How To Exchange the Gross Life for the Good Life | Part 2 | Colossians 3:15-17
Series: Colossians: Supreme!
Title: “How To Exchange the Gross Life for the Good Life” part 2
Scripture: Colossians 3:15-17
(Commentary helps listed at the end)
Last week’s Bottom line: We exchange the gross life for the good life when we take off our nasty, selfish, fleshly, worldly ways and replace them with our gloriously good and Godly ways. Our motive is from a healthy understanding of who we are in Christ: “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.”
This week’s Bottom line: We exchange the gross life for the good life when we embrace God’s peace and God’s word as God’s people…with thanksgiving.
Apron (represents the good life where we love and serve others)
You’re wearing it already
It’s covering you like armor
It’s a symbol of who we are and what we’re to be doing (serving God by serving others)
It catches some of the mess allowing you to press on in the midst of messing ministry
Opening story: War in Ukraine
We have another war in Europe. This time Russia attacking Ukraine. We pray for the people of Ukraine. It’s hard for us to relate to what’s happening there. We’ve never experienced an invasion on US soil like this. 9/11 and Pearl Harbor are the closest things.
I suspect if this war rages on it will affect us too. If it spreads it will really impact us. How will we respond as a nation remains to be seen.
But how will we respond as individuals? As the Church?
I suspect we’ll be tempted to respond with fear, anger, rage, slander, filthy language, etc. The gross life.
I would suggest we embrace the good life instead. How?
Exchange the gross life for the good life (nasty bib for humble apron) by doing the following each day:
My Outline:
I. Embrace the peace of God with gratitude. (3:15)
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
Colossians 3:15 NIV
A. “Let the peace of Christ…”
“Let” - if you’re in Christ, you already have this gift of profound, lasting, inner peace.
“Peace” - not like the world thinks of peace. More. John 14:27, Phil 4:7
“of Christ” - He is the source of this profound peace through his blood. Col 1:20 “by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
B. “rule in your hearts…”
C. “since as members of one body you were called to peace.”
D. “And be thankful.”
Embrace the peace that surpasses all understanding and that will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And do so with thanksgiving even as Paul says in Phil 4.
II. Embrace the word of Christ with gratitude. (3:16)
“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.”
Colossians 3:16 NIV
A. “Let the message of Christ…”
“Let” - again, this is already with and in you. The gospel is a message that transforms. (Illustration: Transformer movie and toy)
“The message of Christ” - this is more than a particular sermon or the ABCs of the gospel. This is the comprehensive message of the good news that we’re sinners apart from Christ and that our only hope of salvation is through his sacrificial death on the cross can we find mercy and forgiveness. He took our place!
“dwell among you…” - dwell = live; we immerse ourselves in this message; gospel fluency is like language fluency or music fluency. When you can communicate or make music spontaneously without any helps or sheet music, you are truly free to express yourself beautifully. The main problem in the church today is that we don’t do this well, if at all. We see the gospel as a fire insurance policy instead of a way to live.
“richly” - as in abundantly; fully from a God who has no limits. He owns it all and can create more from nothing whenever it is needed. And he’s your father!
“as you teach and admonish…” what we’re we do with and for each other whenever we gather. This is assumed by Paul that you’re gathering regularly with each other in places where conversation can and does happen. Conversation about more than sports or the weather.
“one another…” and the others with you are first brothers and sisters in Christ. But hopefully there are others not there yet all around to see the power of this unity and love in action.
“with all wisdom…” - this wisdom comes from God. Our wisdom is inferior in quality (worldly vs godly) and in quantity (limited vs infinite).
“through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit…” speaks to the purpose and diversity of song lyrics and styles. God is infinitely creative. We should embrace all forms and styles of music knowing that music is powerful and should be used wisely and often. It’s purpose is not simply musical or for pleasure, although that is worthy enough. It is also didactic. It is for teaching and warning. It is a tool to nurture gospel fluency. Illustration: children’s choirs.
Psalms are likely THE Psalms of the Hebrew bible. Hymns are formal Christian songs and could include choruses. Spiritual songs could be simple Christian songs written in advance or even spontaneous and original. The point is the variety is to be embraced and to be edifying in the process.
“One another” indicates this is primarily used in corporate worship because it blesses others through it’s beauty and content.
“singing to God…” our primary audience
“with gratitude in your hearts.” Don’t miss this. It’s not just punctuation. Paul means to underline all of these verses with this attitude of gratitude.
Embrace the peace of God and the word of Christ with gratitude. And…
III. Embrace your identity in Christ with gratitude. (3:17)
“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.”
Colossians 3:17 NIV
A. “Whatever you do…” is comprehensive in nature.
“Whatever you do” where you live, work, learn and play covers your whole life.
“whether in word or deed” is comprehensive in that it includes your words and actions.
B. “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,” Do it in his name as you identify with him as his family. The son of the Father and the brother of the Lord Jesus. Either way you are royalty and have been rescued to rescue; saved to save; delivered to deliver; discipled to disciple.
