Remember

Message Transcription

Well, we're in our series second week of a three week series called How to Be Thankful. As we enter into the season, the holiday of Thanksgiving, we thought it appropriate to spend a few weeks thinking about how do we become more thankful people. And we're looking specifically at three ways that we can be thankful. The first one we talked about last week receive. This week we'll talk about remember. Next week will be reciprocate. As we've thought about together. Last week we looked at the book of Colossians in chapter two, listening to Paul's challenge to this young church who said so then, just as you received from Christ Jesus. Continue to live in your to live in him. Rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Since you have received, since God has done this amazing thing, giving you this incredible gift in Christ, you have received it. Stay in it. Build your foundation, your, build your life on it, and overflow with thankfulness. So we challenged ourselves. How are we overflowing with thankfulness? Are we learning to live in the goodness of God? Are we learning to receive it to to humble ourselves in such a way that we can receive the good gifts of God? And it's amazing how gratitude and an attitude of gratitude, as my brother Eddie says, a posture of gratitude, how impactful it can be in our lives.

Research has shown this over and over again. I came across a general study from UCLA health, which is a group kind of like our Texas Tech physicians who called through a lot of the research in the last couple of decades to put forth the the information about what it looks like to live a life of gratitude, that there are actual health benefits. In fact, it's been found to reduce depression, lessen anxiety, support heart health, relieve stress, improve sleep. Anybody need any of that in their life? Right? Having a posture of gratitude, but not just a posture, but actually living it out. In fact, they they went through the research and found it's actually a thing that if you practice gratitude, right, practice it, not just think about it, but practice it 15 minutes a day, five days a week, for at least six months. You develop this habit of practicing gratitude. It has direct health benefits in your life. So imagine church, what might happen in us if we began to to adopt this posture, not just think about gratitude, but actually to receive it from God, and then to to pay it forward to others to practice it in our lives. This week we're going to look again at the letter to the Colossians. We're going to jump over to chapter three, and I invite you to turn there as we think about the power of remembering how to be thankful, learning how to remember.

Here Paul opens this chapter with these words. So if you have been raised with Christ. Seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died in your life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Paul starts here in chapter three by reminding them of their connection to Christ. If if you have been raised with Christ, this reminder that they are now connected, he says, set your minds on the things that are above, not on earthly things. Chapter two he said, so you have received this gift of Christ. Live in it. Build your foundation on it. Be rooted in it. Here, he says, set your minds. And again, this is not just an intellectual practice. He's asking us to actually adopt some new practices. In fact, he's going to start using a different kind of an example. He uses an illustration, a metaphor, and that image is clothing. So I invite you to take just a moment, look around you at the people who are seated around you. Every single one of us, I think. Let me make.

Yep. Every one of us came clothed today. Right. How many of you picked out your own clothes today? How many of you? Somebody said this is probably what you ought to wear. Right. Most of us don't have to mess with that. In fact, that's one of the the stages, right, of of advancing in our maturity is we get to pick out our own clothes. Right. So I was thinking this week about that early stage in life when Kaylee and I picked out clothes. Actually, Kaylee picked out clothes for our kids to wear. It came across a couple of these pictures, right? Oh, sweet. Isn't that wonderful? You know, these were outfits that we hand picked out for our children because we wanted them to look like something. Right? What you wear, it's a reflection of who you are. Now, there come these stages when you can choose your own clothes. Right. So Holly and I and Gabe went down to a game in post. Our friend Tracy, Miss Tracy, invited us to go watch the Abernathy Antelopes play the post. Antelopes. There's a lot of antelopes going on around here. And so Holly found the the Abernathy antelope and took a picture with the antelope. Right. Great. Holly got to pick out her own clothes that day. Right. And I just want to draw your attention to one feature in particular, right, that we are especially proud of.

