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In the
letter written to the Colossians, Rabbi Paul writes
to a community of Believers that was doing well,
but was also being challenged by non-Biblical
ideas, erroneous ideologies and false religious
thinking that were trying to work their way into
the faith of the Church. Paul faced this challenge
in three ways: first, he pointed them to Messiah
- Messiah is sufficient for all the problems that
they (and we) will encounter. Second, he prayed
for them. Third, he reminded them of the proper
way to live. This morning I want to cover the
third area - the way we are to live.
In chapter
3 beginning with verse 1, the Rabbi from Tarsus
tells us that we must have the right perspective.
We are to develop a heavenly perspective. We are
to keep seeking - not a one time, initial seeking,
but an all-throughout-our-life kind of seeking
of the things above - heavenly things, things
that are of ultimate importance. Things that will
last. Things that will make it to Heaven with
us. Things that the Lord of Heaven approves of.
Things that are worthy of a reward from God, and
will bring us honor on the Day of Judgment.
Don’t
set your mind on the things that are on Earth.
Don’t live for this world! There are two
main areas that characterize those who live for
this world - sexual immorality and greed. Don’t
be a materialistic, greedy person, who is never
satisfied with the things that they have, who
always wants more and more things, bigger houses,
more money, more things, nicer clothes, flashier
cars, the latest fashions. Don’t be a person
who isn’t satisfied with God-ordain sex
within marriage. Restrain your sexual desires.
Verse
8 teaches us that it is natural for fallen human
beings to hate. It is easy for us to give in to
hatred. Son of God, daughter of the Merciful One,
you must make a decision not to be someone who
hates, someone who is angry with others, who speaks
badly about others, who distorts the truth about
others.
In verse
9 the Rabbi from Tarsus tells us that fallen human
beings find it natural to lie. Even though it
is easy to lie, you can’t be a liar. God
is truth. Messiah is faithful and true. Make sure
that you speak the truth. Be a person of integrity
in all of your communications. Liars will end
up in the Lake of Fire, so don’t lie!
In verses
10-11 Paul encourages us that we can no longer
live like we lived before the Lord revealed Himself
to us, and imparted us with His Holy Spirit, and
began transforming us so that we are more and
more like Him and more like Messiah - truthful,
honorable, gracious, loving, righteous and dependable.
It doesn’t matter if you are a Messianic
Jew or a Messianic Gentile, educated and cultured
or from the simplest background, rich or poor
- God’s purpose is to make you more and
more like our wonderful Messiah and eldest brother.
So, that the goal, and that is what we are to
strive to become, so all of us need to cooperate
with God as He transforms us by His Holy Spirit
into the image of Messiah.
According
to verse 12, God has chosen you to be with Him,
and to live forever with Him, enjoying Him and
being enjoyed by Him; having the Lord as your
eternal God, and you being one of His eternal
people. Think of it. God ha chosen you so that
He is your loving Father, Yeshua is your elder
brother and friend, the saints are your family,
and the angels your servants.
You are
holy - set apart to achieve remarkable things;
God has reserved you to accomplish magnificent
purposes. You are separate from those who will
perish along with this corrupt world. So, make
sure that you live a holy and pure life. Separate
yourself from all that is wrong. Dedicate yourself
to living for the holy God!
God loves
you! The infinite and all wise and all powerful
Creator of the universe not only knows about you,
but He actually feels passionately and warmly
toward you! Love Him in return! Feel passionately
and warmly toward Him, and if you truly love this
Supreme Being who loves you, show it by obeying
Him, and serving Him, and living for Him.
Instead
of being mean, angry and hateful, with the Lord’s
help, and with His grace, and because of the new
nature that He has already given you, and because
of the indwelling power of His Spirit, be compassionate
to the sufferings, hardship, problems and difficulties
of others. Be sensitive to a world that is suffering
and try to help. Try to alleviate the suffering
of others.
