Sermon Colossians 1:21-23 | Who Are You?
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because
of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body
through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from
accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not
move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and
that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul,
have become a servant.
The unit of thought starts at verse 15 or perhaps back at the beginning of the
chapter/book.
Subject: Who are you in Christ?
Compliment: Through Jesus’ death we are holy, without blemish, and free from
accusation.
Homiletical Idea: The death of Jesus changes who we are.
Introduction
I am generally outgoing, fairly gregarious… okay, sometimes I talk too much. I
don’t generally have trouble making friends or keeping the conversation going. I
will attend get togethers where I don’t know many of the people. However, l
really don’t like it when someone says, “tell me about yourself”. How many of you
can relate to this? I remember a few years ago when Stephanie and I visited
Moody Bible Institute. We were in a small room with a student guide from the
college when he turns to me and says, “tell me about yourself”. I wasn’t expecting
that. This wasn’t supposed to be about me. I never have as much trouble talking
as I do when someone hands the floor over to me preceded by that statement.
Do I even know who I am if I have nothing to say?
It only gets worse when “tell us about yourself” is thrown out to a group of
people and you go around the room. We have all experienced this. What
happens? Generally, however the first person answers, everyone else follows suit,
right? So, if the first person tells you what they do for work, where they live, how
many kids they have, favorite movie, whatever, guess was the second, third, and
fourth people are going to tell you. Yup, same information. One time, about 6
years ago I was in a corporate team building event and we were going around the
room telling each other about ourselves. The first person went with typical drivel
and the next five people followed suit. Then, a weird thing happened, the seventh
person started talking about his childhood like he was laying on the couch at his
therapist’s office. He obviously valued his rags to riches story and found his
identity in it. He talked about his hardscrabble life growing up poor. He ate chili
and American chop suey for dinner, packed saltines for a snack at school (and
they weren’t even name brand), wore hand-me-down clothes, and on and on. I
had the pleasure of going next. I mustered up a few fake tears and said, “I’m
sorry, I can’t do this, I just found out I grew up poor.”
In the words of Sid, a minor character from Seinfeld when asked, “who are you?”:
“Don’t worry about who I am, I know who I am, do you know who you are?” So,
do you know who you are? That is the question. Sid apparently knows who he is.
Do you know who you are?
Identity is an interesting thing. How do you define yourself? What defines you?
What is your identity, or what gives you your identity? Do you know who you are?
Facebook allows you to put a line under your name on your profile that describes
you. I used to read them when I was more active on Facebook. Maybe some of
you have it. Wife, coffee lover, yoga instructor. Vegan, marathoner, father.
What are some of the ways we define ourselves and provide identity?
Gender, Ethnicity, Geography: Male, Female, Black, White, Asian, Taiwanese,
Ethiopian, New Englander, Bostonian, Midwesterner… Does anyone who met
Jonathan not know he is from Colorado or more specifically Estes Park? We often
take pride in these things.
What is often the first question adults ask each other, at least men, when they are
forced into social engagement with someone they don’t know? So, what do you
do? And, by that, they mean what is your occupation?
Doctor, Lawyer, Electrician, Pastor, Stay-at-home Mom, Author, Engineer,
Carpenter, Accountant, Roofer, Comedian, Cashier, Coach, Nurse…
How about Social and Status Markers? Rich, Poor, Smart, Athletic, Attractive,
Creative, Musical, Tall, Short, Fat, Skinny, Married, Single, White Collar, Blue
Collar, Young, Old.
Or, hobbies? Hiking, Biking, Woodworking, Reading, Knitting, Running, Writing,
CrossFit…
When we know someone a little better, we talk about a little more controversial
things we can use to identify (and divide) us. What are some of these things?
Political: Republican, Democrat, Progressive, Liberal, Conservative
Religious: Methodist, Lutheran, Congregational, Pentecostal, Charismatic,
Calvinist, etc.
Acts Chapter 9:13-16 is probably one of the most interesting times someone was
asked, who are you?
