Colossians 3:1-2
~18 min read
SERMON OUTLINE
- 💭 Consider this: What do your daily preoccupations reveal about where your affections are set? What would it look like for you to deliberately “seek that which is above” this week?
- I. The Reality
- II. The Responsibility
💭 Consider this: What do your daily preoccupations reveal about where your affections are set? What would it look like for you to deliberately “seek that which is above” this week?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for today’s message is taken from Colossians 3:1-2. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” The Lord blessed the reading of His holy and sacred Word.
In our previous messages, the Apostle Paul had dealt with what was known as the Colossian heresies: legalism, mysticism, asceticism.
Christianity is not a religion of outward facade, empty rituals following a set of man-made rules and regulations, or a set of do’s and don’ts. It is about one’s union with Christ in His death and resurrection, a personal knowledge and relationship with the living Christ that changes everything about us, our lives, our priorities, our goals, and so forth. Whatever we do, say, or think, we always consider Him, knowing that we are united with Him.
That was the reason why Paul moved from the errors of the Colossian heresies to speak directly to the believers at Colosse. Do not follow their false teachings. You are different. And you are different because you are united with the living Christ through faith. And this is how you should live your life.
This is what we want to learn for today’s message. The title is Seek Those Things Which Are Above.
I. The Reality
Our first point is: The Reality. Beginning with verse 1: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.”
Allow me to briefly explain the word “if”. There are four classes when it comes to the word ‘if’. The first class condition is a condition that assumes a fact, a truth. For example, if Jesus Christ died for you, that is a fact, so it is a first class condition. The second class condition is a condition of impossibility. For example, if you have not stolen the money, you would not be charged. The fact is that you have already stolen the money, so the condition is impossible; you would be charged. The third class is a condition of probability, for example, if you obey the Word of God. The fourth class condition is a condition that implies that there is no certainty; it may happen. For example, you may not suffer for righteousness’ sake, but if it happens, then this is what you must do.
Here, the original Greek word for “if” is the first class conditional clause that assumes a fact. In other words, it is a fact that as believers, we are risen with Christ. The word “with” speaks of our union with Him, which means we are united with Him in His resurrection.
Before we talk about Christ’s resurrection, we need to understand about His death and burial, and what His death, burial, and resurrection have got to do with us. Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me,” said the Apostle Paul.
What does it mean, “I am crucified with Christ”? Paul was not speaking physically, but spiritually. He was not saying that he was physically present at Calvary when Jesus was crucified, or that he was physically nailed to the cross. He was speaking of a spiritual union with Christ. When Christ died on the cross, I died with Him. Whatever was experienced by Christ, likewise was experienced by me. That was what he meant.
He was speaking of the believer’s relationship with Christ, who was our spiritual representative, just as Adam was also our representative. Remember our relationship with Adam. When Adam sinned, we sinned. When he fell, we fell. When he died, we died.
The same principle applies in our relationship with Christ. As believers, we are united with Him, and whatever happened to Him happened to us. When He died on the cross, we died. When He was buried, we were buried. When He rose, we rose. When He ascended and was seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, we were raised up and seated together with Him in heavenly places.
To help us to better understand this mystical union with Jesus Christ, let us turn to our responsive reading in Romans chapter 6, beginning with verse 3: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” Paul was not speaking about water baptism. He was speaking about being immersed into Christ, being placed into Christ, being united with God. In a sense, he was saying, “Do you not know that all of us who are united with Christ are united with His death?”
When Jesus was lifted up to die on the cross and our sins were placed upon Him, we were actually spiritually there with Him almost two thousand years ago. As Christ died, we died.
Verse 4: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death.” - when Jesus was taken down from the cross and buried, we were also buried with Him. And - “As Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” When Jesus was resurrected, we too were raised, not physically but spiritually, to live a new life in Christ.
