Good choice of songs today, and our hearts are well prepared. Turn your Bibles to Colossians 3 today as we continue our series on the preeminence of Christ. Prepare our thoughts. We're speaking about clothing today, and I think you would agree that clothes say a lot about a person. It was Mark Twain that said, clothes make the man. He went on to say that naked people have little or no influence on society. He was right. The terminology dress for success has been a common advice that is well-heeded to, and I think I've shared with you before. I'm conscious of how I dress, especially on Sunday, and I normally, after I get dressed, I'll go find Janet, wherever she may be in the house, and I'll usually do something like this. I'll strike a pose and say, so what do you think? And I get different responses. Sometimes she says, great. And I feel pretty good when she says great. Sometimes she says, wow. And I'm not sure what that means. Once, once I said, so what do you think? And she said, now you're old. You can get away with that. I know what that means. But isn't it true, most of us, if not all, we're conscious of style, we're mindful of what looks good, and we want to be up with the styles of today. Of course, the problem for us is that style changes, and it changes so quickly. It could be even from one culture to another, or one circle to another. What is acceptable, what is attractive, may not be to another group. It may even be offensive to some. And so we recognize that things change and that's just the way it is with the matter of how we dress. And here's the good news for us as Christians. What was in style in the first century? is in style in the 21st century. And what we are looking at in chapter 3 is really the clothing or characteristics of Christ's likeness. This is what we've been talking about. And Paul begins Colossians 3 by noting that since we have been freed in Christ, we realize that we are to seek those things above. I spoke last week about the idea of seeking those things above. It really is Jesus captivating our ambitions, the things we set our mind to, the things that we want to reach and the goals that we set. Then he went on to remind us, Paul did, to set your minds on things above. And once again, that should dominate our attention. What our ambition is, what our intention is, has an impact on our life. All this is possible because we've been raised with Christ, referring to the past. We are hidden with Christ, speaking of the present. And we will appear with Him in glory, speaking at yet a future date. And that gave Paul great encouragement to say, and you have Christ in you, the hope of glory. That's so true for us who have been born again. And therefore he went on to remind us in verse 5, we are to put to death or slay, as was mentioned last week, the old man. We are to put on the new man, those things that characterize the new self. We are a new creation if you've been born again. Paul said that if any man be in Christ, he's a new creator. All things have passed away. All things begin new. And isn't that true for us? Because we are a new creation, there's a new ethic that guides us, it governs us, and it is by love. There's a new heart that we experience, and it is a heart of peace. We realize as well that there's a new attitude, and it's an attitude of thanksgiving, what Christ has done for us. We're so thankful for that. We also recognize that those things that characterize our new self, there's a new passion for Christ. We love Him. He's on our mind. We think about Him. We want to please Him with the way we live. And of course, all of these things help us, or as would be the case, Jesus can regulate my actions because I'm available to Him. I want him to change my direction, my thoughts, my process of how I make decisions. And then Paul continues in verse 12 with the idea of therefore, and he links all of this together. And that's the connection throughout this chapter. He goes on to give clear and cogent or pertinent instruction what the new person in Christ looks like. We're told that the new life in Christ is thus and thus and thus. And it's not something that we have done, it's something that Christ has done in us and for us and through us. Just as Paul told the Philippians, it's God that works in you, both to will and to do. And so as we make ourselves available, as we are compliant, flexible, God wants to do a work. in our lives. And so as we read this passage, as we consider it, it's important to remember that the Bible is not just a book about people. It's about God and his dealings with people. And in this case, his dealings with us, his people. So as we look at this portion of scripture, beginning in verse 12, let God speak to you. Let him minister to your heart. Let Him help you see the things that should be evident in our life. Pick it up with verse 12 with me. