Video Transcript: Living the Christ Life Together

Put on then as God's chosen ones holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing songs and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him. This ends the reading of God's Word and God always blesses His Word to those who listen. 

This particular passage is one of the great ones in the Bible, and it's especially meaningful to me because of its association with this church. Back in the year 2000 when we were getting just together with a few of us to talk about the possibilities and to encourage each other in the Word of God and prayer. The very first hymns that I presented anything on was on this passage. The word of Christ dwelling in us richly and  encouraging and teaching one another and building each other up in the faith. And to this day, this passage has remained kind of a guiding star for me, in my hopes, my dreams, my vision for what a community of people are called to be and can be by God's grace. And so I want to reflect with you this morning on seven things that I find in this passage that really characterize living the Christ life together. 

The first thing I want to point out is simply that it is rooted in the gospel of Christ. It says put on them or could be translated, put on therefore, and as I mentioned, last week, you always ask what the therefore is, there for. It's connecting you to earlier things that have been taught in this case, rooted in the very gospel of Jesus Christ. Then realizing who we are in Christ. What's our identity? That's really, really important. Holy, chosen, beloved, that's who we are in Christ. And then relating in the gracious love of Christ, being patient, forgiving, loving, ruled by the peace of Christ. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you’ve called as one body. Relishing the word of Christ having the word of Christ dwell in us richly and instructing each other through the word set to music. Representing the name of Christ, whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus Christ. And woven throughout this passage and mentioned three different times is giving thanks. Thanksgiving for Christ. 

So let's just think about each of these in a little bit more detail. First of all, to live the Christ life as an individual and to live the Christ life together, you have to be rooted in the Gospel of Jesus. You need to know what the gospel is, and truly have taken that gospel to heart. Because otherwise all this nice advice is a waste of breath. You need to know what God has done, and what the gospel of Christ reveals and what it does when you believe the gospel. First thing of the gospel is not bad news. I'm sinful, you’re sinful. God's holy law condemns my crimes and your crimes and requires punishment in hell. Without Jesus I am spiritually and eternally dead, serving Satan, unable to save myself. Boy, that sounds bad. And some people may say, Well, that is just way over the top and say what people are like without Christ. Well, I didn't say it. Jesus said that without him you're of your father, the devil. 

In Colossians it talks about being part of the domain of darkness about being under the control of spiritual powers or elemental spirits as it's sometimes translated, and to being dead in sin. Not having a mild case of the flu, dead in sin. That's just Colossians and I could go on to many other passages. When we sing Amazing Grace. There's a certain church which is known for positive thinking, which changed the words of amazing grace and it has become Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved the soul like me. Well, that was nice, isn't it? We don't call ourselves wretches anymore. Jesus just saved souls. The Bible says we're wretches. It says that, without God's intervening grace, we're lost and we can't do anything to save ourselves. Now, that of course, is not the whole gospel. But it does tell you the first step in the Gospel is to delivering of bad news. You know, the two bumper stickers. One says Jesus is the answer. And then the other one came along was, Well, Jesus is the answer, what's the question? Here's the question. You know, if you're a sinner, how can you ever get out of that mess? How can you ever be made right with God and rescued from hell? 

And the second aspect of the gospel is then how God deals with sin. God, being great in love puts my sin on his Son, the God-man, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to earth as a man. And being God could bear all the sins of the world. Being man could be in a position to take them on himself. And so God put our sins on Jesus and Jesus at the cross took my punishment, and he canceled all the charges against me. And He disarmed Satan. Colossians talks about all of that. He canceled the written law that stood against us with it's legal demands. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them at the cross. And so that's the good news of the gospel. That's why Christians every year take a special season to remember the cross and to focus again on what Jesus has done to rescue us from sin. 

