Colossians 3:12-16 - Frank Brancato 12/18/19

Certainly is good to see everyone.

That's come to be with us tonight and we appreciate you so

very much for coming tonight and studying the word of God in this

part of our worship service. We're continuing our study on

the book of Colossians chapter 3 and the questions that I have

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

here. The five questions cover verses

12 through 16, and I just going to read those verses for our

introduction and then get into our questions.

But in Colossians chapter 3, let's begin in verse 12.

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

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 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. so we're covering these verses tonight in

the first question is about the elect of God who are the elect

of God and secondly, what's meant by the phrase, put on

Tender Mercies. First of all, I'll just say that

the word elect and in the context of this narrative means

chosen or picked by God. So understand that first it's

talking about being chosen or picked by God.

Now, one of the things that are very confusing in the religious

world is the concept of divine election, and any kind of

doctrine that teaches unconditional Divine election is

false Doctrine. We know that unconditional

election would be that God chose individuals regardless of what

they chose to do in their life that God hand-picked people and

there's nothing you can do to be saved or not be saved if God

picked you or didn't pick you, that's Way that it is.

And that's not what we believe. And that's not what the Bible

teaches about Divine election, but we do believe in election.

In fact, we the people of God are the elect of God and God has

foreordained before the foundation of the world.

Those that were going to be saved and that is and obedient

Christian. So anyone that falls into the

category of being an obedient Christian that is complying with

the laws of God finds. Self as being the elect and

obedient Christian. Now, let me just make the point

about conditional election briefly, this is very, this is

not new, it's very familiar, but there's two parts when we talk

about conditional election and it's really quite simple.

There's God's part and then there's man's parked and it

doesn't matter what God did on his part.

If man doesn't do his Park and it wouldn't Mattered.

What man would do on his part if God hasn't already done his

part. So God predetermined that he was

going to save the world and he decided that his son would be

his lamb, his sacrificial lamb, and that was predetermined

before the foundation of the world.

That Jesus would be the Lamb of God and die for the sins of the

world. So let's look at God's Park.

He really did all the work, he sent Jesus to die for the sins

of the world, and then he sent the the gospel revealed by the

Holy Spirit and those that obey the word of God obey, that

gospel are saved. So God's part sent Jesus to die,

for the sins of the world. The Lord's part, he died for the

sins of the world and became God sacrificial lamb.

What else did God do? He gave us the gospel.

He gave us the power to save which is the word of God, which

is the gospel that's God's part, man.

Spark is obedience. And when we do that, we are the

the elect of God. Now, the phrase put on Tender

Mercies. It's rendered that way in the

new King James. In the King James version, it

actually renders it bowels of mercy, and you've heard me say

this. That when it talks about

something from the bowels, or the deepest part of the heart,

it is always talking about the deepest part of the affection.

And that's different from when the Bible talks about the heart,

being the mind, that's a totally different word.

But when you talk about Bells, you're talking about something

that is tied to the deepest part of affection.

So what does it mean? What our bowels of mercies they

are tender. Affections in fact, this

phraseology, by the way was a very common Hebrew, a ISM.

And it literally means having a heart of compassion.

So, what he's saying is this, if you are the elect of God,

beloved have a heart of compassion, be this particular

way in your life, and your demeanor.

And in the way that you deal with your brothers and sisters

in Christ, So bowels is used in the King James version

figuratively. In the New Testament, they are

says a couple things about that. He said in the Greek poets, the

bowels were regarded as the seat of a more violent passion but

the Hebrews as the seat of tender affections and Paul adds

a few others too. He says, add kindness and

humility, and meekness, and long-suffering.

And by the way, anytime you talk about long, Suffering, you're

talking about, just that suffering long, it's about being

patient. You know.

One of the things it's hard to be for me in my personality and

my whole life is being patient and I know people that are so

patient. It just comes natural to them.

But this is a command this is telling me that I need to

demonstrate that kind of attitude or demonstrate

long-suffering or patients because that's how I demonstrate

that too. Others that's going to be

reflected in my behavior. So that's sometimes difficult.

That might be a weakness of ours.

We have to do that though Paul says add those things.

So if you look at the verses and you look at the end of verse 12,

remember this was a continuous letter and it wasn't broken down

by chapter and verse. So after we finished what was

being said about long-suffering and so forth We Roll right into

verse 13. And he says bearing with one

another, the King James says forbearing one.

Another then he says forgiving one another, if anyone has a

complaint against another even as Christ forgave you.

So you also must do. Here's the question.

Can we forgive somebody that doesn't ask for forgiveness?

