WEBVTT 00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:02.649 Now, my name is John. I do have the blessing 00:00:02.649 --> 00:00:06.089 to give the message this morning. So we do like 00:00:06.089 --> 00:00:08.210 to say, those of you in the sanctuary, if this 00:00:08.210 --> 00:00:10.869 is your first time, welcome. And online, we would 00:00:10.869 --> 00:00:16.750 like to welcome you as well. Yeah. You know, 00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:19.269 I read an article the other day that says the 00:00:19.269 --> 00:00:24.710 American church, that 32 % of young adults from 00:00:24.710 --> 00:00:28.469 ages 23 to 30 are leaving the church because 00:00:28.469 --> 00:00:32.270 of hypocrisy. You know, I'm sure you guys have 00:00:32.270 --> 00:00:34.329 been told this too, but I've been told that Christians 00:00:34.329 --> 00:00:37.710 are fake and they're judgmental and the church 00:00:37.710 --> 00:00:40.689 is full of hypocrites. You know, unfortunately, 00:00:41.030 --> 00:00:44.609 they see scandals, they see corruption, they 00:00:44.609 --> 00:00:48.710 see the misuse of moral authority from pastors 00:00:48.710 --> 00:00:51.210 and elders. There's actually one church, there 00:00:51.210 --> 00:00:54.229 was a pastor in Florida that there was a lot 00:00:54.229 --> 00:00:56.990 of things that he got caught for. Human trafficking. 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:01.880 had a massive mansion. Everything was just, he 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:04.920 was stealing money from the church. You know, 00:01:04.939 --> 00:01:07.879 that's why people are leaving the church. They 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:10.280 see all these things, and a lot of people are 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:12.379 actually moving away from God because they say 00:01:12.379 --> 00:01:17.620 that there's so much hypocrisy. But today, I 00:01:17.620 --> 00:01:19.799 would like to show that we shouldn't be showing 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:22.340 the hypocrisy. We should be showing the holiness. 00:01:23.140 --> 00:01:26.260 You know, the world sees Christians as actors, 00:01:26.379 --> 00:01:29.879 right? They say that Christians pretend to be 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:32.879 good people. Unfortunately, there's some who 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:37.560 go home. They go home after Sunday. They're unchanged. 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:41.459 That Christ has never affected them, has never 00:01:41.459 --> 00:01:44.159 touched their heart. They're not the new creation 00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:46.140 in Christ. They say things like, I'm a blunt 00:01:46.140 --> 00:01:48.439 person. I'm going to do whatever I want. That's 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:52.620 just how I am. Take it or leave it. And most 00:01:52.620 --> 00:01:54.319 of the time, that's just an excuse. Actually, 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:56.299 I would say every single time, it's just an excuse. 00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:58.760 that they say that. It's just an excuse to be 00:01:58.760 --> 00:02:02.840 disrespectful. But Paul says in Colossians 3, 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:05.340 to put off the old man and to put on the new. 00:02:06.140 --> 00:02:11.500 That means even our rudeness, our pride, our 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:14.740 disrespectfulness, even our that's just who I 00:02:14.740 --> 00:02:19.840 am attitude must go. You know, I once heard a 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:22.919 pastor say, everyone on the stage of life is 00:02:22.919 --> 00:02:26.039 acting a part, a salesman, a parent, a leader. 00:02:26.180 --> 00:02:29.860 The question is, will you like the role you've 00:02:29.860 --> 00:02:32.719 chosen when the curtain falls and the play is 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:36.439 over? You know, God's Word calls us to act a 00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:39.199 different role, to do a different role. He calls 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:42.659 us not to be hypocrites, but to be Christ -likeness, 00:02:42.819 --> 00:02:46.159 to show that. You know, Ephesians 4 .24 says, 00:02:46.379 --> 00:02:49.909 put on the new self. the one created according 00:02:49.909 --> 00:02:52.750 to God's likeness in righteousness and purity 00:02:52.750 --> 00:02:57.310 of truth. Today we'll be talking about what putting 00:02:57.310 --> 00:03:01.550 on the new man means, what to live out the character 00:03:01.550 --> 00:03:04.949 of Christ in a world that desperately needs to 00:03:04.949 --> 00:03:10.909 see Christ, what that means. The world sees that 00:03:10.909 --> 00:03:13.569 there's so much immorality, but the world needs 00:03:13.569 --> 00:03:16.189 to see the love of Christ in the midst of a sinful 00:03:16.189 --> 00:03:19.020 world. We need to be the light of the world, 00:03:19.159 --> 00:03:22.580 shining so bright that all darkness is exposed, 00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:26.740 bringing those from darkness into light. And 00:03:26.740 --> 00:03:28.159 that's what we're going to be talking about today. 00:03:28.300 --> 00:03:30.520 But first, as we always do, we would like to 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:33.800 start with worship. And it's just going to be 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:36.400 another beautiful, blessed day that we're going 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:39.000 to have. So let's go ahead and pray before we 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:42.439 get into worship. Father, we just thank you so 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:45.289 much for this time that we can just... meet in 00:03:45.289 --> 00:03:47.250 this place that you have provided for us, Lord. 00:03:47.349 --> 00:03:50.169 We just thank you so much. Father God, we open 00:03:50.169 --> 00:03:52.129 our hearts and we open our minds and we open 00:03:52.129 --> 00:03:54.449 our hands to you, Lord. Please fill us with your 00:03:54.449 --> 00:03:57.669 spirit and bless us. Lord, please bless us to 00:03:57.669 --> 00:04:00.250 continue to know you more and more every day, 00:04:00.349 --> 00:04:04.509 Lord. I just pray that we just follow your example 00:04:04.509 --> 00:04:09.650 and to love everybody as you love us, Lord. We 00:04:09.650 --> 00:04:11.870 thank you so much. It's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:04:12.349 --> 00:04:18.220 Amen. Alright, if you guys would, if you don't 00:04:18.220 --> 00:04:20.779 mind opening your Bibles to Colossians chapter 00:04:20.779 --> 00:04:26.300 3. While you do that, I would like to give a 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:30.860 context, or give context to the letter to the 00:04:30.860 --> 00:04:35.899 Colossians. So Paul speaks to the Colossian church, 00:04:36.139 --> 00:04:40.019 which is a message that's still relevant today. 