Keeping up with the Colossians

[00:00:01] Speaker A: All right, friends, I have a question for you. Do you guys remember this is gonna date us all a little bit here? Oh, no. Do you remember watching either of the Royal Weddings? Either Kate Middleton or Meghan Markle? [00:00:14] Speaker B: Oh, a little. [00:00:16] Speaker A: Do you have any memories of it? [00:00:17] Speaker C: I was a nurse and I was out at the desk in like the pre op area a lot in the waiting room and the TV was on like all the time. So I remember like a lot of it just because it was like non stop in the waiting room and things like that. But I didn't actually watch it. [00:00:33] Speaker A: Okay, which one are you talking about? [00:00:35] Speaker C: Both of them. [00:00:36] Speaker A: Both of them? Both of them. You were. Oh, that's fine. [00:00:38] Speaker B: You missed both of them. [00:00:39] Speaker C: No, no, no. Okay, the first. I'm trying to think when was the second one? [00:00:43] Speaker A: Well, my daughter was alive because we watched it together. We got up early to watch it. She didn't really care about it, but I made scone so she was excited about that. So I gotta think like 2015. No, 2000. I don't know. [00:00:57] Speaker C: Okay. So it must have been the first one. It might be like blending them with like the babies being born because those were also huge events that everybody talked about. [00:01:05] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:01:05] Speaker C: But yeah, I was. I loved the idea of it. I thought it was really fine. [00:01:09] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:01:09] Speaker C: But I didn't like sit and watch them. [00:01:11] Speaker A: Yeah, it is hard because it's a different time zone. So like we had to get up really early. Did you. Do you remember any of it? [00:01:17] Speaker B: Vaguely. I remember being at my in laws house and my, my mother in law and Jordan's grandma were watching it together and drinking tea. I do, of course. Yes. Drinking tea. And I, I'm sure I caught some of it, but I didn't like sit and watch the whole thing. I think we were there for all of it. I do remember you were there. [00:01:37] Speaker C: No, like at grandma's house. [00:01:39] Speaker B: Like. Yeah, yeah. We just, you know, hopped over for a little bit. [00:01:44] Speaker C: You travel so much. [00:01:45] Speaker B: It's grandma in law's house. I think we were there the whole time. It was playing on the tv, but I don't really remember a lot of it. I remember Kate Middleton's and like Pippa stealing the show. [00:01:55] Speaker A: Oh yeah, Remember that? Yeah, there was like. Yeah, yeah. What? Anyways, okay. [00:02:00] Speaker B: Was this an important event for you? Did you. [00:02:02] Speaker A: Well, it kind of was. [00:02:03] Speaker B: Bring it up. [00:02:03] Speaker A: I don't know. I. It was really fun. So Hallease. Had to have been. I think she was like four probably and she was into princesses and this was like a modern day Fairy tale for Meghan Markle. Because it was like, this American girl who, okay, she was a celebrity already. She was an actress. But American girl who was, you know, born in the US Becoming a princess, like, meta prince, and then they're getting [00:02:29] Speaker C: married and the real life Princess Diaries. [00:02:31] Speaker A: I. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And so I thought it was kind of fun. Plus, I love scones. I make these cinnamon scones that I think are amazing. I'm just saying, if you come over, you've had my cinnamon. You've had my cinnamon scones. I don't know if I have. [00:02:44] Speaker C: I feel left out. [00:02:45] Speaker A: No. Okay, next time you guys. I have you guys over, I'll make a cinnamon spoon. [00:02:48] Speaker B: Please do. Sounds good. [00:02:49] Speaker A: Yeah. And drank tea. I'm using quotation marks, air quotes, because I think it was lemonade. Elise would not drink. But we drank them in tea. [00:02:57] Speaker B: Yeah. That's so sweet. [00:02:58] Speaker A: We made little hats. Like, we took paper plates, and then I had, like, some pink tulle and some pearls and stuff that I had used from, like, a baby shower years before. And we made some, like, fun little hats to put it into fun. I know that was. I know I used to be fun. [00:03:14] Speaker B: You're still fun. [00:03:18] Speaker A: So she doesn't remember it as well as I. As I do, but it was a sweet moment for us. But. Okay. How it ties into our passage today. [00:03:27] Speaker B: Please tell us. [00:03:28] Speaker A: I'm gonna Segue is like, okay, you have this woman who was not a royal, getting married into a royal family and having a new citizenship, too. And so now she's going from, like, kind of, I don't know, even as, like, a celebrity. Whatever. Whatever you want goes. She can wear whatever she wants, you know, and to now having, like, being provide. Provided, even with these beautiful royal jewels and royal dress and this beautiful, like, ceremony to show the change of status for her, that she's. Her status and her family and her citizenship are all changing on this day. And I, I. That's significant because of what our. How our status changes when we become a part of the family of God. [00:04:19] Speaker B: So very well done. [00:04:20] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you. [00:04:20] Speaker B: Good segue. [00:04:32] Speaker A: Welcome to the Gospel Threads podcast, where we uncover gospel themes woven through all of scripture and explore what they mean for our lives