COMMITTED TO THE CALL!
Colossians 3:15-17
INTRODUCTION:
Good morning! How’s everyone doing? It’s so good to be with you all. Thank you for joining us for worship today.
In the year 1519, Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes set sail for the coastline of Mexico with one purpose in mind — and that was the colonization of the continent of South America. Cortes took with him an entourage that included 11 ships, 13 horses, 110 sailors, and a little more than 500 soldiers. And with that, Cortes pressed on through the waters of the Caribbean Sea into the Gulf of Mexico towards the South Eastern coastline of Mexico. In time, he made landfall and embarked on the expedition of a lifetime.
However, upon arrival, he and his crew were immediately confronted with an enormous challenge. With little more 600 men, they faced the reality of having to overcome more than 5 million indigenouspeople. The odds were seriously stacked against them. They were outnumbered by more than 7500 to 1. Most would have probably boarded their ships and turned back. But it’s Cortes’ response to this reality that is most impressive. Because, facing such an enormous challenge, he directed his soldiers (not to retreat or withdraw) — but rather to burn the ships!
And so, in one fail swoop that dangerous mission became their only hope. With the burning of the ships, the men fully declared their allegiance to Cortes and their COMMITMENT TO THE CALL and the QUEST that stood before them.
It’s such a radical story. Yet, I see great parallels between their story and ours!
Because all of us live our lives COMMITTED TO SOMETHING! The question for us though — is, have we given our commitment to the RIGHT THINGS IN LIFE!
- Some people live committed to sports. And so, for them — everything else takes a second chair to their team and their obsession. They are either going to a game, or throwing a party to watch a game. Or their talking about their team. And all of their life revolves around sports.
- Still others live their lives committed to work. And so for them, their jobs and tasks and projects consume their thoughts and energies — and time and attention.
- Others, live committed to ahobby. Maybe it’s fishing or boating, or bowling, or golf, or traveling. But whatever the case, for them — that thing consumes their attention, and their affections — it consumes their time, and their resources.
And, while these things aren’t necessarily bad things — they just seem to be far less important than the the invitation given us in Scripture.
The Bible tells us there’s something far greater that we as Christ-followers should commit ourselves to.
In the gospels, we read where Jesus (just prior to his ascension), met with his followers — and He gave to a CALL (a commission really) to follow Him…to glorify God…and to represent HIS MISSION throughout the world. And it’s this CALL that seems to be at the heart of the passage I want us to look at this morning. It’s found in the New Testament book of Colossians. So, if you have your bible — turn there with me. Colossians — chapter 3. As you turn there, I’ll give you a little background on the book of Colossians.
Colossians was written by the apostle Paul towards the end of his life. It’s often called a Prison Epistle, because it was written to the Greek believers in Colosse during the time of Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. He had been wrongfully arrested and chained for his own commitment to the call of Christ.
In the New Testament book of Colossians, the apostle Paul writes (from Prison) to a young church facing enormous adversity and challenge. Most stem from the false teaching surround the nature of Jesus. So, Paul writes to define and defend the divinity of Jesus for them. In addition, he reminds the believers of their call to live for Jesus. Essentially, he was reminding them to BE BOLD — and to just BE THE CHURCH.
To do this, he says — in Colossians 3:15-17:
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And 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.
Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV)
Again, Paul challenges the church in Colosse — but I believe his words would also challenge this church to live FULLY COMMITTED TO THE CALL OF CHRIST. To FOLLOW JESUS ONLY, to GLORIFY GOD ALWAYS, and to REPRESENT HIM IN THIS WORLD.
And if you’re going to do this — if you’re going to COMMIT TO CHRIST’S CALL…then Paul says,
1. LET HIS PEACE RULE YOU!
Again, in verse 15, Paul writes,
5 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…
You know — peace is a funny thing.
Most people think of peace as that sense of tranquility that comes when there is no stress, or battle, or strife. But the kind of peace that Paul is describing here is something completely different. He’s not talking about an external peace that happens around us. But rather an internal peace that happens within us. He’s describing what Jesus referenced towards the end of His days on earth, as He stood with His disciples (his closest followers). Knowing they (like us) would face great stress and pressure from the outside world…much of which would come because of their aligning with Him, He said,
“Peace I leave with you; mypeace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27 (NIV)
More than some absence of conflict, Jesus offers us His Peace. That sense of wholeness and well-being, that brings a calm to us on the inside. So, while we may be facing great challenge and pressure on the outside…we can be AT PEACE on the inside.
