Let's open our Bibles again to
Colossians 3. The Lord has given us some wonderful meetings together, studying the
book of Colossians. I've enjoyed it so very much,
and I pray that you have. This will be my concluding message
from the book of Colossians. The title of the message tonight
is, Duties of the Elect of God. Duties of the Elect of God. Let's go back just a little bit
in chapter 3. These preceding verses, I'm going
to get to verse 12 in a moment. We left off with verse 11 Sunday
evening, but in verse 5 of Colossians 3, Paul exhorts us to mortify,
and that word is suppressed, deaden, your members, your fleshly
desires, is what he's talking about here, which upon the earth,
and he names fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence,
covetousness, which is idolatry. Now, Peter calls these things
fleshly lust. fleshly lusts. Paul says, mortify
them, and Peter declared that these fleshly lusts, that's what
they are, and they war against the soul if you don't mortify
them. In 1 Peter 2.11, he said, dearly beloved, he's talking
to believers, dearly beloved, and these things are present,
they're present in our own nature, or we wouldn't be told to mortify
them. If they weren't real, why would you be exhorted to mortify
them, suppress dead them, put them down. So they are there,
they are there in your old nature, in your old flesh. And Peter
says, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims
in this world to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against
the soul. Then in verse 8, Paul tells the
Colossians, verse 8, put off these heart sins. He's been talking about fleshly
lusts, to mortify the fleshly lusts, unholy fleshly lusts. Now he's talking about sins of
the Spirit, the heart, the things that are not seen, like the wind
that blows. He mentions three of the heart,
anger and wrath. and malice, which is holding
grudges. Those things, they're spiritual
sins. It's different from these fleshly
lusts. So put off these, anger, wrath,
and malice. Just don't tolerate them. And
then he says, sins of the lips. Don't indulge in these. Blasphemy.
Be careful how we use the name of God. Be careful how we speak
of of the things of our Lord and the Word. Filthy communication,
that's just filthy talk that is so prevalent in this day.
The things people used to whisper in secret, now used on television. Filthy communication. And then,
lie not one to another. Those are sins of the lips. Now,
he tells us in verse 10, Put on something, now this is interesting,
put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image
of him that created him. A new man which never was before.
Now the old man, he's been around a long time, we're familiar with
him and his will and his wickedness. But this is the new man that
never was before, never existed before. This is a divine nature
created by God. That's what he says in verse
10. Put on, and I'm going to show you in a minute what I believe
that means, put on, the new man which is renewed in knowledge
after the image of him that created him. This is a new man, never
existed before, created by God in the image of Jesus Christ,
in the image of his Son. And this new man is a man that
grows. He's renewed daily. He's renewed daily. He grows
in grace daily. He grows in the knowledge of
Christ daily. He grows in wisdom and knowledge
after the image of him that created him. That's the new man. And
verse 11 tells us who this new man is. Whether he's neither
Greek nor Jew, There's neither circumcision nor uncircumcision,
barbarian, savage, bond or free. In other words, it matters not
our nation, it matters not our heritage, it matters not our
culture, it matters not our class, it matters not our religious
tradition. This new man is Christ in you. Christ is all and in all. Christ is this new man. It's
the divine nature, and he's all and in all. It's Christ in you,
the hope of glory. Paul said to the Galatians, I
prevail to Christ be formed in you. So Christ is revealed to
us and in us, and he's formed in us, and he dwells in us. He said, I and my Father will
take up our abode in you. I in them, thou in me. Christ
is all. So put on, therefore, as the
elect of God, as the peculiar people, special people, holy
nation, royal priesthood, his people, the elect of God. Every
believer is elected by God the Father. Every believer is redeemed
in Christ the Lord. Every Redeemer is called by the
Holy Spirit. Every believer is a new creature
in Christ Jesus. So Paul says, I'm talking to
the elect of God. I'm not talking to anybody else.