today. So our passage is Colossians 3:1 through 17. [00:04:50] Speaker B: 1 through 17. [00:04:52] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:04:53] Speaker C: Yeah. So to start us off, Ally, would you mind showing us or telling us some of the context in our passage that we're going to be talking about here today in Colossians? [00:05:00] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:05:00] Speaker B: So Paul wrote this. This is a letter to the Church in Colossae. And a lot of the letter has to do with false teaching. They were. They were just experiencing a lot of false teaching. A lot of you can be sa by Jesus plus this or plus this. And so he was kind of like, refocusing them on, like, no, it's just Christ. That's all you need to be saved. And then in chapter three, he kind of switches gears a little bit and gives them some good teaching on how to live as Christians in this world. So this is after Jesus has died and resurrected. The early church is like, being formed. And I think that's everything I have. [00:05:45] Speaker A: Yeah. Cool. I think, too, if you read a couple times in Colossians, he talks about his chains, that this is one of the prison letters. [00:05:53] Speaker B: Oh, right. [00:05:53] Speaker A: So this would be towards the end of his ministry. He. I mean, even past. Past the book of Acts. The book of Acts kind of ends as he is being taken to. To Rome. And so our understanding would be that this is while he's in Rome, he's writing this and he's. He's in chains, which doesn't to me sound even just like house arrest, where he could kind of still go about. This is probably closer to the end of. Of his life. And he sounds. I mean, he sounds kind of desperate at times. And so when we read these lists and you notice how he says and this and that, and, you know, I [00:06:29] Speaker C: think that it's those things that sometimes make it really hard to understand what he's saying because they run on sentences. [00:06:35] Speaker A: Yeah. I think that you're. You should hear a little bit of the, like, desperation of like, this is. This might be my last words to you. And I want to make sure to get all of this out because this is it. Yeah. So. [00:06:47] Speaker B: So you'll see when we read this. We're going to see why we chose this. There's a lot of clothing language, even though we don't really see, like, clothes specifically. [00:06:55] Speaker A: Right. [00:06:55] Speaker B: So I think, Cheyenne, you're going to read some of it for us. Is there anything you want us to be looking for? [00:07:01] Speaker A: I think the second. The second part of it. Listen for those ands. And then, yeah, just listen for clothing and the. The contrast that they're making. So, okay, so Colossians 3, starting in verse 1, it says, if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ. In God, when Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. And so this is kind of talking about union with Christ, which we'll get into, I think. But basically that like our old. Our old self has died and Jesus has given us new life. And because of that, our new life should be set on the things that are above, that are eternal and are representative of Christ. And we should put to death those things in our minds and as we're going to see, and even in our bodies too, that are set on earthly worldly pleasures and sin. So. So he continues, put to death. Therefore, what is earthly in you? Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil, desire and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of. Account of these. The wrath of God is coming in these. You too once walked when you were living in them, but now you must put them all away. Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian science, slave free. But Christ is all and in all [00:08:57] Speaker C: that's so beautiful. [00:08:59] Speaker B: So I heard two lists of things to put off. [00:09:03] Speaker A: To put off. [00:09:04] Speaker B: Yes. [00:09:04] Speaker A: So what are those lists? [00:09:06] Speaker B: Well, the first one, it seemed to have a lot to do with like sexual immorality. Is that sexual immorality, impurity, passion, which is like lust, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry or like greed. [00:09:19] Speaker A: Yeah, [00:09:21] Speaker B: these are the things that I, you might look at and say, well, it's not hurting anyone else. These are just, you know, you might, you might say, this is just, this is just me. It's not affecting anyone else. So these, to me, they definitely could lead to something that would hurt someone else for sure. But they seem more personal and less relational. Some of them. When we get, you know, if you're getting into adultery and stuff, that's. That's very relational. But yeah, a lot of these are kind of something that you might carry in your own heart that other people might not see. [00:09:54] Speaker A: Sure, yeah, that's good. So and then the second list is put away. Anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk from your mouth. Don't lie. Yeah, so these are mostly, I don't know, I think of them as being a lot of sins of. With my tongue, you know, with my mouth. They're not all, but at least having to do some with that. [00:10:23] Speaker B: Right? Yeah. [00:10:25] Speaker C: It seems like the first one is more. A little bit, like, internally, like what you're saying. In the second list is a little bit more things that can be observed by other people. Like, it's hard if you. It's hard to know if somebody is struggling