Untitled Sermon (22)

The Conditional Conjunction “If ye then” (same as saying “Therefore if”) connects the verses to Col. 2:20-23.... If ye be dead with Christ..... then be risen with Christ. The apostle is talking about salvation. They had been saved.... purchased from the slave market of sin yet they were endanger of enslaving themselves to man made religion as the Gnostics entered the picture. Paul’s message is simple, If you have died with Christ to the things of the world why are you still living according to the things of this world...... Submit to Christ! This pericope is about sanctification!

Sanctification is the process of making holy. It means to be set apart from the world and consecrated to God.

Christian your position has changed, you are no longer a Spiritual being of this world, you have been raised up and seated with Christ in the heavenly and its time we started living like it.

I. Focusing on the things above(1-2)

Above (2x) anō - upwards, heavenward. (Phil. 3:14)

If by grace through faith you have died with Christ then you have been raised with Christ. Though our death and Resurrection is a spiritual one… it is still a real one. I was once live on the outside and dead on the inside but the same Spirit of Holy God that raised Jesus to life entered into my dead spirit and breathed eternal life into me. Now..... we must live as though we are dead to this world and alive in Christ because we are!

How do I become Sanctified? It is God’s role to save us but a combined effort with God that we are sanctified. we are told in this verse to do two things. Seek the things above and Set our mind on the things above.

A. Set Our Heart on the things above.

Seeking (v) zēteō means to try to find. However in the context of being resurrected we have already found the thing which is above and have become its citizen. In the context “Seek” means to desire. As in Jn 1:38 when Jesus asked Andrew and John “What do you seek” they answered “Where are you staying?” And, Jesus said come and you will see.... and they came and saw and stayed with Him that day. This is an attitude of the heart, it is to desire the things that are above. The verb is present active imperative meaning it is a command to desire and keep on desiring, to never quit desiring the things above. Heaven, its splendor and perfection. It means to long for these things!

ILL: Some of us long for cooler weather, others long to be at the beach with a cool gentle breeze blowing in our face. Some desire riches and importance. But Paul calls us to desire Jesus, His home, and His perfection.

Paul says (Phil 3:20) “Our citizenship is in heaven.” This world is not our home, this sinful body is not our destiny. Heaven is our home and perfection along with unadulterated fellowship with Jesus is our destiny! How can we ever acheive Christlikeness if we don’t long for it in our hearts now?

B. Set Our Mind on the Things above.

Set your affection (v) phroneō, it means to ponder, to set your mind on. Modern translations read “set your on, think about.” To Ponder is to consider careflly, again the verb is active present imperative, a command to set your mind on the things above and keep your mind there. Perhaps a better way of saying it, is to focus on the things above.

This commands stands in contrast to setting your mind on the things on earth. Most of our thoughts are directed to things that do not have eternal significance. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about politics. How I can’t afford another 4 years of how things are going..... if you let it you will be consumed by it and your life in Christ will resemble that of the lost world because what you set your heart and mind on you become.

ILL: The Scottish preacher John McNeill liked to tell about an eagle that had been captured when it was quite young. The farmer who snared the bird put a restraint on it so it couldn’t fly, and then he turned it loose to roam in the barnyard. It wasn’t long till the eagle began to act like the chickens, scratching and pecking at the ground. This bird that once soared high in the heavens seemed satisfied to live the barnyard life of the lowly hen.

One day the farmer was visited by a shepherd who came down from the mountains where the eagles lived. Seeing the eagle, the shepherd said to the farmer, “What a shame to keep that bird hobbled here in your barnyard! Why don’t you let it go?” The farmer agreed, so they cut off the restraint. But the eagle continued to wander around, scratching and pecking as before. The shepherd picked it up and set it on a high stone wall. For the first time in months, the eagle saw the grand expanse of blue sky and the glowing sun. Then it spread its wings and with a leap soared off into a tremendous spiral flight, up and up and up. At last it was acting like an eagle again.

Perhaps you have let yourself be comfortable in the barnyard of the world—refusing to claim your lofty position as God’s child. He wants you to live in a higher realm. Confess your sins, and “seek those things which are above.” You will soon be longing to rise above the mundane things of this world. Like the eagle, it’s not too late to soar to greater heights again. -

APP: Its time we pry our hearts and minds away from what’s below and aim them on what’s above. Love God and submit to his ultimate plan for you, holiness, here in the present. Allow Him to mold you into what He wants you to be. Focus on His love for you, keep your mind on His eternal word.... be prepared for eternity.

II. Revealing of the things unseen (3-4)

Hidden kryptō, this verb can mean to be kept safe. But in the context it means made invisible or cause to be invisible. (both are true)

Appear (2x) phaneroō - caused to be seen, make known or reveal.