I'm talking to the elect of God. Suppress, mortify your fleshly
lusts. Put off anger, wrath, and malice. Put off blasphemy, filthy communication,
and lies. And put on a new man. a new person,
a new creature created by God in the image of Jesus Christ
as the elect of God. Brother Marian, do you really
believe that God, back before the foundation of the world,
elected a people in Christ to be saved, to be redeemed by him,
gave them to Christ an exact number, a number which no man
can number, but a number which God has numbered A multitude
which no man can number, out of every tribe, kindred, nation,
tongue unto heaven." You believe that God chose a people in Christ,
and he knows who they are. And Christ came down and redeemed
them, and God the Holy Spirit called them, and they will be
saved. Do I believe that? More than that, I know it. I
do not have even the slightest doubt of it. It's true. Whom
he foreknew, him he also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his Son. And whom he predestinated, he
called. And whom he called, he justified. And whom he justified, he glorified. What shall we say to these things?
I say, if God be with us, who can be against us? He spared
not his own Son, but delivered him up for all of his elect.
How shall he not with Christ freely give us all things? Who
can lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that
justifies. Who is he that condemned? It's
Christ that died. Yea, rather, where is it again?
Who is at the right hand of God? Who makes intercession for us?
And no one and nothing can separate us from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus. And not to believe that God elected
a people. It's to disbelieve the scriptures.
That's just a fact. It's to disbelieve the scriptures.
God said it in Isaiah 45. Israel is mine elect. God said
it in Deuteronomy 7. The Lord did not set his love
upon you nor choose you because you were more in number than
any people, but because the Lord loved you and because the Lord
would keep the covenant which he made with your fathers. Exodus
11, the Lord has put a difference between Israel and Egypt. God
put a difference. He said to Moses, I will be merciful
to whom I will be merciful. I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious. Malachi chapter 1, look over
here at this, the last of the Old Testament prophets. Malachi
chapter 1, verse 1. burden of the word of the Lord
to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the Lord.
I have loved you, Israel. Yet you say, Wherein hast thou
loved us? Well, was not Esau Jacob's brother,
saith the Lord? Yet I loved Jacob, and I hated
Esau. That's just so. That's not only
Paul's writings, that's Malachi's writings. That's throughout the
Old Testament scripture. that the purpose of God, according
to election, might stay, saying, it was said to her, The elder
shall serve the younger. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated. Not to believe that God elected
a people is to disbelieve the New Testament. Listen to these
scriptures. Matthew 24. If it were possible,
they would deceive the very elect. But for the elect's sake, God
will shorten those days. Matthew 24. God shall send his
angels to gather his elect. Luke 18.7. Shall not God avenge
his own elect? Romans 8.33. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? Romans 9.11. That the purpose
of God according to election might stand. Romans 11.5. There
is an amendment according to the election of grace. Romans
11.7, the election hath obtained it, the rest are blinded. Romans
11.28, as touching the election, they are beloved. 1 Timothy 5.21,
and the elect angels also. The elect angels. 2 Timothy 2.10,
why do some angels stand while others fall? The elect angels. Second Timothy 2.10, for the
elect's sake, that's what Paul said, I'm in prison, I suffer
these things for the elect's sake, that they might come to
the knowledge of the gospel. Titus 1.1, according to the faith
of God's elect. 1 Thessalonians 1.4, knowing,
brethren, beloved, your election. 1 Peter 1.2, elect according
to the foreknowledge of God. 2 Peter 1.10, give diligence
to make your calling and election sure. My friends, any person,
preacher or otherwise, who denies that God elected a people has
got to start tearing it out, whole chapters in the scripture,
doing away with the Word of God. To deny election is to question
the everlasting covenant of grace. David found comfort in the fact
that God made with him an everlasting covenant. In Hebrews 13, God
talks about Christ, the shepherd of the sheep, through the blood
of the everlasting covenant. And to deny God's electing grace
is to deny our Savior's own words. All that my Father giveth me
shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I'll in no wise
cast out. I came down from heaven, not
to do my will, but the will of him that sent me. This is the
will of him that sent me, that of all which he hath given me
I lose nothing, but I raise it up again at the last day. And when our Lord prayed that
great priestly prayer six times, he prayed for those whom the
Father hath given me. In John 17, he said, I don't
pray for the world, I pray for them which thou hast given me.