with impure thoughts or things like that. But it is easier to see if you're struggling with obscene talk because it's something that you can hear. It's something that can be, like, discernible with the senses, too. [00:10:46] Speaker A: And yet I would say that the first list kind of falls more in line with the Ten Commandments, so things that we might expect to see Paul prohibiting. And the second one is kind of more like a little bit more like heart things like anger. [00:11:00] Speaker B: Interesting. Yes. [00:11:02] Speaker A: Wrath. And things that show a heart that is not loving others. Yeah. Okay. Of this list, I'm curious, you guys. [00:11:13] Speaker B: Oh, goodness. What? [00:11:14] Speaker A: Let's get real. [00:11:15] Speaker B: Come on. [00:11:16] Speaker C: Let's get real and record for all eternity what we're struggling with. [00:11:19] Speaker A: Yeah. What has been. What has been a struggle for you to put off? Yeah, I mean, I know my answer. So I can share first or I don't mind. [00:11:28] Speaker C: Yeah, I'll. I'll. I'll be vulnerable. Um, so for me, initially, I. I think idolatry, I always picture, like, the bowing down to an idol, and I'm like, I don't do that. [00:11:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:37] Speaker C: But so often God has revealed that sin in my heart because it's anything you're putting above God. And for me, like, as a mom, a of times I struggle with making my kids an idol or making my husband an idol, and those are actually so damaging in my relationship. And it's interesting because they actually, when I do that, it leads into, like, sometimes some of what the second list has of, like, if my heart posture is ordering things out of the way that God has designed it to be, I'm more likely to be angry. Like, if. If my kids are misbehaving and I'm idolizing my kids and getting my identity from how my kids are acting when they don't act, that I get really angry, not because of what they're doing, but because how dare you make me look like that? And it's just. It's. It's such a slippery slope. Like, one will lead into the other. [00:12:27] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:27] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:12:28] Speaker B: These are. These are all very connected. It's hard to separate a lot of these. Like you said, idolatry can lead to a lot of these other things. For me, One that sticks out to me is anger. I definitely have a temper. A lot of people don't believe me when I say that, but it's true. My kids and my husband will back me up on that. I have a temper, and I can say things that I regret instantly or raise my voice when I shouldn't. And so that's just. That's something that the Lord is working on with me and that he's made a lot of improvement. But I am not finished. I'm not a finished work. There's a lot of sanctification still to be done. Well, that's a tough one for me. [00:13:08] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:13:08] Speaker C: I remember John and I were involved in, like, the young adult ministry, and we were working with an older couple, an older married couple. And he had a shirt that he would wear, and it said, kill the old man. And he wore it. And we're like, what? [00:13:28] Speaker A: And was he old? [00:13:30] Speaker C: He was not. No, he was not. But he. So people took the shirt as like, are you going to kill your dad? Like, what are you doing? Oh, my word. But it was actually in reference to this idea of, like, you are to kill and put away all of these things. And he used that shirt as a conversation starter because people all the time, when he would wear that shirt would be like, what? Tell me about your shirt. What do you mean? [00:13:54] Speaker A: And it was just like. [00:13:55] Speaker C: It was really. It's something I'll never forget to this day. [00:13:58] Speaker A: Yeah, that would be a conversation to start. [00:14:00] Speaker B: Do you guys remember the song? I think it was by Jars of Clay, Dead Man Carry Me. [00:14:05] Speaker C: I recognize the title, but I'm just [00:14:07] Speaker B: a dead man lying on the carpet [00:14:09] Speaker A: can't find a heartbeat. [00:14:11] Speaker B: You know that song? [00:14:11] Speaker A: Yeah. I couldn't sing it with you, but, yes, I do remember that. [00:14:14] Speaker B: It's the same idea, though. Like, we're just. We were dead in our sin and [00:14:18] Speaker A: unable to do anything. [00:14:21] Speaker B: It's become a Sunday night ritual when I pick up my kids and their friends from youth group. We listen to that on the way. Really? Because they found my old, like, CD case in my car. So we pop it in and they blast it and. Oh, it's so fun. [00:14:34] Speaker A: That is so funny. I think I might have that CD, too. I have all of my old CDs that are old Christian 90s. [00:14:41] Speaker B: Those are the best. [00:14:41] Speaker A: I know. [00:14:42] Speaker C: I just found that playlist on Apple Music the other day, and I'm, like, cranking it in the car and singing away, and the kids are like, mom, can we put something else on? These are great songs. [00:14:51] Speaker A: They are Great. I know they need to learn them. [00:14:53] Speaker B: They do. [00:14:54] Speaker C: It's very important. [00:14:55] Speaker A: Tyler did it. This will be the last thing and then we can get back to our passage from this little segue. But, um, Tyler did like a little test with me to see with the kids there too, to see how many of the songs I could start singing and