Think about that for just a minute.

Can we forgive somebody? Or is it okay, or is it

permissible to forgive somebody? That does not ask for

forgiveness, the answer to that question is yes.

You can forgive somebody personally for anything at any

time if you wish. But please don't misunderstand

what I'm saying. I'm not saying that the person

can receive forgiveness from God if they don't ask or without

repentance. I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about something, for example, if I choose to forgive

somebody of something, I'm allowed to do that.

They still have to answer to God.

If that be the case, give you a couple examples, you've heard

me. Preach on this before, when

Stephen was being stoned, he said, Lord lay not this sin to

their charge. Now they had to answer to God.

Obviously, in that regard, they had to what Stephen was saying

by saying the words, lay not this sin to their charge, he was

basically demonstrating the fact that he personally was not

holding that against them. Give another example.

This is even better. When Jesus says father forgive

them for they know, not what they do, Jesus was saying that

about someone that was taking his life.

Here's the point. It doesn't matter from a

personal standpoint, if you want to forgive somebody, but let me

just demonstrate. Let me just Define what I mean,

by forgiving. Someone when you say, I forgive

someone, or if I do that, I am literally letting go Now

obviously, if somebody does you wrong, and you have hurt

feelings, and you have hard feelings, and maybe you're

angry, and maybe you're bitter and maybe hold a grudge, maybe

you don't let it go. All that will do is just draw

you personally. And when you forgive someone,

you're not letting anybody off the hook, they still have to

answer to God. What you're saying is you're

saying, I am letting go. I'm not letting that negatively

influence me anymore and you let go I preach this, I don't know

where I preach it. So if I preached here, forgive

me but I did preach this not long ago somewhere and I made

this statement about this idea. I said If somebody does you

wrong. And offends you in any way and

they hurt your feelings or whatever, chances are they've

moved forward and not even thinking about you, why would

you give them the power to let them make?

You feel the way that you feel about what they did?

Let it go, let it go. That's what forgiveness is.

It is a Letting Go Joseph was a great example of that named his

firstborn son Manasseh. Meaning God has made me to

forget all the trouble of my father's house So he let go, he

said, I'm not going to be negatively influenced anymore,

all right, so bearing with one another, and I'm gonna get to

Matthew 18 in just a minute. We have to time Matthew 18 to

this so that we understand what I'm trying to point.

I'm trying to make, but bearing with one another or forbearing

in the King James literally means similar to long-suffering

the previous verse. It's the idea of having a spirit

of patients with the faults of others, And this would be

manifested in the willingness to forgive somebody who has

trespassed against us. Now the verse is saying this as

Jesus Christ. Forgave you Also forgive one

another. All right.

So maybe you're sitting there thinking, wait a minute, Matthew

18. It says, I got to go to that

person first, and we're looking for forgiveness, right?

You ever stopped to consider Matthew 18 is exclusive to one

thing. It is talking about a space in

between two people, that's it. And I'll tell you something,

sometimes people want to bind, Matthew, 18, on all kinds of

stuff. One thing it is the example of

what you do. When there's a sin between two,

people one sins against another, that's what Jesus said.

If anyone sins against you, You go to that person.

Now, notice why you go, there you go.

There because of sin has occurred.

And the Bible says, if that person hears, you or responds

favorably to you or repents and makes it right.

It says you have gained your brother.

Now, the reason that it says you've gained your brother is it

implies that you had lost your brother.

Do you know why? Because sin separates?

And when their sin, there is a Operation of Fellowship.

That's the reason you're not going there for them to make up

with you. You're going there to help them,

see their sin and repent and make it right.

And Jesus says this, if they won't hear you, you take

somebody else with you. Do you know why very important.

There's a reason that you take somebody with you obviously from

the mouth of two or three Witnesses, let every word be

established as it says but there's more and is brilliant.

You ever stopped to consider, if I think Terry sinned against me

and I go to him and I say Terry you sinned against me and he

says, well, no I didn't and then I bring some others with me.

We go see Terry and we are at all out.

Do you know of the people that I bring with me?

Might say, no a minute Frank, you're wrong, he didn't sin.

One of the reasons that you bring others with you, is to

prove that there really was a sin.

Why? Because sin separates, so

Matthew 18 is talking about Sin and is talking about being

forgiven, from God, and restoring Fellowship.

So personally, though we can forgive anybody for anything at

any time that we choose to do so, but that's really not the

problem. The problem is when somebody is

asking for forgiveness and people want to withhold their

forgiveness or people might say, well, we're just kind of see how

it goes. Well, we'll just kind of see

what happens in the future. Don't do that, because that's

not what the Lord does for us. So as the Lord forgives us, we

forgive others question. Number 3 covers verse 14.