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:43.160 You know, there's many different denominations 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:47.180 who claim to be Christian that are so far from 00:04:47.180 --> 00:04:49.980 the truth and so far from what the Bible teaches 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:52.699 that it's heartbreaking that we're compared to 00:04:52.699 --> 00:04:57.579 them. You know, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the 00:04:57.579 --> 00:05:02.259 J -dubs, they believe that Jesus is just an angel. 00:05:02.600 --> 00:05:06.060 And when you talk to somebody... who doesn't 00:05:06.060 --> 00:05:08.819 know Christianity or doesn't know anything, they 00:05:08.819 --> 00:05:11.300 believe that they're the same as us who believe 00:05:11.300 --> 00:05:14.620 that Jesus Christ is God in flesh. You know, 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:17.160 there's Christian science who believe, basically, 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:20.459 that you can heal yourself, but they use the 00:05:20.459 --> 00:05:24.500 name Christian for what? Just for recognition. 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.439 And the same thing with Scientology. Scientology, 00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:29.379 they believe in, like, they have these weird 00:05:29.379 --> 00:05:31.379 alien things that they believe in. They have 00:05:31.379 --> 00:05:35.379 a whole story behind that. And again, they're 00:05:35.379 --> 00:05:38.360 all considered Christians. You know, in chapter 00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:43.439 3, verse 5 in Colossians, Paul commands believers 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:46.399 to put to death what belongs to their earthly 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:49.860 nature, sins of the flesh, and selfish desires. 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.720 So we see that Paul urges believers to seek the 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:58.079 things above. Seek the things that are above. 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:01.120 And to turn away from all these things, to turn 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:04.379 away from all these false things that go against 00:06:04.379 --> 00:06:08.560 Christ, that go against God. You know, how we 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:13.800 live reflects who we truly worship. I'll say 00:06:13.800 --> 00:06:16.160 that again. How we live reflects who we truly 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:19.379 worship. You know, Pastor Rick touched on this 00:06:19.379 --> 00:06:23.500 a little bit last week. If we claim to worship 00:06:23.500 --> 00:06:27.639 Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but we chase 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:33.069 money, success, fame, compromising our integrity 00:06:33.069 --> 00:06:36.470 and neglecting prayer, neglecting serving others, 00:06:36.709 --> 00:06:44.089 our life will reveal who we truly worship. And 00:06:44.089 --> 00:06:48.250 that is wealth, success, fame, and unfortunately 00:06:48.250 --> 00:06:51.850 a lot of them is sex as well. And they turn away 00:06:51.850 --> 00:06:55.980 from Christ and they don't worship Christ. And 00:06:55.980 --> 00:07:00.220 so Paul talks about this to the Colossians there. 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:02.779 In chapters 1 and 2, Paul reminds the church 00:07:02.779 --> 00:07:05.819 who they are in Christ. And this is who we are 00:07:05.819 --> 00:07:10.379 as well in Christ. Paul says they and us are 00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:14.360 redeemed, reconciled, and complete in Christ. 00:07:15.540 --> 00:07:18.540 But Paul also addresses the false teachings that 00:07:18.540 --> 00:07:21.060 were creeping in the churches. Paul addresses 00:07:21.060 --> 00:07:25.199 legalism. That is the legal ordinances, the food 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:28.139 regulations, the Sabbath keeping, and the new 00:07:28.139 --> 00:07:32.660 moon observances. This is all the Jewish legalism. 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:37.500 And then Paul talks about the mysticism that 00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:39.920 was going on. That's worship of angels and visions. 00:07:40.220 --> 00:07:45.620 And Paul goes against it. Talks about asceticism, 00:07:45.660 --> 00:07:48.360 which is a Gnostic teaching that's harsh treatment 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:51.560 of the body. rigid self -denial. And if you guys 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:54.279 remember who the Gnostics were, or are because 00:07:54.279 --> 00:07:56.459 they're still around today, the Gnostics are 00:07:56.459 --> 00:07:59.560 those who believe that Christ was just spirit 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:03.420 and he wasn't actually body, didn't have physical 00:08:03.420 --> 00:08:09.019 flesh. And so Paul goes and argues against that. 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:11.839 And then, of course, Paul talks about philosophy 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:15.040 and tradition. He goes against that and tells 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:18.560 them that The man -made thinking is not Christ 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:21.699 -centered, and that's what philosophy is. You 00:08:21.699 --> 00:08:23.540 know, the Colossian church was being influenced 00:08:23.540 --> 00:08:27.519 by a mixture of Jewish and pagan ideologies with 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:30.379 a hint of Christianity. There was a little bit 00:08:30.379 --> 00:08:32.720 of Christianity that was put in there as well. 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:35.940 I would say the only thing that was Christianity 00:08:35.940 --> 00:08:40.259 was Christ. But these heresies denied the sufficiency 00:08:40.259 --> 00:08:45.019 of Christ's work. And Paul addresses each and 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:47.000 every one of these in the book of Colossians. 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:50.679 So Paul writes to remind the believers, and he 00:08:50.679 --> 00:08:54.399 reminds us too, that Christ is enough. And those 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:57.940 who belong to him must live like that it's true, 00:08:58.059 --> 00:09:00.980 because it is true. You know, if you're talking 00:09:00.980 --> 00:09:02.679 to somebody and you share the gospel and they 00:09:02.679 --> 00:09:05.100 say, oh yeah, we know who Christ is, and then 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:09.519 they start going on and say, Christ and, or Christ 00:09:09.519 --> 00:09:12.539 but, you already know that. You're going to be 00:09:12.539 --> 00:09:15.080 in for the long ride because they're going to 00:09:15.080 --> 00:09:17.639 bring up some weird things. Because a lot of 00:09:17.639 --> 00:09:20.120 the time when they talk about Christ and or Christ 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:23.539 but, it's Christ but you need to do this. Christ 00:09:23.539 --> 00:09:25.759 but you can do what you want. No, that's not 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:29.059 what Christ died for. Christ died for all the 00:09:29.059 --> 00:09:34.100 sins. Christ is enough. And so Paul talks about 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:36.779 that. So in our text here, we'll read from verses 00:09:36.779 --> 00:09:39.519 12 to 17. If you'll follow along with me, if 00:09:39.519 --> 00:10:04.690 you will. Verse 12, Which is the perfect bond 00:10:04.690 --> 00:10:08.330 of unity. And let the peace of Christ, to which 00:10:08.330 --> 00:10:11.750 you were also called in one body, rule in your 00:10:11.750 --> 00:10:15.409 hearts. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ 00:10:15.409 --> 00:10:18.269 dwell richly among you in all wisdom, teaching 00:10:18.269 --> 00:10:21.750 and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, 00:10:21.750 --> 00:10:25.350 and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude 00:10:25.350 --> 00:10:29.190 in your hearts. And whatever you do in word or 00:10:29.190 --> 00:10:31.730 in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord 00:10:31.730 --> 00:10:35.070 Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through 00:10:35.070 --> 00:10:39.379 Him. So Paul mentions here first our identity 00:10:39.379 --> 00:10:47.419 in Christ. Paul says, Now let's look at those 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:51.779 words. God's chosen ones. God's chosen ones, 00:10:51.779 --> 00:10:55.940 that is, not by works, talents, or ability. You 00:10:55.940 --> 00:10:57.600 know, if you're here today and you've confessed 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:01.500 Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, if you've 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:03.500 declared that he is the King of kings and the 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:07.940 Lord of lords, then hear this. You are not just 00:11:07.940 --> 00:11:10.360 a number. You are not just another face in the 00:11:10.360 --> 00:11:14.720 crowd. You are chosen by God. You've been called 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:18.559 out of darkness into the marvelous light. You 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:21.700 belong to him. I belong to him. Paul says this 00:11:21.700 --> 00:11:25.960 to the church in Colossae, and this is us. We 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:28.879 are his chosen, his beloved, and his own special 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:33.000 children. That's who we are. Next one is holy. 00:11:33.159 --> 00:11:37.440 What is holy? Set apart exclusively his. Though 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:42.200 we may fall short, though we may not pray constantly 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:47.000 or read God's word consistently or are loving 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:49.559 towards one another, God still calls us holy. 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:53.879 Our holiness isn't based on our performances, 00:11:53.899 --> 00:11:57.960 but on our position in Christ. And that's what 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:01.679 Paul wanted to remind the church. He also says 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:05.159 dearly loved. The church there as well as us 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:07.720 are dearly loved. We are called dearly loved. 00:12:09.019 --> 00:12:12.320 God loves us so much that he sent his one and 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:16.539 only son, Jesus Christ, to die the death that 00:12:16.539 --> 00:12:20.700 we deserve. He was crucified because of our sins. 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:23.460 He was buried in a tomb and three days later 00:12:23.460 --> 00:12:26.379 he rose again. He did not stay there, defeating 00:12:26.379 --> 00:12:30.049 death once and for all. Through his sacrifice, 00:12:30.309 --> 00:12:35.129 our sins have been wiped clean. And now God calls 00:12:35.129 --> 00:12:39.690 us chosen, holy, and dearly loved. That's our 00:12:39.690 --> 00:12:43.509 motivation today. That's our motivation to live 00:12:43.509 --> 00:12:47.110 with Christ and live for Christ. Every single 00:12:47.110 --> 00:12:49.389 day, that should be our motivation. And Paul 00:12:49.389 --> 00:12:52.789 gives this motivation to the church. And then 00:12:52.789 --> 00:12:56.289 the second one that we have here is putting off 00:12:56.289 --> 00:12:59.210 of the old self. So Paul says to put on the new 00:12:59.210 --> 00:13:03.990 self, and we know our identity. But in verse 00:13:03.990 --> 00:13:12.429 5 here, Paul says, So these sins are the internal 00:13:12.429 --> 00:13:17.309 corruption that separates us from God. And so 00:13:17.309 --> 00:13:19.649 it's our internal sins. The first one we have 00:13:19.649 --> 00:13:22.769 is sexual immorality. That's pursuing self -pleasure 00:13:22.769 --> 00:13:28.059 over holiness. Paul says to put to death, Impurity, 00:13:28.179 --> 00:13:32.899 that is moral uncleanness, thoughts and motives 00:13:32.899 --> 00:13:37.379 that defile. The next one is lust. Lust is uncontrolled 00:13:37.379 --> 00:13:41.360 craving that dominates the mind. Next one is 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:47.179 evil desire, wicked longing for what God forbids. 00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:51.440 And then finally, Paul says greed, which is idolatry. 00:13:51.460 --> 00:13:54.179 It says worshiping the created instead of the 00:13:54.179 --> 00:13:57.200 creator. Paul says to put these things to death. 00:13:57.379 --> 00:14:00.620 He says don't feed them. We shouldn't be feeding 00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:04.539 into our sins. Don't excuse them. We are to kill 00:14:04.539 --> 00:14:11.000 all the sins before the sins kill us. If you 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:14.980 give an inch, sin will take a mile. And then 00:14:14.980 --> 00:14:17.639 Paul goes on in verses 8 and 9 and talks about 00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:21.460 the external sins. Now these sins are the outer 00:14:21.460 --> 00:14:26.049 life. how inner sins manifest outwardly. And 00:14:26.049 --> 00:14:29.690 so we see the first one is anger, deep resentment 00:14:29.690 --> 00:14:33.830 or bitterness. Next one is wrath, that's explosive 00:14:33.830 --> 00:14:38.850 outbursts of rage. Malice, which is desire to 00:14:38.850 --> 00:14:43.250 harm others. Slander, that's speech that destroys 00:14:43.250 --> 00:14:47.169 somebody's reputation. And finally, put away, 00:14:47.309 --> 00:14:51.370 filthy language, that's obscene or abusive talk. 00:14:52.909 --> 00:14:55.690 So, if we look at it this way, if the old self, 00:14:55.850 --> 00:14:59.129 the old sinful nature represents dirty clothes, 00:14:59.450 --> 00:15:02.470 take them off, put them away, put them to death, 00:15:02.610 --> 00:15:07.309 and don't put them back on. When we take off 00:15:07.309 --> 00:15:09.669 the old, we must replace it with