Making a List, Checking it Thrice

Colossians 3:15-18

 And let the peace of Christ

                          rule in your hearts,

                 to which indeed you were called        

                                 in one body.

 And be thankful. 

       Let the word   of Christ

                       dwell in you richly,

       teaching and admonishing one another

                                 in all wisdom, 

singing psalms

     and hymns

     and spiritual songs, 

      with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 

               And whatever you do,

                                 in word or deed,

                                             do everything

            in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

    giving thanks                                to God the Father

                               through him.

For those of you who weren’t at L4Church on that Sunday when this message was given, I was 37 minutes late due to a landslide on Hwy 30 near Rainier, OR. I am so thankful for a great ministry team that can move forward without me. God never wastes anything, and my delay allowed Brother Mike Larsen to share a wonderful evangelistic testimony about “God with us.” 

When I finally walked in, he segued very nicely into introducing my message, but he, along with everyone there, misguessed my sermon title. Yes, the well-known song lyrics suggest that Santa checks his list twice…but we’re not Santa, are we? I suggest that the list St. Paul makes for us in these verses has three main elements that we need to check regularly—

• The peace of Christ ruling, 
• The word of Christ dwelling, and 
• The name of Jesus doing

—that should be distinctives in our lives and gathering, hence the tricky title. 

1) The Peace of Christ Ruling… (v.15)

This Peace is to be understood in the widest sense possible. This word (eirēnē) was used in the LXX (the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was used at the time of Christ) to translate the Hebrew word shalom, which we have previously discussed as being very holistic in scope. Here is a brief list of the types of peace that might be included within its range of meaning:

• National peace = is a state of national tranquility; exemption from the rage and havoc of war
• Relational peace = between individuals, i.e., harmony, concord (agreement between persons, groups, nations…)
• Economic peace = security, safety, and prosperity (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and our work prosperous).
• Messianic peace = is brought about by the promised Messiah (Gk. Christ). We would call this good news, and the end of this process “salvation”.
• Christian peace = is the calm and settled state of a soul assured of its forgiveness and acceptance by God through trust in Christ, which sets us free from fearing death and helps us to live in contentment no matter our circumstances.
• Eschatological peace = the scope of this peace extends beyond this current life we live into the next, where there will be no more crying, pain, sickness, and death. That heavenly peace the believer has in the presence of “The Lord is Peace” (Judges 6:24).

In recent weeks, as we have studied our way through Colossians, we have seen how peace was made available to us by the work of Jesus Christ. In Colossians 1:19-22, Paul wrote,

For in him [Jesus Christ] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

     And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…

These words echo Jesus’ words in John 14:27, ^“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

However, my point in this post is not that we have peace, but that we are to allow this peace to be doing something in our lives. Specifically, it is to rule in our hearts. What does this mean? The word used here means “to act as an umpire” in our lives. It's football season, and half the people in our church on Sunday come wearing “12” shirts in support of the nearest NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks (at least 12 is a biblical number), so allow me to illustrate this point with a football analogy. 

Can you picture the peace of Christ throwing a yellow penalty flag whenever we act outside of the will of God? The Peace of Christ switches on the referee microphone and announces things like this, "Penalty on the field...

•  Offsides, 5 yards for taking things into your own hands; 
• 10 yards and a loss of down for excessive posturing; or 
• 15 yards for un-Christlike conduct in traffic."

Will we let the peace of Christ decide when we are “offside” in our hearts, minds, and relationships? Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, in their classic commentary, wrote, 

The false teacher, as a self-constituted umpire, defrauds you of your prize; but if the peace of Christ be your umpire ruling in your hearts, your reward is sure. "Let the peace of Christ act as umpire when anger, envy, and such passions arise; and restrain them." Let not those passions give the award, so that you should be swayed by them, but let Christ's peace be the decider of everything.

Where should this peace rule?  It must not merely show up in our words and external appearance, but it must rule in our hearts. I love what Warren Wiersbe said about this.

When we obey the will of God, we have His peace within; but when we step out of his will (even unintentionally), we lose his peace… We must pray, surrender to his will, and seek his guidance in the Scriptures… [For] the peace of heart alone is not always the peace of God.”[1] 

We must also extend that peace to others who join together with us as the church. It is our unity that convinces the world that Jesus not only came from God but is still in our midst (John 17:20-23). It is this community unity that is a check against our own emotional self-medication and wandering. Allow me to quote Wiersbe again,

“When a Christian loses the peace of God, he begins to go off in directions that are out of the will of God. He turns to the things of the world and the flesh to compensate for his lack of peace within. He tries to escape, but he cannot escape himself! It is only when he confesses his sin, claims God’s forgiveness, and does God’s will that he experiences God’s peace within.”[2]

This internal and external umpire of the peace of Christ is tied to thankfulness expressed in praise of God. This praise is given a greater vocabulary by the second element on our checklist...

