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The name Satan actually means the adversary or the accuser and when we become experts in one another's sins and weaknesses we actually end up doing the job of the devil. There is a time when we must call one another to correction but most of the time we need to just let it go when we understand the text.
You're listening to When We Understand the Text, an online Bible ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty. Find videos and more at our website wwutt .com. Now here's our host Pastor Gabe Hughes.
Thank you Becky. This particular devotional is falling during Thanksgiving week and we're going to be looking at aspects of Thanksgiving that come up in Colossians chapter 3 verses 12 through 17 and we'll be talking about a spirit of Thanksgiving as the week goes on.
Yes there will be a devotional available for you on Thanksgiving Day. For those of you who wake up early and do your devotionals before you even get started with cooking the Thanksgiving dinner and all of that open up the Word of God and join me here as we will still spend 20 minutes in the Word on Thursday morning.
Colossians chapter 3 starting in verse 12 is where we are today but before coming to this Word and reading it and gleaning from it its truth let's open our hearts and minds to God in prayer. Our wonderful God we come to you in a spirit of Thanksgiving and if there is anything upon our hearts that is hindering us from lifting your praises and exalting you for all of the good things that you have done and shown to us through your Son Jesus Christ let us be convicted of that repent of that before you and be made in a right and pleasing way that all that we learn from this today and all that we speak to you in our prayers is worthy and it is pleasing unto your ears make us worthy sacrifices unto the Lord by your spirit and it is in the name of Jesus that we pray amen.
Colossians chapter 3 starting in verse 12 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 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 and 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. So many calls to thanksgiving that we see even in this small section. Here we go back to verse 12 which is the that we read and exposed yesterday.
Put on then as God's chosen ones holy and beloved compassionate hearts kindness humility meekness and patience. Keep these things in mind particularly the address to us as God's chosen ones because it's in light of this that we receive the rest of the instructions.
And as I repeated to you yesterday the instructions that we are given in the scriptures are not to be a burden on us. John talks about this in first John his commandments are not burdensome. The commandments that we receive from Christ have been shown to us in Christ by his actions.
He did all of these things. So as we live in obedience to these commands we are living in the steps of Christ. We are being made holy in the eyes of God through the working of the Spirit in our hearts and being shaped into the image of our Savior.
So as we are called as God's chosen ones holy and beloved. It is Christ who makes us holy. It is God who showed his affection to us even before we were born setting us apart from the foundation of the world.
And it is because we are in Christ that we must show his compassion. We show it to brothers within the body of Christ brothers and sisters together. And we show this compassion also to those who are lost so that they might hear the gospel and know Christ Jesus and be saved.
We put on the compassion of Christ. We display the kindness that he displayed us. We adopt his humility. We we humble ourselves as he did in obedience even to the point of death. We are meek as he was meek.
We are patient as Christ and God the Father has been patient with us. We are bearing with one another. That's verse 13 as we move on here now bearing with one another even though this comes in a context of looking like uh that yeah man when when we have a problem with somebody else we just need to bear with them.
When they have a problem with us we need to bear with one another. And though that is the context i think that it is also stated here that we are to deal with one another even in matters of rejoicing.
And we see this in romans chapter 12 verse 15. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. So as we bear with one another it's not just that you're bearing the things about a person that you don't like about a person although that's part of it you are also bearing with them in their hurts and their struggles and they're rejoicing.
We bear all of these things together. Here's another thing and this is something that i've encouraged of my congregation we've done uh evangelism classes in in our church and where we're we're kind of learning how to go out onto the street and preach the gospel to just strangers that you would walk up to on the street and so we kind of do some role play and uh go back and forth about.
Here's what you say when a person says this and and here's the scriptures that you can turn to related to this subject and and those kinds of things. One of the things that we have put forward in not only in that class but to the congregation is that we bear with one another in such a way because as there are going to be those who have been called who have that gift to be able to just preach the gospel out there on the street whether they're standing on a soapbox or they're approaching people individually they're going to get beat up by the world.
And the church needs to be a place that when they come back to the church they have their hope restored they are built up in love and compassion by the fellow members of the body of christ. Now this is not just an evangelism.