something new, 00:15:09.830 --> 00:15:13.250 something holy, something better. And Paul gives 00:15:13.250 --> 00:15:16.830 us that list in verse 12. By putting on the new 00:15:16.830 --> 00:15:20.500 self, he says, put on compassion. kindness, humility, 00:15:20.919 --> 00:15:24.559 gentleness, and patience. This isn't a suggestion, 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:29.340 it's a command. We're all commanded to put on 00:15:29.340 --> 00:15:33.779 these, which all of these represent Christ. So 00:15:33.779 --> 00:15:36.620 like putting on clean clothes after a shower, 00:15:36.740 --> 00:15:41.120 we must intentionally clothe ourselves in Christ's 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:45.139 characteristics. And again, these are all qualities 00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:49.580 that reflect Christ. and who Christ is. And I 00:15:49.580 --> 00:15:51.700 would like to go through those. Let's go through 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:54.840 those there. Comparison. The first one, feeling 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:58.960 the pain of others deeply. No better example 00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:05.960 than Christ himself. In John 11, 33, we see Lazarus 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:10.080 lying dead for four days. We see his family crying 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:16.179 and weeping, wailing. And so Jesus finally arrives 00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:19.320 and Mary sees Jesus and she's crying. She says, 00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:21.659 Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:25.220 have died. And the shortest verse in the Bible 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:31.080 says Jesus wept. He was greatly moved. Not wailing 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:34.039 as Mary was, but he was moved. You know, it's 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:36.240 interesting because the term greatly moved or 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:40.740 he wept implies outrage or indignation. Maybe 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:44.220 Jesus was outraged, not with Mary, not by the 00:16:44.220 --> 00:16:48.220 way she reacted, but because he was greatly moved 00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:52.419 or outraged by death and sin itself. You know, 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:56.539 Jesus wept at the tomb. He was moved not by weakness, 00:16:56.820 --> 00:17:01.820 but by love and outrage of sin's destruction. 00:17:02.419 --> 00:17:06.220 You know, God is moved by our pain as well. You 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:08.259 know, if anybody's going through any type of... 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:11.099 pain and suffering, if they just suffered something. 00:17:12.259 --> 00:17:17.880 God is moved. God feels your pain. I believe 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:21.200 that God weeps over everything that we suffer. 00:17:21.700 --> 00:17:23.819 You know, sin has caused so much grief in my 00:17:23.819 --> 00:17:26.339 life, and I'm sure he has with yours. You know, 00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:28.500 I don't talk about this much, but 15 years ago, 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:32.700 my mom passed away. She had breast cancer, and 00:17:32.700 --> 00:17:36.109 so she died of that. And so I just remember, 00:17:36.349 --> 00:17:38.490 this was before I was saved. I was like, I don't 00:17:38.490 --> 00:17:41.930 get it. I did not understand anything. I said, 00:17:41.970 --> 00:17:43.809 well, if God is real, then why would God put 00:17:43.809 --> 00:17:49.190 anybody through this? But now, knowing what I 00:17:49.190 --> 00:17:52.970 know now, Christ was with me weeping, and he's 00:17:52.970 --> 00:17:55.109 with you every single day when you're going through 00:17:55.109 --> 00:17:59.450 something tough, those tough situations. He weeps. 00:18:00.049 --> 00:18:05.849 He weeps over the destruction of sin. and death. 00:18:06.990 --> 00:18:09.589 So Paul reminds the church here in Colossae and 00:18:09.589 --> 00:18:12.430 reminds us today that we are to put on compassion 00:18:12.430 --> 00:18:15.130 because that's what Christ put on and that's 00:18:15.130 --> 00:18:17.670 what he endured. The second one is kindness. 00:18:18.809 --> 00:18:20.950 Compassion in action. That's what kindness is. 00:18:21.069 --> 00:18:25.329 Doing good when it's undeserved. Again, the greatest 00:18:25.329 --> 00:18:31.569 example. Jesus healed. Jesus fed. Jesus forgave. 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:36.119 And Jesus blessed those who wronged Him, who 00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:40.059 did Him wrong. It was Jesus who was on the cross 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:44.220 right before His Spirit went up, or before He 00:18:44.220 --> 00:18:46.279 released His Spirit, on the cross and said, Father, 00:18:46.299 --> 00:18:47.900 forgive them for they know not what they do. 00:18:48.059 --> 00:18:51.519 It was Christ. And that's kindness. That's the 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:53.279 kindness that we should be showing to others 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:57.700 too. If there's somebody that is putting you 00:18:57.700 --> 00:19:02.400 through some sort of stress, harm, It's hard 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:05.019 to say, but show kindness towards them. You guys 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:08.059 heard the saying, kill them with kindness? It 00:19:08.059 --> 00:19:12.079 works. It really does work. Because Christ is 00:19:12.079 --> 00:19:15.339 kindness. Put on kindness. The next one is humility. 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:18.940 That's not self -exalting, but Christ -exalting. 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:23.339 You know, in John 13, we see the greatest example 00:19:23.339 --> 00:19:28.660 of humility. It says, Jesus got up from supper, 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:32.309 laid aside his outer clothing. took a towel and 00:19:32.309 --> 00:19:35.569 he tied it around himself. Next, he poured water 00:19:35.569 --> 00:19:38.309 into a basin and began to wash his disciples' 00:19:38.569 --> 00:19:43.470 feet and to dry them with the towel tied around 00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:47.710 him. Notice, Jesus didn't just wash their disciples' 00:19:47.950 --> 00:19:51.390 feet. He actually dried them as well. He wiped 00:19:51.390 --> 00:19:53.730 them clean as he wiped us clean from all of our 00:19:53.730 --> 00:19:57.089 sins. Now, let me ask you guys something. Could 00:19:57.089 --> 00:20:02.119 you guys wash your enemy's feet? Somebody who 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:06.299 has hurt you, can you wash their feet? This is 00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:08.160 something I've been asking for a few months now, 00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:11.000 asking people, because I ask myself, would I 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:15.460 be willing to? And I don't know. I don't know 00:20:15.460 --> 00:20:18.240 if I could. I'd say yes now, but tomorrow could 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:23.759 be different. But, you know, Jesus washed the 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:26.440 disciples' feet. And notice this too, he even 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:30.779 washed Judas' feet. The man who was to betray 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:35.839 Jesus. He betrayed him just a few verses later. 