Are You Swimming Upstream?

Conversion includes a radical change of mind

Back when I was a much younger man, it was a thing to go rafting down the Chattahoochee River.

When you floated down to Powers Ferry Landing, the river gets wider and shallower - maybe about 4 - 4 1/2 feet deep.

We’d often get out there and walk and swim to cool off.

Sometimes we’d swim ahead of the raft a bit and we’d have to wait for it to catch up to us.

You couldn’t swim back to it and here’s why.

The flow rate of the Chattahoochee is often about the same speed as an average swimmer.

Meaning that, if the current is running at two miles per hour

And you are swimming into the current at two miles per hour

You are essentially standing still relative to the shore.

I remember that on one particular day, I was way in front of our raft and decided I would head back.

So I started swimming.

But I really wasn’t getting anywhere.

Swimming as hard as I could swim, all I was really getting was tired.

Finally, I had enough sense to stop and wait on the raft to catch up with me.

What does that have to do with anything?

Let’s let the Chattahoochee represents time and all of time flows in a single direction.

One day, and no one but the Father knows when

But one day, that scene we saw in Exodus with clouds and thunder and fire is going to happen again

As we read last week, [1 Thessalonians 4:16] “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God...

Jesus is returning - and all of history is flowing in that direction.

Jesus return can’t be hurried and it can’t be slowed down.

Biden didn’t speed it up.

Donald Trump won’t slow it down.

And, just as certain as the Chattahoochee ends up in the Gulf of Mexico

Time will end up at the second coming of Jesus.

Now, here’s the question, are we swimming towards Jesus or are we trying to swim away?

Our text for today is Colossians 3:1-4.

If you are someone who makes a note in your Bible when you hear a sermon on this passage, you’re saying to yourself right now

Brother Randy, you preached on this same passage of scripture Easter of last year

And you’d be correct.

On my sermon plan, I had scheduled verses 15-17 for today

But as I read and studied the text, the first four verses just wouldn’t let me go.

I didn’t look back at the old sermon, because well, the river’s been flowing for over a year.

It’s a different day - so here we are.

While you are looking up Colossians 3, Kids, you have a lot to learn

Let me encourage you to study as much and as hard as you can.

Do your best to be prepared for every test and every paper you have write.

Be a good student but keep in mind that Jesus is going to return one day.

We all think that going viral is the measure of our success.

But Jesus would not agree.

If the Lord would give you anything this morning, I would pray it would be learning how to live your life focused on Jesus.

Your three words you are listening for is Jesus, Mind and Life.

Paul is speaking to the church at Colossae

Hear now the Word of the Lord from Colossians 3:1-4

Colossians 3:1–4 ESV

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 is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Will you pray with me?

Father God,

We are but children, running to and fro

When we hear our Father’s voice, we come running.

Speak to us today, Father, so we will run to you.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Our message today outlines with three major points.

Verse 1 talks about Focus

Verse 2 talks about Playing the Long Game

And verses 3 and 4 talk about Facing Reality

So let’s talk about

Focus

Colossians 3:1 “If then you have been raised with Christ....”

When you see an “if then” we have to go back and read what came before or we won’t know what is being talked about.

So, in chapter 2, Paul says, don’t add popular culture to Christ.

Listen to what he says, Colossians 2:20–23 “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world,”

Hear what he just said - “as if you were still alive in the world,” that’s important.

“…as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

Paul is saying to us, all of these things that modern culture is saying to us, they are distractions from the truth.

They have no power to stop you from doing things that aren’t Godly.

And they have no power to help you do things that are Godly.

They are worthless - they perish, Paul says.

They have no power to help us.

“...as if you were still alive in the world,” Paul says.

As if, because we are not.

We are not alive in this world.

Colossians 2:12 “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

Having been buried - you only bury dead things - having been buried.

We were then resurrected with Christ.

And then we were hidden in heaven with Christ.

This is where we have our disconnect.

We live in an alternate reality.

Colossians 3:1 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”

Seek the things above - seek out those things that look like Jesus.

And there is our challenge.

Seeking something requires focus - and we don’t have a whole heap of that.

I read this week about a pastor in a large church who was conducting a planning meeting of a bunch of folks

They all had their computers out, taking notes, looking stuff up

He had his meeting notes up, he was also doing some email and had two text threads going - all while HE was the one in charge of the meeting.