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of
the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the
name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven
sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit
answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then
the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He
gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
Talk about awkward.
Let’s read the sermon passage again and look at it more closely.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because
of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body
through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from
accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not
move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and
that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul,
have become a servant.
This is not the only place Paul presents this. In fact, it is a recurring theme. This is
probably Paul’s most succinct presentation. Ephesians 2:1-10 says the same thing.
Romans 6:1-14 has it as well, and really the whole book of Romans, particularly
chapters 6 through 11 are on this topic.
Paul didn’t make this up, Jesus himself preached this message in John 15:1-6.
“15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch
in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so
that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I
have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear
fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you
remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in
you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not
remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such
branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”
1. Verse 21: Who are we without Christ?
a. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your
minds because of your evil behavior.
b. Paul is writing to Christians in the Church in Colossae, and in Verse 21
he tells them, and by extension us, about our condition and identity
without or before Christ. Because of our sin, without Christ we are
alienated from God, separated by sin, and enemies of God. Before
Adam and Eve sinned, God told them the punishment for their sin
would be death. Sin is rebellion towards God and God cannot be in
the presence of sin. Sin is what separates us from God. Apart from
God, we cannot live.
c. Look at what happened with Adam and Eve; before the fall, they had
communion with God. After the fall, they were exiled from the
Garden.
d. Without Christ, the Bible says we are lost, without hope, can do
nothing are dead. Jesus said apart from him we can do nothing.
2. Verse 22: Who are we with (in) Christ?
a. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through
death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from
accusation—
b. In Christ we are made holy. 1 Peter 1:16 in most English translations
says as it does in the NIV, “Be holy, because I am holy.” This is a
quote from three places in Leviticus where our same translations say
the same thing. This has been used so many times by so many people
to created devotions imploring people to try harder to be holy in
their living like God is holy. I want to tell you something I learned that
has helped me a lot. Our modern thinking causes us to read this as a
command when it more accurately intended as an encouragement, a
promise. The Lexham English Bible, which is a very literal translation,
translates the Old Testament occurrences as “You shall be holy,
because I am holy” and the New Testament occurrence as “You will
be holy, because I am holy”. In order to dwell with God, to be in his
presence, we need to be holy. It is not our trying harder that makes
us holy, it is the blood of Jesus.
c. We are without blemish and free from accusation. Who is it that likes
to accuse us? Revelation 12:10-11a says, 10 Then I heard a loud voice
in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the
kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the
accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our
God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over
him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;
d. We like to believe the accusations of Satan or the people around us.
You can’t be a Christian if you did that. God can’t love you now that
you did that. You’ve made too many mistakes. You’ll just cause
problems. You don’t do enough for God. The Bible talks a lot about
Jesus setting us free. This is what I believe it means the most. We are
free from accusation, free from guilt, free from worrying about past
or future mistakes. One of the reasons I love leading worship is
because of how much I love and enjoy Christian music. I believe
listening to God’s truth and being able to remember it in song is
powerful. In our small groups, you will be listening to parts of a few
songs today to help us realize our identity.
3. What is our role?
a. 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not
move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that
you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under
heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
b. It would have been easier to just preach on verses 21 and 22, but I
didn’t want to stop mid-sentence. I think the Bible is clear that our
salvation is through faith alone and that Jesus is the author and
finisher of our faith. However, Paul tells us to work out our salvation
with fear and trembling, James tells us that faith without works is
dead (as Dan reminded us last week), and Jesus modeled obedience
as important. I do not think this verse is talking about losing one’s
salvation, but rather how we might be able to discern the faithful
Christians among us; those who continue in their faith and hold firm
to the hope we have in Christ. We are given other ways to discern
true followers of Jesus in Scripture as well such as the fruit of the
Spirit and love for one another. In addition, Jesus told a parable
about separating the sheep and goats which focused on care for the
poor. All of these are different sermons for a different time. I think
Paul is exhorting us to stay the course, continue in our faith, and hold
on to the hope that we have.
