Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; (14) bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you must also do.  (14) But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.  (15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (17) And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

The letter to the Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul and the third chapter of this letter addresses the positive qualities of Christian living – the qualities of grace.  The Christians at Colosse have been given eternal life – resurrected life – which demands certain behavior.

Paul tells his readers that they are the elect of God: they have been chosen and it is personal. They – and we – have been forgiven by Christ and should know that they and we, had nothing to do with earning or deserving forgiveness. Paul lists Christian virtues, modeled by Christ, to draw a general picture of what the ChristIan church should look like. They – and we – are told to set our hearts and minds on Christ and our transformation as new men and women is compared to taking off old clothing – our grave clothes – and dress ourselves in clothes of our new mindset and life.  We are new people and are to act like it.   We are admonished to recognize our old ways – as unforgiving people, self centered and prideful, and put away the  old man/woman. We are to change our thinking and live to reflect our transformation in Christ.

In verse 15 Paul speaks of the peace that surpasses understanding and quiets our minds and hearts. This peace will enable us to make decisions regarding the conflicts of life. It’s not that God helps those who help themselves but God helps those who realize they cannot help themselves. We are to be thankful  and to do all in the name of the Lord. God doesn’t exist for us, we exist for Him.  Salvation history is not for us but it is for the glory of God.  It is that attitude that lifts us and be thankful it is so. We are beloved of God.

Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:  Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me.  (6) In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.  (7) Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come – In the volume of the book it is written of Me – To do Your will, O God.”  (8) Previously saying “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), (9) then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.”  He takes away the first that He may establish the second.  (10) By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews is unknown. The letter was written to Jewish Christians who had left the Jewish sacrificial system and embraced the gospel – Because of hardship and persecution as Christian believers, some were in danger of backsliding. The author writes to show the superiority of Christ in all matters and to warn the readers of eternal danger should they revert to the Jewish system.

Our verses today were written to show that Christian faithful found what those under the Law (the Jewish system) could not find – total forgiveness. The Law provided only a shadow of things to come – it called for  repeated sacrifices which would never be perfect.  The author quotes Psalm 40 and repeats significant points already made to prove his point – this repetition  reflects the ineffectiveness of the Levitical sacrifice and also serves as a reminder that past sins were not removed.

We read in these verses of the incarnation of the Son Of God and His obedience to Gods will.  Jesus Christ was ordained by God before time to do His priestly work of perfect sacrifice – acceptable to God – to atone for sin once and for all.  Christ’s obedience to Gods will at the cross set aside the Old Testament sacrificial system and made the faithful right in standing before God.

We are about to celebrate the incarnation of God as man – the ordained time of the sacrifice of Gods only Son for our salvation – a sacrifice of infinite value.  Merry Christmas indeed.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!  (5) Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand.  (6) Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus. 

The letter to the Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul.  Paul is writing the Christian community in Philippi and he uses his circumstances as the model to implore them to stand fast in the Lord – he has been scourged, stoned, imprisoned, jeered, and shipwrecked and now is in chains in Rome for his faith in Christ Jesus, but he writes  of joy.

Our verses today begin with the twice repeated command to rejoice – rejoice always.  Paul is not addressing the temperament of his readers – nor is he asking them to deny their feelings. But he is asking them to look for joy in the Lord, just as he does.  Paul is not looking for superficial happiness but for steady contentment and joy in our relationship with God. Paul is telling us that we are not looking for joy in this world but instructing us to get our focus off ourselves and to focus our minds daily on the lord and what we are promised in Christ. We are to live by mindful faith, and not by our feelings – to be happy in Christ and unhappy without Him.

We need a right relationship with God – we need to choose to trust in God  as sovereign.   We are accountable to God first, not to others – others do not define us. The Lord is near – He is our refuge and our strength.  Trust in the Lord, He keeps His promises and rejoice in this. Remember Bob, the wonder dog who was not distracted but always kept his eyes on the ball. And Bob was always filled with joy.

Always in every prayer of mine making request for you with joy, (5) for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, (6) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;……..(8) For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you with all the affection of Jesus Christ.  (9) And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, (10) that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, (11) being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

This letter was written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome – while he was in mortal danger he wrote this letter indicating his joy in the spiritual growth Of the Philippians.   Paul felt that the Christians there were saved and that the church there would continue to grow with or without him.

The doctrine here is that salvation is entirely the work of God, not man. “He who has begun a good work in you” means God has begun this work And if there is evidence of this there should be confidence that God will complete it.  God opens the hearts to respond to the gospel.  Salvation is first to last of the Lord.

These thoughts introduce the idea of free will – that our will does not choose God but God elects and once His work is started it goes to completion. We are not saved apart from Christ but faith is not from us, it is from God, and salvation is always accompanied by evidence – we will behave as we believe.

In verses 9-11, Paul is warning his readers to avoid subjective feelings which are devoid of doctrine – meaning biblical doctrine. We are to pursue biblical love – of  the will with Christ as our model.  Love is not an option for the believer but a command and discerning love is based on spiritual knowledge.  Discernment means a rational act and biblical faith is rational –  comes from studying God through the bible.   Paul is praying here that the Philippians would grow in love as they grow in knowledge of God.  Godly living is our end, our goal.  If we put God at the center of our lives all else will fall into place.  God will be glorified in us and that’s what it’s all about.