You can
be kind and gentle - not mean; humble, not arrogant,
not full of pride, not thinking more of yourself
than you should, not exalting yourself above others,
not acting independently of God, knowing that
you are a creature, and because of His will you
were created, and that you exist to fulfill what
He wants, and that you are alive to serve God
and please Him in all respects.
You can
make a decision to be patient, not impatient,
not easily angered, not short-tempered. You can
decide not to hold grudges, not build up resentments,
but instead be a person who easily and readily
forgives others, knowing that the Lord forgave
you your many very real and serious offenses,
and so you must forgive those who have offended
you.
Be a person
who loves. Love means being a giver, not a taker.
It means doing what is best for the one that you
feel affection toward. Do good for those around
you. Do what is best for them. Help them, take
care of them, meet their needs, bless them even
when they may not deserve it. That is love. Do
this especially for the Community of Believers.
If you do this, the community will experience
unity. It will be a refuge from the fighting and
chaos and turmoil of the world. It will be the
kind of place that you want to be, and others
want to be.
Paul tells
us in verse 15 that because of Messiah, the Prince
of Peace, who made atonement for you, you have
peace with God. You are no longer His enemy. You
have a good relationship with Him. God is on His
throne. He won’t allow anything to happen
to you that is outside of His will. Have faith
that even the difficult things that the trials
that you encounter are part of His plan, and that
He is working all things together for your good.
Let this
knowledge fill your soul with peace. Take this
peace that you have with God, and this peace that
is in your soul, and pursue peace with the other
children of God. Strive to have peace in the community
of believers.
The world
is full of tension and turmoil. It is so nice
when brothers dwell together in unity, when the
members of the community aren’t fighting
among themselves. You know that people are struggling
with all kinds of problems; they have many stresses;
they are struggling with all kinds of issues;
they are fighting their battles; they are imperfect;
they are a work in progress. Overlook petty offense,
ignore slights, forgive, try to get along and
be at peace them. Work out your problems with
those who are part of our community.
It is
part of fallen human nature to be thankless. You
are not to be that way. Be thankful. Cultivate
thankfulness. Be a person who is grateful. Express
your gratitude to God often for His providential
care for you, for His continual unseen activity
on your behalf, creating you, sustaining you,
keeping you alive, endowing you with gifts and
talents, abilities and opportunities, for all
the good things that you enjoy. Thank Him for
life, for salvation, for hope, for love, for sending
the Messiah. And, don’t limit your thankfulness
to God - express thankfulness and show appreciation
to anyone who does something good for you.
According
to verse 16, let the word of Messiah richly dwell
within you. Become intimately familiar with the
Word of God, especially everything in it that
points to, or is focused on the Messiah - which
is pretty much most of it! Don’t leave the
Holy Scriptures on the bookshelf. Don’t
leave it unread. Read it, study it, meditate on
it, think about it, hear it being taught, so that
you are familiar with it, and know its story from
beginning to end, and it’s teachings are
readily accessible to you, until this book of
books becomes alive, living, dwelling in you.
Interact
with it frequently, day by day, moment by moment,
applying it to every situation that you encounter.
Let it inform your thinking, transform your mind,
form your opinions, guide your thoughts, direct
your decisions. Be a person of the Book. If you
do, your life will be a true success, and other
people will know that you are someone who knows
and is committed to the Holy Scriptures.
Be one
of God’s true worshipers. He is worthy of
your praise, your devotion, your admiration. He
is seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit
and in truth. Worship Him every day, not just
when the congregation assembles. Music, songs
and lyrics are a great asset in the worship of
God. They help us remember truths about God. Learn
some good praise songs that you can sing to Him
throughout the day.
With your
knowledge of the Word of God, and with your arsenal
of good songs, sound doctrine and good theology,
teach others. The rabbi is not the only teacher
in the congregation. If you see someone straying
in practice or in teaching, embracing false teaching,
or getting ensnared in some sin, don’t be
silent! Be your brother’s keeper. Be a good
friend and go and admonish them. Lovingly correct
them with the truth.
