Christ Preeminent (Part Twenty-Two): Tools of the Trade

Transcript

JRNT 44
01-28-2024
Christ Preeminent (Part Twenty-Two): Tools of the Trade
Colossians 3:15-17
Jesse Randolph


Well, I'm going to call someone out by name here this morning, knowing that he is not here, that he and his family are on vacation right now, so I think that makes it okay for me to embarrass him in the best possible way, of course, and in love. The person I want to call out by name is Benjamin Buhr. Benjamin, as you know, is one of the deacons of our church and with the support of his wife, Ashley, he serves faithfully over our high school ministry. For his day job Benjamin builds homes. Not only does he build homes, though, he is very handy when it comes to fixing things in other people's homes. In fact, since we have moved here to Lincoln, Benjamin has gotten me out of more than one jam on home repair related items. Our four-year-old son, Asher, already knows that when something goes wrong in the house Dad puts his hands on his hips, scratches his head for a second or two, and then inevitably calls Benjamin. In fact, for his birthday this year Asher didn't ask for a replica pulpit or a Bible, he asked for a tool belt so that he could be like . . . You guessed it, Benjamin. See, Asher adores Benjamin, and he adores Benjamin because in Asher's words, Mr. Benjamin has all the right tools. Mr. Benjamin has all the cool tools. He is right, Mr. Benjamin does have all the right tools and the cool tools, all the tools that are needed to carry out his trade.

Why am I bringing up Benjamin Buhr here this morning, other than to embarrass him? Why am I bringing up his tools here this morning? I'm bringing up Benjamin's name here because that picture of him having tools and having the right tools I think is an apt metaphor for the truths that we'll be uncovering in our text here this morning, Colossians 3:15-17. The text that we'll be in is going to show us that it is important not only to have the right physical tools for doing work around your home, it's crucial, and this is the point of the text, to have the right spiritual tools and that we utilize those tools faithfully as followers of Jesus Christ. In our text this morning we're going to encounter a series of tools that the follower of Christ ought always to have in their toolbox, as it were. These are the tools which will sharpen us as we seek to keep our minds and our hearts rightly oriented toward God, toward Christ and toward fellow believers here in the community of faith known as the church.

The title of this morning's message is The Tools of the Trade. As followers of Jesus Christ, as those who have put off the old and traded it for the new, as those who have shed the old and donned the new, you'd be hard pressed to find more useful tools for your spiritual toolbox than what we see listed in these three verses. Let's take a look at Colossians 3:15-17. God's Word reads, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you are called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” As we're about to see as we work our way through this text, as those who have been adopted into God's family, God has given us four imperatives here, four commands in these three verses. In each we are told not only who we are, we're told how we are to be and what we are to do.

We'll start with this one if you are a note taker, you can put it this way for point #1, The Peace which Is to Rule. Look at the first part of verse 15 there, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you are called in one body.” The first tool in our toolbox, you could say, is the peace of Christ. The call here, and that's the way this is phrased here, this is a command, this is a word of exhortation, the call to the Colossians in their original context and the call to us is to have the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts. Now that word peace can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people in our day, right? It sure can, depending on the person and depending on the context. The beauty pageant contestant might be thinking of one form of peace when she is standing there in her tiara and her gown pontificating on the importance of bringing peace to the world. The law enforcement official as he is on crowd control duty might be thinking of a different type of peace that he is striving for on his shift. Children of divorced parents hunger for an entirely different form of peace, relational peace, during the holidays and at birthdays. Well, the peace that Paul is speaking of here in our text is entirely different and we can see from the text here in Colossians 3:15 what is being commanded to this church at Colossae is that they let, they allow the peace of Christ to rule in their hearts. So, it's not just any peace that they are to enjoy, it's not just any peace that they are to exercise, it's not just any peace that they are to be ruled by. No, it's the peace of Christ which is to rule in their hearts.

