Fill Up! And Let It Show Col 3:12-17 Read Col 3:12-17

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Fill Up! And Let It Show Col 3:12-17 Read Col 3:12-17 Message title this morning . . . not SNOW Could be titled Dress Up! And Let It Show Put on – some new clothes; beautiful clothes Make a part of yourself; act according to Show the particulars of the new self in v10 Why do little girls like to play dress up? They want everybody to see their beauty and share in their joy So they let it show by parading around and doing a dance Paul is talking about a spiritual game of dress up, but it’s not a game, it’s not pretend . . . It’s real and permanent, for life You’ve changed from who you’ve been, to who God wants you to be . . . You’ve put on a new nature that is biased toward righteousness, like Jesus Let it show Heart felt expression of God’s desire for how we should live and interact together . . . For what should motivate us, and what should fuel our passion It has become my prayer and desire for our church, and I want it to become yours as well I want this passage to frame and describe our church – HBC Let’s make the love of Christ our norm (v12-14) Use love to encompass the entire list of qualities Other-oriented care and concern for one another The basis for the others Binds them all together in perfect harmony It is love that completes these qualities, that governs their use, that fuels them . . . That makes sure they are exercised properly Like an orchestra conductor – without him, there’s chaos and dissonance Without love, your strongest quality is emphasized to the exclusion of a weaker one God intends for these qualities of love to replace the things of sin nature that you put off Intends for them to shine through and show Intends for them to be the habit/norm – to determine how we interact with each other • Starts with a confidence booster Put on then as God’s chosen ones – God’s chosen ones is an allusion to physical Israel . . . God’s chosen people up to that point Paul uses to counter Jewish claim that the Christians weren’t really part of God’s people In fact you are, and that’s the starting point for your behavior: the confidence that they are full participants in the family of God • Gets specific – 6 Qualities of Love Compassion – deep heartfelt pain/pity for the suffering/sorrow of others; a desire to help Guard against a callous disregard Kindness – voluntary words/deeds of good will toward others

Don’t withhold kindness due to competition Humility – honest and accurate estimation of yourself, especially in light of who God is Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought Meekness – power under control Enables you to give feedback that is taken as help and not condemnation Be careful we don’t devastate or crush someone with our position or power Patience, bearing with one another – ability to tolerate being hurt, provoked, or annoyed without complaint Don’t give up on someone or write them off too soon Forgiveness – giving up your right and desire to punish behavior that deserves it Will happen when we value our relationships with each other more than our vindication Recognizing your need to be forgiven Recognizing extent and depth of forgiveness by God Less apt to forgive if don’t realize the extent to which you’ve been forgiven by God Matt 6:15 – If you do not forgive others their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Your lack of forgiveness toward others means you’re harboring sin in your heart God won’t forgive that unless it’s confessed and made right The only way to make the love of Christ our norm here at Harvest is to get on our knees and cry out . . . Oh God, help us! Give us the desire, and strength! Re-centers our heart and mind on you Help us to re-gain perspective – think long term, kingdom picture Let’s continue to thrive as a church by making the love of Christ the norm Let’s make the peace of Christ our goal (v15) We’re called to peace as one close-knit, unified, community of believers . . . Called to it – like the summons for a court appearance; we have to respond Should always be our goal Peace is the unity that results from the love that we show Brings joy, rest, refreshment, happiness, security, growth Let it rule – give it priority, give it first place in our relationships Involves sacrifice of our individual viewpoint sometimes Means disagreeing without being bitter or pouting Supporting decisions you don’t like 3 Barriers to Peace and Unity 1. Skepticism Don’t let your skepticism get in the way of peace and unity You should proceed slowly and carefully when checking out a new church You should have a healthy concern You should do your homework and ask questions or express concerns But you shouldn’t come so skeptical that you look for things wrong Your skepticism will . . . Inhibit the peace and unity you otherwise could have; Diminish your spiritual growth

2. Your thing Don’t let “your thing” get in the way of peace and unity “Harvest better have this, or better not have that” Whatever your thing is, your pet peeve, leave it at the door Some are coming from broken, dysfunctional church situations – leave bags at the door Don’t superimpose your thing, your issue onto a new body 3. Fear Don’t let fear keep you from opening yourself up to the believers You’ve been burnt out, wronged, hurt; you’re wounded Don’t let that keep you from opening up Fear will result in superficiality and stunted growth Ask God to help you get rid of these barriers to peace Ask another brother or sister in Christ to hold you accountable Trust God that he will guide you, take care of you, and protect you Let’s make the peace of Christ our goal Let’s pursue it; rest in it; bask in it Let’s make the truth of Christ our passion (v16) Get it and keep; Soak it up more and more . . . So we can overflow with it in our – instruction of others, concern, worship, thanks Message CD Let’s be passionate about filling up on the truth of Christ – not just on Sundays But individually, and as we get together in small groups Jer 23:29 – Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD? It’s a fire that refines us and makes our passion burn bright Let’s be passionate about overflowing with it Praying it back to God; expressing our hearts desires to him using his Word Making sure the truth of God’s Word permeates all our advice Apart from the truth of God’s Word, we have very little to offer Let’s be passionate about integrating our lives into the truth of Christ, not vice versa Don’t conform the Word of God to your life; conform your life/thinking to the Word Let’s be passionate about moving beyond the milk of God’s Word, and devote ourselves to knowing all of it, more and more Let’s make the truth of Christ show through our passion for God’s Word Let’s make the cause of Christ our foundation (v17) When we do something in Jesus’ name, we’re saying . . . “We’re doing this for Jesus, on his behalf, in his strength, for his purposes or cause” The Cause What is the cause of Christ?

What is the purpose for which he came and died and rose again? The establishment of God’s kingdom (the church), for God’s glory That cause becomes our foundation when we do everything with that in mind There are some who do everything with . . . Sports in mind; Exercise in mind; Drinking; Sex; Work; Boyfriend/Girlfriend Those causes become their foundation in life – the reason they do anything they do Our foundation as a church should be the cause of Christ – the establishment of God’s kingdom for God’s glory Don’t be shy Shouldn’t be bashful about staking our entire life and reputation on the cause of Christ We should let it show There’s so much going on in church world that’s all about method . . . And nothing that acknowledges Jesus Christ and the cause for which he came Example – People interviewed on radio who won’t say “Jesus” God in your heart; Destiny; Pronouns; Everything but Jesus Just say JESUS! For him and his cause to be our foundation . . . Measure every activity, every ministry, every interaction by . . . Contribute to establishing God’s kingdom Bring glory to God Best use of the limited time, effort, and resources God has given us If not, have the courage to stop whatever it is Then follow up by . . . Giving credit where credit is due Openly thanking God, through Christ (everything), for all he accomplishes Let’s make the establishment of God’s kingdom for God’s glory the foundation for everything we do Summary Let’s dress up with the love, peace, truth, and cause of Christ . . . And let it show