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Return in your Bibles to Colossians 
chapter 3. Figured it would be prudent to 
finish out this chapter in the book of Colossians. Summer months, 
people are coming and going quite a bit, so we'll take a few weeks 
off still from our studies in the Gospel of Matthew, looking 
at the The life of the believer, the new man in Christ Jesus, 
that's Paul's whole point in this section in Colossians chapter 
3. Remember, he calls us to set our mind on things above where 
Christ is in verses 1 and 2. And then he tells us to put on 
certain virtues, those things which are consistent with Christianity 
in verses 12 to 17. He tells us to put off vice, 
those things which are inconsistent with Christianity, those things 
which are a mark of the old man. We are to put off, I'm sorry, 
put off first, put on, and then we are to be subject to, and 
then we are to watch and pray. That's sort of an overview of 
the entire chapter. This morning we're going to take 
up verses 15 to 17, specifically the corporate conduct of the 
believer. the corporate conduct of the 
believer. In 18 and following, he's going 
to deal with the believer in his home, the believer in his 
workplace. But prior to that, in verses 
15 to 17, he deals with the believer in church life. Last week we 
considered the believer, the new man in Christ, specifically 
with reference to his identity. Notice in verse 12, as the elect 
of God, holy and beloved. That is the identity of the new 
man in Christ Jesus. Paul then indicates his character, 
verses 12 and 13. His personal character is displayed 
through these five virtues. His corporate character, his 
community relationships rather, are those five virtues fleshed 
out toward others in his life. And his supreme obligation is 
found in verse 14. We are to love, love God, love 
one another. That is the believer's supreme 
obligation. And then Paul takes up in verses 
15 to 17 his corporate conduct, how he functions in the life 
of Jesus' church. So, I'll just pick up reading 
in verse 12 and we'll read to chapter 4, verse 6. 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. giving thanks to 
God the Father through him. Wives, submit to your own husbands 
as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and 
do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in 
all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not 
provoke your children lest they become discouraged. Bondservants, 
obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with 
eye service as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing 
God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, 
as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you 
will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the 
Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be 
repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. Masters, 
give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you 
also have a master in heaven. Continue earnestly in prayer, 
being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Meanwhile, praying also for us 
that God would open to us a door for the Word to speak the mystery 
of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it 
manifest as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who 
are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with 
grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to 
answer each one. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for your word. We pray now for the ministry 
of your spirit, that he would guide us in our understanding, 
that you would lead us into all truth, that you would effect 
change in our lives for good, conform your people more and 
more to the image of Christ, and save those who are not your 
people. And we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus, amen. As I 
said, this describes the new man in Jesus Christ. You remember 
that section of that portion in 2 Corinthians 5. Any man is 
in Christ, he is a new creation. He is a new creature. The old 
is passed away, all things are new. This is conduct consistent 
with the new man in Jesus Christ. He puts off sin. He puts on righteousness. He's subject to others around 
him and he watches and he prays. That is biblical Christianity. But we must make the caution, 
we must make the warning that we don't approach this passage 
apart from what Paul says in verses 1 and 2. In other words, 
we are new men in Christ Jesus first and foremost because of 
Christ Jesus. It is by virtue of the Gospel. 
It is by virtue of Jesus' saving work at Calvary. It is what He 
has done in His life, death, and resurrection. It is Him who 
has brought salvation to our souls. He calls us out of darkness 
into marvelous light. He gives us life, blessing, forgiveness, 
salvation, righteousness, everything that we ever need for acceptance 
with God the Father. That's why Paul tells believers. 
That's why Paul reminds us in verses one and two. If then you 
were raised with Christ, since this is a reality, since you've 
been saved by grace, since you've been justified according to his 
mercies and kindness. If this is true, then seek those 
things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right 
hand of God. Set your mind on things above, 
not on things on the earth. So our relationships with one 
another, whether church or family or or in our business or in our 
workplace, are all affected to the degree of where our minds 
are focused. We must be setting our minds 
on Jesus Christ. We want to be more holy, more 
consistent, more virtuous. According to the Scripture, it 
must first be our minds that are rooted in the truth of the 
living God Most High through His Son. Now, the warning also 
applies for any and all who are here that aren't believers. If 
we work our way through this passage and you see certain things 
that Paul condemns, you know, you need to put off sexual sin. 
Probably not a revolutionary idea or a novel thought to anyone 
here that is in sexual sin. Probably your conscience bothers 
you. Your conscience haunts you. There is that struggle within. 
