Sermon Tone Analysis

THE GREAT RENEWAL

THE GREAT RENEWAL

Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, THis morning we come to the heart of what Paul wants to say to Christians tempted to follow false teaching, and seek fullness by false living.

While the greatest teaching has come in Chapter 1 with who Christ is,the so-called Christ hymn, remember that hymn is part of a prayer for something to happen to the Col. Christians, not just an exalted theological description of Christ and our world.

It’s about how we are to come to fulness or maturity in Christ.

It’s is kind of like you could remember a favourite teacher from high school, maybe even a memorable lesson, but chapter 3 is not just the teacher or the lesson, can you remember a parent or mentor speaking into your life situation - ie. give up teaching in Slovakia 24 years old.

Letter from my Dad, short phone conversation.

heart to heart talk - not just about decision or circumstance and what to do - but from core of who you are and were you are at, commitment to walk with you to seek what is best - and do it in life.

As we get to the heart of the letter that is what Paul wants to do with you and me, as recipients of this letter.

n this letter tothe hope you have been overwhelmed by who Jesus Christ really is, and who you have really become in Him.

Remember the point of the Christ Hymn - charts… all-sufficiency in creation, but even more in His body the Church.

Want ot come to maturity, completion, perfection not through any other means but being in Him.

Staying attached to Him as your head and your roots, built on him,so you become.

In this letter to the hope you have been overwhelmed by who Jesus Christ really is, and who you have really become in Him.

Remember the point of the Christ Hymn - charts… all-sufficiency in creation, but even more in His body the Church.

The climax of this teaching we could say is Christ through his death - reconciled us - presents us holy and blameless and above reproach before God the Father.

Big cosmic war - Cross and Resurrection , Ascension where we ware seated with Christ - that’s all like us looking back in the past - remember haredest time in your life - in our world - THE GREAT WAR - and when Paul is talking about us dying to sin in CHRIST and Rising in Christ, when he talks about Christ being for us, talking about the past and it really shaped us, as we areunited in Christ.

But now at the climax of his “life-talk” with the Col.. Remember the language has changed from in Christ Christ doing stuff for us, to now WITH CHRIST, Want ot come to maturity, completion, perfection not through any other means than, not just being in Christ, BUT NOW LIVING WITH HIM.

Of course Christ’s death resurrection, finished one time acts, but listen carefully, “Your resurrection with Christ must be completed by participation in his heavenly life!

That’s what seeking the things above and nothe earthly old life things is about.

Tha’ts why you have to be constantly taking out the skeletons in the closet, all the ways you gave your members to service of the old sin nuautre … out with the old.

And now the clismax, GRAT WAR in Christ is over, and now live in another ERA.

One in which don’t just put faith in Christ’s work in the past, but in whch now dayd by day - you live with Christ, in anew ERA - I call it the The Great REnewal!

Staying attached to Him as your head and your roots, built on him,so you become.

That’s why Paul re-invents the vice list, not just a bnunch of sexual sins to catge and control, reinevets vice lists cage those sisn of the tongue - notice that he has hiton two of the great areas of sin that destory community, destory famiies, destory churches - keep us living separate lives inthe dark, destory the rebuiding work of Christ.

And he says we have already died in Christ to those sins controling power , but now with Christ need to put and we need put to death - ;

Well now we ar on the postitives - reinvent virtue list, not jsut put … but rising WITH Christ.

how do you day by day participate in Christ’s heavenly life here on earth in the middle of the decision, relationships, the opportunities of your day to day life.

Figure that out and you have joyful fulness of Christ’s love and peace mre ad more day by day!

You see this virtue list they are not actions you can just tape on to your life.

They are the ingredients in the “NEW NATURE” you recieve in Christ, but that as v.10 puts

is being renewed after the pattern of Christ.

When you choose to live out one of these virtues, in a reltinships a deicison of yourl ife, must see it as an opportunity for you not jjsut to be a nice good perosn, but for Christ’s life in you to grow up and shine out.

Remember him being the head of the body the church, the firstborn from the dead that means stpping out of the old life curcified, out of the grave of that kind of living, he steps out of the grace from curcifying and doig away with all the condmenation , to raise up a new humanity, new society - - and we are stepping out of the old way of living with him.

That’s what’s at stake with these virtues in your life and mine, will we live with Christ in the daily grind!

HIs positive life lesson talk with us comes in three parts, the new living with Christ actions we must put on as our new wardrobe (v.12-14), the new cooridnating force organizing our lives (v.15), and then the toolsyou need to lend and borrow with each other for that kind of living with Christ to grow among us.

Key Truth: People rising with Christ in daily life, live out love, with Christ’s peace coordinating their days, and relying on God’s Word lent out and borrowed from each other.

Lest you just take these virtues as actions you can tape on to your life, we must begin at the cerntre of his exhortation, which is about how Christ comes into your life reign day by day for His peace!

