God’s Chosen People – Colossians 3:12-17
Rev Simon Keith
Opener: The Grand Final of The Voice is on tomorrow night…
Picture this: you’ve entered a national singing competition. To get into the big time you have to
sing for four judges who have their backs to you. If they like you, they will turn around to show
they have chosen you for their team. You give your absolute best, just hoping one of them will
turn around, and one of them does! You are in! You are chosen! Now the hard work begins as they
coach you through the rest of the competition.
Context:
Paul has already told the Colossians what to do about the things that are not appropriate for God's
people, now he tells them the good things that should replace those things. But first, he gives
them the reasons. The first of these is what he has just been saying in v11: God has forged these
very different people into a unity, but now he adds to that they are…
(v12a) God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved
It's easy to skip over that description, or just think it is nice, but let's slow down and look at it
together:
God's chosen people: just as God has chosen individuals in the past for special jobs: Abraham,
David. Just as he chose Israel in the OT, he has chosen these Colossians and other believers like us.
And unlike the contestants on The Voice, it’s not about us being deserving, it’s all about God’s
gracious choice. And it all comes back to Jesus, he is the ultimate chosen one, and we are united
with him!
We are God's chosen people holy and dearly loved:
Holy means set apart for God's special purposes.
And we are God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved. This is the most surprising of all. The
Greek and Roman thinkers around the Colossians would have been scandalized by this. Enough
that the Christian God is just one God! Enough that he relates personally to his creation! But that
he LOVES them?! That was unbelievable! And yet that is what he has said numerous times in the
scriptures.
Do YOU feel the enormity of this? YOU have been chosen by God. I was thinking about this just the
other day and it blew me away; I am God's chosen Simon! Yes, he has chosen plenty of other
Simons as well, but he has chosen ME! And If you are saved by
Jesus, he has chosen you as well.
YOU are holy: god has set you apart for his special purposes.
YOU are dearly loved by God. Whatever affection you feel for your most dearly loved human:
spouse, child, parent; the creator of the universe loves you that much and more.
Illustration: Nick d'Arcy – missed the Beijing Olympics for beating up a teammate. In hot water
last week for posing for a silly photo. Must be nervous! And then there’s the pressure to keep up
his performances! Will he miss out on the Olympics again?
Application: But for us, we are God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved:
1) this means that God is not scowling down at us. He is smiling at us
2) it means he is not waiting for us to fail so he can hammer us. He is longing for and working for
our success.
3) it means we are not working to get into God's good books. If you trust in Jesus, you are already
in God's book and nobody can drag you out of it!
So, if we are God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, he does he want us to behave?
(v12-14) be bound together by the virtues of Christ
God has done a miracle in bringing the Colossians together. He has done a miracle in bringing us
together too! Look around, there's plenty of people here you wouldn't know, might not
instinctively get along with, certainly true if you look at the worldwide church! And yet if you have
travelled far from home, what a tonic it is to meet other believers, other members of our
worldwide family! So because he has done this miracle, God wants that it's preserved. He has not
just called us into relationship with himself, but into relationship with other Christians. And
because we all have our rough edges, because God knows we are all human, he wants us to
partner with him in protecting and promoting that unity.
And so he wants us to put on the virtues of vs 12-14. In last week's passage there were many
things Paul mentioned as inappropriate for God's people. If your clothes were that dirty, you
wouldn't just put them in the nappy San, you would chuck them in the incinerator! Now it is time
to put on something to replace them.
Put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
It's quite a shopping list, but let's have a look at each one in a sentence
Compassion, literally a gut-wrenching compassion. Mark 6:34
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like
sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Kindness: Titus 3:4
But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us.
Humility: Matthew 11:29
Jesus said: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls.
Gentleness: 2 Corinthians 10:1
By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you…
Patience: 1 Timothy 1:16
I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense
patience as an example for those who would believe in him...
See how Jesus exemplifies each one, models them for us
Then there are a few more virtues to add.
Forbearance - putting up with one another when we find each other annoying or irritating. Do you
find some in your church family annoying? It's normal! But if you keep on dealing with them in a
positive way, it can actually bring honor to Jesus!
Forgive whatever grievances, forgive as the Lord forgave you. That's a tall order, because the Lord
has forgiven us everything! That's how we are commanded to forgive in our turn.
And finally, love. Love is listed elsewhere, like 1 Cor 13, as the supreme virtue, and so it is here. In
a way it enables and explains all the others.
Illustration: Aussie swimmer Libby Trickett talking at the launch of the Olympic uniform: “This to
me not only tells us that we're Australian, it tells us where we're going to compete. It feels like
we're going to compete in London and I really love that.”
Application:
Do you wear your Christian uniform with pride?
Which of these virtues is most like you? Give thanks for what the Lord is doing in you!
Which do you read and cringe? Pray that the HS will bring that forth in you, as God's chosen
person, so that more than ever, the virtues of Christ might bind us together.
(v15) we are called to the peace of Christ
The virtues so far have been the kind that each individual can show, regardless of what others are
doing. But the next one needs to have everyone working on it together. For the body of Christ to
be protected from division and dissension, we must let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.
Notice, we don't have to set up this peace in the first place! We just have to let it rule. It is God
who has made this peace between believers. Through Christ, he has brought all believers into
peace with himself, but he insists they be at peace with one another as well. Have you ever known
the anguish of two of your children being at war with one another? That's the kind of anguish we
want to spare God. God's chosen people are called to peace with one another.
And finally…
(v16-17) we minister in the word of Christ
Let the word of Christ dwell I you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom,
and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
What is our guidebook for living together? What is our recipe for having successful fellowship? It is
the word of Christ. By that I think we can safely say it isn't just the words that Jesus himself said,
but the whole Bible, because all the OT points forward to him and the NT is written about him or
in light of him. When we teach one another - and notice it's more than just the leaders involved in
teaching, we do it letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly. When we admonish one another -
we will have to correct one another sometimes - do it letting the word of Christ dwell richly. The
word of Christ gives us the content of our songs. Christ is all and is in all.
And as God's chosen people, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
‘Do it in the name of the Lord Jesus’ means you don’t do it half-heartedly; it means you don’t do it
with sneaky methods; it means you do it for the glory of God. And once again, Jesus inspires
thankfulness to God.
Illustration: The saints of Lower Kingswood – full of Christ’s love and his word
Application:
Think of the activities of our church. Do you think Jesus would be happy for his name to be
associated with them?
Think of your own words and deeds. Do you think Jesus would be happy for his name to be
associated with them?
Do you give thanks to God the Father through Jesus?
Friends, we are God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved. Let’s put on the virtues of Christ
Let’s let his peace dwell among us and his word mark everything we do. Let’s do it all in the name
of the Lord Jesus and in genuine thankfulness. Amen.