The Disciple's Relationships
Abiding in Christ • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 54:59
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· 134 viewsIf you’re a disciple of Jesus, then your abiding in Christ and His abiding in you defines everything about who you are. In this series we’ll see how the disciple’s mission, mind, emotions, body, will, and relationships are affected by his or her relationship to Jesus. Understanding our identity in Christ is crucial as we seek to follow him faithfully.
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Christ In Me For Them…
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We started off the first two weeks looking at what it means for us, each of us to be in Christ and Christ to be in us and how that transforms us literally transforms us from the inside out. And we have been looking at how Christ affects the way we think and affects the way we feel and affects the way we act and our bodies and affects our wills, and we see that all of that is aimed toward His mission. I want you to look at the next to last circle there—“Relationships.” I want us to think today about how Christ affects our relationships with each other.
We started off the first two weeks looking at what it means for us, each of us to be in Christ and Christ to be in us and how that transforms us literally transforms us from the inside out. And we have been looking at how Christ affects the way we think and affects the way we feel and affects the way we act and our bodies and affects our wills, and we see that all of that is aimed toward His mission. I want you to look at the next to last circle there—“Relationships.” I want us to think today about how Christ affects our relationships with each other.
You see at the top of your notes, “Christ in me for them.” This is the picture that we’re going to see in Colossians 3...
Everything Christ does in me is intended to affect everyone Christ puts around me.
Everything Christ does in me is intended to affect everyone Christ puts around me.
David Platt, “The Disciple’s Relationships,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2007), 996.
Everything Christ does in me is intended to affect everyone Christ puts around me.
Everything Christ does in me is intended to affect everyone Christ puts around me.
Christ works in us for the sake of others. We’re going to look at , the whole chapter and take kind of a bird’s eye view. The text really just preaches itself. I’m just going to walk us through it as we see the truths unfold.
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Colossians 3
What we see in is a summary of what Christ in me the hope of glory really means for the way we relate to each other and how Christ affects our relationships with others. First of all, in order to cultivate spiritually transformed relationships we need to...
Understand the wholeness you have in Christ.
Understand the wholeness you have in Christ.
Understand the wholeness you have in Christ.
Understand the wholeness you have in Christ.
This is . Basically a recap of what we’ve been studying so far in this series. Number one...
We died with Christ.
We died with Christ.
That’s what he’s talking about in verse 3. I’ve been crucified with Christ.
We live in Christ.
We live in Christ.
Christ is our life in a couple of different ways. First of all...
He is our life now.
He is our life now.
You heard Paul say, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” That means you have life right now in Him. We have eternal life now. We don’t have to wait. There is coming a day when our life in Christ will be complete.
He is our life forever.
He is our life forever.
Here’s the deal, we have eternal life now, but there is coming a day when Christ will come back for us where we will live with Him forever. We will be glorified.
But think about this. We will be living in community with the entire body of Christ for eternity. What about now? We need each other here possibly even more. Listen to what a guy named Dietrich Bonhoeffer - a guy who lived in Nazi Germany wrote one of the best books on Christian community called Life Together. This is what he said.
“Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it’s a brief single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this, we belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ.”
Leave behind the habits you had before Christ.
Leave behind the habits you had before Christ.
“Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it’s a brief single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this, we belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ.”
Now this is the theological foundation. Let’s now look at the practical implications of Christ in us as it relates to community and our relationships with others.
And what we see is in and 10, you kind of see at the end of verse 9 and beginning of verse 10, you see an image that pervades this entire chapter. He’s talking about don’t lie to each other, and then he says this, “since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self” (), the language here is literally, “you’ve changed clothes.” You’ve taken off this set of clothes, and you’ve put on a whole new set of clothes. You’ve taken off the old self and you’ve put on a new self. We have taken off the old man and we’ve put on the new man, that’s the picture here; there’s been a fundamental change at the core of who we are.
David Platt, “The Disciple’s Relationships,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2007), 1000.
And so basically from this point, he talks about how as followers of Christ who have, the new men who have Christ in us, this affects the way we live among each other.
Leave behind the habits you had before Christ.
Leave behind the habits you had before Christ.
David Platt, “The Disciple’s Relationships,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2007), 1000.
Leave behind the habits you had before Christ.
Leave behind the habits you had before Christ.
In 3:5 to 3:9 Paul gives us two different lists, two different lists of habits associated with the old self. These lists are not exhaustive. I want us to look at how these things affect our relationships. So let’s look at what he says to put to death...
Sins that destroy us.
Sins that destroy us.
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Sins that destroy us.
Sins that destroy us.
The first thing he lists is sexual immorality. So the question is...
Is my body consecrated to God?
Is my body consecrated to God?
Is my mind clean before God?
Is my mind clean before God?
Are my desires controlled by God?
Are my desires controlled by God?
The picture of what we have in is desires that are out of control.
Is my heart content in God?
Is my heart content in God?
In reference to greed, am I controlled by my greed, or am I content with what God chooses to supply?
But then he goes on. Not only sins that destroy us, but...
Sins that damage others.
Sins that damage others.
What we see is a shift in this list to sins that affect our relationships with others directly. I want you to listen to what he says here in verses 8-9. We’ll come back to verses 6-7 in a little while.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
Colossians 3:8-9
He say’s literally take them off. “Put to death”. We need to kill these things in our lives. We need to ask ourselves these questions...