Verse 5 reiterated this point: “For if we have been planted together” - which means united together with Him - “in the likeness of his death, we shall be also” - united together with Him - “in the likeness of his resurrection.”
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him” - that old man was our old self, what we were once before, dead in sin, corrupt in heart, depraved in nature. That old man was crucified with Christ means that old self had died - “that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” (Romans 6:6)
Christ had destroyed sin on the cross. Therefore, we who are united with Him, we are no longer servants of sin. Christ is now our Master. It does not mean that we are incapable of sinning or that we are perfect. No man is. We are a new man living in this mortal body, and as long as we are living in this mortal body known as the flesh, we are still capable of falling into sin. But by virtue of our union with Christ, we should not be serving sin.
Therefore, verses 7 and 8 said, “For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” So when Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live,” who was crucified with Christ and who died with Christ? That old Paul, the old man before his conversion.
In other words, Paul was saying, ‘I have died to my old self, my old way of life, my old sinful pursuits, my self-righteousness, self-glorification, self-ego, self-pride, self-flattery, self-centredness, all those things that I once pursued after. All those things I once cherished, trusted, and valued, I have died to all those things.’ As 2 Corinthians 5:17 said, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Some years ago, there was a pastor who took some of his church members to visit the Holy Land in Israel. The pastor had never been to the Holy Land. And when they came to Calvary, the tour guide asked, ‘How many of you have been here before?’ The pastor raised his hand and said, ‘I have been here.’ The tour guide said, ‘But I thought you said this is your first trip to Jerusalem.’ The pastor replied, ‘It is, but I was here two thousand years ago, and when my Saviour died, I died in Him. And as He was risen, I was risen in Him in the newness of life.’
That was what Paul meant when he said to the Colossians, ‘If ye the believers be risen with Christ, then live in the newness of life. Live this new transformed life in Jesus Christ.’
Dear friend, it is true for all of us who are believers, being a Christian is not only about coming to church, being baptised, singing hymns, giving of our tithes and offerings. While all these things are good, they are just the consequences of things that had happened to us. When Jesus saved us and redeemed us, we were brought to the cross of Calvary. At that moment, whatever happened to Him happened to us. When He died, we died. When He was buried, we were buried. When He rose, we were risen to live in the newness of life as a new man in Christ.
That is what it means. We are “risen in Christ.” (Colossians 3:1)
II. The Responsibility
But this reality of being spiritually risen with Christ comes with an awesome responsibility, which is our second point.
Let us look at the second part of verse 1: “Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” The word “seek” is in the present imperative, which indicates a continuous action.
This is in line with what our Lord Jesus taught us: keep asking, and it shall be given you; keep seeking, and ye shall find; keep knocking, and it shall be opened unto you. Christ was speaking about seeking the kingdom of God. In other words, we are to keep seeking those things which are above.
Most certainly, they are not the physical things of heaven, such as the throne that God is sitting on, whether it is made of gold or silver, or the crown on His head, or the choir of angels, and so forth.
In fact, Martin Luther was so against those artists of the Middle Ages who painted heaven focusing on the golden chair, the golden lights, the golden robes, the choir of angels singing before an empty throne, that he called them charlatans, impostors, or deceivers. Because instead of focusing on the object of our faith, they looked at the things that surround.
Those things above are not material, but rather they have to do with the One who sitteth on the right hand of God, and that is Christ. In other words, we are not seeking the heavenly geography, but the living Christ who dwells there.
The right hand of God does not mean Christ is second in command to God the Father. The right hand is the hand of power and authority. As Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
It is about His sovereign power, His character, His presence, His ability to save, protect, and preserve, His will, and His purpose, those things that have been revealed to us through the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. Seek after those things.
