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“Gratitude, a Primary Motivation for Living
All of Life unto God”
Date: November 30, 2014
Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:12-17
Introduction:
As We have dealt with various aspects of what it means to be a disciple of
Jesus Christ – and have only scratched the surface – we have dealt with the great
truths of the sovereignty of God in salvation, something most fully and
Scripturally understood in what we call the Reformed Faith, meaning the theology
of the Reformation, when the Church was called back to the Scriptures, to bring its
thinking under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We have also dealt with a number of
the character qualities that ought to characterize our lives in addition to faith –
virtue or moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness,
brotherly affection and love. We dealt with the supremacy which the Scriptures
should have in our lives, and their sufficiency for all of life. And last week we
dealt with developing a Christian Worldview – seeing and understanding all of life
from Christ’s perspective as set forth in the Scriptures.
In this text in Colossians 3, some of those things converge. We see Paul
alluding to God’s sovereignty in their salvation. He speaks of them as “God’s
chosen ones, holy and beloved” in vs 12, and in vs 15 as those “called in one
body.” That calling is no doubt referring to the powerful, effectual call that is
more than an external invitation to come to Christ. It is the powerful call that
draws the sinner to Christ and brings him to faith in Jesus Christ. More of that in a
moment.
But did you notice the emphasis on “thanksgiving”? It is found in vs 15
with reference to their being called into one body – “And be thankful” – and then
again in vss 16 & 17, first as part of our worship, especially in song, and then as a
motive to do all that we do in word or deed in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through him.
We can see the connection between “thanksgiving” and God’s sovereign
choosing and calling of sinners in passages like
– 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5 and 2:13, and then
– 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 . . . , as well as
– Ephesians 1:3-6 . . . ; now look at
– Romans 8:28-30
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I.
Understanding God’s sovereignty in our salvation is meant to lead us to
deep gratitude or thankfulness, and that in turn to motivate us to live
all of life in the name of Jesus Christ.
A.
It motivates us to take on a Christ-like character (Col 3:12ff)
B.
It motivates us to reflect that character as we seek to impact every
area of our lives
– the church, where we are to learn to love and to maintain peace . . .
– the family, which is to reflect the love of Christ for his Church, and
of the Church toward Christ, and which is to be the school of
Christ . . .
– the workplace, where we are to live unto Christ (Col 3:22-4:1) . . .
– our interactions with the world wherever we have opportunity – Col
4:5f
II.
Understanding the costly nature of God’s gracious sovereignty towards
us is meant to lead us to reflect the same self-denying obedience to
Christ as preeminent in all of life, out of profound gratitude for the
price paid.
Do you remember the opening and closing scenes of “Saving Private Ryan”
if you saw it? The story is . . .
On a much greater scale, a handful of disciples would almost all gladly lay
down their lives for the one who by laying down his life for them fulfilled
the rescue mission on which his Father sent him.
A.
The most significant response to the costly nature of God’s gracious
sovereignty is that of the heart that surrenders its own autonomy to
the Lordship of Christ and begins to work out the implications of that
surrender of self-government to the will of Christ as revealed in the
Word.
– Many Christians, probably most of us to some degree, live
according to the world, the very thing we are told to not do
(Romans 12:1-2). It is not that we are living or thinking
according to the worst examples of the world, but the more
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“respectable” representatives. It is usually a gradual transition
in terms of what is acceptable, or not. Man’s ideas change . . .
– Those who genuinely surrender their own autonomy, come to
realize and to take their stand on the fact that “All flesh is like
grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass
withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains
forever,” and it is by that word that we will be judged.
Remember Jesus’ warning at the end of the Sermon on the
Mount: Matt 7:21-27 . . .
– Practically the disciple heeds Romans 12:1-2 and Ephesians 4:1719, and attempts to live out 4:20ff, ordering his life by the
Word of God
B.
But our grateful response to the costly nature of God’s sovereignty is
not just an individual commitment, it is a commitment to Christ’s
Church, expressed through a given local church . . .
That becomes the arena where we grow and are intended to develop
many of the personal aspects of holiness and love that one must
develop in relationships. It involves responsibilities toward others, a
selflessness that teaches us how to serve the interests of others rather
than just our own, submission to leaders, and on the other end,
leadership that serves after the model of Jesus. It is supposed to
establish a measure of accountability under discipline, and a
commitment to a family beyond that of our biological family at times.
We will explore these and many other aspects of what it means to be a
part of Christ’s Church in January. Ephesians 4:1-16 points to some
of this. It is worth careful attention on your own. But it is worth
considering that Christ loved the church and gave himself for her as
his bride, and for us to profess to love him without loving the church
is a huge inconsistency, especially when we consider that when Jesus
died for his church, she was hardly worthy of such love. We often
demand that the church be “lovely” before we are willing to “love”
her, quite contrary to our Lord who loved her and died for her to
make her lovely.
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C.
Our grateful response to the costly nature of God’s sovereignty
should also express itself in the workplace and in society at large.
1.
I think it is not uncommon for many Christians to think –
especially of the workplace, more than in volunteer work –
primarily of themselves – making a living, earning money that
we often regard as “ours” to do with precisely as WE wish.
2.
But we are called to serve the Lord and others in the workplace
and in society at large.
Would it not be odd if what we devoted a major part of our
lives to – namely, the workplace – were outside of the two
great commandments: to love the Lord with all our heart, mind,
soul and strength and our neighbor as ourselves?
We lose the significance of our work if we have too narrow a
perspective on what we do . . .
Illustration of workers being asked what they did...
(From “What Is the Christian Worldview?” by Philip
Graham Ryken, pp 44f)
a.
Think of what life would have been like had sin not
entered the world . . .
[present a vision of serving God and others and society
at large as a productive member . . .]
b.
But the Fall introduced another dynamic – the need for
redemption, both as salt and light to the world in every
sphere, and as witnesses to the lost people we engage.
We speak of the “cultural mandate” and of the “great
commission.” Both are opportunities to magnify the God
of all grace, and to represent his Kingdom.
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Conclusion:
Discipleship involves growing in our understanding of God’s sovereignty in
our salvation so that it develops in us a profound gratitude towards God. That is
the basis for Paul’s exhortation: “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” (Col 3:17). Discipleship also involves growing in our understanding of the
costly nature of God’s gracious sovereignty towards us. That is the reason for
Paul’s burst of praise at the beginning of Ephesians: “Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he
predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the
purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has
blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace....” (Eph 1:37)
Here is God’s sovereignty in our salvation; and here is the costliness of that
gracious sovereign intervention into our lives:
1)
It require the Father to give his own Son, whom he had loved
throughout all eternity, over to death upon the Cross, while he
unleashed his wrath deserved by OUR sins upon his own Son, and
2)
It required that Jesus humble himself and take to himself a human
nature in order that he could bear our sins and the punishment due
those sins upon the Cross.
Such love and sacrifice on the part of the Father and of his Son, Jesus Christ, is
worthy of our profound thanksgiving, which should motivate us to live all of life
unto the Lord.