Those who are forgiven forgive
If we want to look like Jesus, it begins with us putting on “tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”
But when Paul wrote those words, he didn’t stop there. He continues by saying this in Colossians 3.13:
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Forgiving someone who has truly hurt you, that is hard work. Forgiving someone who has done something, or said something, or acted in some way that hurt you, that is hard work. Forgiving someone who has sinned against you is hard because sin hurts!
Mr. Pete
I have a friend at our church we call Mr. Pete. To be fair, he’s everyone’s friend in our church! And he wears all these qualities of Jesus so well. Pete often has visions and God shows him different things.
One day, after I had preached on forgiveness, Pete brought me this picture. It hangs in my office and I look at it every day. It’s a simple picture of the number 7 made up of seventy dots. It’s a reminder of the story when Peter once asked Jesus how many times you should forgive someone? Seven times? And Jesus responded with, “not seven, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18.22).
In other words, there’s no limit to and there’s no end to your forgiveness.
WHY?
Because there is no limit to and there is no end to God’s forgiveness. Paul says, “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Above all, Love
Paul continues with these words in Colossians 3.14:
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
This is what love does. Love literally binds us together.
The word picture here is of a rope tying together separate things and uniting them together as one. This is what love does. Not ordinary love. Not the love you see on TV or hear about in the world around us. That love can fall apart and break apart at the drop of a hat!
This is a different kind of love. I think what Paul had in mind here was what Jesus taught as the greatest commandment. Jesus once said, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” (John 15.12).
This is the way, this is the standard, this is how we are supposed to love each other in this room. I am supposed to love you the same way Jesus has loved you. And you are supposed to love me the way Jesus has loved me. We are supposed to love each other in a selfless, self-sacrificing, way.
And this is holy. This is different. It’s not normal. This is how we are called to love each other.
How to look like Jesus
One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to go to work with my dad. Of course, early on there wasn’t a lot that I could do. But I could hand him the tools he needed. I could bring him the boards or wood he needed. As I did, I began to learn more and more about the different kinds of tools. About different kinds of wood. Eventually, I got to where I knew what he needed before he asked. By spending time over time with my dad I had learned from him just by watching him and being with him.
And at the end of a long day working outside, we would both come home. Of course, we would both be covered from head to toe in sweat and dirt.
In the days of Jesus, teachers were known as Rabbis and their followers were known as disciples. And there was a saying they had that was significant. Disciples were those who were “covered in the dust of their Rabbi.” In other words, they followed them so closely, they walked with them all day long down those dusty roads, that they had become covered in the dust that was kicked up by the feet of their Rabbi.
In much the same way that I looked like my dad after a long day of working outside, in much the same way that disciples would look like their Rabbis after a long day of following in their footsteps and listening to their teaching, you and I are called as children of God, followers of Jesus, to look like Jesus.
And how do you do this?
By loving others the way Jesus has loved you. That’s why Paul says, above all else, put on LOVE. Because Jesus is love. And when you love you look like Jesus!
Why Love Matters
And this is why this is so important, because…
When we love each other well others will see the One who first loved us.
Your radical love for others creates a beautiful testimony about the One who first loved you.
So here’s my challenge for you this week. Find a way to love someone in your life who, for whatever reason, is hard for you to love. Practice putting on tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love.
They may have made a decision you don’t like. Put on tenderhearted mercy. They may have treated you badly. Put on kindness. They may be self-centered and seeking all the attention for something they did. Or maybe it was something you did and they’re trying to get the glory. Put on humility. They may be hard to get along with. Put on gentleness. They may be annoying and frustrating. Put on patience. They may have done something that has caused you great harm in some way. Forgive them. Why? Because God in Christ has forgiven you.
And when you clothe yourself with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, you clothe yourself in love.
A Different Kind of Love
In a world where people point fingers and blame others for everything, finding a group of people who love each other above all else, that’s different.
In a world that continues to find ways to separate ourselves from each other and be divided over skin color, politics, or whatever the latest hot topic is, finding a group of people who love each other above all else, that’s different.
In a world that has never been more divided, finding a group of people who love each other above all else and invite people to come together, that’s different.
You realize this is what happens when we spend significant time with Jesus. When we spend enough time with Jesus we begin to look like Jesus. And not only do we begin to look like Jesus we begin to love like Jesus.
And eventually, what happens, is that when people see us they don’t really see us at all. Who they see is Jesus.
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