Christ in All of Life
Colossians 3:1-4
Introduction:
We come now to our third week unfolding our new vision here at SonRise. If you’ve missed either of the last two weeks messages, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to them to catch up and hear for yourself why we’re refining and refocusing our vision.
To briefly state it all again, here it is. Our main vision is three words: Christ is All. Meaning, Jesus Christ, His Person and His Work, He Himself is our vision. What does this vision look like as its displayed here in our life together as a church? First, we desire to see Christ in all the Scripture. Second, we desire to honor Christ in all of Life. And third, we desire to spread Christ to all the World. These three phrases present three values or pursuits that have formed and fueled us here at SonRise for the past decade and we’re eager to see them continue to thrive.
Today we’re focusing on the second pursuit in the vision. Since we’re a people who believe Christ is All, we desire to be a people who ever strive to honor Christ in all of life.
To explore this today, I’d like to take you to Colossians 3:1-4, where we find 4 headings.
Our Heavenly Pursuit (v1)
v1 begins by saying, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Immediately Paul reminds us of what he’s already said. Back in 2:12-14 Paul said when we believed in Christ we were buried with Christ in baptism, and we’re raised with Christ in His resurrection by the powerful working of God. By bringing these truths back into focus again Paul explains what being raised with Christ means for us in the here and now. v1 gets at this. The moment we believed in Christ we died with Christ and were raised with Christ. In our death with Christ God severed the bond between our old sinful nature and us, and in our resurrection with Christ God creates a new bond, a bond with our new nature, a bond with the Kingdom of God, and most important of all a bond with Christ who now rules from His throne at the right hand of God.
Do you see there is more at play in these verses than merely the death and resurrection of Jesus? Those two things are immense and infinite in their meaning for us, but Paul in v1 goes beyond the resurrection of Jesus to…what? His ascension. “…seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” His point is clear. Because Christ has ascended and is right now seated above, in our day to day lives we’re to seek the things that are above. Or I could say it like this. Because believers have died with Christ and risen with the Christ, and because Christ ascended, our lives are to be marked by a pursuit of things that are above rather than a pursuit of things that are below.
In the verses that follow we’ll look at what it means to seek the things that are above, to have a heavenly pursuit but before we do don’t miss what’s being said here, that we right now truly participate in the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ first coming marked the inauguration of His Kingdom and Jesus’ ascension marked the inauguration of His rule and reign at God’s right hand. This means His Kingdom has already come on the earth, and because His Kingdom has already come on the earth we who are ‘in Christ’ are in His Kingdom already.[1] This is the reality of what many have called ‘the already, but not yet’ or ‘the already, and more to come.’ By faith in Jesus we’ve already been welcomed into the Kingdom, yes, but for now we’re like children playing in the shallow end knowing there is a far deeper end of the pool close at hand. Christians are therefore people who right now live in the Kingdom as well as people who eagerly long for Kingdom to come in full. And as we wait in our life here below, our focus is to be fixed on Him who’s over us and over all things, on Christ.
By seeking things that are above we bring great honor to Christ. But how does God tell us to seek the things that are above?
Our Heavenly Mindedness (v2)
v2 continues, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
So how do we do this thing called the Christian life while we live in this waiting room of the already but not yet? This is the question this text is seeking to answer. And Paul’s answer for us is, set your minds on what’s above. What does that mean though? The phrase ‘set your minds’ is one word in Greek, phroneo. This is one of Paul’s favorite words (23 of the 26 uses in the NT is from Paul). This word’s meaning shows what Paul is after. To set our minds on what is above is to incline or give our minds to, wholly entertain, or yield our souls to things that are above, not to things that are on earth.
Do you find this a difficult task? I do. We live in a world where there’s a strong pull downward. I’m speaking in terms of a sinful or fleshly pull away from heavenly things toward earthly things. It’s the pull we all feel, making you and I naturally gravitate towards sin more than we desire to grow in righteousness. It’s the pull between what’s right and wrong but it often feels more like the choice between what is right and what is easy. Even now sitting in a church, a place that is to be marked by the worship of God, I’m sure some of you, though here, aren’t really here at all. Perhaps you’re wondering where you left something at home, or how long is this sermon going to be, or thinking what your week ahead is going to look like. Maybe some of you without even knowing are being pulled right now, ever so slightly to let go a little bit and dabble in some secret sin.
