Ex. What’s the definition of mid-life? When you have as many years to live as you have already lived. No one here today knows how many years they have left. Some of us more and some of us less!

Ill. There are reality shows all over the TV these days. Survivor, American Idol (they have a version of Idol in Russia that I got to see while in Israel, WOW), Biggest looser, and on and on it goes. There is even one about spending 3 months in the Alaskan wilderness! Now there’s one that I would really like to try!!! The point of all these shows is that someone makes a really big change and even a discovery about themselves and “puts on” something new!

      What will you “put on” with your life?

Paul talks about a number of very important things in our text for today that I would like to touch on briefly about the Christian life. He lists six spiritual gifts that are needed in the believers life to be a growing, productive Christian. If you take the time to read the larger context of the passage, you will find that Paul moves from the negative things of life to the positive in a very smooth transition. He is spending time talking to the Church at Colosse about the things these young Christians will need to do in order to live the Christ-like life.

I.) In Paul’s wardrobe as Dan Ulrich of Bethany Seminary talks about it(my comments today are based in part on Brother Dan’s Bible Study on our text for today), “Compassion” is one of the new items to be “put on.”

A.) Allow careing for needs and sufferings of other people to be a part of who we are as God’s people in our world today.

1.Our Lord on many occasions that are recorded for us in the Gospels had compassion on persons he encountered.

2. Mary and Martha at the time of Lazarus’ death come to mind, those who were ill or sick and needed healing, etc. etc.

II.) “Kindness” is another new piece of clothing the wardrobe of the believer.

A.) Our compassion leads to act of kindness.

1. We don’t just feel bad for the plight of another, we get involved, we take action!

 

Ex. Disaster Relief efforts that have been a part of who the Brethren are for many years. Some here today have gone on these sorts of trips. Closer to home we might think of CAS and other opportunities to put our faith into action. Responding as the Spirit of God leads us is the challenge.

III.) Humility is yet another piece of clothing in the new wardrobe.

A.) This is not talking about having a low opinion of yourself!

1. It is rather taking freely the role of a servant.

 

Ex. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus talks about himself as being humble and meek because he offers rest to weary people.

IV.) The word in our text that is translated as “meekness” is closely related to the word for humility.

A.)Meekness includes aspects of non-violence, being unselfish, and even being courteous toward others.

1. It does not include being a “doormat!”

2. The image that comes to mind here is of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on a donkey.

V.) “Patience” is another of our new garments as believers.

A.) Shortcomings, ahh, don’t you just love shortcomings in other people?

1. Of course we don’t have any in us.

2. Learning how to forgive others who have offended you is one of life’s greatest challenges.

3. We have been forgiven by God and we must show the same forgiveness to those who have wounded us!

 

Ex. Again Jesus is the greatest example of this kind of forgiveness. His words from the Cross about forgiveness should always be on our minds!

VI.) “ Love,” hmmmmmm such a difficult word to translate into our English language.

A.) Agape, the Greek word is difficult to translate into our language.

1. Love is the belt that holds all the rest of our new garments together and in place.

2. Love has the sense of also being a lubricant that enables the parts of a machine to run smoothly.

3. Love is the motivating force that unites all the other qualities into a state of completeness.

4. Without a sincere love for other people it would be impossible to overlook the faults of other people and to move forward with the cause of Christ for building God’s kingdom in the world today.

Conclusion to message: God has given us an amazing “wardrobe” of things for us to “put on” in order to live the Christ like life. We are chosen by God to be his people, holy and dearly loved! The transformation that we experience as individuals is meant to bring us together in a unity that the world does not have and cannot fully understand. Living as the body of Christ takes discipline and hard work as well as the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Ex. Alexander Mack was asked once about how the Brethren would be known. His response is really for all of God’s people. He said that we would “be known by the manner of our living.” Very profound words when we think of the wardrobe God has provided for us to live with.

Colossians 3: 15 concludes our text for today by saying “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Can any event in life take from the believer all the God has given them? Can any event in life take from us the peace that is ours as believers in Christ Jesus? We are different from the way the world lives and we have a peace that comes only from knowing the living God and having the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. So today let’s take off any old garments we may be wearing and put on the new ones Christ has for us!