You know what you're doing is wrong. It is incorrect. It is 
unrighteous. Well, you know that because God 
has made you in His image and He has hardwired you to think 
in a particular way. When we read through this passage, 
we see certain things that Paul condemns in terms of the tongue. We're not to be mean to people. 
We're not to speak lies to people. We're not to blaspheme. We're 
not to slander and gossip and do all those things that are 
ungodly and wicked. Probably you know that. You realize 
that. And when Paul goes on the list, 
what we should be is men and women. We ought to be full of 
tender mercies. We ought to be kind. Would anybody 
argue against this list? I mean, really, I mean, there's 
certain exceptions to every rule by and large, but for the most 
part, whether we personally express such virtues, we certainly like 
it when others express those virtues to us, don't we? I doubt you'll find any square 
inch on the face of the earth where you ask people, do you 
want people to treat you with tender mercies? Well, yeah, sure, 
I would like that. Do you want people to treat you 
with kindness? Well, sure, I would love that. 
You want people to be humble towards you? Well, sure, I would 
love that. You want people to meet with 
you? Yeah, I would love that. How about Lonesome? Oh, of course, 
I'd love that. We need to be careful, or you need to be careful, 
if you're not a believer in Jesus Christ this morning, from this 
sort of a mindset. I just need to leave from here 
and do better. I just need to try harder. I 
need to quit looking at internet pornography. I need to quit lying 
to people. I need to be a humble person. 
I need to be meek. I need to be more patient. You 
need to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. That's 
the flow of thought. Paul is not a moralist. He is 
not preaching morality for the sake of morality. He is preaching 
the effect of the gospel believed on. You want to put off sin. And you want to put on righteousness. And you want to be a better husband. 
And you want to be a better wife. And you want to be a better child. 
The path is through the blood of the cross. We mustn't ever 
forget that reality. Far too often as Christians we 
fall prey to a moralism. I need to be better. You need 
to focus on Christ. You need to look to Jesus. As 
you're looking to Jesus, that's what God uses for conformity 
unto Jesus Christ. Get your minds, get your thoughts, 
get your head where it belongs, and then the body should follow 
as believers. For unbelievers, the primary 
thing I want to tell you today is that God is a holy God. I 
don't think we focus on that very much. We saw something of 
that, or we looked at something of that in Leviticus 16 last 
Sunday night. God is holy. You realize you 
don't just wander into the presence of God and say, hey, dude, or 
hey, guy, or hey, big fella. God's holy. He's righteous. He's from everlasting to everlasting. The Scripture says His eye is 
too pure to approve of anything sinful. The Scripture says it 
is an act of condescension on the part of God to even look 
upon the earth. He's a holy God. But the Scripture 
also declares that we're sinful men. We're wretched. We're polluted, we're defiled. 
Sin isn't just a little aspect of our being that we need to 
clean up. Sin essentially is who we are. Sin is what we're about. Sin is what is man's problem. So you see, realizing God's holiness 
and man's sinfulness, there's some issues there, isn't there? 
You've probably heard the name of the word, or the word gospel 
means good news. Well, it's good news in response 
to what we see as bad news. God's holiness, my sinfulness, 
I need good news to deliver me. And that good news focuses in 
upon, centers upon, the life, the death, and the resurrection 
of Jesus. The Bible says that when you 
believe in Him, you will have everlasting life. When you go 
to the blood, when you seek forgiveness in and through Him, when you 
seek a righteousness which is not your own, through Him, that's 
where life begins. So please, if you are not a believer 
in Christ today, Do not leave here saying, I've got to try 
harder, got to do more, got to stop looking at things, or I've 
got to stop speaking ill, or I've got to put on those things 
that Paul says are virtuous. If you're an unbeliever, my encouragement, 
my invitation, my word to you is to look unto Jesus Christ 
and live. It's a beautiful thing. Jesus 
gives the illustration in John 3. He says, just as Moses lifted 
up the serpent into the wilderness, so must the Son of Man also be 
lifted up. You remember that incident? Israel 
was sinning. I know. Hard to believe, isn't 
it? God sends fiery serpents to bite 
them. What's the remedy? Certainly, 
I've got to suck the poison out of my bite. Certainly, I have 
to seek the physician that is able to heal me. Certainly, I 
have to go to the snakebite clinic in order to find remedy and relief. 