And he had enough skills to make the meeting somewhat productive.

But at what expense.

He said he is stressed all of the time.

And of course he is - because this pastor’s focus was in the wrong place.

There is an interesting phrase we gloss over every time we read it.

Where is Jesus seated?

“at the right hand of God.”

Now we know, because we’ve studied it a bazillion times that the seat at the right hand of a dignitary is the preferred place.

Being at the right hand symbolizes acceptance and honor.

It symbolizes power.

But there’s more to this because is an allusion to an Old Testament text.

Listen to this: Psalm 110:1

Psalm 110:1 ESV

The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

You hear that?

Sit at my right hand - UNTIL

Until - you sit right there and wait

In the place of honor and power and glory

You sit there UNTIL “I make your enemies your footstool.”

Who are Jesus’ enemies?

Look back at Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

Who are the elemental spirits?

They are they demonic forces loose in this world.

And God the Father will make them Jesus’ footstool.

He will walk all over them - at the appropriate time.

This is where our focus belongs.

This is where our ultimate success will be revealed.

At the culmination of time.

Which isn’t here yet.

But should inform every decision we make.

And that’s why we have to

Play the Long Game

Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

I know it is none of my business but I can’t get over Carson Beck driving a Lamborghini.

For the two of you who don’t know who Carson Beck is, he’s the 22 year old quarterback of the University of Georgia football team.

And he drives a Lambo, which the cheapest one costs $221,506.

When he was asked why he had one, he replied that he’s always loved cars and his Lambo makes him feel good.

What makes us feel good?

See, this is THE diagnostic question.

This is the challenge.

Remember: Conversion includes a radical change of MIND.

What makes us feel good has to morph over time.

“Set your minds on things that are above...”

Paul has a list of things back in chapter 2 that are indicative of things above - you can go back and read chapter 2 later.

But I think you know the difference between things of this world and things of Christ.

Things that belong in our alternate reality.

There is a practical test that will help you know if you are focused on the alternate reality.

Remember our starting analogy of the river flowing at 2 miles per hour.

And a good swimmer can swim about 2 miles per hour.

And when a good swimmer swims against the current they essentially stand still.

Swimming as hard as they can, if you watch them from the shore, it looks like they aren’t moving.

Do you feel that way?

Do you feel like you are working yourself to death?

As a husband, as a wife, as a student, as an employee, as a boss, as whatever you are.

Do you feel like you are working yourself to death and never getting anywhere?

In fact, are you so hopeful that Donald Trump can change the economy so maybe, just maybe we can start getting a little ahead again?

I can hear someone thinking, “Pastor Randy, you have to work to have money to eat.”

And I’m all about that.

Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “... If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”

But we aren’t talking about eating, are we?

We are talking about what makes us feel good.

The river is going to flow to the sea - you cannot stop it.

Jesus’ time to return has been appointed

It will happen

You cannot stop it

Knowing that - and “If then you have been raised with Christ...” you know there is only one way of life that will make us feel good in our souls.

Look at verse 3 Colossians 3:3 “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Knowing that, will you ever truly be happy swimming against the stream?

See, the difference in you and everyone else who doesn’t now Christ, is you know why you aren’t happy.

You aren’t happy because you aren’t

Facing Reality

Nothing on this earth is going to satisfy us.

They are distractions that Paul warns us about in chapter 2 Colossians 2:8

Colossians 2:8 ESV

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

They are demonic temptations luring us to swim upstream away from reality.

What’s insane is we think we can swim upstream and have what everyone has

And be happy with it and be carried downstream towards Jesus at the same time.

But that won’t work.

Conversion includes a radical change of mind.

Look at Colossians 3:4 “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

I think this future tense sentence has a present tense reality.

Listen to Richard Melick - he wrote one of the commentaries I used.

While being a part of the fallen order, they were not to let that environment occupy their thoughts and minds. Their values were to be different. Creation will pass away; the things of God will remain.

In no sense is Paul telling us to not enjoy this world.

On the contrary, enjoy it.

Drink deeply of God’s creation

Be enamored by it’s beauty and it’s power.

See it as Christ sees it.

In fact we must see it that way because “Christ is your life.”

