Series on Colossians - God’s Chosen Holy People

 

God’s Chosen Holy People

Colossians 3:12-17

As I ponder these words of wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit. It is the most secure place we can be as a chosen holy believer in Christ Jesus. Especially as Paul stated in the previous lessons, to have no attachment to the sins of the earthly nature and the sins of attitude and rebellion against God and one another. We are to be dead to the sinfulness of this world and all its alluring temptation, and aware of the deceptive false teachings derived from man and devil. For these false teachings and their visions come from the flesh, human pride, and the sinfulness of this carnal world influenced by Satan. We are to be alive in Christ, in the Word of God, and in the Holy Spirit, setting our hearts on the Lord Jesus above and our minds on the things of God and the eager expectation of Jesus’ appearance, not worldly things (passions and desires of man), for we are dead to this world and hidden in Christ, destined for an eternal home in God’s kingdom. 

Now Paul admonishes the Colossian church to be clothed in a new life befit in Christ. So let’s read the first portion of the text. “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

“Chosen by God to be the holy people he loves” refers back to Romans (10:12; 11:17,24), all believers are grafted into the same olive tree as the Israelites. They are holy people because of Jesus Christ and have been predestined by God to be a holy people, “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.” “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (Eph. 1:11; 1 Pet. 2:9) It was in this mindset Paul exhorts the Colossae christians to remember who they are, holy in Christ as well and an inheritance with the Jewish people, God’s chosen people in the kingdom of God.

 For God is love. He dearly loves them and desires for all who call upon the name of His Son, Jesus, for repentance and salvation to be holy. “Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” “God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.”(Romans 10:12-13, 1 Thes. 4:7)

Next Paul leads the church in considering the holiness we have in Christ, that they are to clothe themselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. And above all this wrapped in God’s agape love.

First, compassion is a virtue that demonstrates God’s love and sympathy for the suffering and misery of a berated people. The early churches understood having compassion and in need of comforting amidst persecution. Second, they were to put on kindness, humility, patience, and gentleness. All of these were the fruit of a life submitted, yielded, and growing in Christ Jesus. The kindness that combined the concept of the goodness and graciousness of God. They were to be humble towards others and being in service and servitude to Christ. The gentleness and patience really fit like gloves with humility. The believers' lives were to consider the other’s rights and to honor them over themselves. Being patient and long-suffering, not leading to hasty retaliation but to endure the persecution and wisely stand firm against the sinful and narcissistic world of the human flesh. Next, Paul admonishes the church to forgive offenses among themselves, forgiving faults and unpleasant traits that irritate and lead to grievances. 

Last, Paul tells the church to clothe themselves in the most radiant garment of all, love. God’s love that cares for and seeks to fill them with the fullness of Christ. “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.” (Eph. 4:13-14)

Application - God’s predestined choice has been debated since its being revealed through God’s Word. Paul laid it out best for me in the following verses, “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (2 Thes. 2:13-14; Eph. 1:4-7)

Being chosen by God in Christ Jesus is now we become holy to God. For it is through the redemption of our souls though the blood of His Son, the forgiveness of our sins and and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit that deems us holy, pure, and blameless in His sight. For it is His will and good pleasure for us to receive salvation by His grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. God foreknew us from the beginning of creation. So o holy means to walk in the way and grace of Lord and Savior. And the way is revealed through His Word, the gospel. 

This leads to the virtues of Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life[a] because you have been made right with God.  The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Rom. 8:9-11; Gal. 5:22-23a)

Though compassion is not named as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, it is an attribute of God. “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…As a father has compassion on his children. So the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” (Psalms 103:8,13)

 For since the beginning, He has had compassion upon those he has created, even after our sinning against him. For God knows our weakness and our frailties. “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” For in all of His attributes, God is just and righteous, He foreknew those who will obey and fear Him. He is a God of mercy and compassion, and he chooses to use compassion to reveal who He is to us, just as He uses discipline and justice, to see if the ones he has called will obey his will and purpose though His Son. God is sympathetic, especially towards those who are humble, contrite, oppressed, or abused. He is merciful. 