God says, Moses, construct this serpent, raise it up in the wilderness, 
and those bitten who look will live. Not look and suck out the 
venom, not look and seek out the physician, not look and call 
poison control, but look and live. It's the message of the 
Gospel. It's what Christ says. Just as 
the Son of Man, or just as Moses lifted up the serpent, so also 
must the Son of Man be lifted up. That everyone who looks will 
live. That's what you need to get out 
of this morning's message. For the believer, look at our 
corporate conduct. Let's look at how we are to relate 
to one another within the church. And I say within the church because 
there's several identifiers here that show this. Let the peace 
of God rule in your hearts to which also you were called in 
one body. We're to teach and admonish one 
another. Now, you could do that at Superstore, 
you could do that at Walmart, but more than likely it happens 
in connection with church life. And then we are to sing songs 
and hymns and spiritual songs. Again, you can do that in Wal-Mart. The idea seems to be strong that 
what Paul is dealing with is a corporate ethic, a church ethic, 
conduct for believers in the life of God's people. Just reading 
a biography on Charles Hodge, and it said that people who knew 
him would hear him singing hymns while he was in his study. There's 
times on Friday when I'm picking out the hymns, I do the same 
thing. I wonder if people walking by or if it was more so on that 
side. Boy, there's an odd duck in there. 
Well, it's hard to pick out hymns and not sing those hymns. I mean, 
it's hard to open that hymn book and not sort of be drawn out 
to that. That's a realistic thing. People do that. Believers do 
that. The emphasis in the passage seems to be on corporate life, 
church conduct, practice within the people of God. There's three 
elements that Paul highlights with reference to this ethic 
or this corporate conduct. First, is the peace of Christ. 
Secondly, is the message of Christ. And thirdly, is the name of Christ. Those are the three elements 
that ought to be foremost in the lives of God's people. Notice 
first, peace. Verse 15, let the peace of God 
rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body 
and be thankful. The peace of Christ is that peace 
which Christ Himself gives. Makes sense, doesn't it? You 
see, this can only be fleshed out among God's people. Unbelievers 
don't know this peace of God. Unbelievers don't understand 
this peace of Christ. Unbelievers don't have it as 
the overarching theme in their heart of hearts. And yet, Paul 
says this is to define you as the people of God. Jesus said, 
Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as 
the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, 
neither let it be afraid. Christ promised his disciples 
peace. Paul says within the context 
of the local church, peace is supposed to reign, peace is supposed 
to rule, peace is supposed to be the overarching theme in the 
lives of God's people. We can connect this piece specifically 
to the doctrine of justification. Justification is that act of 
God wherein He pardons all of our sins and accepts us as righteous 
in His sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received 
by faith alone. Justification by faith alone 
answers the question I posed earlier. How does a sinful man 
stand or gain acceptance with a holy God? It is through Christ. It is through forgiveness connected 
to him. It is through his righteousness 
alone that we have acceptance with God. Paul says in Romans 
5.1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, having been justified 
by faith, we have this. This is something part and parcel 
to the community of God's people. You may not get this in the Elks 
Lodge. You may not get this among the moose. You may not get this 
in the Lions Club. But this ought to be a defining 
characteristic within the context of Christ's people. And notice 
what he says here. It should rule in your hearts. 
John Eady says, it was not merely to have existence. It's not simply supposed to be 
there. Well, I've been justified by 
faith, I have this peace, but it shouldn't really be operative 
in my heart or life in the way that I deal with people. No, 
it's supposed to rule. There's times in every church, 
the best of churches under heaven are not perfect. Interesting 
thing, in Deuteronomy chapter 12, we'll refer to that later 
on in this morning's sermon. We studied that on Wednesday 
night. It's interesting, Moses is preparing the people of God 
for entry into Canaan. You get into the land, dispossess 
the land, and the Canaanites destroy all vestiges of their 
religious worship. Get rid of every vestige of the 
name, every remnant of the name of their gods, because I'm going 
to put my name there, and I'm going to dwell there, is what 
God the Lord says. And interestingly, he says, when 
you get there, do not act. like you are doing now, where 
everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes. See, Israel, 
at that point, at least in their history, seemed to be doing pretty 
well. It was the wilderness generation that perished because of unbelief. They're poised on the plains 
of Moab, getting ready to enter into the promised land. They're 
right there. They can taste it. Their mouths are watering when 
God, through Moses, is explaining how good the land is. Their spiritual 
mouth is watering when God says, I will dwell among you in that 
land. Moses says, when you get there, 
don't act like we are now. Everyone doing what is right 
in his own eyes. That's specifically what he says. If you've read 
the Bible, you know that's what characterizes Israel in the Book 
of Judges. Everyone did what was right in 
their own eyes. Autonomy rather than theonomy. Submission to 
God. Peace must rule. He says it was 
not merely to have existence, but it was to exercise supreme 
command. The word itself, let the peace 
of God rule in your hearts, means to referee, to be an umpire, 
to call a decision, to decide between. Then in a figurative 
sense, to direct, to administer, to control. Again, there will 
arise in the life of God's people issues, difficulties, trials. We sit against each other. What 
do we do? Do we forget the peace of God, 
which is supposed to be ruling in our hearts, and treat that 
brother with love, respect, and dignity? Or do we tear him down? 