C. “giving thanks to God the Father through him.” More of the trinity on display here. Remember, one God who expresses himself as three beings. The underlying theme here continues to be gratitude for who God is and for what he’s done in us.
Do it how?
“Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus (wholeheartedly), and
“Giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Gratefully)
Conclusion
Imagine if I came into your house for supper at your invitation. And imagine that you told me to make myself at home. Now imagine that after you walked into the kitchen to finish up preparations I started moving around the furniture in your den. Now you come back in and I’ve moved the easy chair in front of and up close to the TV. I’ve also moved over the nice end table right beside said easy chair so I had a place to set my drink. And I’m reclined scrolling through the channels…making myself at home.
After all, I move the furniture around at my house whenever I want. (OK, and when Anita isn’t home)
Would you have expected that? No. You didn’t really mean it! It was just an expression or idiom meaning to make myself comfortable WITHIN REASON!
I wonder if we don’t do this with God.
God calls us to surrender our lives to him trusting him as His people no matter what’s happening. To exchange lies for truth. To exchange distress, uncertainty and loss with his peace.
We sing, “I surrender all” but we don’t really mean it, do we? I mean I surrender all WITHIN REASON!
What if God really meant for us to truly exchange our gross ways of living in our own strength and wisdom for a better way—his way. What if he was calling us to truly embrace his word, his peace, and his identity? And to be grateful and glad to do it?!
My hope today is that you’ll hear (maybe for the first time) how you can exchange this gross life of sin and self, stress and fear, for the good life full of truth, peace and gratitude that moves you to worship your Creator as a grateful recipient of his gracious care as his creature. Made new by the blood of Christ. Will you entertain the notion that there are profound reasons to exchange the gross life for the good life?
When we remember our identity as followers of Jesus Christ, we readily embrace God’s word and God’s peace, and we do that with gratitude.
Imagine what it would be like if everyone did this.
Imagine if we all embraced the word of God that includes the commands love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Imagine if we all embraced the peace of God that transcends all understanding.
Imagine if we all embraced our identity in Christ that we carry his name and therefore are called to live like we are Christ-followers.
Imagine if we did all of this with thanksgiving all the time.
What a different world this would be.
This is what God calls us to. To display his grace and truth in word and deed. No matter where we are or what we’re doing. We never stop showing and telling the love of God.
Bottom line: We exchange the gross life for the good life when we embrace God’s peace and God’s word as God’s people.
May we find ourselves doing this by grace through faith with thanksgiving.
Pray
Lord’s Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-32
Other
Good summary of 3:1-10
“Verses 1-10 set forth what has been described as the indicative and the imperative (standing and state) of the Christian. The indicative statements describe the believer’s position in Christ: He is dead (3); he has been raised with Christ (1); he is with Christ in heaven (3); he has ‘taken off the old self’ (9); and he has ‘put on the new self’ (10). The imperative statements indicate what the believer is to do as a result: He is to set his heart (or mind) on things above (1-2); he is to put to death practices that belong to his earthly nature (5); and he is to rid himself of practices that characterized his unregenerate self (8). In summary, he is called upon to become in daily experience what he is positionally in Christ.” NIV Study Bible, p. 1816
When we see as God sees we’ll respond as we should respond. Worship is seeing God for who he is and responding in faith about who we are. This impacts what we live for and how we live.
NIV Study Bible says:
“Hymns” are songs that praise God for who he is.
“Spiritual Songs” are songs that thank God for what he’s done.
“Psalms” are the OT Hebrew Scriptures that do both of these things.
We should sing songs to
Praise God for who he is,
Thank God for what he’s done,
“Teach and admonish one another with all wisdom…with gratitude in your hearts to God.”
In sum, the songs we teach and sing should adore and honor God for who he is, what he’s done and for teaching us how to follow Christ and lead others to do the same.
FF Bruce indicates these 3 categories could be:
Psalms = Psalms in OT
Hymns = might be Christian canticles (some of which are reproduced, in whole or in part, in the NT text) ex. Phil 2:6-11
Spiritual songs = might be unpremeditated words sung ‘in the Spirit,’ voicing holy aspirations. FF Bruce, p 159
Too rigid a distinction here does not serve us well. Rather, we should realize that music is a powerful and beautiful tool to be used to frame and facilitate the words of Christ deep and wide in us as we share it with others.
OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS:
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MAIN COMMENTARY HELP:
Exalting Jesus in Colossians by Scott Pace
Preaching the Word: Philippians, Colossians and Philemon commentary by R. Kent Hughes
ESV Global Study Bible
Bible in One Year by Nicky Gumbel
Bible Knowledge Commentary
The Outline Bible, Wilmington
Paul for Everyone, The Prison Letters, NT Wright’s commentary on Philippians and Colossians
Gospel Transformation Bible
NIV Study Bible
The Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren Wiersbe