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, given thanks to God the Father through him. Father, would You bless Your Word today and speak to our hearts. Help us as we go through this process of sanctification, Lord, that You would continue to work and minister in us and through us. And may, Lord, Your people today be responsive to the Spirit and to Your Word. In Christ's name we ask. And so as we examine this text today, let's remember that God is always proactive. He's always working things out and He's always ahead of us. He always takes the initiative. He did so in creation. He did so in salvation. He does so in sanctification. He takes the initiative and then He calls upon us to respond appropriately. Notice with me as we go through this portion of scripture, five areas that he has taken the initiative to restore us and the response he expects from us as those who have been restored to fellowship with him. And the first thing that we see here is that because he chose us, we enjoy favor with God. Verse 12 says, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, I love that verse. I love what it says. And there's a lot we can say. Paul begins by reminding us God chose us. We are the elect. And therefore we enjoy this position of unique favor with God. Now a lot can be said about election and there may be some here that have different concepts of it or what the meaning of that is and I'm not here today to have a long discussion about election. What I can tell you about election is that I believe everything the Bible says about it. And I also believe everything that the Bible says about whosoever will and God has worked that out. And I know there are times and oftentimes the flesh and maybe Satan brings division within a church and has been one of the hot topics for so long, dividing brethren and causing uncomfortable conversations between those who love the Lord. And I've escaped a lot of that by just holding on and embracing a mindset of one of my professors over 20 years ago. And he summed it up this way. He says, you know, when we approach the gates of heaven, I believe there's gonna be a sign overhead that says, to whosoever will. And then when we walk through that gate and we turn around and look, it's gonna say, the elect. And God has that figured out. And so if you have a trouble understanding what is the Bible speaking about when it speaks about the elect, I'll be glad to meet with you, talk with you and discuss the verses. But for today, we're going to look at this matter of being the elect. What is the result of that? Well, the result is that we are holy. We are set apart from sin and we are set unto God. God has saved us for a purpose. We are His unique creation. His people chosen to demonstrate His reality to the world in which we live. Look over at 1 Peter. Peter says it well in 1 Peter chapter 2. And there in verse nine, he says this, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people, but are now the people of God and had attained mercy, but now had not attained mercy, but now have attained mercy. I love you, I beg you, as sojourners in pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, that may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. It's God's Word. We are a special people, a holy nation. God has set us apart to bring Him glory and to speak to a world around us. We make a difference in the lives that we touch. We make a difference in the lives that observe us. I love the fact that Kenny, my friend from The Exchange, lived a different life when he got saved and it made a difference for Janet as she observed him. And she says, wow, something different is going on in his heart and life. It led her to wanting to know more and surrendering her heart and being saved. And as a result of that, and God working in her, I observed those things in her and it brought me to salvation. Do people observe your life since you've been saved? And even if you've grown up in the church and have been saved at a young age, there should be that difference that God is speaking about, a holy, unique people that someone can look at and say, something different there. God wants to use us for that purpose. And then we're reminded of the love of God. Philip's translation says this, you are picked representatives of the new humanity, purified and beloved of God himself. Doesn't that bless you today that you're loved of God? We're not only holy and set apart unto God, we're beloved or loved by God. And it means that God loves us and wants the very best for us. When you read His Word and it's something that your flesh just kicks up against, just remember that God loves you. And you who are parents can really identify, as we instruct and guide and minister to our children, how often do they kick up against that and they miss it. that we love them with all our heart and we want God's best for them. And so we guide them and minister to them. But we have to put ourselves in that very same position as the parent of our soul and our salvation. God the Father wants the best for us. And sometimes, even things that we may hear this morning, we say, I don't know about that. Make yourself pliable to the things of God because he loves you and wants the best for you Deuteronomy 7 verse 7 says this the Lord did not set his love on you nor chose you because you were more in number than any other people For you were the least of all people but because the Lord loves you and because he would keep the oath Which he swore to your fathers and then verse 9 says this therefore know that the Lord your God he is God Now I know that passage was speaking about Israel, but isn't it true that He's still our God? And He has His best for