What does that mean? What is the peace of Christ? Here is a definition for you. The peace of Christ is the transcendent, God-given tranquility which can be experienced only by the person who knows God through Christ. I'll say it again. The peace of Christ is the transcendent, God-given tranquility which can be experienced only by the person who knows God through Christ. What is being described here in our text is not the peace that Christ Himself experienced, rather what is being referred to here is the peace of Christ that is offered to those who trust in Him. A peace that brings great benefit and comfort not only to each and every individual Christian but to the whole community of believers, the church of which he or she is a member. Now we know from other places in Scripture that all three persons of the trinitarian Godhead are inseparable sources of peace. God the Father is identified in the Scripture as a God of peace. Romans 15:33, “Now the God of peace be with you all.” I Corinthians 14:33, “God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” Now God the Son, Jesus Christ, is also identified as a source of peace. He said, John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” Then we know that God the Spirit is identified in Scripture as a source of peace. Galatians 5:22 lists out the fruit of the Spirit, and “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience ...” Now here in Colossians which we've seen in the months that we've been studying this book, a book that has such a clear Christological focus, a letter whose theme I've been articulating over and over is the preeminence of Christ, what's in view right here in our text in verse 15 is the peace of Christ. For the believer the peace of Christ they can experience, the peace of Christ they do experience, that inner sense of calm and quietude they are able to enjoy even in the most trying and harrowing of circumstances is not merely a subjective emotional state as the world might think about having peace of mind. No, the peace of Christ that's mentioned here in our passage is rooted in the peace which Christ has won for us, Colossians 1:20, by the blood of His cross. The peace of Christ accounts for the fact, Colossians 1:21-22, that we are no longer God's enemies. “And although you were formerly alienated,” it says in Colossians 1:21, “and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death.” The peace of Christ recalls, as we saw last week in Colossians 3:12, that we are chosen of God and now holy and beloved. Because God has forgiven us all our sins and washed them white as snow and declared them as far as the east is from the west, having the peace of Christ embraces the reality, Romans 8:1, that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Instead, our once crossed swords have been laid down on account of our justification and adoption by a holy God. All that is picked up in Romans 5:1, “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The peace of Christ, in other words, is sourced in Christ's shed blood, through which we have redemption and forgiveness of our sins. Oh, precious is the flow that what? Makes me white as snow. Note, the peace of Christ here mentioned in verse 15, it's a governing peace, it's a mediating peace, it's a ruling peace. Look at the next part of the verse, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” That verb rule comes from a Greek verb that means to act as an umpire. What a great picture, acting as an umpire, arbitrator. Here is how John Chrysostom, the old 4th century church father, once described this verb here, to rule, in the context of Colossians 3:15. He said, “Suppose a man to have been unjustly insulted and two thoughts are born of the insult, the one urging him to vengeance and the other to patience. And these wrestle with one another. If the peace of God stands as umpire, it bestows the prize on that which calls for endurance and puts the other to shame.” That's the peace of Christ, that mediating, umpiring aspect of His peace.

Now there certainly is a personal aspect to having the peace of Christ. The text clearly says, verse 15, “the peace of Christ is to rule in your hearts,” meaning as individual believers, as individual followers of Christ. But there is definitely also this corporate body life aspect of what Paul is saying here. Look at the next part of verse 15, he says, “to which indeed you were called in one body.” That's speaking of Christians collectively. As followers of Christ no doubt we have been divinely and individually called. We saw that last week in Colossians 3:12. That’s what it means to be chosen of God. We have been divinely placed into a position of peace before God as a result of His sovereign calling and election. But at the same time, we have been, as it says here in verse 15, “called into one body.” As followers of Jesus Christ, as those who come from a variety of different backgrounds, Colossians 3:11, Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman; as those who have been called to put on the virtues of Colossians 3:12-14, hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, love, we are committed to having the peace of Christ rule in our hearts not only individually but in our relationships with one another. Right here in the church. When Christ who made peace through the blood of His cross, Colossians 1:20, while He does rule in individual hearts, His peace will inevitably rule in the fellowship of believers. A church made up of individuals who are committed to let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts will not be marked by the sins that Paul listed out in Colossians 3:8-9: anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech, lying. But instead, a church like that, that is committed to letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts individually and collectively will be marked by peace, tranquility, unity. How ironic and how sad would it be to have a church in which believers, those who have been extended and granted the ultimate terms of peace by God are giving off only the appearance of peace to their follow believers, when in reality the peace of Christ is not actually ruling in their hearts. Oh sure, they maintain the peace and they preserve the peace, and they keep the peace, but under the thin veneer of forced smiles and gritted teeth and insincere handshakes, sitting right under the surface, just beneath skin deep level they're harboring bitterness and hostility and masking an angry and what Jesus would call a murderous heart. How tragic would it be if that were happening right here in the church. Part of the tragedy of it all would be that this is how the world operates, this is not how the church is supposed to function. No, Paul here calls the body of believers, the body of Christ, the church to be ruled by the very same peace that they have received through Christ, a peace which results in the sincere forgiveness of sins and offenses, a peace which produces genuine reconciliation and restored relationships with one another. Souls which are at peace with God should continually be striving to pursue peace with their fellow man.