Look at verse 2. “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.” Some Bible versions translated the word “affections” as minds. Set your minds on things above. But the original Greek word for “affection” is more than just the mind, what we think. It is to exercise the mind. It is the thing that directs our actions. Is it not true that what we think in our minds are closely associated with our affections, which then affects our actions? Remember Jesus said, “Where your heart is, there will your treasure be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
Your heart, your affection, is the very thing that dictates what you do, how you live, and what you treasure in your life. We are not to set our affections on things on the earth, which includes not just material things but the immaterial things like earthly power, honour, status, position, popularity, prestige, and so forth.
Here Paul was not suggesting that Christians should withdraw from secular jobs or academic studies or be involved in commerce. If that be the case, then there would be no Christian doctors, nurses, engineers, mechanics, etc.
The emphasis is about preoccupation. Do not let these things, the things of this world, preoccupy your mind and take over your heart and affections, so much so that those are the very things that really matter, those are the very things you live for.
By way of illustration, I have a dog at home. Every time I play with him, I would throw the toy which my family bought for him and he would fetch it immediately. When I try to snatch it from him, he will bark at me, and then he would take it somewhere to hide. Everywhere he goes, he takes it along with him. He sleeps with it, eats with it, spends day and night with it.
Sometimes I think when my dog dies and an autopsy is done, it will reveal that it has a toy for a brain, because the dog’s mind is constantly on the toy. In a similar fashion, that is the case with many people. They set their minds and affections on certain things.
Some people think about marriage all the time. Who to marry? When to marry, and where to get married? Others think about their jobs all the time, and they even bring the pressures they face at the workplace back home, and they can hardly think about anything else. Yet others think about holidays and vacations, which country to visit, how long they should stay there, how they should travel, and they spend all the time to gather information about those places.
Again, it is not wrong to think about these things. But I’m referring to those whose minds are consumed with just these thoughts all the time. So in a spiritual sense, when you do an autopsy on their brains, you will find money, cars, houses, relationships, careers, and so forth.
Dear friend, the things on this earth are only useful and necessary for this earth, and they are neverlasting and permanent. One day our marriages, careers, holidays, relationships between bosses and subordinates, the things we possess, and most importantly, our lives will come to an end. But our life with Christ will never end. It will last for all eternity.
Yet we spend so little time to dwell on those things above. What does the Bible say about heaven? What kind of a place is it? What kind of a life it will be? How big is the mansion that Jesus has gone to prepare for us? We know little of these things.
This is the danger of being preoccupied with the things on the earth. It will make us forget about the things above. It will make us lose our focus to invest all our time, effort, and resources on the things we see around us, so much so that we do not prepare ourselves to meet our Creator. One day all of us will have to meet our Creator.
Let us learn from the classic example of the parable of the rich fool in the Gospel of Luke 12:16–21. Allow me to read for you.
Luke 12:16. Jesus said, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?” His first problem was that he did not acknowledge God as the giver of his blessings. So he did not even consider how he could use his resources to honour and glorify Him. No mention of God at all. His only thought was about himself. It is all about me.
Verse 18. “And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” (Luke 12:18–19) His second problem was his plans. There’s nothing wrong with making plans. As the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. The problem was that he excluded God in his plans.
Apart from the blessing of the Almighty God, there might be a drought or pestilences or storms, and there would not be any harvest at all. The blessing came from God, but he failed to see that. He regarded only his own hands that brought forth the wealth. So he thought the wealth was only for his own enjoyment. Eat, drink, and be merry. Nothing for the glory of God.
Dear friend, some of you are planning to finish your studies in the universities. Overseas students are planning to stay back in Melbourne. Others may plan to return to their home countries and find jobs and opportunities. Others may plan to get married. Yet others may plan to buy a first house or a second house.
Has God been included in your plans, or have you excluded Him? Have you been praying, Lord, I want to stay in Melbourne. I want to get married. I want to find a job. I want to buy a house. But I will only do so if it is Your will, and please show me Your will, and I will humbly submit to Your sovereign will and purpose. We must never exclude God in our plans.