identify. [00:15:06] Speaker C: And were you surprised at how many? [00:15:08] Speaker A: Yeah, I was like, oh, my goodness. I really am. [00:15:10] Speaker C: That's been stored back there for 20 years and it's just coming out goes anyways, [00:15:16] Speaker B: sharing time. [00:15:18] Speaker A: Side Anger. Yeah, anger with you, Ali. And you know what, though? I, I don't think that I wasn't angry. I would not have called myself an angry person before. Kids. I'm laughing, but actually, like, both my kids, Elise and Isaiah, both of them, and they might end up listening to this, so I'll try to be careful how I say this. They were so strong willed as, like toddlers and preschoolers. They're still strong willed and I am just not. As a kid, I was pretty much a people pleaser and I did not like conflict. I did not like fighting. I knew if I told my mom no, it was. I was going to get the look. And I hated the look. And it was, it was bad news for me. And my kids are just not afraid of me. I've tried. [00:16:16] Speaker C: I kind of wonder because I have some children that definitely fall into the strong willed camp. And I remember talking to my mom about it and she's like, what do you think God is going to call up in them? Because they have that. [00:16:28] Speaker A: Yes. [00:16:28] Speaker C: And yes, we sanctify that. We put that off. But you can use that same same gifting to put something on that's gonna further the kingdom too. [00:16:37] Speaker A: So. Good way to tie it into our put on. Put off too. I love that. But, yeah, no, I mean, it was like I, I share this, like, not even just lightly, because I, I. You'll sit in a room of moms and they'll all be like, oh, I know, me too, right? But it was so. It felt so controlling of me that, like, I, I went to counseling for it because I was like, I feel like I'm inches away from abuse. I, I just was so brokenhearted over my sin and my, the way that it felt like sin was controlling me. And I love my. I love my kids. I love you guys. If you're listening, if you're watching this, I love you guys so much. And it broke my heart. I was just brokenhearted. And so, yeah, anger was one where I just felt I felt trapped. Honestly, I felt so desperate and despairing at, at one point that I was like, I, I need, I need help. And the good news about this passage is that actually we don't put off these things on our own, that we put them off through the Holy Spirit. And I can say now, years later, my kids are, you know, way out of preschool, now they're in elementary and middle school, that God was so faithful to me in that time to like, forgive me and remove my shame and to give me the power to overcome anger. Because man, when you're like at a 10, it feels so hard to connect control even as you're getting up there, it feels so hard to control. So praise the Lord that we have the Holy Spirit who renews us and gives us the power to put on. [00:18:09] Speaker B: So, okay, can I jump to verse 11? [00:18:11] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:18:12] Speaker B: Because you, you read this group of people. So what does this mean? It says here there is not Greek and Jew circumcised and uncircumcised barbarians, Scythians slave free, but Christ is all and in all. [00:18:24] Speaker A: Well, one thing I would just like to clarify is that Scythian is not talking about Star Wars. Oh, I don't know how many people were thinking of that, but that I, I actually didn't research what it is, but I just know it's not Star Wars. Tell us again. [00:18:38] Speaker B: I don't, I. My mind did not jump to Star Wars. That's not where my mind goes. But this was just a people group that were considered very, less than, very barbarian, uneducated, kind of crude, just very much looked down upon. So even they, even they can put off these things. Even they can put off this anger, this malice, this slander, this impurity, this evilness. And this was like a people group that they would have been like, oh, that's like an evil people group. [00:19:08] Speaker A: Yeah, so we're all being, all of us of all status, of all backgrounds are all being renewed to the new self. Um, so that Christ is in us all, right, no matter what. And it's all, we're all even. We're all on even playing fields. And it's, it says in verse four that we appear with glory, which is, it's not. I thought, oh, this means that we'll appear in glory, as in like in heaven. That's not what it's talking about. It's saying we're going to appear with the same, like the glory that Jesus has given us. And so all those people circumcised, uncircumcised barbarian, Scythian, slave free, all appear with the glory, because Christ is, is all and is in all. So that's beautiful too. [00:19:58] Speaker B: Really good. Should we keep reading? Are you ready to move on? [00:20:00] Speaker A: Yeah, sure. [00:20:01] Speaker B: Okay. I'm gonna pick us up in verse 12. So we've just listened to everything we're gonna put off now. It says put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience bearing with one another. And if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as in the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you, richly teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. [00:21:00] Speaker A: So good. Okay. As you were reading and sometimes like reading out loud or like you reading out loud or you listening to an audio Bible, something sticks out to you differently than when you just read it in your head, right? Okay. What I kept hearing was one another and together, like