Colossians 3:1-4 - Higher Thoughts
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Introduction:
The late Dwight L. Moody once stated:
“Let us not be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.”
Dwight L. Moody
I would argue that this is a problem that we really don’t face today. As Pastor Kenny who was the former pastor at Good Shepherd in Scott Depot, WV once told me, “I’m afraid I haven’t met that person yet.”
What Pastor Kenny was driving at is that most people are not heavenward in their thinking and focus at all - much less too much so!
You see, we must be focused on heaven and eternity in order to be effective in this life.
You can only know what direction you are to go if you know the destination in which you are heading.
Let that sink in for a moment.
If I told you to prepare for a vacation and that I would see you when we get there - I’m sure you would look at me with a puzzled look. Where are we going would be the question that I’m sure would come to your mind.
We must know our eternal destination and where we are heading in order to make the right directional choices.
When we know our destination then the decisions that we make on the way there become so much more clear! We can see things with an eternal perspective instead of seeing them in a near-sighted way.
Join me as we read God’s Word:
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.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Today we are going to discuss three ways the we should think heavenward in a Biblical way. The first is:
I. You Should Think Heavenward Because… Your Lord is Above (1-2)
I. You Should Think Heavenward Because… Your Lord is Above (1-2)
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.
I am sure we have all heard of if/then statements. If this happens then this will happen. If you do this then that will happen etc. Paul has just taught what it means to be qualified for the faith and not disqualified. He has just let us know that the Savior surpasses all other things. And so He starts with the assumption that the readers are believers. If then you have been raised with Christ. In other words, if you have been born again. If you are a new creation. Then you should seek things that are above.
I think that this command brings us to two important questions.
What does it mean to seek?
What are things that are above?
First we come to the question what does it mean to seek. This word, seek, is written in a present imperative tense meaning that it something that we should be already doing and something that we should keep on doing. It means to set one’s sights on and keep wanting. It may better be translated as keep seeking and is a continuous action.
Next we see that we are to seek the things that are above. So back to our question, “What are the things that are above?
This refers to things that are heavenly and are things that point to the qualities of Christ. Things such as tenderness and strength; wisdom and purity; forgiveness and mercy; love and righteous judgment.
However, the most important thing we can seek that is above - or heavenly - is Jesus Christ. Our Savior has resurrected and is now at the right hand of the Father.
Along with a couple of parallel Scriptures we see two of the many reasons we should seek Christ. First:
We Should Seek Christ Who is Our Sustainer.
We see this command no better spelled out than by Jesus Christ Himself:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
We see here that we are to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That is inferred in the second part of verse 1 in Colossians 3. We are to seek the things that are above. And as we have just seen - when we seek the things that are above, Christ is our sustainer and provider.
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Next we see at the end of verse 1 another reason we should think of Christ above all.
2. We Should Seek Christ Who is Supreme.
We are to consider Christ who is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. This means considering the supremacy of Christ. This means thinking of Him before everything else. Nothing is above Him. Christ over all.
The Psalmist points toward this supremacy in Psalm 110:1:
The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
As the Psalmist stated so directly - Christ is at the right hand of the Father and all others will be crushed under His feet.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
As verse two moves on and finishes - we are not to focus on the things of this earth. Meaning the things that pass away.
Paul has just exalted Christ in verse 1 and let us know why our focus should be on Him above everything else. But verse 2 takes this thinking to a more practical day-to-day level. In light of the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord is above all, how should we live? Not only should we seek the things that are above (Christ being the highest and supreme above all) - but we are also to set our minds on things that are above as well.
So how can we apply this principle to our lives today? How does this flesh out?
Paul is clearly teaching that we need to take each step in this life and take each decision we make and measure it by the Word of God and by eternity.
As we started off the sermon - we must know our eternal destination so that when we make decisions on earth - we have a good idea of which direction to go. Because when we know that this isn’t our eternal destination on earth, we can see more clearly and discern what decisions to make more accurately.
A few practical examples of this are:
When we go to buy a vehicle - we need to think about how that is going to affect our giving to the Kingdom of God.
When we go to buy a house, we need to think of how that is going to affect our giving to missions.
How we spend our money is paramount in judging how eternal we think. It is a great barometer of truth when it comes to our hearts and minds.
Just as a barometer measures atmospheric pressure, our bank statements measure our worldly pressure.
It doesn’t just stop at your checkbook though.