A. Let Christ’s Peace Coordinate Your Days

We all like a little peace and quiet, can talk of our own personal peace, usually mean some peace and quiet from the hubbub of life.

People’s peace is most often an escape even a running away from this world of business and conflict.

But you and I are called by God to another peace that this world doesn’t have, though its always aching for it.

Think of what is offered to you in Christ, the personal peace of the Savior and King of this world!

He worked peace on the Cross for you, with God , with each other - King of Peace said:

Your world - all the stuff in it - says set your heart on me, seek peace in sports, hobbies, in money , in secure home, parenting, in dating - but it is all peace peace when there is no peace!

But Jesus Christ’s personal peace, is that cosmic peace,

when He the reconciler is present, His presence -gives you a peace that passes all understanding, Not tied to your circumstance,s but to His, and He brings that down into your your world!

Do you know that peace, speak to me or an elder - about how it can be yours.

But here Paul says that peace of Christ, is supposed to RULE,

You’ve got all these conflicts in your home, at work, got all this sadness, darkness, sin, suffering - diasater lack of peace, you are to let Christ’ peace be the controling factor in how you walk through that,and wth others.

Guide your gaols and actions.

The word rule actually meant umpire, referee FF Bruce.

"Let the peace of Christ be umpire in your heart amidst the conflicts of life.

Let it decide what is right.

Let it be your counselor."

Illustrate: An old story which comes from the Salvation Army in the last century tells of a strong-willed woman who had been nicknamed "Warrior Brown" because of her fiery temper.

She was often belligerent and became enraged whenever she got drunk.

Then one day she was converted.

Her entire life was wonderfully changed by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

At an open-air meeting a week later, she told everyone what Jesus had done for her.

Suddenly a scoffer threw a potato at her, causing a stinging bruise.

Picked it up, put it her in her apron pocket… no one saw it again until Harvest Celebration days, not one came with a a whole sack - an ffering of thanks to the Lord for others.

he explained that after the open-air meeting she had cut up and planted the "insulting potato," and what she was now presenting to the Lord was "the increase."

Warrior Brown had allowed "the peace of Christ" to be umpire of her life.

How much misery we would avoid if we permitted "the peace of Christ" to umpire in our hearts.

How many words we would hold back if he were the arbitrator in our lives.

How many sleepless nights we would forego if we did that.

How the Church needs this too, "since as members of one body you were called to peace."

Do you get that, as you live up to the calling, to be part of the peace of Christ - you are actually just living as a new participant in Christ’s reconciliing work.

God has chosen you to be part of Christ unified body.

As that is the cooridinating force in our relationships in home, in church - look what will happen in the body:

that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,

And when the peace of Christ, is coordinating our actions and reactions, when we realize that putting on peace-reigning virtues is’t ultimately about you and I becoming a little nicer, but about Christ reigning in us, Christ’s body unified and working in this world, then you will see how these virtues are so powerful

B. Put On the Virtue of Christian Community: Building-Love is How You Rise with Christ Daily.

Now I could speak on each one of these virtues for some time, but what is the theme that runs through them all?

Think back to last weak, two vice lists of 5 vices each what were they focused on - passion sins, and tongue sins - why - community , body of Christ destroying vices we have got not just tame but kill.

Well here we have the positive counterpart; a list of 5 Christian community building Virtues.

Focus again on 5 nice habits to grow a little in, but 5 fundamental opportunities for Christ in you, to live out.

And these five are summed up in v.14 which ties these 5 actions to the great goal of the letter:

above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Those five virues are just the details of this new Christ love - agapse love God has poured into our hearts.

LIke Fiddle r on the Roff - do you love me - washed your clothes fed your cows, raised kids, sat by - detiled list yes he wants to know if more than actions, over all affection, do you love, but all those actions daily how she loved too.

And you want understand those indivdual virtues if you don’t understand the overall goal, the

Remember the theme of the letteer

Now we see that’s not an individaul thing, can’t come to maturity byyourself, .

Not about you, but you in community, in this new body of Christ, the new huamnity , the Church.

And each member needs to be doing ints part - like a sinew or ligament of the body, each odiong its work.

Do you see thatChristian morality isn’t a matter of be nicer , but of the charity, the new love of grace working out of you to others.

Christian morality is is evdince of inner grace, in our outward behaviour.

And the result is what?

Bound together in perfect hamrnoy.

Same word for matirty, completeness, maturity.

YOu want to know if you are becomiong a mature Christn, told you in Ch1 how much are you abiding in Christ.

But now another test is how much are you abiding in His love for others.

This perfect hamrony Christ maies is a bond that procues harmony, put that on!

Here is the test is there any bond, with others in my life, other Christians.

Am I growing in that with what

Any reaching out to others, feels God is in t.

Any let’s have coffee, Or call on telephone send a note.

Understand that love is the bond that hold the church in tact and allows for growth of god to take place in us.