Now no doubt there are times for battling over theological matters, there are times to retain the standard of sound words, there are times to stay on solid footing biblically. That's the role of pastors and shepherds and elders. Obviously in a biblical church there are times when a sterner attitude has to be adopted, where error has to be confronted, where sin has to be addressed and dealt with. But the context of this section of Colossians is not about fighting over purity of doctrine and it's not about rooting out theological error. The context here very simply is about interpersonal relationships within the body of Christ. What is being said here is that in all of the inner conflicts that we battle internally, and in all the disputes and differences which might arise between us and our fellow believer, the ruling principle in our hearts is to be Christ's peace. Christ's peace is to dictate the final decision. We are to be marked not by our wrangling, but by our peacemaking. What did we see last week in Colossians 3:13? That we are to be bearing with one another and forgiving each other. That sounds awfully peaceful because it is. As those who have been the recipients and are the recipients of the most generous and gracious terms of peace which have ever been extended, we are to be, as Ephesians 4:3 says, people who show tolerance for one another in love, “Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” We are to be as it says in Romans 14:19, “pursuing the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” We are to, as Hebrews 12:14 says, “pursue peace with all men and the sanctification with which no one will see the Lord.”

Peace does not happen inside a passive, asleep-at-the-wheel church. Rather, peace is achieved by the active church that labors toward peace. Blessed are the peace keepers, that's what Jesus said, right? No, He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” The peace God gave you through your salvation in Christ no doubt was a grace gift, but now He expects you to put that grace gift to work as you pursue peace with others. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Okay, that's the first tool in our toolbox as we relate to the Lord and to one another we are to do so with the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts.

