1. 1
Colossians 3:15- 17
And Let Christ Rule in You
Text: Colossians 3:15-17
FCF: We forfeit the peace of Christ by not thankfully allowing his Word to
dwell in us and through us.
Proposition: In thankfulness, let Christ rule your hearts in peace through
teaching the word to one another.
Intro
Irony – If I were to apply this passage correctly I would not be in a pulpit
and you would not be in a pew
This is You and Me in life, having the overflow of who we are in Christ
effect each other.
This is what Stephen Lee calls “Life on life”
Vs. 14
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in
perfect harmony.
1) Paul has just finished talking about what we must put
on.
a. What is most interesting is that they are all
relational elements!

2. 2
12
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate
hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one
another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
2) The question is: “why would this be such a great focus
for Paul?”
a. After going into great detail about how we have
wonderfully Received Christ (Chapters 1 and
half of 2)
b. and then Paul pastorally and fatherly warned us
to remain steadfast in Christ (Second half of
chapter 2)
c. Then at the beginning of chapter 3 he has
exhorted us to walk in the power of Christ
a. Why, now, would everything he wants us to put on have to
do with relationships?
“Above ALL these put on love…”
3) I am going to suggest it has a whole lot to do with the
key word of our passage tonight….
4) Thankfulness!
b. Vs. 15 – “And be thankful”
c. Vs. 16 – “with thankfulness in your hearts to God”
d. Vs. 17 – ‘giving thanks to God the Father through him”

3. 3
a. I like Jazz. The thing with Jazz is that in the middle of a
song the tune can take long rabbit trails. However, every
now then the soloist will re-introduce the melodic line so
that we don’t forget what the main tune is.
i. Like a melodic line in Jazz, while Paul addresses
all the ways we are love one another, he keeps re-
stating his melodic theme (Be thankful)
If our Whole lives have truly been radically
changed, turned rightside up, reformed, because a
relational and loving God pursued a rag tag, sinful,
unlovable group of people,
Should this not cause such an overwhelming sense of
gratitude to God
Should this not entice and entreat us to treat each
other any differently?
b. Thankfulness is the fuel that will drive the engine of Paul’s
application.
c. Without this fuel of thankfulness, we will dry up, cease up
and rust up, becoming nothing but a dead weight, only
known for what we used to do.
5) Perhaps your mind goes the same words of Christ
that mine went to.

4. 4
John 13:35
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another.”
1) In Romans, when is Paul is describing how we become
because even though God has revealed himself so
clearly he sates:
Rom. 1:21
- “although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give
thanks to him”
2) I say all this by way of introduction in order for you
to feel the full weight of the importance of application
that Paul is about to give to us.
In verses 15 -17, Paul is now answering the
application question of how do we “love, bind, Do-
togetherness, be in harmony?”
15
- And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you
were called in one body. And be thankful.
2) Well First, we “put on love” for “perfect harmony”
through allowing the “peace of Christ” to rule in our
hearts.
1) In the peace of Christ we are unified in
one body (Vs. 14-15)

5. 5
a. What does it mean for the Peace of Christ Rule
your heart?
b. To rule simply means to, well, rule, be owned by,
controlled by, this person becomes first and last
thought.
1. Apple store not opening on time when selling
Iphone 4.
ii. Christ first spoke of what he wanted to rule over when
he said the words “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at
hand.”
1. One of the few things I know how to make is
waffles.
a. When I fold egg whites in waffle batter
there is no scientist in the world that
can separate out these ingredients.
2. We must allow Christ to fold into our life so
intimately that we cannot separate him from
our everyday activity.
iii. Chapter 1 - thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities—all things were created through him
and for him– He rules the world
iv. Chapter 2 - He disarmed the rulers and authorities
and put them to open shame, by triumphing over
them in him. – He rules his enemies
v. Chapter 3 - If then you have been raised with Christ,
seek the things that are above, where Christ is,

6. 6
seated at the right hand of God. - Why should he not
get to rule you?
1. By allowing him to fold into our life we then
mold into his.
3) But the ruling is peacefulness.
2. Free association with ruling “authority, power,
distance, strong hand…
a. There is presupposition behind having Christ’
peace be the master of your earthly relationships
vi. It is that your relationship with Christ has brought about
a peace that greatly affects you.
1. What is the worst feeling in the world?
2. What is the best feeling in the world?
vii. The peace which is yours in union with Christ effects
your everyday anxiety
Phil 4:6
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The continued effects of Christ in His empowering Spirit is the
same thing
Gal 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…

7. 7
a. Christ Ruling our hearts moves us from passive
peacefulness to proactive peacefulness
1. Family - Brother and sister not speaking, just co-
inhabiting vs. a new married couple purposely
introducing to forms of peace.
b. In a healthy body Proactive harmony prevails
among the various parts.
a. Exampel 1
ii. This is not just fixing problems but building the
relational tank.
2. Example 2
4) This horizontal peace (A called out people to be in one
body) is a direct result of our new found vertical
peace found in Christ who now rules our hearts.
a. THANKYOU Father that you were not passive
in making peace with us but proactive in
sending Jesus to pursue us.
2) In the peace of Christ we are unified in
one body (Vs. 14-15)
3) In the Word of Christ this body is unified
in wisdom (Vs. 16)

8. 8
16
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.
1) We are thankful because we have received the peace
of Christ. We remember the peace of Christ because
of the Word he has given to us.
b. Where does our unity come from?
a. Similar social settings?
b. Similar social class?
c. Because we meet in the same building?
d. Because we happen like the same sports, foods or
hobbies
e. Because we saw the same movie
f. Or even it is because we meet in the same room as a
“Small group?” Even this can miss the mark at times.
16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing
one another in all wisdom
a. I did some looking and I counted 15 different
festivals and feast along with 5 more different
days of fasting recorded in scripture that ancient
Israel would practice in order to remember
something about Yahweh.

