Colossians 3:12-17Worshipping Transforms our Ordinary Actions

Colossians 3 - New International Version (NIV)

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

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 one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.

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 message of Christ dwell

among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom

through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with

gratitude in your hearts. 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.

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Colossians 3:12-17Worshipping Transforms our Ordinary Actions

Core Message: Worship is not just our songs and prayers, but also our actions

and attitudes in the world.

Introduction

Slide - 1

People may judge you by what you wear…for instance…to be stereotypical…if

you wear a suit and tie…they may think you are a businessman…

If you wear a boiler suit and hard hat…they will assume you are a manual

worker of some sort…

Other modes of dress make it more obvious to the observer…for instance…if

you wear a uniform…such as a nurse…policeman…fireman…it is quite a loud

statement about your life’s vocation…

That is…unless you are pretending…just dressing up…

And…in this passage…once again we start with a…therefore…verse 12…which

means we have to consider what was said before…where Paul gives all kinds of

examples of what we should not be…verses 5- 9…listing the likes of…

Sexual immorality…impurity…lust…evil desires…greed…idolatry…

Anger…rage…malice…slander…bad language…lying…

Which he describes as the old self…verses 9-10…and put on the new self…

which is being made more and more like our creator…

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Colossians 3:12-17Worshipping Transforms our Ordinary Actions

Here then…are the clothes to wear…here then are the things that people

should see…in order to identify you as being one of God’s Holy people…

Love…compassion…kindness…humility…gentleness…patience…

forgiveness…and peace…in your individual lives…and…in the way that

you live together…

What we wear…spiritually…what we are in our innermost being…comes out in

our words and actions…

And our actions…borne out of the right motive…that is…done in the name of

Jesus…will be what people identify us as…

Our Identity: Who We Are

Slide - 2

Documentary: Who do you think you are?

You know that show which traces the life of a celebrity’s ancestors…it always

throws up a few surprises…doesn’t it…such as…

TV chef…Ainsley Harriott…who was overcome with emotion and admitted he

was hurt after finding out his great-great-grandmother was a slave, and was

bought when she was just two years old….

Or…

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Colossians 3:12-17Worshipping Transforms our Ordinary Actions

Boris Johnson… is not only related to Queen Elizabeth, but also to the Swedish

and Dutch royal families, as well as former Russian Imperial dynasty the

Romanovs…

But…my favourite…

And one of the most shocking was…the moment Sir Matthew Pinsent found

out that he is related to God.

Researchers on the show traced his relatives back to Catherine Howard – the

fifth wife of Henry VIII – Edward I and William the Conqueror. Impressive stuff.

But then the team uncovered an even more shocking discovery: an ancient

scroll which stated the Norman king was descended from Adam and Eve. So, in

other words, he's ultimately related to God! It's there in black and white…

according to the online researcher who provided this information…

But…what’s so shocking…you may ask…as we are all related to Adam and Eve

in the sense that we all inherit the sinful nature which enslaves us to the

patterns mentioned by Paul in those earlier verses…

Maybe the real surprise in what was said there…and I doubt the researcher

realise the significance…is the fact that he said that Matthew was related to

God…

For…in the 2nd Adam…as Paul describes Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15…we can be…

we can be like him…because he became one of us…

What we are…in terms of identity…is complex and derives from many

sources…but…as some of it is not good…we can…

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Colossians 3:12-17Worshipping Transforms our Ordinary Actions

Slide – 2b (2nd click)

…not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its

practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in

knowledge in the image of its Creator… (Colossians 3:9-10)

Like a change of clothes…it looks different…new and fresh…because it involves

a change of practices…

Which includes a change in the way that we act towards one another…

Slide - 3

…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and

patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you

has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And

over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in

perfect unity… (Colossians 3:11-14)

Our new identity…in Jesus…means that we learn to act differently towards one

another…verses 11-14…

But how?