That brings us now to the second tool, the second tool of the trade, the second characteristic of someone who has truly traded the old man for the new, and that's a spirit of thankfulness. For point #2, if you are a note taker you could write it this way, The Thankfulness which Is to Pervade. So, point #1 is The Peace which Is to Rule, the point #2 is The Thankfulness which Is to Pervade. We're still in verse 15. Note that after saying what he has said about the peace of Christ in the first part of the verse, Paul gives us our second imperative here, our second command in the final three words of the verse. You see them there, he says, “and be thankful.” Now thankfulness is a recurring theme in the book of Colossians. In fact, go back with me to Colossians 1, you'll recall at the very beginning of this letter, Colossians 1:3, Paul expressed his own thankfulness to God the Father for the believers there at Colossae. Colossians 1:3, “We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.” He also prayed in verse 12 that the Colossians would share in his thankfulness. He says that he is “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” If you go to Colossians 2:6-7 you see Paul exhorting the believers there to abound in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted, now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed and overflowing with gratitude.” As we'll get to in a few weeks in Colossians 4:2 he commanded the Colossians to “devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” But here, Colossians 3:15 in the text before us, he says it so simply and so plainly. “And be thankful,” he says. Christians plain and simple are to be thankful people. We have of all people the most significant reasons to be thankful. When we think of who we once were outside of Christ, when we think of where we were headed without Christ, when we think of the nature of our conduct and our behaviors and our path which always before Christ, in a real sense anti-Christ, we ought to be thankful. Thankful that that was then but no longer. When we think of the fact when, as it says in Colossians 1:13-14, He has “rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins,” we ought to be thankful, thankful for that eternal about-face that God brought about in us in granting us saving faith. When we think about the fact that we are now chosen of God and holy and beloved like we saw last Sunday, those incredibly theologically rich and eternally significant truths, we ought to be thankful. Indeed, we'd be fools not to be thankful. More than fools, though, we'd be acting just like God-hating pagans, God-hating pagans who though in their consciences they possess the raw material related to the knowledge of God and though they know deep down that they are created beings and that there is a Creator and that they owe that Creator thanks, they stubbornly and sinfully suppress the truth of those things, ignore their maker and refuse to give Him thanks. We would be acting like that. That's all Romans 1:21, speaking of the unbeliever. “Even though they” know God or “knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was darkened.” Indeed, that very trait, lack of thanksgiving, absence of gratitude is the very trait that Paul told Timothy would be one of the many marks of the godless in the last days. II Timothy 3:1 says, “But realize this that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving,” etc., etc. A truly transformed heart has a consistent track record of thankfulness. Grace will always issue in gratitude, and as Christians we are to continually be giving thanks. We see this, by the way, not only in Colossians but elsewhere, commands to give thanks: Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” and I Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Back to Colossians. The context here at this point of Paul's writing, again, is body life, life in the midst of a body of believers, life in the body of Christ. Life in the Church. What Paul is saying here with those three little words here in verse 15, “and be thankful,” is this. As believers who face some of the more difficult challenges of life together in the body, including the overwhelming difficulty sometimes of bearing with one another and forgiving each other and loving each other, those three items of clothing that we all saw last week in Colossians 3:12-14, because they are ruled by peace and because they are committed to allowing the peace of Christ rule in their hearts, it is essential that the Christian, that the believer regularly cultivate, regularly maintain a spirit of gratitude, of thankfulness for all they have already received in Christ; including the fact that they are not only members of the universal body of Christ but they are members of one another in the local expression of the body of Christ, i.e., the church. Can you honestly say that you are thankful to God for each and every member of this church, even those who have caused you some heartburn of late, even those who maybe weren't so kind to you in the past, even those in your secret thoughts, when you get real honest with yourself you sort of hope that the Lord would move along somewhere else. Are you thankful for them. This was in a different time, and this was in a different context, but Matthew Henry, he who wrote the famous Bible commentary in the early 1700s, he wrote these words right after he was robbed. Somebody robbed him on the street, and he wrote these words. He said, “Let me be thankful, first because I was never robbed before. Second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life. Third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much. Fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.” Overlooking the fact that Matthew Henry apparently carried a purse that probably went with his wig, what he is describing here powerfully is a thankful heart. Bring that over to our church context. If Matthew Henry could give thanks like that for being robbed, we ought to be able to give thanks to God for some of the more difficult relationships we face or experience right here in the church. Every one of you, I am sure, has someone you are thinking of as I am saying this. You are silently wishing I would just move on to the next point. But I'm not going to do that, not yet. Instead, here is where I'd love for all of us to do this week in the spirit of Matthew Henry and what he did here after being robbed. I'd like us to write out who we are thankful for in this church and especially why we are thankful for those maybe who have been difficult toward us in the past. Maybe we have had a rocky relationship with somebody in the past and what can we do to say this week, God, I'm thankful for that person. Then turn those words of thanks into prayer for those individuals and just watch, it's going to be that thankful spirit that we each cultivate through prayer that is going to allow the peace of Christ to flood and rule our hearts. Then working our way backward, the peace of Christ in our hearts is going to allow us to love those individuals. Isn't that what Colossians 3:14 says? “Beyond all these things put on love which is the perfect bond of unity.” Because we love them, we are going to forgive them, and then because we've forgiven them we're going to now bear with them daily. I hope you are catching the main point of what Paul is saying here when he says, “and be thankful.” Thanksgiving is not about merely being courteous or showing proper manners and etiquette. It certainly is not the Americanized version of turkey and football and falling leaves and the like. Thanksgiving rather is the mark, one of the chief characteristics of the faithful follower of Jesus Christ. So that's our second tool in the toolbox, thankfulness.