But above all these things put on love which is the bond of

perfection. So the freight that the question

is what's meant by the phrase the bond of perfection.

Well, obviously he's talking about love and love is the bond

of perfection log will make a complete Bond of unity between

brethren. In fact, this phraseology could

actually be better rendered. That love is a perfect Bond of

unity. In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 3.

Ephesians 4:3

Paul said Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the

bond of Peace. Philippians, 1:27 says, only let

your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether

I come and see you or him absent, I may hear of your

Affairs that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind

striving together for the faith of the Gospel.

One more passage Philippians 2 and to fulfill my Joy by being

like-minded. Having the same love being of

one. Accord of Of one mind, one

scholar said that such a love. That is poured into the hearts

of Believers. Is the adhesive of the church.

I really appreciate it so much. Terry's prayer.

And I always appreciate and I don't do it enough, but I always

appreciate when a brother. Praise thanking God for being at

peace. Congregations, that are not at

peace. Can destroy the work, it gives

destroy the church. And it's a wonderful thing to

have a bond of unity. Now, you can have all kinds of

things that you have challenges that you're working through, but

if you have the bond of unity, you can, you can make it

through. And Paul says, what that is?

That is the bond of unity is love.

And then in verse number 15, he says and let the peace of God

rule in your hearts to which also you were called in one body

and be thankful. So the bond of perfection or the

bond of perfectness is love flows, right?

Into verse 15 and it talks about peace.

Now, I know that sometimes we think peace is the feeling that

we get when things are going exactly the way that we want

them to go. In fact, you can look up.

If you Google that you can get all kinds of definitions, you

can look up and dictionaries. Get all kinds of definitions.

And one of the definitions, that is reoccurring, I've looked it

up. It's having a feeling of, of

inside a feeling of contentment because everything is, as you

want it to be, But the peace of God is different.

In fact, the phrase peace of God, literally means peace from

God. It's the peace that only God can

give. In fact, piece is one of the

attributes of God. You know, God has many things.

We used to sing all the time that song God is love.

Come, let us all unite and seeing that God is love.

Why? Because love is an attribute of

God. God's also many other things.

One of the things that he is he is also peace.

Peace. So what we're talking about is

the peace of God which is the peace that comes from God.

It is the calmness of mind that's provided by God.

And by the way, when the Bible talks about the peace that

surpasses all understanding You ever had a piece of mind?

In the midst of or in the face of terrible things going on.

And there's chaotic mess all around us.

But were at peace. And sometimes people that look

on us from the world, they don't know why, they're how you can be

at peace. That's the peace that surpasses

all understanding. In other words, you are at peace

and you have a peace of mind in spite of the circumstances in

your life. There's no understanding to.

That is surpasses understanding you just have it.

You know why? Because it comes from God,

therefore that peace that God gives is divine.

It comes from God. Now what is it if you have the

peace of God regardless of the circumstances in your life it is

this the best way that I can phrase, it's like this.

The peace of God that we're talking about that needs to

ruler reign in our hearts, and these two, absolutely dictate

our hearts and Lead our hearts and minds and put us in the

proper mindset, is the peace of mind that knows this, that

regardless of the circumstances that are in my life, even if

they're very - it doesn't matter because Everything is right

between my soul and God. That's number one.

Number two, I'm putting all of this and trusting all of this to

God and I'm putting my life In Time and Eternity in his hands

and regardless of the, of the circumstances.

And regardless of his answer, I'm okay, that is the peace of

God that passes all understanding.

So what he says, is this verse 14?

Put on love. It's 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, you know, the idea of

being called here in one body, you know.

It talks about that very same thing in Ephesians chapter 1 and

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

it shows the very important place that you can only find

this peace of God. It is in one body.

It's in the church, Ephesians 1, 2012, 22 and 23.

You know, sometimes people can have a peaceful feeling but they

can be an error, they can be wrong.

And if they could have a peaceful feeling inside but it

didn't come from God, the only ones that get the peace of God

that comes from God, are his children.

His people, the elect that we talked about the ones that are

found. As this verse says, in this one

body, that's what comes from God, Other times people could

have feelings of Peace but they're mistaken.

It surpasses all understanding peace is not subject to the

circumstances of life. Then we come to our last verse

verse 16 and very familiar. Passage verse 16 says, 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. You know, you can look up a

number of commentators and they'll pretty much say the same

thing if they're make if they're giving definitions.

These definitions are straight from strong.

And defining the following words.