God raised Jesus bodily. He just didn’t leave him dead. He raised Jesus bodily, and he connected me with Christ's resurrection. We've been buried with him and raised with Him and connected with him in eternal life. And when you trust in Jesus and are baptized into him, you leave the old behind, and you join the new humanity in Christ. You receive eternal life through His resurrection. He has an indestructible life, and you get that indestructible life by faith in him. Oh, and he gets you. We sometimes say Jesus died for our sins, and that's one way to put it. But he didn't just die for your sins. He died for you. And that means as the scripture puts it, you are not your own. You were bought with a price. The gospel is not just that he paid for your sins, but that he bought you and he claims you and he's the Lord and ruler of your life. So this is the gospel of Christ. Sometimes you hear the word gospel used a lot. It's very important to be clear. What is that gospel? What's the bad news? What's the good news? And what has Jesus Christ done for us? And this is the basis brothers and sisters, for any relationship, personal relationship with God. And it's the basis for living the Christ life as an individual person, but also living the Christ life together in community, as a congregation and as a wider networks of congregations of belief who are rooted in the very same gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Second thing then is who are we in Jesus Christ. We need to realize who we are in order to live the Christ's life. Because it's so very easy to forget who you are. There have been people who were in slavery, and when they were declared by the Emancipation declaration to be free, and when a war had been won, many of them still had a hard time believing that they were not free from their old masters and that they were not trapped in that condition of slavery. They had a hard time thinking of themselves as free people. Scripture says, you need to know who you are. You are the new Israel, chosen, holy and beloved, are labels that are applied to Israel all throughout the Old Testament, and you have become part of the people of God, the new humanity. So we're part of the new Israel and just the whole new humanity, the new Adam, the new self, and the new group of people in Jesus Christ, God's Chosen Ones.

Jesus is, above all, the Chosen One of God. The Father said, This is my Son, my chosen one. He said that when Jesus was shining with great glory in front of three of his closest disciples, and the voice came and said, This is my Son, my chosen one. But the Bible also says you are the chosen ones in Jesus Christ. And so what is said of Jesus, is said of all who belong to Jesus, that's who you are. You're a chosen one, God's elect. You're also holy. Jesus is supremely the Holy One. We've come to know that you are the Holy One of God, some of his followers said to him. But he's not the only holy one. We are called to be saints. Saint is not something that happens to us a few super deluxe fabulous human beings who get exalted and even get prayed to. Saints are all of those who are called in Jesus Christ and set apart to be holy or a saint is to be set apart as a special people. And you are a holy nation, a people for His own possession. That's what I get when I say the new Israel. You are the holy nation. Just as the Scripture described Israel in the Old Testament.

And then you’re beloved. Jesus is supremely beloved by God but at the same time, the Father loves us with the very same love with which He loves Jesus. You sent me, says Jesus, he's talking to his father, you sent me and love them even as you love me. And he says, I've made you known to them and I will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them. What a stupendous statement that is. That the eternal, unlimited love of the Father for his son is directed at you, and is directed at me with the same greatness of love and the same intensity. To know that you are loved with the love that Jesus Christ is loved with and the Christ Himself lives in you. You need to realize who you are in Jesus Christ, because a good deal of the time, it's easy to think of yourself in other terms. You think of yourself, well, I'm the son or daughter of so and so, the husband or wife of so and so. I got this or that job. And I think of myself in terms of that. You may think of yourself in terms of a dumb things you've done or wicked things you've done and so you say that's what I am. If you're in Christ, that's not who you are. Those are certain facts about you. But who you are, is elect and holy and loved, and indwelt by Christ and loved by the Father with the same level with which he loves his own dear Son. That is who you are. 

And since that's who you are, then you've got to understand who the new you is and start living like it, acting like it, dressing like it, if you will. Because he says put on therefore as God's chosen one’s, holy and dearly loved. Now, the way we dress sometimes expresses a little bit of our identity. For instance, if you're a member of the Hell’s Angels, you dress up a certain way. This particular Hell’s Angel has a pretty good sized beard and he has the patch of the Hells Angels and some other insignia and that's how he dresses as a Hell’s Angel. Let's just suppose that instead of being part of a quasi criminal gang, he decides, you know, I do like motorcycles, but I'm going to be a motorcycle cop instead of a Hell’s Angel. Now, as a motorcycle cop, he's going to be dressed a little differently with some different insignia that kind of conveys who he is. Dressing is your way of conveying who you are to somebody else. And we shouldn't be quick to judge people on their dress. That's not what I'm saying. But in this context, when it says put on, we're dressing a certain way you're trying to convey something or show something about who you are to somebody else. So if you remember who you are, you're going to dress in a certain way. You put on your clothes this morning. Sometimes women talk about putting on your face. But putting on your face, putting on your clothes, you're trying to outwardly express something of who you are inside. 