2) The Word of Christ Dwelling (v.16)

       Let the word   of Christ

                       dwell in you richly,

       teaching and admonishing one another

                                 in all wisdom, 

         singing psalms

              and hymns

              and spiritual songs, 

         with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 

What is the “word of Christ”? Grammatically, it could be either the words that Christ spoke in his teachings, the gospel message, or those things that had been said about Christ (both the Old Testament prophecies and the New Testament witnesses). Probably it is best to see this as referring to these aspects in agreement.

Like the peace of Christ, the word of Christ is to be doing something in our lives; specifically, it is to “dwell in you richly.” Is the word dwelling in us? Have we made his word welcome in our lives? Do we read it, think about it, meditate on it, and obey it? Does the word of Christ “feel at home in us,” or is the way we live diametrically opposed to the word of Christ?

Tough questions, I know, but there are some visible results of the word “dwelling richly” that we can add as sub-points to our checklist. These results include: 

• Wise teaching, 
• Joyful Singing, 
• Thankful Hearts, and 
• Submissiveness (peace with others in marriage, family, church). 

Interestingly, these results of the word of Christ dwelling are the same as those of being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:17-21). Christ’s word is Spirit-breathed, so this agreement should be no surprise. This unity of message and results issues into a unity of purpose found in the third element on our list…

3) The Name of Jesus Doing (v. 17)

               And whatever you do,

                                 in word or deed,

                                             do everything

            in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

    giving thanks                                to God the Father

                               through him.

Paul charges us that everything we say or do should be in alignment with the “name of Jesus.” Can people accurately see the real Jesus’ love, his blameless character, his merciful methods, and his humble authority manifested in our lives? In this area, we are also to express gratitude “to God the Father through him.” This challenges me as it forces me to get over my petty grumbling and discontent and embrace the gratitude of love and faith. The work of Christ is to bring glory to the Father, while the Father gives glory to the Son. It is in the name of Jesus that we can enter into such humble glory-sharing (John 15:8).

I’m making a list and checking it thrice!

Seeing the Signs Around Us

Here is a seasonally specific application. During the Christmas season, we are surrounded by many colorful traditions and trappings that can either serve to focus our attention on the cynical and dominant materialism of our day or remind us of how wonderful God is and how very precious and costly the gifts he's given to us are. I prefer to look at the Christmas season through the eyes of a childlike faith where a thing as simple as our Christmas tree can serve to stir up our hearts by way of remembrance, which in turn leads us to praise our Lord with renewed intensity. If the Word of Christ dwells in our hearts richly, it is not hard to see its message in the symbols around us:

The Evergreen tree: It reminds us that despite the hardships and suffering in life, God's mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:21-23). For it is God, who by His grace gives all creation—including us—life, breath, and all good things (Acts 17:25-28). See also Psalm 1:3; Rev. 22:2.

The Flocking/Snow: What a wonderful reminder that God not only gives us the snow of peace [armies went home in the winter] that we all wish for at Christmas (Psalm 147:16), but His Word accomplishes His will (Isaiah 55:10-12). Nothing is wasted with God. Though our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), and our sins as red as scarlet (Psalm 51:7), David prays, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;  wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” He cleanses us from our sins and clothes us with His righteousness so that we might be whiter than snow (Isaiah 1:18).

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
    they shall become like wool.

The Beautiful Ornaments: They remind us that in our coming to Christ, we take off the ornaments of the stiff-necked flesh and sinful pride (Exodus 33:5-6) and allow Jesus to decorate our lives with salvation and righteousness (Isaiah 61:10),

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Other ornaments he gives include godly instruction (Proverbs 1:8-9), like wisdom (Proverbs 4:7-9), spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), positive Christ-like character traits (Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Peter 3:3-4), and good works (Titus 2:9-10; Ephesians 2:10)…living in such a way, “so that in everything we adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” I love the thought that we can be an ornament of what is true about God.

The Lights: Lights on a tree are so attractive and bring a sense of peace to those who look. Jesus not only came into the world to shine the light of God's love upon people who dwelt in darkness (Isaiah 9:2; Luke 2:29-32), but He was that light (John 1:4-5; 8:12). The lights on our tree serve to remind us that the Light of the world still lives today to bring peace to all who would look to Him (John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 4:6). He has left Christians with the commission to be "lights," shining Christ's love to those around us (Matthew 5:14-16)

   “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 

Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand,

    and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way,

          let your light shine before others,

so that they may see your good works and give glory

                              to your Father who is in heaven.