us. And that's why He instructs us and guides us and helps us. And because God loves us, He tells us, put off the old man, the deeds of the flesh, those things that hinder your life. You were once that, but you're washed now. you have a new life, show that life to others. Put on the things that are right. And it's the same word used there that we had the scriptural reading this morning in Ephesians 6, in verse 14, where it tells us to put on the armor of God before we do spiritual warfare. But in this context, he's telling us to put on certain characteristics that prepare us for peace, not war. Whereas in Ephesians we are putting on the armor for war, here we are dressing for a peaceful existence with other Christians. And that's what God's desire is for us, to put on the garments of the new life in Christ. The garments worn by the person who has been changed by Jesus. And so yes, clothing is important. They represent these characteristics. And it brings us to the second observation, in the second part of verse 12, where it says, but above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And of course, you know, Paul is speaking to the church here, and he's talking about unity in the church. He's talking about the kind of harmony that should exist among those people who named the name of the Lord, whose life has been changed, those people in whom the Holy Spirit is living. This phrase put on in verse 12 is an imperative, and the main object of this imperative is the word love found in verse 14. And all the preceding characteristics should be seen in light of love that commands us to love one another, to forgive one another, to forbear one another. Remembering that this love is the sash or the belt that binds all these things together. So what does this love look like? And Paul goes on to remind us, because we have been born again, he says, put on tender mercies. And this is Sympathy or heartfelt compassion? Sympathy or heartfelt compassion? Do you have that when you are ministering to others? Do you identify with them? We're part of the same family. And so often you hear of someone hurting. Today in social media you hear of someone going through a trial or a difficulty. What's your response? Do you feel for them? Do you empathize with what they're going through? We should not be cruel or harsh, or even as we looked at the characteristics last week of putting those things off, no, we should have tender mercy. It's a characteristic of the genuine Christian that has that heartfelt compassion. Compassion is love in action rooted in a tender heart. A number of years ago, I was ministering to a young husband who lost a wife unexpectedly. and as we were in the funeral home meeting and planning a funeral. As a pastor, we help people through the process and try to help them if they need us to in making decisions. And I remember the funeral director was asking me questions and we were talking about different things, and I suddenly felt like I was doing business as usual, but across the table from me. was a husband who had a broken heart. And it just caught my mindset. What would it be like if I was sitting in that seat? What would it be like if I was planning my wife's funeral and my heart dropped? In that given moment, I'm not sure that's what I wanted to experience. But it helped me to identify and empathize with people that go through difficult times. And this is what this idea of tend to mercy is. It's empathizing with them. It's being in their place. And then we are to put on kindness. And kindness is sweetness of disposition. It's also translated generosity or goodness. It's a person who has good things to say about others. Don't you love those folks? Don't you love being around people that are positive? That pick up your spirit? That are an encouragement? Their words are tempered with grace and tenderness as instructed in Ephesians 4.29. Building up others, ministering grace to them. And it's such a sweetness of spirit. A kind person is not abrupt or harsh, but is soft-hearted, genuinely caring for someone like that. And you know people like that. You love to see them. I'm thankful if you're one of those folks. I love to see you. I love the smile you put on your face. It says, hey, I love you. I have people ask, how are you doing? And they ask that because they know maybe I've been through something, maybe I'm recovering from something, but it's genuine concern. Sometimes it's a hug, sometimes it's just a tap, sometimes it's just that smile, but it communicates so much of what's in their heart towards others, and we're to put on that kindness. It is an indication that we're a child of God, as the Apostle John said in 1 John 3, 14. We know we have passed from life unto death because we love the brethren. You can be assured of your salvation when you have that love for others. It's just an indication of it. And then we're told to put on the garment of humility. That may be the toughest one. It really is. Because there we are to submit ourselves one to another. There we are to put the other person ahead of ourselves. And how often do we want to do that? How often are we willing to consider the other person ahead of ourselves? It's not what our flesh is wanting to do. But it's really having a proper estimation of