Colossians 3

Colossians 3:1

The only people who are truly happy on earth are those whose hearts are in heaven. Peter-John came into the kitchen one day whistling and smiling. “Sixteen more days, Dad,” he said. Sixteen more days until graduation, and he would be through with high school. He saw the finish line. Consequently, it caused him to go through the last couple weeks of school whistling. I am thoroughly convinced from watching people and studying the Word that the people who are truly content are those who constantly realize that this world is not where it’s at. On the other hand, those who try to find happiness here are perpetually frustrated. The possessions they purchase are never quite what they were supposed to be. The relationships they form are never as satisfying as they thought they would be. The dreams they pursue are never as fulfilling as they hoped they would be. Nothing is ever quite right until we realize, “Hey, it’s not here!” I believe this is why the Lord constantly tells us in the Word to set our hearts on things above. People are bogged down, with stomachs churning, brows furrowing, and hearts breaking because they are taking life on earth far too seriously. When a person finally understands that heaven is where it’s at, he is free to enjoy life. It doesn’t matter where he lives, what he does vocationally, what kind of car he drives, bike he rides, or skates he has. All of that is irrelevant because he sees the finish linehe realizes that graduation is only sixteen days away. Set your heart on things above. It’s a central message not only of Paul’s, but throughout all of Scripture. Live for heaven and you’ll enjoy life. How does that happen? Many ways, but I’ll suggest three. First, we live for heaven through that which we treasure. Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mat_6:21). For one week, I had a crush on Denise Fuller and wanted to take her to our church youth group’s Spring Banquet. In order to pay for it, however, I had to sell the one share of American Motors stock I had bought for twelve dollars. Now, I was really into my one share of stockso much so that, although I was a big Giants fan, before I checked out the box scores to see how Mays, Cepeda, and McCovey were doing each day, I turned to the stock page to check on American Motors’ progress. But when this banquet came up, I sold my one share of stock to take Denise Fuller to the banquet. And guess what. Once I sold my share, I never turned to the stock page again. I just lost interest. When Jesus tells us to lay up treasure in heaven (Mat_6:20), it’s not God’s way of raising money. Knowing that where our treasure is, our heart will follow, it’s His way of raising our hearts and minds out of this world and up into heaven. You see, if you invest your treasure in American Motors, that’s where your heart will be. If you put your treasure in your house or hobby, your heart will be there as well. Your heart follows your treasure. So one of the ways we get our hearts on things above is by investing in the kingdom. Second, we live for heaven through our trials. I am convinced God will send a trial a day your way just to keep you homesick for heaven. If He didn’t, we would become bound up in this earth and would miss out eternally on what He has in store for us. A third way the Lord gets me to set my heart and mind on things above is by transferswhen the people we love precede us into heaven. This process is very important because when you have transferred friends, parents, and spouses into heaven, your heart longs to be there all the more keenly. Treasures, trials, and transfers are three ways our hearts can be constantly set on things above.

Colossians 3:3

Outside Warsaw, several Jews were hiding in a cemetery from the Nazis who had overrun Poland. Among them were a couple of pregnant women, who eventually gave birth in the cemetery. Thus, in the place of death, life was birthed. How can we find safety and life in this world? By realizing that we’re dead to this world and that a new life is being birthed in us through Christ.

Colossians 3:4

The days are going by rapidly, gang. We are going to see Jesus soon, and when we do, we will say, “This is it! This is what we’ve been craving and longing for all our lives.” That is why I believe we can’t talk too much about heaven. And that’s why Paul tells us heaven is where our hearts should be. When Christ appears, it’s going to be glorious.

Colossians 3:5

Following Paul’s exhortation concerning how we should live for heaven in verses Col_3:1-4, in the remainder of the chapter, he turns our attention to how we should live on earth. Our culture says, “Live for your earthly desires"yet covetousness is the cause of wars among nations and in relationships; pornography is a major reason for the breakdown of families and society; and evil desires have caused entire countries to collapse. Read history and you will find this to be so. Living for earthly desires brings death. Putting to death our earthly desires, however, brings life.