Now if you are in an old way, then you act and dress in that old way. If this policeman just wakes up one morning, goes back to the closet, pulle out all the Hell’s Angels stuff and rides out in that people probably won't be turning to him in time of need. We'll just put it that way. Because his uniform is sending a very different signal than who he is and who has become. And what the scripture, what the Bible is calling for here is for us to act and and show ourselves in a way that's consistent with who we become in Jesus Christ. That shows the Christ's life within us as individuals and as a body together. And the Bible uses this kind of talk a lot. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. You've clothed yourselves and what you've called yourselves with, here it just cuts to the chase and says, you clothe yourself with Christ. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Dress up as Christ. Sometimes little kids already start to play dress up. And they find some of mom's old out of fashion dresses sometimes and you know that the thing has three feet trailing on the floor, but they like to dress up as a grown up and so they'll play dress up. 

And Christians, really, in some respects, I guess we're told to put on Christ or to dress as Christ. We're a little bit like that. The suit is a little long. The dress is just a little long. We don't quite measure up to the reality of Jesus Christ, but we'll call it at least start dressing in a certain way and put on the Lord Jesus. You put off that old man, that old person with his practices and put on the new Christ self instead of the old man Adam self, which has been renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. Adam was created in God's image and Eve was and that image was distorted and damaged by the fall into sin, but it's renewed in Jesus Christ and that image, the smudges and the mess starts to be taken away the more we put on our face to look like Jesus Christ. So put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved.  

What do we put on? Well, the short version is we put on Christ. The longer version is this. We are relating to others in the gracious love of Christ. Put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. So if we remember who we are, then we start relating in a certain way. And that certain way begins with compassion and kindness, a generosity of spirit and a tenderness and an eagerness to help and to show kindness and love to others. Meekness and humility. You'll recognize some of these if you know other passages in the Bible. Love is patient, love is kind, it does not boast. It does not envy. It is not proud. It's not rude. It is not self seeking, keeps no record of wrongs. You know, it's just kind of a basic rearrangement of these same things. 

And so to be humble, Jesus said, I am meek and lowly in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls. We’re to be meek and humble. Yeah, he had quite a bit to be proud of, and he didn't let his greatness and His position keep him from doing what was necessary to help others. God is gracious and slow to anger and full of compassion. And we're called to show that same Christ's life. And then patience and bearing with one another. What a calling, what a challenge that can be in families and in the family of God, the body of Christ. To be patient with each other, that it's one of your tremendous opportunities to grow like Jesus, when somebody does something that bugs you. You really don't have as many opportunities to grow f everybody is always fitting in nicely and meshing perfectly with you. It's when you have something to put up with, whether it's difficult situations or difficult people that you get your greatest opportunity to grow in grace. 

Now, of course, there'd be little danger there. If you are the person who bugs others, you might say, look what I'm doing for your growth and sanctification and you just couldn't be growing in patience and that forgiveness by not having me around. You’re  lucky to have me. Well, that's not quite the message here. The fact is, we're all going to have plenty of difficult situations and plenty of difficult people in our lives without trying to be that difficult person to anybody else. But the fact of matter is just in normal human relations, there are enough misunderstandings and enough pain and enough difficulties that we have plenty to put up with. And we can either see it as an occasion to get grouchier and angrier or to grow in patience and in bearing with one another. 

And if there is a legit complaint, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ forgave us. Remember the story Jesus told. He compared the kinds of forgiveness that happened and he said there's a king who was owed 10,000 talents. 10,000 talents was 100 million denarii and a denarius was a day's wage. So you'd have to work about 3500 lifetimes with no interest of course being charged to pay off the kind of debt. And then the other one, that's what he's forgiven with. He goes out and grabs somebody by the throat who owes him about three months wages. Now, he owes 3500 lifetimes and the other guy owes him three months, and he's not gonna forgive it. Now there is something very jarring about that. And the Bible says Now if the Lord has forgiven you such tremendous sins against him, then you be ready to extend that same forgiveness to others. We're taught to pray, forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And so forgiveness is just so very vital. 

If you just think of it in terms of clothing. If love is the garment and these various things that are described here are different aspects or parts of the of the fabric of love, the fabric of that garment, then forgiveness, in one sense can kind of be your helpful little scissors. Sometimes you get a loose end on your clothes. And on certain kinds of clothing, it is not wise to grab that loose end and yank and yank. I'm gonna yank some more until that things out. If you keep yanking you may unravel the whole thing. Sometimes if you just take that loose end and snip it, the trouble is taken care of, and the garment is still in pretty decent shape and forgiveness has that power in relationships and in love, if things are in danger of unraveling. It's not always easy to sort out who's at fault in the first place. Sometimes pretty clear that one has done something terribly wrong, for which he or she has to apologize and then receive forgiveness from the other. And when that happens, we have to do so. It says forgiving each other as God in Christ forgave us. 

