Colossians 3:12-14

Please turn with me, if you're not already there, to Paul's letter to the church at Colossae, chapter 3.

Let's see.

Their first day of classes is August 17th, which means we'll likely see a lot of that crew come back on the 16th and the week following.

So I had every intention of wrapping it up.

In fact, originally verses 5 through 17, I had intended to preach in just two weeks.

So this is now week 3, and obviously next week, Lord willing, will be week 4, and then we'll move on into verse 18 beyond that.

Not the best laid plans of mice and men.

This morning for two reasons.

I think it's right and proper to just address verses 12, 13, and 14.

The first of which being, I am sick and tired, but not in a literal, excuse me, not in a metaphorical sense, but in a literal sense.

My little one, three years old, has a head cold, and I think it's coming on me now.

I woke up this morning feeling quite under the weather.

And we're wrapping up the wedding season.

Officiated my fourth wedding since May yesterday.

I finished premarital counseling for six couples just this past week.

And I'm beat.

Weddings are fantastic.

They are great and glorious and enjoyable, but they are also exhausting.

So I am sick and tired, literally, this morning.

Secondly, there is a lot to consider in these texts.

Certainly, thematically, they hold together.

We can see verses 5-11 being this expression of those things that we should be putting off our old self.

These activities that shouldn't exist amongst those who claim the name of Christ.

In verses 12-17, those things that we put on, that we exchange instead.

So thematically, they hold really well.

And we can see the primary exhortation of the text in the last part of verse 9 and the first part of verse 10.

Where Paul says,

It's seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self.

Previously in 3-3, he says,

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

We have been made new in Christ.

And so it's proper that we put off the old self.

It's stated in the negative.

Stop doing these things.

That we put on.

We clothe ourselves differently now.

Stated in the positive.

Rather, we ought to live this way.

Sort of put off the old self.

Verse 5,

Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you.

Here, not literally.

Which is where I looked in my notes when I said not literally earlier.

Not literally, but figuratively.

Mortify sin in your life.

And verse 8,

But now you must put them all away.

And Paul gives us these two lists,

which are not exhaustive lists of all sin,

but they're sins that relate to how we deal with one another.

They're sins of unrighteous love and sins of unrighteous hate.

Stop functioning together in this way,

but rather put on the new self.

Verse 10,

And have put on the new self,

which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

I made the case to you last week that our sanctification,

our perfection in Christ is a progressive process.

It's something that's being accomplished in us.

That we have been made new and that we are being made new.

So as we look at these kinds of exhortations in the Scripture,

if we're really honest with ourselves,

none of us live to this standard,

but yet we should.

Don't deny the fact, the reality,

that in Christ we ought to live this way,

but we recognize that we are being,

by one degree after another,

being made into this image.

We rightly see these things and recognize what righteous looks like.

The right way in which we ought to live in Christ.

And we recognize rightly then,

sin.

You see that in verse 10,

he says that we have put on the new self.

This is a snapshot of a completed event.

It's the aorist verb tense.

This is what it means.

It's been accomplished.

And then just beyond this,

he says,

which is being renewed.

And it's being renewed in this way,

by the power of the Spirit,

in knowledge.

That we know how it is we ought to live.

That we meditate on that.

That we function out of the realities

of who God is to us in Christ

in order to accomplish these things.

And we're being made into the image of its,

and they're referring to the new self creator.

We're being made into the image of Jesus Christ.

I was thinking a little bit about that today

and what that looks like in our lives.

And it caused my mind to think about

when you have a brand new baby,

and so many people,

particularly women,

try to figure out who that baby looks like.

I've heard this.

I know, oh, he looks so much like.

Babies don't really typically look like anybody.

They look like themselves.

And I don't understand

how my boys look so much like.

Maybe that's insulting.

I don't know.

Maybe it's a compliment.

Babies are awfully cute.

I'm not sure.

Sometimes a baby really looks like

their father or mother,

but in most cases,

they really don't.

But as they grow,

and as they get older,

they do begin to take on

more and more of those features.

A wonderful example

for my five-year-old Cade

is that he sadly, unfortunately,

inherited my double crown,

the two cowl.

I don't know if you've ever noticed

this about myself.

But it's horrible,

and it's really hard to comb your hair

when your hair's doing that in the back,

and the poor boy's hair does the same.