Our Motivation: Why We Can

Slide - 4

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 message of

Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another

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Colossians 3:12-17Worshipping Transforms our Ordinary Actions

with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,

singing to God with gratitude in your hearts… (Colossians 3:15-16)

Think of the different stories that the world tells…disunity…wars and factions…

ingratitude…and foolishness derived from selfishness…at times…rather than

true wisdom…which comes from God…and leads to His peace…

And…it’s this peace…we can allow to work in our lives…

We sing of this peace…of a new story…in our worship…we do this together…

we sing to God…but we also sing to one another…

Slide – 4 (2nd click)

as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through

psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude

in your hearts… (Colossians 3:16)

…so we are reminding ourselves…and one another at the same time…of what

God has done for us…and through us…

When we worship…we are reminded we are at peace with God…and we can be

at peace with one another…

Former Southern Baptist President…the late Adrian Rogers once said…

Slide - 5

“the curse of the 20th Century is Sunday-morning religion. Now, there’s

nothing wrong with Sunday-morning religion, but the problem is that so

many people have only a Sunday-morning religion…we come to church,

then, to worship God on Sunday—and, well we ought.

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Colossians 3:12-17Worshipping Transforms our Ordinary Actions

But, folks, we ought not simply come to worship; we ought to bring our

worship to church. And, when we leave this building, we ought to take

our worship with us, because, you see, the Bible teaches that when

we’re right with God, every day is a holy day, every act is to be a sacred

deed, and everything we do we’re to do to the glory of God.”

I kind of like that…especially coupled with the thought that in our worship we

share the peace of Christ…therefore…we can share this peace with the world

we live in…

So…here Paul urges the Christians he is writing to…to allow the peace of

Christ…and the Word of Christ…to work out in their lives…this happens in our

worship…as we sing together…we teach one another…

As we do so…we immerse ourselves in the new story of the world…and our

place in the world…

However…as Rogers puts it…we can be worshipping always…which means we

are becoming more and more at peace with him in our daily…ordinary…

everyday living…and bring that worship to church…because every day is a holy

day…every act is a sacred act…for those who are motivated by the peace of

Christ…

Our Situations: Wherever We Are

Slide - 6

And that changes things…it changes the way we do things in our work…in the

school or the hospital…the care home…the office or the factory…the shops…on

the High Street…the neighbourhood or our homes…

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Colossians 3:12-17Worshipping Transforms our Ordinary Actions

It changes things…wherever we are…because wherever we are is where we

live out the new story…of our renewed lives…

It’s all about location…

I am reminded of a sermon I once heard while we were studying worship and

preaching…it was by an American theologian…Ched Myers…not an ancient one

but somebody who is very much alive…and very much concerned that we live

out our transformed lives in the real time of the here and now…

And the title of the sermon…was a little shocking as it contained a swear

word…but maybe it was not a swear word in his culture…but I rather like to

think it was there to shock…to provoke us to think past our delicacy and see

the real need in our world…

So the title of the sermon…I am not brave enough to say it but a more delicate

translation would be…

Hope is where your…posterior…(arse) is?

Myers…in his younger days wanted to be all radical and out there for Jesus…so

he heard of the work of a Catholic priest in a run-down area…and went and

stayed with a group of Christian people who had intentionally moved into the

area…

And one day…Myers found himself inside a skip…scavenging out of date food…

which they took away and gave to people who had much need in their lives…

The priest turned to Myers…and asked him where hope was…and Myers gave

all the correct answers…such as…in Christ…in the resurrection and so on…

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Colossians 3:12-17Worshipping Transforms our Ordinary Actions

Sure said the priest…sure it’s all of that but what does that mean to the people

in this neighbourhood…

Myers…fell silent thinking…here I am stuck in a skip with Amos the Prophet…

and no way out…but the prophet said…

Hope is where your posterior is…

In other words…wherever you are…you bring hope…and there are people who

need that hope…

There are people that we…and we don’t have to be in a skip in a run-down

American suburb…rub shoulders with every day…who are desperate…for that

hope…and that peace…because they are grasping at all sorts these days…

Hope is…wherever we are…because…whatever we do…it’s all in the name of

Jesus…all of life…it’s all worship…which is worked out in very practical ways…

In the way we relate to one another…as His body…

In the way we relate to our work colleagues…neighbours and families…

In the way we do our work…spend our money…use our time…

In wherever we place our backsides…we bring hope…

Conclusion

Finally then…

…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… (Colossians

3:17)

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Colossians 3:12-17Worshipping Transforms our Ordinary Actions

What is the whatever…in our lives…

Whatever it is…the work of our hands…the words of our mouths…do it in the

name of the Lord Jesus…and give thanks to God…

We can go from here in that peace…and we can come back here…in that

peace…no matter what…

I would like to lead us in a prayer this morning…and LICC entitle it…Hand

Prayer…

Read prayer from LICC Journey Pack, p34…

Amen…

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