Here is the third one, the word of Christ. If you are a note taker, our third heading is The Word which Is to Dwell. Look at verse 16, it says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” There is a lot to unpack in this single verse, so we'll just take it segment by segment here. First there is this reference right at the head of the verse to the word of Christ. Now that's the only time that we see those words together in the New Testament, “the word of Christ.” Of course, we see references all over the Scriptures to the word of God, like I Thessalonians 2:13 says, “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but for what it really is, the word of God.” So, we see the word of God mentioned. We also see the word of the Lord mentioned all over the Bible. We see it in the New Testament, II Thessalonians 3:1, “Finally brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified.” We see it in the Old Testament. I Kings 6:11 says, “Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon.” Hosea 1:1 says, “The word of the Lord which came to Hosea.” Jeremiah 1:4 says, “Now the word of the Lord which came to me.” What is the word of Christ, though? We see the word of God, we see the word of the Lord, what is the word of Christ that we see mentioned here in verse 16? Before I describe it as a tool that we ought to carry in our toolbox, we have to have a right understanding of what is being referred to in the first place.

Now there are two real basic views on this, on what the word of Christ is. Some will take it to be a more limited reference to the exact words that Jesus spoke in His earthly ministry and no more than that. They would find support in passages like John 14:26 where Jesus says to His apostles, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” So, they limit the word of Christ to all that He said to them. According to this view, if it didn't come directly out of the lips of our Lord, then it is not the word of Christ. Then there is the second view, the broader view, which is the one I hold, and that would say that that language here in Colossians 3:16, “the word of Christ,” is a broader reference to Christ working through the Spirit through the apostles to reveal the very words that we now see on the pages of our Bibles. That would be supported by a passage like John 16:13-14 where Christ says, “But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come.” Now it's those words, words spoken through God, through Christ, through the Spirit to the apostles now enscripturated on the pages of the Bible which are to richly dwell in believers. That's the position I take. The language here in verse 16, specifically the reference to the word of Christ, is pointing to the words of Scripture, the Bible, through that trustworthy apostolic chain of custody authorized by Christ Himself, safeguarded by the Spirit. The word of Christ is what we would all call right now the Word of God.

As we see here as we read on in verse 16, we are to let that word, the word of Christ, dwell in us. Not only dwell in us, but it also says, “richly dwell within you.” What does that mean, to “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” The best way I can think of to teach on this topic, or this concept is by use of negative illustration, in other words to explain for you all what richly dwelling does not look like. The illustration I am going to give you comes from a story I read not too long ago called The Diary of a Bible. It obviously is fiction, but it has a point, about a Bible that journaled its owner's use. The Bible's one-year diary reads this way.

January 15th. Been resting for a week. A few nights after the first of the year my owner opened me but no more. Another New Year's resolution has gone wrong.
February 3rd. Owner picked me up and rushed off to Sunday School.
February 23rd. Cleaning day, dusted and put back in my place.
April 2nd. Busy day. Owner had to present the lesson of the church society meeting. Quickly looked up a lot of references.
May 5th. In Grandma's lap again, a comfortable place.
May 9th. She let a tear fall on John 14.
May 10th. Grandma is gone, back in my old place.
May 20th. Baby born; they wrote his name on one of my pages.
July 1st. Packed in a suitcase, off for vacation.
July 20th. Still in the suitcase, almost everything else was taken out.
July 25th. Home again. Quite a journey though I don't see why I went.
August 16th. Cleaned again and put in a prominent place. The minister is to be here for dinner.
August 20th. Owner wrote Grandma's death in my family record. He left his extra pair of glasses between my pages.
December 31st. Owner just found his glasses. Wonder if he'll make any resolutions about me for the new year.

I realize it's just an illustration and I do understand that Bibles don't actually keep diaries, but I trust the main idea is sticking and sinking in. What would your Bible, what would our Bibles say if they were to write a diary like that? Would they say that the word of Christ richly dwells in us; and that word richly, it really is an important modifier to the verb here, dwell. To let the word of Christ richly dwell means to let it have ample room, to let it remain as a rich treasure, meaning our interaction with the word of Christ ought not to be superficial or passing. It ought not to be some annoyance you put up with like flossing or snow shoveling. No, the relationship between a Christian and the word of Christ should be one of consecrated devotion, grateful abiding, a serious commitment to live in light of its truth. I appreciate how one commentator paraphrases the meaning of this word, richly. He says, let it dwell not with a scanty foothold but with a large and liberal occupancy. Or here is another one, he says, there must not be contentment with a spiritual pittance, for all the wealth of the Word must be our desire. That's right. The word of Christ richly dwells within us as we read it, as we study it, as we meditate on it, as its truths take up residence within us, when those truths abide in us, and they move into us and they make home within us. The word of Christ richly dwells within us not only when we are in the Word but when the Word is in us, challenging us and convicting us and coursing through our veins, influencing every decision and impacting each and every corner of our lives, every plan, every decision, everything about us. Is the word of Christ richly dwelling within you? This is not about box-checking, this is about abiding.

