Thinking Above

How do we set our minds on things that are above. We need to learn how to take the things that control us and flip it upside down so we begin controlling them. The first thing we need to do to accomplish this is:

1. Redefine what defines you - In verse 3, Paul first four words here will help shape our lives in Christ which will start us on the path to thinking on the things that are above. “For you have died...” Now, typically death we view as a very negative and depressing thing. But this death is actually victorious. Isn’t it amazing how a Christlike perspective can turn our worldview upside down! I mean have you ever looked at dying as a positive? Here it is positive and it’s because this death actually gives us life. And the life it gives is where we find our truest identity. Your identity is the most basic, the most true, the  influential aspect you believe about yourself. And Paul knows how many things go into shaping who we think we are. 

Who we think we are and who we think we should be will have a huge impact on our mindset. It will shape what you believe, what you say, what you do, and what you think. And so Paul reminds us that in this life we actually do have a reset button and we hit that reset when we give our life to Christ. In verse 1 he says, “if you have been raised with Christ..” This is who he is speaking to. We are raised with Christ when we do four things:

       1. We are baptized into Christ (Col 2:11-12)

       2. We pursue a deeper knowledge of Christ (Phil 3:10)

       3. We seek first the kingdom of Christ (Matt 6:3)

       4. We life a life worth of the calling of Christ (Col 1;10; 2:6)

This reset button allows us to start fresh. And now we begin constructing our new identity, redefining what defines you, with what defines you. And that is found in verse 3, “...your life is hidden in Christ our God.” Your new identity, your new life does not begin with you! It begins with Jesus Christ! This is something to rejoice in! Our identity is rooted in a King! How do I know that? Because of the language Paul uses here:

In verses 2 and 3 Paul uses language from the Psalms to express the reign of Jesus and the security we have as we trust in Him. Verse 2 says that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. Now look at Psalm 110:1. This is a royal psalm of David speaking about the Messiah who will come from his lineage. He begins it by recognizing recognizing the Messiah’s position, “the right hand of God exalted above His enemies.” He is royalty seated in the throne. Later in this Psalm, David speaks of his rule and reign over all creation. 

The in verse 3 Paul says we are hidden in Christ. If you look at Psalm 27:5-6, another Psalm of David, you will see this same secure and protecting language of being hidden in someone. It’s the idea of shelter. 

Illustration: when a tornado comes typically the weatherman will tell us to take shelter. That shelter is found in a place that is fortified and safe. It is a place that will hopefully protect us from the impending threat. Another example is found in the unfortunate event of a criminal breaking into your home. In order to protect yourself you hide in a sheltering place. A place that is not only out of sight of the criminal, but also impenetrable. 

Christ is this shelter for us. I want you to see how David responds to this sheltering protection and deliverance of God:

      1. His head is lifted up, He is exalted above his enemies

      2. He offers sacrifices, or He worships God

      3. He shouts for joy, He praises God offering Him prayers of thanksgiving

      4. He sings to the LORD

We should respond similarly, and Paul tells us this:

      1. In verse 4, Paul says at the return of Christ we will be exalted, or lifted up, appearing with Him in glory

      2. In verse 17, He says whatever we do to do it all in the name of the Lord. This is similar to what he says in Romans 12:1-2 where Paul tells us to be a living sacrifice which is our spiritual worship

      3. In verse 15 and 16 he says twice to be thankful

      4. And in verse 16 he says to sing and make melody to the Lord. 

This is our response to this new identity in Christ. But we must not stop at only redefining what defines us. Now we have to do something with this new identity.  

2. We don’t just change, but exchange - I remember growing up one of my favorite weeks during the year was the week after my birthday and the week after Christmas. The reason was rather selfish actually but I think it drives this point home. I loved these weeks because they were when my parents would bring me to the stores to exchange the clothes that didn’t fit and the toys I didn’t like. The beauty of exchanging is it means I take what I have and give it up all the while replacing it with something better.

We here a lot about the need for change, especially in Christianity. But we don’t just need to change, we need to exchange. We have to replace what we give up otherwise the void will leave a longing and eventually we will fill that Jesus shaped void with unhealthy habits and be right back in the position we found ourselves in before the transformation. 

