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David A. Hornor for July 12, 2009 PCC 08 ColossiansScripture: Colossians 3:12-17 (p. 1167)Title: Rooted and Built Up: Clothe Yourselves with ChristWhat does it take to make a church?God takes a group of ordinary, sinful, dysfunctional human beings—becausethere really isn’t another kinds to work with. He adds the preachingof the Word, the water of baptism, the sacrament of communion,the love of God the Father, and the life-giving touch of the HolySpirit.And voilá, a church is created.The only trouble is, as someone once said, the Church is like Cinderella withamnesia. She is always forgetting her real identity. She’s all toooften goes back to her dirty, torn clothes and forgets that she is theBride of Christ, the beloved of God, bought with a price: the bloodof Jesus—and that her true life is “hidden with Christ in God.” It’s the prince that makes Cinderella a princess. [Riff on not birth, etc][Paul (Colossians 3) --> (1) Remember who you are; (2) strip off the oldrags; (3) clothes yourselves with Christ.Looking at the last piece of that today, where Paul teaches us that...

Because we are God’s dearly loved people, we are to clotheourselves with Christ.

[Proposition][Proof of Indicative]Verse 12a

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved...

1. God’s chosen people

– [God’s sovereignty, his initiative, his intention]J.j. Page 1

Illustration

: Harold Abraham; Sam Massabini – “Like the Bridegroom, it’sthe coaches that do the asking” Election: The great, massive bedrock of God’s love.[Riff: Feelings, troubles, storms of life – always coming back to this:Chosen in Christ, chosen not for good in me,

chosen despitemyself..

]But also, terribly

humbling...

Ephesians 1:4

[God] chose us in Christ before the creation of the world tobe holy and blameless in his sight.

2. Holy

=set apart for God; through the death and resurrection of Jesus.We are not our own, we have been

bought with a price.

Verse 1: Raised with Christ.

3. Dearly loved –

Not an impersonal chosen, “Chosen in love” No part of our life unimportant or overlooked. All taken into account. “Hislove endures forever.” Three different ways of expressing the massive, bedrock of God’s love:

Chosen

in Christ,

holy

in Christ, dearly

loved

in Christ.These are the foundation of Paul’s word of exhortation and encouragement:Because we are God’s dearly loved people, we are to clothe ourselves withthe character of Christ, the peace of Christ, the word of Christ, andthe authority of Christ.

I. Because we are God’s dearly loved people, we are toclothe ourselves with the character of Christ.

J.j. Page 2

As we strip off the old way of life (sexual immorality, impurity, lust, anger,rage, malice, slander)...don’t run around

naked

! Clotheyourselves.Put on your Christ clothes! Verse 12:

Paul begin with

attitudes and dispositions

of the heart:

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

[Have you done any school clothes shopping yet? What are you going towear to school this year?]

•

Compassion

: literally “bowels of mercy” heartfelt compassion, tender-hearted mercy. I see Jesus touching a leper, healing a man born blind,feeding the crowds.

•

Kindness

: Valuing others at least as much as you value yourself.

•

Humility

: Not a groveling thing. A truly humble person hardly everthinks about himself. A humble person is deeply aware that everythingshe has is a gift from God.

•

Gentleness

: Getting a good balance between tasks and relationships.We all have things to do; but do we run over people in order to do them.The opposite of harshness or roughness.

•

Patience

: Willing to wait to do something in God’s time and God’s way.[All about living in Community]

Attitudes and Dispositions then lead to specific

community-preservingbehaviors—