Psalm according to mr. Strong is a Pious song or a song

of Praise a him. According to strong is a song

written in praise to God a sacred song.

Thirdly, as spiritual song spiritual songs according to

strong our songs. Belonging to the spirit or that

have spiritual things. So if you look at these

definitions, there's really not a whole lot of Distinction drawn

between any of those and really, they're all, they're all quite

similar. There's not a tremendous amount

of Distinction in the definition of them of the ones listed.

The important thing is singing the word singing, and Says that

singing is voicing words and musical tones involving

modulations, and inflections, and singing, with Grace means

that in our singing, It's a message and attitude and a

sincerity. I think that's great.

With our singing, it is a message.

It's an attitude and it's the sincerity that's important.

Now, if we're going to teach each other and admonishing, one

another in Psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs then it's very

imperative. That the words of our songs are

scriptural. And, you know, there are things

that are appropriate. I remember in a songbook years

ago, when I was a kid, we were going to congregation and

monitors Oaks, they had a, they had a Hymnal there and you open

it up and one of the songs in there, You're a Grand Old Flag.

Well, you know, you're a grand old flag, is a fine song on the

fourth of July, but really it has no place in the worship

service at all. There's there was other songs

like that they're inappropriate. Those are inappropriate things

in worship. When we sing worship will songs.

So songs need to be appropriate, you wouldn't lead a song in the

morning? Oh, why not tonight?

When it's in the morning time, you would want sing something.

That would prompt people to be persuaded to step forward and

obey the gospel. Then and right now almost

persuaded or something else. So it's very important that we

use songs that are appropriate, and especially scriptural, and

do so, with spiritual content, and the melody is made in the

heart. Now, I just want to make one

final point about the heart. Thayer says the heart is the

seat of our spiritual life. It is the source of our

thoughts, our passions, and our desires.

That's different from bowels by the way.

That's talking about affection. Here is talking about the seat

of our thoughts, passions and desires, everything it is the

seat of our spiritual life. It's the source of all that.

That's why the Bible says that as a man thinketh in his heart.

So is he it's the source of it all it begins in the mind.

It also is our Inner Man, our spirit and which we sing.

And with those words are to originate from the thoughts and

feelings of the heart. Art.

We had a great singing recently here.

We had some different, some new songs and they were fresh.

And it's is so important to sing songs that we know we can't sing

them, or at least sing songs that we can follow.

But it's important that we sing songs where every aspect of our

attitude and our thoughts and our passions, and all of that

are involved. Instead of just singing the

words to get through the song. Here's a song, we've sung for 30

years, we just go through the song then the songs over.

We shut the book, it needs to be more than that, and we sing with

the heart and we sing with our desires, our desire is to serve

and praise and please God. And in every aspect that we do,

and that's what it means in spiritual songs, singing with

Grace, in your hearts, to the Lord.

When you were saying that I was thinking about something that

happened a few years ago. there was a two young, two men in a

car and they had been, they had both been drinking.

And they got in a car accident and one of them was killed in.

The one that was the passenger was the one that was killed.

And I remember that the mother of the young man that died said,

I forgive you. And there was no asking for

forgiveness. It, I forgive you and I thought

I was so impressed by that because what she was saying, she

was saying I release myself. I let go.

I'm not going to hold on to hate and Malice.

I'm not going to allow the bitterness to overtake my life.

She was saying that, that's what she was saying to this young

man. She said, damn, she grabbed him

like this. He came into the funeral was in

Texas and she had him sit right next to her.

And she said, I forgive you and what she was saying is I'm not

going to be negatively influenced anymore.

And I think that's a, I think you're right.

Terry. Think you hit it on the head

when it said we can't have malice.

You're absolutely right. That's a sin got to turn loose

of that so I appreciate that. Preciate that ask you very, very

much. I wanted to say this add one

more thing about the single. I am so thankful for the men

that have the ability to stand up and Lead new songs for us.

I think that is so important and I remember what Linwood said one

time is, he said that's so important to singing It's so

important to to learn new songs and sing new words as sing and

so forth. It really helps the singing.

And if you look at the definition of singing, with

Grace, in your hearts, to the Lord, I think sometimes that is

necessary to do that. So yes, we love the old

standbys, absolutely. We love those, but the new songs

to, and to stretch ourselves, and learn new songs.

I'm so thankful. And by the way traveling, all

over the United States, we are blessed here.

Traveling all over the country holding gospel meetings.

I'm going to tell you, we have, we really have it.

Well here and very thankful for the men that can do that and

they and the congregation that sings as well as it does.

We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the

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