Verse 20. “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” Even from the world’s standpoint, people will call such a person a fool. Do you know why? If you invest your whole life into a business and the fruit of your labours only last for a couple of years, people will say you are a fool to do that. You should invest in something that is more lasting.
The rich fool was concerned about that which was temporal and forgot about that which was eternal. He was only concerned about this physical life and not the soul, which lasts for all eternity. That was his greatest problem.
When we read this parable, we must think very seriously because it was the story of a dying man. Jesus did not tell us how old this man was, but presuming he was someone who had made it in life, he could be somewhere in his mid-50s or early 60s. If that is true, then he had only another 10 or 15 years more to live on the face of this earth. And that’s it. Indeed, he was a dying man. He was a man leaving this world to spend eternity in hell without God. And that is a picture of millions and millions in this world.
Sometimes when we try to share the gospel with a dying man or woman, we will say things like consider what you have gained and what you are losing, or please weigh the value of your physical possessions against the value of your eternal soul. We try to bring in the value of eternity to compare with the value of this temporal physical life. Hopefully the person will realise.
But Jesus did not even do that because He knew the man had no regard for such things. He did not value his soul. So Jesus came down to the level on which the man was operating and talked about his possessions only. He went down to the one thing that might possibly get through to such a person, and that was the thought of someone else enjoying what he had spent his whole life working to gain. If nothing else could move him, perhaps the thought of someone else enjoying the fruit of his labours might shake him up.
Dear friend, everything you have will one day be left behind. Some people will leave their wealth to their children. Others who have no children will leave their wealth to charity. You have to leave your wealth somewhere, right? All your life you work so hard and accumulate much wealth. Then death knocks. Naked you come, naked you go. Like it or not, you have to leave everything behind.
Your children may squander all your money like the prodigal son. The charitable organisation where you gave all your money to may fall into the hands of people who use the money for any and everything other than charity.
After we die, you and I have absolutely no control over how our money will be used. The only control we have with how we administer our money is when we are still alive. We either use it wisely or we abuse it carelessly. One day it will be taken away from us, and we will stand with nothing before the one living and true God who is our Maker. How will we stand on that day?
Verse 21 is the advice given to us. “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21) When we have no concern about those things above, about God, His work, His gospel, His blessings, the people around us, the lost souls who need the gospel, and we are only concerned about ourselves, we are not rich.
When we are only concerned about accumulating more and more so that at the end of our lives we can be like the rich man, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry, we are not rich toward God.
The only way we can be rich in the eyes of God is when we think of those things above, invest our wealth, our resources, our time, our strength in the things of God that will glorify Him. Consider Him in all our plans at every step of the way and always put Him first in our lives. Then we will be rich in the sight of God.
In the eyes of the world, we may not be rich, but before God, we are rich, rich in faith. It is about this faith we have in the Lord who says to us, “Set your affections on things above.” (Colossians 3:2) “Seek those things which are above.” (Colossians 3:1) Things that are lasting and permanent, things that will last for all eternity, not the things on this earth.
‘I’m the giver of everything. All blessings cometh from Me. And I’m in control of everything too. And whatever I give to you, I do so for a purpose. Use it wisely, for the well-being of your body and soul and for My glory. Then prepare yourself to meet Me.’
Dear friend, this is how you and I should live our lives, not by setting our affections on the things of this earth, nor seeking after the things of this earth. If God so blesses us, praise God. Then we need to ask ourselves, how can I use these things wisely so that my God, the giver of all blessings, will be glorified?
Do not abuse the blessings that God has given to us, like the rich fool who did not acknowledge God as the giver, who made his plans to the exclusion of God. And the greatest problem is that he only focused on temporal things, forgetting the things that are eternal, and that is the soul.
I pray that as believers, all of us, as we live our lives, we know that our Lord Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father, watching over us, interceding for us at every moment of our lives. But He is also all-knowing, and He knoweth where our hearts and affections are. Are our hearts and affections on the things of this world or on the things above?