But when he was born,

he had this cute little fuzzy head.

Right?

We're to look more and more like Christ,

although it's a positive in this case,

and Cade and mine,

it's a negative thing,

but we're to look more like Jesus

by degree after degree after degree.

This is the work of the Christian life

and the way in which the Spirit works in us.

And he begins to talk about this new self

and the way in which we will be changed

in what seems like such a peculiar way

in verse 11.

He says,

here in this new self,

there is not Greek and Jew,

circumcised, uncircumcised,

barbarian, Scythian, slave-free,

but Christ is all and in all.

And in this culture of this day,

there were so many barriers,

just like there are today.

Maybe even more strictly drawn up in theirs.

There were ethnic barriers

between the Greeks and the Jews.

Religious barriers between those

who were circumcised and uncircumcised.

And I mean by religious,

the outward trappings of religion,

not the true devotion to God.

There were cultural barriers

between the barbarians,

the Scythians,

and those who were educated.

Social barriers between slave and free.

And what Paul is saying is that

for those who have placed their faith

in Jesus Christ,

Christ should be everything.

Christ is all.

It's a reality that we should function out of.

And He's in all.

So we have this wonderful commonality

between us.

Apart from our backgrounds,

apart from our ethnicity,

apart from the culture that we grew up in,

we have a wonderful, wonderful commonality

in Christ.

And so today,

our verses will be

verses 12 through 14.

And I want to read those to us

just again to get them on our minds,

if only for my benefit.

Paul writes,

Put on then,

as God's chosen ones,

holy and beloved,

compassionate hearts,

kindness,

humility,

meekness,

and patience,

bearing with one another,

and if one has a complaint against another,

forgiving each other

as the Lord has forgiven you,

so you also must forgive.

And above all these,

put on love,

which binds everything together

in perfect harmony.

And let me remind you

that this is God's Word to us.

It has bearing and meaning on our day.

It's written for His glory

and for our good

and that we would all do well

to listen to it

in order to believe its promises

and obey its commands.

I, and I hope you appreciate

and join with me in this,

I am so thankful

for the Word of God.

This past week,

on our family day,

which is on Tuesday,

I was playing with Judah,

our three-year-old,

in the woods,

and we found a millipede,

those big, fat millipedes.

They're kind of gray

and they've got cool red lines on them.

And I've touched them before,

but I've never like agitated

one of them.

But this one kept trying

to go into the leaves

and I wanted Judah to see it,

so I kept pulling it back

out of the leaves.

Don't agitate a millipede

because it secreted

this yellow gunk

all over my thumb

and my pointer finger

on this hand,

which just smelled horrible.

It had a very thick ammonia

kind of a smell to it,

like burned my nose

when I smelled it.

And shortly after,

I washed my hands,

but shortly after,

it turned my finger

and my thumb maroon.

And I showed it to Sam

and she was very concerned,

like, is it hurt?

Like, what's going on

with your finger?

And I just really wasn't sure.

Didn't seem to be any real issue.

I don't know if anybody,

you can't see my thumb from there.

Maybe some of you

on the front row.

I still have some maroon

under my thumbnail

from this goo

that was on my finger.

And this world,

the temporal part of our world,

doesn't really come

with a manual, does it?

Certainly if I had

done a quick Google search,

I would have found out

I shouldn't touch the millipede.

But these things

that have temporal bearing

and temporal nature,

there's not really a book

that we can be handed

that tells us

how we ought to live

in relation to the world

in those temporal ways,

but we have been given a book

that tells us

how we ought to live spiritually.

In those things

that have eternal weight

and matter,

what a precious,

precious thing this is.

That if we are to be renewed

degree by degree

to look more like Christ,

that this is the great call

on the Christian life

for the sake of His name,

we've been given a book.

It shows us how

we ought to do it

and we ought to treasure it

much more than we do.

Main point for today,

there's only one,

and that is

Christian people

will be distinguished

by the way they live

in relation to one another.

Christian people

will be distinguished.

We will look different

by the way we live

in relation to one another.

If the affection of your heart

says Christ is all,

and oh, I hope that it does.

I hope that is the cry

and the longing of your heart.

Christ is all.

Christ is everything to me.

Then you will live differently

as you relate to other people

who say the very same thing.

Remember what Paul is saying here.

He's saying in relation

to one another,

we're to put to death

those things

that cause enmity between us

and we're instead

meant to live in this way.