Paul says, in the corporate context of your church life, peace must 
be the referee. Chaos characterizes the old order. Chaos characterizes the old man. Christ's new order, Christ's 
new covenant is marked by peace ruling in the hearts of his people. 
It's not just to rule, but it's to flesh out or be fleshed out 
within the church. This is what Paul says. Let the 
peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called 
in one body. The church ought to be marked 
by peace, unity, joy, blessing. Paul says elsewhere in Ephesians 
4, we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the 
bond of peace. We're to endeavor. That might 
mean falling on our swords from time to time. It might mean being, 
you know, shortchanged on this side of heaven. You know, the 
ethic is certainly God first and then us. That ethic is visible 
and obvious with reference to masters and servants. Notice, 
whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men. 
Verse 23, your workplace, serve God. You may not get the raise, 
you may not get the nod, you may not get the wall of fame, 
you may not get the certificates, but you serve God most high. It's the same thing in the church. Serve God most high. You may 
have been right. You may be able to defeat that 
person. You may be able to nail them 
to the wall. But is that going to promote 
peace, joy, unity? Peace is supposed to rule in 
the church. Peace is supposed to be common 
in the church. Strife inevitably results. This is F.F. Bruce. when men 
and women are out of touch with Him who is the one source of 
true peace. This is the connection, you see. 
If you see a church that is marked by chaos, marked by confusion, 
marked by an utter lack of peace, you might begin to conclude that 
what they need is an arbitration from other churches. What they 
need isn't the new book on peace written by the most best-selling 
author. They might need the gospel. You 
see, that is a natural outflow of the gospel, is that the peace 
of God will rule in our hearts. Now, again, not perfectly. We 
have to fight, we have to strain, we have to labor. To use Paul's 
word, we have to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit 
and the bond of peace. We don't have to endeavor to 
create confusion. We don't have to endeavor to 
create chaos. We don't have to try and create 
sin. Those things are pretty natural. 
You don't have to endeavor to teach your child the word no. That's just natural. And not, 
do you want this sugary treat? No. Do you want to do what mommy 
and daddy says? No! That's the no. We don't have 
to inculcate. We don't have to create division. 
We don't have to create strife. We don't have to labor in the 
church to produce those vices because they are native to the 
heart of man. What we actually have to endeavor 
after is the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That's 
what takes work. That's what takes prayer. That's 
what takes close connection to Christ and His cross. Let the 
peace of God rule in your hearts. Strife inevitably results when 
men and women are out of touch with Him who is the one source 
of true peace. But there is no reason why those 
who have received the peace of Christ, established by His death 
on the cross, should have any other than peaceful relations 
among themselves. I love that statement. Let me 
just read it again. There is no reason why those 
who have received the peace which Christ established by his death 
on the cross should have any other than peaceful relations 
among themselves. It's like that forgiveness thing 
that Paul's already dealt with. You're to forgive, right, when 
someone sins against you. As Christ forgave you. If you've been forgiven by Christ, 
you're going to forgive others. It's a no-brainer, isn't it? 
Well, if having been justified by faith, we have peace with 
Christ, there really isn't a reason why we can't have peace with 
someone else. See, this is the logic of the 
section. Whether you're in your church, whether you're in your 
home, whether you're in your workplace, whether you're in 
the world, you are vitally connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. These 
things are true of you. Therefore, flesh them out in 
your daily lives, wherever you find yourself as a new man or 
woman in Christ Jesus. So not only let the peace of 
God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body. 