As we turn to the next part of verse 16, we see what the rich indwelling of the word of Christ will produce in the believer, and what it is going to produce is going to be anchored in these three participles we see now flowing out of the main idea of the verse. Those three participles, you see them there, are teaching, admonishing and singing. Let's read the next part of the verse as a whole. After exhorting the Colossians to “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,” Paul next says, “with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Let's run through each of those just one by one. To start with we have teaching. The context here is the Christian community very broadly, Christians broadly. This is not just limited to the pastors and the elders. Christians are to “with all wisdom,” it says, wisdom that is derived from the word of Christ, that's an important modifying clause here, “teach one another.” That word teaching is emphasizing the positive aspect of instructing in truth, positive instruction that is designed to build one another up in the faith. The sense here in teaching is here is what you need to do; and then note what is to be taught in the Christian community is not one's own ideas or takes or feelings. No, what is to be taught is what comes from the word of Christ.

The next one there is admonishing. With that same wisdom, wisdom that comes from being steeped in the word of Christ, the word of Christ that richly dwells in the believer, believers are to admonish one another. The word admonish means to warn or to correct. To admonish means to bring in the corrective function of the truth of the Word. If teaching is saying here is what you need to do, admonishing is saying you need to stop doing that. Admonishment is at the heart of Paul's oft-quoted statement in II Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired of God and profitable for teaching,” positive, “for reproof, for correction,” negative, “for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work.” As a function of having the word of Christ richly dwelling within us, we are to be exhorting fellow believers from the Word, and we are to be warning fellow believers concerning the standards and the obligations in God's Word. We are to do so graciously, and we are to do so tactfully, that's Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.” But we are to do so with a fixed purpose and goal as we teach, as we admonish. Colossians 1:28 says we are to “proclaim Him,” meaning Christ, “admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom so that we may present every man complete in Christ.”

We've looked at the first two participles here, teaching and admonishing, those flow out of the word of Christ richly dwelling. The third one here is singing, that's the third participle right there towards the end of the verse. Now you'll note how I've skipped right over some key words there, words that we are familiar with if we've been in the Bible for any number of years, where it says, “with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” I've skipped right to that third participle, singing, because the punctuation in many of our English translations will tend to lump together psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with admonishing one another. That's how it reads there in the English, right? “With all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” So, it sounds as though we are to be admonishing one another, correcting one another, rebuking one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. I think a more natural place to break this text, we don't have these punctuation marks in the Greek text that we do in our English, the right place here to put the comma or the colon and to break up the thought as a way to express what I think Paul is communicating here would be actually after the words, “admonishing one another.” I'd put a colon or a comma there. So, the idea would be that Paul is conveying to us here that the word of Christ richly dwelling in us has three consequences. First will be teaching one another with all wisdom, second will be admonishing one another with all wisdom and third will be singing. Singing what? Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. That's the outgrowth of the word of Christ dwelling in us richly. Of course, that opens the door to the question, what are psalms and hymns and spiritual songs? I'm glad you asked. The word psalms comes from a verb that just means to pluck or to play a stringed instrument. We know from the superscriptions, the words that come right before the psalms in the Old Testament, that many of them were songs that were to be accompanied by stringed instruments. I take psalms here not to be some general reference to stringed music broadly speaking, but rather to the actual psalms given to us in the psalter, the divine songbook of ancient Israel. What about hymns? Well, hymns simply are songs which address praise and glory to God and in the context here I would take that to mean the songs that we see recorded in the Old Testament. Songs like the songs of Moses and the song of Miriam, the songs of Deborah and Barak, and some of the songs that were composed and canonized even in the New Testament. There is this third category, spiritual songs. That would be more of a general reference to songs of a spiritual nature. There is a spiritual content to the songs that are being sung, they are about spiritual things, songs about Christ. It's again an outflow of the word of Christ richly dwelling. Now as we read on in verse 16, we note that the singing that is to take place, whether of psalms or hymns or spiritual songs is to be done with thankfulness, it says end of verse 16, “in your hearts to God.”

