Sermon Tone Analysis

Colossians 3:1-11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell ©1999

Illustration From Lion King

 

The Lion King is a Walt Disney movie for kids.

Perhaps you have seen it.

It's a story about a lion cub named Simba, who was the son of Mufassa the ruler of the kingdom.

As heir, Simba was appointed to be the next king.

But through tragic circumstances he was living outside his kingdom feeding on grubs and worms.

He was not fulfilling the role he had been born to So Mufassa appeared to Simba in the clouds and told him that he was more than what he had become.

The same is true for us in the Christian life.

Often we live far bellow what we are.

Paul commands believers */to practice what they are in principle/*.

/How can we have heaven on earth?/

Introduction

 

Two weeks ago we finished Paul's warnings to the Colossians.

He warned them to beware of false teachers who would rob them of their spiritual riches in Christ.

They were complete in Him.

Believers only need to lay hold of their resources in Jesus Christ.

In tonight's passage Paul teaches us how our position in Christ relates to everyday living.

What we believe should affect how we behave!

In chapter 3 Paul tells how us we can have a touch of heaven here on earth.

There are three steps we must take to attain this.

I want to look at the first two tonight.

I.

Seek The Heavenly

II.

Slay The Earthly

III.

Strengthen The Christly

 

I.

Seek The Heavenly

 

*Col 3:1-2* /If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth./

Paul gives two commands in these verses.

He commands believers */to seek those things above, and to set our minds on things above/**.*

Paul starts here because our hearts and minds dictate what we do and how we live.

/Why does Paul want us to set our minds upon heaven's Lord?/ Paul tells us why in the first four verses.

Through faith we have been identified with Jesus Christ and His work of salvation.

*/Verse 1 should read therefore since you were raised with Christ.

/*

*/ /*

*/a.

The Convictions/*

 

1.

Firstly, We Died With Christ

 

*Colossians 3:3* /For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God./

/ /

/Why does Paul say we died with Christ in verse 3?/ /Didn't Jesus die for us?/ Yes He did.

This is known as substitution.

But we also died with Him.

This is identification.

*Gal 2:20* /I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

/

This happened spiritually.

All who believe in Jesus Christ are identified with His death.

We were then buried with Him as it says in *Colossians 2:12* and *Romans 6:4.*

This means that our old life died with Christ.

It means that sins power over us has been broken on the cross.

This means that the punishment for our sin has been paid for on the cross.

This all happened because of our identification with Christ./

But what does this all accomplish?/

It means that our old life is over, we died to it when we believed in Jesus Christ.

What we were before we believed is finished!

2.

Secondly, We Were Raised With Christ

 

*Colossians 3:1* /If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God./

/ /

When Jesus Christ came out from the grave in resurrection power we rose with Him/.

/We now have a new life, a victorious life.

Paul said in *Galatians 2:20* that his present life */is/* Jesus Christ.

It was Jesus Christ living in Paul by faith.

The same is true for every believer.

*2 Cor 5:17* /Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

/Because we are in Christ we have a new life, our old life is dead.

*Colossians 3:4* says that Christ */is/* our life.

By faith we can live in Him, the second Adam.

The alternative is that we can struggle on in our old nature from the first Adam.

After being raised with Christ, Paul says in */Ephesians 2:5-6/* says that we are seated with Him in heavenly places.

/But what does this mean to us?/

We are alive from the dead and seated in heavenly places.

Christ is our new life./

/Paul says it well in* Philippians 1:21:*/ For me to live is Christ and to die is gain./

3.

Thirdly, We Are Hidden In Christ

 

*Colossians 3:3* /For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God/.

The believers real life is not seen at present.

It is hidden with Christ in God.

We are safe in His hands.

Nothing can take us out of His loving care.

Non believers can't see God's life in us.

They can see what His power does when it shows through.

But the life is hidden in jars of clay that look just like their own.

When Jesus Christ was on earth most people thought that He was only a man.

They could not see His divine nature.

Our spiritual position in Christ is just like this.

We have eternal life now but unbelievers don't know it because the transformation is not yet complete.

We are completely safe.

/If our life is hidden in Christ, shouldn't we live for Him now?/

 

4.

Fourthly, We Will Be Glorified With Christ

 

*Col 3:4*  /When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory./

The word fanerow */appear/* means*/ to reveal, make known, declare/*.

We are hidden in Christ at the moment.

But it won't always be that way.

One day soon, God will lift the cover off His new creation.

Everyone will see the beauty of the new creation.

This will happen at Christ's return.

God's people will share in His glory.

We will receive new glorified bodies of our own.* 1 John 3:2*/ Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been *revealed* what we shall be, but we know that when He is *revealed,* we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.