This should be the norm for us. Because, if Jesus is our Savior, then our lives should be ruled by His peace. After all, (as Isaiah said — Jesus is (not only wonderful counselor, mighty God, and everlasting Father), but He’s also our Prince of Peace.
So again, Paul says,
5 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.
But don’t miss this! While peace is something we should be experiencing personally…here, Paul is speaking to the church. He’s talking about how we function corporately! And so, he says, as the Church — live with the peach of Christ in you.
Don’t be dominated by stress or chaos or anxiety. But be ruled by PEACE.
And I love the way Paul puts this. Because, he actually borrows a secular word from his culture.
The word RULE, here was a Greek word that was must used in the sporting world. Sort of like an umpire in our world. It was used to describe someone who would call the shots. Like one who would rule or oversee the plays of a game. He’s describing one who settles things on the field of play and determines the victor of a contest. In the same way a referee might oversee a football game, and control the ebb and flow of an event — Paul says, “let the peace of Christ RULE in your hearts.”
And in this new season of our lives (as a church), let’s do that.
Let’s trust in His rule and guidance of our lives. And let’s reflect a peaceful disposition (dominated by faith and trust in Christ), and refuse to be dominated by fear, or worry, or chaos, or confusion.
So, let’s allow the Peace of Christ to rule within us!
And wow, doesn’t that seem to speak to us today — as we think of walking forward into the great unknown of our tomorrows?
While we are uncertain about the persons and the pathways which will come to lead and direct us forward, we can be at peace knowing that God is with us. He is the one ordering our steps and directing our paths.
We can be at peace knowing that our future and the future of this church rests securely in His hands. That is the peace Paul was mentioning. Rather than a command for personal peace, Paul was stressing the necessity to experience peace within the community of faith.
So church family, I challenge you (as Paul did the Colossian church), to let peace rule in you.
- Be committed to walking in peace.
- Work to keep the peace with one another.
- And always allow the peace of Christ to call the shots in our hearts, lives and emotions.
You might recall — in the book of Galatians, Paul tells us that this divine kind of peace is actually a fruit of the Spirit. And as such, it is also one of the demarkations of His presence among us. So, if we are to be a church filled with His Spirit, then we will also be a church flowing in His peace!
Therefore, let’s make sure we submit to His work in us (now and always). Let’s allow peace to define us. And let’s work to be known as peacemakers, and never peace breakers.
Let’s commit to that call! Look at verse 15 again.
15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Colossians 3:15 (NIV)
Paul is saying that true PEACE is always be linked to genuine THANKFULNESS.
The combination of thankfulness and peace makes sense. A lack of peace generally results from self-seeking or dissatisfaction with things as they are. Being thankful means we realize that all things are provided in Christ. If we are truly thankful, there is little room for bitterness.
So let;s thank God for this season and all He’s done in past seasons of our lives.
And, let’s allow the Peace of Christ rule in you. And, secondly,
2. LET HIS MESSAGE FILL YOU!
Listen again to what Paul writes in verse 16. He says,
16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Colossians 3:16 (NIV)
Let the message dwell in you. He’s saying — BE FILLED WITH THIS MESSAGE! What message? The message of Christ.
Let it dwell in you. Again, Paul uses a great word to express what he’s saying. Just as we live in our homes. Or dwell in our houses, he’s saying let the message of Jesus DWELL IN US!
And my mind has been really consumed with this thought all week. I just haven’t been able to get past it. Because it’s so critical to the culture of our calling. As Christ-followers, our lives ought to be DEFINED by this reality. That the MESSAGE OF JESUS lives within us!
There are probably many ways to understand the phrase “word of Christ”, but perhaps the best way to understand it is the word about Christ. Noting this — Paul seems to be saying, the Word of God (this message of Jesus) should have a home, in you! It’s not just a guest or visitor. It doesn’t drop by “once a week” for a visit. No…it’s settled in. It’s got it’s own room. It’s own place in you.
