So anyways, we're going to look at the corporate conduct of the believer. This morning I alluded to or made mention of the fact that those who confess saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ must conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. Much of our study there in 1 Timothy, especially in chapter 6, focused primarily on Timothy specifically, the man of God, and certainly to the church, but I thought it would be good for us to examine Colossians 3, 12-17, the corporate conduct of the believer, our responsibility with reference to other believers, and our responsibility within the context of the local church. I think 12-14 in the chapter here deals specifically with our conduct or our character towards people in general, And then 15 to 17 deals specifically with reference to the one body alluded to there in verse 15.
So the church, the way we are to carry out ourselves, the way we are to act with one another in the context of the local body. So I'll pick up reading in Colossians 3 at verse 1. It's important to see the flow of the narrative and the context in this setting. If, then, you were raised with Christ, 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. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds. and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him. Where there is neither great nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
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. Amen." Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for Your Word, and we pray now for the ministry of Your Spirit again.
We confess our transgressions and pray for cleansing. We ask that the Spirit would guide us and direct us into a consideration of our corporate conduct toward one another, both on the personal level and with reference to the church gathered. We pray, God, that you would cause us, as a church, to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit. in the bond of peace. Cause us to pursue those things which are pleasing to you and specified in the Holy Scriptures.
There ought never to be a day when the Christian, when the church says, what does God want for us? It is so clearly revealed unto us and we pray that you would give us the mind of Christ so that we may receive these things and act upon them. And we pray through Christ our Lord, Amen."
Introduction
Well the Apostle Paul here in Colossians at this particular point reminds the people of God with reference to their place, their status, their position in the Lord Jesus Christ. He does this in chapter 3 verses 1 to 4. If then you were raised with Christ. He's speaking to people who are justified.
He's speaking to Christians. He's speaking to believers. If then you were raised with Christ, here's the responsibility. Seek those things which are above. where Christ is at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. The reason, verse 3, for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. So it is a particular mindset.
The people of God look to the risen, glorified Savior in order to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with His Word. here on earth. Paul then indicates there are certain things that Christians are to put off. There are vices that must be shunned. That is verses 5 to 11.
He then says there are virtues that are to be put on, verses 12 to 17. He then calls us to be submissive in verses 18 to 41. In our various relationships, we are to submit to one another in a manner that is well-pleasing to God Most High. If you remember a couple of years ago, we surveyed this section and I call it the portrait of a new man.
This is the new man in Christ Jesus, and this is how he is to conduct himself. He puts on vice, he puts on virtue, and he engages in biblical relationships the way that God specifies and spells out in this passage. So again, we're focusing on, first of all, the character of the new man in verses 12 to 14, And then secondly, the corporate conduct of the new man in verses 15 to 17. It may seem a bit of an arbitrary break, but I think, as I said, 12 to 14 are sort of general overall characteristics that we're always to exemplify toward other believers. 15 to 17 seem to bring us into the actual gathered church and our conduct there.
Character of the New Man
So first, note the character of the new man, his identity. Verse 12, therefore, as the elect of God. You see, we do not live apart from that reality. We're not where we're at because of our goodness, because of our wisdom.
As we saw this morning, it is not of flesh and blood that we make this good confession. We are where we are, meaning that we're justified freely by His grace. because of sovereign grace, because of election, because of those truths specified in Ephesians chapter 1. God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless. Paul then says in love God has predestined us unto adoption as sons by Christ Jesus." So we need to remember this.
We are the elect of God. Obviously, Israel of old failed to remember this. This is the whole point with reference to that symbol of the sash. God elected Israel to wrap around His waist, to mediate His glory, to mediate His blessing, to mediate His majesty to the nations around Israel.
They did not conduct themselves as the elect of God. They did not conduct themselves as the prized possession of the God of Israel. That's not to be the case with us. We need to be mindful.
God has chosen us. God has elected us. God has brought us to this position and to this place, and therefore, as the elect of God, we are to pursue these things. Let no one ever say sovereign grace always results in antinomianism or sovereign grace diminishes personal responsibility.
