Colossians 3:12-17

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

There are three areas that will define us as a church and they are
~our relationship with God
~our relationship with others
~our relationship with The Word

1)We must understand who we are in Christ. We are

• elect, called out and chosen by God. God has called everyone and it is our response that determines this relationship.
• holy–set apart and acting it, knowing it and living it.
• loved by God.

2)We are ambassadors for Christ, representing Him in a foreign land. We are to take off those things discussed last week, and put on

• compassion for one another
• kindness
• meekness-the ability to no over-react when someone wrongs us, and to love them anyway
• longsuffering-having a long fuse and being willing to endure
• forgiveness-involves fro getting, moving on, putting it totally in the past so that it doesn’t matter anymore
• love-the glue that bonds us together

3)Our relationship with The Word should result in

• peace-the supernatural presence of God in out lives. See Philippians 4. this peace defines who we are emotionally and guards our hearts and minds.
• the Word of Christ living in us, and us living in it.

[tags]sunday sermons, Grace Point Community Church[/tag]

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