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March 21, 2004 |
"God's HDL Design:" |
Pastor Brian Shimer
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"HDL Design: Getting Dressed to Live"
Colossians 3: 1-14
| I. |
Lying in the hospital on that Friday evening 3 weeks ago, a woman came in
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to visit me who shone with joy. I don't remember her
name. She had bumped into her neighbor that afternoon before coming to the hospital to work as a nurse and her neighbor had said, "Do you know who is in the hospital? Brian Shimer! And you could be on his floor today, but if not go and visit him." I had never met this woman who came in and her neighbor is the mom of a friend of ours. So, this friend of a friend's came in and bubbled over in the room. I do not remember what we shared, I just remember her presence, her prayer and her love was tangible and remained with me even after she left.
When you are clothed in God's designer clothes it shows. Just as your physical clothes display something about you, so wearing God's HDL line of clothes, comes through in all our relationships. What is the HDL line? The clothing God has provided for those who are His people who are Holy and dearly loved.
Last week I introduced this verse saying that here are listed 7 Christ-like virtues which God intends that we "put on." In our walk in Christ by faith, God calls you and me to be daily removing or taking off, the clothing of sin and clothing ourselves with the virtues of a holy life.
We add to our faith, as Peter says. We do our faith, as James wrote.
Being a Christian is not only about a future destination, but equally about a daily life.
| | II. |
Last week I spoke about getting dressed daily with the first two of the seven
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pieces of clothing listed in this verse. Those two related to how we are to treat others with compassion and kindness. Remember compassion is stepping into their shoes, holding onto a heart of mercy for their situation, and kindness is the expression of that care for them.
The next two listed in Colossians 3:12 describe THE STATE OF MIND WE ARE TO POSSESS
First Paul says, put on "humility".
Paul warned the Colossians against the folk who were clothed in a false humility. They are into the latest philosophy. Jesus was fine, but inadequate without these false doctrines. They were puffed up with stories of visions they had seen. They were worshipping Angels because they truly believed that God was so high, great and holy that no person could relate to nor hear from God. But this is not the Gospel, Paul says. Others in Colossae taught that it was fine to believe in Jesus but you also needed many rules controlling your daily conduct -- "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle." Paul says these rules just satisfied rather than disciplined the flesh. In their pride these folk were worshipping their own wills not the living God.
It was not humility that motivated the Apostle Peter to pull Jesus aside and rebuke his plan to go to the cross. It was spiritual pride. It is a dangerous thing when we believe we have to tell God what to do. This experience impacted Peter's life. Later he wrote to believers saying: "Humble yourselves beneath the mighty hand of God, and in due time HE will exalt you." Don't puff yourself up, Peter is saying, rather, bow. (1 Peter 5:6).
To bow is to picture the divine side of humility. This shows the clear relationship of man the creature to God, the creator. Remember Isaiah's experience in the year that King Uzziah died when he saw the Lord High and lifted up? As Dave Miller said two weeks ago, Isaiah's response was "I'm toast!" To behold God in His glory causes man not to strut nor boast, but to fall down in worship and repentance. This is humility - awe in the presence of the Almighty. (Isaiah 6: 1-5).
Paul says we are pots, clay pots perhaps with cracks in them. A pot in the hand of the potter does not boast nor give its opinions to the potter, the pot simply is shaped. (2 Corinthians 4:7).
It helps us to remember who we are before God. We are but dust, we are just here for a short time and in that brief span God is shaping us through every event, every trial and every hardship.
Put on humility.
Remember being pots we don't take ourselves too seriously. It is daily reminding ourselves I am here for Jesus, a vessel for His use. And this thought points us from the divine side to the human side of humility.
On the human side we remember we are fellow humans alongside of others who are human just like us. All have sinned and fall short of God's glory. All are those for whom Christ died. God was in Christ reconciling all things in heaven and on earth to Himself.
In the current cultural conflict over same-sex marriage, how would God have you be his vessel? I wonder of those who have abandoned humility in favor of a cloak of anger in this battle. They position themselves at the courthouse yelling in Jesus' name against those who go in. I question these actions from the standpoint that it shows little trust in God and little humility.