We are all of us continually and constantly pulled away from Christ to the things of earth. In this we must remember our new address.[2] Let me explain. Each day after work I go home to our house. Back when we moved from Port Richey to New Port Richey I remember those first few weeks finding it difficult to remember that we’d moved. I’d leave church and naturally I’d begin heading to our old house in Port Richey, but then I’d remember, ‘Wait a minute. I don’t live there anymore, our address is changed.’ So I’d turn around a go the opposite way to our new home. The Christian life is the same. Becoming a Christian changes your address. That’s what v1 said, we’re raised with Christ now, and this world is no longer our home, therefore we cannot set our minds on the things of the world here below, but on things above.
But what does that mean? Does this verse mean that we rid our lives of all the ties and connections we have to things on this earth? We have various relationships, jobs, cars, homes, dogs, cats, bank accounts, clothes, lawn equipment, golf clubs, baby cribs, neighbors, social causes, HOA meetings, and a million and a half other things that exist here on earth. Is Paul teaching that the Christian life is lived rightly by leaving all those things behind? Some have said so throughout the history of the Church, but we would say no.
What’s it mean then?
Rather than ridding our lives of all things earthly this verse is teaching how we interact with the things of earth must drastically change. How does it change? By setting our minds on things above we recognize that out of all the things we have and all the things we’re involved in here below there is one thing that rises above all else – the Lord Jesus. All else is to be counted as rubbish compared with knowing Christ. Out of all that we can be concerned with Jesus Himself says one concern rises above all, “…seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). So, to set your mind on things above means that while we live here in this world and while we have already been spiritually resurrected in the heavens with Christ, it is our life above that must govern our life here below. Or I could say it like this, as we go throughout life and encounter the things of earth, we must think of the things of earth in a heavenly manner.
Church, this is real life stuff. I’m not speaking in a figurative manner, this changes our day to day living. For example: if you have a boat this verse isn’t teaching you to sell your boat, no…use your boat in such a way that people know Jesus is your treasure, not your boat. If you’re married don’t leave your spouse, no…live as a godly husband or wife with your spouse in such a manner where people know Jesus is your treasure, not your spouse. Whether it’s children, jobs, cars, clothes, neighbors, hobbies, or anything else under the sun that we have or possess, we’re to live with these earthly things in such a way that it’s clear that Jesus is our treasure, not anything else.
Church, to set our minds on Christ is to see Christ as the supreme treasure and satisfaction standing over all of life and all in life. This brings great honor to Christ, but Paul’s not done. Next Paul gives us more reasons to live this kind of life in v3.
Our Heavenly Death (v3)
v3, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
This third verse teaches us that a real death has occurred. That with Christ we died to the ways of the world, we died to the old man, and to our old nature. Commenting on this theologian F.F. Bruce says, “That we have died with Christ is so strange to us that Paul must repeat it again and again.”[3] Just as Christ’s death was a real event, so too our death with Christ was a real event. The moment you turn from sin and turn toward Jesus a real death happens, but just as Jesus’ death on the cross wasn’t an end, but a beginning, our death in Him isn’t an end but a beginning because a real resurrection happens in our new birth.
Note how v3 begins, ‘For…’ Paul is grounding all he said v1-2 here in v3. All our heavenly pursuit and heavenly mindedness is fueled by and exists because we died with Christ and because our lives are now hidden with Christ in God. This means what God has done for His people in Christ doesn’t only fill out the content of the gospel message, it’s the motivation for all our gospel living.[4] Hid with Christ…in God…a double divine safety and security for every believer.
John Newton once wrote a hymn after reflecting on this passage that goes like this, “Rejoice believer in the Lord, who makes His cause His own. The hope that’s founded on His Word, can never be overthrown. Though many foes throw down their rod, and feeble be your arm. Your life is hid with Christ in God, beyond the reach of harm.”