When we consider moving to a new neighborhood we need to think about where God wants us to be in order to reach our neighbors with the Gospel. We aren’t just to decide what we want without consulting the Lord first.
The applications are endless here. How many extra-curricular activities we allow our children to be in. Which activities we allow them to be in. Whether we allow them to miss church for one of these activities.
And then there are job choices and marriage choices and time management choices.
Note that we don’t just keep our heads in the clouds and ignore earthly decisions. We have to make earthly decisions constantly because we are still on earth. As we have just went through a buffet style list of areas that we make decisions in - I pray that it is clear that we must be attentive to the decisions we make on earth. Yet I pray that it is also clear that we must know what destination we are heading toward so that we can make decisions that are in the right direction and are for the best results with eternity in mind.
We need to live with purpose. And that purpose needs to be all about glorifying and making much of Christ.
That purpose is not doing what we want to do. That purpose is all about making much of Him. And that purpose is all about making decisions with eternity in mind and Christ in mind.
How are you doing in this area? When you make decisions, do you think about how it is going to affect the kingdom of God? Do you consider how a financial decision you make is going to affect your ability to give to your local church or toward missions? Do you plan your week around how you are going to minister to others and how you are going to worship our Savior? Or is it planned around what you want to do?
We live in a humanistic and individualistic culture. Sadly, it is rare to find someone who is centered on Christ and others and not instead self-centered. We are bombarded with ads daily that tempt us to be selfish and think of our wants and desires at the expense of considering others.
Yes, our God does give us good gifts as we see in James 1:17 states, and yes, our God does allow for times of rest and vacations.
Yet I pray that we as a church are a group of people who are ultimately heavenly minded. May our thinking be higher thinking. May our thoughts be higher thoughts.
Next we see that you...
Scripture References: Matthew 6:33, Psalm 110:1, James 1:17
II. You Should Think Heavenward Because… Your Life is Above (3)
II. You Should Think Heavenward Because… Your Life is Above (3)
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Paul lets us know why we should be heavenward in orientation. Because you died. The old you was buried with Christ. You are a new creation. Thus your life is hidden with Christ in God. You are heaven bound. You have a new eternal destination. Because of this you should act like such. You should be pursuing godly desires and seeking things that have eternity in mind and not carnal or worldly in nature and focusing only on earthly pleasures.
I am sure that the statement you have died seems to be pretty clear. The old life that you once lived is no more. You have been born again as we just mentioned.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
This seems to be pretty clear that we have died to our old self and been raised anew.
But what about this word hidden. Your life is hidden.
This word hidden, kryptō (krip-tow), means to conceal, keep secret, hidden, and made invisible.
What Paul is trying to say here is that the world is not going to understand your life in Christ. The world will still see your flesh and bones as you are on earth. But they will not understand your new life in Christ. They won’t understand the peace that surpasses all understanding that God gives you when you face trials and hardship. They won’t understand the still, small voice that you hear when you are about to sin or about to make a big decision that requires great discernment (1 Kings 19:11-13).
As Warren Wiersbe pointed out, “Hidden in Christ means security and satisfaction.”
Unbelievers won’t understand the fact that you are secure even when things are tumultuous around you. We live in a world today with a lot of uncertainty. Between the recent COVID pandemic, supply chain shortages, stock market instability, and now a war raging in Ukraine that could spread further at any moment - there is a lot to be worried about for the natural man and woman! Yet, we know that we have a sovereign God who is control of everything. We can trust that everything that happens will be turned for our good one way or another (Romans 8:28). Even in suffering, God will sustain us and care for us.
Church, I pray that each of you are true believers and that you are fully realizing the peace of God. God promises peace as one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). This means that if you are in Christ, then you have this wonderful gift. We are able to rest in the security of Christ.
And we are able to rest in the satisfaction of Christ. Unbelievers may not understand why you can be satisfied and content whenever you have little or plenty. They may not understand how you find your fulfillment in your relationship with your Savior and not your circumstances or possessions.
May we fully realize this promise from God as well.
There is nothing more satisfying than a right relationship with our Savior.
Brothers and sisters, we should think heavenward because our life is above. We are going to discuss the future glory that we are going to get to share in as we bask in the glory of Christ in eternity during our next point. But let us not miss that once we are saved, we are already a part of the kingdom of God. We don’t have to wait to rejoice as we already have plenty to rejoice about! We have eternal life that begins the moment we are saved.