I'm using this as an example but this is something that i've put forward to my congregation that we be such a place that those who get beat up by the world can come back to this congregation and they can be encouraged and have their hopes restored in christ jesus.
So this needs to be in any and all circumstances that as a body we bear with one another. We rejoice with those who rejoice we weep with those who weep. Yes if we have a problem with somebody else we follow the instructions that are going to come after that statement in verse 13.
But this is merely to emphasize that we need to be long-suffering with one another in all things handling their hurts their joys their pleas for help and even when they need to be corrected. And that's how this goes on.
Okay verse 13 bear with one another and all things we are bearing with each other. And if one has a complaint against another we are forgiving each other. Now my wife and i very early on in our marriage we had established that if we have a disagreement or a complaint against one another we need to take a moment.
This is where patience is exercised. Remember that came at the end of verse 12. We need to be patient. So we need to take a moment before addressing our spouse. Before i address my wife i need to think about the thing that i'm frustrated over.
What is it that she has done that has made me frustrated. And is this really a matter that needs to be addressed. Or can i just let this go. Is this something where i really feel like i need to confront my wife on this and she needs to change or correct something.
Will i feel better about it or will this raise further tensions now again. This is not a matter of of becoming a coward and saying i know i should correct my wife but i'm not going to because i don't want to uh create tension.
No we're talking about matters of deciding whether or not this actually needs to be an issue. So you take a moment to think about it and and meditate on it. Be patient pray to the lord find some resolve and and desire decide whether or not you need to reconcile that situation before making it into an issue that it doesn't need to be.
And i'll tell you nine times out of ten i'll i'll have taken a moment and have cooled off and have realized this is not that big a deal. This is not anything that i need to raise an issue over. She has her idiosyncrasies.
I have mine and we just bear with one another at those times that we can sharpen one another and build each other up. We're going to take that opportunity. But not every disagreement needs to turn into that.
So this is one of those ways where if we have a complaint against another i don't know my wife extends to me the same courtesy. If one has a complaint against another we are forgiving of each other. There are times we will be forgiving of another person without ever having to utter a word to them like i forgive you.
You don't have to do that. Sometimes that forgiveness is just i know this person has said this. Maybe i'm taking it the wrong way. Maybe i don't have all the facts. So i am forgiving instead of lording myself over that other person realizing that this does not need to be the issue that in my mind i'm turning it into.
So we are forgiving toward each other as the lord has forgiven you. So you must also forgive because consider this. There are things that god has forgiven you for that you don't know you've done wrong.
Right. I've heard jared c wilson say that when we get to heaven we will not have perfectly repented of every single sin. And yet god is going to welcome us into his kingdom anyway you need to know that christian that you you're not even aware of all your sins and yet your heavenly father has forgiven you in christ jesus.
So let me put this on you. Therefore do not do not become an expert in everyone else's sins that is not godly. It is the work of the devil to nitpick one another because of all the little things that they do wrong.
Don't do that. You have a forgiving heart. If you have a complaint against another you are forgiving that other person as the lord has forgiven you. So you must also forgive. Let's look at matthew chapter 5.
And this is where i'm sorry matthew chapter 6. This is where jesus is giving the lord's prayer as he is to is he is teaching his disciples how to pray our father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Then. Verse 14 matthew 6 14 for if you forgive others their trespasses your heavenly father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their trespasses neither will your father forgive you your trespasses as you become a nitpicker of other people's idiosyncrasies as you start pointing out all of their faults and all of their weaknesses.
And you just become this catalog of all of these problems that another person has. Guess what. The same measure that you use to judge others is going to be used against you. Jesus mentions that as we go on and get to matthew chapter 7 judge not that you be not judged.
Now i want to tell you at this time that i am doing this devotional i am reading a new book by todd freel entitled judge not so far it's been very good. Highly recommend it. One of the things that todd freel points out in that book is jesus is not saying here in matthew 7 1 that we are not to judge at all.
Because if that's what he was saying then we can't even go to a restaurant and sit down and open up a menu and decide what it is that we are going to eat because that's a judgment. And jesus told us not to judge.
Now the way that that phrase gets abused the way that that verse matthew 7 1 gets abused in our culture is that hey you can't tell me that i'm doing anything wrong because you do wrong things too. And the same measure you judge is going to be used against you.