Colossians 3:8

The Greek word translated “anger” is orge, which refers to a slow, simmering emotion. It’s a festering, smoldering feelingand it’s got to go. The Greek word translated “wrath” is thumos, which means “hot.” Wrath is like a volcano. Put it off, says Paul. Stuff a cork in it. Malice is finding humor in another’s misfortune. Defined as “contempt for God or anything sacred,” blasphemy is to have no part of our thinking or speaking.

Colossians 3:9

The idea of lying here is that of bearing false witness. What is a false witness? In Matthew 26, we see the answer… Two false witnesses came forward and, referring to Jesus, said, “He said that if the temple was destroyed, He would raise it in three days.” Did Jesus say that? Yesbut He was talking about the temple of His body. Bearing false witness is giving the right information, but the wrong implication. Today’s society is completely caught up in this. “I technically told the truth.” Yes, but did your hearer understand what you were really sayingor did you hide behind rhetoric to conceal the real implications? Scripture tells us that, like blasphemy, anger, and malice, this is something we are to choose to put off. No matter how tempting it is, we are not to use cleverness of speech or intellectual prowess to conceal the truth. “Put on the new man,” says Paul. “Put on mercy, kindness, and humility. Put on meekness, longsuffering, and love.” In short, put on Christ. Being a Put-on A Topical Study of Col_3:9-14 Shortly before his death, Cary Grant was interviewed on a television biography program. It caught my attention when the reporter asked him if he had always been a suave, sophisticated person. Grant chuckled, and then shared a little bit of his story… Cary Grant, the quintessential romantic leading man, was born Archibald Leach in 1904 in a rough section of Bristol, England. A ruffian with a cockney accent, he was anything but suave or sophisticated. But in his late teenage years, thinking acting might be the way to make an easy dollar, he went to the local theater and started to pick up some bit parts. And as he acted out these parts, he conjured up the kind of person he wished he wasa person of culture and sophistication, a romantic figure, a ladies’ man. And so convincingly did he portray this image that seventy films later, he was known as “Mr. Sophistication.” That’s why, when asked if he had always been so suave and sophisticated, Cary Grant chuckled. At the end of the interview, he said, “I played the part so frequently that it became me ultimately. I put on this character so often, that it became who I am.” In Colossians 3, Paul says we are to play a part as well. “Put on the new man,” he writes. “Put on kindness and mercy, longsuffering and love"as an actor puts on a role. Most Christians say, “Accept me the way I am. I’m grumpy before I have my morning coffee, and that’s just the way it’s gonna be.” “Put off that old man,” counters Paul. “And put on the new.” Oftentimes, people say to us, “You guys at church are a bunch of put-ons.” And I have learned to respond, “You’re right. We put on Jesus Christ as Rom_13:14 says we are to do. We put on the personality of Jesus to the best of our ability.” “Then you’re play-acting,” some argue. “You’re a put-on, a phony.” But the fact is, every person on the stage of life is acting some part. You might be acting the part of a jock, a surfer, an entrepreneur, or a glamour girl. Everyone chooses a part, and in the end they become the role they choose. The question is, will they like the part they’ve chosen when the curtain comes down and the play is over. Ask Cary Grant. The sophisticated star made millions, but how did his life end? After five failed marriages, he battled depression and became an alcoholic. While people were thinking he had everything, his life was empty. Everyone is deciding who to be in the drama of life. If you’re not careful, you’ll make the wrong choice and pick the wrong part. Then you’ll mess up like Cary Grantor like me… I remember it as if it were yesterday. I saw her when I walked into the fellowship hall at church. I had noticed her for several weeks and finally got up the courage to fight through the crowd