Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good morning, Living Grace.

Thank you, Jonny, for leading us in worship this morning.

It’s an incredible thing to be preaching this morning with Jonny leading us in worship.

Jonny and I met back in 6th grade and were practically inseparable until the end of High School.

It’s remarkable to see how faithful God has been to the prayers that our parents prayed for us over the years and it’s incredibly humbling to see how powerful the transforming power of Christ really is.

To see how God has worked in the lives of so many of the young men and women that I grew up with - to see them casting aside their old selves and living new lives in service to Christ - is absolutely incredible.

I’m so thankful for what He has done in our lives.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Alex Lawson and I am the Pastoral Intern here at Living Grace.

You may not have known you had a pastoral intern, but you do, so I look forward to meeting more and more of you over the next year and a half.

Brian Murphy has been training me and leading me through a two-year course of study through XL ministries in preparation for pastoral ministry and we’re about 6 months in, so it’s an honor and a privilege to be charged with preaching the Word of God to you this morning - specifically, chapter 3 in the book of Colossians.

So, if you have your Bibles with you this morning please turn to the book of Colossians, chapter 3, verses 12-17.

The Big Idea

That transformative power I spoke of earlier will be the subject of our study this morning - that power that Christ uses to take selfish, broken, sinful people and mold them - transform them - into a new creation; into a new people, devoted to the glory of God and the honor of His name; into one, unified body: the Church..

We’ll see that transformative power here in Colossians and, specifically, we’ll see four things: we are called to (1) put on the characteristics of Christ (2) as the people of Christ (3) by the power of Christ (4) for the glory of Christ.

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I’ll say that one more time so that you can understand where we’re going today with this text:

We must put on the characteristics of Christ as the people of Christ by the power of Christ for the glory of Christ.

Let’s turn our attention, now, to today’s text:

Read the Text

Out with the Old and In with the New

1: We must put on the characteristics of Christ

Paul begins this instruction with language that alludes to putting on clothing.

In fact, the exact language he uses refers to these characteristics as garments: “Put on… compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, etc...”

Compassionate Hearts

This makes sense considering the imagery that Paul uses earlier in verses 9 and 10, where he says:

Additionally, we see in other texts from the Apostle Paul the idea that those who belong to Jesus have been given new lives and have been transformed into new creatures.

Take, for example,

Or, even closer to home in this text,

Clearly, Paul is telling us by way of the Colossian church that we are to put away the characteristics that belong to our old life -

the life that we lived before Christ - and put on the characteristics that belong to our new life in Christ.

Transition

What then are these characteristics?

What are the characteristics which belong to our old lives?

And what are these new characteristics which belong to our new lives in Christ - these new garments which we are called to put on as new creatures in Christ?

Let’s turn our attention first to the new characteristics - or new garments - that we are called to put on as new creatures born again in Christ.

#1: We must put on the characteristics of Christ

Compassionate Hearts

Compassionate Hearts

We find this list of new characteristics - or new garments for new creatures - in verse 12, beginning with:

Compassionate Hearts

Compassionate Hearts

We could define compassion as a sort of deep-seated awareness and sympathy toward the sufferings or circumstances of other people.

Interestingly, this word in Greek is often translated to the English word mercy.

Some of you might see this word in your King James or New King James bibles translated as mercies or as tender mercies.

This is because often when Paul uses this word he is, in fact, referring to the compassion of God.

We are called to put on compassionate hearts and to have a deep-seated awareness and sympathy toward the sufferings or circumstances of other people - just as Christ came and died for us, having mercy and compassion upon us.

We are called to put on compassionate hearts and to have a deep-seated awareness and sympathy toward the sufferings or circumstances of other people.

Next we have Kindness

We might define kindness as the quality of being warmhearted, considerate, gentle, and sympathetic.

Every time but once, Paul uses this word in reference to a gentle, sympathetic kindness - especially the kindness that God shows to us.

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We are called to put on the same sort of kindness that God has shown to us by sending His only begotten Son to die in our place and pay the penalty for our sin.