ourself. It means to be lowly. And in God's economy, It's the lowly that are exalted. It's the proud who are brought down. And when we remember that if Jesus humbled himself, even to the death of the cross, as Philippians 2 reminds us, shouldn't we follow that example and be humble ourselves? You know, we live in a society where it's always one up the other guy. Pride is easily wounded and in our society it's not unusual to be driving down the highway and to suddenly slip over into the other lane or to not immediately respond to the green light and somebody could blow their horn or give you that dirty look or we hear of incidents where people are actually shooting one another. Why? Because we're a prideful society and we have to be on guard about that. God is always concerned with the heart. Spent time talking about that last week. And it's always the heart that determines the actions or the course of action that we take. And then we're reminded that we should put on the garment of meekness or gentleness. And this is the willingness to suffer injury instead of inflicting injury. What a contrast, once again, from what we looked at last week and what we spoke about. The world sees meekness as weakness. Some time ago, humorist J. Upton Dixon said he was writing a book titled Cowar Power, and he said that he also founded a group of submissive people called Dormats, and it was an acrostic for dependent organization of really meek and timid souls. Interesting thought. Their motto was, the meek shall inherit the earth, if that's okay with everybody. Their symbol was a yellow traffic light. That was designed to be funny, and it is funny, but that's the way the world sees meekness. It sees it as weakness. But yet, Jesus was meek, but he was never weak. And the good biblical perspective of meekness is strength under control. And it takes greater strength to exhibit meekness than to burst forth with anger and lose control. And then we're told to be clothed or enveloped with long-suffering. It's another tough one, right? This is patience, especially in the face of injury or insult. It is marked by the ability to respond in love when others treat us poorly. Are you able to do that? Or is that a struggle for you? Listen to what William Barclay writes. This is the spirit which never loses its patience with its fellow men. Their foolishness and their unteachability never drive us to cynicism or despair. Their insults and their ill treatment never drive us to bitterness or wrath. That describe you today? It describes the Christian controlled by the spirit of God. And here's the thing, perhaps you have tried to be patient, but it's come about because you're trusting in yourself to get that accomplished. Listen, it's not something we can do. You recall when Paul was struggling with the thorn in the flesh, and he was getting impatient with that, and he went to the Lord three times. He makes it clear, listen, I wasn't dealing well with this. And God reminds him, listen, in the time of your weakness, my strength is made perfect. You want God to work and develop patience, and you've heard it said, well, you're gonna face some great trials, because he's gonna put you to the test. Listen, God's not setting you up to fail. God wants you to demonstrate and experience his grace in a greater way. For Paul, when he experienced that grace, and he saw what it was, he says, I'll suffer any time. If the strength of Christ can be manifested in my life, I'll take that every time. So the next time that you sense impatience coming, just say, Lord, shed your grace upon me. Help me to respond in a different way. God wants to do that for us. So the question is, do we give in to the worldly concept, the worldly pressures, act like the world, or do you allow Christ to control our lives. When we put on these traits, two specific things will happen. And the first is that we will forbear one another. And that means to put up with or tolerate one another. It means to endure. Have you known some people that you just had to endure? They're difficult to be around. They're critical. They're no joy. They're no fun. They color your day with having to endure. But listen, it's so much better enduring, as the Scripture tells us to do, rather than striking back or becoming like them. And here, once again, God wants a work in you, perhaps, to minister to that life, especially if they're a Christian, and they need to see what this idea of enduring or forbearing looks like. Now it's true for the unsaved, they should see that and really scratch their head. But it's true for us who have a difficult child or a spouse that just fights up against us. They're negative and they're hurtful and the things they say, forbear. And when you forbear, you will experience something, God doing a work, not only in you, but in others around you. And then that often leads through forgiveness. That's the second thing that happens when we clothe ourself in these traits, we forgive one another, even as Christ has forgiven us. Even if you have a valid complaint, and oftentimes when we are bitter about something, there may be something valid that you're unhappy about, someone did to you. But listen, it's sad, and I know people that name the name of Christ who have unforgiving spirits. Their pride, their