00:20:37.619 --> 00:20:40.700 You know, Jesus said, I did not come to be served, 00:20:40.740 --> 00:20:44.640 but to serve. And those are humbling words. Are 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:47.700 we above serving others today? Are we above Christ 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:53.539 for not serving anybody? You know, in the Greco 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:56.539 -Roman world, humility was considered weakness. 00:20:57.309 --> 00:21:00.329 But in Jesus, but in Christianity, because of 00:21:00.329 --> 00:21:03.410 Jesus, what he has done, humility is strength 00:21:03.410 --> 00:21:08.049 under submission. True humility is strength under 00:21:08.049 --> 00:21:12.190 submission. And Christ showed true humility, 00:21:12.369 --> 00:21:15.210 and that's what we should follow. Next one is 00:21:15.210 --> 00:21:19.670 gentleness. That's strength under control, offering 00:21:19.670 --> 00:21:23.509 correction with grace, not condemnation. You 00:21:23.509 --> 00:21:25.450 guys remember the story with the adulterous woman 00:21:25.450 --> 00:21:52.619 in John 8? It says, So what do you say? They 00:21:52.619 --> 00:21:55.680 asked this to trap him in order that they might 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:59.200 have evidence to accuse him. Jesus stooped down 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:01.380 and started writing on the ground with his finger. 00:22:02.059 --> 00:22:04.680 When they persisted in questioning him, he stood 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:07.599 up and said to them, The one without sin among 00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:10.420 you should be the first to throw a stone at her. 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:14.099 Then he stooped down again and continued writing 00:22:14.099 --> 00:22:16.980 on the ground. When they heard this, they left 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:20.349 one by one, starting with the older men. Only 00:22:20.349 --> 00:22:23.410 he was left with the woman in the center. When 00:22:23.410 --> 00:22:27.609 Jesus stood up, he said to her, Woman, where 00:22:27.609 --> 00:22:32.730 are they? Has no one condemned you? No one, Lord, 00:22:32.829 --> 00:22:35.990 she answered. Neither do I condemn you, Jesus 00:22:35.990 --> 00:22:39.950 said. Go and from now on do not sin anymore. 00:22:41.230 --> 00:22:46.650 You see, Jesus showed true grace and mercy. He 00:22:46.650 --> 00:22:50.029 removed her condemnation before he told her to 00:22:50.029 --> 00:22:54.430 start living right, to live a better way. Jesus 00:22:54.430 --> 00:22:57.430 didn't endorse or promote sin, but he showed 00:22:57.430 --> 00:23:02.849 grace and mercy, which is designed to produce 00:23:02.849 --> 00:23:05.289 gratitude and holiness. That's what we see in 00:23:05.289 --> 00:23:10.430 Romans 6. Christ didn't want to condemn her for 00:23:10.430 --> 00:23:13.130 anything that she did, because that was already 00:23:13.130 --> 00:23:16.779 done. The scribes and Pharisees and everybody 00:23:16.779 --> 00:23:19.720 were treating her that way. So he treated her 00:23:19.720 --> 00:23:22.759 with gentleness, with love, with compassion. 00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:27.200 It's grace first and transformation next. So 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:29.480 then Paul goes on and writes to them about patience. 00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:33.920 That's long -suffering with others. Jesus showed 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:37.779 much patience with Peter. Jesus knew Peter would 00:23:37.779 --> 00:23:41.519 deny him, and Peter denied him. We are like Peter, 00:23:41.640 --> 00:23:45.000 aren't we? Sometimes we say, Lord, we leave everything 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:49.359 in your hands. Lord, you take this situation 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:52.839 from me, and I'm better. Fifteen, twenty minutes 00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:55.920 later, we think about it again. I don't know 00:23:55.920 --> 00:23:59.079 why we start getting frustrated again. Lord, 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:01.039 why do we have to wait? Why do we have to go 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:04.420 through this? But it's patience. Jesus shows 00:24:04.420 --> 00:24:09.299 us patience. Maybe that's another reason why 00:24:09.299 --> 00:24:13.539 in 2 Peter 3 .9, Peter wrote, the Lord does not 00:24:13.539 --> 00:24:16.500 delay his promises as some understand delay, 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:20.920 but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, 00:24:21.059 --> 00:24:24.359 but all to come to repentance. Yes, we know that 00:24:24.359 --> 00:24:27.240 that's not what the meaning is, but there's patience. 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:30.619 Patience is there. God is patient, therefore 00:24:30.619 --> 00:24:34.200 we should be patient. Peter understood patience. 00:24:34.460 --> 00:24:37.519 Christ was patient with him, and he is also patient 00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:42.710 with us. We are to put on these qualities. These 00:24:42.710 --> 00:24:46.230 are Christ -like qualities. We are to put them 00:24:46.230 --> 00:24:49.309 on like new clothes. Now, these are not natural. 00:24:50.289 --> 00:24:53.970 This Christ -like character is not natural to 00:24:53.970 --> 00:24:56.769 us. They are spiritual clothing that must be 00:24:56.769 --> 00:25:00.269 intentionally worn each and every day. It's very 00:25:00.269 --> 00:25:03.569 hard to want to put on love and compassion, especially 00:25:03.569 --> 00:25:09.019 when you're getting cut off in traffic. Don't 00:25:09.019 --> 00:25:12.900 get me started on that, but, you know. But then 00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:15.140 the next one is putting on love, verses 13 and 00:25:15.140 --> 00:25:18.500 14. Bearing with one another and forgiving one 00:25:18.500 --> 00:25:22.019 another, if anyone has a grievance against another, 00:25:22.259 --> 00:25:25.420 just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are 00:25:25.420 --> 00:25:28.920 also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which 00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:34.940 is the perfect bond of unity. So, forgiveness. 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:40.200 How many of us are forgiving? Easily forgiving. 