The Word of Christ should dwell in you the way you dwell in your house. Ask yourself, “Is God’s Word a stranger in you? Or is it dwelling in you?”
Paul says, THE WORD — or the MESSAGE OF JESUS should be in you. That means, the message of WHO HE IS should be clear in you. The message that He (being fully God) came from heaven, lived, died, and lived again. The message that through His death and resurrection He has offered ALL PEOPLE eternal life and freedom in Him.
Is that message in you? Maybe you’d wonder — how dow we get that message in us. Well, one way is to read it and believe it. That’s why it’s so important to spend time daily learning and loving God’s Word. Because…
The Word will not get INTO YOU — until you first get INTO IT!
So let’s commit to that. Let’s be more diligent to get in the Word. Let’s spend time reading and studying and meditating on God’s Word! As we do, we will discover the PRIMARY THEME of the Bible, from beginning to end, is JESUS! And again, this passage is more appropriately under so as being addressed to US — corporately than it is to us individually.
Paul is again reminding us that THE MESSAGE OF CHIRST ought to be THE MAIN THING IN OUR LIVES.
In fact, that’s how he began this letter. In Colossians 1 he began this letter by defining this message — and pointing us to Christ. He then said in verse 28, he said…there may be a lot of things we do, and a lot of ministries we begin — but make no mistake about it — we only have one message we proclaim. And that message is JESUS! Or as he put it,
“We proclaim him…”
Colossians 1:28 (NIV)
And I for one am so glad God didn’t leave it to us to come up with the message we’re supposed to proclaim. Because we often get confused in trying to figure things out.,
Things can get lost in translation. We can get our wires crossed. Our messages often get messed up and tangled up and fouled up. But God was clear on this. He put it as simply as He could for our benefit. When it comes to our message — God says:
“We proclaim him…”
Colossians 1:28 (NIV)
This means that:
- We’re not here to proclaim some new clever idea or special insight…
- We don’t proclaim some grand self-improvement plan or some simple stress management system.
- We don’t proclaim some radical belief system or therapeutic ideas.
- We certainly aren’t here to proclaim someone’s political position, platform or agenda.
- And, for the record — our message isn’t about a set of rules, a list of traditions or even that “old time religion”.
To the contrary…our message is simple:
We proclaim Christ!
And who is He? Again, in chapter 1 of this incredible letter — Paul says of Jesus…
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 1:15-20 (NIV)
So, when Paul says in Colossians 1:28 “We proclaim him…”, this is who He’s talking about. He’s saying — let’s always proclaim Jesus…fully man, yet fully God. He is the VISIBLE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD! And…To preach HIM as anything else — as anything less is to FAIL to preach Him at all!
Jesus is our message! Let’s keep it that way! Let’s commit to upholding this standard, that The message of Christ…would always dwell among us.
Not just those things that are easy to embrace or easy to share. But the fullness of Christ and His Word. That means, at times we will deal with matters of truth and doctrine that greatly challenge our comforts. There will be times we must address matters of our lives and our practices that aren’t meeting up to the biblical standard of life in the Kingdom of God. And that’s not always easy. But it’s vital.
It’s a lot easier to just preach the shallow end of the Word of God…those passages that speak of God’s love and grace and mercy. But we must also address the call to LIVE LIKE JESUS — to come OUT OF THE WORLD. To uphold a higher and more holy standard in our lives. May our spiritual diet be deeply diverse that we may grow up in maturity in Christ Jesus. Some time ago, I invited a friend to lunch — and as I often do, I asked Him where he wanted to go. Sometimes I choose…and I should have chosen that day. But, I didn’t. I let him choose. And so he did. And his choice was a local (low-budget) pizza buffet.
Now, sometimes I can handle pizza. But it’s certainly not my first pick (EVER)! It’s rarely my second or third pick either. But, on that day he chose — so that’s where we we went. And, as you can imagine…that place had lots to offer — but everything was delivered on a crust. It was all pizza! So, there were meat pizzas, and cheese pizzas, veggie pizzas. There were Barbecue pizzas, and Latin pizzas, and Hawaiian pizzas. There were Asian pizzas, and Pesto pizzas. Of course they had classic pizzas…but they even offered a pizza pasta on it. So strange.