It's just the opposite. Here in chapter 3, verses 12 and following, it is sovereign grace that is the foundation and the reason and the necessity behind pursuing holiness and righteousness and godliness. Therefore, as the elect of God, do these things. Because you are saved by grace, do these things.
You see the contrasting position in every other works righteousness religion. It is do these things in order to be elected. No, God elects us by His grace, brings us into that place of salvation, and then calls us to flesh out Christian ethics in our daily lives as a result of having been justified by His grace. Now notice His character, 12b.
His character, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering. These are the sorts of things we're to put on. These are the sorts of things we are to cultivate. These are the sorts of things we are to develop.
What is the implication? prior to coming out of the darkness into marvelous light, everything about you was just the opposite. Remember, this is the conduct of the new man. The old man is just the opposite. The old man has no tender mercies, the old man has no kindness, he certainly doesn't have humility, he certainly isn't a meek person, and he doesn't have patience or long-suffering.
But as the elect of God, those who've been called out of darkness Those who are in Jesus Christ, these ought to be the things that you're prayerfully seeking to put on. These are the sorts of things that you are certainly trying to imbibe and flesh out. Tender mercies. Tender mercies.
We are to be filled with that Jeremiah-ish spirit. What does Jeremiah say when impending doom is coming upon Jerusalem? He's going to weep. He's going to sorrow.
It's going to affect him. It pains him. He's got tender mercies. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same thing.
He goes to Jerusalem. He weeps over the city. He says, I wanted to gather you under my arms the way that a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you are not willing." It's a city that is consigned to judgment. It's a city that's going to be sacked a generation after his ascension on high.
And nevertheless, he is affected by the reality that these people are going to be doomed. He cries, he weeps, he sheds tears. We see this sort of thing in the Apostle Paul when he's speaking to the elders in Ephesus. He said, I was with you for these three years and I didn't cease to warn you with tears," he says.
Tender mercies. The second thing we are to cultivate is kindness. Kindness. You think, well, these are pretty obvious.
I mean, there's kind pagans, and there's kind idolaters, and there are kind heathens. Kindness is biblically defined. Kindness is that attribute or that virtue where we genuinely do good things for that particular person. I was just speaking to a young man who works for a company, and this company does these acts of kindness in the community.
But when you go do these acts of kindness in the community, you have to wear the company t-shirt. You gotta get credit. Well, is that really kind or is it advertising? I mean, yeah, it's kind.
It's better to do nice things than not. But there's something disingenuous about the whole thing. It's an advertisement for that particular company. It's a, hey, look at the good things that we're doing.
That's not Christian kindness. You don't do it to get something as a result. Paul then says humility. Humility.
Has anyone in this place mastered their pursuit of humility? If you raise your hand, you may exit through the back door. This is a lifelong pursuit. We need to pursue, we need to put on humility.
God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. The Lord God Most High dwells in heaven. Earth is His footstool. The one upon whom he looks is the one who is of a humble and of a contrite spirit and the one who trembles at his word.
There is everything about humility that the Christian ought to pursue. You don't pursue it and brag about it. You don't gain some and brag about it because you're undoing the whole thing itself. We need, as new men and women in Christ Jesus, to cultivate humility.
Meekness. The whole idea of meekness is not doormat. It is, however, giving preference to others. It is imbibing that spirit that we see outlined later in the chapter and we see in the parallel in Ephesians 5, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.
Do not always demand upon your own rights. Do not always put yourself first, but meekness is power under control and you're able and willing to assume a position that is less than your brethren. and then long-suffering. This, again, an identification of his personal character, long-suffering and patience. I'm convinced that if you just drive through Chilliwack on a regular basis, this will help you greatly in your pursuit. of patience.
This is something that mirrors, reflects, and is indicative of our God. He is long-suffering. He is patient, and we, his people, need to be likewise to others.
Community Relationships of the New Man
Now notice his community relationships, the way that he deals with others. These identify his character. Now notice in verse 13 when he bumps shoulders with his brethren, he bears with one another. He's not the short-fused guy that can't handle a little bit of friction.
If you haven't found out yet, in your own family and in your church family, there's going to be friction. Do not have a short fuse. Have a long fuse. Be patient, brethren.
