“SET YOUR MIND ON THINGS ABOVE” Col. 3:1-4
FBJ DNOW – 1/16/26
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Video of Levi preaching – “He is just the best!” And HE IS!!!
Col. 1:15-20 (TLB) – “Christ is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all, &, in fact, Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven & earth, the things we can see & the things we can’t; the spirit world with its kings & kingdoms, its rulers & authorities; all were made by Christ for his own use and glory. He was before all else began & it is his power that holds everything together. He is the Head of the body made up of his people—that is, his Church—which he began; & he is the Leader of all those who arise from the dead, so that he is first in everything; for God wanted all of himself to be in his Son. It was through what his Son did that God cleared a path for everything to come to him—all things in heaven & on earth—for Christ’s death on the cross has made peace with God for all by his blood.
Col. 2:9-10 (TLB) – “For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you have everything when you have Christ, & you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power.”
EXPLANATION – Colossians 3:1-4
Theme of Colossians – the Superiority of Jesus
Lot of false teachers in Colossae – Judaizers – Salvation is Jesus PLUS keeping all the OT laws.
Lot of people today who are false teachers, too. They will give Jesus Christ a place of dignity – a high place, but not necessarily the HIGHEST place.
Jesus doesn’t deserve just a high place or high recognition or high honor. He deserves & is supremely worthy of the highest place, highest recognition, highest honor. He is not a “great Man among great men” – He is not just a great prophet or A god or A son of God. He IS God – the Son – the 2nd Person of the Trinity, preeminent & superior over all! Already seen that in the verses I read at first. Already heard that in Levi’s sermon!
Ch. 3 begins the practical section of the letter as Paul begins to outline how we are to live our lives as Christ-followers based on the truths given to us in chapters 1 & 2. Christ has 1st place in the Gospel, the cross, creation, & the Church, & He must have 1st place in our lives.
APPLICATION – We are living ALL FOR JESUS when we are seeking Him w/ all our hearts.
IF – v. 1a – IF is a big word w/ 2 letters. I know you know what it means, but let me give you the actual dictionary definition of this little big word: “in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that”
- “In case that you’ve been raised w/ Christ…Granting or supposing that you’ve been raised w/ Christ…On condition that you’ve been raised w/ Christ”
Before we go any further into these verses, let’s consider WHAT it means to be raised w/ Christ & let’s consider WHO is raised w/ Christ.
WHAT IS IT? To be raised w/ Christ means that the very life of Jesus abides in us. When He gave His life for us, He raised us from our spiritual grave & set us on the throne in heaven w/ Him. It means that b/c HE is alive forever, those of us who know Him are alive forever, too.
- Ephesians 2:6 – “For [God] raised us from the dead along w/ Christ, & we are seated w/ Him in the heavenly realms – all b/c we are one w/ Christ Jesus.” (NLT)
WHO, THEN, IS RAISED W/ CHRIST? Only those who have “received Christ Jesus the Lord” (2:6) – “accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord” (NLT).
“YOU” – v. 1a – Can be talking to one person or to a group of people – “y’all” in the South! But let’s make it personal! If it was just YOU – singular - & me sitting face to face, knee to knee, toe to toe, & I asked you: “Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord?” what would you say to me? Do you know that you know that you know that you belong to Him?
That’s why the word “IF” is such a big word! IF you have accepted Jesus, THEN you have been raised w/ Him. IF you have NOT accepted Jesus, THEN you have NOT been raised w/ Him. You’re still dead & need to accept Christ right now!
SEEK – v. 1b – Now that we’ve established who has been raised w/ Christ & now that some of you were JUST raised w/ Christ, look at where our minds should be – “seek the things that are above” – “set your sights on the realities of heaven” (NLT).
Seeking Jesus should be the thing that drives our lives every day.
- Affects every decision
- Impacts every relationship
- Touches every thought, every word, every action
Listen to these verses:
- Isa. 55:6 – “Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near.”
- Jer. 29:13 – “If you seek me, you will find me.”
- Matt. 6:33 – “Seek first the K of G…”
- Ps. 34:10 – “Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”
- Matt. 7:7-8 – “Ask…Seek…Find…”
SET – v. 2 – Not only do we “seek” the things that are above – we “set our minds on things that are above.”
When someone says, “I set my mind to it”, that means that they are going to get it done – even to the point of being stubborn.
Let’s have a holy stubbornness about our relationship w/ Jesus! “No matter what the world says, my friends say, or anyone else says, my mind is SET ON JESUS!”
REASON – v. 3 – Here’s the reason why we can & will seek & set our minds on Jesus: B/c we have died to ourselves & to this world & our lives are now “hidden w/ Christ in God.” What does that mean???
“you have died” – How many of you have been baptized? Baptism pictures you dying to yourself to live for Him.
“Hidden” means “concealed & safe.” It means “security & satisfaction” (Wiersbe). When you know Jesus, you are SAFE in HIM! One guy said it this way: “So here we are in Christ, who is in God, & no burglar, not even Satan himself, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” (A.T. Robertson)
- Romans 8:31-39
- We are safe & secure in the love of God. We are safe & secure in Christ. We are safe & secure in heaven. That’s our motive & strength for living.
RESULT – v. 4 – Jesus is your life! Your life is consumed by Him. He means everything to you. “When Christ WHO IS YOUR LIFE” – IS HE YOUR LIFE?...or is:
- Sports
- Cheerleading or dance team
- Hunting/fishing
- Band/Choir
- Grades – scholarships – getting in right college
- Best friend – boyfriend/girlfriend
- Popularity – acceptance
- Porn
- Partying
“…you will also appear w/ Him in glory.” – You’ll be w/ Him forever!!!