All of those barriers,

all of those cultural,

social, ethnic barriers

have been torn down in Christ.

So live like this.

And he begins by rooting that

in our very character,

who we are now as God's people.

Verse 12, he says,

put on then,

put on then,

as God's chosen ones,

holy and beloved.

In Christ, we are holy.

Right?

That's that completed act.

We have been made perfect in Christ.

When God looks at us,

He sees Jesus.

We have been given,

we've been imputed

Jesus Christ's righteousness.

Right?

So we should continue in that.

We should stand in that.

This is our status in God.

We are beloved.

We are loved by Him.

And we are chosen in Him.

This speaks of who we are.

Not differing in degree,

but in type.

It speaks of who we are,

but more importantly,

it reminds us of who made us

who we are.

See that we are chosen ones

and we're holy and beloved,

but so importantly,

we are God's chosen ones.

Holy and beloved.

If you are in Christ,

if you have placed faith in Him,

this is a great work of God Almighty.

He has birthed this in you.

He has caused you to believe

in Jesus Christ's person and His work.

It is His doing,

and therefore,

the completion of what He intends

to accomplish with you

is sure.

What a precious promise

is found in this little phrase,

God's chosen ones.

Holy and beloved.

Turn with me, if you will,

to 1 John 2.

See a bit of a parallel text here

that drives the point

that because of now who we are,

we will live in a particular way.

Our obedience is a response

to the grace of God in Christ

on our behalf.

1 John 2.

And I'm going to begin reading in verse 28.

And now, little children,

abide in Him,

so that when He appears,

we may have confidence

and not shrink from Him

in shame at His coming.

If you know that He is righteous,

there's His work,

you may be sure that everyone

who practices righteousness

has been born of Him.

See what kind of love

the Father has given to us,

that we should be called

children of God,

and so we are.

The reason why the world

does not know us

is that it did not know Him.

Beloved, we are God's children now.

So there's this status change for us.

Enemies of God,

now children of God.

John goes on to write

in verse 9 and 10,

No one born of God

makes a practice of sinning,

for God's seed abides in Him,

and He cannot keep on sinning,

because He has been born of God.

By this it is evident

who are the children of God

and who are the children of the devil.

Whoever does not practice righteousness

is not of God,

nor is the one

who does not love

his brother.

So you see that there's this status change,

and it causes us to live

in a different way.

And if we don't,

if we're not about the practice

of righteousness,

but we're instead about

the practice of sinning,

it's indicative of who we are.

Pears don't grow on apple trees.

Only apples grow on apple trees.

And as such,

when we've had this status change,

sin is part of a believer's past.

Verse 7 of chapter 3 in Colossians,

In these,

you too once walked

when you were living in them.

The last part of verse 9,

Seeing that you have put off

the old self

with its practices.

It's once who we were,

but it is no longer

who we are

if we have placed faith

in Christ.

And Paul is driving this point

that this has to do with

how we relate

to one another.

And beloved,

we don't do this well.

There are so many things

about our church

that are healthy,

and we probably do this

better than many.

But you need to hear

what Paul is trying

to communicate

about the way in which

we should relate

to one another.

And I think one of the great

cultural challenges to this

is that so many of us

think of the church

as something that is

outside of us.

It is an institution.

It is a thing that we attend

rather than who we are.

If you are in Christ,

you are the church.

We go on existing

apart from this piece of property

and from this building,

praise God.

We continue to exist

without a name

or a website

or any contact info whatsoever.

The church is us.

It is people.

If you have a favorite restaurant,

I would not expect you

to know everybody

who works at that restaurant.

I wouldn't expect you

to know the owner.

It doesn't really matter

if you know the owner or not,

if you enjoy the food.

You don't have to know

the chef who cooks

the food for you.

You never relate

to the other patrons.

You don't come in and go,

isn't this the best restaurant ever?

You go in,

you enjoy the company

that came with you,

you get up,

and you leave,

and that is fine

and acceptable.

Sam and I went to a restaurant

down in Gwinnett

close to a large building

where a congregation meets.

And we ran into

while we were eating,

there were so many people

that we knew from our past.

Like I ran into my health teacher

from the seventh grade.

We're just running into people we knew.

It was the weirdest evening.

And most of them,

Sam would ask,

where are you attending church now?

