JC Disciples
Ponder This
Sermon for Colossians 3:1-11
When I was in high school, there was one special teacher that I thought had to be the wisest man in all the world. He was wonderful. Mr. Lunt was the the music director, and he was the kind of teacher that all of the kids naturally gravitated to. Between classes, during the lunch hour, and after school you could always find a half a dozen kids or more hanging around his room. If Mr. Lunt told a kid to go parasail from to the top of the gymnasium dome, they would do it. It didn't matter what he said, if Mr. Lunt said it, then it simply had to be true. That's just the way it was. Looking back on it now, I can see that Mr. Lunt had an enormous amount of power and authority over us kids, that he could use wisely to help us grow, or he could cruelly manipulate us--if he so chose. Fortunately for us, he was a good and godly man, with a heart for youth. My high school years were very turbulent years in my families life. My parents were going through an ugly divorce. It was my junior year, and I was having a hard time dealing with the breakdown of my family. I worked as an music department aid, and I can remember spending many an afternoon working in the music room and talking to Mr. Lunt. He always listened, and he was so wise and kind. Although, he did have one very annoying habit though. When I was at a cross road, and had to make an important choice between one thing or another, if I asked him what he thought I should do, he would say with a wry smile, "Ponder This," which would inevitably be followed by a question. I didn't want a question, I wanted answers. "Ponder This" he would say. He would not tell me what to do, because he knew in his wisdom, as soon as he told me, I would do exactly what he had said. He wanted me to struggle with the issue, live with the pain, and grow strong. He was not willing to abuse the power of his influence upon my young and very impressionable, and at that time vulnerable mind. "Ponder this."
In the lesson from the letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul finds himself addressing a young and vulnerable congregation. They lived in a turbulent time, when pressures from the pagan cultures pressed heavily from one side, and the pressure from the traditions of their Jewish Christian counterparts pressed heavily from the other. Paul never gives a clear definition to the full nature of the heresy, but we know from the content of his letter that the gospel was somehow being distorted. We know that a group representing themselves as those in authority were trying to impose harsh regulation and prohibitions on the Colossians. Some sought to enforce Jewish circumcision laws. And some it seemed would diminish the significance of Christ himself.
So, Paul finds it necessary to systematically unravel this distortion of the Christian truth that was binding the Colossians. He begins refastening their moorings to the eternal truths that had first set them free--the transforming liberating gospel of Jesus Christ. In chapter 1, we find Paul impressing firmly upon his readers that Christ is the sovereign, he is the ultimate cosmic Christ. Next to Christ, earthly authorities are nothing, Christ is sovereign even over them. Paul goes on to stress that Christ is the very author of all creation, he is before all things, and it is through him and for him all things are made. And by God's infinite love, it is through the person of this same Jesus Christ, in whom the apostle tells us, the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, God has done what no human effort could accomplish. Jesus Christ took the full measure of sin, all sin for all eternity, to the cross, and through this heinous instrument of torture and death, divine love shines through in glorious radiance. Through the very real and horrible death of our Lord on the cross, we have been made clean, and are reconciled with God. This instrument of evil is undone and has become a doorway to life. Jesus is the cosmic Christ, and above Christ there can be no other.
The laces of the false authorities are undone, as the apostle writes:
"Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as thought you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules...These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have appearance of wisdom, with their self imposed worship, and false humility, and harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value to restrain sensual indulgence. Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
The words, "you died and you have been raised with Christ" are a reference to baptism. Paul's emphasis is not so much on the external act of baptism itself, but on the internal spiritual reality that gives baptism its significance--the awsome power of God's grace to transform the very nature of who and whose we are. In baptism we are united with Christ, and being united with Christ we are transformed and renewed to grow in the knowledge and image of God. It is interesting to note that the Greek words we are translating as the "image of God" actually mean the image of he who creates, or the creating one. Paul has just told us that Jesus Christ is the author of creation. So this transformation is into the very character of Christ. This life transformation is not merely changed behavior, or adherence to some abstract moral code. Don't get me wrong, rules and standards are important for the order of things. But they are not the point. Anyone can obey a law, and yet have a corrupt mind . Anyone can do good deeds, and yet have a self serving will and embittered heart. The transformation Paul speaks of is much much more than buying into a new set of laws. Paul does not seek to turn the gospel into a another law. Paul would argue that regulations the restrain behavior do absolutely nothing change a life or to heal the heart. If we are to are to live as risen with Christ, then something more than conformity to a moral standard is required of us. Our very being, motivation, aspirations, appetites, passions, and character must be surrendered to Christ. Everything in us that is of this world, everything in us that is human must be surrendered. In this surrendering that our old sinful self dies with Christ, so that in Christ we may be resurrected to new life. We profess this with our mouths, but we know in our hearts that we are still pressured and tempted by the ways of the world. We continue to struggle with life, so if we are transformed what gives? I would suggest to you that God wants us to struggle with the issues, God does not inflict pain, but pain is a part of the human condition. God allows us to live in our pain, so that we can know God's grace and grow strong.