Do I harbor bitterness?
Do I harbor bitterness?
First thing he lists is anger. The word here has the meaning of deep-seated anger, or an attitude of anger.
Am I quick to anger?
Am I quick to anger?
Wrath. The word here is rage, literally sudden outbursts of anger, to have a short temper. Is that where you are?
Do I have hostility toward anyone?
Do I have hostility toward anyone?
Malice. Literally ill-will toward anyone.
Do I ever speak negatively about anyone?
Do I ever speak negatively about anyone?
Blasphemy: means to revile or to defame. Or slander. Literally saying that which does not build up others’ character. We usually reserve this word for God. But what about when we dishonor the name others? And by all means, let’s not justify gossip in the church by disguising it as spiritual prayer requests...
We looked at the previous list that we would all say are wicked behaviors. But what about this list. A famous preacher from the past, G. Campbell Morgan called this list here “sins in good standing.”
Are my words ever offensive to others?
Are my words ever offensive to others?
Literally “course humor”. James talks about the tongue in … - every careless word we speak… we will render account for in the day of judgment.
Do I ever misrepresent the truth?
Do I ever misrepresent the truth?
In other words, “Do I lie?” Even these seemingly “sins in good standing”, why are these important for us to put off?...
Because they bring God’s judgment.
Because they bring God’s judgment.
Because they bring God’s judgment.
Because they bring God’s judgment.
Listen to verse 6...
6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
Colossians 3:
God takes these things very seriously. Secondly...
Because they betray God’s salvation.
Because they betray God’s salvation.
This is the crux of what Paul is saying. Listen to verse 7...
7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
What Paul is saying, “This is the way you USED to live, but now things are different.” These behaviors do not go with who we are. - Since Christ is in us, we are to be living a new life. We don’t have to be an angry person. We don’t have to be an anxious person. We don’t have to be a timid person. We don’t have to be a jealous person. To say, “that’s just the way I am is no excuse. Once Christ comes to live in you He begins to change you to be who He wants you to be. Christ in you will make a difference. So we are to...
Live in the character you received from Christ.
Live in the character you received from Christ.
Christ didn’t put off the old man in us and then just kind of leave us hanging over here. He put a new nature within us, and now He lives in us. Listen to these words...
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
Now Paul starts with another list. He says, “put off these clothes, now put on these clothes.” As we live in the character you received from Christ...
We extend the grace of Christ to others.
We extend the grace of Christ to others.
The grace of Christ is to flow from us to others.
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
First...
Do I show great mercy to others?
Do I show great mercy to others?
Do I have a heart of compassion?
Does my kindness spur others toward Christ?
Does my kindness spur others toward Christ?
This picture of extending the grace of Christ should be attractive to others and draw them to Him.
Am I selfless in my relationships with others?
Am I selfless in my relationships with others?
The word is humility. This is interesting since humility was not seen as a virtue among pagan cultures. Everything revolved around pride and domination. Are we any different today?
Do I relate to others gently?
Do I relate to others gently?
He talks about gentleness, which I hope we don’t mistake for weakness. This is strength under control.
Am I patient with others?
Am I patient with others?
The word literally means, “long-temper” as opposed to “short-tempered”. And related to that, the next question...
Do I endure hardship in relationships with others?
Do I endure hardship in relationships with others?
Literally Paul says, “Bear with each other. Put up with each other.” When things don’t work out in our relationships do we bear with others and show patience and understanding or do we jump to conclusions and dump them? Next question...
Do I forgive others completely?
Do I forgive others completely?
Instead of getting bitter, judging or retaliating, are we willing to forgive completely just as Christ does? Is there any root of unforgiveness in us today? This is simple on the surface, but it’s not easy. That’s where Christ in us comes in. We can let Him forgive others through us.
Which leads us to the last one...
Does genuine love permeate my relationships with others?
Does genuine love permeate my relationships with others?
He says in verse 14...
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Colossians 3:14
He sums everything up and says it all revolves around love. If we try to do all these things without the Love of Christ in us, we’ll just be legalistic in our relationships with others. It’s love that permeates all. It’s the foundation.
Are you and I channels of His grace this morning in these ways? Then he goes on in verse 15...
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
This is where we...
We promote the peace of Christ among others.
We promote the peace of Christ among others.
We want to build up others in a way that shows His peace and displays His peace. This should also rule our relationships and guide His body.
Listen to verses 16-17...
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Thankfulness and gratitude to God will influence our relationships with others.
We share the Word of Christ with others.
We share the Word of Christ with others.
Verse 16, not just the peace of God, but the “word of Christ”. We share Jesus’ words with others in our relationships. And then...
We honor the Name of Christ before others.
We honor the Name of Christ before others.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
The picture here is we are to honor Christ in all our relationships. That’s why Paul goes into a list of some of our relationships.
18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Colossians 3:
Wives: Love submissively.
Wives: Love submissively.
Husbands: Love sacrificially.
Husbands: Love sacrificially.
Children: Obey completely.
Children: Obey completely.
Parents: Encourage continually.
Parents: Encourage continually.
Employees: Work wholeheartedly.
Employees: Work wholeheartedly.
Employers: Lead humbly.
Employers: Lead humbly.
So what now? I want you to spend some time today, this week considering these next questions in your notes...