The things of earth may pull us downward and tempt us to fix our minds on them, we’ve seen that in v1-2. Now see the assurance in v3, nothing can remove us from being hid with Christ in God. In John Bunyan’s book Grace abounding to the Chief of Sinners he describes his own struggle with his salvation and his despair over his lack of any true righteousness in him. But then he reflected on this passage and realized his righteousness didn’t come from him, that it’s Christ’s righteousness which saves us, and that this righteousness of Christ is untouchable, and laid up for him in heaven. This brought him rest in his despair because though he lived on earth and was constantly ‘in struggle’ he knew he was ‘in Christ’ and already seated in the heavens, and that nothing could take him away from there.
Church, be reminded of one of the great hopes which fuels our Christian life. If you could lose your salvation you would, but you can’t because spiritually you’re already secure in heaven.
Living in light of these things brings great honor to Christ. In v4 he now says all of this will one day change.[5]
Our Heavenly Appearance (v4)
v4, “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Note here how Paul says Christ doesn’t merely have life within Himself, and He isn’t merely the source of life, but for those in Him, for those who believe in Him…Christ is life itself. Meaning, in Him is all our delight. In Him is our all our pleasure. Jesus is not the appetizer, or the main dish, or the dessert, He’s the whole meal!
And more, the hope of His return is central to the kind of life presented in this passage. “When Christ who is your life appears…” Yes, right now at this moment all who believe are already present, spiritually, with Christ in the heavens, but on the day when He appears at His return we will fully enter into what we’ve only tasted here below.
This is wonderful. United with Him in His death, united with Him in His resurrection, setting our minds on Him, and seeking Him who has ascended above…since all of this is true it’s stunning to see what else is true, united with Him in His appearing. When He appears, we’ll appear with Him! That day when the Son of God appears will be glorious because He’s glorious, and it will be glorious because all of us in Him will appear in glory along with Him!
As to when this day will dawn Paul does not tell, but the one thing we can know is its certainty – it will come.
A few years back, we got our dog Calvin a new squeaky ball. And he loved it! He loved to chase it down when we’d throw it, he’d carry it around all day, he slept with it, and he became so obsessed with it we’d have to take it away from him so that he’d eat his food! Once the ball arrived it was everything to him, and none of his other toys mattered. There is a lesson for us in there. For the Christian, all that’s above, all that’s heavenly, Christ Himself who sits in the heavens, is to consume us here below.
Conclusion:
Remember, since we’re a people who believe Christ is All, we desire to be a people who ever strive to honor Christ in all of life.
This vision isn’t meant to be a vague, distant, ivory-tower discussion. It’s meant to be more than a phrase on our new t-shirts! It’s intended to have boots on the ground, to be embraced and lived out wherever you find yourself to be. So Church, ask yourself…where do you set your mind? What fills and occupies your soul throughout the week? What truly satisfies you? If it’s not Christ, you’re settling for less than life itself.
Here’s the point of today’s sermon. It’s that we need to learn how to honor Christ in our lives, but more so learning that Christ Himself is our life, not our stuff. Christ is our life, not our achievements. Not our goodness. Not our reputation. Not our performance. Christ and Christ alone.
So…as you go about your days, at home, at work, at school, on the water with your boat, walking the dog, wherever you are, lift your eyes above. Set your heart and mind where Christ is. If Jesus is your very life, you will inevitably honor Jesus in all your life.
Remember one day soon, Christ who is our life will appear, and when He does, we too will appear with Him in glory.
Until that day, Church, let’s be found faithful. Let’s be a people who ever strive to honor Christ in all of life…because Christ is All.
[1] Grant R. Osborne, Colossians & Philemon: Verse by Verse (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016) accessed via Logos Bible software, 1/3/20.
[2] Osborne, accessed via Logos, see above citations.
[3] F.F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians - NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1984) 135.
[4] Bruce, 134.
[5] Douglas J. Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon – PNTC (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2008) accessed via Logos Bible software, 1/3/20.