Who are you fellowshipping?

And they all had the same answer.

But as we watched them

go to eat their meals,

none interacted with one another.

All of them professed to be

part of a fellowship

of Jesus Christ together

and yet had no relationship.

None whatsoever.

Or they all hated each other

or were ignoring each other.

One of the two.

Both sin.

This shouldn't be so amongst us.

I will fight and fight

and fight and fight

for that not to be the case

amongst us.

We are the church

and we're meant to live

in a very particular way

with one another.

And this is God's design

for the advancement of His gospel.

This is a primary way

in which His glory is proclaimed

in this world.

The way we relate

to one another.

Look at some of the things

that He says.

And I'm not going to develop

all of these out.

Each of these could be

a week of a sermon.

But look what He says

that we're meant to be doing together.

The things we're meant to put on

as God's chosen ones.

His holy and His beloved.

Compassionate hearts.

Compassionate hearts.

Love characterized by mercy.

That looks at an individual

and your heart breaks

for them

and the situation

that they're in.

And every single one of us

has something happening

in our lives

that should be causing

heartbreak

in the life of somebody else.

We're all hurting.

We're all dealing with stuff.

So we're to have

compassionate hearts

for one another.

Merciful hearts.

We should put on

kindness.

Which means

gracious acts

of goodness.

That we care for one another

to the degree

that we serve one another.

That we maybe as

Romans 12 suggests

that we compete

to outdo one another

in showing honor

and serving each other

in this way.

We're to put on

humility.

Which means that we recognize

who we are

apart from Jesus Christ.

Christ.

Wretched thing

that I am

apart from Jesus.

I have been given grace

in abounding measure.

I deserve nothing

that I have.

And yet,

so often we act

like we deserve

everything

that the world

has to offer.

We are to be

humble.

Paul writes in

Philippians 2

Philippians 2:3

verses 3 and 4

do nothing

from selfish ambition

or conceit.

So here's the

stated in the negative.

This is the activity

of the person

who's not humble.

Operating out of

selfish ambition

and conceit.

But,

in humility,

count others

more significant

than yourselves.

Let each of you

look not only

to his own interests

but also

to the interests

of others.

We're to put on

humility.

We're to put on

meekness.

gentleness.

A synonym for this

kind of

is gentleness.

But in the Greek

it means a bit

more than that.

It's a person

that's not

gentle by

lack of strength

but a person

who has strength

and bridles

that strength

appropriately.

Jesus Christ

is the most

wonderful example

of this

as he is

of all

righteous

characteristics.

You see him

as we work

through Mark

recently.

Stilling storms

by his voice.

Commanding the

waves and they

stop casting

out demons.

Pulling no

punches with

the Pharisees.

Fierce in the

way that he

dealt with the

world and sin.

And then you

see him inviting

little children

to come and

sit on his lap.

To me there's

nothing more

precious than

some of the

big strong men

of our church

and the way

they hold

their little

babies.

Stan Luttrell

breaks my

heart sometimes

as big and

strong as he

is in the

way he's so

tender with

his youngest

daughter.

This is a

picture of

meekness.

Jesus Christ

on the cross

is the highest

example of it.

Having the

power, being

God himself,

to just go

ahead and say

you know what

we're not doing

the cross thing.

I'm just going

to go ahead

and judge and

destroy the earth

now.

And yet he

took it for

our sake.

This is that

picture of

meekness.

We're to put

on meekness.

We're to put

on patience.

Not to be

quick tempered.

We're to be

patient with

one another.

Because God

bears with

us.

Just consider

that for a

moment.

Think about

the people that

tend to annoy

you, that you

have a hard

time being

patient with,

and then take

on their

characteristic.

Am I ever

that way

toward God?

And the answer

is a resounding

yes, you are

that way

toward God.

And yet, he

is patient

with us.

Ever loving.

Verse 13

goes on to

kind of work

some of this

out.

So what is that

going to look

like?

If we're going

to have these

kinds of

qualities and

characteristics,

what is this

going to look

like in our

dealing with

one another?

And Paul

says we are

to bear with

one another.

And if we have

a complaint against

another, that

we're to

forgive one

another.

We're to

bear with

one another.

And this

means that

it's going to

be challenging

to do this.

Paul's not

here promising

that you just

join a church

and it's easy.

It's all

wonderful and

everything is

slick.