and all thine are mine, and mine are thine, in a covenant of mercy
and grace." And he said to his disciples, when he was instructing
them just prior to his death on the cross, he said, you didn't
choose me, I chose you. That sums it up, that you didn't
choose me, I chose you. And I love it. I know if he had not chosen me,
I would have never chosen him. Because here in his love, not
that we love God, he loved us and gave his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. And sons we are, and daughters
we are, through God's election. Sons we are through God's election,
who in Jesus Christ believe, by eternal predestination, sovereign
grace we have received. pause my soul, adore and wonder
why, O Lord, such love for me. Your grace has put me in the
number of the Savior's family." Is that not true? How could we
believe otherwise? How in the world could any man
think that he participates in the grace of God by his own works,
by his own choice, by his own fallen nature. By the grace of
God, I am what I am, have what I have, know what I know, go
into where I'm going by the grace of God. He put my feet in that
path. All right, verse 12, put on then
as the elect of God, and that's what you are and that's what
I am, and that's motivation, sons of God. Put on, holy and
beloved, vows of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
long-suffering. John Yield says, and I want you
to listen to this, I've studied today what does it mean to put
it on? I know what it means to put off
something. I know it means mortify something, so do you. I don't
need that explained. Mortify it, suppress it, deaden
it, put it out, be done with it, don't succumb to it, don't
deal with it. But put on humility, put on kindness,
put on meekness, put on mercy. John Gill helped me, now you
listen, see if it helps you. As a man puts on his clothes
in the morning, to meet and deal with others, to face the public. The believer, the child of God,
wants to be clothed in the best robe, white and clean, in the
wedding garment, imputed to the elect by the Father and received
by faith, which is our proper dress, which covers our sins
and deformities, which represents our Lord and our God and our
gospel. Now, we have no doubt that our
righteousness before God is Christ. There's no question about that.
Our righteousness before God is Christ. Wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification and redemption. But for me, it takes a daily
effort and a daily putting on and putting off to mortify, put
off the old nature and natural rags, and to put on, on purpose,
the principles of faith and hope, and love, and mercy, and kindness,
and humility, and meekness, and patience. Put it on. When you walk out, put it on. Let it be your dress. Let it
be your covering. Let it be that which represents
him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. And
these things he mentions here are fruit of the Spirit. They're
the principles of the new man and the new nature. Mercy, be
ye merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful. Kindness,
be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God,
for Christ's sake, forgave you. Put that on. That's a motive. When you're challenged and your
old nurture wants to remember, be ye merciful as he was merciful
to you. That's putting it on. Put on humility. When this old
flesh feels like it needs to be praised, let another praise
thee, and not thine own mouth. Put that on. Just remember it. Let another praise thee, and
not thine own mouth. Patience. He stood at my heart's door amid
sunshine and rain, and patiently waited an interest to gain. Patience. It took a long time for some
of us to learn the grace of God. It may take your son or daughter
or brother or sister or mother or father longer than it took
you. That would be all right, too, wouldn't it? So put it on
today and put it on tomorrow and put it on Friday and put
it on Saturday and put it on Sunday, because you're going
to come out again every day. Put it on. That would help me.
Verse 13, forbearing one another and forgiving one another. I
know as long as we're in this flesh, we're going to have misunderstandings.
We're going to have conflicts. We're going to have unpleasant
experiences. We're going to feel that our rights have been violated
or that we have been wrong in something somebody said or something
someone did. What's to be our attitude? Verse
13 says it's twofold. It's forbearing and forgiving.