and introduce myself. But, you see, I realized there was a problem, for she was an older lady. After all, she was eighteen and I was only seventeen. Knowing I would have to approach her with maturity and sophistication, as I walked over to her, I tried to deepen my voice a bit. “Hello,” I said. “I’m Jon Courson.” “I’m Stephanie,” she replied. “Yes, I know. It’s nice to officially make your acquaintance, ma’am.” She looked puzzled, but I went on. “Are you by any chance available for dinner this Saturday evening?” “I guess so,” she said. “Then may I have the pleasure of escorting you to dinner at seven o’clock Saturday night?” “Okay,” she said. “Delightful,” I replied and walked away, proud of how debonair I had been. Saturday finally came. I got up early to get my 1961 turquoise Ford Falcon ready for my big date. I washed, waxed, and vacuumed it. Then I took a shower, brushed my teeth, put on my one suit, and then called up the most exclusive restaurant on the wharf at Santa Cruz and reserved a table for two by the window, overlooking the ocean. Feeling quite dapper, I knocked on Stephanie’s door. “You look exquisite, Stephanie,” I said as she appeared in the doorway. I gave her my arm as we walked out the door to my car. But as I opened the passenger door, it fell right off. So I borrowed a hammer and bolt from Stephanie’s dad, jammed the door back on, and drove to Santa Cruz. When we reached the restaurant, the maitre d’ seated us at the table I had reserved. “Order whatever you want, Stephanie,” I saidbefore looking at the menu. Having never eaten there before, as I studied the menu, I was shocked and chagrined to hear Steph order the most expensive item listed: Surf and Turf, $17.95. The problem was, all I had to my name was in my suit coat pocketa $20 bill. “I’ll have the shrimp cocktail” (you know, those little shrimp things in ketchup that cost about $1.50) I quickly said to the waiter. “Is that all you want?” asked Steph. “Yeah,” I assured her. “I sort of lost my appetite.” So there we satshe, enjoying her Surf and Turf and me fishing little pieces of shrimp out of a sea of ketchup. After dinner, I asked her if she would like to stroll down the wharf. “Okay,” she replied. So we went outside and began to walk to the end of the pier. By this time, the sun had set on an unusually warm, beautiful, summer evening. And I was really impressed with this girl. When we came to the end of the pier, Stephanie stopped and leaned against the railing. Wanting to show her I liked her without appearing too forward or tacky, this seemed the perfect opportunity. “I can just sort of put my hand on the railing,” I said to myself. “It won’t really be around her, and yet it kind of will, and I can leave the interpretation up to her.” So I casually leaned over and put my hand on the railingright in a big seagull mess. I immediately pulled my hand away to find gooey stuff running down my arm. Not knowing what else to do, I wiped it off on my dapper suit coatwhich put an abrupt end to my sophistication. Whenever we try to put on roles, the question will be: Will it work, or will you end up like mewith a mess on your hands? There is only one role that will ultimately satisfy any man. It is the role of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom_13:14). What does it mean to put on Christ? In verses Rom_13:12-14, Paul lists the following characteristics, traits also clearly seen in Jesus: Mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, forgiveness, and love. Therefore, to put on Christ means to exhibit these same qualities. I was at Bi-Mart, and I was tired. It had been a long, tough week for me. I had hoped I could just blitz in with one of my kids and be out quickly. But a lady approached me in the aisle with a broken heart and a problem, so I listened, prayed, and spent some time interacting with her. Later, the child who was with me, insightfully asked, “Dad, you’re tired. You’ve been frustrated. Was what you just did with that lady a put-on?” “Yep,” I said. “It was. But not the way you think.” You see, all of true biblical Christianity is, in a sense, a put-on. It’s a choice I make to put on Jesus Christ. It’s a choice I make to ask, “What