Sermon: Father of Mercies (Col. 3:12-14)

FATHER OF MERCIES
Col. 3:12-14
Douglas Wilson

Christ Church – Moscow, ID
A.D. August 23, 2009

Listen Outline

INTRODUCTION:
Under the direction of God, in recent years we have been led to redouble our efforts and emphases on what we call
mercy ministry. Whether it is a continuation of our labor in the Ivory Coast, or a new field for mercy work in
Myanmar, or locally through Sabbath House, we have been given some wonderful opportunities. So that we don’t
squander those opportunities, we need to love and think like Christians together.

THE TEXT:
In the firs”Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of
mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel
against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond
of perfectness” (Col. 3:12-14).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT:
In the first part of Col. 3, the apostle tells them that they are to set their hearts and minds on things above, not on
things below (vv. 1-4). Doing this necessarily involves mortifying your members which are on the earth, dealing
fundamentally with the sins of desire, whether sensual or emotional (5-11). After he has told them to “put on” the
new way of being human (v. 10), he gets into specifics. As the elect of God, holy and beloved, they are to put on, in
the first places, tender mercies (v. 12). The AV has it “bowels of mercies,” mercy in the gut, mercy where you
really live. This is accompanied by kindness, humility of mind, meekness, and longsuffering (v. 12). He then says
we are to deal with our quarrels in a forbearing and forgiving way, and we are to forgive each other as Christ
forgave us (v. 13). On top of all this, we are to put on love—charity—which is the bond of perfection (v. 14).