But that wasn’t all. For dessert — guess what they had? Yep…Pizza! Cherry pizzas, chocolate pizzas, and even cinnamon pizzas! But you know what they DIDN’T OFFER? Anything else. It was all PIZZA! And the’s really the reason I don’t care for pizza (too often). Because it all tastes the same to me.
Honestly, I would prefer a huge salad, and lots of fresh vegetables, and Lori’s baked lasagna or grilled salmon. I could eat her homemade spaghetti, or a plater of fajitas. Or nearly anything else. Because, I really like to eat — I just prefer a broader variety than PIZZA!
And guess what? It’s better for you to eat a wide variety of foods too. Having a constant diet of the same thing (day after day), will affect your health.
In like manner, if all we consume is the same limited spiritual diet (week in and week out), we run the risk of becoming spiritual unhealthy. Our spiritual diet must be more than just our favorite verse or doctrinal thought. If it’s not, we run the risk of becoming spiritual malnourished.
So, let’s not accept that. Let’s expect this pulpit to always proclaim the full counsel of God’s Word…and to always proclaim Christ and the entirety of His message.
As Colossians 3 states: Let the peace of Christ rule. Let the message of Christ dwell in you. And lastly,
3. LET HIS MISSION DEFINE YOU!
In the final verse of this passage we’re looking at this morning, Paul ties everything together — as he calls us to focus on the purpose of our “corporate faith”. Being called together for this grand purpose…to be about the work and business of our Lord.
He’s saying — recognize that we represent Jesus.
Look again it again. In verse 17 Paul writes:
17 And 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.
Colossians 3:17 (NIV)
This church, our ministries, our programs, our outreaches,our plans, and everything else must always be grounded in the call of God to fulfill the MISSION of Christ! So, whatever, wherever, and whenever we gather — it must always be to fulfill that mission!
Whatever we do…we must do it all in the name of Jesus!Never forget that. We represent Jesus. We have been called His ambassadors on this planet. He is our master. He is our boss. He is the one to whom we will be ultimately accountable. All our days are to be lived in recognition of that reality! So, every thought, action, and move we make should be done for His glory…to fulfill that purpose.
As a compass is to a hiker, may that purpose be to our lives…directing our steps forward in the right direction. Let’s put Jesus at the center of everything we are about. And let’s live the rest of our days for His glory!
Christians ought to be the most thankful people in the world. We have so much to be thankful. We have forgiveness, eternal life, adoption into God’s family, and the presence of God wherever we are just by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Being thankful declares our gratitude to Jesus for all that He is and has done for us. Therefore, be thankful.
Live your life completely surrendered to Jesus! And represent Him in all you do!
Conclusion
Would you stand with me for closing prayer?
As Paul wrote earlier in this chapter, Christ is everything! So, let us live our lives COMMITTED FULLY TO HIM AND HIS CALL! Let’s be characterized by peace, filled with His Word, and committed to His cause! Let’s live fully surrendered in every way to Jesus…and celebrate all that He will do through us.
Amen? Amen. Well…stand with me if you will, and we’ll close in prayer.
Let’s pray!
Heavenly father, we thank you for the invitation to follow you. Thank you for the opportunity to experience more than just a mundane ordinary life — but one defined by your presence and power. May we COMMIT OURSELVES TO THE CALL YOU’VE GIVEN US. May we be RULED BY PEACE, filled with YOUR WORD and the MESSAGE OF JESUS, and may we give ourselves to the COMPLETION OF YOUR MISSION. Help us live for you. And make our lives count! We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
Prayer of Surrender in Faith:
And now, for those of you who may not be serving Jesus yet — would you consider placing your faith in Him today? If so, would you invite JESUS to forgive you of your sin and to come to live in you. If so pray this prayer with me?
Heavenly father, I thank you for Jesus and for the sacrifice He made for me on the cross. I ask you now, to forgive me of my sin. Change my life. Give me hope. And help me to live for you. And as you do, would you come and live in me? And enable me to live every day for you. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
BLESSING AND DISMISSAL:
And now, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen! (2 Corinthians 13:14, NIV)