As we continue to walk on this earth, may we live our life with an eternal perspective. May we focus on the eternal and rest in the One Who is eternal.
Finally...
Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Kings 19:11-13, Romans 8:28, Galatians 5:22-23
III. You Should Think Heavenward Because… Your Land is Above (4)
III. You Should Think Heavenward Because… Your Land is Above (4)
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Paul ends these four verses with an amazing statement. This statement flies in the face of all of the so-called Christian subculture that preaches individualism and adding Christ into your own life and asking Him to bless what you already want to do. When Christ - who is your life. Church, Christ isn’t just a part of our life. Christ isn’t to be placed in a box of our divided life that we pull out every Sunday to spend some time with. He isn’t someone we pray to occasionally as we go about our days doing what we want to do. My friends, for believers, Christ should be your life. Every decision you make needs to have Christ in mind. Every plan that you make needs to be with Christ in mind. Every place that you go and things that you do needs to be all about honoring and glorifying Christ.
Your life is not your own. 1 Corinthians 6:20
for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
You were bought with a price. He gave His life to redeem yours. You are able to appear with Him in glory because of his sacrificial death on your behalf. Your life belongs to Him and you should live like it does.
Another understanding of the fact that Christ should be our life is what Paul stated in Philippians 1:21
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
May we live with a resolve like Paul had. To live is Christ. Paul believed and taught that there was no higher way of living and thinking than living for Christ alone.
Getting back to our verse:
When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
When Christ appears then you will also appear with him in glory. Vindication is coming my friends. We saw in verse three that our life in Christ is hidden from the world. On this side of eternity we will continue to face persecution, misunderstandings, and personal attacks. One day that will not be the case my friends. One day we are going to be blessed to bask and share in the glory of Christ.
Church, our land is above. Our home is above. Our destination is eternal life with Christ Jesus our Lord - the King of Glory.
I think for many, this idea that our land is above and that our true home is to be revealed later has been tarnished by movies and cartoons that portray eternal life in heaven as playing a harp and sitting on clouds. Or they portray us as a guardian angel over someone else. There are many myths that have crept into our minds through popular culture of what heaven will be like.
A lot of this confusion has occured because of the Biblical word for heaven having different definitions. 2 Corinthians 12:2 helps clarify this for us.
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.
If there is a third heaven then there are two others. The first being the sky/atmosphere and the second being space. The third heaven is what we are talking about when we talk about eternity with Christ. It has not yet been fully revealed to us.
This wonderful destination is for believers and has been talked about by both Paul, as we just saw, as well as John who wrote the book of Revelation as we can read further in chapters 21 and 22 of that great book.
John attempts to describe it with earthly analogies but one can’t help but see that these fall vastly short of the glory that is to be revealed.
As beautiful as heaven is, it is important to note what is not there. There is no more sin. There are no more tears. There is no more pain or sorrow. (Revelation 21:4)
We know that we will fellowship with Christ for all eternity and worship and enjoy Him forever. How this will look and what work He has for us to do has not been revealed yet. However, we can be certain that it will surpass the greatest of experiences on earth.
Heaven is something we could talk about for ages, but my goal with this short excursion into heavenology (yes that is a new made up word - the study of heaven) - is to remind you of how wonderful heaven will be and to help you see it through a Biblical lens and release all of the cultural representations that are false and harmful to your excitement for eternity.
Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 6:20, Philippians 1:21, 2 Corinthians 12:2, Revelation 21-22
Conclusion:
As we come to a close I pray that we remember that:
We need to stay focused on our destination if we want to maintain the right direction.
Just like we mentioned at the beginning of this sermon - we should think heavenward because our Lord is above, our life is above, and our land is above.
As you continue living your life hidden with Christ, I pray that you live as though you are not home yet. As Building 429 put it in their song “Where I Belong”:
All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong
Building 429 - “Where I Belong”
I pray that that is your heart. Take this world and give me Jesus because this is not where I belong. Brothers and sisters - don’t lose sight of your destination. Christ suffered and died on the cross so that you might not have to suffer for all eternity. Through His sacrificial atonement on the cross, you have access to the greatest blessing ever created - heaven and eternity with Christ.
In a world plagued by destination unknowns - as a saved believer in Christ stand firm on the destination that is known - namely heaven.
Let us pray.
Prayer
If you would like to learn more about salvation through Jesus Christ or want to obey Jesus by obeying the first commandment of a believer in going through the waters of baptism - please let me know.
Have a blessed week.