Bear with one another. It is not the case that everybody's always going to treat you as wonderfully as you believe everybody should always treat you. That's just not reality. You need to bear with one another.
You need to be long-suffering in your dealings with one another. Spurgeon well said, if we had bearing and forebearing, we'd be a lot better off in the life of the church. He calls them the two bears. We need to bear with one another, verse 13, and forgiving one another.
If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. You are not to harbor grudges, you're not to hold on to things. If your brethren repent, if they confess their sin, according to the Bible, you're supposed to forgive them. There are things that are involved in this particular aspect of church life, and it is the gospel.
Notice, forgive even as Christ forgave you. The logic seems to be this, if Christ shed his blood and washed you from all of your sins, iniquity, and depravity, then certainly when somebody comes along in the life of the church and they offend you, and then they confess it, forsake it, and repent of it, Don't hold a grudge against them, forgive them. forgive within your families. I can't believe that she sinned against me. Forgive her.
I can't believe that he did this. Forgive them. Brethren, this is the way we are to make it in this lower world, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. This is the petition in the Lord's Prayer.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who are indebted to us. You see, and then Jesus goes on to amplify that particular petition, and he says, if you don't forgive, then you'll not be forgiven. The idea being, those who have been justified freely by God's grace will be forgiving others. If you're not forgiving others, that's an indicator that you're not justified freely by His grace.
You see, it is a fruit, it is a consequence, it is the reality that those who have been forgiven by Christ then in turn forgive others. It's a beautiful thing. That's the character of the new man.
Corporate Conduct of the New Man
Now let us look at his corporate conduct in verses 15 to 17. Three themes emerge in this section. We need to consider the peace of Christ, the word of Christ, and the name of Christ. Note first the peace of Christ in verse, oh I'm sorry, backing up for just one moment.
The Supreme Obligation: Love
His supreme obligation is found in verse 14, "...but above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection." This is the supreme obligation of the Christian man. This is the supreme obligation of the believer in Christ Jesus toward other believers. Yes, you're to exercise a general benevolence to all men. We are to do good to all, the Apostle Paul says in the book of Galatians, especially to those of the household of faith.
So we love all men. The Bible tells us this. Now obviously, there are certain things that go into that consideration, but just dealing with this supreme obligation, we're to love the brethren. Isn't this how John defines or identifies if we passed from death to life?
This is a big test, isn't it? We know that we have passed from death to life if we love the brethren. Now, if I was John, I might have written, we know we've passed from death to life if we can articulate impassibility. We know that we have passed from death to life if we can cite all the chapters in the Confession of Aid.
We know that we have passed from death to life if we show up at every meeting and we have our pencil and we're taking notes and we look alert. That's not what John says. We know that we have passed from death to life if we have love for the brethren. The man who says he loves God and hates his brother is a liar.
It's just the reality of it, the supreme obligation that we find enjoined upon us as new men and new women in Christ Jesus, is to love one another. Isn't this the identifying mark, the badge, if you will, of the Christian Church? You know, you see those stories where the guy whips out his badge, he says, I'm with the FBI, or I'm with the RCMP, or I'm detective so-and-so. What is the badge?
What is the display for the Church? Jesus said, by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. This is the supreme obligation above all these things, and these things are important. Tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another, forgiving one another.
Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Why is this supreme obligation? Because if you have this, love, then all these other things flow as a result of this. If you don't have love, then those things will be absent.
They will be missing. So you love your brethren. And therefore, you conduct yourself the way that God says in these other verses toward that. Because you love, you put on tender mercies.
Because you love, you're kind, you're humble, you're meek, you're long-suffering. Because you love that person, you bear with that. Because you love that person, you forgive that. And because you love God, you seek to do the things that he calls us to do in the context of the local church.
Peace, Word, and Name of Christ
Notice the corporate conduct, peace, word, name.
The Peace of Christ
The peace of Christ, verse 15, let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also you were called in one body and be thankful. You see, the one body here seems to indicate that we've moved from general conduct to believers to the conduct that is necessary in the house of God. The Church. What is to mark our church as?