The apostle is essentially telling us, PONDER THIS, if we are joined with the death and resurrection of Christ through faith and baptism, then who we are has been fundamentally changed. Consider then, what this means for the way we look at life, how we see each other, and relate to each other. How should we live?
The Greek verbs that mean "seek after" and "set your mind" do not indicate suggestions to do from time to time, when we are in prayer or at church on Sunday, they are not occasional. Rather they speak to a perpetual state of being, a continuous participation in a process of development and growth, an ongoing shaping of the heart, mind and character. Our salvation is secure, it was done once and for all by Christ on the cross. We have faith in that, but God isn't done with us yet. The effect of the kingdom of God can be felt in our lives today, but will not be fully realized until the final consummation of the kingdom, at the second coming of our Lord. In the mean time, the whole tenor of our being, our very existence is to be transformed by the light of Christ within us. To grow in our new life, the very thoughts of our minds and the aspirations of our hearts are to be fixed in the heavenly realm. In other words, we are to live in a constant awareness of God's presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit, and seek diligently God's will for us. We must surrender to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit so that our character might be transformed into the very character of Christ.
Let me illustrate it for you in this way. When my family first moved to Prescott, we were very involved in the Community Theater. My father was an extraordinary actor. He could play anything from the villain with the handle bar mustache to King Lear. When Dad was working on developing a character, we were never really sure who we were talking to, Dad or King Lear. He could put on and take off a character like you change a shirt. That is not what Paul means. He is talking about a gradual all consuming transformation. It's more like the tiny seedling that forms from within the heart of a seed to someday become a giant and beautiful tree, so too are we changed. At some point the seed is no more, it is completely transformed. The transforming power of Christ is like that. It grabs you in the very core of your being. Our goal is to become so filled with the Light of Christ that those who encounter the Christian in the world, have a genuine encounter with Christ. That's what Paul is talking about. Paul challenges us to surrender our worldly ambitions, and lift our thoughts from earth-bound fears and standards, fixing them upon the Christ, so that we are changed from within. It is the things above, the very perspective and priorities of God if you will, that makes sense out of life. It is through the lense of God's grace that we begin see with God's perspective, and it is through the very sovereignty of God over our hearts and lives that we are emboldened and empowered to live as faithful followers of Jesus Christ in a world that still suffers from the effects of sin.
You might be saying to yourselves at this point, "Looks good on paper Kit, but in the real world it's not so easy." And your right. So how do we live as Christ would have us in the midst of our troubled world, where temptation and sin abound? We have all been wounded at the hands of others. We've all witnessed brothers and sisters in Christ act in ugly ways we wished we'd never seen. You might even be struggling with the question, "How can I keep my heart and mind on Jesus, when I know what I know about people." "How can be a part of a community where I've been hurt so badly, or worse yet, where I have screwed up so badly myself?" "It's just so hard to let go of the hurt." "How can I do it?" It doesn't really matter what kind of community we are talking about, it could be a family, a church, or a work place, it doesn't matter the feelings the same.
It is hard, I struggle with it, we all do. Well, PONDER THIS. Jesus knew everything about every one. He knew the hearts of everyone. PONDER THIS: What must it have been like for Jesus as he called Peter, knowing all the long that he would fail him when he needed him most. What must it have been like for him to sit at supper with Judas knowing that someday he would betray him. What must it have been like for Jesus as he taught and healed the crowds knowing that they would someday cry crucify him. What must it have been like. How do we live in our broken pressure cooker world? PONDER THIS, what would Jesus do? Do likewise. Amen.