Matt Chandler - Sanctification (Overview)

If you have your Bibles, go ahead and grab those. We’re going to be in Colossians chapter 3. In fact, for the next three weeks, we will be in Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 through 17. That’s kind of our plan over the next few weeks, and then at the end of those three weeks, we’ll start our fall series. It’s hard to believe that summer is just about over. Last month, my family and I spent a week in Northern Ireland; an organization wanted me to come over and do some teaching. To sweeten the deal for me, they said, «Hey, we’ll fly the family over so you guys can see Ireland, and we’ll just jam you up on one day and ring you out on that one day, but bring the whole family and have a good time.» So I prayed, and by «prayed,» I mean I just said yes, and we headed to Northern Ireland—the entire Chandler clan. We spent about six days in Belfast and kind of checked out the area. We hopped down to Dublin for a day, saw the Book of Kells and some of those nerdy things my kids put up with. Then we went to Glenarm, Northern Ireland, which is this tiny little community right on the beach.

There were some things I was unaware of regarding how Northern Ireland is positioned in the world. For instance, I was not aware that it would still be daylight at 11 PM, and I was surprised it would be as bright as noon around 4 AM. In fact, on my first day, I thought, «Oh my gosh, I must be exhausted; I slept till 9.» No, I slept till 4:15. I had to get used to all of that. One of the cool things was that I did my full day of teaching—I taught four or five times that day—and then I walked off stage at 9:30 PM. My kids and I walked down to the beach. I’m a Navy brat, but I’ve never seen a beach quite like this one. It was full of smooth, round stones that were black and white. We found these pieces that looked like frosted marble, and picking them up became a game. My personality type is one of input, which means if I discover something that piques my curiosity, I need to know everything about it. This inclination compels me back to the first person who ever saw it, named it, and knew about it—it’s both awful and awesome simultaneously. My wife just watches me drift, and I’ll talk to her in a couple of days once I need to get to the bottom of this. One of those little frosted marble pieces was something called sea glass.

So, the next morning, when we got up to catch our flight to head back to Dallas, we went out again looking for sea glass. After having stayed up for about three hours and figuring out what this was that we were collecting, I learned that sea glass consists of broken shards of glass—either from a shipwreck, a broken bottle, or even plates—that somehow end up in the ocean. Over a period of 30 to 40 years, they become immersed in saltwater and shaken by the sea. What you end up with is a very smooth piece of glass. I’ll show you a picture of sea glass; this is what we were collecting. But on that morning when I was picking it up, I was struck by how this is such a good picture of what God is doing in our lives. When you and I became Christians, we were broken; there were sharp edges, pointy things—we were broken people. Over time, immersed in the Holy Spirit, and using this analogy, through both rough and calm seas, God is shaping us. He’s changing our exterior from the inside out. Really, that’s what Colossians 3:1-17 is all about. It’s about progressive sanctification. If we were using theological terminology, it’s the idea that over time, God transforms us.

What I want to do is start with verse 17 because it’s kind of the summary of verses 1 through 17. That won’t prevent me from going back to the beginning and starting again with verse 1. So, let me summarize it, and then we’ll dive in for the next three weeks. Let’s look at Colossians 3:17: «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.» I think what you’re seeing in verse 17 is God’s vision for your life, and I believe it is twofold as we summarize verses 1 through 17. Here’s the first thing: God’s vision for your life is for…