We are going to be in the book of Colossians this morning. The title of the message this morning is “Living Above While Still Below.” We will hear more on what that means in a bit. We are going to be in chapter 3.
In Colossians 2, Paul is wanting to take the believers in Colossae back to the elemental principles of what it means to be a Christian. The church in Colossae had been confused and twisted up by some false teachers who were wanting them to add nonsense to their walk in order for their faith in Christ to be valid (keeping the sabbath, keeping the festivals, honoring the dietary laws, etc). Paul disagreed with this wholeheartedly and kept things simple for them.
The Gospel is built on simple but profound truths that transform our lives in a powerful way. They may be simple ideas, but they come in layers upon layers of profound truth. Which shows us the richness and the depth of God in our lives. It also shows that God has no intention for our Christian walk to be complicated in any way. Instead he intends for it to be simple.
In his letters, Paul is known for using different analogies to illustrate what it means to be a Christian.
Being a Christian means to be:
•
Old vs New (A New Creation)
- You
have been made a new person/ being
- Your
old ways have passed away and a new life has been formed
- You
were “born again” to a new life that is with Christ
•
A Member of the Body of Christ
- You
have become a member of the body of Christ (the church)
- Christ
is the head and we are His body
- As
His body, we are to accomplish His will here on the earth
•
Other analogies:
- Adoption
by our Father in Heaven
- Circumcised through Christ
In Colossians 2, Paul uses another analogy:
•
Death & Life (Risen with Christ)
- In
the same way Jesus died, you have also died to the things of this world.
- In
the same way Jesus was buried, your old way of life was buried with Christ.
- Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, you too were raised with Him to new life.
With this truth in mind (we are risen with Christ), we get to our passage of scripture for today.
Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV)
“1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the
things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
With this truth in mind, Paul encourages the Colossians to “seek” the things that are “above” where “Christ sits…”
Seek = Zēteō = to strive after; to aim your life after; to pursue
•
It
means to seek out (pursue) the new interests/ desires that are in you because
of your union with Christ.
•
It
means to seek (strive after) the things that are spiritual rather than things
that are material.
• It means to seek (set the aim of your life) after the things that are eternal rather than temporal.
Since you have been raised with Christ, since you are a new creation and a new being, then what you pursue should not be the things that are of the old life, but the new. He is saying to pursue the things that are of greater value to you, as a believer.
There are some things that we invest in that have no value to us whatsoever. There are also things that we invest in that have tremendous value for today and the eternal future.
Investing into material and temporal things are of little value for us today and absolutely no value for the future. Nevertheless, investing into the spiritual and eternal things of God have tremendous value for today and exponential value in the future.
Hebrews 11:24-26
“24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”
Moses, who was a Hebrew, had it all in Egypt. He was in the greatest empire at that time and was in line to become one of the most powerful men in the world. Nevertheless, he chose to “suffer affliction” (NKJV) with the children of Israel rather than enjoy the temporal riches of Egypt and the “passing pleasures” and of sin. Moses recognized that he found something better. By faith, he invested his life into what was of greater value.
Through our faith in Christ, the word of God encourages us to invest and pursue the things that are of greater value. He encourages us to pursue that which is spiritual and that which is eternal.
We do this by setting "our minds” on things that are “above,” and not things that are “on earth.” What we think about the most consumes us the most. What we consume is what we become. What are we consuming ourselves with?
When we are constantly consuming what is here on earth, we are left with:
- Stress
- Fear
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Anger
- Regret
- Disappointment
- Greed
- Jealousy
- Discontent
- Etc.
However, when we consume the things of
God, we are left with:
- Peace
- Joy
- Love
- Grace
- Kindness
- Patience
- Forgiveness
- Compassion
- Humility
- Contentment
- Meekness
- Thankfulness
- Etc.
Couldn’t we all use a little more peace? A little more joy? A little more patience? A little more forgiveness? Compassion? A little more love? Paul was saying that it is impossible to get these results by constantly meditating and consuming the things of this world. Instead, we must meditate and think on the word of God. Why?
We have “died” to the things of this world. What we are dead to should no longer influence us. They should no longer sway us. But they will if we allow them. They will if we meditate on them. They will if consume ourselves with them.
Our new life is “hidden with Christ”. God does not just see us, He sees us in Christ. His blood covers us and we are seen as righteous. In Him we are covered and on our way to Heaven. In other words, it is impossible to live this Christian life alone. Alone, we have no shot. But in Christ, we have assurance that when “Christ appears” then we will “appear with Him in glory. Praise God! Therefore, we should seek and pursue our new life that is hidden in Him.
What is it that we should set our minds on?
1.
Heaven - This is where we will be. This is the
hope we hold on to. It is our destination. We will truly know God and we will
experience true joy in abundance. Thinking about Heaven keeps things in
perspective for us. It keeps us from holding so tightly to things that don’t
matter. It provides hope in our time of need.
2.
The
Word of God - This
is for where we are. This is for right now. It transforms our mind and heart to
become more like Jesus.
3.
The
Kingdom of God -
This is what matters. People being born again. The hungry being fed. The naked
being clothed. Orphans being placed in families. Bringing clean water to
communities. Reaching the lost. Planting churches. Raising up pastors.
Reconciling families. The list goes on!
Takeaways:
Let us take some time to:
I. Set your mind on Heaven
Colossians 3:1
(NLT) - “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on
the realities of heaven”
A. It is our destination
B. Allow it to keep things in perspective
C. Reminder that Jesus is coming back soon!
II. Meditate on the Word of God
Joshua 1:8 - “This
Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it
day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is
written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have good success.”
1 Timothy 4:15 - "Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that
all may see your progress.”
A. Read it
B. Meditate on it
C. Live it out
D. The pattern works!
III. Invest in things that
matter
Matthew 6:33 -
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things
will be added to you.”
A. Make an eternal investment
1. The Kingdom of God is spiritual and
eternal.
a) We can’t take with us that which is
temporal
b) We can only take that which is eternal
2. Invest your resources into that which
pays back in dividends
a) Time
b) Money
c) Skills/ Profession
3. Things that matter
a) Souls
b) Helping the needy
c) Planting churches
d) Etc.
In the same way we set time aside to get our work done, spend time with family, go to the grocery store, watch the Cowboys game, let us take some time to invest into the kingdom of God. At the end of the day, that is what truly matters.
If we do that, then we will live our
lives for the things above while are still living here below.