c. Paul also says in verse 23 that this is the gospel, the good news. You
were dead in sin, now you are alive in Christ. That is the gospel. And,
it truly is good news when presented that way.
d. We can share the gospel with those around us by encouraging them
to trade in their identity found in temporary things and take hold of
an identity offered to them in Christ that cannot be taken away from
them. If anyone here today doesn’t yet identify with Christ, doesn’t
yet have that identity as a child of God, Holy and Blameless, please
do not hesitate ask God to give you that identity that is found only in
Christ Jesus. If you need someone to walk with you through that,
please talk with me or someone else who can help you.
The death of Jesus changes who we are.
Some people have the bulk of their identity in their career, some in their family,
some in their athletic ability, some in their good looks, some in politics, etc. What
happens to those people when they lose their job, lose their family, grow old and
are no longer athletic or beautiful, or lose the next election? They are lost; they
don’t know who they are. Our identity, instead, must be rooted in Christ.
If our identity is in Christ, we are free to live knowing that we are a beloved child
of the King of the Universe, and nothing we do can change that fact. We are holy
in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. I think the hardest thing is
believing it. Oh, as Christians we know all of this to be true, but I am not sure we
believe it. Knowing is of the mind. Believing is of the heart. Jonathan Edwards,
from his sermon Divine and Supernatural Light, says, “your mind can know honey
is sweet, people can tell you it’s sweet, you’ve read books about it, etc. but if you
haven’t actually tasted it, you know with your head, but not with your heart.
When you actually taste it, you experience it for yourself, you know it in a full
way, and you can know it in your heart.”
We are not defined by our actions, but his. We are holy, because he says we are.
We are without blemish, because he says we are. We are free of accusation,
because he says we are. As Steven Curtis Chapman says in his 2016, “Hallelujah,
we are who you say we are.” Do you believe you are who God says you are? In
order to truly believe in his grace, love, mercy, forgiveness, peace, etc. we need to
experience it. James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Do our lives point to our identity in Christ and point others to him as well? Do we
come across as a sinner saved by grace and so thankful for it rather than a
Christian that looks down on the world? A few years ago I read “Love Does” by
Bob Goff. Thirty amazing chapters of stories that happened because he chose to
love and live like Jesus. I recommend the book. I think truly believing we are a
beloved child of the King of the Universe, and nothing we do can change that fact,
that we are holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation, allows us
to live such an exciting life. We are no longer a slave to fear, we are a child of
God. So what if something we try doesn’t work out? We are free to love and let
God take care of the results. After all, we are holy, without blemish, and free from
accusation (no matter what Satan may try to tell you). We are a beloved child of
the King of the Universe, and nothing we do can change that fact. We are holy in
his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.
Benediction: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 “May the Lord make your love increase and
overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he
strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of
our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”
Dicussion Questions
Share prayer requests, praises, or any items that are on your heart. Pray for one another.
Share one way you struggle to believe or identify with Christ? Is it hard for you to believe you are loved,
forgiven, chosen, etc.? What’s one way you can grow in this identity?
Read Philippians 3:4b-11. How does what Paul is saying here relate to the sermon or our identity in
Chirst? Do you see Paul putting any part of Colossians 1:21-23 into action?
Song 1 – Fade out anytime after 4:00.
Lauren Daigle – You Say (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Does this song speak to you in any way? Can you think of any Scriptures that support the message of this
song? Can you think of a time it would be helpful to listen to this song?
Song 2 – Fade out anytime after 3:17
Matthew West – Hello, My Name Is (Lyrics) – YouTube
Does this song speak to you in any way? Can you think of any Scriptures that support the message of this
song? Can you think of a time it would be helpful to listen to this song?
Song 3 – Fade out anytime after 3:15
Who You Say We Are – YouTube
Does this song speak to you in any way? Can you think of any Scriptures that support the message of this
song? Can you think of a time it would be helpful to listen to this song?