What is forbearing? Well, as I tried to, I looked
up the word, and to forbear means to bear with. Literally, here's
what it means literally, and this was in the Greek lexicon,
to put up with. That's just plain, that's plain
Kentucky like or Ohio like, put up with it. Just put up with
it, that's what it's saying. In other words, surrender my
rights. Surrender my desires with patience, and wait till
the Lord solves the problem." Don't you try to do it. You wait
till he solves it. Forbearing. Love beareth all
things. It puts up with it, it bears
it, it forbears it. And then the word forgive, you
know, that means just to put the offense out of mind. restore
the offender to a state of love and friendship and fellowship. Just forgive. If any man have
a quarrel against any of that, see that next line? And you can't
go through life without having a quarrel about something. You've got to be, even if Christ
forgave you, be the first one to forgive. Well, if you'll apologize,
don't wait on that. Let's go ahead and forgive. That's how he forgave us. And
then he says here in verse 14, there are three things here in
the next two verses, 14, 15, I think they go together. Above
all things put on love. Love's the most necessary grace.
I know that. I have scripture for that. Now
about it, faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love. It's the
necessary grace. It's the proof of discipleship.
By this shall all men know you are my disciples if you love
one another. Love is the proof of the new birth. That's exactly
right. Love is the evidence and proof
of the new birth. Let me show you that in 1 John.
It's the proof of discipleship. It proves that I love God if
I love my brother, because if I don't love my brother, I don't
love God. And it's the proof of the new birth. Look at 1 John
4, 7 and 8. Beloved, let's love one another. Love is of God. And everyone that loveth is born
of God and knows God. Everyone that loveth is born
of God and knoweth God. And he that loveth not, knoweth
not God. He's not born of God. That's
just it. See, it's a necessary grace. So above everything, love
each other. He said, no matter what I have,
if I don't have love, it's no good. That's what 1 Corinthians
13 says. If I have, oh my, these are things
that are awesome. In chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians,
though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not
charity, that's love, he says, put on charity, put on love.
That's the same word. If I have not love, I'm a sounding
brass or a tinkling cymbal. That's an annoying sound. Though
I have the gift of prophecy, understand mysteries, knowledge,
faith so I can remove mountains, and have not love, I'm nothing.
And though I bestow my goods to feed the poor and give my
body to be burned as a martyr, and I have not love, it profits
me nothing. So verse 14, Colossians 3, above all these things. put on love. I don't know whether you noticed,
and you don't need to turn to it, you'll remember when I give it
to you. You know, 1 Corinthians 13 we just read, though I have
all these things, have not love. Chapter 12 deals with gifts of
the Spirit. It deals with the gift of tongues.
It deals with the gift of discerning of spirits. It deals with the
gift of workers of miracles, gifts of healing, interpretation. And when it gets to the end of
all those gifts, it says to the believer, covet earnestly the
best gifts, and yet I'll show you something better. I'll show
you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues
of men and angels and have not love, I'm a sounding brass. Though
I have the gift of prophecy and understand mysteries and have
not love, I'm nothing. Though I give my body to be burned,
If I have not love, I'm nothing. So all these gifts rolled into
one person. He's a flop and a phony if he
doesn't love. That's what it said. Above all
things, put on love. Just love one another. And verse
15, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts. I read an
article recently. And a bulletin written by a preacher
talked about domestic quarrels and domestic problems and divisions
in the home. I don't believe that. I can't
buy that. Not in my home. We're not going
to have it. The priest of that home over there and the head
of that house is not going to have discard and trouble. We're not going to have it. Christ
rules in that home. In yours, too. We're just not
going to have it. We're going to let peace, the
peace of God, rule our hearts and our homes and this church.
It's going to be peace. It's going to be peace. Peace
is a byproduct of love. If you love one another, you
don't fight. I like that story of that little boy walking across
the field carrying another little boy. And some man came by and
said, isn't that boy heavy? He said, no sir, he's not heavy.