That you're

never going

to have any

personality

conflict with

somebody else.

That you're

not going to

butt heads

over some

issue in

the church.

But here

we're to

bear with

one another.

And this is

a great

English

translation.

That idea

that comes

up in

our minds

of just

dealing with

somebody is

exactly what's

being communicated

here.

Because Christ

is all.

Because He's

redeemed the

souls of His

people, we

are to bear

with one

another.

We're to

work through

those challenges

of our

relationship

because Christ

is all.

Because He

loves His

church.

And as

such, so

are we.

Far too

many people

are looking

for the

peaceful

place to

go.

I have

been to

churches and

it just

makes me

sick the

false

kindness that

goes around

in those

churches.

It's just

fake and you

can feel the

tension in

the church.

The good

morning brother,

how are you?

And behind

the scenes a

person is

saying I

don't care

at all.

In fact,

it would

be okay with

me if you

went someplace

else.

There's a

bitterness that

broods in

a lot of

churches because

people just

don't like

one another.

And this is

not the

activity of a

person who

believes that

Christ is

all and

that He is

in all.

We're to

bear with

one another.

Turn to

Ephesians

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4.

Beginning in

verse 1.

I

therefore,

a prisoner for

the Lord,

urge you to

walk in a

manner worthy

of the calling

to which you

have been

called because

of who you

are in

Christ.

Verse 2.

With all

humility and

gentleness,

with patience,

this sounds

familiar,

doesn't it?

Bearing with

one another

in love.

Eager to

maintain the

unity of the

Spirit in

the bond of

peace.

Catch what

Paul is saying

to us there,

that we have

a unity.

We have the

unity of the

Spirit because

Christ is all

and He is in

all.

Therefore,

we have a

unity.

This wonderful

commonality that

we all possess.

And yet,

we're to work.

We're supposed

to work that out.

We're supposed

to bear with

one another in

love.

We're supposed

to be eager

to maintain

that because

of what Christ

has done

for us.

So we're to

bear with one

another.

And if one

has a complaint

against another,

we're to forgive

each other.

You all don't

know that I

know most of

the things that

go on in our

church and

amongst our

people.

people.

I don't step

into the middle

of many

situations because

it's honestly

just not my

place.

I like to let

you guys work

your stuff out

on your own.

I have heard

on many

occasions little

comments like,

oh, well,

he doesn't

really like

him.

That is not

okay in our

congregation.

Hear me

clearly saying to

you, it's not

okay for you

to live that

way.

When we have

sign-ups for

things, I know

that some of

you wait to

sign up to go

do something

because you

want to see

who else is

going to sign

up and whether

or not it's a

group of people

you really want

to hang out

with.

Not okay.

If you should

serve in a

particular way,

sign up and

show up and

figure it out.

Learn to get

along and to

love each other.

It'll be a work

I promise, but a

work worthwhile.

If someone has

offended you,

forgive them.

They may owe

you an apology,

but either way,

forgive them.

And why?

Because the

Lord has

forgiven us.

Paul gives

that to us as

the example

for why.

Forgiving each

other as the

Lord has

forgiven you,

so you also

must, and

that's imperative,

forgive.

Apparel to

this is Ephesians

4.32.

Be kind to

one another,

tenderhearted,

forgiving one

another as God

in Christ

forgave you.

You have

been forgiven

the highest

of offenses.

Eternal

offense.

A massive

weight.

An unpayable

debt has

been stricken

from your

record in

Christ.

You can

forgive somebody

the little

offense they

delivered in

the tone in

which they

said something.

Luke 7.47.

Jesus is

talking of the

woman who

comes in

and cries,

washes his

feet with

her tears,

and he

says,

but he

who has

forgiven

little

loves

little.

Beloved,

if you are

in Christ,

you have

been forgiven

much,

and therefore,

stating this

in the

positive,

we should,

it necessitates

that we

love much.

I want you

to hear me.

You're not

all easy

for me to

love.

I'm not

going to

tell you

who you

are,

but it's

just a

personality

thing sometimes.

Sometimes our

personalities rub

up against

each other.

I sometimes

don't have a

clue what to

say to

somebody.

I have

nothing to

say.

I fear

sometimes I

walk away

awkwardly

because I

don't know

what else

to say.

I'm just

talking and

then I

just go

and walk

away.