ego was wounded, and they cannot bring themselves to forgive another individual. And they put it out of their mind, they think, and it's not gonna affect our lives, they think. But listen, without putting on forgiveness, you know what you're putting on? Bitterness. And bitterness is the cancer of the soul. Bitterness will destroy you. You look at Hebrews 12, 15, and it speaks about not only trouble in us, but affecting everyone around us. And you may be here today and you're thinking, you know, that describes oftentimes the situation I find myself in. God's telling you, you need to be forgiven. You need to change your approach. And it's not based on an emotion. Well, you say, you know what? I don't think I have a problem with that. Well, let me ask you this, because we all have issues with others. Here's three things that should happen when we've forgiven someone. And the first is we are not to bring up to the person who we have forgiven the thing we forgave. Is that true for you if you believe you forgave someone? We're not constantly to harass them. We're reminders of the evil things they did in the past. I find that many marriages struggle greatly at this point because not only do some get hysterical, they get historical. And they bring up the past. They remind them, you did this and I can't get past that. but I thought you forgave me. Well, listen, if that's you and you continue to bring things up, you have bitterness, not forgiveness in your heart. A second thing forgiveness means is that we do not tell anyone else about the matter that is forgiven. Uh-oh, but I told that person to pray about that. Pray for that person. It was gossip, and I know we can flower it up and make it look holy, But listen, if you've forgiven someone, you don't bring it up to others. And the third thing is, you do not remind yourself of what has been forgiven. And that's a difficult thing, because you can't totally erase it from your mind. It's gonna pop back in. But there again, we just need to recognize, God forgave me of so much. Where do I come off holding this little thing? And in comparison, you've seen Jesus give the parable. It's a small thing in consideration of we have been forgiven of. And so, are you one that forgives? Because forgiveness may not be easy, but it's not optional either. You want to study that, you look at Matthew 18, you look at Luke 17.3, you look at Matthew 5.23 and 24. Clearly the scripture says we are commanded to forgive. It's an essential characteristic of the transformed life. And it shouldn't be a problem for we who love the brethren. It shouldn't be a problem for us in church. Don't change your side of the church if someone has gotten you upset. Follow the instruction in Scripture and make it right. Gain your brother or your sister. Here's another benefit of our restoration. Because He called us, we participate in the peace of God. That word call means to summon or to call your name as if you've been summoned to court. Ever been summoned to court? That's the idea here. Even the idea of to the table of a king, more appropriately. So the imagery here is that God has called us out of the world to live in His eternal presence. And there, there is peace. No fighting between His people. I think if we, and you know what, I'm not bringing a message like this because I know of factions and difficulties in this. This is what the Word says, and this is what God has led me to preach about. But if there is a problem that you have, would you just picture yourself in the presence of Christ? And I think that's what Paul is speaking about when we get back to the idea of seeking and setting on those things above. But if you picture yourself in the presence of God, where his holiness, his might, his splendor, his glory are on display, there would never be any lack of this unity. There would always be peace. Why? Because we're in his presence. That's why I asked before, know that he is God. Listen, if you know that, you're always in his presence. You can't hide anything from Him. He knows what you're looking at in your private time. He knows what you're listening to. He knows your heart. And we're always in His presence. And so we have to be mindful. of God and what we're experiencing. And this peace of God mentioned here is not the indwelling feeling of comfort. It's rather an external reality that mediates between Christians when there's a difficulty. That word rule comes from the world of athletics and means to act as an umpire. It means to arbitrate as the decision maker. What Paul is saying here is that the peace of God should govern our hearts. It should help us when we have to make a decision. We should be thinking of the shalom type of peace, the peace of Christ, to be the final word in your hearts. And it's plural for a purpose. Let it decide what is right. Why? Because you're walking with the King. You're seeking those things above. You're setting your mind on things above. And let that peace rule as you make that decision. You'll never go wrong in seeking God's best, looking at His Word. and knowing what's in your heart for the best of others because we are to love one another. Now, don't misunderstand the idea of having peace because we can do it in a wrong way or we could do it in a right way. The wrong way