Putting all this together, these actions of the Christian—teaching, admonishing, singing—they involve separate activities but each springs out of the rich dwelling of the word of Christ in the heart. Each is an extension of the word of Christ richly dwelling within us. As Christians we not only teach and admonish each other from the Word and the wisdom that comes from the Word, we sing songs which give thanks and gratitude for the grace of God that has been shown to us. That's what is meant there by that last phrase, “singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Turn over with me if you would over to Ephesians 5, we're going to see the parallel reference to this passage. Ephesians 5, we're going to see that these expressions of praise and song, Ephesians 5:18 is where we'll start, these expressions of praise and song will be the overflow of Spirit-filled hearts which have recognized God's truth and now want to praise Him for it. Ephesians 5:18, it says, “And do not get drunk with wine for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” We have these companion verses, Ephesians 5:18-19 and now Colossians 3:16, and in Ephesians 5:18 it's talking about being filled with the Spirit. There is a term that is abused and mangled in our day. But I don't think it needs to be that way, because if you take these two passages, Ephesians 5:18-19 and Colossians 3:16, we can see very clearly what it means to be Spirit-filled. Back in Colossians 3 we're told that the singing of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs is connected to the deep assimilation of the Word of God, the Word of God richly dwelling within us. Then the counterpart passage, Ephesians 5:18-19 is saying that the singing of those same psalms and hymns and spiritual songs is the outgrowth of being filled with the Spirit. If we put our detective hats on, what does that mean when we put those two verses side by side and consider them together in that commonality of singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs? The critical truth that we can extract, the singular truth that we can extract is that the Holy Spirit's language is the Word of God. To be a Spirit-filled Christian is to be a Word-filled Christian, whether it is in the songs that we sing or the sermons that we preach or the counsel that we give or the gifts that we exercise or the prayers that we pray. The Spirit always works through His Word, never apart from it. The Holy Spirit's language is the Word of God. I repeat again, and the Spirit-filled Christian is a Word-filled Christian.

That brings us to our fourth tool in the toolbox, back to Colossians 3. Look at verse 17, our fourth tool here would be the name of Christ. And if you are a note taker, this would be our fourth heading, The Name in which All Things Are to be Done. Look at verse 17, it says, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Now for starters note how sweeping the scope is of what is being said here. It is truly all inclusive—whatever you do in word or deed is to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. I mean, that's a remarkable expression. The Old Testament often used the phrase, doing things in the name of the Lord. David, when he goes against Goliath in I Samuel 17 speaks of doing this in the name of the Lord of Hosts. Psalm 20:7 says, “Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord our God,” referencing Yahweh there. But Paul here is extending that phrase, here in Colossians 3:17, to the name of the Lord Jesus. Note, there is no sacred/secular distinction in the Lord's sight, He is sovereign over it all. To do all in the name of the Lord Jesus means that all that we do, as it says here, “whether in word or deed,” whether by lip or by life, is to be for Him and for His glory. The parallel would be I Corinthians 10:31 where it says, “Whether then, you eat or drink, whatever you do,” you can finish it, “do all to the glory of God.” Right? Those are weighty enough words in their own right here in verse 17 and also in I Corinthians 10, so my only challenge to you on this one is to say that anyone can say these things. So-called Christian quarterbacks who live like the world can say they are doing all for the glory of God and they are doing all for the name of the Lord Jesus. So can so-called Christian politicians and so-called Christian influencers and sadly even church members. The question, though, is though you say it, do you mean it? Are you living it? Are you being sincere? Does your life line up with your profession? Does the direction of your life match up with the weight of your words? The whole of the Christian life stands under the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus stands for all that He is and all that He has done, and in light of what He has done the call in our lives is to surrender all of us to Him. I've given the Kuyper quote before where he speaks of Christ saying every square inch of this universe is Mine. Well, our response to that is to be every fiber of our being is also Yours, Lord. It all belongs to You. Our realization of who the Lord Jesus is, our identification with Him, His authority over us, our recognition of His will for our lives is to govern every aspect of our lives. Our thoughts, our actions, our homes, our marriages, our priorities, our commitments, you name it. All of it. How are we to know whether we are being sincere? How are we to know that we truly are doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus? We come to know if we are being sincere by measuring those various pockets and spheres of our lives, the faithfulness we see or maybe the unfaithfulness we see against what has been revealed to us in the word of Christ. Measuring our lives, as always is the call to the Christian, against the Word.

