Sermon-8/19/01-Col. 2-Unity: the 21st century apologetic
Key Idea: The Unity of the body of Christ should draw the world to Christ.
Hook: Told from time we’re children-Christ comes into your heart-true, but can make Him seem small, fit in here
need to also emphasize what else happens at the time of salvation, not only does Christ now live in us, but we are in Him,
All of us-That’s how big God is we can all be in Him together, not crowded, always room for more,
we are one in Christ-That oneness in Christ should be attractive to the world
Apologetics-defense of what we believe.
SEMP apologetics training, defend what we believe from the Bible
Today we live in a world where our logical defense of our faith may not carry any weight with people.
-Don’t believe the Bible
-Don’t believe the historical evidence
-Don’t believe in absolute truth, right & wrong
All our defenses of our faith taken off the table, what can we do?
Our best apologetic is our life, and the greatest apologetic we can have in the 21st century is the unity of the body of Christ, we are one in Christ and the world should look at the body of Christ and say “Wow! I want in I want that love, acceptance, and forgiveness.”
Col. 3:1-14
Col. 3:1-4-Christ is our life
Since what Paul just finished writing about, our new life w/ Christ, since that is true, our mindset should reflect it, our lives should reflect it.
Why? We are in Him, He is our life.
5-9-what to put off
Not a laundry list of religious requirements that we need to follow to earn God’s favor, rather what we are to put off because of who we are in Christ.
These things may be who we were but now we are so much more-
Ill.The Beggars rags-
A beggar lived near the king’s palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party.
The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought.
Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare?
He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. “Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king.”
“Wait here,” the guard replied.
In a few minutes he was back. “His majesty will see you,” he said, and led the beggar in.
“You wished to see me?” asked the king.
“Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?”
The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king’s face.
“You have been wise in coming to me,” the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. “Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes.”
The prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for.
“You are now eligible to attend the king’s banquet tomorrow night,” said the prince. “But even more important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last forever.”
The beggar dropped to his knees. “Oh, thank you,” he cried. But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes again? Quickly he gathered them up.
The banquet was far greater than he had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies.
Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes lasted forever. Still the poor beggar grew fonder and fonder of his old rags.
As time passed people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the rags.
One day as he lay dying, the king visited him. The beggar saw the sad look on the king’s face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed. Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince’s words and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his folly.
And the king wept with him.
(From Hot Illustrations Published by Youth Specialties)
That’s the picture here, these things are what we used to be, but now we have so much more, don’t settle for rags when the wealth of God’s kingdom is in your hands.
Past tense-vs. 7 used to do them, vs. 9-stripped off evil nature
Who we were but…
Vs. 10-14-who we are
Clothed w/ a new nature. This is who you are, now be!
Put on the new nature-Christ in us-living through us-when people see us they should see Christ-we should look like Christ to the world-
Bill Clem-wear our Jesus suit-be Jesus to the world-we are His hands and feet
“You may be the only Jesus some people ever see”
Vs. 11-Christ is in all of us-no separation because of Christ– no differences because of ethnicity, no economic diversity, not separated by position, entitlements, we are all one-
That should be an example to the world
The Bible says that when enough people live like that, they are attractive to others and draw them to Christ.
When we as the body of Christ hang together, are one in Christ, it is a magnetic draw to the world
Vs. 12– if we put off something, must put something on, clothe yourselves with these
Vs. 13-Forgive as Christ forgave us
Video clip-Best friends wedding-Clip of Julianne apologizing in the train station.
Julianne wanted nothing between them in their friendship, want to make it right. Michael after his initial anger forgave her, & when we really forgive we are saying there is nothing between us, I won’t hold this against you. We committing to oneness. That is forgiving as Christ forgave us, not saying, it’s o.k. because it’s not o.k., saying I forgive you-I acknowledge that you hurt me but I choose to forgive and not hold it against you.
Phil. 3:10- “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings ” Christ suffering were not self caused they were cause by you and me, he suffered because of our sin.
We all say I have the right to a painless life, I don’t want you hurting me -Christ gave up his right not be hurt, gave up his right to a painless life & said you sin I’ll bear it, He suffered for us.
If we are going to commit with Christ to share in the fellowship of His suffering, we need to give up our right not to be hurt, and say I will not hold it against you, not say you did this to me you did that to me, but I’m willing to be hurt to be like Jesus and forgive to be like Jesus. There may be people in your life who have hurt you, and you haven’t forgiven them, holding that against them, that’s not being the body of Christ, that’s not the oneness, love, forgivenss, acceptance of Christ that we are supposed to show to the world.
Lost people like to see found people acting found, there’s nothing attractive about found people acting lost. There’s something very attractive about found people acting found. & when they are acting found lost people say “I’d like to be found and they want in.”
Close w/ story of Steven
-Kid in winlock
Opened YC-there everyday-no father figure-dad prison, step dad died, no discipline-rep in school.
Watched like a hawk, stole $ from YC, Scene at Mariners game, holes in walls, bite mark etc., disappear for month or two, come back when he was out of juvenile detention center, calls at all hours need a ride-train to centralia, etc. afternoons swimming, dropped out of school, helped him get his GED.
Outreach trip made a decision for Christ,
Don’t know how he’s doing now,
But in all I did w/ steven I was trying to be Jesus to him. Because that’s what God has called me to do, but I couldn’t change him, I wasn’t asked to change his life, God just asked me to be Jesus to him, to put on Jesus so that Steven would know what Jesus looks like. As followers of X that’s what He asks us all to do. Love as he loved, accept as he accepted, forgive as He forgave.