We are to walk in the light as a beacon, as children of light, as an example (Romans 13:12-14; Ephesians 5:8-10). People need the joy of the light that we can bring, especially in dark times.

The Gifts: God is not only the "Father of lights" but the Giver of Gifts. Every good gift and perfect gift is from Him (James 1:17). In addition, the gifts around our tree remind us that Christmas and Christianity are about giving. God loved us so He gave us the thing we needed most, He gave us His Son so that we might have eternal life (John 3:16). Now we give gifts as the wise men did long ago (Matthew 2:11),

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense, and myrrh.

Our giving should also be an act of worship unto God and loving care for all his children. Freely we have received, so freely we give. Praise God for his indescribable gift—his Son! (2 Cor. 9:15).

The Bells & Trumpets: In the church age, bells have long been a means of announcing great news (e.g., victory, peace) just as trumpets were in the Old Testament. At Christmas, the bells remind us that long ago, a massive host of angels gathered to announce the good news of Christ's birth to frightened shepherds. In fact, the Gospel message rings triumphantly like the bell—“Jesus has come! He has won the battle! Peace can be ours!” (1 John 1:9; Romans 8:37). Our gospel message is a wake-up call of hope and joy (Ephesians 5:14).

The Candy Cane (v.17): Everyone knows the candy cane story, don’t we? If you don’t, then Google the “Legend of the Candy Cane”. There was a beautifully illustrated book, The Candymaker’s Gift, by Helen & David Haidle, that you might find in your local library.

This week...

So this week, let's let the peace of Christ rule, the word of Christ dwell, and the name of Jesus characterize all that we do and say. Let's see the wonder of our Lord Jesus reflected in the symbols and traditions around us, and thank him for what he has done!

---

[1] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary - Vol. 2, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor Books, 2001), 139.

[2] Ibid.

Ugly Sweaters, the New You & Getting Dressed for Christmas (Colossians 3)

Have you ever been so concerned about making a good impression on a first date or a job interview, or with honoring your hosts on a special occasion that you changed clothes several times to find just the right outfit? Colossians 3 uses this idea of dressing as a metaphor for our life of faithful obedience to Christ.

At the end of Colossians 2, Paul asks an important question that I would sum up as,

“If then you died with Christ (v. 20-23) why are you doing the same old things?

The false teachers encouraged many human efforts that needed to be “added” to Christ to restrain the flesh. We still do the same thing today and it still doesn’t work. The things we add to simple faith are what I call the “ugly sweaters of our own ideas” which “are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

I) The Ugly Sweaters of Our Own Ideas or the Errorists’ New Clothes (2:18-23)

Hans Christian Andersen once wrote a story with all the bite of an Aesop fable, if not one of Jesus’ parables.  Perhaps you remember the story of the vain Emperor who liked nothing better than strutting in the finest clothes that covered up his inner insecurity. He becomes easy prey to be duped by swindling weavers who offer to make him the most exclusive designer apparel from a fabric invisible to anyone unfit for his position or "hopelessly stupid". Similarly, the errorists in Colossae might say that “Only those who are truly spiritual, enlightened, initiated, can see these things.”

The Emperor's advisers, when sent to check on the weavers' progress, cannot see the cloth themselves but pretend that they can for fear of appearing unfit for their positions and the Emperor does the same.

“Then the Emperor himself came with his noblest noblemen, and the swindlers each raised an arm as if they were holding something. They said, "These are the trousers, here's the coat, and this is the mantle," naming each garment. "All of them are as light as a spider web. One would almost think he had nothing on, but that's what makes them so fine."

After the weavers mimed dressing him, the Emperor marched in a parade through the city so all his people could see his finery. None of the townspeople want to admit they can’t see his clothes and to appear “unfit for their positions or stupid”. Finally a child in the crowd, one too young to lie for pretense sake blurts out...

"But he hasn't got anything on," a little child said.

"Did you ever hear such innocent prattle?" said its father. And one person whispered to another what the child had said, "He hasn't anything on. A child says he hasn't anything on."

"But he hasn't got anything on!" the whole town cried out at last.

The Emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, "This procession has got to go on." So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn't there at all.”