You're

not easy

to love,

but I

do love

you.

And I

do that

because it's

rooted in

the great

love that

God has

for me.

You are

His people.

And I

love the

things that

Jesus loves.

You are

all precious

to me

because you

are His.

In our

community

outreach groups,

we've been

studying through

the book of

Philippians

together.

And just

depending on

which evening

you meet.

Two weeks

ago for

some of

you,

just a

week ago

for others,

we looked at

Philippians 4,

Philippians 4:1–3

verses 1-3.

I want you to

turn there real

quick.

I know a lot

of you are

familiar with

the text,

but I want you

to see it

just in case

you're not.

Maybe a little

obscure it seems.

You read past

it.

How many times

I've read right

through the book

of Philippians?

I read right

past verses

1-3.

Something very

important that

Paul is doing

here.

He writes,

Therefore,

my brothers,

whom I love

and long for,

my joy and

crown,

stand firm

thus in the

Lord,

my beloved.

I entreat

Euodia and

I entreat

Cintiq to

agree in the

Lord.

Yes,

I ask you

also,

true companion,

help these

women who

have labored

side by side

with me in

the gospel

together with

Clement and

the rest of

my fellow

workers whose

names are in

the book of

life.

And that was

our text for

that evening

to discuss

together.

And I got

the treat of

getting to

fill in and

lead a group.

And the

question I led

with was,

how would you

feel if on a

Sunday morning

I got up and

I called out

two of you

who I've heard

weren't getting

along too

well?

I just pointed

you out and

I said,

oh, and while

we're at it,

I encourage

the two of

you, work

it out.

Come on.

Quit causing

so many

problems.

And how that

would make you

feel.

This is what

Paul does.

Paul wrote a

letter to the

church at

Philippi.

It was meant

to be read

out loud.

It's exactly

what he does

here.

As he seems

to pause,

for some

reason,

why does

he do

this?

It must

have been

really important.

It must

have been

of great,

great importance.

And here's

the thing

that I want

you to see

is that he

gives this

exhortation to

stand firm

in the Lord

and then he

turns right

from that

and he says

of these two

Christian women,

he affirms that,

they've labored

alongside me,

these are good

people who

something is

causing this

rift between

them.

And he gives

this treatise,

this encouragement

to get along,

you two get

along because

this type

of disunity

is a danger

to the church

standing firm

together.

Do we as a

congregation

stand firm

the way we

should and

is it possible

that we don't

because there

are these

divisions amongst

us?

It's very

possible.

If you look

up in

Philippians

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3,

Paul is

talking about

enemies of

the cross

of Christ

in verse

19,

he says

their end

is destruction.

Their God

is their belly

and they glory

in their shame

with minds

set on

earthly things.

Who they

are.

These people

over there,

but our

citizenship

is in heaven

and from it

we await

a Savior,

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Christ is

all

to those

who have

placed faith

in Him.

And when we

properly

function out

of that

reality,

we ought

not have

division

amongst us.

We ought

to love

one another

the way we

should.

Verse 14

presses that

point.

And above

all these,

put on

love,

which binds

everything together

in perfect

harmony.

Our culture

says that love

is an intense

feeling of

deep affection.

affection.

It's primarily

about the

way we

feel towards

a person

or towards

a thing.

Christian love

certainly is a

deep affection,

but it's rooted

and sustained

by God's

unchanging

affection for

His people.

We love

the church,

we love each

other because

we love

Christ,

and this is

what Christ

loves.

And that

affection seeks

the highest

good of the

object of that

affection.

So let me

read that to

you without

my interruptions.

Christian love

is a deep

affection which

is rooted and

sustained by

God's unchanging

affection for

His people that

seeks the

highest good of

the object of

that affection.

This is

Christian love.

Doing so many

weddings really

has kept present

on my mind what

marriage is meant

to represent,

this relationship

between Christ

and His church

that someday

we'll be reunited

with Him.

And this is the

metaphor that's

used, right,

that we would

better understand

what it means

for His bride,

the church,

to be reunited

with Christ.

Right?

Not an

individual,

but the church.

You are a part

of the church.

Your salvation

is corporate.

Jesus died for

the sins of

the church.

And beloved,

language is

powerful and it

works its way

into our minds

and there's a

phrase that's

found nowhere

in the Scriptures

which is used

constantly and

commonly in

churches of these

days and that

is personal

relationship

with Jesus

Christ.

