Set your mind on things above (Colossians 3:1-17)

Introduction

A show on Netflix called "Instant Dream House" is about a crew of renovators who transform family homes from top to bottom in just 12 hours. From the start of the show to the end, you see a complete transformation of these houses and interiors. At the start, they are in bad shape and need fixing, but by the end of the episode, they have transformed these beautiful homes and designed them wonderfully.

On the opposite side of such a transformation, there are examples of hoarding. Hoarding can sometimes be a disorder where people hold onto things, and there is great distress when trying to get rid of things, leading to chaos and clutter.

We can sometimes be like that in a spiritual sense. We want to hold/hoard on to our old sinful nature and activities and find it hard to let go of them, especially when Christ has done a complete transformative work in our lives, giving us a clean new home, a new citizenship, the best we can ever have. But we do not want to let go of the old version of things. We like to hoard them.

Likewise, this passage in Colossians paints us with two pictures. One is of the old man, like our old home in disrepair, where we hoard all our sinful natures. The other picture is of a new man in Christ, a picture of our new self and new and better home hidden in Christ; we have been given a new citizenship in the kingdom of God. Amen!

The big question that arises from this passage in Colossians is, "How am I to put on this new self and have a perspective from this new dwelling place?"

Set our minds on things above

The answer begins in the first two verses, where we are told to "seek and set our minds on what is above." When we seek what is above, change and transformation take place. To understand this, we must unpack what it means to seek things that are above.

Colossians 3:1–4. "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

This passage teaches us to follow Christ because He leads the way to this new life in the gospel. Well, Christ came to earth to live as a man, go through everything we did, walk as we walked, suffer as we suffered. He went through daily life just as we did. He eventually overcame all of these and died on the cross for our sins.

Up to this point, we see Christ doing and overcoming everything we humans couldn't do. Now, He has gone further, to show us the path to continue to follow. He has continued that journey, showing us the way to the true life which is through Christ, which is no longer of this world but of the one to which we have been transferred to. This is now our position. This is our new spiritual dwelling place with Him, in the new and transformed lives.

Now we have salvation in Christ; we are to follow Him into the life He has shown us. Jesus says I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). What is this path? Where has He gone? V1 says, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the above things. To begin with, if we are being raised with Christ, then something must also happen for us to be raised right. What did Christ do to be raised up? He died and he rose up on the third day.

Likewise, we have also died (to our old self), and so we have been raised with Him, but our life is now hidden in Christ with God. We are with Christ where He is seated and will appear with Him when He appears. Amen!!

This means that we have died to something, which is to the world and alive to Christ. We are now in a new dwelling place with Christ. Our old dwelling places have been transformed into this new and beautiful one in Christ. Amen!

As Christians, we are linked to the heavenly world, and we cling to Christ in order that we might be free from this fallen world and one that draws us downward to sin. You see, Jesus is seated in a position of power and authority, and because we are with Him, we have direct access to Him. Our actions and perspective must be from this position.

We do not need to go to Him through asceticism, regulations, human precepts or teachings, mysticism, etc. (as taught in Chapter 2) because we are already there with Him. Instead, have a heavenly perspective, or in other words, a Christ-centred perspective.

What does it mean that we are hidden in Christ? It really shows us the structure of our existence. That is to say that the life that we live in this world is lived out through an external source, and that is the power from above—not from our own strength or wisdom, but one that is from Him. This ought to be a great encouragement to us. Sometimes we fail in our Christian walk, but this is also a reminder that we are unable to live in a God glorifying life by our own strentgh or wisdom, rather we are completely reliant on God, through the work of His Spirit in our lives.

It doesn't mean that all we do is spend time thinking about heaven and not worry about the issues here on Earth. Instead, we should have a mind full of the reign of Christ, realise how that reign is to be experienced now in this world, and view the things of this earth with the values of heaven. Amen!!

This is a shift in our thinking. We have a new set of values because of the reign of Christ. It is to commit to following Christ with His perspective rather than claiming to be a believer where there is no difference in lifestyle between us and those who are not born of Christ and seated with Him.

C. S. Lewis understood this perfectly and says,

"It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither. It seems a strange rule, but something like it can be seen at work in other matters."