Peace. Not peace because there's an absence of doctrine, there's an absence of conviction, there's an absence of anything that might possibly be controversial. No, it is a peace that is wrought by the Spirit, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, Paul says in Ephesians 4.1. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body.
Have you ever been in a church where peace has been absent? Have you ever been in a church where peace is lacking? Have you ever been in a church where there is turmoil and infighting and all kinds of problems, and these things that are specified in the text are absent? Is that a pleasant place to go to?
Are you happy, refreshed, and joyful when you come away from that? Or your guts are in knots, your heart is in turmoil, and you hate the reality that we can't get along together? Paul says, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Brethren, we can cultivate peace because the thing that brings us together in unity together is the peace of God given to us in justification.
Remember Romans 5.1, Paul says, therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. So you see, the idea seems to be that when you get a handful of people that are justified by faith, and then you put them in a room together, they don't kill each other. They don't cut each other's throats. They don't backbite.
They don't slander. They don't gossip. They don't engage in contentiousness. They don't engage in chaos and confusion.
They don't engage in pursued disharmony. The idea seems to be that because we've been justified vertically, now we have peace with God, and therefore that peace can radiate amongst our churches. That peace that Jesus spoke of in John 14, 27. 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. Notice in our text, let the peace of God rule in your heart. It ought not just to make an occasional visit.
It ought not just to fill a spot on a Sunday morning. It ought not to just make a casual acquaintance in the context of God's people. The reality is that this word, 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. John Eady said it was not merely to have existence.
Peace is not merely to have existence in the context of the church, but it was to exercise supreme command. This is the emphasis in verse 15. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called, in one body, and be thankful. Now, we ought to qualify this.
The pastor's preaching heresy. Don't say, well, for the sake of peace, I'm just gonna, you know, knuckle under and bear it. No, if the pastor stands up and he denies the divinity of Jesus Christ, it is not an attack or a breach upon this verse to take him aside and say, you know, pastor, you just preached Christ as a creature. Perhaps it was a mistake.
Maybe you messed up. Can you please qualify what you meant? No, I believe that Christ is a creature. You go tell someone else and you bring it.
That's not a breach of peace. That is, to maintain the truth that is absolutely necessary in the context of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. A pursuit of peace is, however, requisite among the people of God. This is what Paul says, "...to which also you were called in one body." The Church is one body.
The people of God have been called to salvation. and they've also been called to function in peaceful harmony with one another. I mean, I gotta tell you, it is so much more blessed to have peace in the context of a Sabbath day worship than to have disharmony, or disunity, or a lack of peace. Brethren, this is something that, as Paul says, we need to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It is something to prize, and to value, and to cherish, and to praise God, and be thankful for.
F.F. Bruce says strife inevitably results when men and women are out of touch with Him who is the one source of true peace. That's perceptive. You're not going to have peace horizontally when you don't have peace vertically.
That's the emphasis in Romans 5. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. Yeah, we have peace with God. Now we have the means to have peace with one another.
You've got a bunch of people that have peace with God that sit with one another. Certainly they ought to be able to have peace with each other. We have that common unity. We have that common bond, that identifying mark.
Strife inevitably results when men and women are out of touch with him who is the source or the one source of true peace. But 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. There's no reason for it. There shouldn't be disharmony.
There shouldn't be this breach. There shouldn't be this confusion and this chaos. It results because we do not let the peace of God rule in our hearts." You ever met those people that just for whatever reason don't like it when there's peace? It's always got to be controversial.
It's always got to be, you know, up here and fighting and content. Just chill out. Back it down. Enjoy peace.
Relax. Enjoy the harmony. Praise God we don't have Muslims coming over the fence to cut our heads off. I mean, praise the Lord most high.
And then we get these first world problems that really just bug us and affect us so much. Perhaps it's good for us to consider what is going on in the rest of the world. and then perhaps we won't be so petty and breach the peace that is supposed to rule in our hearts." He then says, thankfulness. Be thankful. Be thankful.
