BETTER LOOK UP THAN DOWN (COLOSSIANS 3:1-11)
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What is on your mind? What do people think of? A while ago a group called The Brainwaves group surveyed 1,000 adults on what personal values and concerns are “always on their minds.”.
33% (the lowest percentage) says “Power/influence to get what I want.”
(Going up) Traditions /customs - 36%
41% answers to “Making the world a better place.”
43% strives for “Being respected in society.”
45% replies, “Fun/enjoying life.”
51% (second highest) pts for “Stability/security.”
64% (the highest) aims to “Relationship with loved ones.” (Seattle Times, A Renewed Sense of Community, Dec 8, 1996)
Colossians 3 is a very practical down-to-earth chapter for believers in the areas of conversation, mind, attitude and temperament and body. As in many of his letters, Paul begins with theology before proceeding to the practical, instruction before inspiration. He issued no imperatives in chapter one to the Colossians, four in chapter two (vv 6, 8, 16, 18) and as many as 16 imperatives in chapter 13.
The first two chapters of Colossians exalts on Christ, the next two chapters encourages Christians. How are we to live in Christ, for Christ and like Christ? How are we to progress and not regress in spiritual maturity? Why is Christ not just a person to learn about, but a presence to live out?
Think of Things Above – Look Beyond
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. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Col 3:1-4)
These are the amazing lyrics of blues legend B.B. King’s song “Better Not Look Down”:
An old girl friend of mine showed up the other day
That girl had lived in love and for love
And over love, and under love all her life
If the arrows from cupids bow that had
Passed through her heart had been sticking
Out of her body she would have looked like
A porcupine, and she asked me
B.B. do you think I've lived my life all wrong?
And I said, The only advice I have to pass
Along is concealed in the chorus of this song
Girl, better not look down if you want to keep on flying
Put the hammer down keep it full speed ahead
Better not look back or you might just wind up crying
You can keep it moving if you don't look down
I was walking down the street at sunrise one morning in London, England
And there was a very large Rolls Royce Limousine
Pulling slowly along the street
And in that Rolls Royce was the Queen of England
Looking tired, just got back from a party
And the Queen leaned out and she said, Aren't you B.B. King?
She said, Oh B.B., sometimes it's so hard to pull things together
Could you tell me what you think I ought to do? And I said
You better not look down if you want to keep on flying
Put the hammer down keep it full speed ahead
Better not look back or you might just wind up crying
You can keep it moving if you don't look down
The first and second imperative centers around the repetition of the phrase “things above” in verses 1 and 2. The first imperative in the text is “set hearts” (v 1) or simply “seek” things above in KJV. An imperative implies compulsory, compelled, certainty, confident, not coincidental, carefree or contradicted. Set hearts or seek is also translated elsewhere as inquire (Acts 9:11), endeavor (Acts 16:10) and go about (Rom 10:3). It means a concerted, conscious and continual effort and not a carefree, casual and calloused attitude. It means to be proactive and not passive, to pursue and not pause, and press on and not pull back. It is in the present tense, which means continuous, constant and conscious. The direction “above” (v 1) means brim (John 2:7), up (John 11:41) and high (Phil 3:14).
The second imperative “set your mind” (v 2) is translated as savor (Matt 16:23), think (Acts 28:22), mind (Rom 8:5), regard (Rom 14:6), likemind (Rom 15:5), understand (1 Cor 13:11) and care (Phil 4:10). The verb “phroneo” (set mind) is the term behind the medical word “schizophrenia,” where there is a schism or a split of the mind. It implies to consider, to concentrate, to comprehend, not to lapse or be lazy. Things above is contrasted with things on the earth. The next mention of earth (v 5) will give us a clue to what Paul means. It refers to things that are depraved, disobedient and dishonorable.
The two reasons are stated in verse 3 – “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” The first is “you died,” which is in the aorist tense, a past action. The second person verb “you die” is always in the aorist tense in Colossians (Col 2:20, 3:3). Literally it means “died off,” “die out” or “died away.” Augustine the theologian says, “No one longs for eternal, incorruptible, and immortal life, unless he be wearied of this temporal, corruptible, and mortal life.” This is the first of three “apo” prepositions in the text to mark the stress, the seriousness, and It means a past act, a permanent thing. Theologically speaking, we are dead to sin (Rom 6:2), dead with Christ (Rom 6:8) and dead to the law (Gal 2:19).
The second reason is that your life is now hidden with Christ in God. To be hid with Christ does not mean being concealed, closeted or confined, but connected to Christ, commanded by Him and conformed to Christ. It is temporal and transitional but it will be fully manifested or revealed in glory one day. The verb “appear” (phaneroo) is translated as manifest (John 1:31) or show (John 7:4). It means to be apparent, evident, indisputable, observable and unmistakable. Verse 4 “you also will appear with him in glory” means we will share in His glory, greatness, grandeur, grace and goodness.