Next, we come to Humility

Humility we can define as the disposition of valuing or assessing oneself appropriately - especially in light of one’s sinfulness or creatureliness

Paul explains that Jesus was the ultimate expression of humility in

We also have this quality of humility explained to us in

Paul, going further, explains that Jesus was the ultimate expression of humility in

We are called to clothe ourselves in humility by truly considering others as more important than ourselves

We are called to imitate the humility of Christ and clothe ourselves in humility by truly considering others as more important than ourselves

Next is Meekness

Meekness is a word we don’t often hear these days.

It might best be defined as an attitude of humble, submissive, and expectant trust in God and a loving, patient, and gentle attitude toward others.

Often, the concept of meekness is associated with a gentle, mild, and even-tempered attitude - especially as it pertains to enduring by faith in God despite suffering, trial, and persecution.

A synonym we might use in today’s language would be gentleness.

Peter points to Jesus as the ultimate example of meekness in :

James draws the correlation between meekness and wisdom in chapter 3 of his epistle:

It’s Peter, though, who truly explains this concept of meekness - or gentleness - for us.

Peter also points to Jesus as the ultimate example of meekness

We are called to put on meekness like Jesus who, in expectant, submissive, and humble trust in God endured the suffering put before Him with love, patience, and gentleness for our sake.

Next, we must put on Patience

Patience, here, is not the simple patience that sustains us in long lines at the DMV or in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

This patience is a kind of patient endurance of pain or unhappiness in the midst of one another - this is a patience we’re called to have with the people all around us right now - here at Living Grace - and in the rest of the “Capital - C” Church around the world.

Paul understands that the Church is going to be messy.

There will be all sorts of people with all sorts of backgrounds living in close proximity with one another in the Church.

There will be all levels of spiritual, emotional, and intellectual maturity present in every row, every pew, every home-group, and every ministry in the Church.

Because this is true, Paul further clarifies this command to be patient with one another.

First, we are told to Bear with one another.

In the weeks I spent studying this passage - in all the word studies, the thorough exegesis, the countless study Bible notes and commentaries - I had to chuckle at the realization that this concept of “bearing with one another” is really talking about putting up with one another.

It’s about tolerating one another with patience.

It’s about enduring one another despite all the little, trivial annoyances we’re going to find in one another.

Now, there’s no doubt that we are called to bear one another’s burdens in Scripture.

Galatians 6

So I don’t want to discourage us from coming alongside one another and spurring each other on to love and good works.

However, in the weeks I spent studying this passage - in all the word studies, the thorough exegesis, the countless study Bible notes and commentaries - I had to chuckle at the realization that this passage isn’t about helping each other out - it’s about putting up with one another.

It’s about tolerating one another with patience.

It’s about enduring one another despite all the little, trivial annoyances we’re going to find in one another.

We might even translate this word long-suffering or enduring

We are called, then, to endure one another as we live in the close proximity of fellowship.

We might even translate this word long-suffering or endure like

We are called, then, to endure one another - but we are called to do so in love.

Second, we are instructed that if we have a complaint against another, we must forgive one another

When we live in the kind of close proximity that exists within the Church, not only will there be minor annoyances which must be tolerated and endured - there will also be occasions of serious transgression.

There will surely be times in the life of the Church when one Christian seriously wounds another Christian.

It’s unfortunate and it’s awful, but it’s to be expected - the Church is a family of sinners saved by grace - none of us have been glorified and all of us are still being sanctified day by day.

For those hopefully rare instances of serious transgression, Paul forbids us from holding grudges against one another - reminding us that the Lord has forgiven us despite the wicked, despicable sin we have committed against God so, likewise, me must also forgive those who have sinned against us.

Jesus had a lot to say about forgiveness during His earthly ministry.

A prime example of this is found in , where Jesus explains in a parable that the forgiveness of God we have enjoyed through the sacrifice of Christ must compel us to forgive our brothers and sisters for their transgressions against us.

So, we are called to be patient with one another - patiently and lovingly enduring one another and forgiving one another just as Jesus has forgiven us.

You must also forgive

Finally, Love