A sermon based on Colossians 3:12-17
Sunday, December 28, 2014 – Christmas 1B
So last Sunday, we talked about the big reveal, when you finally know what your Christmas gifts are. So… what'd you get? Lots of good stuff? I hope you like everything that you got and I hope that you get to enjoy it for a while.
But I'm sure some of the gifts you received, you maybe don't enjoy so much. Maybe the clothes you received are the wrong size and need to be returned. Or maybe they're just not your style. Maybe a book you received is one you've already read and don't plan on reading again. Maybe some of the toys are already broken and missing pieces. But soon, they'll all be forgotten.
But God's gifts, given to us at Christmas last a long, long time. They never get old. They never wear out. They never break. And this morning we're encouraged to enjoy them, to keep enjoying them, to never stop enjoying them. Our sermon text for this Sunday after Christmas is from Colossians 3:12-17…
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Now, before we jump into our text for this morning, you know the rule when reading your Bible: "Whenever you see therefore, find out what it's there for." Our text begins with "therefore" which means Paul is building off a previous thought in his four-chapter sermon. So let's do a quick review.
We went through the whole book not long ago in Bible class. And we summarized each chapter with a key word: Supreme, free, alive, wise:
Chapter one is all about how Christ is supreme to any other life plan. His way is the only way that works. (We drew a picture of a pizza to remember "supreme.")
Chapter two is all about how Christ set us free—free from sin, free from obligation to keep the Old Testament laws, free from trying to earn God's favor by keeping the moral law. (We put a price tag on the pizza that said "$0" to remember "free.")
Chapter 3, the chapter of our text for this morning, is all about how this Gospel gives us spiritual life, eternal life, and makes us eager to live for God right now. (We gave the pizza eyes and a mouth to remember "alive.")
And chapter 4 is all about how that same Gospel makes us wise, for salvation and for the challenges of this life. (The pizza got a graduation cap to help us remember "wise.")
Okay, so there's our summary. Today, in chapter 3 Paul begins this section with "therefore" after highlighting God's grace that sets us free and gives us eternal life. 3:1-2 read, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
So, Paul has already laid out the Gospel. Now he's moving to a section on sanctification that flows from what God has already done for us. Let's keep that in mind as we go through our text this morning.
I. Your Christmas Clothes
Okay, I know that was a super long introduction, so let's re-read the first 3 verses of our text:
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Do you like getting clothes for Christmas? Or would you rather just go buy what you like for yourself? I don't think I have the nicest style, so I'm very cool getting clothes for Christmas, something someone else things would like nice. But sometimes you get that Christmas sweater, that really only works for a themed party. Or that new tie that looks like the designer was colorblind. Clothes can be a risky gift to give as they can end up getting returned or can just sit on the shelf unworn and forgotten.
But the clothes that Jesus got you for Christmas are awesome! And I hope that you wear them every day! Clothe yourself with compassion. Put on love for others that mirrors the way that your Savior has loved you—a love that sacrifices what you want for what they need, that's willing to suffer for them. Clothe yourself with kindness as you look for ways to put that love into action. Clothe yourself with humility as you consider others more important than you and yourself the servant of all. Clothes yourself with gentleness, not demanding your way or throwing your weight around. Clothe yourself with patience and view the annoyances in your life as opportunities to practice.
And these clothes are really Christmas clothes, because you have them through Christ. He has made you God's chosen people—you belong to him and he will take care of you! He has made you holy, taking your filthy rags of sin away, shredding your selfish acts, and putting on you the robes of his righteousness and perfection.
So now you can put up with the sinful behavior of others and "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. How? Forgiveness is hard! Well, you can "Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
And finally, you can put on the brand new coat of love that keeps the whole outfit together and lets the whole world see what Jesus means to you. "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
Now I admit, that I don't always treasure these gifts, these Christmas clothes my Savior gives me. Some days I leave them on the shelf in the closet and instead choose the comfortable sweatpants of selfishness.
But that's why the Gospel brings such comfort. "…as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved…" Paul reminds me of my new identity in Christ. This is who I am. "…as the Lord forgave you…" Paul reminds me of what Christ has done, in taking my sin away. It doesn't depend on me, but on Christ and what he's done for me.
So, in thanks to him, I'll pick those clothes off the floor again. I'll dig them out of the back of the closet. And I will forgive and show compassion and kindness, humility and gentleness, patience and love. I'll wear my Christmas clothes proudly and enjoy the gifts that God give me.
By the way, to learn more on some these gifts our Savior gives, join us here or online Wednesday nights in January as we study the fruit of the Spirit that Paul describes in the book of Galations. And as we better understand them, we'll wear them more and more like our favorite shirt or favorite pair of jeans.
But that's not all, he gives us more just Christmas clothes, he gives us a Christmas book…
II. Your Christmas Book
Do you like getting new books for Christmas? You guys know I'm a big nerd. I'm not just a computer nerd or a movie nerd, I'm a book nerd too. I love reading a good book. So far, I've read over 85 books this year. (And I still have a few days to read a few more.) J One of my favorite gifts is a book I've wanted to read or a gift card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
One year, I got my wife a Kindle as a gift, but it turns out I really got myself a Kindle as I use it 10 times more than she does. Another year I got a great book that tells the Christmas story illustrated with carefully built Lego scenes. And you know how some good books you read once and then are done with it. But others, you keep on the shelf and dust off from time to time to re-read. My Lego Christmas book gets pulled out to be re-read every year.
But we get a better book still from Jesus. The second half of our text reads:
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
We can let the peace of Christ—that is, the peace we have with God knowing our sins are forgiven through Christ's work for us—act as the umpire in our lives, ruling or calling the shots, because we are so truly thankful for what the Prince of Peace has done for us. We have signed a peace treaty with God and will no longer go looking for wars with others.
And we can do that as we let the word of Christ dwell in us. This is the book he gives us. And it helps us in every circumstance we find ourselves in, in every situation that disturbs us. And it will affect not just our mind, bringing us peace and teaching us how to lovingly teach and admonish each other, but it will also affect our will, and our emotions as well!
So filled with peace and with gratitude to God for all he's given us at Christmas, we can't help but sing our thanks and praise as we sing his Word! We can't help but shout our joy to the world because the Lord has come! He has come to bring forgiveness. He has come to make us "God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved." He has come to bring us peace.
He has come to give us our new Christmas clothes! He has come to give us his Word—our new Christmas book—a book we won't just read once and then leave on the shelf to collect dust, but a book we read over and over again, day after day, never growing tired of reading it and studying it, of marking it up, and learning it, of singing it and living by it.
What wonderful gifts we have received from Jesus this Christmas! And just as a great present from your parents or your friends or from your church members prompts you to say "Thank You," to call to express your gratitude, to even write a hand-written card expressing your appreciation, so too, these great gifts that Jesus gives us to enjoy all year long, prompt us to show our gratitude to him in any way that we can.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Enjoy your Christmas presents, dear saints! And keep putting them to use every day for Christ, who is supreme, who sets us free, who makes us truly alive by his gifts! In Jesus' name, dear friends, amen.
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