We want to be rich, not in the eyes of this world, but to be rich in the eyes of God our Creator. So when we see Him face to face, He will say to us, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant. You have always set your affections on the things above, My things. You have always been seeking after My glory. Welcome into the joy of thy Lord.’ That is the commendation we all long to hear.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, we give Thee thanks for enabling us to consider these two verses in Colossians chapter 3, how the Apostle Paul taught us to seek those things which are above, focusing on the One, our Lord Jesus, who is sitting at the right hand of God the Father, the One who has all power and authority both in heaven and on earth.
He wants us to set our affections on His things to the glory of His precious name, not on what we can accumulate on this earth. For when we lift this up, the physical material things, including the immaterial things like earthly power, honour, status, and so forth, will come to an end. But the things that we have set our affections on and always seek after, the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, will last for all eternity. And this is how we ought to live our lives.
Thou hast blessed us so much, whether in terms of physical health, material things, or even opportunities, we have bountiful blessings. But we ought to ask ourselves, what have we done with these things? Have we used these things seeking after the things above, seeking after Thy glory? Or do we live just like the rich man who was a fool, saith our Lord?
We want to be rich in Thy sight, and help us to live such a life, and only the Spirit of God can help us. May Thou remind us, because as humans we always forget.
We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANSA Faith And Love That ShinesA Faith And Love That ShinesColossians 1:1-4
The Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeThe Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeColossians 1:5-6a
The Transforming Power Of The GospelThe Transforming Power Of The GospelColossians 1:6b-8
The Need For PrayersThe Need For PrayersColossians 1:9
Prayer for Spiritual ExcellencePrayer for Spiritual ExcellenceColossians 1:9-12
Walk Worthy Of The LordWalk Worthy Of The LordColossians 1:10-11
What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?Colossians 1:12a
What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?Colossians 1:12b-13
I Am Redeemed And ForgivenI Am Redeemed And ForgivenColossians 1:14
Christ, The Invisible GodChrist, The Invisible GodColossians 1:15
Jesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowJesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowColossians 1:16-17; Romans 8:37-39
What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?Colossians 1:18
What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?Colossians 1:19-22
The Evidence Of Our SalvationThe Evidence Of Our SalvationColossians 1:23a
Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?Colossians 1:23b-24
How Faithful Are We?How Faithful Are We?Colossians 1:25-27
What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?Colossians 1:28-29
The Indispensable Component In Serving GodThe Indispensable Component In Serving GodColossians 2:1-2a
This Is What I Wish For You To Have And To BeThis Is What I Wish For You To Have And To BeColossians 2:2b-5
Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Colossians 2:4-9, 19
The Evidence Of Our SalvationThe Evidence Of Our SalvationColossians 2:6-7
Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Colossians 2:7
Our Spiritual Union With ChristOur Spiritual Union With ChristColossians 2:11-12
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
What It Means To Be ForgivenWhat It Means To Be ForgivenColossians 2:13-14
Faith In Christ Is The VictoryFaith In Christ Is The VictoryColossians 2:15
The Danger Of Being LegalisticThe Danger Of Being LegalisticColossians 2:16-17
The Danger Of Spiritual DeceptionThe Danger Of Spiritual DeceptionColossians 2:18-19
The Vanity Of Self-Denial To Achieve SpiritualityThe Vanity Of Self-Denial To Achieve SpiritualityColossians 2:20-23
Seek Those Things Which Are AboveSeek Those Things Which Are AboveColossians 3:1-2
What Does It Mean To Be In Christ?What Does It Mean To Be In Christ?Colossians 3:3-4
Mortification Of SinMortification Of SinColossians 3:5-7
Put Off All These ThingsPut Off All These ThingsColossians 3:8-9
Put On The New ManPut On The New ManColossians 3:10-11
Human Wisdom Versus God’s WisdomHuman Wisdom Versus God’s WisdomColossians 2:8-10