Right. The rainbow socks. We love it. Okay. So that got me thinking about my own life and and what what did I do? Here's a picture a family picture that we took. I want to draw your attention to my shoes. Crocs, man. Seriously, dude, Crocs on a family picture. This is going up on the wall. Come on, man. So I fast forwarded a couple of years. Let's look at another family picture again. Draw your attention to my feet. Crocs again. Who is this guy? What's wrong with him? Come on, man, did nobody see them on my feet? Did nobody say, hey, Carl, you know Crocs, you know, not for a family picture. Okay, so I think Paul here is going to say, guys, it's time to take off the crocs, okay? It's a family picture. Let's be serious. Put to death. He says whatever belongs to your earthly nature sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways. You used to wear these crocs in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge and the image of its creators.

And Paul says it's time to take some things off church y he says, because because of the amazing gift that God has given to you. Remember, don't forget that. If you've been raised with Christ, he says, set your minds on the things above where Christ is. Set your mind on the ways of Christ. And remember, it's not just a matter of thinking about that, it's actually doing it. So taking off some things and put some new things on. He says these are the clothes you must put on. These words Sarah read for us just a moment ago. Since God has chosen you, he he's calling them to remember again. Since then, God has chosen you. He's made you holy. He's lavished his love upon you. Therefore, we're going to take some old off and we're going to put some new on. You must be tenderhearted, kind, humble, meek, and ready to put up with anything. You must bear with one another, and if anyone has a complaint against someone else, you must forgive each other, just as the master forgave you. You must do the same. And on top of all of this, put on love, which ties everything together and makes it complete. And I love Interights translation of this, since this is the way you should dress now. Don't wear Crocs and a family picture, man.

And so I didn't. Look, this is our latest family picture and I want to direct you to my feet. Oh. Tennis shoes, close toed shoes. All right, I know baby steps. All right, baby steps. But since you've been raised with Christ, and since he's chosen you, since he's lavished this incredible love upon you, take off the old and put on the new. So let me ask you, church, what clothing is the Lord prompting you to take off? So that you might put something new on instead. And what clothes is the spirit just challenging you to wrestle with this week? How many of us are just holding on to that anger? That scarf man, we just. Where is God inviting you to consider what you're wearing when you go out in public? And by public, I just mean anywhere that is not just you. Maybe that public is in your living room. Maybe it's around the dinner table. Maybe it's in your classroom with your students. Maybe it's with a fellow faculty member. Maybe it's another person that's that's at your workplace, in your neighborhood. Where is God at challenging you to take a look at your outfit and to remember. Because you're in Christ, right? You've been chosen. You've been made holy. God has lavished his love on you. So now go to your wardrobe right and take a look and say, God, what could I wear today that would most honor and reflect that reality in my life? You see, there's got to be a balance here, you know, right after.

In his commentary, he points out how there are some churches who want to jump on a sin like sexual sin. Right. And they're all over that sin. They want to stamp it out of their community, but they forget about the things that are supposed to go in its place. Right, I want to I want to yank that shirt off, but I forget they're supposed to be a shirt that's put on. Right? One called Kindness and Humility. You see, so often we can get so intent on stamping out sin that we end up stomping on people. And that's never okay, right? Jesus is never okay with that. He never says, don't worry about it. They just need to toughen up a little bit. It's never okay to proclaim the good news with a bad intention. In fact, you may remember that time in Luke chapter nine where Jesus has been going with his disciples and he's heading into a Samaritan village, and he's going to go preach the good news to them. And so he sends a few on ahead, and they won't have anything to do with Jesus. You may remember this is what he says. Or Jesus sent messengers ahead who went into the village to get things ready.

But the people there didn't welcome him because he was heading for Jerusalem. And when the disciples, James and John saw this, they said, Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them? I would just love to do that. Just say the word. And Jesus were told turns and rebukes them and then they go to another town. And Jesus rebuked his own followers. Not because those people had rejected him. But because his own people had rejected his way. He says, guys, we're not going to we're not going to operate like this. Even if we're telling the truth, if we don't do it in love. Right? Paul says in his letter to the church in Corinth. You're just making noise. Jesus is so bold. That he will not let his disciples get away with even telling the truth. Being angry and rude and mean. In fact, at the beginning of the year, we're going to do a jump into a new series and we're going to take a look, spend a week looking at what I think is the most difficult and worst sin for Christians to commit. And that's the sin of Lovelessness. Jesus gets on his disciples. On on them more than just about anything. I mean, nothing more than they are loveless to the people around them. It's. It's never okay. Even if you're right, it's never okay.