Notice, he says, and be thankful. This is the thankfulness that 
accompanies peace. This is a recurring theme in 
this particular epistle. This idea of thankfulness. You 
know, it's hard to grumble and whine and complain when you're 
thanking God. Isn't it? I mean, we can still do it. I'm 
not saying it's not impossible. But it's hard to grumble, whine, 
murmur and complain when we're thankful to God for his manifold 
mercies. Thank you, Lord, that you've 
not dealt with me as my sins deserve. Thank you, Lord, that 
I'm not in a Christless existence. Thank you, Lord, that I'm not 
in the lake of fire. Thank you, Lord, that I'm justified 
freely by your grace. Thank you, Lord, that I have 
this peace of God, which should rule in my heart. You see, thankfulness 
goes hand in hand with this peace of Jesus Christ. Douglas Moose 
says believers who are full of gratitude to God for his gracious 
calling will find it easier to extend to fellow believers, the 
grace of love and forgiveness, and to put aside petty issues 
that might inhibit the expression of peace in the community. That's beautiful. When you pray 
for Free Grace Baptist Church, pray that Colossians three would 
be true of us. I'm not up here to, you know, 
oh, I'm trying to attack some deals this morning. Recently, 
reflecting on the blessing of God, there is a good degree of 
peace and unity and joy here, for which I am thankful. I surveyed 
this particular group of people. There's nowhere else I want to 
be. I mean, I want to be in heaven, but I think every Christian wants 
to be in heaven, right? It's a good group. We have to 
endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 
We don't assume it. We don't take it for granted. 
We are thankful to the Lord God Most High, and we pursue it. Because it's beautiful, and it 
provides a context wherein God, the Lord of Peace, will dwell 
with His community. Notice, not only the peace of 
Christ, but what characterizes our corporate conduct is the 
message of Christ. Verse 16. 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. It's a great description of the 
church at worship, isn't it? It's a great description of what 
we ought to be about. The Word of Christ must dwell 
richly in our hearts. The New King James seems to indicate 
that it's through the psalms and hymns and spiritual songs 
that we are instructing one another. That gains merit from Ephesians 
chapter 5. But in this context, I believe 
they're two separate things. The idea here is that the Word 
of Christ dwells in us richly, and in turn we are a blessing 
to those around us. And then that expression in corporate 
worship, it comes out in the psalms, it comes out in the hymns, 
it comes out in the spiritual songs. So the idea here is that 
the church at worship is a peaceful body, which argues something 
of order within the congregation. Certain elements are highlighted 
here in terms of worship. The Word of Christ must dwell 
in us richly. Yes, read your Bible on a daily 
basis. I'm not going to make that the 
law because the Bible doesn't say read me on a daily basis. 
I think the thrust and the weight of scripture teaches us that 
we are to read. We are to take in the word of 
God. I'm going to tell you five minutes or 15 minutes or 25 minutes 
or 35 minutes or 15 chapters or one chapter or the McShane 
count. No, but read your Bible. I hope with a group of new men 
and new women in Christ, I don't have to spend a lot of time convincing 
you that you should read your Bible, especially in a Reformed 
church. That's like, eat my food? What 
are you, crazy? Of course you eat your food. 
Of course you live by every word that proceeds from the mouth 
of God. Of course you ingest it. Of course you intake it. 
Of course you delight in it. Of course you're the man of Psalm 
1. Of course you're the man of Psalm 119. You let the Word of 
Christ dwell in you richly. Corporately also. Let the Word 
of Christ dwell in you richly. Don't relegate preaching to the 
17th century. Don't neglect the reading of 
Scripture. Don't neglect exhortation. Do 
not despise the proclamation of God's holy word. That is the 
primary means whereby the church is disciplined, whereby the church 
is fed and instructed and helped. And notice, let the word of Christ 
dwell in you richly. Be gluttons. Have you ever gone 
to a buffet, and you're cheap like me, so you tell your kids, 
eat as much as you can. I don't want you going in there 
and getting a fish stick and then leaving. Some of your sons, as they're 
growing up, you develop this idea, why have salad? That's 
just a buffer. Lettuce is the meat. Don't skimp. Don't be chintzy. Don't refuse. Glut yourselves 
in the Word of God. Do you know what is most helpful 
for your Christian maturation, for your stability, for your 
hope, for your life, for your well-being? It's God's Word. I had cause to tell a young man 
recently, it is the Scriptures that will fortify you over the 
long haul. You have to believe that. You 
have to understand that. You have to appropriate that. 
Scriptures aren't like any other book. It's not like, you know, 
there's 66 chapters. For this question, peel open 
to this page. No, read the whole. Learn of 
God. Learn the theology. Learn that 
He's center. Learn that He's the focus. Learn 
that He's most important. Learn that God is everything. 
That comes through the Scriptures. You read those Old Testament 
narratives. You read the Book of Judges. You read Samuel. You 
read Joshua. You read the Kings. You read 
the Chronicles. You read the Prophets. You read 
the Psalms. You read the Wisdom literature. 