(Mere Christianity, page 134) - Mark Meynell, Colossians & Philemon for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God's Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2018), 122–123.

You see, we are to live this earthly life with our eyes set on the things above. When we do so, we can be effective in changing things on earth so that God's will will be done on earth. Praise God!

There is an inspiring story about the preacher John Chrysostom (his nickname literally means "golden-mouthed"), who was hauled up before the Byzantine Empress Eudoxia when he was Archbishop of Constantinople (AD 398–404). She was evidently frustrated by his independence and resistance to her authority. So, in common with powerful people since the dawn of time, she threatened him. First, she tried to scare him with banishment. He replied:

"You cannot banish me, for this world is my Father's house."

"But I will kill you," said the empress.

"No, you cannot, for my life is hid with Christ in God," said John.

"I will take away your treasures."

"No, you cannot, for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there."

"But I will drive you away from your friends and you will have no one left."

"No, you cannot, for I have a Friend in heaven from whom you cannot separate me. I defy you, for there is nothing you can do to harm me."

You can't fault John's logic. He does not deny that the various punishments Eudoxia threatens him with are grim or difficult. He simply knows that his belonging to Christ puts them all into perspective. They are all relativised. They are futile weapons against someone who is secure in Jesus.

Mark Meynell, Colossians & Philemon for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God's Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2018), 123–124.

Put off the old and put on the new

THEREFORE, the passage goes on to say that we are to put to death what is earthly in you. These are the things that we need to put to death because the fact is that we have died, and our life is hidden in Christ. We did all these things and walked in at one point in our lives. It was the outcome of our sin and fallen nature.

When Paul says to put to death the members of our worldly self. It is like saying killing off, destroying the earthly nature, which stands in opposition to the Christ-saturated life. It lists what these are in v5-9. The wrath of God is coming on those who practice these and are living in their dead selves (v6).

Colossians 3:5-9 "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices."

At one point, we, too, walked in these, but now we are dead to them. So, in rising up with Christ, we are to adorn ourselves with the new. We are to have a new wardrobe as Christians. The old wardrobe is to be cleaned out. You see, we are also to get a completely new wardrobe in this new dwelling place.

Sometimes, people go through a phase in their lives where they want to change their entire wardrobe. They want to wear clothes that follow the latest trends.

The old way of thinking and behaviour are to be cleaned out. All the religious activity that masks our true self is to be removed and put to death, and now we are to adorn the new. Amen!!

We are given what this new self looks like in verses 12-14, saying, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

Instead, we are to put on as God's chosen one things that are of God. Why? Because it tells us in v10 that we are to be renewed in the knowledge after the image of its creator. And according to v12, we are God's chosen people.

In the NT, God's chosen are no longer the Jews who are Jews by race but those who are spiritually circumcised, as we are reminded from Col. 2:11, where our flesh is circumcised, not just the outside physical act itself. Amen!

When we look to heaven, where Christ is seated, we see our creator, and the more we adore Him, seek Him, and set our eyes on Him, the more like Him we become.

So we are given a key here! How do we put to death our old self and start adorning this new one? Well, it is by increasing and being renewed in the knowledge of God. When we set our eyes on Christ, what are the things we are reminded of?

It reminds us of His greatness and of where He saved us from. It reminds us that we deserve the wrath of God, but by His mercy and suffering and sacrifice, we have received the forgiveness of our sins. He loved us with a love beyond our imagination. He took us out of the kingdom of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of light. When we think of the great salvation we received through the work of Christ, how can we not do the things that glorify and love him?

When we do this, we are really "putting on love", as told in v14. We love because He first loves us (1 John 4:19). When we adorn ourselves with the love that was poured into our lives, we are putting on that "new self". When we love, we have compassionate hearts; when we love, we put on kindness, humility, and patience. When we love, we bear with one another; when we love, we forgive, just as the lord has forgiven us.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says, "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised"

You see, when we set our minds on "things above", there are two things that happen:

Because of His love for us, we have a new heart attitude. We have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

It also means that this new heart attitude has a relational outworking, and that is to be bearing with one another, forgiving each other, and putting on love.

WHEREAS when our minds are set on earthly things, the two that take place are:

a place of heart selfishness resulting in sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed

This, in turn, turns to verbal and physical outworking as well, including anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, and the rest.