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:44.799 Forgiveness isn't dependent on how you feel or 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:47.500 if you want to do it. Rather, it's a command. 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:51.740 We're commanded to forgive. God forgave us, although 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:56.380 we still sin against Him. God forgave us when 00:25:56.380 --> 00:25:58.779 we still turn from Him and live according to 00:25:58.779 --> 00:26:03.099 our flesh. We can't forgive someone who slandered. 00:26:03.259 --> 00:26:05.819 That's what we say. We can't forgive somebody 00:26:05.819 --> 00:26:08.019 who's hurt me. We can't forgive somebody who's 00:26:08.019 --> 00:26:10.759 spread lies about me. But forgiveness is not 00:26:10.759 --> 00:26:14.680 an option. It's not optional. Forgiveness is 00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:19.200 a command. You know, I'm sure you guys have heard 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:21.779 of Corrie ten Boom. Now, Corrie ten Boom and 00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:24.420 her family, she lived in the Netherlands, and 00:26:24.420 --> 00:26:28.339 she, during World War II, was hiding Jews and 00:26:28.339 --> 00:26:30.740 were eventually imprisoned in a concentration 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:35.970 camp. Years later, a former Nazi guard who was 00:26:35.970 --> 00:26:38.470 mistreating her and her family, he actually went 00:26:38.470 --> 00:26:42.750 up to her and asked Corrie ten Boom for forgiveness. 00:26:44.190 --> 00:26:47.250 It was hard, but she chose to forgive him in 00:26:47.250 --> 00:26:50.569 Christ's strength. Now, this is what Corrie ten 00:26:50.569 --> 00:26:54.329 Boom said. Somebody who went and saw the sufferings 00:26:54.329 --> 00:26:56.349 and the pain going through the concentration 00:26:56.349 --> 00:26:59.269 camp, she said this. She was a believer, by the 00:26:59.269 --> 00:27:03.250 way. She said, Forgiveness is the key that unlocks 00:27:03.250 --> 00:27:06.410 the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. 00:27:06.690 --> 00:27:09.490 It is power that breaks the chain of bitterness 00:27:09.490 --> 00:27:14.329 and the shackles of selfishness. She was tortured 00:27:14.329 --> 00:27:16.569 and she was hurt and she saw her family, but 00:27:16.569 --> 00:27:19.230 she still forgave because that's what Christ 00:27:19.230 --> 00:27:23.869 did. Christ forgives. Forgiveness is the foundation 00:27:23.869 --> 00:27:29.089 of a Christian life. So we should be forgiving. 00:27:29.390 --> 00:27:33.670 And then, of course, Paul talks about love. Love 00:27:33.670 --> 00:27:36.230 is the overcoat that ties all virtues together. 00:27:37.130 --> 00:27:41.509 It's the glue of unity, the crown of a Christian 00:27:41.509 --> 00:27:44.509 character. That's what love is. Without love, 00:27:44.549 --> 00:27:47.529 the rest falls apart. You know, it was Paul who 00:27:47.529 --> 00:27:51.289 wrote 1 Corinthians, and 1 Corinthians 13 is 00:27:51.289 --> 00:27:54.279 considered the love chapter. Paul talks about 00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:55.900 love throughout the whole chapter. Paul says 00:27:55.900 --> 00:28:25.400 this. He says, Without love, we have nothing. 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:28.759 It's pointless. It's all pointless if we don't 00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:31.339 have love. If we say, I'm a compassionate person, 00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:34.160 and you don't show love, that's not compassion. 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:39.700 Paul goes on later in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians 00:28:39.700 --> 00:28:42.759 and says, Love is patient. Love is kind. Love 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:47.160 does not envy. Love is not boastful, is not arrogant, 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:50.299 is not rude, is not self -seeking, is not irritable, 00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:53.890 and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds 00:28:53.890 --> 00:28:57.049 no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the 00:28:57.049 --> 00:29:00.569 truth. It bears all things, it believes all things, 00:29:00.829 --> 00:29:04.210 hopes all things, endures all things. Love never 00:29:04.210 --> 00:29:10.650 ends. Love is the glue of unity. It's the crown 00:29:10.650 --> 00:29:14.230 of a Christian character. If we don't have love, 00:29:14.250 --> 00:29:19.450 then we don't have Christ in our hearts. So without 00:29:19.450 --> 00:29:22.799 love, the next one is... We can't do anything 00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:24.880 if we don't have love. But the next one here 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:29.500 is let Christ rule your hearts. Verse 15. And 00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:31.579 let the peace of Christ to which you are also 00:29:31.579 --> 00:29:34.579 called in one body rule your hearts and be thankful. 00:29:34.859 --> 00:29:39.640 So Paul tells the church in Colossae to let Christ 00:29:39.640 --> 00:29:42.140 rule your heart. And he tells us this today. 00:29:42.359 --> 00:29:44.839 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:49.390 You know the word rule here. It means to act 00:29:49.390 --> 00:29:54.549 as an umpire or to call the shots. Let Christ's 00:29:54.549 --> 00:29:58.589 peace be the referee of our hearts. Let Christ's 00:29:58.589 --> 00:30:03.130 peace be the decision maker when life feels uncertain. 00:30:03.670 --> 00:30:07.890 When we walk closer with Christ, his peace confirms 00:30:07.890 --> 00:30:10.930 or redirects our choices and major decisions. 00:30:11.799 --> 00:30:14.079 You know, some of us may be facing big challenges, 00:30:14.220 --> 00:30:16.859 like should I take this job, that job? Should 00:30:16.859 --> 00:30:20.079 we move out of state, stay in state? Should I 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:22.119 divorce my spouse or should I stay and fight 00:30:22.119 --> 00:30:25.740 for my marriage? There's three things I believe 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:28.039 that we need to consider before we try to make 00:30:28.039 --> 00:30:31.140 any decision, the wrong decision. The first one 00:30:31.140 --> 00:30:35.900 is pray before anything. Never rush a decision, 00:30:36.180 --> 00:30:39.740 especially if you're not sure about it. Sit with 00:30:39.740 --> 00:30:44.319 God and ask for wisdom. Ask for his peace. If 00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:47.380 peace fades and confusion grows, then maybe the 00:30:47.380 --> 00:30:49.400 Spirit is telling you something. Maybe he's telling 00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:55.779 you to wait. Number two is align our will with 00:30:55.779 --> 00:30:59.200 God's will. God's peace will never lead us to 00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:05.160 disobey his word. It never will. But if it does, 00:31:05.259 --> 00:31:08.109 then we know it's the enemy. The enemy is the 00:31:08.109 --> 00:31:10.210 one that's telling us lies. If anything goes 00:31:10.210 --> 00:31:13.369 against God's word. And then the next one is 00:31:13.369 --> 00:31:15.410 to follow the spirit where peace is remaining. 