Setting Our Sights on the Realities of Heaven
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If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
The Bible says these words in the previous chapter:
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
The NLT says when you came to Christ. That is the first question of the morning. Have you came to Christ, have you given your life to Christ? Most importantly have you surrendered to Him?
When you truly give your life to Christ and surrender to him, the scriptures declare that he performs a spiritual surgery on you. The Lord cuts away your sinful nature (Expound).
Paul then says, that when you surrendered to him, when you repented of your sins, you were buried with Christ in baptism. That’s why we believe in water immersion. That’s why we baptize in Jesus name’ Because God didn’t die, you can’t kill God, God is a Spirit and the Holy Ghost is a Spirit again you can’t kill the Holy Ghost. But Jesus the son of God, God was in Jesus.....Jesus was fully God and fully human, but notice on the cross as Jesus was dying, he said “Father, Father, why has though forsaken me.” Jesus, the human part of him died. But Jesus after 3 days was raised again to new life.
That’s why we baptize in Jesus name, not only for authoritative purposes because when you say “in the name of.......so and so” you are acting on behalf of that person, you are doing it by the authority that the person has given you. I’m not here to preach baptism this morning. But it has been included.
When we are buried with Christ we are also raised with Christ with a new life. The old life has to die, it has to be crucified. Anything that is not like Christ it has to die.
All this happens because we trusted in the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. If God has the power to raise Christ from the dead.....DO YOU BELIEVE HE HAS TO POWER TO RAISE YOU TO NEW LIFE. DO YOU BELIEVE HE HAS THE POWER TO CUT AWAY YOUR SINFUL BEHAVIOR? YOU CAN’T DO IT.....BUT CHRIST HAS THE POWER.....JUST TESTIFY TO SOMEONE AND TELL THEM CHRIST HAS THE POWER TO CUT AWAY ANYTHING NOT LIKE HIM. We just gotta trust Him and surrender to Him.
The next portion of scripture verse 13 says that when we were in our sins we were dead. Our sinful nature had not been cut away from us. We did what we wanted to do, we said what we wanted to say, we were in control, doing what ever our flesh wanted to do......all the while......on our way to the lake of fire. Every saved person testify to someone and tell them I was on my way to the lake, not Smith Mountain Lake, not Claytor Lake, I was on my way to the Lake of Fire.
But GOD! He made you alive, he quickened you, together with him, he forgave you of all your sins (that ought to make someone happy this morning that the Lord forgave you of all your sins). And listen if you are in sin or if you have committed sin listen to what the word says in 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
An again Psalms 32:1
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Happy is he, you want to be happy in life. Let the LORD clean you up and wash you in the blood of the Lamb.
When your sins are forgiven you can have a relationship with God! And then you can live a blessed life! You think you’re having a good time now, going to the club, drinking and getting drunk, smoking weed, shooting yourself up with heroine and smoking crack. That’s not a good time, that stuff will have you bound.
But when you get Jesus in your life, he’ll give you a high the crack can’t give you, he has new wine called the Holy Ghost that will make you stagger, it’ll fill you with joy, peace, and you won’t have to worry about a hangover, and you won’t have to go to the club and wait for a certain song to be played, because when you start thinking of the goodness of Jesus, when the Spirit of God starts moving, it’ll get in your hands, it’ll get in your feet, and you’ll start dancing for the LORD!!!!
So not only has the Christ quicken us and made us alive with him (verse 13).
Verse 14 says Col 2:14
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
He canceled the record of the charges against us.
What kind of record did you have? I’m not talking to the people that came out of the womb saved. I’m talking about the ones of us that the LORD had to deliver from a world of sin.
What are the charges? Some of us had some charges against us....give it a minute and I’ll find your charge; Let’s look at the charges: Listen, if I find your charge......begin to give God praise that he blotted out your transgression.....don’t be ashamed.....because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God:
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Let’s look at another scripture:
Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
One more for good measure:
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Paul said such were some of you, I use to be like that.....but I’ve been washed (cleansed), I’ve been sanctified and made holy, I’ve been justified and made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God. I called on Jesus to forgive me, the preacher called on Jesus when I was baptized in Jesus’ name, I called on Jesus and he filled me with the Holy Ghost!
But it didn’t start there.....it started 1,990 years ago. Paul said he took “it” what was your it the thing that was contrary to us, the thing that was going to cause us to go the lake of fire......he took it and nailed it to his cross.
He nailed alcoholism to his cross, he nailed witchcraft to his cross, he nailed drug addiction to his cross, he nailed gambling addiction to his cross, he nailed porn addiction to his cross, he nailed prejudice to his cross, he nailed hatred to his cross, he nailed pride to his cross, he nailed self-righteousness to his cross. HE NAILED IT......WHATEVER IT IS THAT IS CONTRARY TO GOD......JESUS NAILED IT TO HIS CROSS......TO SET YOU FREE......TO GIVE YOU NEW LIFE......AND TO GIVE YOU VICTORY!!!!
Therefore:
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
I know that we have jobs and I know that we have families and things to do in this earth. But the most important thing in the life of the believe is God!
Don’t get fascinated with the things of this world. Because this world is going to die and you brought nothing in this world, you will take nothing out of this world.
But seek (tell someone seek) look for those things which are above, set your sights on the realities of heaven. If you don’t you’ll get sidetracked, if you don’t, you won’t make it. Set your sights on the realities of heaven where Christ sits on the right hand of God.
Set your affection, the word affection from the greek word “phroneo” means to exercise your mind. To interest yourself in. I was talking to someone recently, ah yeah a friend I saw at the gym, I believe he is saved, last we talked he talked as if he gave his life to Christ. We were just talking in passing, and he conveyed to me that he is an investor. He was telling me about the books that he was reading concerning investing.
Many of us have hobbies and we read things that interest us. But your primary interest should be above.....the realities of heaven, our future reality. I’m not saying to not have hobbies or not to invest, but for some people that is all they know and they don’t have Christ in their life. Put God first in your life.....God will take care of all of the other stuff.
In order to put our affection on things above and not things of the earth, we must die to self and our real life must be hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory.
Let’s close with this last section or scripture:
In order for us to appear with him in glory, in order for us to share in all his glory there are some things we have to do:
So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.