We cannot achieve this in our own strength, so we are told in v16, "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."

Just like we allow the love of Christ to rule us, we are to likewise allow the "peace of Christ" to also rule us. Amen!!

You see, we cannot do any of this on our own, so we are to allow the peace of Christ to rule our hearts and be thankful—thankful for all that God, in His sovereignty, mercy, and grace, has done for us when we were so undeserving. When Christ's peace rules you, then you will indeed seek peace with one another in love for the glory of God.

Now that we know of the right perspective, what we need to seek and set our minds on, where we are located and operate from, not from this world, but rather from above, where the source of our actions and thoughts are ruled by Christ through His Holy Spirit.

Now, it is all well and good to think that we are seated in heavenly places; we are to have the mindset of Christ and to do the things that please Him. But how do I know Him more when I am merely a human still living on this earth? How can I view this heavenly abode as being hidden with Christ and having this perspective of Heaven and Christ?

Well, the next verse shows us exactly how to do that, and we know all about God, His requirements, and His relationship with us through His word. He speaks to us through His word, he teaches us through His word, He disciplines us through His word, He encourages us through His word, He directs our lives through His word, He guides us, and He reveals Himself through His word.

This is why Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you. What does it mean to "dwell". The meaning of the Greek word used (ἐνοικέω(enoikeō), vb. inhabit; occupy.) means to inhabit or occupy. Likewise, when the English dictionary is looked up for the word, we find the following meanings:

to live or stay as a permanent resident, reside

to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought, speech, or writing to dwell on a particular point in an argument.

It is allowing God's word to take residence in our lives. What usually happens when we dwell together. The most common might be your family right. When you are together, you talk about things, share life together, learn from each other, and grow together, loving one another hopefully and caring because you become close. You get very well acquainted with one another in the same household. So much so that sometimes you don't even need to speak, and the other person knows how you are feeling or what you are trying to say.

Likewise, we are to let the word of Christ dwell in us "richly." So, if the Word is to dwell richly in us, then we must begin by allowing the Word to enter our inner being and dwell within us. That is to say we are to spend time being aquanted with the word. We are to spend time reading, lingering over, pondering, learning, and memorising God's word to us in our hearts and thoughts. Allow God to speak to us through His word and teach us through His Spirit.

As we do that daily, it changes our hearts and our thoughts to seek more of the things that are in heaven. It helps us set our minds on things above, where we are with Christ. Amen! This brings us the right focus and understanding of our position in Christ.

You see, once we are acquainted with God through His word dwelling with us, then we can now take this and encourage the rest of our family in Christ. That is the church, our church, our Godly family, and even our immediate family. That is why v16 goes on to say, "...teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns."

Only when we have this word so richly dwell in us can we then teach others in our church family to encourage each other in all wisdom and even in worship, singing psalms, hymns, and all spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts to God. Amen!!

When doing this, we can truly also do what verse 17 teaches: "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

When we have the proper perspective and our hearts, minds, thoughts, and actions seek what is above, setting our minds on things above, putting on the new self, allowing the peace of Christ to rule us, and letting the word of Christ dwell richly in us, then, all our actions, in word and deed and everything we do, we do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

We are transformed into a new dwelling spiritually; we have a new home, and we have a new heart; we have a new ruler of the heart, Christ, through His peace and dwelling with the word richly abiding in us. His Spirit teaches us and leads us so that in our every action, word, and deed, we give glory to the Father in heaven. How beautiful it is to dwell with the Lord in such a manner. Amen!

Let us no longer be like those who have the best but live as though we are still in that old house that is in disrepair, along with all the hoardings of our sins.

I encourage you today to put off the old self, the old house with all its worthless furniture and desires of the flesh, and instead put on Christ, put on the new. If you do not have a relationship with Christ, then this is the time to consider Christ, and to come to Him. Pray to God that He might fully transform your old self and that He may adorn you with the new. It is an amazing relationship.

As we do so, living with a new perspective and understanding our real dwelling place, may we encourage one another in the body of Christ and take this message to the world as Christ's ambassador of the kingdom in which we are now citizens. Amen!

All of this is only possible because of what Christ achieved for us on the cross and adopted us into His family.