would Jesus do if He was tired and a woman came to Him with a problem?” As He sat by a well, exhausted, a woman who was living with a man and who had already had five husbands approached Him. Jesus began a dialogue with her that resulted not only in her salvation, but in the salvation of many (Joh_4:29-30). To put on Christ means to continually ask, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” And as you choose to put Him on, you will ultimately find yourself becoming the role and the role becoming you. Being grouchy or brusque, impatient or unforgiving because “that’s just the way I am” is then no longer an option because God didn’t save us to keep us the way we are. He saved us to change us into the image of His Son (Rom_8:29). Perhaps more than anyone else, kids are the ones deciding what role they will play. Role models are paraded before them. Advertisers constantly barrage them. Peers tell them, “Be this, go there, wear the other.” And it can be terribly confusing… Six-year-old Benjamin played his first soccer game. The coach of the team asked Ben if he’d join mid-season because his team needed some reinforcement. So there Ben is, playing his first game without ever having practiced. As Tammy watched from the stands, she saw him doing great one minute, and then running to the wrong place the next; doing super again, and then in the worst possible position. After a while, she tuned in to what was going on. You see, the other team’s key player was also named Benjamin. And when the opposing coach told his Benjamin to go forward, Benny would go forward. But when his own coach told him to get back, he’d retreat. Not knowing that he was supposed to listen only to his coach, he ran in circles, totally confused. At the first break, Tammy called, “Ben, come here.” “Whew,” said an exhausted Ben. “You gotta run a lot in soccer!” “Listen, honey,” Tammy said. “When that other coach talks to Benjamin, he’s not talking to you.” “He’s not?” “No. You don’t have to listen to him.” “I don’t? Great!” he said. Like Ben, we hear voices from all sides telling us what to do, where to go, and how to act. Like him, we run in circles and become exhausted in the process. And like Tammy, the cloud of witnesses in the stands (Heb_12:1) would say to us, “Your role is singular. Put on Christ. As you go through the day ask yourself only what Jesus would do.” You’re coming home from church and you’re late again. As usual, the pastor has gone overtime, and the traffic is horrendous. As you drive into town, there’s a guy waiting to cross the street to go to the bakery. Car after car passes him with no end in sight. And as you approach him, you have a choice to make, a question to ask: What would Jesus do? If you’re convinced Jesus would hit the accelerator, you can proceed like everyone else. But as I learn of Christ, I am convinced that if Jesus were driving a car through the center of town and a gentleman was waiting to cross the street, He would stop His car and let the man cross. The man would go his way thinking, Wow! Whoever that was who just came from church is living what he’s learning! The word “Christian” means “little Christ.” That is the only role that will satisfy us presently and reward eternally. Put on kindness. Put on longsuffering. Put on mercy. Put on patience. Above all, put on love. But you’ll fail miserably if you try to put them on without putting Him in. You can say, “I admire Jesus’ kindness and compassion, so I’m going to try to imitate Him.” If you have Him in your heart, that’s great. Without Him, you don’t have a chance. You’ll fail over and over again until finally you say, “This doesn’t work!” and give up. In this drama of life, Jesus is the Director in our hearts, saying, “Stop your car and let him cross.” Or, “You can’t talk to your son that way.” Or, “You must not treat your wife unkindly.” He’s the One who whispers in our hearts and brings Scriptures to our minds, the One who enables us to play His part once we open our hearts to Him. Other coaches will say, “Be this. Do that. Go there.” But you’ll run in circles until you finally say, “The one thing I am is a Christian, and I’m going to play that part all the days of my life.”