Well you got to understand the statement in context. Don't just take the verse out by itself and disregard the rest. Judge not that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
Let's go on verse three. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye. Or how can you say to your brother let me take the speck out of your eye.
When there's a log in your own eye you hypocrite first take the log out of your own eye. And then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Ooh see in that passage in that section jesus is actually telling us that we're supposed to judge.
Yes we're supposed to judge. First take the log out of your eye. And then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. So there is a call there to judge. But we must be careful when we judge that we not do so hypocritically.
If you become an expert in everyone else's weaknesses guess what. The same measure that you are using to nitpick someone else god is going to use that same measure to nitpick you. Do you really want to do that.
Or can you understand that not every issue needs to have a federal case made out of it. Romans chapter 2. Therefore you have no excuse. Oh man every one of you who judges for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself because you the judge practice the very same things as you have been forgiven.
And as god forgives you of sins that you are not aware about. So you must forgive one another. Now this is not to say that we should not ever call a brother or sister out for their sin. Because there are times when that is appropriate as well.
In fact that instruction comes up here that we are to admonish one another as paul goes on uh he says in verse 16. Let the word of christ dwell in you richly teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.
What does admonish mean. To admonish means to correct someone with goodwill. So there are times when we must call a brother or sister back to the path of righteousness to repent of sin. But we must be discerning about what issues need to be confronted and what issues should not.
You need to exercise grace and be forgiving of one another. God has forgiven you of things that you are not even aware of you have been forgiven for. So you must forgive one another. Let us be an encouragement to one another.
As i've heard matt chandler say we are not to be an expert in one another's weaknesses. Instead we are called to be experts in encouraging one another in our strengths because we all have spiritual gifts that have been given to us that come not from ourselves.
They come from the spirit of god. So be encouraging in those things by the spirit the portion of the spirit that god has given you encourage someone else in the portion of the spirit and the gifts of the spirit that they have been given by god.
That's what we're supposed to be an expert over. Because if we're going to sit down with one another you and me across from each other and start nitpicking all the things that we don't like about one another i promise you that conversation is not going to go well.
And what will it accomplish when we walk away from that are we going to feel better about one another. Not only are you going to dislike me more and i'll dislike you more but we'll be disliking ourselves.
In addition to that those conversations never go well. Instead let us exercise this grace knowing that we have been forgiven our sins. And so we must forgive one another and realizing as jesus has called us to there at the end of the lord's prayer in matthew chapter 6 that if we don't forgive one another then neither is god going to forgive us.
That's very serious. It's very serious to understand that. So let us display as members of the body of christ remember that we are his chosen ones holy and beloved called in christ to be this. And so we must forgive as god has forgiven us we bear with one another.
And if one has a complaint against another forgiving each other as the lord has forgiven you so you must also forgive mark 11 25. Whenever you stand praying forgive if you have anything against anyone so that your father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
So here's something else about that when you are holding a grudge against somebody else or you are holding things against them that really don't need to be that big a deal. Your father in heaven is withholding forgiveness from you because you have not been exercising his forgiveness you have not received it.
And so therefore if we are in the forgiveness of god we must show that we are in that forgiveness by forgiving one another so that our father in heaven may forgive us of our trespasses. God as we wrap up this study and and what it is that we've looked at today in verse 13 help us to bear with one another.
If we have complaints against each other help us to know what that means to forgive one another. May the words may never even come out of our mouths. It never has to be that case where we come to somebody else and say to them hey you did me wrong but i forgive you.
It doesn't even have to go there because we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of god we have things that we need to be forgiven for. So let us display that measure of forgiveness towards someone else as the lord has forgiven me help me also to forgive.
Teach us these things as we go exercising forgiveness as we go throughout our day thankful for one another and the body of christ that we have been called to in the name of jesus we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to when we understand the text.
Pastor gabe is the author of the book 40 of the most popular bible verses and what they really mean. Available in paperback or for your kindle. He's also authored a bible study through the book of first corinthians.
Both books can be found at our website at www .utt .com join us again tomorrow as we grow together in the study of god's word when we understand the text.