In our Bible reading plan recently, in the book of Luke, we read Peter’s question about forgiving and we read Jesus saying, If your brother sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times says I repent, forgive him. So repeated forgiveness, forget at least as often as you want to forgive you. But there are those times when you really can't even say I know for sure I'm at fault and they're not or I know for sure they’re at fault, I know. I mean, a lot of times when we think that way, it's not so. But there are times when you get into conflicts when you don't even know who to blame and it's such a mess. And sometimes even then you just need that loose ends kind of forgiving. Okay, and we're not gonna be able to sort out who's to blame here. We're just gonna snip it and move on. And really when we relate in the gracious love of Christ, there's a lot of stuff I can say in this message about the importance of the Word of God and keeping peace and and that's all vital and I'm gonna say it. But this aspect of graciousness of love and forgiving, you just can't stay in community, you can't stay in relationship without it. And so we need to keep relating to each other in the gracious love of Christ because that's how he relates to us and we live the Christ life. 

Ruled by the peace of Christ. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful. So the peace of Christ is to govern us. Jesus brings us peace of God, first of all, we being justified by faith in Jesus, we have peace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That also brings a sense of peace, of quietness, of comfort, of satisfaction, peace in our hearts. But in this passage, it is talking about peace in yet and other sense mainly. These others are part of it, but the peace that just kind of umpires and arbitrates among fellow believers. When you're walking through life to let the peace of God rule or govern. The original word is referring to the kind of person who would be the umpire or the director of an athletic competition. And he would kind of make sure the rules are followed and then he'd also award the prizes and he also settle the disputes that would arise among the contestants. 

And God's peace in Jesus is to do that among us. To rule our hearts and to rule our relations to others. We need let Christ peace rule and settle these differences rather than. I mean, the other option is part your ways. You know, take off. I'm out of here, you're out of there because we aren't getting along. And if you say, Well, I've got the peace of God and I'm gonna just pray to God and seek to let at that peace govern me and everything I do to be seeking harmony in my friendships, harmony in my marriage, harmony in relations between parents and children and harmony within the church. To let that peace govern is so vital. And as it governs, it also guards. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. It guards you against a whole bunch of stuff. When you know you're at peace with God and you're settled and determined to be at peace with other people, you're ruled by the peace of Christ. 

And then this one is has been so much core to the identity that we've sought to pursue as a congregation. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing songs and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. There's very similar passage to that in Ephesians. Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart. If you're gonna be filled with the Spirit, you see these two passages side by side, if you really wanna be filled with the Spirit of God, filled with Christ's life, the way that happens is when the word of Christ dwell in you richly. 

The word of the Gospel, the words Jesus has spoken, but also the words about Jesus telling us who he is, and what he's done that are revealed in the Bible, to dwell in you richly. To daily be spending time with God's Word, to be thinking about it, to memorize passages from God's word that's letting it dwell in you richly. Not just kind of go in one ear and out the other. I'm just reading a book the other day on Ephesians and one of my kids is well dad, why are you reading that? You already know. I may know less than they think, for one thing, but I said, well, even when I do know, I need to keep coming back to reminding myself of, because it's one thing to kind of have something filed away in your mental filing cabinet. It's another to have it dwelling in you richly and coming back to your mind again and again and again. Many of the men have been memorizing the passages. Set your minds on things above where Christ is. That's all part of letting that word of Christ dwell in you richly, and being your focus. 

Now this passage, it kind of talks as though teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom is different from the singing part. And you know, oftentimes it is that way in real life where we're encouraging each other at our get togethers. We sometimes will recite Bible verses we've memorized for the encouragement of other people, and that's wonderful. But in this passage, certainly on the Ephesians passage, and probably in this one as well, he's telling you to teach and admonish each other by using psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. The word singing actually, in Colossians three, verse 16, isn't even there. It just says, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom by means of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. And for those who are especially musically inclined, it's important to realize that music is not just an end of itself, especially worship music. It is music that is to be an expression of the word of God, and to help the Word of God dwell in others richly and to teach admonish one another. And so church music with bad theology is a bad idea. Because so much is taught and admonished through the way we sing to each other.