You read the Proverbs. You read the New Testament. Who's 
the star of the show? It's not us. We need to be reoriented. We need our minds transformed, 
because we far too often think far too highly of ourselves. 
And the Bible brings us to say, I repent. I repent. I spoke without knowledge, God. 
Search the Scriptures. Let the Word of God, let the 
Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. Don't be bent 
on the oddities. Be well balanced. Be wise in 
your approach to the scriptures. If you're searching the scriptures 
each and every day to figure out if Barack Obama is the Antichrist, 
you need a different Herman Newdick. If you'd like my opinion afterward, 
you may ask. We'll search our Bibles for all 
kinds of things, won't we? Won't we? You ever seen the book, 
UFOs and the Bible? I bet the devil loves it every 
time somebody buys a Bible to look for UFOs. Look for Jesus 
in the Bible. Jesus said, you, search the Scriptures. These are they which testify 
of me. If you knew Moses, You would 
know me because Moses wrote about me. Abraham rejoiced to see my 
day. All Scripture is given by inspiration 
of God. All Scripture is profitable for 
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. 
Why? So that you may be thoroughly 
furnished unto every good work. Let the word of Christ dwell 
in you richly. This isn't a 17th century puritanical, 
patristic, reformed emphasis. It is Bible. The scriptures are 
central. The scriptures are normative. 
The scriptures are foundational for the church. Let it dwell 
in you richly each and every day as you search it. Let it 
dwell in you richly when you come to church. May the preaching 
of the Word of God be central. May you not have a Romish altar 
of abominable mass, but may the pulpit be central so that we 
hear from God. That's what Paul is saying. Let the Word of Christ dwell 
in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one 
another. Doesn't necessarily mean in some 
formalized setting. It could be after a sermon. It 
could be when you meet with each other. And it's, wow, I read 
something that was really encouraging. Oftentimes people will go, man, 
that was encouraging. You ask a brother, you ask a 
sister, what's the Lord been teaching you? You know, I saw 
this in my Bible and that was really helpful. Oh, that is helpful. 
Thank you. You see, the Word of God, the 
Word of Christ dwelling in our midst richly with all wisdom, 
setting forth the beauty, the glory, the majesty, the excellency 
of Jesus Christ. And then within the context of 
the church, what are we going to be doing? We're going to be 
singing. We're going to be praising psalms and hymns and spiritual 
songs. You know, there's a temptation 
to de-emphasize the place of singing in the church. There 
is the temptation to relegate singing as sort of the workup 
to the main thing, which is the preaching. But there's also the 
temptation to overemphasize singing, to work ourselves up into some 
sort of an experience wherein we're receptive to God. We need 
to guard against both extremes. We need to see the emphasis laid 
upon this exercise by Christ Himself. We are to sing psalms 
and hymns and spiritual songs. The Church of Christ must be 
marked by doctrinally sound hymns, doctrinally sound psalms, which 
of course they are. We must be marked by singing 
that is God-glorifying, that is God-exalting, that is God-praising. Again, in our hymnody, we're 
not first. There are some hymns, are we singing 
them to God or are we singing them to ourselves? It's all about 
me. In the church, we sing unto Him. 
Just a word about the Psalms. Raymond says something very interesting. He's a hymn singer as well. But 
he says, it will also include, commenting on singing in worship, 
the much neglected singing of psalms, which express the full 
range of human emotions in worship. I dare say you don't find many 
hymns, even in our Trinity hymnal, that are as honest as the Psalter. And by honest, I don't mean those 
guys were lying. What do you find in this altar? 
The psalmist says, I'm a mess. The psalmist says, why are you 
downcast, O my soul? Not many hymns, and certainly 
not many of the choruses that are in use today, are that candid 
Christian experience. For the most part, even the songs 
of lament end on a high note. Is that Psalm 88? Talk about a depressing psalm. 
Thankfully, it's followed by Psalm 89, the covenant psalm. It speaks of our Redeemer. It 
speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ. Psalms singing in the church. 
He says the biblical psalms are realistic in a way that many 
hymns are not and choruses can hardly ever be. They also contrast 
the righteous and the wicked, highlight the conflict between 
them, and thereby encourage a bold, militant spirituality such as 
the Huguenot and Puritan forefathers knew and lived by. There's something 
about it when you read of our Huguenot brothers marching, of 
the Scottish Covenant marching into battle, singing Psalm 68. 