But the reality of the matter is, that thrill that we are all looking for

That ultimate moment of success, that final realization that we have arrived

It won’t happen here.

It will not come until “you also appear with him in glory.”

Until the river flows inevitably into the sea.

To put this in language we should understand, we need Jesus to lead us into the promised land.

Like the Israelites wandering in the desert, we can still be happy.

You know for the 40 years they wandered, they still had marriages.

They made babies.

They celebrated their children coming of age.

The saw beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

They saw incredible landscapes that none of them had ever seen before.

They saw a few miraculous things.

Manna being the big one.

But - they were not in a land that was their own.

They were not where they belonged.

They weren’t home.

And the only way they would ever get to their new home, was to follow the presence of God.

Conversion includes a radical change of mind.

It means making up your mind to do something different.

It means praying about it a lot - seeking implies you are focused on finding what you are after.

It means seeking things that aren’t everyone else’s priority - and that requires a lot of effort.

It means making your mind up to believe that your biggest life reward won’t be found here.

Because Christ is your life

And we’ll never make it to the promised land if we don’t follow Him.

I don’t have a formula for helping you have a radical change of mind.

There is no “just pray this prayer” method for it.

If there was, God would have put it in His Word.

But He didn’t.

His formula is challenging: He told us to seek things that are above

He told us to set our minds on things that are above

He told us we are dead to this world and alive in Jesus

He told us that Jesus is our life and will be our glory.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

All of my life I’ve heard people say, if you will simply pray this prayer, you will be made new.

And that’s not 100% true.

Maybe we should say that it will start making you new

When you pray to the Father to forgive you of your sins and to save you

An amazing transformation does occur, if you are serious

You are born again - it’s your one second chance for all of eternity.

But I’ve seen in my lifetime that most Christians are miserable or delusional or just like everyone else.

And if you will tell the truth, you will agree.

That’s because we aren’t pursuing a radical change of mind.

We don’t belong here.

There will come a day when someone will divvy up all of your toys and give them to someone else.

Your sole belonging will be the clothes on your back and the box you are packaged up in.

But if you belong to Jesus, Colossians 3:4 “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

And that will be that moment, when you know you got it right.

And you will feel good.

Let me encourage you this morning to make up your mind to follow Jesus.

Remember that you were born a sinner

That Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for your sins.

Remember that Jesus was raised from the dead to prove His ability to defeat every foe - including death.

Remember that He did that for you - so He could become your life

And He gave you something to remind you that He is your life.

Communion

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The Lord has prepared a table for us.

It consists of the body and blood of Jesus represented by a wafer and some juice.

By getting up out of our seats and coming forward, we become symbols ourselves.

Of how Jesus called us.

And how we responded by answering His call.

And how by taking the elements, we show how Jesus is our nourishment.

Jesus reminded us in his temptation by the devil, Matthew 4:4 “... “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””

He reminded us today to seek what is above.

To set our minds on what is above.

To hunger and thirst for the righteousness that comes from above.

I know you do.

Some days more than others.

Some days the hunger is unrelenting

Some days we hardly think of it

But Jesus is there - ever present - every day.

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

We invite all born again believers who were baptised after their conversion to join us as brothers and sisters.

Come to the table.

Let the world know on Whose Word you stand

And Who guides your life.

As you come to the table, review your life.

Remember who is leading you out of your wilderness

Into His promised land.

Repent of your sins.

Give thanks for His blessings.

Remember the Lord Jesus “who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Let us pray:

Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Maker of all things, Judge of all men.

We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness

Which we from time to time have most grievously have committed

By thought, word and deed,

Against thy divine majesty.

provoking most justly your wrath and indignation against us.

We do earnestly repent and be heartily sorry for this our misdoings

The remembrance of them is grievous upon us

The burden of them is intolerable.

Have mercy upon us

Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father

For thy son, our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake

Forgive us all that is past

And grant that we may hereafter serve and please you

In newness of life

To the honor and glory of your name through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen (BCP, 1559)

We would ask that you stand.

The two Deacons serving should come forward now.

We would ask that those wishing to take communion exit your pew to your left

And come to the station closest to you.

You may eat the wafer dipped in juice at the station or

Take it to your seat as you feel led.

In this solemn moment, remember the work of Jesus in your life.

The gluten free wafers are at the center station.

Please stand and come to the table.