This is the

question asked

in an invitation.

Do you have

a personal

relationship with

Jesus Christ?

And there is an

element to that

certainly that I

must place faith

in Jesus.

That if He died

for the sins of

the church,

He certainly

died as dying

for the greater

for the lesser

as well.

For me as an

individual,

right?

I pray to Him.

His Spirit lives

within me.

There is a personal

element to it,

but the Scriptures

way further,

like in greater

balance,

talk about how

it is that we're

saved together.

A people set

apart.

We have to begin

thinking rightly

and properly

about that.

We have to love

what Jesus loves.

Turn with me

finally to 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12.

We're almost done.

Amen.

Amen.

If you love someone, to walk our text backwards.

If you love someone, you forgive them.

If you love them, you will bear with them.

Love generates in us compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

This is why Paul says, above all else, put on love.

Classic 1 Corinthians chapter 13.

1 Corinthians 13 · chapter mention

I'm sorry that I didn't get you there before.

Let me start reading to you in verse 27.

The Corinthian church had a lot of conflict in it concerning gifts, concerning spiritual gifts.

And much of Paul's first letter to them addresses this issue.

Verse 27, now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.

So these gifts that God has given to the church are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers, do all work miracles, do all possess gifts of healing, do all speak with tongues, do all interpret,

but earnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

So there's these gifts that are in operation.

And we won't get into the theology of that today.

Not worth it right now, because that's not ultimately the point.

He's saying we don't all have the same giftedness.

Seek the higher gifts.

But, and this phrase is so fascinating, and I will show you a still more excellent way.

I'm going to show you something better, greater, than the higher gifts that he's been referring to in the previous chapters.

This is not just a kitschy text to read at a wedding.

Verse 1,

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, I have a gift to speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love.

I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers that understand all mysteries and all knowledge.

Just huge phrases, right?

And if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Here's this beautiful expression.

I couldn't explain it better than Paul does here.

Beginning in verse 4,

Love is patient and kind.

Love does not envy or boast.

It is not arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way.

It is not irritable or resentful.

It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

As for prophecies, they will pass away.

As for tongues, they will cease.

As for knowledge, it will pass away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child.

I thought like a child.

I reasoned like a child.

When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.

Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

What he's saying is that all of these things, the operation of the church is a shadow.

It's pointing to Christ.

So when Christ comes, we'll fully get it.

So that stuff will no longer be of great necessity.

Verse 13, so now faith, hope, and love abide.

These three.

But the greatest of these is love.

So our main point today is that Christian people will be distinguished by the way they live in relation to one another.

And the defining characteristic will be love.

Jesus says in John 13, 35, by this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.

How do we show the world a primary way that we show the world that we treasure Christ?

First, we love each other.

We look different in that way from the rest of the world in the way we relate to one another.

In closing, I want to read to you a quote by a contemporary pastor named Arturo Azzerdia.

I call him Pastor Art because Azzerdia is hard to say.

He's the pastor of Trinity Church of Portland, Oregon.

I commend him to you.

Listen to Pastor Art's sermons.

They're wonderful.

He said this.

Let's suppose that a kite could come to life and develop its own personality.

On the one hand, it would feel the exhilaration that comes from the surges of wind that direct it through the sky.

On the other hand, it would almost immediately take notice of something annoying.

The tugging of the string at its center.

A feeling of constraint.

A resistance.

Consumed, the kite begins to think to itself,

If only I could detach.

Then I could really fly.

To the kite you see, it seems that the string is limiting its full experience of freedom.

But as any boy or girl who has ever flown a kite knows,

Were that string to suddenly snap, the kite wouldn't soar freely for very long.

It would dart to and fro for a minute, maybe two,

But very soon thereafter would end up on the ground in a pile of broken sticks and torn paper,

Never ever to fly again.

Rather, you see, it is the taut line between the kite and the one holding it that enables the kite to fly,

That allows all the principles of aerodynamics to come into play,

So that the kite might achieve its full purpose.

Christian love performs the very same function as a kite string.

You take away the stabilizing force of Christian love,

And every towering gift, every supernatural power,

Every sacrificial act,

Every musical performance,

You name it, friends,

It will all end up on the ash heap of eternal insignificance without love.

Let's pray together.