Colossians 3:15

The word translated “rule” is a Greek word that describes an official at an athletic event, similar to a present-day umpire. People ask, “Should I move? Should I take that job? Should I marry him?” I often answer with a question: “What does your heart tell you? If you’re walking with the Lord, the peace of God will be an umpire in your heart, calling Safe! or Out!” Women, when he asks you to marry him, don’t say yes if there isn’t a deep sense of peace in your heart. “You just have cold feet,” he’ll say. But I suggest to you it is much more than that. I suggest it is God working deep within your soul, whispering, “Don’t do it.” Don’t move, gang, without the peace of God umpiring and ruling in your heart. The flip side is the man who says he has peace about divorcing his wife. “Really?” I ask. “Why?” “Well, I’ve prayed. I’ve fasted. I’ve sought God and I have peace.” In response, I’ll say, “Jonah had peace, too. God told him to go to Nineveh, but he disobeyed and headed in the opposite direction to Tarsus. And guess what. There was a boat waiting for him because there’s always a boat waiting to take you in the opposite direction of God’s willcompliments of Satan. Such peace had Jonah about disobeying God that he even slept right through a storm. Listening to our hearts can’t be the only criteria for determining God’s will because Jer_17:9 says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. That’s where the Word comes in.

Colossians 3:16

The Word is the final authority. When someone says they have peace about something that contradicts the Word, you must look him in the eye and say, “You’re headed for a whale of a time. I don’t care what ship is ready to take you away, or how peaceful you feel in the hull of the boat. What you’re doing is contrary to the Word.” Yes, the peace of God rules in your heart, but it will never contradict the wisdom of God as revealed in His Word.

Colossians 3:17

In other words, whatever you do, do everything in the nature and flavor of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3:18

“Here’s how you’re to live on earth, wives,” says Paul. “Submit to your husband.” But notice Paul says wives are to submit to their own husbandnot to submit to men generally, but to their own husband specifically. Women, don’t let anyone say, “Sister, I need to correct you on this, or deal with you on that,” because, unfortunately, there are men who seem to feel it’s their calling to go around the church correcting women. They have a “women’s ministry,” wherein they talk to women about the way to dress, behave, talk or thinkand they are unscriptural in doing so, for Scripture says that wives are to submit to their own husbands exclusively.

Colossians 3:19

People become bitter whenever expectations are unrealistically high. Husbands, your wife is not going to be God for you. She will not satisfy your deepest longing. Only the Lord will satisfy you. And only the Lord will satisfy her. Truly, if you love the Lord with all your heart, you will have no reason to be bitter with your wife.

Colossians 3:20

This is written simply enough for any child to understand: Kids, obey your parents in all things. Don’t argue with them, but do what they say, for by this is the Lord well pleased.

Colossians 3:21

Similar to Paul’s injunction to put away bitterness toward their wives, Paul warns fathers that unrealistic demands lead to anger and discouragement in the hearts of their children.

Colossians 3:22

“What if I don’t agree with my company’s policy?” you ask. It might not be your flavor, or what you would do as a boss, but you are to obey those in authority over you unless what they demand is immoraland then you better have Scripture and wise counsel to back your objection.

Colossians 3:23

The man God uses is a man who knows how to work. It was when Moses was tending his father-in-law’s sheep that God appeared to Him in the burning bush (Exodus 3). It was when Elisha was plowing that Elijah cast the mantle of ministry upon him (1Ki_19:19). It was when Peter and Andrew were casting their nets that Jesus called them to be fishers of men (Mat_4:19). It was when Saul was laboring for the high priest on his way to Damascus that Jesus appeared to him and turned his life around (Acts 9). Many people who want to be missionaries, ministers, or youth pastors are just sitting, “waiting on God.” But they will still be sitting at age seventy. The answer is to work. Whatever you’re doing, do it heartily unto the Lordfor it is then that God will tap you on the shoulder and give you even more significant tasks.

Colossians 3:24

Watching Mother Teresa care for people with their open sores, stinking bodies, and bleeding wounds, an observer said to her, “I wouldn’t do what you do for a million dollars.” “Neither would I,” Mother Teresa smiled. The only motivation big enough for such service is an eternal reward.

Colossians 3:25

If our sins are forgiven because of the finished work of Christ, what does it mean that “he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong”? In Jer_2:19, God says, “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God…” thereby declaring that our own sin will one day track us down. For example, for years, the proponents of premarital sex have used the logic that since “you wouldn’t buy a car without test-driving it,” if you’re going to have a successful marriage, a “test drive” is in order. The problem is, coming together physically before marriage is like taking a test drive in a demolition derby. When the test drive is all over, you’re shocked to find the car is beat up and doesn’t work right anymore. And no doubt this explains why the most findings indicate that those who live together before they’re married have a greater chance of divorce than those who don’t. Sin of any kind carries its own repercussions, and because God is neither a respecter of persons nor of parsons, none of us is exempt.