Moose says, believers who are full of gratitude to God for his gracious calling will find it easier to extend fellow believers the grace of love and forgiveness and to put aside petty issues that might inhibit the expression of peace in the community. Blessed thing. Let peace rule in your hearts. Be thankful.
When you're thankful, what happens? You let peace rule in your hearts. When you let peace rule in your hearts, guess what? You're thankful.
When you're thankful, you let peace rule in your hearts. I could say that ten more times, but I think you probably get it. You see, these things work in union, they work in harmony, they work in conjunction. And the church that does not pursue these things, does not achieve them.
And we ought not to be that way.
The Word of Christ
Secondly, the Word of Christ. Notice, 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. Now, this text in the New King James seems to indicate that the way that we teach others is through singing.
There seems to be validation to that particular interpretation when we look at Ephesians 5.19. But the grammar in this passage, I think, is better captured by the ESV. And what happens in the ESV is this, let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. That's the over-emphasis... writing concern, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, comma, and then singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
The new King James seems to envision that as we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs we are thereby teaching one another. I think there is a truth to that, again especially in light of Ephesians 5.19, but the grammar here in Colossians 3 seems to indicate that the ESV got it more accurate. What we have is, let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. Because the Word of Christ dwells in us richly, we will teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.
We'll look at that in just a moment. Because the Word of Christ dwells in us richly, we not only teach one another, or teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, but we also sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, again with thankfulness in your hearts. Now what does it mean to let the Word of Christ dwell in our hearts richly? It means that you need to take it in.
It means that you come to preaching, or you listen to preaching, or you listen to Bible study. There is a corporate element. The Bible sees, and the Bible envisions, and the confessions of faith see, this emphasis on the public means. God is well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." The last statement Paul gave to Timothy in terms of an official capacity responsibility was to preach the word.
Be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering. Brethren, Spurgeon could fall out of heaven. Calvin could occupy a pulpit in Abbotsford. John Knox could thunder again in Vancouver.
But if no one's there to hear them, what good does it do? What good does it do? The tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? Or nobody's there to hear it, does it make a sound?
What's the sound of one hand clapping? Real philosophical here. It doesn't just happen. You ever meet those people, wow, I really want to know more about the Bible.
I got a zany idea, read it. I want to know more theology, show up. I want to grow in my understanding of doctrine. There are plenty of means available for you.
If you are wondering, just ask. Click here, look at that, read this, and go. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Richly, not just a little bit, not just a little piece.
The word must saturate the heart of men. Corporately, be in the public means of worship. Do not absent yourself when preaching is going on or teaching is being conducted. Be there and listen and take notes and drink it in or whatever.
But as well privately. That man in Psalm 119, David, verses 9 to 16, I think sets a paradigm for personal or individual or private Bible study. Psalm 119, verses 9 to 16. Sometimes one of the complaints against us Reformed, at least Reformed Baptists, well, you put all this emphasis on the public preaching of the Word.
Can't people read their Bibles in private? Yes, absolutely, they should read their Bibles. No Reformed Baptist I've ever met says it's only the public ministry of the Word. No, it's the public ministry, it's the private ministry.
I think the two benefit from one another. If you are actually doing your Bible study in a given day, through the week, when you come to church, you're more ready to receive the Word of God. The Word of God preached on the Lord's Day may hopefully help you in your own personal times of study and reflection and contemplation. It isn't as if there's this contrast, it's there's a conjunction, the two work together.
Those people that say, all that emphasis upon the public means. Well, I'll just read my Bible on my own and I'll get holy. Well, then I suggest you read your Bible the way this brother does. Notice Psalm 119, 9.
How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to your word. Now, what does taking heed according to your word look like, David? Well, I'm going to tell you.
Verse 10, with my whole heart I have sought you. Oh, let me not wander from your commandments. Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your statutes.
With my lips I have declared all the judgments of your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and contemplate your ways. I will delight myself in your statutes.
I will not forget your word. Now there's a great example of what personal Bible study ought to look like. When you do that, praise God. That is a pursuit of letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly with all thankfulness.