all of these one anothering and together types of things. So it said, bear with one another. If you have a complaint against another, forgive each other. Love binds us together. Admonish and teach one another, just like all of these, like one another. So there's very much this like community language that's being said here and how we're relating to each other. [00:21:42] Speaker B: Right. [00:21:42] Speaker C: And I think what's really hard with that too is we recently had a training at church and the whole thing was about how with small groups of the small group is really hard and you can have conflict because of all of the one anothers. And so like, as we're reading this, all of these, one another with the good list. I think it's also helpful to bear in mind that with the things that we're supposed to put on, we're all still trying to fight all of the things that we're supposed to put off. So when we're like living in harmony with one another, we're going to hurt each other because of everything we just talked about in the first part of the verses. And I know for me it's so often my like default reaction is if I'm hurt to like push away or to like pull Back, But I was just really convicted as you guys were reading that that is not what these verses are commanding you to do. You're supposed to see each other all in the family of Christ. Like, you're not slave, you're not free, you're all together, you're on the same playing field. But that doesn't mean we're not going to fight. It doesn't mean that we're not going to have disagreements. But what happen happens is the result of the things that we're supposed to put on for us too. And that was just. It's something that I constantly have to remind myself of because it's really hard and you get hurt. [00:22:53] Speaker A: Yeah, that's so good because I mean, in this list is forgive one another. So there's this list comes with an understanding that no one is going to do this perfectly. Just like, you know, my anger. My anger is so much better now. But I'm also not been. I haven't been perfected yet. That will come on the other side of heaven when I'm in heaven, when I've been fully renewed and transformed. And so we do still need to forgive. Forgive one another for all of those, those put offs that we can't perfectly follow too. What about. Okay, kind of the same question. What of this list? So we have compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, bearing with each other, love. What. What of this list has been a challenge for you to put on? I think of. I almost think of like there are some things that are just harder to put on than others. You know, some articles of clothing and like tights. Yes, that's a great example. Yes. [00:23:54] Speaker C: Just like better than those thigh highs that like roll down those thigh highs, [00:23:58] Speaker A: just don't put them on inside out. That's all. I'll say. What's. Yeah. What's been challenging to put on for me? [00:24:07] Speaker C: I think forgiveness. I am somebody that I am very trusting until something happens and you break that trust. And then once you break that trust, I'm very hurt and I take it to heart very deeply. And so one of the natural outflowings of that, I think is the challenge to forgive. Because if you've been hurt so deeply, to forgive somebody, what does that even look like has been really, really hard and definitely something that I can't do on my own power, which is part of our passage here too, that it's in Christ. All of these things are possible. [00:24:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. What about you, Ally? [00:24:41] Speaker B: I don't know if it goes with the anger, but probably patience and Same with my kids. And if you listen to this, I love you too, but you are teaching me patience. [00:24:52] Speaker C: Be careful to pray for patience, they've always said, because God's going to give you ample opportunities. [00:24:57] Speaker B: I have heard that before. I have heard that before. And for a long time, I was afraid to pray for patience. And then I thought, whatever, Like, God is the one who can give me patience. I'm gonna ask him for patience. He gives. He wants us to ask for those things that make us more Christlike. He wants to give that to us. [00:25:15] Speaker A: Because don't you feel okay? I would say the same thing, Ellie. Don't you feel so much more free and, like, joyful when you do have patience, when you do have forgiveness? Like, when I. When I think about how these things that have been a struggle, oh, my goodness, like, there's so much relief when I am in a situation where my old self would have reacted a different way. And my new self is like, yeah, like. And it's not. It's not self righteousness, it's gratitude. It's thankfulness that we have this power through Christ to say no to sin and to say yes to holiness. [00:25:48] Speaker B: It's so good to stop and recognize that, to thank him for doing that work in us, giving us that patience. [00:25:54] Speaker A: And I think that helps keep us meek, right to keep from self righteousness, to keep us meek. To know that it does not come from us. It comes from him living in us, his power in and through us. [00:26:06] Speaker B: So one other thing I love about this list is the timing of putting on these clothes. It doesn't happen before we come to Christ. It happens after. Okay, so I've been thinking about this a lot. We live in Michigan in. In the winter. It can be brutal. [00:26:27] Speaker A: What? [00:26:27] Speaker B: And I. [00:26:28] Speaker