00:31:16.309 --> 00:31:20.630 If we're in prayer and worshiping the Lord, we, 00:31:20.730 --> 00:31:23.490 in a sense, should have that calm assurance. 00:31:24.730 --> 00:31:28.069 Even the decision is easier to make when we're 00:31:28.069 --> 00:31:31.369 having the peace of Christ in our hearts. God 00:31:31.369 --> 00:31:34.430 may be saying to act on this. But if anxiety 00:31:34.430 --> 00:31:37.240 lingers, Just pause and just wait for the Lord, 00:31:37.299 --> 00:31:39.400 because the Lord may be telling you to wait. 00:31:40.660 --> 00:31:42.980 That's how to have the peace of Christ in our 00:31:42.980 --> 00:31:47.240 hearts. That's what we should do. Like an umpire 00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:51.480 calls the shots in a game, right? The peace of 00:31:51.480 --> 00:31:54.660 Christ should make the calls in our hearts. When 00:31:54.660 --> 00:31:58.259 we feel His peace, we know we are safe to move 00:31:58.259 --> 00:32:01.779 forward. But when peace is missing, we know that 00:32:01.779 --> 00:32:03.500 the Lord is trying to warn us from something. 00:32:05.130 --> 00:32:07.430 You can't have Christ's peace without Christ's 00:32:07.430 --> 00:32:10.730 love, though. Peace comes when He's in control, 00:32:10.890 --> 00:32:14.769 not when our hearts and our feelings are. And 00:32:14.769 --> 00:32:19.430 I think it's one of those things. It's to stay 00:32:19.430 --> 00:32:23.410 close and true with Christ, to walk with Christ. 00:32:24.490 --> 00:32:29.269 Next one, he says, let the word of Christ dwell 00:32:29.269 --> 00:32:32.700 richly among you. in all wisdom, teaching, admonishing 00:32:32.700 --> 00:32:35.380 one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual 00:32:35.380 --> 00:32:41.960 songs, singing to God with gratitude. You know, 00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:48.339 it's one of those things where if we're not truly 00:32:48.339 --> 00:32:50.500 worshiping the Lord, if we're not having the 00:32:50.500 --> 00:32:54.099 Lord move us, then we're just moving unrighteously. 00:32:55.200 --> 00:33:01.470 Our decision should be first. The Lord dwell 00:33:01.470 --> 00:33:04.630 in our hearts. Dwell richly. What is that? Not 00:33:04.630 --> 00:33:08.529 just to visit occasionally, but to live abundantly. 00:33:08.589 --> 00:33:12.109 The word of God must be at home in our hearts, 00:33:12.289 --> 00:33:16.130 leading to teaching and admonishing and worshiping. 00:33:17.430 --> 00:33:21.230 You know, the teaching here refers to the instruction 00:33:21.230 --> 00:33:24.609 of sound doctrine, the truth that's rooted in 00:33:24.609 --> 00:33:27.710 God's word and God's gospel, the gospel truth. 00:33:28.349 --> 00:33:30.829 It's how we learn who Christ is and what he has 00:33:30.829 --> 00:33:34.289 done for us. It's how we are to live as Christ 00:33:34.289 --> 00:33:37.589 followers. Why is teaching important? Well, I 00:33:37.589 --> 00:33:40.690 mentioned the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Christian 00:33:40.690 --> 00:33:44.910 science early. If we don't know what the truth 00:33:44.910 --> 00:33:49.130 is, then we fall into the traps of the enemy 00:33:49.130 --> 00:33:52.029 very easy. We remember that false teaching was 00:33:52.029 --> 00:33:54.569 going here, going along in the Colossian church, 00:33:54.750 --> 00:33:57.230 and Paul was going against it. We must remember 00:33:57.230 --> 00:34:00.529 one thing here. When we're reading this, Paul 00:34:00.529 --> 00:34:03.049 never rebukes the Colossian church. He actually 00:34:03.049 --> 00:34:07.630 encouraged them. Paul rebuked some in Corinthians, 00:34:07.910 --> 00:34:11.139 or the church in Corinth. Paul rejected them 00:34:11.139 --> 00:34:13.119 for the things that they were doing, the sexual 00:34:13.119 --> 00:34:17.219 immorality. They were doing all those things, 00:34:17.300 --> 00:34:19.500 and Paul rebuked them. But here in Colossians, 00:34:19.619 --> 00:34:23.440 he doesn't rebuke them, he corrects them. He's 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:26.340 correcting them to stay away from legalism, mysticism, 00:34:26.539 --> 00:34:29.760 philosophy, the Gnostic teaching. Because without 00:34:29.760 --> 00:34:32.119 the word of Christ, without the word of God, 00:34:32.219 --> 00:34:36.539 we are risking being guided by just opinions. 00:34:38.489 --> 00:34:40.550 or traditions. That's like what the Jehovah's 00:34:40.550 --> 00:34:43.489 Witnesses, that was their opinion. It was Charles 00:34:43.489 --> 00:34:46.389 Taze Russell, the founder, who, it was his opinion. 00:34:46.690 --> 00:34:49.130 The reason why he stopped believing in hell is 00:34:49.130 --> 00:34:51.469 because, well, I don't want to believe in it. 00:34:51.690 --> 00:34:53.409 I just don't want to believe it, therefore it's 00:34:53.409 --> 00:34:56.090 not real. That was his opinion, and he took it 00:34:56.090 --> 00:34:59.309 and said, hell is not real. We should stay true 00:34:59.309 --> 00:35:01.650 with what the word says. What does the gospel 00:35:01.650 --> 00:35:05.389 say? We need the truth to combat the false teachings. 00:35:06.190 --> 00:35:08.769 And that's what Paul is trying to tell them, 00:35:08.829 --> 00:35:11.690 and what he's telling us today, too. We must 00:35:11.690 --> 00:35:14.789 stay anchored in God's Word, and that's through 00:35:14.789 --> 00:35:18.510 teaching. And admonishing is also important, 00:35:18.730 --> 00:35:24.489 because admonishing is to lovingly correct, warn, 00:35:24.849 --> 00:35:27.269 or counsel someone when they're drifting away, 00:35:27.489 --> 00:35:29.530 when they're straying away from the truth. That 00:35:29.530 --> 00:35:33.329 means confronting an error without judgment, 00:35:33.510 --> 00:35:36.250 confronting someone. who is in error without 00:35:36.250 --> 00:35:39.869 judgment. But we do this with a heart that seeks 00:35:39.869 --> 00:35:42.309 restoration and growth, and that's with compassion, 00:35:42.570 --> 00:35:45.949 love, kindness, gentleness. That's how we are 00:35:45.949 --> 00:35:48.369 to do it. This is important because we all need 00:35:48.369 --> 00:35:51.849 correction sometimes. But when the word of Christ 00:35:51.849 --> 00:35:55.710 dwells in us richly, we are equipped not to only 00:35:55.710 --> 00:36:00.010 recognize that we are in error, but to recognize 00:36:00.010 --> 00:36:03.610 that we lovingly need to stay away from it. and 00:36:03.610 --> 00:36:06.789 to go back to Christ. That's what Paul says we 00:36:06.789 --> 00:36:09.309 are to do. If we see somebody who is in error, 00:36:09.429 --> 00:36:11.989 who is walking away from the truth, that's what 00:36:11.989 --> 00:36:14.590 we are to do. Correct them lovingly and to turn 00:36:14.590 --> 00:36:17.250 them back to Christ. Because most of the time 00:36:17.250 --> 00:36:21.329 they're just walking away. But Paul sees here 00:36:21.329 --> 00:36:24.989 how teaching and admonishing can keep us grounded 00:36:24.989 --> 00:36:30.889 with Christ. We should follow this example. You 00:36:30.889 --> 00:36:33.190 know, through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, 00:36:33.449 --> 00:36:36.230 our worship teaches truth and encourages one 00:36:36.230 --> 00:36:41.409 another. Is our heart at home with God's word? 00:36:41.530 --> 00:36:46.150 Is God's word dwelling richly among us? Is Christ 00:36:46.150 --> 00:36:51.269 dwelling in you today? Our psalms, our hymns, 00:36:51.269 --> 00:36:54.710 our spiritual songs should always be directed 00:36:54.710 --> 00:36:59.880 to God. We worship our Lord and we also teach 00:36:59.880 --> 00:37:03.000 the truth, the biblical truth to one another. 