is to leave sin unchecked, to compromise truth for the sake of unity. Satan, listen, just gets a stronghold there. The right way is to speak truth in love. It means to sometimes confront sin, forgive the sinner, yes, but confront sin. We are called to be summoned in His presence and we are to allow the peace to, that peace that we're experiencing in our heart, to arbitrate all our dealings with one another. And then in verse 16 it says, And so, because He counsels us, we are to build up the family of God. And there's much we can say about the Word of God. We can spend the next three weeks talking about the Word of God and never exhaust it. true about the Word of God that we have its promises, we have its power, we have its prophecies, we have the principles of Scripture, we have the priorities that are set here that we are to live by. But in the context of what Paul is saying here, he's saying, let the instructive nature of the Word of God, as we meditate upon it, let it have and affected our life. Let it bring forth fruit as we minister to one another. Let it bring forth that right mindset as we help one another. What does the Word of God say? Paul told Timothy, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. And what is it profitable for? Profitable for doctrine, for proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Why? So that the man of God can be perfect, complete, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. That's what we're to do as the Word of God ministers to us. We are to minister to others. Allow yourself just to be a vessel that God wants to work through and minister to others as we instruct others. It's interesting here because there's two sides of the coin. that we're speaking about here, when it speaks about in wisdom we are to teach and admonish one another. And teaching is the positive side of this coin. It's where we instruct one another, where we share insights with one another, wisdom with one another. But the admonition, on the other hand, is the negative side of this coin. It means to warn or to caution others. And we are accountable to one another, especially in the church setting. We care about one another. And when someone is going off in a wrong direction, we should be able to, in love, take the Word of God and admonish. That's what Scripture tells us to do. And because God's word is at home in your hearts, that's what he's saying here, and not just as a guest, but as a family member, and a family member that really has access to every room in your home, even the closets, there should be nothing off limits to Christ and the Holy Spirit as the word of God is at home in our lives. We want to be able to respond as we read the word and minister to others in a correct way. And when we're focused upon praising God, worshiping Him as He says here, being thankful for all He has done, it keeps you in His presence. That's one way if you wanna seek those things above, set your mind on things above. These are the things He's telling us to do. These are the things we've done earlier, singing Psalms, spiritual songs. We're rejoicing, our hearts are being prepared, but our mind is in the presence of Christ. And so, when that happens, when we are seeking, we are able to finally recognize, because He cares for us, we cherish the name of God. And I know you do. He tells us, and whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, given thanks to God the Father through Him. Our gratitude causes us to be careful, how we carry the name of Christ. It causes us to be mindful of the fact that we're called Christians and our actions reflect to the world the reality of Christ. And you realize this, but sometimes we forget how you respond to somebody on the road, how you respond to somebody in the line at the checkout, how you respond to someone when they're unkind to you. It says something, yes, to a lost and dying world, but it also says something about what we believe about this Christ that we've embraced. Are you there? Are you responding to difficulties in your life? Are we doing this on His behalf, under His authority and according to His will? And so, it's a wonderful change that we experience as Christians, but as we close, it's a good time to consider, is that change evident in me? Do you know for sure God is working in you and bringing forth these characteristics in your life? Has light filled the darkness of your soul? You know you're changed by how you treat other Christians and really the world at large. Love is just a word until someone comes along and makes it a reality. In his presence, we have the ability to forgive and to forbear. And today, that may be the most difficult thing for some of you, carrying something that has made you bitter. Today, we need to respond. Listen to what Jesus said in John 15, 15. He says, you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. And as you think of that, and we sing this song of invitation, I would ask you this. Consider that phrase, because I am chosen of God. And you could fill in the rest. It may be because I'm chosen of God, I wanna do better than I've done. Because I'm chosen of God, I wanna be a forgiving individual and I need to make this right. Because I'm chosen of God, whatever He touch in my life, I want to respond to.