The last we are told here, verse 17, that as we do all that we do in word or deed, and as we do what we do in the name of the Lord Jesus, it says we are to be “giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” There is that word again, giving thanks, thanksgiving. Three times in these three verses Paul has mentioned thankfulness: verse 15, be thankful; verse 16, with thankfulness; verse 17, giving thanks to God. As Christians we should be thankful that through Christ, God is our Father and that now we have this unique privilege and distinct responsibility to live faithfully for Him.

Now Paul's concluding thought here in verse 17, “whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father,” that once again shines a light on the theme of Paul's letter to the Colossians as a whole, namely the preeminence of Christ. Those who remember the person of Christ and the character of Christ, those who remember the power of Christ, the supremacy of Christ, those who remember the sacrifice of Christ and the salvation that has been given through Christ, those who let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts and the word of Christ dwell richly within them, they understand and they embrace that Christ truly is preeminent and that we as His followers, Colossians 2:10, are complete in Him.

That final verse that we just worked through, Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father,” that really is an ideal transition to the communion portion of our service here this morning. What we're going to do is we're going to commemorate in this communion portion the sacrificial and atoning death of our Lord. This time of communion really is an opportunity through both word and deed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks through Him to God the Father and to really anchor our thanksgiving in the completed work of Christ on the cross, which is what we are going to be remembering and reflecting upon now. Going back to the text that we've been studying this morning, the peace which now rules our hearts, the thankfulness which now pervades our thoughts, the word of Christ which now richly dwells within us, the name in which we are now to do all things, it all traces back to the message of the Gospel, which is the very message through which God saved us. That message of the Gospel begins with God. This God is the one true and living God, He is the God who has identified Himself as holy and as just and as righteous. On account of His holiness, He hates sin. But God is also patient and God is also merciful and God is also a God of love, and He demonstrated His love toward mankind most powerfully in the sending of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into this world. God sent His Son into this world on a mission, and that mission was to die, to stand in the place of sinners like you and me at Calvary's cross to atone for our sin, to shed His own innocent blood and to die on our behalf. When we partake of the elements that we'll be partaking of in communion, we're simply remembering and reflecting and in a sense rejoicing as we consider who we once were in our sin, as we consider the great debt that we owe to this holy God on account of our sin, as we consider the wrath that was sure to fall upon our heads because of our sin and as we consider the finished work of Christ on the cross and how through His death He paid in full the debt of our sin so that our sins could be forgiven so that our relationship with God could be restored and so that we could have the hope of eternal life in fellowship with God secured. The Gospel really is good news.

Gracious God, as we remember the price of redemption, the shed blood of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, I do pray that that would instill in us renewed hearts of gratitude and thankfulness, a sense of awe that You would see fit to allow all of that to happen. Because of the love that You set upon us before the foundation of the world, that You would see fit to allow the blood of Your Son, the shed blood of Your Son, accomplish Your perfect end of redeeming sinners like us. You didn't have to do that, You were under no obligation to do so, but because of Your great love we are the undeserving recipients of forgiveness. May we never lose sight of that price of redemption, may we never lose sight of the cost of forgiveness. May the blood of Jesus Christ, the shed blood of Christ, always be precious in our sight and our mind as we think upon what it cost You so that we might be restored. May that fuel in us a desire to share the message of Christ with more and more lost souls in our world, and may it fuel in us a desire to live upright and holy lives in Christ Jesus, which is the right response, the proper response to the price of our salvation. Thank You for sending Your Son, the Lord Jesus, into the world, thank You for the precious blood that He shed, thank You for the forgiveness that we now have. May we live honorable lives in Your sight. In Jesus' name, amen.