Turn from the Past – Leave Behind
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. (Col 3:5-8)
A missionary left Liverpool, England to go to Africa. When he arrived, there was an outbreak of disease in the area where he was supposed to go. Thousands had died, and he devoted his time to helping the sick and sharing Christ with those on their deathbeds.
One day, a slave trader came up to him and said, “Sir, if you stay here, you’ll die.” So that missionary nodded his head and said, “Friend, I died before I left Liverpool. That’s why I’m here.”
The verb “put to death” (nekroo) is another imperative, but this time an aorist imperative for one-time action. “PUT TO DEATH”- “to treat as dead” (Robertson p. 501) This verb “put to death” is different from the “died” verb in verse 3 because this is associated with the body or the corpse, which makes sense for the sins in the body Paul warns against. A corpse feels nothing, desires nothing and submits nothing. The way people sin against the body incudes sexual immorality (porneia), the old-fashioned word for harlot, impurity or uncleanness (akatharsia) – down and dirty the religious reference, lust or passion (pathos) – our unbridled emotions or feelings, evil desires (epithumia) or our raging desires, and greed, which is more money. The first is sexual, the second is religious, the third is internal emotional, the fourth is excess over and above, and the fifth is material. Those who persist in these practices will face the wrath of God.
The next imperative is “rid yourselves” (apotithemi), which comes with a preposition in verse 8. This is the second time the preposition “apo” is used. The translations for the verb include put (Matt 14:3), lay down (Acts 7:58), cast off (Rom 13:12), put off (Eph 4:22), put away (Eph 4:25), lay aside (Heb 12:1) and lay apart (James 1:21). The preposition “apo” or “from” implies distance, departure and determination. The first occurrence of this word in the New Testament describes John being “put” in prison (Matt 14:3). It implies to lock and throw away the key. Another way to look at the list is the detonation (anger), the duration (rage), the damage (malice), the deviation (disparagement), and the disgust (filthy language). Anger is to be calm in demeanor, rage is to have control in chaos, malice is the cause or intention, blasphemy is choice of words, and filthy conversation is the color of language.
Trust in One Another – Live Besides
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. (Col 3:9-11)
Who tells more lies – millennials or adults, bankers or politicians, men or women? In a separate study, Serota, Levine, and Boster (2010) found that as age increased, the number of lies decreased.
New polling by Ipsos MORI shows that the British public trust politicians to tell the truth less than estate agents, bankers and journalists. https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/3133/Politicians-trusted-less-than-estate-agents-bankers-and-journalists.aspx
In another study, men are really more dishonest than women. The average man fibs four times a week, in contrast to women three times a week. Almost half of adults admit they have been caught out when not telling the truth - usually by their partner, parents or their boss. And 42 per cent say being dishonest has got them into trouble with 27 per cent admitting they lost friends over it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2713862/Men-lie-women-study-reveals.html#ixzz3dTMTrlnE
But while 82 per cent of females questioned said telling a lie ate away at their conscience, only 70 per cent of men confessed to pangs of guilt. The study showed almost one fifth of people believe lie detection is acceptable to use in everyday life, with more than one in 10 saying it was acceptable in the workplace. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/7733510/Men-lie-more-than-women-finds-survey.html
Biily Joel once sang, “Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue.”
The next command “lie” (psuedomai) (v 9) has to do with the community. It is in the present tense because we need to examine ourselves, expel falsehood and exhibit integrity continually. Lying is a practice that becomes a pleasure, a pattern and a problem.
This is the first “one another” command in Colossians, and it is in the imperative mood, given rigorously, resolutely and readily, not reluctantly or randomly. Lying breeds distrust, doubts, and divisions. It includes overstatements, omissions and obscurities. Lying is more than a character or and culture issue; it is a truth issue (Rom 9:1, Jas 3:14, 1 John 1:6), a testimony issues, trust issue. Lying is forbidden and faulted because it is false and fabricated.
Paul next uses two participles, a “put off” and a “put on” contrast in participles for alternative behavior. Taken off or “apekduomai” (v 9 “apo”) is contrasted with “put on” (v 10). Take off appears one other time only in the Bible, translated as “having spoiled” (Col 2:15). This is the third “apo” preposition in the text. Put off implies thoroughly and totally strip, disrobe and undress. The “old self” is contrasted with the “new self” (old man, new in KJV). The verb “put on” or enduo is translated as clothe (Mark 1:6), wear (Luke 8:27) and array (Acts 12:21). In Christ while there are still differences but there is no distinction of country, color, culture, class or community. We are judged by our character, conduct, conversation, and choices.
Conclusion: Have you died to the old person, your former passions and pursuits? Do you live your life in the flesh or live for the Lord? Are you looking at things the old way or are you putting on the new nature found in God? Are you living a new lifestyle or seeing things the way God does? Is the Lord your salvation, your stronghold and your strength? Do you examine your motivation, exalt the Lord, express the truth, endure the persecution, and encourage fellow believers? ”