Paul then leads us in putting on the virtues of God: kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. To these we can add the attitude of forgiveness. Each of us is to exemplify the fruits in our lives as evidence of His salvation and the indwelling of His Spirit in our lives. I daily have to check my attitude towards others and examine myself in the light of God’s Word. Just as David wrote in the psalms. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalms 139:23-24) 

As Paul stated, “we need to forgive just as God has forgiven us our faults and failures. Jesus’ words continue to bring me back to God’s position on forgiveness, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt.6:14-15)

This brings us back to God’s nature is love. We are to love others as He has loved us. This was a command and Jesus reiterated it a number of times to the church. The greatest command of all, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37-40) These virtues will bind us in perfect harmony with the will and purpose of God and in the unity of being in Christ.

Let’s look at the last portion of the text, “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

Paul certainly understood the peace of God that only Jesus could give to believers. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)  Jesus spoke of peace as a gift to every believer, of both mind, soul, and heart. Paul told the church that it was to rule in them, to let it live in them. Christ’s peace was to settle any and all disputes, for Christ’s peace was the final decision in the unity of the church. Paul also told the other Asia-minor churches that peace was a protector, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

For the peace of Christ leads to thanksgiving, gratitude, and harmony with God the Father and one another. 

Paul now exhorts the church to stay true to the Word of God, the scriptures and the teaching of the apostles. This was an imperative duty of the church. For nothing, nothing divided or splintered the church more than errant teachings on the gospel. Paul was continuously contenting for the faith and the gospel amongst the churches. Paul’s admonition to let the Word of Christ dwell in you was paramount to a healthy church. For the richness of the knowledge of God and the eternal depth of His wisdom, understanding, discernment, and knowledge of insight and instruction were only found in Holy Scripture. For it was with the wisdom of God that they were to instruct, teach one another, and counsel and admonish one another in the faith.

 The church was to encourage each other with spiritual songs, hymns, and psalms. Paul understood the value of singing thanksgiving to Christ and God the Father. For it had been in a jail cell that a hymn or song brought peace and deliverance in Philippi, literally. (Acts 16:22-26)

Last, Paul exhorted the church to do everything as if they were doing it for Christ. For in doing this they established themselves as ambassadors and representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in everything they were to give thanksgiving to God the Father.

Application - As I shared in the last lesson from my own testimony, Jesus’ peace is real and you can sense its fullness in your lives. But it must rule in our lives. For the enemy will come to tempt and test us, to hamper that peace. But as Jesus stated, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (John 16:33; 1 Jn.4:4) For we are more than conquerors, we are overcomers because of the Holy Spirit indwelling in us.

Next, giving thanks should be first nature with us, for God gave us His Word, His Son, and His Holy Spirit so that we can live a holy and blameless life in Christ. We should explode with thanksgiving and gratitude to God our Father and his Word that fills our lives with the richness of God, who loves to lavish. “To the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding.” “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (Eph.1:6-8; 1 John 3:1a) It is in this mindset that we rejoice, sing, and shout in song and hymn to our Lord and Savior, our God and King.

Last but not least, living as a representative of Christ Jesus and God our Father. For whatever we say or do reflects on our God. It was the early believers to whom God said, you have brought my name to shame. 

“And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the Lord’s people…but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. (Ezk. 36:20-22-23)  and I am ashamed to admit the church today is bringing great shame again on the name of our Lord and God. We are told to live our lives in Christ as a testimony to the world of the saving power and love of our God. So “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Heb. 12:1-2a)  Let us be Christ’ ambassadors to this world, that in our lives it will be a witness to others of the grace, love, and mercy of our Savior Jesus Christ and our Father God in Heaven.  

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ for salvation. For Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I have revised my webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. Thank you. http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com