Putting Christ First: Changing Clothes, part 2: Putting on the New
Colossian 3:12-17
Putting on New Clothes (v. 12-14)
- Because we are new in Christ
- Chosen and loved by God
- Set apart for God
- We should seek to emulate Jesus with:
- Compassion (lit. ‘guts of pity’): To be moved by what moves Him
- Kindness/Generosity: To look to the needs of others
- Humility/Modesty: To think of ourselves rightly
- Meekness: To not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance
- Patience: being self-controlled in the face of provocation
- Tolerance: Putting up with the struggles of others
- Forgiveness: Letting go of the wrongs that others have done to us
- All of these are just how Jesus treats us
- And all of which can be summed up in one command: Love each other! (John 13:34-35)
Taking Up New Residents (v. 15-16)
- We are called to let Christ’s peace rule in us*
- This is a call to let Jesus take control of our lives
- “Heart”: Place of will, decision
- “Rule”: Umpire, arbiter
- Peace should always take precedence in the life of a Christian, because of the peace we have with God through Christ
- Which should lead to gratitude
- We are to let Christ’s word dwell in us*
- The truth of the Gospel should transform us
- And we should encourage each other deeper and deeper into that truth through:
- Teaching: Show what is right
- Admonishing: Correcting what is wrong
- Praising God together
Living Out a New Mission (v. 17)
- With our new identity in place
- And our thinking & words being conformed to Christ
- We are called to let everything we do and say reflect Jesus to the world
- This is result of putting Christ first in our lives
So What?
- Are we letting Jesus transform our lives?
- So we are loving each other the way He loves us
- And so we are reflecting Him to the world
Meditation Verse: Col. 3:17