Guarding our Hearts

Colossians 3:1-3 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

1. INTRODUCTION

a. I think there are times in our lives that make us question, what is this all about? This week has been one of those weeks for me. We ask questions like, why? In our negativity, we ask why are these things happening? How is this helping me Lord? When these thoughts loom in our minds and hearts, we become discouraged. I think that this chapter 3:1-3 was specifically timed for me. The Lord timed it to tell me to remind me, what we are to guard.

2. BODY

a. Seek the things above (3:1-2)

i. Paul starts in verse 1 which is helpful. It was helpful to me to remind me that the world will be attacking me. The world’s philosophy will try to pull me away from the teachings of Christ. The world will try to fill my life up with sorrow and problems and try to burn me out.

ii. What’s interesting about us is that when we are discouraged, we add to the problem by overthinking and spending more time in it doesn’t help us but rather cause us to think about it more and worry more. It just goes to show us that we are incapable no matter how great we think we are. We realize our finiteness and how small we are when we are faced with adversity. And when we feel this way, Paul tells us, a statement that should cause us to think. Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ.

iii. Paul is telling us I know you are suffering. I know the world is crushing you and you want to give up. But this is why he writes, if you have been raised with Christ. Paul is pointing to the new life we have in Jesus. Our old lives, we were dead and alone. All the problems that we had, we had to figure it out ourselves. We must keep fighting battles and we are forever running but losing the race.

iv. But Paul’s reminder here is that if it is true that Christ died for you, you must keep seeking the things above. How do you look above? First you must recognize that all of Christ’s people are already risen with him. You must know that Christ has already accomplished everything for us. He isn’t trying to accomplish it for us and we are working hard so that He can complete it for us. No, the Bible teaches us that Christ has already completed all our salvation work. This is why Paul tells us that we have been raised up with Christ. He has already won us the battle.

v. Secondly, when we see the phrase keep seeking the things above, the immediate truth we must recognize is that, the battle is won in the heart and in the mind. When you think about what is at stake, it is our hearts. Jesus said similarly in Matthew 6:21 that for where your treasure is, your heart will be also. Jesus reminds us that if your treasure is truly the things of Christ, if it is truly about Christ and what He has done for us, then your heart will be there also.

vi. When I read something like this, I understand the truth behind a statement like this. It is reminding us to look to Jesus. Guard your heart by looking to Jesus. This is what Paul is appealing to. He is telling us, He is reminding us that we are to look to Christ. But the part that we often miss and I believe is so critical to the Christian life. It’s been something that I missed throughout this whole week and I came to this understanding while reading and praying through these verses. What is it you ask? It is that we must keep seeking. Why is that important? Because it tells us that we must work to seek. We must be actively seeking. We must continually seeking. What does that mean? It means that we must work. It’s not enough to just know that we should be seeking. The question at hand is, what are you doing about it? You know this great truth. So what? What is the point of knowing this great truth when you are drowning in depression?

vii. Is that what Christianity is about? It’s about knowing a bunch of truth and still being depressed? Listen to what Paul is telling us here. He is telling us, you have been raised up with Christ. Christ has already won the battle. Why are you sitting there thinking that the war is lost because you lost the battle? You might have lost your battle, but Jesus won the war.

viii. I think God had pity for me and wanted to remind me with these verses. It reminded me afresh that I can’t do this alone. This pastoral thing, I can’t do it alone. It was another reminder this week, and another reminder is, not only that I can’t do it alone apart from Him, but also, I can’t do it alone without all of you. I am the pastor, and thank you for the love and respect that you have given me, but I am not the church by myself. Everyone here is the church and we are all called to build the church. Keyword here, together.

ix. Paul gives us the recipe, the how to if we are to build the church. He tells us keep seeking the things above. But he doesn’t stop there. In verse 2, Paul tells us set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. This is what Jesus said again. Stop looking to the carnal things of the world. Stop looking to earthly ambition and earthly treasures. Why? Because if you keep looking in these places, that’s where your heart and your trust will be in.

x. What is Jesus saying when He says your treasure is where your heart is? Jesus is saying if you fill your heart with earthly things, then that will be your love. Humans are simple creatures. We either love God or we love ourselves. Loving the things on earth is loving myself. It is believing and trusting that I can find joy, the truest form of joy here on earth. So if we are to take that logic, Paul tells us keep aiming at the things in Heaven, He is telling us, put your heart and mind on the things above, keep aiming for that and desiring for that, it tells us where our hearts are.

xi. When we think about the intellectual aspect of this, if you have been in the church long enough, we can say yes, I understand that. Yes, I agree with that just as I did when I read this. But the problem with that agreement is that there is no struggle. Knowledge is cold truth if not accompanied by experience. I am not concerned with people having knowledge. I am not concerned with people who have a knowledge of God. I am concerned with people who have conviction. The difference between knowledge and conviction is not facts or truth. The main difference between the two is, nobody will die for knowledge, but men will die because of conviction. The Bible doesn’t call us to just learn things. No, it calls us to respond to our knowledge. That is what Paul is telling us. It’s not enough for us to agree with the words of the Bible. It must move us to do something. For me, it has caused me to look to Jesus as my hope. Through my sufferings, it has caused me to stop looking at my problems and the answers here on earth, but to look to Christ.

b. Know your identity (3:3)

i. Paul goes over our identity. He tells us set your mind on the things above why? Because you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Paul tells us why we should keep our mind on the things above. If you have been raised with Christ, set your mind on the things above.

ii. Why is this important? Because this is where we will be attacked. All our struggles will aim to make us forget this very point. But we must fight to remember this. When we think about the Christian life, the fighting that occurs is over this. The devil will make us forget. It is our job to restrain ourselves and to fight back to remember this.

3. CONCLUSION