Why? Because. Because we have been redeemed. And we were chosen by God. And he came to us, and he made us holy. And then he lavished this amazing love on us that changes our lives from the inside out. And he says, I want you to live in a particular way. In fact, Paul will go on to remind them once again. Verse 15, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to Peace Church, you were called to peace. We can't be angry and bitter and resentful, jamming the gospel down people's throats. That's not how the gospel works, he says. And be thankful. And you were called to peace. So let's be thankful. God, thank you that we are a people of peace. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms and hymns and songs from the spirit singing to God with gratitude. Worship God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether it's a word or a deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father. Why? Because we have been chosen. We have been made holy. God has lavished his amazing love on us. Three times in three verses. Paul reminds them, be thankful. We worship with joy. Right. Gary, that song is just infected my mind.

Holy. Our creation cries. Holy. I. Paul says that that's how we spread the gospel. You don't jam it down people's throats.

No, no, we remember we were called. And so we live a life of thankfulness, right? I, Curtis reminded us this morning, we pay for our meal and they give it to us and we go, thank you. Why? You just paid them. What are you thinking? Because I'm thankful that God has blessed me with the resources to be able to provide a meal. I'm thankful that I get to breathe. I'm thankful that I have my family with me. I'm thankful that I get to be in relationship. I'm thankful that I get to be a part of this family. I am thankful that God has made me holy. I don't have to manage people's impressions anymore, and I don't have to pretend to be better than I am, and I don't have to try to make up for all the junk in my life I can receive. Grace upon grace upon grace. And I can be thankful. So, church, let me ask you. Have you forgotten all the ways that God has been gracious to you? Or are you remembering in this season? Are you taking advantage of every opportunity? What does it mean to you that God has chosen you? Does it mean that he's made you holy?

And that he is lavished love on you? When you go to your wardrobe in the morning to pick out your outfit. And by the way, your wardrobe may be like me. Where? It's like a drawer. Right? That's all right. Will you pick out something to wear that would reflect your thankfulness to God? I mean, how different might this next year be if we committed ourselves to being the kind of people who I'm going to dress in a way that reflects my love and my thankfulness to God. And I don't mean just literally my clothes. I mean, I'm going to dress my face. I'm going to dress my relationships. I'm going to dress my interactions with other people based on God's amazing grace that's flowing in our life. How will you dress this week? Church. God, I pray that you would help us to remember that we are yours.

That you has. That you have raised us with Christ. And you've challenged us to set our minds on on the things that are of Jesus. And as we hear Paul unpack here, we we recognize that's not just some theoretical idea you want us to have our minds ascend to. But God, you you want us to begin practicing the ways of Jesus to live those out. How would you help us to remember? Remember that this week when we're facing a challenging conversation, good God, one is coming. It's coming with a friend or a family member. It's coming with a colleague at work, or it's coming with a professor or a teacher or administrator. Maybe it's with a student. Got a hard a hard conversation is coming. How would you help us? To wear the name of Christ. May we respond and act in a way that would that would demonstrate to others the love that has changed our lives.

God help us to wear it.

Or for some of us, we may be facing a difficult physical situation, a health challenge, or maybe some of us got an emotional challenge or a relationship breakdown. It may be some other kind of spiritual challenge. God. Would you help us to remember, Lord? Remember that we are chosen.

That we've been made holy. That we've been lavished with your Love. A love that nothing can separate us from.

Nothing on earth or under the earth. Nothing can separate us from that love.

God. May that song reverberate in our hearts this week as we look at our wardrobe and consider what we're going to wear. God help us to be intentional. It's so often it's easy just to put our minds on autopilot and just go to treat others the way they have treated us. But, God, that's not what you've called us to. And when it's time, stand for that family picture. Lord, you've called it. Take the cross off. Take them off. Put on some real shoes. Help us to see the seriousness with which you've called us to live, Lord. On purpose. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for your amazing love for us. May it flow this week.

And may it show.

God, we ask all this in Jesus name. Amen.