining, and grumping are not living as God’s chosen. God did not call us to clothe ourselves in these things! We ought to be ashamed when we stick to that default position. What are the issues we have with one another? Think about them in light of what Christ did for us. While we were still sinners, rebelling openly against him, setting ourselves up as little gods, saying we don’t need him. While we were in the middle of that rebellion, Jesus went to the cross for us. It wasn’t after we had repented. It wasn’t after we had told him sorry. We hadn’t even changed our actions.

That is how the Lord forgave us. We often require someone to have gotten their act completely together before we will forgive them. I know people who have resolved to never forgive. As a Christian, this is never an option. If you call yourself a Christian, yet you are unwilling to forgive, you are deluding yourself about your Christianity. I understand personally that forgiveness is hard and that it takes time to get there. I can understand needing to take the time to forgive and to then work through the pain that someone has caused you. I also understand that forgiving doesn’t mean becoming a doormat and allowing someone to trample you or abuse you. But if you are withholding forgiveness, you are setting yourself up as the Judge, a position that is only held by God Himself.

Remember that God is a God of perfect justice, that he will leave no sin unpunished. This means that even a so-called “little” sin that “doesn’t bother anybody” is an affront against God and it must be punished. Everything. And God, being perfectly just, will punish every sin. As Christians, we know that Jesus’ death has paid the price for all of our sin, but we have to accept that gift by faith. Otherwise God won’t force his forgiveness upon us.

When Jesus teaches us to pray, asking God to forgive us our trespasses just as we forgive those who trespass against us, he’s serious. We will be forgiven in the same manner we forgive others. Why? If you have ever been to school, you’ll know that there are tests. There are various reasons behind school tests – lately they have been tied to school funding and held as indicators of teacher performance, but the real reason for tests is to determine whether or not a student has learned the material. We get plenty of tests on this subject, don’t we? The big question remains: has God’s forgiveness of us transformed our lives, or hasn’t it?

In Matthew 18:22, Peter, who is probably the most outspoken of Jesus’ disciples, asks Jesus: “How many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22-23) Then Jesus told a story about a servant who owed his master millions of dollars and couldn’t pay him back. When the master threatened to imprison the servant, he begged for forgiveness, and the master forgave his debt. But when that servant saw a fellow servant who owed him a few bucks, he choked him, demanded payment, and had him thrown in prison. When the other servants saw what happened, they told the master.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.  Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Matthew 18:32-35)

Have you forgiven? Remember that Jesus, through his death on the cross, has provided forgiveness for all your sins, every last one. So if you refuse to forgive others, remember that the consequence is that you will have to stand responsible for your own sin against God.

One of the biggest problems I’ve seen is grudges held within churches. People get into it with each other – of course we do. Everyone who has ever been in a relationship knows that there will be conflict in relationships. I always ask couples in premarital counseling how they fight, and if they say they don’t fight, their assignment before the next session is to have a good fight and report back to me. The only reasons why a couple doesn’t have conflict is if one member always gives in to the other or if they just don’t care enough to fight. Where there is no passion, there is no conflict. I can wear my Northwestern sweatshirt all over Columbus and never get a single comment about it, but when one of my sons wears a Michigan sweatshirt, I get a lot of comments. Why? Because Ohio State fans don’t have any passion about a rivalry with Northwestern; it’s not much of a rivalry. But they are passionate about the rivalry with Michigan.

There will be conflict in the church. Frankly, it is biblical. Acts 15 is all about conflict within the church. The church was depending on the tradition of circumcision, making it difficult for Gentiles to become Christians. Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem to settle the dispute. The dispute ended with everyone encouraged, but at the end of Acts 15, Barnabas and Paul have such a sharp disagreement over bringing John Mark along that they part ways.

Even the Apostle Paul had a falling out with his close friend and mentor, Barnabas. But understand that never do we hear Paul badmouth Barnabas. They don’t go their own way, constantly belittling the other or complaining about the other. No, they go their separate way, ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit. Never does the scripture tell us who was right and who was wrong – there was simply a difference of opinion that was so strong these two separated.

Sometimes in our lives there comes a time when we separate from one another, only to minister fully in a new context. We have seen the issues firsthand. We have two services, not necessarily because we don’t have the room for everyone in one, but because we can’t agree on worship style. We don’t agree on the use of furniture. We don’t agree on the instrumentation. We don’t agree on the method of Communion. We don’t agree on what the pastor should wear. We don’t agree on the mission of the church or how to live it out. But the fantastic thing is what happened when Paul and Barnabas agreed to part, with Barnabas taking John Mark and Paul taking Silas. Instead of going off and complaining about the other pair – we don’t have Paul writing about what a loser and a traitor Barnabas is – the two pairs go their separate ways and minister in the power of the Holy Spirit, effectively doubling their witness.

Because they knew that the love of Christ binds us together – it does not separate. I think we can learn a lot from Colossians 3:14: And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was, he said “love.” Love God, love neighbor. That’s what binds us together. It’s not about music style. It’s not about hymns or praise songs, about guitar or organ. It’s not about robe or suit or jeans and t-shirt. It’s not about Communion by Intinction or in the pews. It’s about love. If your decisions are about taste and preference, remember that love is what binds us together in perfect unity. And that is what God calls us to: perfect unity.

So we can Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. I wonder if they had “worship wars” about which kind of music was best for worship!  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

My prayer for us is that we move forward in unity and love. If we are to do that, we have to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Recognize and understand that not everyone gets along together, not even as Christians. But that is no reason for us to make a public spectacle of our disagreement! I’ve told you before about the ministry colleague who I felt betrayed me – when that happened, I wrote a really pointed letter to the church. I had it all written out and ready to go, and I deleted it. That’s one of the problems with e-mail, facebook and twitter; people can type their zingers and hit “enter” or “send” and it’s out there. This isn’t the place or the forum for Christian disagreement! As it was, when I finally came to the place of healing and forgiveness, I realized that my former colleague really is a great administrator. That is where his gifting lies. And so when I needed some help in a matter where I saw him excelling, I asked him for help. And guess what: he was happy to give it. Remember the fight that Paul and Barnabas had over John Mark? Though they parted ways, by the end of Paul’s ministry, he writes to Timothy to Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. (2 Timothy 4:11).

This is what I pray for us; that while we may have some differences of style and form, that we may be helpful to one another in ministry. May God’s love provide unity – may we live as God’s chosen!