Singing Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
Notice he goes on singing in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. You see, I think there's two errors we can fall into when it comes to corporate worship singing. we can overemphasize it or we can underemphasize it. Overemphasize is an hour long singing time and people are just enjoying the tunes and going through it and going for it and then like a five or ten minute preaching time. They call it the hour-long singing worship, and then we have sort of this Bible time.
Well, this preaching of God's Word is an act of worship in every bit as much as the singing of psalms and hymns and spiritual song. So we don't want to overemphasize, but we don't want to underemphasize as well. I don't know about you, but I thought those were good hymn choices tonight. Isn't it great to sing 219?
I mean, that's Revelation 5. I mean, I hope that's what you think. You think Throne Room of Heaven when we sing that hymn, 219. 457, O thou from whom all goodness flows. I mean, who can sing that without being happy there in Jesus?
And then 599. I mean, if that's not our future opened up in Him, I don't know what is. It's a beautiful display of Christian doctrine, Christian truth, emphasizing the reality that our God has saved us and there is movement toward heaven. Singing is important in the life and context of the church.
And the Apostle stipulates psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Now there are brethren that believe that we are only to sing the psalms. And I personally think we ought not to discard their arguments so quickly. In other words, they have some weight in terms of their understanding.
One thing I'm not prepared to do at this particular point is embrace that position wholly, but at the same time I think psalm singing is crucial to the health and life and balance of the Church of Christ. Listen to two quotes. Robert L. Raymond said this concerning psalm singing.
Commenting on singing in worship, it will also include the much neglected singing of psalms. Isn't that the case? I mean thankfully we have a Psalter and we try to work them in. We've got hymns in our hymn book that are actually Psalms that have been reworked or retooled a little bit and they find themselves in a hymn book.
But I think Raymond's right. Outside of the Reformed tradition, certainly within the Dutch Reformed, psalms only. They use the Psalter, they use that particular songbook. Raymond says it will also include, speaking about singing in worship, it will also include the much neglected singing of psalms, which express the full range of human emotions in worship.
I think this is something we need to appreciate. We have this idea that repeating the same thing about Jesus 15, 20, 25, 35 times is a way to express ourselves. May I suggest Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 as a way to express ourselves? Why are you cast down, O my soul?
What hymn writer writes hymns like that? What hymn writer actually laments in a hymn? What hymn writer actually identifies the stark contrast between the righteous and the wicked? What hymn writer actually calls upon God to visit with judgment and punishment the enemies of Jehovah?
Hymn writers don't typically do that. He says, which express the full range of human emotions in worship. The biblical Psalms are realistic in a way that many hymns are not, and choruses can hardly ever be. Again, if you read the Psalms, you'll know this is true.
Aren't the Psalms real? You say, yeah, they're right there in my Bible. I know, I'm not talking existentially. I'm talking about practically.
You get the whole range of realistic emotion. The psalmist doesn't hide the fact that he's struggling. I mean, Asaph goes so far as to say, God is good to Israel to such as do His will. But as for me, my foot nearly slipped.
Could you imagine Asaph in a modern prayer meeting saying, could y'all pray for me? Why, Asaph? Because I was walking down the street and I saw that the righteous flourish, or the righteous suffer and the wicked flourish, and it pained me. It hurt.
I wondered why. God is good to Israel, to such who are upright in heart. Why is it that the righteous are suffering? Why is it?
That's the tenor of Psalm 73, "...until I went into the sanctuary of the Lord." Then I understood. God has set them in a slippery place. God is going to bring judgment upon them. There's a realism in the Psalms of Asaph, not especially, but as well, that you typically don't find.
Psalm 88, read that sometime. Most every psalm that I know of ends on a happy note. Not Psalm 88, sad. All the way through, it ends sad.
But then comes Psalm 89, the covenant psalm. God's grace, mercy, and blessing in that covenant He makes with His Son. Brethren, I think Raymond's right. 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.
Gordon Clark says, 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." So Psalms, excuse me, hymns and spiritual songs. As the Word of Christ dwells in us richly, we teach and admonish brethren, we sing in an informed and intelligent manner to the living and true God. And this is the emphasis in this passage.