He's my brother. Brothers aren't heavy. Wives and husbands aren't
heavy. Children aren't heavy. We love them. We love them. It can be. Now, you put on, you
let the peace of God rule in your hearts. That says R-U-L-E,
rule. Don't tolerate anything else.
Peace of God rule. Rule in your hearts, and if it
rules in your hearts, it rules in your home. I don't mean to
be so dogmatic, but I believe these things. How can I be otherwise? If you believe God, you believe
God. If you believe the Word, you believe the Word. It's real.
It's no play party. It's no put on. It's no show.
There's no confession and profession of religion. It's right. Let the peace of God rule in
your hearts to the which you call. You call to live in peace
and love and grace in one body and be fightful. I tell you when
those three things are present, genuine, sincere, God-given love
and peace ruling in the heart, peace with God, peace of conscience,
living at peace with all men and a thankful heart. Now, you're
going to have a happy situation. That's right. You tell me something
needs to be added to that, love, peace and thanksgiving. I can't
think of anything to add to that. love, peace and gratitude, to
love Christ, to love one another, to be at peace with God, at peace
with one another, and just to go around with a thankful heart.
I'm so glad for that last breath, aren't you? I'm so glad, I'm
so thankful, so thankful for you, thankful for the Word, thankful
for the water, just thankful. Don't deserve the least of his
mercies. Not worthy to be called an apostle. Less than the least
of all the disciples, but a child of God. And let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly." Verse 16. What are we talking about the
word of Christ? Well, I'm talking about the whole
scriptures, Old and New Testament. That's his word. He speaks of
the Lord. God spake to our fathers, but
the prophets hath in these last days spoken by his Son. That's
the word of God. Let it dwell in your hearts,
let it dwell in you, in all its riches and richness and wisdom. What are we talking about? The
word of Christ, especially the gospel which he came preaching
concerning his obedience and his blood and his death. The
words of Christ, the word of Christ spoken by his apostles
and the epistles to the churches, that's the word of God. Not like
a visitor that comes in once in a while and goes out. Let the word of Christ dwell,
dwell. Let it have preeminence in you. The word of God quickened us,
taught us, has a place in us through his Spirit. You know,
he said of the world, my word has no place in you. They hear it, they visit it,
they quote it, they argue it. They come once in a while to
listen to it, but it has no place in you. My word has no place
in you. It's like bats flying through
every once in a while. Let the word of Christ dwell
in you first place. Let it be a constant, fixed place
where the Spirit of God, the Word of God dwells in you. Let
it dwell in your assembly. I want to tell all the preachers
where I visit, and I hate to hurt their feelings, you're not
reading the Word enough in your services. You're not reading
the Word. Don't you want to do that when
you go somewhere? People, read the Word, read the Word. Start
the service with the Word. Read it in the middle, read it
in the message, read it at the end. People aren't near as much
interested in what I got to say as what he has to say, not near
as much interested. Let it dwell in your heart, let
it dwell in your soul, let it dwell in your assembly, and let
it dwell there in all its richness, in all its wisdom. The scriptures alone, it's our
only rule of faith and practice. You can't really believe anything
unless it's in the Word of God. Just think about that a minute. You can't believe anything that
you hear concerning spiritual things if it's not in the Word
of God. And we teach and admonish one
another. I think there's a division there
between teaching and admonishing and singing. Teaching, instruction, and admonishing
one another is not limited to the elders. We teach, let the
Word of Christ dwell in you, richly, in all its wisdom. Let
it find place, dwell in you. And you share it, and teach it,
and instruct others, and admonish them with the Word. Publicly
and privately, preach the Word, teach the Word, quote the Word,
memorize the Word, discuss the Word, study the Word. Not, I
think, the Word. You get together with one another,
admonish, teach the Word, and rejoice together, sing psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, and sing with grace in your hearts
to the Lord. And here is the powerful verse. Whatever you
do, no matter what it is, whatever you do, in word or deed, Word
or deed, that covers everything, doesn't it? Do it in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do it for his glory. Do it giving
thanks to God and the Father by him. Do it in his name. One of the old writers said,
we don't do this in our own strength. Whatever we do in word or deed,
we do in the strength and power of our Lord. He said, you abide
in me and my word abides or dwells in you. You shall ask what you
will, and it shall be done. But without me, you can do nothing."