That thrills the militant church. God is with His people. God is 
there, he's present. Gordon Clark, another man who 
sang hymns in the church, says this. Singing hymns does not 
imply that the cheap, catchy ditties of some modern evangelism, 
if it is evangelism at all, are superior to the Psalms of David. 
And a hymn book without a good proportion of Psalms is not fit 
for a church service. There's a robustness. There is 
a militancy, and by militancy I don't mean Islamic militancy, 
where we get guns and shoot people and cut people's heads off. But 
that spiritual militancy of what Paul wrote, the weapons of our 
warfare are not carnal, but they're mighty for the pulling down of 
strongholds. We sing these psalms, we sing these praises to our 
God who hears and He answers the cries of His elect. You get 
that in the Psalter. So we've got the peace of Christ, 
the word of Christ, and he ends with the name of Christ. Again, 
interesting, brethren, for those who were here on Wednesday night, 
what was God's emphasis when you get into Canaan? Delete the 
names of the gods of Canaan, because I'm going to put my name 
there. The name indicates the presence 
and the power of God Most High Himself. This is what we have 
in the church. It is a dominical institution. It is instituted by Christ the 
Lord, the head of the new covenant, the surety of a better covenant. Paul says, whatever you do in 
word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks 
to God the Father through Him. Whatever you do in word or deed. Whether it's putting to death 
the sins of the flesh, putting to death the sins of the tongue, 
putting on these virtues, living in relationship with others, 
conducting yourself in the house of God, in the corporate context 
of His life, whatever it is that you do, do it in the name of 
the Lord Jesus. Moose says, to do all things 
in the name of the Lord Jesus, then, does not mean simply to 
utter Jesus' name. You sort of tack on Jesus name, 
in Jesus name, in Jesus name. Wait a minute. Stop for a moment. 
What are we saying when we say in Jesus name? Is it our hocus 
pocus? Is it our magic? Is it our attendant 
blessing? The thing that we just used to 
Christianize something? Moose says to do all things in 
the name of the Lord Jesus, that does not mean simply to utter 
Jesus name, but to act always in concert with the nature and 
character of our Lord. We see that the name of God, 
various names expressive of who God is, teach us facets concerning 
Him. The name indicates something 
of who He is. And so when we do all things 
in the name of the Lord Jesus, it is consistent with who He 
is. So that when you're called to be forbearing to a brother, 
you do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Like he does when 
you're called to be forgiving to a brother or sister, you do 
it in the name of Jesus. Like he does when you are called 
to let the peace of God rule in your heart, you do it like 
Jesus. You see the flow, the emphasis, 
the thing that Paul is emphasizing here, and he ends with thankfulness 
again. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of 
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 
Thankfulness is a pattern. Thankfulness in the Christian 
life is important. It is a constant recognition 
of the grace-based nature of Christianity. See, whenever we're 
thanking God for our salvation, we are exclaiming, I didn't save 
myself. Whenever we're thanking God for 
the virtues that are operative in our life, we are claiming, 
I didn't put him there. Whenever we thank God for something 
good, we are exclusively attributing to Him That goodness is very 
important. Thankfulness or gratitude in 
the Christian life is a recognition of the grace-based nature of 
the entire scheme. If you are unthankful or thank 
less, repent. Brethren, I hope you see, at 
least up to this point, a well-rounded man of God. Watson has a book, or is it Brooks, 
one of those Puritan brothers, probably Watson. The Godly Man's 
Picture. It's published as a Puritan paperback 
by Banner of Truth. That's right, Watson? Is that 
right? And I love the subtitle Banner 
puts on there. Drawn with a Scripture Pencil. The godly man's picture 
drawn with a scripture pencil. Maybe that was actually Watson 
himself. That's what we have in chapter 3 of Colossians. The 
godly man's picture drawn with a scripture pencil. You say you're 
in Christ. This is what you should look 
like. You say you're in Christ. You should be true of you. Again, 
not perfectly. Get that out of your head. Do 
not think Jim Butler preaches Christian perfection because 
he doesn't. The best of Christians have a 
multitude of issues. And they'll be the first to admit 
it. I remember as a young man, not 
that I'm old now, but younger than I am now, it's kind of weird. You know, this section here, 
you know, just to be biblically honest and realize that Paul 
is dealing with real life sin here, specifically in these sins 
of the flesh that do present temptation. Real issues in the 
lives of men and women. It's not just confined to men. 
You know, as a younger man, realizing or thinking about this one time 
or thinking, you know, do older brothers struggle with this? 
I had coffee with two dear brothers, Peter Tuckroad and Don Hills. 
Retired Baptist pastors. I'm sitting there having coffee. 