C: Negative 26. [00:26:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:29] Speaker C: Weeks ago. [00:26:30] Speaker B: This has been. This has been a tough winter. And I find myself thinking about Mexico or the Bahamas or really anywhere I'm not picky and rewarding. And I thought, man, if I were to go buy a plane ticket to Mexico today and fly down there with my heated gloves and my heated vest and my huge winter coat in my boots, I could do that. I could go to Mexico and they're not going to stop me at the airport door. They're not going to be like, you're not properly dressed. You can't come into Mexico. They might look at me weird, but they wouldn't stop me from going in. But once I walked out of that airport and into sunny Mexico, it's not going to take long before I'm Starting to feel really uncomfortable in my clothes. Oh, my goodness. [00:27:14] Speaker A: This is such a good illustration. It doesn't suit you anymore. [00:27:16] Speaker B: No, it doesn't. I'm going to have to take those gloves off. I'm gonna have to take that coat off. I'm gonna have to go find some flip flops and shorts. Like, I'm gonna have to dress appropriately for the climate that I'm in. And that's what this passage is talking about. This is sanctification. When we come to Christ, we are justified. And we don't have to change our clothes before we come to Christ. That's gonna naturally happen to us. After we start walking with Him. We're gonna start feeling really uncomfortable in the sin that we are walking in. And we're gonna be convicted of layer by layer. And we're going to realize that we need to change and he will help us with that. [00:27:52] Speaker A: Ally. So mic drop illustration. I was trying to think like yesterday and today I've been just trying to rack my brain for an illustration of where clothes aren't like the right. They're not the right clothes. And I was having a hard time. And that is the perfect illustration to just demonstrate how we come to Christ, that we're not. We're not prohibited from coming to him without the right clothes. In fact, we're invited to come to him without the right clothes. But then what he does for us, to help make us feel that discomfort. [00:28:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:26] Speaker A: In our sin. [00:28:27] Speaker B: And just. We're not alone. We have a community of people in this passage. We have people. I have you, you have me, and. But we also have the Holy Spirit. [00:28:37] Speaker A: Yes. [00:28:38] Speaker B: And he is the biggest helper. And he does. He just does so much of that work in us. Yeah. [00:28:42] Speaker A: I love that you bring in the. That we have community too. That because it. Talking here, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom, with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Because two. With my anger. That was another key role was I had a dear friend, Lacy Helmus, who just walked alongside me with it and was praying for me and was just like, really, really helping me through that as I confessed my sin and asked. Asked for prayer. So that is like another thing for us, you know, to be doing. [00:29:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:29:10] Speaker A: With. With each other. With someone to be confessing that sin and walking alongside each other. And walking alongside each other. Not being judgmental of our friend who's confessing, but encouraging her and walking alongside her in all wisdom and not to [00:29:24] Speaker C: like derail a conversation. But as you were saying, that illustration too, it made me think of so often there's the conversation of how do your faith and your works relate? Like are you saved by faith or works? And there's Bible verses that sometimes can make it seem a little unclear. But I think your illustration even helps with that too. Because so much if you were going to Mexico and you were walking out of the airport and you're walking around in all of like the snow stuff from Michigan, people would look and say, I think I am concerned for you because I think something is wrong because we're not seeing any change to your climate that you're in now. And I think in the same way, once you're coming to Christ, you're going to naturally start to transform and acclimate to who he wants you to be. And if you're walking around still carrying all of the things that you were supposed to put off, this is concerning. And we're going to have a conversation to figure out what's going on. [00:30:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:30:14] Speaker A: Oh, that's a really good tie into of how to be a good friend that is not judgmental but is. [00:30:20] Speaker C: Haley, you know it's 90 and you're in snow pants in a heated vest. I'm concerned for you. Are you okay? [00:30:27] Speaker A: I think not all of Michigan is like this, but I think in particular our community is very non confrontational and they don't feel invited in to say anything like that to someone. And there's a way to do it that is loving and compassionate and meek. And so you're right and we need the right, the proper relationship with someone. We don't just want to call out someone we don't have a relationship with. But when we're talking about togetherness and one anothering. Yes. That's such a good, good tie in. I love that. Okay. Looking at it, hopefully you saw the ands and above all these, put on love and let the peace of Christ and be thankful. And whatever you do, it's like whatever you do, whatever else. I haven't said whatever