Sermon Tone Analysis

Colossians

In every letter Paul writes, he always sets up the letter and gives a road map to where he’s going…Grace is a big one for the Colossians

This grace is also displayed in...

We can not go into Chapter 3 without reading the last verses of Chapter 2

In Chapter 3 Paul gets practical about what he said in the first two chapters.

In that day, the pagan worship was more of a hypothetical than a reality.

Paul is putting realism to the Christians walk that the people of that day may have not seen worked out.

Remember Pauls longing to see the church of Colossi flourish in

“Please I beg you!

If you have been raised with Christ then seek the things that are above...”

He started this point in

Then, as we saw, reiterated it in

Remember the mystery he spoke of in

The mystery?…CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY.

When we’re feeling down and out; when we’ve lost perspective; when our face is more to the ground and situations around us, the fires we feel we have to extinguish, the arguements we feel we have to resolve, the depression we feel we have to rise above.... the ONLY way to rise above is to focus on the above…CHRIST is YOU the HOPE OF GLORY.

YOU are the hope for your neighbor, your work, your friends, your enemies…only through Christ’s blood and resurrection living in us through His Grace!

Remember

Your life is hidden with Christ; it is where we find our confidence; it is the only place we can find true confidence.

The hope of Glory is coming.

That is what our hope is in Christ the substance of that glory.

And He’s coming to reign!

Here is a list of what we once were.

But, as we know of Paul, there is purpose in his lists.

These could be looked at as all in the mind for if it manifests itself physically it started in the mind first.

Remember what Jesus said in

Paul points out in Romans that we are the vessels of mercy, the Gentiles, grafted in to the Vine, adopted as sons and daughters.

The wrath is coming but grace abounds to His glory.

It seems as though this list is the physical manifestation of the list above.

When I feel myself rising with anger it is not the anger that I must focus on.

It is caused by the route which was in the first list.

What is a person to do in these situations when we resurrect the wrong body; when we resurrect Judas and not Jesus in us.

Practical.

Do not lie.

What are we lying about?

Why is this here?

Could Paul be pointing out that when we struggle with the old man and the desires of the old man without confession we are lying to each other

Renewed…after the image of its creator.

We are God’s workmanship...

There is no one but Christ and He is working all people for all things for His glory

Now we will see another list.

An answer, per say, to the lists above.

Put on then…reiterating v.10 “put on the new self”

“…as God’s chosen ones...”

Compassion knocks out Anger

Kindness knocks out Worldly Wrath

Humility knocks out Malice

Meekness knocks out Slander

And Patience knocks out obscene talk by

no gossip

ABOVE ALL…above all is a pretty serious statement in Scripture.

It’s saying, above all the things that proceeded this...

Who doesn’t want to live in perfect harmony…sign me up

Now Paul is switching gears a little.

Let the peace which flows from perfect harmony which flows from love rule in your hearts...

Doesn’t that sound like the perfect state to be in?!

Now he speaks about called in one body…hold on to that.

“And be thankful...” for that peace and harmony from love!

Now Paul goes into practical ways on how we are one body…again reiterating thankfulness.

It’s pretty hard to hold onto something not healthy for our souls when our souls reside in thankfulness...

This one is a hard one!

In whatever I do…word or deed; at home or at (dare I say it) work!

Ugh!

Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus…love that hard to love, give peace to the angry, bless those who curse you…sounds familiar

Again reiterating Thankfulness…must be important!

Here is an example of the one body we are to live...

Paul starts with the household; God created us to be in relationship.

I believe Paul, though he was single, knew the importance of a husband and wife who loves God first and loves each other with that love.

So, he lays down some guidance for husbands and wives.

Then moves to the children.

Then points out the importance of the father figure.

We, through Christ, have the power to raise our children up or tear them down.

It is by our words that they listen and obey, they follow Christ, they are confident in who they are because they are confident in the man they see everyday displaying God’s love to them!

Bondservants referred to slaves who voluntarily stayed with their masters.

Sounds similar to our jobs we have now.

Whenever someone comes back from break at my jobs I always welcome them back and thank them for being back.

I point out they have a choice to come back or not and I’m glad they chose to come back.

This is where Paul reiterates to me “whatever you do, in word or deed.”

My boss is my earthly master.

As they tell me to do things, I have a choice.

Will I chose to go against what they do; will I chose to do it but not with a sincere heart; or, will I chose to listen and obey, seeing God has put me under them and I will obey with a sincere heart...

NOT fearing them…fearing the LORD.

As I do that, I will fulfill col 3.23

As I work for the Lord and not for men, I need to focus not on the sometimes seemingly mundane tasks of work, but the amazing inheritance that I did not earn but came through Christ because of God’s grace!

The wrongdoer, the person who does not rely on the finished work Christ has done.

He will have his punishment as we will have our reward.

There is no partiality.

Pointed back to his point in v. 11

Christ died for all.

His grace displayed on the cross and His power displayed through the empty tomb is for all!