Life throws up some surprising transformations doesn’t it? In nature, for example, we witness the metamorphosis of caterpillars into butterflies. In a matter of weeks a caterpillar is transformed from a leaf-eating larvae into a beautiful winged insect. A caterpillar starts life on earth but ends its days flying gracefully through the air.
But the transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly is nothing compared to the transformation that takes place when someone becomes a Christian. The Bible describes it as a rebirth, a renewal, a regeneration. Becoming a Christian believer leads to a total metamorphism of our spiritual state – it marks a revolution in our relationship with God.
Of course, unlike the change of a caterpillar into a butterfly, the spiritual change that takes place when someone becomes a Christian is invisible. No halo appears above our head, and our bodies don’t begin to glow in the dark!
But just because you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean its not there. Its real and it makes a difference. So as we look at Colossians chapter 3 this morning, I want us to see that Christians have a new status, a new standard and belong to a new society. Being a Christian really does involve a total transformation!
1. Christians have…a new status before God
For a start, the apostle Paul wants the Christians of Colossae to appreciate that their status has changed significantly – and for the better. Since putting their faith in Jesus, their spiritual status has soared:
- They’ve gone from being guilty sinners to members of God’s forgiven family.
- And they’ve moved from being dead in their sins, to alive in Christ.
Its this second change that Paul particularly highlights in our passage today. He says the Colossians’ faith in Christ has created an intimate connection with him. Their faith is like superglue, its something that creates a secure bond between them and their Saviour. In fact in verse 3 Paul suggests that Christians’ relationship with the risen Jesus is now so close that its as if they are actually sitting with him in Heaven – “at the right hand of God”.
This means that every Christian is already a citizen of Heaven. We may not have physically got there yet, but our relationship with Jesus means we are already full members of God’s kingdom. So, as Paul says in verse 4, our heavenly status guarantees that one day “we willappear with Christ in glory.” Our new status means we have a sure and certain hope.
2. Christians have…a new standard to live by
But being a citizen of Heaven also has implications for how we live ‘here and now’ as well. Our new status should set a new standard to live by today. As Paul puts it in verses 1 and 2, we are to “set our hearts and minds” on “things above” – above all on Christ himself.
In your quieter moments, what do you daydream about? Perhaps your thoughts drift to your next holiday, your next night out, your next shopping trip – or maybe just your next meal?! Well, Paul says today that every Christians’ heart’s desire – our overriding ambition – should be to serve and please Jesus.
Some Christians wear wristbands with the letters WWJD on them, don’t they? Letters that stand for “What Would Jesus Do?” Those wristbands are designed to help people keep their hearts and minds on Jesus as they go through their daily lives – to help them live for him 24/7.
Now, I’m not suggesting we all need to go out and buy a WWJD wristband, but the principle is surely right, isn’t it? As we walk through life, our ultimate ambition – our consuming passion – should be to serve and please the Lord Jesus. Our belief and behaviour should follow a new, higher standard than before we belonged to him.
Listen again to Paul’s words verses 5 and 8 this morning: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” And “rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”
In short, Paul is saying that Christians are alive in Christ, so must put sin to death. To put something to death is a uncompromising language isn’t it? Christians are to ‘seek and destroy’ any sin in our lives. In practice this may mean:
- avoiding situations or circumstances that are likely to lead us into temptation.
- or keeping our mouths shut if we know we’re likely to say something unkind or untrue.
In other words, we’re not to give greed, lust, envy or anger any foothold in our hearts or minds. We’re not to let sin shape any of your attitudes or actions. Christians are alive in Christ, says Paul – so, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to put sin to death!
Our Christian faith may be hidden and invisible, but our words and actions can show the world that there is something different about us. In the power of the Spirit, our words and actions should reveal that Jesus really does captivate our hearts and minds.
3. Christians have… a new society to love
I wonder, what society would you say you belong to? In days gone by, that was an easy question to answer. People identified with the place where they lived. Their first and most immediate loyalty was to their country and their local community. Geography set the boundaries of a society.
But in our modern inter-connected world, in our multi-cultural “global-village”, our society isn’t quite as easy to define anymore is it? Our ‘society’ is increasingly defined by the social networks we belong to – or the hobbies and interests we have – rather than by the geographical area in which we live. We may well have more in common with our Facebook friends than with people who share the same street as us!
In today’s passage, Paul reminds the Colossian Christians that they too belong to a new kind of society. A society that is also unconstrained by geography. A society of God’s own construction – the Church.
In verse 11 Paul tells the Colossians that their geographic, ethnic, religious and social background is irrelevant – they are now united in Christ. Listen again to Paull’s words: “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”
In other words, every Christian is united by a common faith in Christ Jesus. Every Christian is a full member of Christ’s ‘body’ – an equally precious child of God – regardless of our income, employment, age or gender.
Conclusion
So, as I finish this morning, I hope we’ve seen that becoming a Christian involves a total transformation! Faith in Jesus offers a new status before God, a new standard to live by – and a new society to love.