you do, do everything for the name of the Lord Jesus. But the other thing that I saw in here a lot was be thankful. Thankful it says in verse 15. And be thankful it says in 16, singing with thankfulness in your hearts. And then it says in 17. So three different verses, three in a row. Giving thanks to God the Father through him. And again that just comes, I think from knowing that it's not, it's not in your own power and that you've been given a new, new life. Right. [00:31:38] Speaker B: I think that thankfulness is key too to unlocking some of these other things. I think that when we have so much gratitude for what God has done in our lives and in our hearts, we are more focused on him than our situations around us. And we are more likely to live according to his calling for us. [00:31:59] Speaker A: I think so, too. That takes me back. Okay, backtracking just a tiny bit to verse 12. That said, the whole part, the whole, like, hinge verse to me here is put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved. Like, that is the why here. Like, we. We should be putting this on because this is our identity. And it's not. Not because this is what you sign up for. And this is the rules. [00:32:24] Speaker B: That brings me back to. You mentioned union with Christ at the beginning. [00:32:27] Speaker C: That's what I was going to ask, because I think that's a phrase that not everybody is familiar with. So would you guys be able to, like, help those of us who don't really totally understand what that means or have maybe never heard that phrase before? What do we mean when we're saying union with Christ? [00:32:41] Speaker A: Yeah, we've been. I mean, really, we've been using union with Christ words and phrases through this whole time. So when we talked about you, are you. Your old self has died with Christ. Your new self is alive with Christ. Essentially, the way that I would describe it very simply, is what's true of Christ is true of you. I know, Allie. You have some good illustrations, though. [00:33:03] Speaker C: Yeah, I remember you taught on this. I think it was from Romans. And I said. You said something about an airplane that I had never heard before. And I was like, can you share that? [00:33:11] Speaker B: That airplane really helped me so much, too. [00:33:13] Speaker C: Just your travel analogy is going to [00:33:15] Speaker A: Mexico, full of them. [00:33:17] Speaker B: I might go look up plane tickets later. Well, right now we're gonna go to Melbourne because that's how I originally heard this analogy. [00:33:24] Speaker A: Oh, okay. [00:33:24] Speaker B: I think it comes. [00:33:26] Speaker A: So wait, you have not been to Melbourne? [00:33:27] Speaker B: No, I haven't. This analogy, I was getting really jealous. [00:33:30] Speaker A: I was about to covet. [00:33:31] Speaker B: Oh, don't do that. No. Supposed to put that off. [00:33:36] Speaker A: Okay, continue. [00:33:36] Speaker B: Okay, so I'm going to read this. It originally came from somebody named Rory Scheiner, and this is what he says about union with Christ. Imagine yourself at the airport about to board a plane to Melbourne, and you want to go to Melbourne. What relationship do you need to have with the plane at this point? Do you need to follow the plane? Do you need to be inspired by the plane? No, you need to be in the plane. By being in the plane, what happens to the plane will also happen to you. The question, did you get to Melbourne? Will be a part of the larger question, did the plane get to Melbourne? If the answer to the second question is yes, and you were in the plane, then what happened to the plane will have also happened to you. And this is what happens to us when we put our faith in Christ. We are in Christ. And we, Our sin was with Him. We were with him on the cross. Our sinful self died and went to the grave with him, stayed in the grave when he rose again and we have new life with Him. And so like you said, what is true of Christ can now be said about us. [00:34:42] Speaker A: I love how that illustration clarifies that it's. It's not enough to just be inspired by Christ or to follow Christ even. You know, we tend to think of like, oh, it's just that I'm following Christ, but that what we most need is our status needs to change. And that only happens by being in Christ. And that, that is the reality for believers, is that we are in Christ. If we are believers, it's not just that we're inspired. It's not just that we're following. It's that we are in Christ. That's awesome. [00:35:16] Speaker B: I think that has really big implications for us too, because that means that our identity isn't tied to our sin. Yeah, that means that when God looks at you and when he looks at me, he doesn't just see our sin. He, we are in Christ. Verse 3 said that you have died and your life is hidden with Christ and God, when God looks at you, he sees Christ, he sees his righteousness. And that was just a huge thing for me to try to wrap my head around. And that's where, I mean, it goes right back to the gratitude we give all the glory to God for all of this. [00:35:53] Speaker A: I love. Okay, you said that our identity is not wrapped up in our sin. But then conversely, it's also not wrapped up in what we've done, our good works, like, what good we've done. Because that can be such a hamster wheel of feeling like I'm never going to be good enough and just trying, trying, trying, striving so hard to do all the right things to serve, serve people, to gain as much favor as you can with