Speaker: Steve Anderson

Passage: Colossians 3:12-17

COLOSSIANS 3:12-17

We’re not going to be in Hebrews today. This is going to be part one of a one-part series on the Book of Colossians, and it basically came out of my prayer time yesterday morning. I’m also part of the board of deacons here at the church, I’m on the teaching team and the board of deacons. 

And every Saturday morning, the board texts back and forth with each other, and we dedicate some time to pray for Pastor Greg and Belinda, pray for the staff, we pray for the overseers, and we also pray for you all. 

And I just felt on Friday, I texted the group, I said, Hey, I think we’re supposed to pray at the church on Saturday morning, so I’m going to arrange that, and I’m going to be there. And then everybody said, Can’t be there. Can’t be there. Can’t be there. But we’ll be there in spirit, Steve. I went, That’s fine.

So, I got here yesterday morning, and I was all by myself. I had the building to myself, and I had my Bluetooth speaker, I had my phone with my song list, and I had my Bible. I said, This is just You and me, God. This is going to be awesome. 

And so, I turned on my music on Spotify, classic rock from the 1970s. No, I’m just kidding. I had my worship set, and then 80s, the 70s rock follows my worship. And that is true. I’m being really real with you folks. So anyway, I just started walking the building as the music was playing, and had my Bible. And then, What am I supposed to pray, Lord?

And you know what? It’s been a really rough stretch for the body of Christ. If you know anything about what’s going on, you know the situation at Bethel that’s happened in the last couple of weeks, where there’s been some controversy and some accusations of abuse, and Bill Johnson and the staff had to get in front of everybody and repent, and so that’s happened in the last couple of weeks. 

Regionally, we’ve been experiencing stuff in the body of Christ that’s kind of rocked our region. And I just said, You know what, we’re supposed to pray for unity. And so, I just started, Okay, Lord, we’re going to pray for unity. 

And I have one Scripture that I always go to when I think about unity, and that’s out of Colossians 3. “Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” So, I said, I’m just going to go to the Book of Colossians, and we’ll just start there. So, I started praying, went to Colossians 3, started reading it and praying it, and reading it and praying it. 

And that’s going to be our text for today. It’s going to be out of Colossians 3, and I want to share with you what the Lord shared with me. And I want to show you some things that all of us can take out of this room today, and take it out and apply it immediately. Might even be able to apply it immediately while you’re listening to it, 

And it’s basically my journal with the Lord from yesterday. It was a real back-and-forth conversation. And I’ll take a little creative liberty here in my back and forth with the Lord. I know what I said, but I’m going to take a little liberty on His part and say, here’s how I kind of envisioned Him speaking back to me. 

This is not, you know, Jesus showed up, and it was His voice, and, you know, I audibly heard Him. This is what I really felt the Lord was saying to me through the Holy Spirit while I was going through this yesterday morning. 

COLOSSIANS 3:12-17

So, in the Book of Colossians, just a brief overview. We always like to provide a little context when we go to Scripture, give you a little bit of context on what is actually taking place here. This is the apostle Paul. He’s writing this from prison, it’s one of the prison epistles. 

Now, the apostle Paul did not launch or start the church in Colossae. We don’t even know if Paul ever visited the Colossians. He’s writing to this church, though, because the person that did plant the church there is probably sharing with Paul some things that are going on there. 

And so, Colossae is in Asia Minor. It’s right by Ephesus, so they’re very close. It’s on a major trade route in the Roman Empire, and so it’s a very influential town. Textiles were a big part of the industry there. So, think New York City Garment District type stuff. 

And they also were dealing with a lot of mysticism and Gnosticism. Mysticism, think New Age Gnosticism, think it’s all about knowledge. It’s all about what I think matters, what I know matters. And that’s what Gnosticism was, and that was very widespread at the time. Basically, knowledge is king and mind is over matter. 

So, that’s a little bit of context to this. And so, let’s go to Colossians 3, starting in verse 12. We’re going to read verses 12-17. This is the Apostle Paul. “So, as those who have been chosen by 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 must you do also. In addition to all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you with all wisdom, teaching, and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” 

CHOSEN, HOLY, BELOVED

Now, that passage of Scripture, the first two verses, kind of set up the last four. In those first two verses, in verse 12, it says, “Those of you who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved.” Repeat after me: I am chosen. I am holy. I am Beloved. 

If we’re honest with ourselves, we can read those things and proclaim those things over ourselves? And you’re saying, Hey, you know what? Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m the chosen of God. Sometimes I don’t feel very holy. And sometimes I don’t feel like I’m loved. I felt that way yesterday when I came into this building. 

See, one of my biggest battles always is believing what the Word of God says about me. I’ll read it, or someone will say it, and I’m really wrestling with something, and it’s just hard to believe, and it’s hard to receive. I can see it in there. I know it’s God’s promises. All of His promises are yes and amen, but I’m not believing it, and I’m not receiving it, and when that happens, I’m in a bad place. 