God shows his might only on behalf of those who trust in Him. Don't we want his might displayed in this current cultural battle? Then we must speak and stand but in humility of mind. "Humility," wrote Christian evangelist KP Yohannan, "is the place where all Christian service begins."
This means there is no room for arrogance.
Our friend Dave Miller at Pacific University has his campus group all uptight because they have received an invitation to come and join the campus gay and lesbian group for a function. The Christians are dismayed that Dave would even consider going. They are protesting that those people are sinners, forgetting that they too are sinners. As they are pointing at the sin and blindness of this other group, they forget that they too have rifts in their own group because of gossip, pride, selfishness and arrogance. Are these lesser sins than sexual perversion?
The clothing of humility is a turn from selfish ambition and vain conceit in relationship to others. In this attitude of my mind, I treat others as if they matter to God, for they do, and as if they are more important than I am.
I did not act with humility toward my family in my delirium when I was told by the doctor to go to the hospital. I did not do as I ought to have done. I ought to have humbly asked for help. Oh no, not me. I was going to be the great hero. I was going to protect my children from worry by not telling them I was going to the hospital; save grace from having to be late to public school or miss class entirely; save Karen from being kept from her various projects. It was pride and a bit of desperation that fueled my actions.
So, did I spare them from worry by leaving a note and leaving the house? Hardly. Karen was distracted and concerned. Grace was dismayed that I had not just communicated to her. And everyone was on edge not knowing what was happening to me nor if I had ended up in a ditch rather than at bed at ER.
Well my pride got humbled eventually through the pain, the hospital stay and Karen's clear word regarding those actions. Clothe yourselves with humility, the Bible says. Have that attitude of mind that says "God I bow before you, the Creator and reach out to this brother and sister for whom Christ died."
| | III. |
Then we are to clothe ourselves also with "Gentleness" the NIV says,
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which is one translation of this Greek word, but not the best. This word is the same Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, "Blessed are the Meek for they will inherit the earth." Now Meekness in English does not carry the best meaning either. Both gentleness and meekness can seem to mean a mousy, little or doormat kind of person.
But that is not what the Bible means. The meek are more than humble and more than teachable. They are people so self controlled as to be God-controlled always. You could say they have power under control.
They have a knowledge of when to get angry and when not. Can we be angry about what the justices are doing? Is it right to be angry about the mayor's and commissioner's illegal actions in various places? Certainly, we must be angry and stand. But how we act upon anger is what matters. Do we use words to name and condemn others? Or do we bear in mind always that they too are sinners and that we could easily step into sin in our response?
Another way to describe the meek is with the phrase "A fully domesticated animal". Think of a great thoroughbred horse. A small bit in a trained horse's mouth is all that is necessary. Indeed a well trained horse with a rider who knows the animal, will respond to the gentlest of movement of the rider. A look will turn the horse right or left. This animal is that same powerful animal, but is fully under the control of his master.
The meek similarly have their passions, hopes, dreams, ambitions under the control and leadership of God.
We could ask ourselves: "Whose bit is in our mouth today?" Am I responding to the "bit" of the culture to a certain direction? Or am I "going my own way"? Or am I just trying to please others, so the "bit" that I obey is my perception of being accepted and liked?
Meekness means we are the Lord's and that is enough. The meek are under the control of the Lord and no other.
| | IV. |
How can we dress in humility and meekness?
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From a previous verse we know the call of this book is to receive and live IN Jesus, day by day. We grow up in Christ daily. From the beginning of chapter three, we saw we are to seek the heavenly, slay the earthly and then clothe ourselves with the Christlike.
To clothe ourselves then begins with growth in our knowledge of Christ. In 3:10 Paul wrote we are to grow in the knowledge of Christ. We cannot do so if we never open our Bibles. If we leave the Bible as a decoration on the table not a part of our lives; if we only pray when in trouble or just for meals, we have not entered a daily relationship with Jesus. We are to know Him and He is to know us.
Unless we are clothing ourselves by learning to know Jesus through Scripture and praying, putting on Christ as we do clothes, we are likely walking around without spiritual clothes! It is time to get dressed!
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