The flip side is some people are specialists in ….in getting getting every thing correct, but their heart never sings and, and their way of communicating tarutha never, you know, it never just has a melody to it and a joy to it. And so this keeping the song together with the truth is just so very vital as we relish the word of Christ and share the Word of Christ. And music has the power to really stir the heart and and lift the heart up to where the head might be, or at least bring the head into where the heart is, and, it  just stir our whole being rather than just our intellect with some facts that we're considering. And so that's all part of letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly. 

Now, I know that some of you here aren't that wild about singing. And some men, especially real men, don't sing. You know, King David, he only did kill a few giants, knock off a few 1000 enemies and so on. And he sang all the time. But then he wasn't a real man. Anyway you know what, once you're a real man in Christ, it may still be very good voice. That may vary from person to person, but he'll put a song in your heart and you know, the more you grow in him, the more you're going to have that song in your heart. You can be thankful for the better musicians who can do a little louder than you and let them kind of carry it. But to have this word dwelling in us and then singing forth from us. 

Don't make too big a deal of the difference between psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. But if there is a difference it probably goes something like this. The Psalms would be the Psalms. We’ve got a 150 of them in the Bible, and they are an important aspect of worshiping God as individuals and as a congregation. So worship him using his song book that he gave us. Hymns are more specifically to just exalt the name of God and exalt Jesus Christ and we read some of those in the New Testament. You know, being in very nature of God didn't consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing and and took on the nature of a servant and being found in human likeness. You know, we read it as a doctrine. It is almost certainly a song, you know, as its laid out in its rhythm and so on in Greek. Almost all scholars would agree that Philippians two about Jesus becoming human and suffering for us and then receiving the name about every name is a song. John one in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God the Word was God and goes on in that passage to the point where says in the Word became flesh and made his dwelling upon us and most scholars studying John will say, that actually was a song. And John took it and just dropped it in as the perfect theology of the Incarnation. Because it was given by God and I couldn't you know, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain is a song that's listed in heaven. And so hymns are these, these songs that are exalting God, especially for his acts in Jesus Christ.

And spiritual songs are probably spontaneous choruses. Some you just start singing. It may even be making up the tune as you go. But spiritual songs is most likely spontaneously being moved by the Spirit to utter and express music, your praise of God. Now, as I said, I don't wanna make too big a deal of possible differences between those. But if there are shades of meaning, that's probably how it goes. And, you know, in our music, the biblical psalms are a great foundation for expressing nearly every kind  of mood and thought to the Lord. The hymns focusing on our Great Lord and Christ and then just the spontaneity. Those are areas where we could continue to grow but that's what God's word is for. It is to show us where we can continue to grow. 

So relishing the word of Christ I, one of the things I loved most of in this congregation. I remember when we started meeting in a garage, I said, if only five other families want to do what I'm doing, I’m in. At that time, I was on 300 radio stations. So I was used to thinking big and in terms of large numbers of people. But there is no substitute for one anothering and to gathering and encouraging one another in the Word of God. And so that's been one of the great blessings. Now, not all of us are equally vigorous or skilled singers. But as we learned God's Word, as we recite it to each other, as we sing it, we relish this word of Christ, and we build each other up in the word of Christ. 

And then we represent the name of Christ. Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Now what's involved in representing Jesus? Well, at least two things I want to emphasize. One is when we represent Jesus, we are acting on Jesus authority. Do everything in the name of Jesus. What was done in the name of Jesus? Well, I remember somebody saying in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk, or driving out demons in the name of Christ. So sometimes doing something in the name of Christ means in Jesus authority, taking charge and doing things that you couldn't accomplish in your own power. Another aspect of representing Jesus is you're always carrying his name around wherever you go. And so Jesus is kind of getting evaluated in terms of you. A lot of people don’t read the Bible, but only know somebody they run into, who calls himself a Christian. And what do they know about Jesus? About what they see and hear from you. And so you're representing him and because you're representing him in that manner, you want to bring honor to Jesus reputation. So you're acting in his authority when he's living in you and your bringing honor to his reputation when you're acting as you ought. 