God. And that, that has been something I have struggled with. And when you learn that your identity also isn't tied to what you can do, that's also so freeing to do things with joy and thankfulness, like to do it out of an outpouring of that gratitude for what Christ has done for you. [00:36:35] Speaker C: Yeah. It makes me think of our conversation that we had back when we talked about Proverbs 31. Because there was a list there, too, of the things that you felt like you needed to do. And I remember realizing that the poem, it was like a poem, like an acrostic, and it wasn't true all the time. So there was freedom in that. But I think this list can also really feel overwhelming. Like it's something that you can either check off I've done, or you get to, like, erase it, because you're not going to do that anymore. And anytime there's a list like this, I know for me, I need a heart check because I so often make it like it's this grading score of I can do this and I can not do that. So if I don't do this, then I get, like, two points. But if I do this, it's harder to do this. And so, you know, you get three points. And that's not at all the heart behind this passage. It's not about what we do. It's the union with Christ. So even when we are having things like compassion and kindness and humility, it's not meant to point people to us. We're in the airplane. So what's true of the airplane is true of us. So, like, we're giving glory to God by doing those things. And it's not about us. [00:37:40] Speaker B: It's another way for us to bear his image. [00:37:42] Speaker A: It is. [00:37:43] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:44] Speaker B: To show him to the world. I just want to go back to the clothing. The clothing theme in this passage, because I think it's interesting that Paul tells us. He doesn't say that you need to be kind and you need to be humble and you need to be forgiving. He says to put those things on and, like, you're wearing them as clothing. Well, when I, like, look at people, I mean, I don't know about you, but the first thing I see is clothing or no clothing or no clothing. [00:38:11] Speaker C: If there's, like, it's usually running around. [00:38:13] Speaker B: Usually people are clothed. [00:38:15] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:38:15] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. But that's like the first thing that we see about someone. And so maybe that's true of these two. Maybe when he says to put them on, it's because he wants them to be so blatantly obvious, all of these characteristics. So what is it that we can do? How can we live in a way where people will look at us and say, she is a child of God because she is compassionate, she is kind, she is humble, she is meek, she is patient. How can we make it that obvious? And that takes intentionality. That doesn't just happen passively on its own. So that is. That's very challenging to me. [00:38:53] Speaker A: I think that goes to the. Letting the word of Christ dwell in you. Richly. Right? Richly. I looked it up, and it means, like, abundantly. That kind of intentionality takes time. Yeah, you're gonna. I can tell you're gonna see. [00:39:07] Speaker B: Well, did you hear the first word you said there when you said that? [00:39:09] Speaker A: Let. [00:39:10] Speaker B: Let. Let, like, let it happen? [00:39:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:39:13] Speaker B: Like, yeah, it takes intentionality on our parts, but, like, also, sometimes we just have to get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit do his work in us. [00:39:21] Speaker A: Yeah. All right. [00:39:22] Speaker C: Steph, you're looking at me. Am I doing homework on this? Okay. [00:39:26] Speaker A: Oh, you guys, I'm hoping you prepared something because I did well, as you guys. [00:39:30] Speaker C: I. I did. But as you guys were talking, I have two different options, and I'm trying to debate. So can I throw out two, and they could just pick what they want to do. Okay. So as we were talking about, like, so often there's sin in your past that you sometimes will find your identity in. That's not what union with Christ is. And so I wonder if it would be helpful for our listeners if that's you and you're struggling with finding your identity in a past sin, to maybe just even take that sin and write it on a piece of paper and burn it, because it's not true of you. And then instead, I want you to write out that one of the verses that we've talked about today of your identity is in Christ. So to replace that identity of that past sin and instead write that down and take that on of I am in Christ, and that is my identity now. [00:40:16] Speaker B: I love that you shared that. Can I take it a step further? [00:40:19] Speaker A: Please do. [00:40:20] Speaker B: There is a blog post on our website around the table about this, and it's about the life of David and him not carrying his shame from his past sins with him forward. And that gave me a lot of freedom reading his story. So that. That's a good resource, too, if anybody is looking for. If anyone's struggling with the shame from their past sins. [00:40:40] Speaker A: That's good. [00:40:40] Speaker C: So I'm not even going to give the second option. That's just your homework. It's that one. [00:40:43] Speaker A: I love it. I love it. [00:40:44] Speaker B: Great. This has been such a good conversation about Colossians 3. Thank you, guys, and thank you for joining us on Gospel Threads. We'll see you next.