These guys in their 80s. And one of them mentioned, maybe 
70s at that time. One of them, I'm looking at Don 
and Joanne because they know them very intimately, these two 
men. Don is now with the Lord. I remember talking with these 
men and one of them said, oh yeah, I heard of, I don't know 
how this came up, but Gandhi reportedly could lay in a bed 
between two women. and maintain faithfulness and 
fidelity. And one of the two, I'm not sure 
which, probably both agreed, oh, he's a stronger man than 
I. Now, I don't think they were actually admitting that if given 
the opportunity, they would do something sinful. I think what 
they were recognizing is something what the disciples recognized 
when Jesus says, one of you at this table is going to betray 
me. What did the disciples say? Is it I? You see, the longer 
you're in Christ, the more you realize you need Christ. The 
longer you know the Gospel, the more you appreciate the Gospel. 
The longer you've bathed in the blood, the more you realize how 
necessary the blood is. You see, for the new believer, 
it's there, it's blessed, there's a zeal. You take a brother, a 
sister, Who's labored, who's persevered, who's walked for 
30, 40, 50, 60 years. You know what their statement 
is? It's nothing but the blood of Jesus. That's Christianity. It's about Christ. It's about 
the cross. Paul sets forth the picture of 
a godly man drawn with a scripture pencil in Colossians chapter 
three. Pray to God Almighty that we 
would pursue these things as individuals and as a church. I don't know if any of you that 
were here on Wednesday night felt a little bit of fear working 
through Deuteronomy 12. I think that's a legitimate feeling, 
a legitimate response. God says, go into the land and 
destroy every remnant of pagan worship, lest, lest You take 
those elements and you come to me in like manner. You're not to worship like the 
pagans. You're not to be Baal worshippers. You're not to work 
yourselves up into a frenzy. Brethren, that approach to God 
smacks of sight. See, we walk by faith, not by 
sight. We believe God is present when 
we sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Whether we're 
flooded with the feelings or not, we believe that when we 
enter into that secret place, our Father who sees in secret 
will hear us. You see, to be grounded upon 
and founded upon by every wave of every experience and every 
emotion. I'm not saying experience and 
emotion is always wrong and it's always bad. But to obey is better. Sacrifice. Do what the Lord calls 
us to. Worship, at least as we see it 
in the New Covenant, is quite simple. It's quite basic. What 
are the primary elements involved here in Colossians chapter 3? Word, prayer, song, and the Trinity. Can't miss the Trinity in the 
passage. Christian worship is specifically and conspicuously 
Trinitarian. We link Colossians 3 next to 
Ephesians 5. We see that the Spirit is active 
in the hearts of people when they're singing and making melody 
in their hearts to the Lord. When they engage in singing songs 
and hymns and spiritual songs, it is wrought by the Spirit in 
them. And then we come to the father 
through the mediation of the son, according to Colossians 
3 17, such that if there is a non Trinitarian who's able to participate 
in Christian worship, there's a problem. We come to the Father 
through the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, bringing 
our psalms, bringing our hymns, bringing our spiritual songs, 
letting the Word of Christ dwell in our hearts richly in all wisdom 
to the praise and to the glory and to the honor of His great 
name. New Covenant worship is beautiful 
in its simplicity. It is beautiful in its spirituality. It is beautiful in its expression 
of faith. Well, there's our godly man's 
picture. I do want to end with a reminder 
for those who aren't godly men. The path to godliness, the way 
to holiness is not by your works, not by your moral reform, not 
by you trying a bit better or doing a lot less or doing a lot 
more, but coming to Him in whom alone there is forgiveness. coming 
to Him in whom alone there is everlasting life. Believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." That is the 
blessing of the Christian gospel. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word and we thank You for this portrait, 
this picture of a godly man drawn with a scripture pencil. We just 
pray, Father in Heaven, that these things would be true of 
us, that the peace of God would rule in our hearts, that it wouldn't 
be just a distant spectator, that that peace would overarch, 
would govern, would function in our hearts in such a way that 
it affects the way we treat others in this body. We pray also, Father, 
that the Word would dwell richly in our hearts, that we would 
love the Scriptures, that we would study the Scriptures, that 
we would avail ourselves of of the preached Word and of those 
times when we get to gather in and admonish one another and 
teach one another. And Father, may we indeed truly 
glorify the name of Jesus. May He be all in all in our local 
church. May He be all in all in our hearts. 
And may He be glorified through the Free Grace Baptist Church. 
And we ask these blessings in His most holy name. Amen.