Becoming More Like Christ Series

BECOMING MORE LIKE CHRIST

Colossians 3:1-17

January 22, 2017

You May listen to an MP3 recording of this message by going to the following Link: http://chirb.it/dIvKPt

INTRODUCTION:

1.) There are times as Christians when we have to see where we are at, and refocus our hearts and minds to become like Christ.

2.) These Jewish Christians at Colossae had lost focus of their vision for Christ and had to refocus their lives on Him.

3.) There are times when every Christian also has to refocus on the things of God.

4.) Let us hear now some thoughts and instructions on this from the teachings of the Apostle Paul to the church at Colossae.

I. SET YOUR HEARTS ON THINGS ABOVE

1. Where Christ is seated at the Right hand of God.

A.) Paul immediately draws our attention to Jesus Christ.

aa.) In his attempts to draw these Christians back to Christ, he has repeatedly shown us Jesus Christ, and draws our attention to look at, and to focus on Jesus the Christ.

ac.) This time, the scene Paul gives us of Jesus is there in heaven and at the right hand of the throne of God Almighty.

aca.) As Stephen was being stoned to death he received a vision of this very thing.

.01) Acts 7:55-56

ad.) We are challenged not only to get a vision of Christ in the centre of our minds, but to also picture him at the place of exaltation in heaven itself, just as Stephen had seen and Peter on Pentecost had declared as reality.

ae.) Just before Jesus ascended from this earth he proclaimed that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to Him.

aea.) That is exactly the picture that Paul now shows us. Jesus is now exalted to the right hand of God;

.01) He is now exalted to the place of all authority; He is the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords.

.011) That is the title Jesus will bear when he returns to this earth.

.0111) Revelation 19:15

.0112) Even now, that is His position.

.02) Not only is He this, but when we came to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour we personally acknowledged him as having that position.

.021) Now as these Jewish Christians were starting to turn their backs on Jesus, Paul is reminding them to once more:

B.) Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

ba.) This reason for this: “For you died.”

bb.) At whatever point they had come to faith and were baptized into Jesus Christ the old man had died, and they had put on Jesus Christ.

bba.) They were now new creatures in Christ.

bc.) From that point onward, these Christians, as well as all who bear the name of Christ have put ourselves into Jesus Christ.

2.) When Christ who is your life appears:

A.) As Christians, we have put our lives into the life and person of Jesus Christ.

aa.) Some could look at that as a negative thing to have put your life into another, and yet for one who does so, He quickly finds there is no life like it,

ab.) Not only is there no life like it, there is also no other life that can reward us so much in this life, or in the life to come.

B.) Then you also will appear with Him in glory.

ba.) Colossians 3:4

bb.) But to receive such blessing we need to be surrendered to Christ.

bba.) Sometimes that means there has to be changes in our lives.

bbb.) These Christians may have once made changes in their lives, but now they were going back to their old ways.

bbc.) Therefore Paul has to once more remind them to:

II. PUT TO DEATH, THEREFORE WHAT BELONGS TO YOUR EARTHLY NATURE.

1.) There are many things that are part of our worldly nature.

A.) Sexual Immorality.

aa.) In pretty much every list of the characteristics of the worldly nature sexual immorality comes to the front.

aaa.) God has given the sexual side of our lives as a thing of great beauty and benefit to a couple.

aab.) In the plan of God it is as beautiful as anything else that God has created.

.01) Yes as beautiful as it is, it can also be an area that can overpower our lives into sin when Jesus Christ is not the Lord of our lives.

.02) Satan knows that God has called our bodies the temples of the Holy spirit of God.

.021) He also knows the damage it can do to us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and relationship wise when he can entice God’s creation into sinning against the Lord by their

own bodies.

B.) Impurity.

ba.) We often think of this again in terms of the sexual, but it does not have to be limited to that area of our lives.