The Christian Life

Christians Desire “Above” Living

Colossians 3:1–4 CSB

1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you 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.

EXP: “things above” In order to understand what Paul refers to as the “things above” we must understand the rest of the verse. Paul begins by reminding these Colossian believers that if they are in Christ then they have already been raised, Paul uses a past tense verse “have been raised.” why would Paul use this past tense statement about already being raised again in Christ to communicate to believers who were not yet physically dead? Because he is telling them if they are in Christ then they have are already recipients of the resurrection. Paul then tells them to seek the things above…Where is above? We understand from Scripture that the inspired authors of Scripture talked about two spiritual places where humans go when they are no longer on earth, above and below. Paul is referring to Above as the place where Jesus is, Heaven. And where is Jesus in heaven? Seated at the right hand of God. Which according to Mark is the right hand of power.

Recall

Mark 14:62 “62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.””

Mark 13:26 “26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”

Psalm 110:1 “1 This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.””

Daniel 7:13 “13 I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him.”

What is Paul referring to here? The mission of God. When Paul tells these believers to seek the things above he is telling the Colossian believers to focus on matters related to the rule and reign of Christ in the world. His concerns, the concerns of our king should occupy the Christian.

ILL: Think of a soldier in the military. When a soldier is on assignment in a war front he has some down time, but when his ranking officers call him to attention how must he respond? The soldier joined the army for a reason and part of joining the army means that you are saying “I will do as you say, how you say, when you say, where you say.” When we give Jesus lordship of our lives, we do the same thing, we are saying to God “God, I will do as you say, how you say, when you say, where you say.” We are to set our minds of things above. Recall this verse from 2 Timothy.

2 Timothy 2:4 “4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer.”

ARG: We are either Christians serving as faithful followers of Christ or we are disobedient and continuing to chase after the things of this world.

APP: Set your minds of the rule and reign of Christ

What are some desires which are “things above?”

Christians Kill Earthly Desires

Colossians 3:5–8 CSB

5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, 7 and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. 8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.

EXP: “put to death”

How do we view the ten commandments?

The Ten Commandments, the law, shows us how to live appropriately. Lets look briefly at the ten commandments

ILL: We often times think God is here to destroy the fun of our lives. But think about your parents. When you parents tell you not to do something, why do they tell you this? Sometimes it may be because you are being obnoxious or annoying. But on average, why do parents tell us not to do something? Because they want what they see is best for us. Now, does doing what is right earn us points of make us more lovable to them? We may think it does, but even when we disobey, do they just stop telling us what is best? No. In a similar way, God gives us rules or commands to follow out of his love for us, because he knows what is best and he wants us to follow him in what He knows is best. Doing what is right does not make us more lovable to him just as doing what is wrong doesn’t stack up strikes until we are out. Instead, because of His love, God gives us commands to follow, not for our harm, but for our good. The sooner we realize this the more satisfied we will be in our walk with God and among others.

We believe the lie Satan has fed us that living a Christian Life is not as fun as living a life of the world.

ARG: Can a Christian go on living in disobedience? No. Why not? disobedience is idolatry. We have to ask ourselves: “Do we want to be obedient to God’s Word or do we only want what God can give us?”

APP: Living obedient lives comes out of a positive response to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

What are some ways you are tempted to pursue your earthly nature?

How do we “put away” the sin of our life?

Christians Live Sincerely, Renewed in Christ

Colossians 3:9–11 CSB

9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.

EXP: “Do not lie?” What is lying? To make an untrue statement with intent to deceive.

“Renewed in Christ.” This is different than what the world teaches us. The world teaches us “Behavior modification.” Scripture teaches us renewal of the mind which leads to a change in ourselves.

Behavior Modification brings about moralism, at best.

Christianity brings about transformation.

Matthew 22:37 “37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

1 Peter 3:15 “15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

Being a Christian is hand in hand living as a Christian and believing as a Christian.

ILL: Telling white lies. Are they bad? Examples: Get out of going to dinner, lie about the weight you can bench or lift, lie about your time. Why do we lie? Because we want something different than reality.

ARG: As Christians we need to live with sincerity. We may not always get it right and we may not be perfect, truth is we never will be perfect. We walk as humble

APP: Do not try to hide who you are, whether by acting in a way that is disobedient or by pretending to be something we are not. If you are a Christian you are called to a certain standard and you are called to be a light in darkness.

Have you ever been tempted to hide who you really are and pretend to be something you are not? Why?

What should we do when we are tempted to lie and pretend to be someone we are not?

Conclusion

If you’re a Christian: according to Colossians 3:1-11, you are called to a certain way of living. This is not a kicking and screaming way of living. This is freedom to live the way that is best for us.