Having warned the Colossian believers about wrong approaches to living the Christian life - legalism - seeking to prove one’s spiritual worth by keeping rules and regulations; mysticism - seeking to prove one’s spiritual worth by the number of spiritual experiences they’ve had; and asceticism - seeking to prove one’s spiritual worth by the amount of sacrifices they’re willing to make, Paul now give some practical instruction about walking in the victory we have in Christ by pursuing an intimate love relation with God and what they looks like.
In doing so, he encourages them to set their affections and thoughts on Christ. For, Paul seems to say to us here, it is possible for the Christian to become too earthly minded to be of any heavenly good. A Christian is not ruined by living in the world, but by the world living in them.
To guard against this, Paul says one must seek to center their life around Christ, to look to Christ, to long for Christ, to want nothing more and nothing less than to please Christ. That’s why he admonished the Colossians and though the inspiration of Scripture, admonishes us:
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” - v. 2
Looking to God is the key to fulfillment, as indicated by the Greek word for “man”, “anthropas”, which means “the up looking one.”
It is only as we look to Christ, our creator and redeemer, that we will find true fulfillment in life, for only living in this way will allow us to be guided into living as we were made to live as Children of God. But to be specific, Paul shares three reasons why we should set our hearts and minds on Christ rather then the things of this world.
1. In Christ we have eternal victory - vs. 1; 3
Paul reminds us again of our union with Christ and that through faith in Him, we have died to our old way of life in sin and have been raised to a new way of life in victory.
Sin, which leads to enslavement to the world, the flesh and the devil, results in death and brings us to hell, was defeated once for all by Christ on the cross. So that now, then one puts their faith in Christ, immediately they are saved from sin’s penalty, eventually they will be saved from sin’s presence, and as they pursue an intimate and growing love relationship with Christ are led to experiencing progressively deliverance from sin’s power.
It’s by our identification with Christ’s victory won by His death, burial and resurrection that we can resist temptations of the flesh, the world and the devil and experience victory over the power of sin in daily life.
“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.” - 1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)
“God’s purpose for us is stated like this: ‘that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.’ God's commitment to make it happen is stated like this: ‘He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.’ Then quoting Isaiah 53:5, he says ‘By His wounds you were healed.’ It does not say: ‘By his wounds healing is offered’. Or: ‘By his wounds healing is a possibility.’ It says, ‘By his wounds you were healed.’ In other words, the cross achieves what God designs for it to achieve. The cross does not merely create new possibilities; it creates new persons.” - John Piper
As we live each day with our mind fixed on the victory won for us by the cross (v. 1) and our heart focused on developing a growing, love relationship with Jesus (v. 3b), we can learn how to walk daily in victory over the temptations of the flesh, the world and the devil, and know daily victory over sin.
We should seek to set our hearts and minds on Christ, because in Him we have eternal victory, and to be worldly minded is no heavenly good.
2. In Christ we have eternal security - v. 3b
“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.” - John 10:28-30 (Amplified)
Spiritually, we are in the palm of Christ’s hand. And His hands are covered by the hands of the Father. We are eternally secure in Christ.
I love the old story told about a young man whose boat capsized in a story at sea. He was headed for shore, but the boat turned over before he could reach safety. He was, however, close enough to a large rock that jutted just above the surface of the water. He was able to climb to safety there, but was too far to swim to shore,
especially with the raging storm. So he waited there until a rescue team came to get him. Once safely on shore, someone asked, “Did you tremble while you waited on that rock to be rescued?” “Indeed I did,” he replied, “But I am grateful that the rock did not.”
I had a lady in once tell me after a sermon on how God works in our lives through times of tribulation, “Preacher, sometimes all I know to do in times of tribulation is to tribulate.”
Well, that is often our response when facing difficulty. But thank God, though I might tremble, the Rock of my salvation does not!
We’re often tempted to think God has abandoned us when we have difficult days. When this happens, we especially need to look to Christ.
I heard a father tell how he and his young daughter went on her first ride at the county fair. When the ride started, they were spinning around and moving about, and the little girl was tempted to be scared and start to cry. But then she looked over to her father, caught his eye, and heard him say, “Isn’t this fun?” And she calmed down and began to instead enjoy the ride.
That’s what we need to do when tempted to think God has abandoned us. We need to seek His face and hear His voice, and realize He is with us and will never abandon us. As we do, we can then learn how to enjoy the ride of life as our hearts are filled with the joy of the Lord.
There are two ways to ride a roller coaster, with your hands up, or with your hands clenched. The first way is the only real way to go!
Same with life. Live it with your hands raised, secure in the knowledge that God will never abandon you, even when it might seem that He has. Every day, but especially in those tough times, we should seek to not focus on our changing circumstances, but on our unchanging God. We need to set our hearts and minds on Christ, because in Him we have eternal security, and to be worldly minded is no heavenly good.
3. In Christ we have eternal hope - v. 4
Now, our lives are hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ appears is revealed in all His glory, we also will be revealed in all our glory, for we will receive a glorious resurrection body like that of our Lord.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” - 1 John 3:1-3 (NIV)
The world has yet to see what we’ll be like as Children of God once God is through with us, but we can see what we’ll be like as we set our hearts and minds of Christ. This hope, which one day we’ll fully realize in our experience when Christ returns should motivate us to learn how to walk daily in the victory won by the cross. I want to learn how to say “no” more and more to sin and say “yes” more and more to God.
“I still can hardly believe it. I, with shriveled, bent fingers, atrophied muscles, gnarled knees, and no feeling from the shoulders down, will one day have a new body, light, bright, and clothed in righteousness—powerful and dazzling. Can you imagine the hope this gives someone spinal-cord injured like me? Or someone who is cerebral palsied, brain-injured, or who has multiple sclerosis? Imagine the hope this gives someone who is manic-depressive. No other religion, no other philosophy promises new bodies, hearts, and minds. Only in the Gospel of Christ do hurting people find such incredible hope.” - Joni Eareckson Tada
“God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man.” - C. S. Lewis
“And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.” - Philippians 1:6 (Amplified)
Since God is determined to not give up on His children, but will work to complete that which He has begun in us, we need to commit ourselves to never giving up on living for Him, and daily set our hearts and minds on Christ, because in Him we have eternal hope, and to be worldly minded is no heavenly good.
Conclusion:
“Time is short. Eternity is long. It is only reasonable that this short life be lived in the light of eternity.” - Charles Spurgeon
Are you seeking to live each day in light of eternity? Are you living as a Christian with you eyes on Christ or on the world? What is most precious to you? The things of this world, or the things of Christ?
If I am to live my life well, I must always remember and never forget, that to be worldly minded is to be no heavenly good.