So, I just decided yesterday that I was going to repeat those things out loud until I believed it. Again and again, I am the chosen. I am holy. I am beloved. I am the chosen. I am holy. I am beloved. 

And I just was walking the hallway proclaiming that over myself again and again, and I got myself to a place where I could move on, and God kept me there. He said, I want you to just keep repeating it until you believe it. That’s what we have to do when we’re stuck. We have to figure out a way to get unstuck. 

So, I moved on in Colossians 3, and then it says, “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 must you do also.” 

And here’s where my Saturday conversation with Jesus got really real. Forgiveness. I don’t want to go there right now, Lord, I really don’t want to go there. Can I go back to being unchosen, unholy, unbeloved, just for a moment? Knowing that was the rhetorical question to the Lord, I knew I needed to move on. 

Have you ever had those moments when you knew you were in the wrong and you tried to move on, and then that awful thing called the conviction of the Holy Spirit hits you? That’s what happened with me. 

And the Lord says– and here’s where I’m going to take some liberty with what He actually said, this is what I felt– He said to me, Let’s take some inventory, one by one, on those things. Shall we look at your last week? Were you compassionate? Were you kind? Were you gentle? Were you patient? 

And I’m looking at those things, I’m going, Yeah, I think so. I’m a pretty kind guy, a pretty compassionate guy. I am actually a pretty patient guy. My wife, not so much, but I am. No, she’ll be the first to admit that. Was I forgiving? Not fair, Lord. 

Whoever has a complaint against anyone? I am chosen, I am holy, I am beloved. I am chosen. I am holy, I am beloved. Lord, I’m really struggling with this one. You know, it’s okay to be honest with Him, I think He kind of enjoys it because He enjoys the conversation, and He looks forward to the conversation. And He says to me, That’s okay, let’s deal with this so we can move on. Can you forgive? Yes, Lord, I forgive. 

So, the conversation continues. It’s great that you want to pray for all of these things and for everybody else, just make sure that nothing is hindering your prayers. See, it’s one thing to have this goal in mind: I’m going to come in here, and I’m going to be like the Pharisees, and I’m here praying, I’m being holy. It’s probably good that nobody else was here because it was just me. Nobody else could see me here. It was just me and the Lord. 

And the Lord saying, Is anything hindering your prayers? Lord, I’m trying to offer You my prayers, and You’re not helping. He says back, Your prayers are great, and they are received, and they will be processed. But how about we just hang out and talk? But Lord, what about my prayers? Crickets. Okay, okay. He said, Keep reading and let’s talk. 

So, I read the next four verses, and then I knew what He was trying to say to me. And then it made more sense after talking with Pastor Greg and knowing that I’ve got something I need to share with the church, and what God’s giving to me, I need to give to them. 

I’m supposed to be up here this morning, I’m supposed to be giving you this word. This is for me, but it’s also for you. And I really hope that these four things that I’m going to share with you right now, that the Holy Spirit’s really going to penetrate, that the Word of God is going to come alive in you, and it’s going to bring life. 

It’s going to bring some conviction, it’s going to bring some truth, bring some deliverance, bring some healing, whatever it needs to do. Let these things that we’re about to go over, let those things happen in you this morning. This is going to be a challenge for all of us, you’re not getting out of this. 

Okay, let’s read verses 14-17. “In addition to all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom, teaching, and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” 

Four things to focus on, because Paul says right here, beyond all these things, all those first things that we talked about in verses 12 and 13. Paul then shifts gears. He said, Hey, beyond all these things, I want you to focus on these. Really focus on these. The other things are great, but emphasize these. 

Number one: put on love, the perfect bond of unity. Put on, Paul uses that phrase a lot. He uses it several times here in Colossians, put on the new self. Colossians 3:10, in verse 12, we saw put on gentleness, kindness, compassion. Romans 13:14, Pastor Greg preached on this not too long ago, put on Jesus Christ now, put on love. 

And there’s that metaphor, again, of putting on. It’s like putting on clothes, a garment. Remember, he’s talking to Colossae. The textile industry is big there. They’re used to working with garments. So, he’s getting to their level. He’s relating to them. 

Just as you would get dressed in the morning, the very first thing you do, you’re going to put on your garments. And what he is telling the church in Colossae, right here, is the very first thing you should do in the morning. You put on the new self, you put on Jesus. You put on love. If things are broken, if things are disjointed, if things are far from perfect, put on love, because love is perfect. God is love. 

What’s love look like? Well, spend some time on 1 Corinthians 13 this week, the love chapter. “If I don’t have love, it profits me nothing. Love never fails. Love doesn’t take into account a wrong suffered.” Really, Lord, we’re going there again? Yes, Steve, we’re going to go back to that thing again and again until you get it. Love does not seek its own. Okay. Okay. 