I love the song Empty Me by Chris Sligh. The chorus goes like this:

“Empty me of the selfishness inside

Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride

And any foolish thing my heart holds to

Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with You”

This is a powerful message! I want you to notice the beginning of verses 5 & 12. Both verses begin with the word “Put” but they are used in very different contexts. Verse 5 says put to death. This is the act of dying that we did in verse 3. And to die means to rid ourselves of. It means to lay aside. It’s amazing how often we entrap ourselves by putting our old selves to death, but on a daily basis we return to that old, rotting, smelly, worldly, dead body and wear it proudly as we live our life. Just like putting on an old coat we wear this dead self and wonder why we haven’t experienced the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. 

There is an application here: no one in their right mind would go to the graveyard, unbury a decaying body, and place that corpse in their home. We shouldn’t do this in the spiritual sense either. In other words, let the dead remain dead!

Now, verse 12 says to Put on. While we put away in verse 5, we are commanded to fill that void with what follows verse 12. We don’t just change our habits but we exchange our old habits for new ones. I believe Dave and Rob talked extensively about what that new life in Christ looks like in their Wednesday connection last month. This act of exchanging our habits and behaviors is the act of creating a new mindset, a mindset that is not looking down at the things of the earth, but one that is looking up at things that are above where Christ is. 

This is tough though. It’s tough to begin new habits. It tough to change our behaviors and it’s tough to replace our old behaviors with new ones. But one of the reasons I believe it is so tough is because we start at the wrong starting point. We try to begin the new habits without stopping the old. 

Illustration: I’ve mentioned before about desiring to lose weight. In the past I would begin working out but I wouldn’t change my eating habits. Without first changing my eating habits the working out will do little good. And after I workout for some times and see few results I will most likely end that habit before it becomes a good habit.

It’s the same with our spiritual lives. Transformation takes a long time. And transformation can be painful. And transformation is ongoing. It doesn’t happen over night. Look at verses 9&10. Paul says here that the first step to transformation is to put off the old self, and only then can we put on the new self. But look here at the next statement. This new self is “being renewed.” It isn’t just magically renewed over night, but it is continually being renewed into the image of its creator. It is an ongoing work. And we have to participate in this ongoing work by clothing ourselves in these Christlike attributes found in verses 12-17. 

As we begin this transformation of redefining our identity and exchanging our old habits for new, there is one very specific detail Paul calls our attention to and that is the third step to thinking on things from above and it is:

3. Change our speech - Paul must have had Proverbs 18:21 in mind when he wrote Colossians 3. It says...

Paul several times references the power of words. He says to rid yourselves of obscene talk (8), do not lie (9), when there is a complaint forgive (13), teach and admonish one another (16), give thanks (17). Paul recognizes that our words are powerful and they are a binding force of true transformation. Our words can make our transformation possible or destroy us. And if we our honest, our lives are a product of our words. So, we must take them seriously. Jesus recognizes the power of a confession in including in as part of His salvational plan, and His brother James tells us the healing power of words in confessing our sin to each other. If we want to make an impact with our new habits and shape our hearts and minds a good place to start is with the adjustment of our words. Our speech should be as sweet as honey. 

Conclusion: It is no surprise that it is with our words that we will most effectively confess our faith, share our life, and spread the good news of Jesus to this world! But our words will have no effect if they are not words that are focused on things that are from above. Paul says we are to cloth ourselves as God’s chosen ones. Isn’t that a sobering thought and warm feeling: to be God’s chosen ones. It reminds me of passages like 1 Peter 2:9. 

Do you remember middle school gym class? I remember each day being terrifying as we prepared for dodgeball. The fears, though, was not being hit with the dodgeball. No, there was a much more painful experience. It was the experience of potentially getting picked last or not at all to be on the teams. Each day I dreamt of being a captain so I didn’t have to face that opposition. And each time I was picked any number other than last I was a very happy child. But there was one occasion I remember where I was picked first. Very first! Oh I was ecstatic. You would have thought I had won a million dollars. The thing is on that day I played dodgeball like never before, dodging and destroying the opponent. I performed better because of the great honor and thrill of being counted first among all my other classmates. 

Listen, God has chosen us first! Each of us first in line! We are His chosen ones and when we realize this we will start acting like it. We will redefine what defines us, exchange our old habits for new ones, and begin speaking like followers of Christ and not this world. Oh what a lovely feeling it is to know that we are kingdom citizens, children of the one true God, servants of the King on high, and chosen first by the Creator of the universe! Remember that great blessing as you begin your journey to set your mind on the things that are above!