What Does It Take For Us To Get Along

Colossians 3:6-13, ⁶ Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷ in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. ⁸ But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, ¹⁰ and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, ¹¹ where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.¹² Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

The greatest command is to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. We have to learn how to get along with one another. Before I deal with you, I have to deal with me. There are some things that we need to:

• Put to death
• Put off
• Put on

Put to Death

Put to death fornication. Sexual immorality of any kind. Put to death uncleanness, passion, evil desires, covetousness. God is saying, “You are my image bearers. You need to look like the image of your Daddy.”

Put Off

Put off anger (fury), wrath (fierce indignation—going off on someone at any moment), malice (hostility, a strong dislike with an intent to harm), blasphemy (to speak against someone with the intent to harm their reputation), bad language (obscene shameful speech—cussing). Cease doing what you are accustomed to doing—customary habits (vs 9). When given life as it shows up—this is how you deal with things. This is not just a one-time thing. You have to keep these off.

Put On

Put on the ‘new man’ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Vs 10: God literally made you brand new from the inside out. He literally caused you to be born again. You and I are not death carriers, we are life. The life of God flows on the inside of us. When you came to Christ, the very thing that was dead in you, He began to make brand new.  Be clothed with that new man and aware of what God has put in you, so that it affects every area of your life. You began to operate with the lens of the ‘new man’—you’re not the same.  Vs 12: Put on tender mercies (compassion and concern), put on kindness (warm-hearted and considerate), put on humility (not looking down on others) put on meekness (strength and control), put on longsuffering (a state of emotional calm). The old man does not have the compassion to do that.

Do not lie to one another (vs 9). Do not communicate what is misleading. Give yourself permission to be angry. You have to have emotional integrity. Do not be led by your emotions. As a result of lying, we have an undercurrent of mistrust. Bear with one another (vs 13). Bear (to put up with one another) in their quirkiness, when they have a bad day. You listened to someone else and let them talk you out of a relationship that was meant for good. Forgive one another (vs 13). A simple “I am sorry” will amaze you. In a church the last thing you expect is hurt. People are misunderstood and hurt simply because of humanness.