Current Cirumstances And A Fortunate Future Series

Cornerstone Baptist Church November 18, 2007

Clint Meade

Colossians 3:1-4

My brother has a great big motor home. Many times this summer he has driven it by our house on his way to a local racetrack while blowing the horn profusely.

The motor home has allowed people to put all the conveniences of home on wheels. A camper no longer needs to contend with sleeping in a sleeping bag, cooking over a fire, or hauling water from a stream.

People can park a fully equipped home in the midst of a few pine trees and hook up to a water line, a sewer line, and electricity. Some motor homes even have a satellite dish attached on top. No more bother with dirt; no more smoke from the fire; no more drudgery of walking to the stream. Now it is possible to go camping and never have to go outside.

People buy a motor home with the hope of seeing new places and getting out into the world. Yet they deck it out with the same furnishings they have in their living room. Thus nothing really changes. We may drive to a new place and set ourselves in new surroundings, but the newness goes unnoticed because we’ve only carried along our old setting…..our old habits…our old way of thinking.

The adventure of new life in Christ begins when the comfortable patterns of the old life are left behind.

With such thoughts in mind, I’d like to look at a couple of things in light of our Scripture text this morning.

FIRST, CONSIDER OUR CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES:

WE ARE CALLED TO SEEK THE THINGS OF HEAVEN.

Col. 3:1

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Did you notice that?.....we have been raised with Christ!

It is a fact that God has raised us with Christ.

We talked a little about that in my last sermon.

Paul wrote, in Ephes. 2:4-6

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

Indeed, we’ve been raised up with Christ.

The Bible clearly states that it’s a done deal!

Think back to Col. 2:20…..

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules

Now, Verse 1 in our text today says we’ve been “Raised with Christ”.

It is an undeniable fact of the Christian life that the Christian is risen with Christ.

These are our current circumstances: we are united with Christ.

We are justified by Christ.

Romans 6:4-5 says

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

[5] If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

WE SHOULD BE LIVING A NEW LIFE IN CHRIST….

We shouldn’t be bringing along all our old stuff like the guy in the motor home.

When we come to Christ we give Him our broken-ness and in its place, He gives us His new life.

The Christian life is all about living the new life that Christ has given us.

Christians should be saying “so long” to their former way of life as they begin their new life ….a life that is patterned on the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ is infallible, unalterable, and eternal.

Our new life is in Him…we have appropriated it by faith in Him alone.

God wants each of us to lay hold of these truths by that same faith.

Nothing is earned in god’s sight…it is always by grace.

WE’VE GOT A CALLING TO SET OUR AFFECTION ON THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE---WHERE CHRIST IS.

Verse 1 continues…..“set your hearts on things above”.

Pursue those things….look for them….want them…strive to obtain them.

In other words, make the things of heaven part of our lives right now.

Our focus needs to be on our ascended and glorified Savior.

There are a lot of other distractions, so it takes a big effort from us to concentrate on Him.

As Christians, we have some personal responsibility….

Our lives should demonstrate the reality of our salvation in Jesus.

The command is simple….“set your hearts on things above”…..set your heart on heavenly things.

How do we go about doing that?

Those who are lost live their lives concentrating on things which they can smell, taste, see and feel.