"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
This is Dr. Rummage sermon preached on the 20th of December. We know that God has called believers to put on Jesus' character. 3 points are that:
1) Foundations of Holy Life (vs 12)
a) Elect- meaning we where chosen by God in Christ before the foundations of the world
b) Holy-meaning we belong to God
c) Beloved-meaning that God loves us with a perfect everlasting love. He has forgiven us by his own blood, he has washed us clean. We have to be careful though because holiness does not lead to salvation. We cannot just be good all our lives and expect to be God's child and apart of his family. It is truly foolish to build a chicken coop on a sky scraper (Howard Hendrix's quote). We have to have a plan ticket to get on a plane and we have to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior to be saved and spend eternity with him. The foundation of holiness is accepting his son. Without Christ holiness is impossible.
2) Fabrics of a holy life (vs 12-14)
We are to put on
1) tender mercies-meaning we are to genuinely care and be moved by other people
2) kindness-meaning giving people the benefit of the doubt
3) humility- having a high image of God and being completely dependant on him
4) meekness- meekness is not weakness it is being completely in perfect control through Jesus. It is being careful with people as if they were the most breakable glass made
5) long suffering-do we get mad with people quickly?
6) Bear with another-have patience
7) forgive others
8) love
Isn't it interesting that being holy has to do with here how we treat others not one being isolated off somewhere?
3) Fulfilment of a holy life (vs 15)
Is peace!
Be thankful for what God has done for us and what he is going to do! We need to put on the cloths of the new life not live with the rags of the old life. Do we want to weep at the end of our lives because we did not put on what God tells us to here.
Charlie and I were talking about if someone could lose their salvation or not. I think through the prodigal son Jesus answers this question. Once someone accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior they are adapted into God's family and God cannot break his covenant. Can Charlie ever not be Jackson's father? No! Now the question on if that person was ever saved to begin with is an entire other issue. If one does not have the desire to put on holiness do they even have the Holy Spirit in them? Feel free to comment.
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