The Errorists, like the Emperor, clothed themselves in emptiness…their vain efforts to control, or cover up their “flesh.” It doesn’t work for us either, such ideas are of no value for our fallen nature shows right through (v.23) and has ever since Adam and Eve made clothes of fig leaves (Gen. 3:7). We, like the Colossians, need to be reminded that Christ Jesus is our only hope to be cleansed from our shameful past!

II) The Solution to Our Shame: A New You (3:1-4)

Paul begins the next chapter with a second question that I summarize as, “If then you have been raised with Christ (3:1)… why aren’t you looking up?”  

   If then you have been raised with Christ,

                   seek the things that are above,   

                                             where Christ is, 

                 seated at the right hand of God. 

   Set your minds on things that are above,

                     not on things that are on earth. 

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 

         When Christ who is your life appears,

                       then you also will appear    with him    in glory.

• Seek the things above:  this seeking is really the setting of our heart, our affections, on the kingdom of heaven. We will seek and serve what we love. Let us desire and strive for what is above.
• Set your mind on things above: this means to think about how we will fulfill what our heart demands. Are we thinking kingdom thoughts? Is our mind tuned to the bandwidth of the Spirit so that we cannot be frightened away or distracted from following Jesus? In some ways, it is like the challenge by the Red Team Leader in the original Star Wars movie, “Stay on target!”

It will not be easy, so why should we do this? Because we are…

• Hidden in Christ: I like what the Expositor’s Bible Commentary says here, “This suggests not only that the believer's life is secure, but also that it belongs in a very real and profound sense to the invisible spiritual realm.” He has both chosen and qualified us for the life to come. It is time to start living like we believe it.

And because He will return and we will…

• Appear with him: we won’t be like so many uninvited paparazzi trying to get a glimpse of Jesus when he comes as king, instead, we will be vindicated before all the world by appearing with him. Mind-blowing!. Lightfoot, as quoted in Expositors’ Commentary describes the turn of events this way, “The veil which now shrouds your higher life from others, and even partly from yourselves, will be withdrawn. The world which persecutes, despises, ignores now, will then be blinded with the dazzling glory of the revelation." So how do we begin to prepare for that final Christmas Day when we sit down at that great family dinner with our Lord? What will we wear?

III) Dressing for Christmas (3:5-17)

The Apostle Paul uses the extended metaphor of getting dressed in this section, not as an illustration of earning favor, but of a desire to show love and respect for our Great King, our host. There are several lists in this section that I will not take time to cover exhaustively but will only list the major sections, with special emphasis on the heart of the last list.

1) Put to death the old you (v.5-7) …characterized by impurity and idolatry. Some behaviors, like germs, need to be killed before they kill us.

2) Put off the stinky old clothes (v.8-9)…our ugly [& sinful] patterns of attitude and speech; our selfish thoughts and words.

3) Put on the “new you” in the Image of Christ (v.10-11, 17). Note the emphasis on unity! The kingdom of heaven has no division between nations/peoples, races, classes, or sexes. We need to make sure that we have put on this attitude and behavior in our homes and churches!

4) Put on the “Christmas clothes” of the new man (v.12-14). These “clothes” are nothing less than our faithfully reflecting back to God and others the love that God has poured out into our hearts in Christ.

                                   Put on then, 

as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, 

              compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and

              patience, bearing with one another, and, 

if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; 

                                     as the Lord has forgiven you,

                                   so you also must forgive. 

 And above all these put on love,

          which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 

The key to showing others the acts and attitudes of love listed here is recognizing who we are in Christ. We are God’s…

• chosen ones—he picked us!
• holy—he has cleansed and set us apart for a special purpose!
• beloved—we are loved by God! Because of his love in us, we can “put on”…

o    compassionate hearts—a deep sensitivity to the needs of others, feeling with them.

o    kindness—a Christlike attitude towards others…doing good, putting others first.

o    humility—a Christlike attitude towards self... not here to be served but to serve.

o    meekness/gentleness— your approach to other people should be openhanded, not defensive, combative, or antagonistic.

o    longsuffering—willing to suffer long… you're relating to other people in humble kindness.

o    bearing with one another—letting them be themselves even when they are different than you, restraining your natural reaction towards "different or obnoxious people"

o    forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

o    But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfect harmony.

This is what getting dressed for Christmas is all about. For without love, we will accomplish nothing, others will see that we wear nothing, and we will discover that we are nothing (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Jesus has sent robes of righteousness—clothes produced by his labor of love. The least we can do is put them on... 

[For more verses about “Put on” see Romans 13:12,14; 2 Cor. 5:1-3; Ephesians 4:23-25; Galatians 3:25-28; 1 Thess. 5:8]