Chosen of God
Colossians 3:12-15 – Victory Fellowship
November 24, 2024 Rev. Roderick Grabski
Healing Service
I. Introduction:
a. If we are in Christ, if we have become Christians, a change has taken place. We have had to say goodbye to the Old Self and all the habits, passions, and practices of the past. And because Jesus has restored our life, because He has given us abundant life, we are new creations, made in His image.
b. Here in Colossians 3 we are given clear instruction on what the new person in Christ looks like. We are told how to live the new life in Christ and what that restored life looks like. A certain and undeniable change should have taken place. That change is not something we have done. It is something Christ has done for us, in us and through us.
c. As we examine this text, let us remember that God is always proactive. He always takes the initiative. He took the initiative in creation, He took the initiative in salvation, and He takes the initiative in our sanctification. God always takes the initiative and then calls upon us to respond appropriately.
II. We observe two things as a result of God’s initiative:
1) Because He chose us, we enjoy favor with God (v. 12a)
a. Paul begins by reminding us of the fact that God chose us and therefore we enjoy a position of unique favor with God.
b. We are Holy - set apart from sin, from the rest of the world, and set apart unto God. We are God's unique creation, His people, chosen to demonstrate His reality to the world in which we live. We were chosen to be different so that others can see His power and glory.
c. Not only are we holy, or set apart unto God, but we are loved by God. God loves us - wants the very best for us.
d. And Because God loves us He counsels us to put off the old self, the sinful way of life, and to "put on," or clothe ourselves, cover ourselves. It is the same word used in Ephesians 6:14 where the Scripture tells us to put on the armor of God before we do spiritual warfare. Whereas in Ephesians we are putting on the armor for war, here we are dressing ourselves for a peaceful existence with other Christians. We are to clothe ourselves with Christian attire, especially love, reflecting our new life in Christ. These are worn by the person who has been changed by Jesus.
This brings us to our second observation:
2) Because He changed us, we love the People of God
Paul is clearly talking about unity in the church. He is talking about the kind of harmony that should exist among those people who really love the Lord, among those people in whom the Holy Spirit is living.
Verse 14 sums it up, Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity said…”Don’t waste your time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as you do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”
Love is the main attire that binds these next 5 together:
e. Heartfelt compassion
This is mercy or sympathy. As Christians we are part of the same family and we should not be indifferent to one another. We should not be cruel, harsh, and cold toward one another. One of the characteristics of a genuine Christian is that he or she possesses heartfelt compassion for other Christians. This is nothing less than feeling towards others as God feels towards them.
f. We are to put on kindness
This is a sweetness of disposition. A person who is kind has good things to say about others, is considerate of the feelings of others. Their words are tempered with grace and with tenderness. A kind person is not abrupt or harsh but is soft-hearted, and genuinely cares about others.
g. We are told to put on humility
This means that we are to submit ourselves one to another. Putting the other person before ourselves, to have a proper estimation of ourselves. In God's economy it is the lowly that are exalted and the proud who are brought down. If Jesus humbled Himself, even to death on the cross, we too must humble ourselves.
h. We must put on gentleness or meekness
It is the willingness to suffer injury instead of inflicting it. What a contrast with the way the world thinks. The world sees meekness as weakness. The Bible says Jesus was meek, and we know He was not weak. Meekness, from a biblical perspective, is strength under control. It takes a greater strength to exhibit meekness than to burst forth with anger and lose control.
i. We are told to clothe or envelop ourselves with patience
This is longsuffering, especially in the face of injury or insult. It is marked by the ability to respond in love when others treat us poorly.
Patience in our own strength is impossible. Patience is not something the world teaches us to practice.
So the question is this: Will we give in to worldly pressures and act like the world, or will we allow Christ to have control of our lives, and live according to His mandates, regardless of what the world thinks?
When we put on these traits two specific things take place:
1. We forbear with one another. That means to put up with or tolerate one another. It can even mean "to endure." Have you ever know those people you simply had to endure. Being around them is never any fun, it is never a joy or pleasure. There can never be unity in the church unless we are willing to tolerate one another. The only way we can do this is through forgiveness.
2. We forgive one another. That's the second thing that happens when we clothe ourselves in these traits - we forgive one another, even as Christ forgave us. Even if you have a valid complaint against someone, forgive.
III. Because He called us, we participate in the peace of God
a. The imagery here is that God has called us out of the world to live in His eternal presence.
b. The peace of God mentioned here is not the indwelling feeling of comfort, but rather an external reality that mediates between Christians. What Paul is saying here is that the peace of God should govern our hearts. It should have control of and power over our hearts to the end that as a body we are one.
IV. Conclusion
a. The truth here is that we are one other's keepers. We are accountable to God for one another, particularly in the local church. Because God's Word is at home in our hearts, we are to allow it to direct our interactions with one another.
b. Has His presence given you the ability to forbear, to forgive, to love others more than you love yourself?
PRAYER and ANOINTING
SONG: God Really Loves Us
Colossians 3:12-15:
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (NASB)