So we do it in his strength and power. What we're about to talk
about here is not done in the strength of the flesh, it's done
in the strength and power of the vine and the Word dwelling
in us. Secondly, we do it according
to his revealed will in the Word. Let the Word of Christ dwell
in you, and whatever you do, motivated by the Word, according
to the Word, the written Word. according to the revealed will
of God. And if you don't read the word, you've got no light.
And we do it having his purpose and his honor and his glory in
mind. Not our comfort, necessarily, though we like to be comfortable.
Not our gain, necessarily, though we are interested in that. Not
for our honor and recognition, we don't do in word or deed what
we do in his strength, according to his will and word, for that
purpose. But our aim and goal is his purpose,
his will, and his glory. It may be a difficult road for
me, but the bed may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the
flower. He fearful saints' fresh courage
take the clouds you so much dread, are big with mercies, And one
day we'll break with blessings on your head. But we do it in
his name for his glory. Now what are these duties and
deeds we do? Verse 18. Wives, submit yourselves
unto your own husbands as is fit in the Lord. Build your home. Build the relationship. Keep
it what it was when you first met. Husbands, love your wives. Don't be bitter. against them. Don't be harsh. Love your wives. Live in peace. Children, obey
your parents in everything. They don't have to give you a
reason. Their word is sufficient, just like God doesn't give us
a reason for a lot of things he commands. His word is sufficient,
our Father in Heaven. This is well-pleasing to the
Lord. Don't be hard to deal with. Provoke
not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Don't be
too hard. Don't be too easy. There's a
middle ground. There's a firmness in love and
kindness. Servants, obey in all things
your masters according to the flesh. You know, I got to thinking,
when I read these things, nearly everybody here fits at least
two or three of these categories. I'm a husband. My parents are
dead, but I was a child. I'm a father, I'm a servant. I'm your servant for Christ's
sake. Be a good servant. You're servants, you're fathers,
you're children, you're wives, you're husbands. Obey your masters
according to the flesh, not with high services, men-pleasers,
but in singleness of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do on your
job, in your work, in your home, do it heartily as unto the Lord,
not to men. If the boss is not watching me,
I loaf and do nothing. But God's watching. I don't just
work when the boss is there. I don't just do this when somebody's
looking over my shoulder. I do it because I'm serving a
master in heaven. That's what he's saying. Knowing
that of the Lord you'll receive the reward of the heavens. You
serve Christ, you're not serving men. You are, in a sense, but
in the greater sense of the word, you're serving his child. He that doeth wrong is going
to receive the wrong for the wrong which he hath done, in
no respect to persons and in masters. Everybody here works
somebody once in a while, the cleaning lady in your home, the
young boy cuts your grass, or you men are foremen and owners
of businesses, you work people. Listen, give your servants, give
the people that work for you that which is right, just and
equal, keeping in mind that you have a master in heaven. You
give a full measure, press down, run it over, God will bless you. God will bless you. Duties of the elect, by the strength
of God, by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
according to his word, according to the word. We walk by the word
for his glory and the accomplishment of his purpose. All right, well,
I hope that was a blessing. Well, I know it is. The Word's
always a blessing. I know, I say that every time.
I hope that was a blessing. I know that was a blessing. It
had to be, because it's His Word. It's a letter from my Lord. And
there's nothing better than a letter from my Lord. Read it, talk about
it, and rejoice in His Word. And endeavor with all that's
within me to walk in obedience to His Word.