00:37:03.239 --> 00:37:07.500 That's what Paul says here. A Christ -filled 00:37:07.500 --> 00:37:13.480 heart sings truth to God and to his people. But 00:37:13.480 --> 00:37:16.260 here's the best part, the end of it. Verse 17, 00:37:16.500 --> 00:37:20.119 Paul ends with an amazing statement. Everything 00:37:20.119 --> 00:37:25.199 is to be done under Christ's authority and his 00:37:25.199 --> 00:37:30.320 glory. for His glory. It says this, and whatever 00:37:30.320 --> 00:37:33.559 you do in word or deed, do everything in the 00:37:33.559 --> 00:37:35.880 name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God 00:37:35.880 --> 00:37:41.239 the Father through Him. Everything we do, public 00:37:41.239 --> 00:37:45.639 or private, should bring glory to Jesus. That 00:37:45.639 --> 00:37:49.880 means when we're at work, work with integrity, 00:37:50.179 --> 00:37:55.760 even when no one is watching. Avoid gossip regardless 00:37:55.760 --> 00:37:59.420 of how juicy the gossip is. Treat co -workers 00:37:59.420 --> 00:38:05.039 with respect. When you're on social media, don't 00:38:05.039 --> 00:38:09.219 spread hate or negativity. Spread the uplifting 00:38:09.219 --> 00:38:12.079 truth of the gospel. Be encouraging to one another. 00:38:13.059 --> 00:38:16.059 When we're at the grocery store, Lord knows there's 00:38:16.059 --> 00:38:17.739 a lot of people at the grocery store that want 00:38:17.739 --> 00:38:23.550 to hear the gospel. That's true. The reason why 00:38:23.550 --> 00:38:27.150 I say that is because I hate shopping. So I know 00:38:27.150 --> 00:38:30.909 that there's gospel there. But whatever we're 00:38:30.909 --> 00:38:33.210 doing, if we're leading a Bible study, if we're 00:38:33.210 --> 00:38:35.690 cleaning our home, hanging out with friends, 00:38:35.829 --> 00:38:38.409 hanging out with family, be sure to do this with 00:38:38.409 --> 00:38:43.349 love, with integrity, and a heart to honor Christ. 00:38:44.130 --> 00:38:46.349 It brings Him glory, and that's what we should 00:38:46.349 --> 00:38:49.570 be doing. But Paul also ends this section by 00:38:49.570 --> 00:38:53.090 repeating a key theme here. And that's thankfulness. 00:38:53.909 --> 00:38:57.369 Be thankful, he says, with gratitude, giving 00:38:57.369 --> 00:39:03.489 thanks. Thankfulness is the atmosphere of a new 00:39:03.489 --> 00:39:09.090 life in Christ. Being thankful. What I'd like 00:39:09.090 --> 00:39:12.329 to say here in closing is, in Christ, we have 00:39:12.329 --> 00:39:16.190 a new way of life. We are to take off the old, 00:39:16.210 --> 00:39:19.409 filthy, dirty, sinful garments, the old clothes. 00:39:20.190 --> 00:39:22.630 and we are to put on the new clothes, the new 00:39:22.630 --> 00:39:24.590 man, which is in Christ, and that's Christ's 00:39:24.590 --> 00:39:27.949 character, has compassion, kindness, gentleness, 00:39:28.210 --> 00:39:32.769 humility, love, patience. That's what we're to 00:39:32.769 --> 00:39:41.849 clothe ourselves in. This is new, right? This 00:39:41.849 --> 00:39:49.320 is new. Yeah. That was messed up. But this new 00:39:49.320 --> 00:39:54.699 life is not just personal. It's relational. It 00:39:54.699 --> 00:39:56.599 affects how we treat others, how we forgive, 00:39:56.860 --> 00:39:59.659 how we love, how we live as one body in Christ. 00:39:59.820 --> 00:40:03.079 And that means here today in the church. Paul 00:40:03.079 --> 00:40:08.539 reminds us in Colossians 3, four main things 00:40:08.539 --> 00:40:12.280 we'd like to take home with us. We are rooted 00:40:12.280 --> 00:40:16.460 in our identity, chosen, holy, and beloved. dearly 00:40:16.460 --> 00:40:20.960 loved. We are clothed with Christ -like virtues, 00:40:21.280 --> 00:40:24.059 Christ -like qualities. We are to put those on. 00:40:24.179 --> 00:40:27.340 We are guided by peace and shaped by His Word. 00:40:28.119 --> 00:40:32.360 We live for the glory of Jesus in all things. 00:40:32.460 --> 00:40:35.019 That's what we should do. So church, let's put 00:40:35.019 --> 00:40:39.360 off the old flesh, put on Christ, and wear Christ 00:40:39.360 --> 00:40:44.000 so the world no longer sees hypocrites, but They 00:40:44.000 --> 00:40:48.579 see Christ through us all. Amen? Let's pray. 00:40:51.300 --> 00:40:55.019 Father, we thank you so much for the love that 00:40:55.019 --> 00:40:59.380 you have showed us. Father, thank you so much 00:40:59.380 --> 00:41:01.860 for the example in Christ that we have to live 00:41:01.860 --> 00:41:08.619 by. Father, we thank you that Christ lived as 00:41:08.619 --> 00:41:12.280 an earthly example, showing us compassion, kindness, 00:41:13.010 --> 00:41:15.550 humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, 00:41:15.690 --> 00:41:20.570 and love. Lord, we praise you because you are 00:41:20.570 --> 00:41:25.869 so good to us. Lord, you call us chosen, holy, 00:41:26.030 --> 00:41:28.730 and loved, not because we did anything to gain 00:41:28.730 --> 00:41:32.150 it, not by any of the works, but because you 00:41:32.150 --> 00:41:37.590 love us. Jesus, thank you for loving us so much 00:41:37.590 --> 00:41:39.630 that you took on the punishment that we deserve, 00:41:39.769 --> 00:41:42.710 wiping us clean from all unrighteousness and 00:41:42.710 --> 00:41:47.010 cleaning us from sin. Thank you, Jesus, for telling 00:41:47.010 --> 00:41:50.289 us how we can turn from the evil ways of the 00:41:50.289 --> 00:41:55.150 world, how we are to put away, put to death, 00:41:55.329 --> 00:41:58.210 sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, 00:41:58.429 --> 00:42:01.650 and greed, and how we are to put away the external 00:42:01.650 --> 00:42:06.239 sins, Lord. I pray that as one body in Christ 00:42:06.239 --> 00:42:13.260 that we can be unified and not divided. We have 00:42:13.260 --> 00:42:16.719 your love, which is the glue that holds all of 00:42:16.719 --> 00:42:19.719 us together. And Father, I also pray for Pastor 00:42:19.719 --> 00:42:23.920 Nathan as he is out there giving the gospel to 00:42:23.920 --> 00:42:27.119 another nation, doing what you commanded all 00:42:27.119 --> 00:42:29.980 of us to do, Lord. We thank you for an opportunity 00:42:29.980 --> 00:42:33.360 for him to be able to do this, Lord. Father, 00:42:33.380 --> 00:42:35.340 I pray that you continue to bless the church. 00:42:36.260 --> 00:42:38.699 Bless each and every one of us, Lord. Fill us 00:42:38.699 --> 00:42:42.340 with your spirit and guide us. Lord, we love 00:42:42.340 --> 00:42:44.360 you so much. It's in Jesus' precious name we 00:42:44.360 --> 00:42:47.059 pray. Amen. God bless you guys.