Skipping
down to chapter 4 verse 2, the one sent by God
to reach and teach the Gentiles tells us to be
devoted to prayer. To be devoted to something
means that you are committed to it. You are given
to it, giving it the serious amount of time and
attention that it deserves. Discipline yourself
to turn your mind and your thoughts throughout
the day to talking with God, talking with Him
about things that are interesting to you. Pray
that what you have read in the Bible becomes part
of your life. Thank God for the interesting things
that come to your attention and pray about everything
that strikes you powerfully. Praise Him for the
Supreme Being that He is, and for the wonderful
things that He has done, is doing now, and will
do forever. Intercede for yourself and for others,
for our congregation, for the Jewish community,
the Messianic Jewish movement, the church, the
world, the government. Try to cultivate special
periods of time alone with the Lord.
Back to
chapter 3, verse 17: everything you do, your words,
your actions, your prayers, your songs, your attitudes,
your goals, your priorities, should be done in
the name of Yeshua the Lord - reflecting who He
is. It should be something He would do, something
that He would say, something that reflects well
on Him.
Starting
with verse 18, Paul tells us that if we are to
live properly, we must have right relationships.
Wives,
love, honor, respect, be subject to and obey your
husbands. He is the head of the home. He is the
God-ordained leader of the family. The final decisions
are his. Talk to him. Give him your advice. Even
if our society encourages you to do so, don’t
challenge his leadership. Don’t give him
a hard time.
Husbands,
love your wives. Treat them well. Be sensitive
to her needs. Make her happy. Talk to her. Do
not allow anger, bitterness and resentment to
develop between you. Do everything you can to
work out your problems with her. Love her, and
make her happy, and she will make you happy.
Children,
be obedient to your parents. They are the Lord’s
God-ordained leaders for you. He used them to
bring you into being. He is using them to provide
for you. He is using them to teach you. Don’t
be disobedient. Don’t be rebellious. Don’t
be disrespectful. Don’t give them a hard
time. You’ll be 18 and out of the house
soon enough. In the meantime, please the Lord
by obeying mom and dad.
Fathers,
when you correct your children, and every good
father will need to correct his children, since
foolishness is bound up in the heart of children,
do so lovingly and patiently. Be firm, be a good
disciplinarian, but don’t be too harsh with
them.
Slaves,
and in our situation today - employees, be good
and diligent workers. Don’t be mediocre,
but work hard - not only when the boss is around,
but when he is not looking. Understand that you
are really working for the Lord. He has given
you your talents, your skills, your job opportunities.
Working for a living is His will for your life,
so look at your job as part of your service to
God, and do excellent work that is worthy of Him.
And, if you do, He will reward you at the proper
time.
In verse
5, masters, employers are instructed to treat
their employees fairly. Don’t take advantage
of them. Don’t work them too hard, or pay
them too little, or treat them too harshly. Remember
that you are not the ultimate boss. You may be
a boss here for a little while, but you are working
for the ultimate Boss, the CEO of the Universe!
If you don’t treat your employees properly,
and you will have to answer to Him!
Regarding
outsiders, those outside of the community of believers,
those outside of salvation, be wise making the
most of the opportunities the Lord gives you with
them. Their greatest need is salvation, so use
your various interactions with them to help them
find God and eternal life. Tell them what they
need to know. Martha’s great-grandmother
was a good example of this. She had the heart
of an evangelist, and she would go into the shops
of Jewish people in Toronto that she wanted to
tell about the Lord. She might buy a little something
to give her an opportunity to interact with the
shop owner, and tell him about the salvation that
was available through the Messiah.
Speak
to everyone graciously, so that it as if your
words are seasoned with salt. Salt preserves.
Salt adds flavor. Your speech should be gracious,
useful, intelligent, and not be useless, dull,
erroneous or obscene.
May the
good Lord enable each one of us to fulfill His
Word, and live in a proper way!
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