9. 9
b. In Deuteronomy alone, as Moses was preparing a
people to be unified under God in new land, his
melodic line was “Remember”
iii. You shall remember that you were
iv. You shall remember what the Lord your God did
v. You shall remember the Lord your God as
vi. You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he
who gives you power
vii. Remember and do not forget
c. When Jesus died the angles words to the
distraught disciples at the tomb were simply
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but
has risen….. 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning
from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the
rest. – Luke 24:6-9
2) By actively remember Christ, his words and works
you and we actively participate in welcoming Christ
to rule in His church.
a. Example 1
b. Example 2
c. Example 3
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one
another in all wisdom

10. 10
d. Paul then moves from the individual interaction
and spreads out to the communal interaction.
in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with
thankfulness in your hearts to God.
e. Psalms mentioned in the NT are always used in reference for a
communal gathering.1
f. In the OT, Hymns were also forms of praises either for the use
of prayer or singing within temples
g. A clear example is Psalms 66 where the nation is exhorted
to praise God in “A SONG. A PSALM.”
Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the
children of man. – Psalm 66:5
h. The universal Church of God remains publically
visible to a searching world through our love and
peace for one another
i. You and I remain in this peace through our
thankfulness
j. We remain in thankfulness by spending our
energy with one another to remind each other
what we have in Christ.
3) In remembering we remain thankful.
1
1 Cor. 14:26; Col, 3:16; Eph 5:19

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4) It is through the act of remembering that Christ’
peace
i. Do we allow ourselves to be used to remember Christ
ii. De we allow others to remind us of how Christ is at
work?
5) A word of caution
a. Just a few words of observation would give us
great caution
b. First, we not only have authority but
responsibility to speak into each other’s life.
a. Today I have seen that we hold back in feeling we
have authority to speak into someone life unless
we have had the same experience of them.
b. Paul’s understanding is that if we have received the
same gift from Christ we have the reasonability to
remind each other of these gifts.
i. He uses the words teaching and
admonishing
c. When I read Colossians 1:2 I read
2
To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
d. This is any person who is a saint in Christ.

12. 12
i. Not Just cute words - The couple who is just
dealing with the 3 or 4 miscarriage does not
need another cute Christian phrase.
ii. They need a confident word from Christ
coming from a believing heart.
c. The richness and sincerity of our life in Christ
produces the richness and sincerity of our words
to one another.
d. BUT…. Paul is very explicate in what we must say
and the attitude in which we say it.
e. Some of us feel we have the gift of seeing how we
can correct others.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
f. We speak Christ’s words, his thoughts.
g. We are not receiving permission here to come in
boldness and authority in what Garrett Nate’s
called peripheral aspects of the church.

13. 13
i. Be slow to speak your personal opinions
about the forms of the church, and personal
preference of the Christian life.
ii. Be bold to speak Christ’s words and
promises to one another.
e. In caution, notice that this boldness is to be
couched in the attitude of peace and
thankfulness.
f. Our words fall on listening and thankful years
when they are said in a heart that is continually
grateful to Christ and pursuing peace with his
Church.
iii. Before we say anything ask yourselves if
your heart is both thankful to God and
peace focused in attitude.
4) In the peace of Christ we are unified in
one body (Vs. 14-15)
5) In the Word of Christ this body is unified
in wisdom (Vs. 16)

14. 14
6) Now in verse 17 Paul restates positively
what he said in the negative form at the
end of chapter 2.
g. In verse 2:23 Paul said don’t’ do things for
appearance through self-made religion and
asceticism in order to stop indulging the flesh.
h. Now, ironically, Paul says “in whatever you do”
17
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.
b. The end result of receiving Christ (1:1- 2:15) and not
turning away from him (2:16-23) ends in true, thankful,
worship of God within our own hearts and the full body of
Christ. (3:17).
iii. Brother at the convalescence center
a. “I have so much to be thankful for”
b. “People take the sun rise and sun set that
God has given to us so much for granted

15. 15
c. “I have fought a hart attach and cancer a
few times.” BUT I have so much to be
thankful for?
d. I like reading books but most recently I
just have been reading through Bible in
different versions because.
c. Paul is repeating the answer in Colossians 3:1 (Set your
mind…)
7) Thankfulness Protects from
i. …Division – In thankfulness we remember
Christ’s peace causing us to unity with one
another.
j. …Idolatry – In thankfulness we do not run to
substitutes of Christ but feed off the promises of
his Word
k. …Legalism – In thankfulness we do not act as
slaves of Christ mechanically following his
commands but as children who do everything in
the blessed name of our savior.