FIX YOUR MINDS ON THNGS ABOVE (Outline)
April 8, 2007 - EASTER SUNDAY - Colossians 3:1-4
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INTRO: The friends of Jesus looked at the empty cross on Good Friday. They wondered what would happen next. On that first Easter they saw a tomb that was empty. Where was Jesus’ body? The angels asked the women: Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen! During the traumatic events of before and including Easter the friends of Jesus were focused on the earthly. Even after Peter saw the empty tomb he went away wondering what had happened. The empty cross, the empty tomb remind us to stop looking down and begin looking up.
This is not always easy to do. We spend much more time in this world than the time we spend in church (or even in God’s word). We become attached to the things of this world. We can be overcome and mislead by earthly thinking rather than divine. No wonder our text re-echoes the words of Jesus. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"(MATTHEW 6:20,21). We are going to learn that the Lord Jesus wants us to keep looking up. The words in our text serve as our theme:
FIX YOUR MINDS (HEARTS) ON THINGS ABOVE.
I. Believers are raised with Christ.
II. Believers are to live like Christ.
I. BELIEVERS ARE RAISED WITH CHRIST
A. The believers here faced the same difficulties as all of the early Christian churches.
1. The early believers were still grounded in an Old Testament way of worship.
2. For generations, thousands of years, they offered sacrifices – daily, weekly, and yearly.
3. The blood of these sacrifices only was to point ahead to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus.
B. It was with great difficulty that these believers were to change their way of worship thinking.
1. Chapter 2 describes how Jesus disarmed the powers…triumphing over them by the cross.
2. No longer was it do, do, and do for these believers. Jesus had done, done, and done it all!
C. With this background chapter 3 begins. The believers are now raised with Christ, verse 1.
1. God says to stop looking at everything with an earthly. Look up, into heaven itself.
2. Because this was so important verse 2 re-emphasizes the same point.
D. Today it is probably even harder for us to keep our minds and hearts focused on things above. We have a comfortable, often too comfortable, of an earthly. For the most part our lives are quite a happy and satisfying daily routine. YET no matter how great we might have it here the best is yet to come. The Lord reminds us that we lead changed lives. Our lives are changed because of Christ, our Savior. "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed from sin"(ROMANS 6:6,7). By grace through faith we have been saved. As believers we are given the wisdom and the knowledge to know the difference between what is wrong and what is right in God’s sight. By grace we have been raised from the deadness of sin to be God’s children. We are no longer slaves to sin.
E. God’s grace has been shown us through the love, mercy and kindness of Christ our Savior. We see Jesus willingly suffer all things for us. We see Jesus die on the cross for us. We see our Lord Jesus come back to life so that you have eternal life as God’s free gift to us. "This grace has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel"(2 TIMOTHY 1:10). God’s good news is that we are saved!
F. Now back to our theme that reminds us to fix our minds and hearts on things above. When we con-centrate too much on this life we can easily despair. The worries of this try to choke out the abundant blessing God has in store for us in his word. God reaches down and lifts us up out of the depths of despair, worry and earthly concern. "For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day"(JOHN 6:40).
Believers are raised with Christ so that we can FIX OUR MINDS (HEARTS) ON THINGS ABOVE.
II. BELIEVERS ARE TO LIVE LIKE CHRIST
A. Remember the struggle of the early Christian churches? They had to struggle with Jesus.
1. Their worship life and worship thinking was still attached to the Old Testament.
2. It was difficult, very difficult to give up thousands of years of tradition.
B. The promise made to Adam and Eve that a Savior would come had been fulfilled.
1. Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension were completed.
2. Believers were now to keep focusing on things above, Jesus’ return – verse 4.
C. Verse 3 tells how the believers were completely intertwined with the God himself.
1. The believers had died to sin and now were alive to Christ – all by God’s free grace.
2. Their lives were now hidden with Christ in God. Believers were divinely united to God.
3. Bonded together with Christ in God these believers would now live new lives like Christ.
D. We also now live new lives in Christ. This is why we celebrate Easter today, and Easter every Sun-day and Easter every day. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection have changed our lives forever. Satan has no power to condemn us. Sin cannot hold us captive. Christ has conquered even death, for us. A life as a believer is a life of loved lived for the One who loved us and gave himself us for us all. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"(GALATIANS 2:20). Christ is alive in us by grace through faith. Our lives are to reflect that love and light of Christ in a world darkened by sin.
E. The Lord does not promise that our lives will always be smooth sailing. From time to time you and I and every believers face different situations in life that we consider unpleasant. This is part of living a Christian life that follows in the footsteps of Jesus. "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps"(1 PETER 2:21). More than likely, none of will be offered up on a cross because of our faith. At least, I pray that would never happen. In between the present and eternity we may face difficult earthly encounters. Then we are reminded and encouraged to fix our minds and our hearts on things above not on earthly things. God helps us – always.
F. Now, again, back to our theme. How are we earth-bound creatures to fix our minds and hearts on things above. Like many Scripture encouragements this can be more easily said than done. Yes, to be heavenly-minded rather than earth-bound does take some work. The benefits far outweigh the effort. How can we be more heavenly-minded? Consider this list compiled by God through Paul. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things"(PHILIPPIANS 4:8). These are divine characteristics. Focusing on these will help us to fix our minds on things above.
CONC.: The cross was empty. The tomb was empty. Jesus’ followers’ hearts felt empty. Their focus was just too narrow, too earthly. The angel said to look up: He is not here; he is risen! We look at the empty cross and celebrate the empty tomb. Today we fix our minds and hearts on things above because the cross is empty and the tomb is empty. As believers we are dead to sin and alive to Christ. We have been raised with Christ to live like Christ. All glory be to God who works in us the faith and gives the strength to follow him. "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand"(PSALM 16:11). Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
Sunday radio broadcast @ 9:05am on KQNK 106.7FM or 1530AM + www.kqnk.com
EASTER SUNDAY readings:
EXODUS 15:1-11; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11; LUKE 24:1-12