The Name of Christ
And then finally, the name of Christ, verse 17. In case the instructions before this are not complete or comprehensive, Paul now says, "...and whatever you do." Whatever you do. He's given very specific direction to the church with reference to this pursuit of peace and this Word of Christ richly dwelling in their hearts. And then in verse 17, "...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." Again, Douglas Moos says, "...to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, then, does not mean simply to utter Jesus' name, but to act always in concert with the nature and character of our Lord." People can utter Jesus' name.
Have you ever gotten a particularly nasty email and they sign off, in Christ, or in Jesus? It just doesn't feel right. He just tore me apart. In love, in Christ, it just doesn't feel legit.
People can do this in Jesus' name, in Jesus' name. It's not the recitation of His name. Moose says it does not mean simply to utter Jesus' name, but to act always in concert with the nature and character of our Lord. And he ends on that note of giving thanks to God the Father.
That is a replete theme in Colossians 1, 3, 1, 12, 2, 7, 3, 15, 3, 17, 4, Thanksgiving is a recurring theme in the book of Colossians.
Application
So the portrait of a new man developed in Colossians 3 by the Apostle Paul. He sets his mind on things above where Christ is. He puts off sins of the flesh and sins of the tongue. He puts on virtues consistent with the Lord Christ.
He is governed by the peace of Christ, fills himself with the word of Christ, and does everything in the name of Christ in a spirit of thankfulness. I think that is an accurate, at least summary statement of the teaching of Colossians chapter 3. As well, the peace of Christ, we ought to pursue that in our context. We ought to pursue peace in the church at all costs.
Not, again, compromising truth or anything like that. We're going to lie so that we can keep the peace. No, we don't sin in order to preserve peace. But as far as we are able, as far as it depends upon us, Paul says, be at peace with all men.
That's in a generic, general context with reference to people out there. If that's the case, as far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all believers. Pursue peace. Pursue those things.
And then finally, the indwelling Word of Christ. MacArthur makes an interesting observation when we set this side by side with Ephesians 5. In Ephesians 5, the filling of the spirit precedes the speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. It's not here in Colossians.
It doesn't mean the concept or the theme is absent. You know, writing to different audiences, different emphases. But the same idea in terms of singing psalms, hymns, spiritual songs. In the Ephesians passage, the spirit comes first.
MacArthur says, the Holy Spirit fills the life controlled by His Word. This emphasizes that the filling of the Spirit is not some ecstatic or emotional experience, but a steady controlling of the life by obedience to the truth of God's Word. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Pray the Holy Spirit to take that truth, to screw it into your own heart, so that you may help and teach and admonish one another.
This doesn't mean that every time a brother says, wow, I've got an issue in my life. Well, open your Bible to Colossians 3, because I've got three points for you. Don't be that guy. The teaching and admonishing isn't necessarily in a formal manner.
Well, I'm glad you're struggling because I've got a five-point sermon for you. That's not what Paul means, teaching and admonishing one another. He means have Scripture dwelling in your heart so you can exhort, encourage love on a brother with the word of truth. Now, there are times, let's open to Colossians, let's open to Ephesians, let's open to Deuteronomy.
That's fine and consistent, but when a brother has had a tough go at something, he's sorrowing over something, he doesn't need your ten principles on how to navigate himself out of this hole. come alongside of him, hug him, hold him, give him some scripture, teach him and admonish him in that setting and in that context. Well those are some things that I hope and pray will be of help to us in our pursuit of this conduct that is for God's people as a result of God's grace in our lives. Well let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for your word and we pray that you would cause us to let the word of Christ dwell in our hearts richly, in all wisdom. Help us to be teachers and admonishers of one another, not necessarily in a formal sense, but informally loving and encouraging and seeking to build one another up in our most holy faith. As well, as we gather together on the Lord's days, may our singing of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs be for your glory, and may it be for your honor, and may it do genuine good to our hearts and our souls and our minds as we sing sound doctrine back to our living and true God. and give us grace to pursue the virtues specified in the earlier portion, help us to be a kind, a gentle, a people full of tender mercies and long-suffering. And we ask now that you would go with us, watch over us in this coming week, grant us grace, Father, to live in a manner that is consistent with your word.
And we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.