Number two: let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. In John, Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The Gospel is the Gospel of peace. It’s the peace that transcends all understanding, Philippians tells us. I had to really pause here. Peace is sometimes difficult. 

That word peace in the Greek is eirene, and it means the end of strife, a state of untroubled and undisturbed well-being, when broken parts are joined together in wholeness. It also means there’s an agreement and there’s a treaty. 

See, when Jesus took everything on the cross with Him and died for us and then rose from the dead to give us the ultimate gift of the forgiveness of our sins and the salvation of our souls and eternal life. 

That was His agreement to us, that was peace when our lives were full of strife and full of separation from God, that agreement took place, and it brought peace into our lives. And we need to constantly be going back to that because we’re always going through difficult times in our lives where we have those times of it not being perfect, and it being disjointed, and it being broken.

And Paul is saying, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” What’s the word rule? Basically we get the word umpire from that Greek word. An umpire calls balls and strikes. The umpire’s basically in charge of what’s taking place on the field. The peace of Christ needs to rule in our hearts. And now it’s really getting real between God and me. How do I get there, Lord? I am chosen. I am holy. I am beloved. I am chosen. I am holy. I am beloved.

Number three: let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. The Word of Christ, the Logos of Christ, the Word of God, let it richly dwell within you. Now, we’re talking. I can do that, God. I love the Bible. I love my Bible time. I have my quiet time every morning. I love diving into the Word of God, studying Scriptures, going into the Greek, going into the Hebrew. You bet. I love the Word of God, and I love praying the Word of God like I was doing yesterday. 

And I immediately thought of Hebrews 4:12, also talking about the Logos, the Word of God. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” 

Again, the Lord says to me, That’s what it means for My Word to dwell in you. See, My Word is taking up residence in your heart. And sometimes that means I’m coming in and I don’t like the way the furniture is arranged, I don’t like the wallpaper. I’m going to change things up a little bit. I’m going to do a remodel. I’m going to throw some things out too, with all wisdom, teaching, and admonishing one another. Jesus says, Don’t just read My Word. Live it. 

Number four: and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Your name is the highest. Your name. I was thinking about that as we were saying the “Name above all names, greatly to be praised.” I didn’t know what they were singing this morning, and they didn’t know what I was teaching on. 

Paul brings it back to square one. It’s all about Jesus, the simplicity of that name and the power behind that name, it can cure the ills of the church. It can cure the ills of this world. It can cure whatever situation is going on in your lives right now. 

When we put Him on in the morning, it’s like we’re declaring today, Jesus, it’s all about You. I am putting You on, and when I put You on, I’m going to take on all of the characteristics of You. I’m going to do this to the best of my ability. I know I’m not going to be perfect, convict me when I’m not. But one thing I am going to do, I’m going to proclaim Your name, Jesus, because it’s all about You. 

He is the name that saves. He is the name that delivers. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the name that was and is and is to come. That’s Jesus. 

And Paul is saying, Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. See, there’s power in that name, there’s salvation in that name, and there is healing in that name. And it’s up to us to proclaim that name. That’s why we are here to proclaim the good news. 

I am chosen, I am holy, I am beloved. I am chosen, I am holy, I am beloved. I am His ambassador. I proclaim the name of Jesus. I am His workmanship, created for good works in Christ. 

Now, my identity is starting to take more positive shape. I’m no longer thinking of myself as the unchosen, the unholy, and the unloved. I am now feeling what the Word says I am, I’m now believing and receiving what the Word of God says about me. 

By the time I left this place yesterday morning, I was ready to run through a wall for Him– and that was all in one hour. So, my task for you this week is this: find Him one hour. He probably would like a little more than that, but I just want you to find Him one hour. 

Maybe it’s later today, maybe it’s first thing tomorrow morning. I know what one hour did for me here yesterday. It helped heal my heart of some things I was dealing with. It helped me hear His voice a little bit more clearly. 

I got into His word. I was able to really put some things behind me so that I could now focus on what I was supposed to do: pray and intercede for this church, for this staff, for this city, for this region, and I knew my prayers were no longer being hindered. He will meet you where you’re at, and He will get you ready for where you’re going. 

Let’s pray. Lord, thank You so much for our time together this morning. Once again, we pray for all of the pastors right now that are battling sickness. We ask that You bring supernatural healing to them. Give them peace and rest as they recover from what they’re going through. 

Thank You for this church body. Thank You for this time, this morning, the wonderful time of worship, the wonderful time at Your table, and the wonderful time diving into Your Word. Now, let the Word go forth, let it not come back void. Thank You for these people. I ask You to bless them, in Jesus’ name, amen.