I know that the parents and mothers in the Alpha group of the educational Co-op had this as as their memory verse for the month. Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Same idea, do everything for the glory of God. God gives each of us a realm, or a domain in which we can make a difference. Sometimes it involves several different kinds of things. And we have words to speak and actions to perform in our different realms. It may be a gift of music, it may be getting involved in political affairs, it may be the way you handle things at your office. It may be farming. It could be a whole host of different things. And the Scripture teaches that whatever you do, you're representing Jesus. You're doing it in his power and authority claiming the domain for him and you're doing it with his name on you. And so you're really reflecting on his glory, for better or for worse if you're bearing the name of Christian. The Dutch statesman and theologian Abraham  Kuyper said there is not one square inch in all creation, of which Jesus Christ does not say mine. C.S Lewis, I don't think read Abraham Kuyper, nonetheless said something kind of similar. He said there is not one square inch that is not claimed by Christ and counter claimed by Satan. 

Jesus does not claim your time between 9:30 and 11 on Sunday morning only. He claims that too, but he claims all the rest of the hours as well and all the rest of the things that you and I do. So whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him. And speaking of thanks, that's kind of woven throughout this whole brief passage three times. And be thankful, with thankfulness in your hearts to God, giving thanks to God the Father through him. It's a thankful one when, if you have a Christ life in you. The Holy Spirit puts that Christ life me as an individual, and he puts that Christ life among us as a people. And I heard these sisters last night going y'all and y'all and y'all and y'all. Well, Greek has y’all. You know, we in English, at least in northern English, you know, we just have kind of a flat you.  But there's a plural you in Greek and a lot of these commands and guidance that are given this passage aren't addressed just to one individual. There’s a whole bunch of y’all in here. Y'all gotta do this. Y'all gotta do that. And y'all gotta be thankful together. And so the Holy Spirit put this Christ life in me as an individual, but also among us as a people. 

And another thing that Spirit does is give credit where credit is due. Jesus said the spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. He will bring glory to me by taking what’s in his mind and making it known you and all that the Father has his mine. So he’s saying when you have the Spirit of Jesus in you more and more, you realize that everything perfect gift comes from the Father of light. And you realize that it all came through Jesus Christ, and the more you pay attention, the more you realize what a good Father you have, and what a wonderful Savior you have. And you rejoice in Him and you give Him thanks. And that Holy Spirit just keeps our minds and our hearts focused on Christ Jesus, and the more you focus on Him, the more you give thanks. And you can do that even when things are not very pleasant in a lot of respects. You can have an awful lot going wrong in your life. And if you reflect on the fact that the Spirit of the Living God lives in me, the Son of God gave himself for me. He has prepared for me a place of unspeakable joy and happiness. He has given me little bits and spheres of authority now and has destined for me to reign above angels. He has all that in mind for me and is already working certain things in me. And that even this bad stuff has his reason. When you think about all that, well, then you you still can give thanks. 

I read about one man of God, Matthew Henry, who commented where he had been robbed, and how do you give thanks when you've been robbed? Well, in one sense, he wasn't giving thanks for being robbed. But he gave thanks. Well, thank you that I wasn't killed. Thank you that I didn't have very much to get robbed up in the first place. He just wasn't that rich, so there wasn’t much to take and the last thing he gave thanks for was thank you that I was robbed and not the robber. When you get too upset about the evils that are done, just think about how much worse it would be to be not the one who has the Christ life and suffering with Christ, but the one who is still under the dominion of the devil or at least acting like it in this particular circumstance. And so we've always got reason to give thanks in Christ Jesus. So there's this beautiful balance. Don't just be a person of the word though you should be. Don't just be a person who emphasizes love, love, love and more love and although be loving a lot. Keep all of these things together that are aspects of the Christ life.

Rooted in his Gospel, knowing exactly who you are in him, relating in this gracious love, ruled by his peace, relishing the word of Christ together, representing the name of Christ wherever you go, whatever you say, whatever you do, and rejoicing in all of it, and giving thanks to him. Let's together say this passage again. Put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 

Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your gospel for the great salvation You have worked for us and are working in us. And we pray, Lord, that each one of us may indeed be rooted in that gospel. If anybody here has not yet understood or believed and received the gospel of truth in Christ as the Savior, Lord be their salvation and their help today. Apart from you, we can do nothing and so we pray even for the gift of faith to enable us to receive that gift and we pray, Father too that we will realize who we are and live in your power as your chosen ones holy and dearly loved, expressing the character and the life of Jesus Christ in all that we do as individuals and all that we do in relationship to one another as a body, and in all that we do in relation to those who are in the world around us. May it all be done in the spirit of Thanksgiving Father. May it be done, to bring credit to your name and done in your power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.