1. THINK…
Think about the benefits of being spiritually connected to Christ.
A. Think about what Christ has done for you in the past: “You DIED.”
Christ has given you a new LIFE.
Believers, at the moment of their salvation, spiritually participate in Christ’s death and resurrection. “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” (Gal. 2:20).
B. Think about what Christ is doing for you in the present: “Your life is now HIDDEN with Christ in God.”
Christ has given you a new CONFIDENCE.
The word “hidden” also suggests that the true identity of believers is unknown to the world.
ILLUSTRATION: Believers are sort of like Peter Parker; we have a secret identity. And what we really are will one day be revealed to the world.
C. Think about what Christ will do for you in the future: “You will also APPEAR with him in glory.”
Christ has given you a new HOPE.
“…Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).
“How great is the 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 he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:1-2)
In verse 4, Paul describes Christ as the believer’s life (“Christ, who is your life”). Someone has said, “Life is what you are alive to.” It’s what gets you excited. A child may come alive when you talk about an ice cream cone. A man may come alive when you mention football. A woman may come alive when you bring up home decorating. What is your life? Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21) Is Christ your life? We need to progress to the level where the will of Christ excites us.
Verse 1 says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” When the NT talks about Christ being seated at the right hand of God, it doesn’t mean that He is forever sitting in one place. It’s a figurative expression meaning that He has been elevated to the position of ruler of all things. “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:9-11). “Every knee should bow”…including yours and mine…especially yours and mine (if Christ is our Lord). Since Christ reigns over all, every part of our lives should be ruled by Him. Every thought, aim, value, aspiration, and striving should come under His lordship.
Our feet must be on earth, but our minds must be in heaven. Spiritually we are united to Christ at God’s right hand, while temporarily we live on earth. We should no longer live as if this world was all that mattered. “Earthly things” are not all evil, but some of them are. Even things harmless in themselves become harmful if permitted to take the place that should be reserved for the things above. To make earthly things the goal of life and the subject of preoccupation is unworthy of those who have been raised with Christ and look forward to sharing in His eternal glory.
To set your heart and mind on things above (vv. 1, 2) is to change your PERSPECTIVE on life. Christ is your life (v. 4), so His desires should be your desires. His desires for you are found in verses 5-10.
2. ACT…
Be in ACTUAL PRACTICE what you are by GOD’S POWER.
“…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12-13). We must work out the salvation that God has worked in our lives.
A. Don’t act like the OLD SELF.
Old/New Self/Natures
“Put to death” (v. 5)/“rid yourselves,” like removing a old, dirty outfit and putting on a new, clean one (v. 8; cf. v. 9b-10a)
• Remember that every sin flows from the HEART.
The KJV says, “Mortify therefore your members (body parts)” Paul is using a figure of speech known as metonymy. When he speaks of killing body parts, Paul is actually referring to the sins associated with those parts.
Sin does not come from the eye, hand, or foot; it comes from the heart, the evil desires within. Centuries ago in England, if a pickpocket was convicted, his right hand was cut off. If he was convicted a second time, his left hand was cut off. One pickpocket lost both hands and continued his “trade” by using his teeth! Physical surgery can never change the heart. (Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2, 134-135)
All sin originates in the heart (see Matt. 5:21-22, 27-30).
• Remember what God thinks of sin (“the wrath of God”).
Clarification: God hates sin, not the sinner. When we compare sin to cancer, we realize that we hate the cancer and not the person with the cancer. God does not delight in taking revenge on sinners. God’s wrath is actually an expression of His goodness. People who are not angry at injustice, cruelty, and corruption cannot be good persons. If God is holy, God cannot tolerate willful disobedience, indifference to His moral law, or the abuse of others. God honors our freedom to make all the wrong choices, but we will pay the price for snubbing God’s love and mercy. Removing God’s holy wrath from our faith drains God’s loving grace of any meaning.
• Remember that sins of anger are just as wicked as sensual sins.
Be careful not to downplay the second list of sins. G. Campbell Morgan called these “the sins in good standing.”
B. Act like the NEW SELF.
You are to “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (v. 10). Your daily goal should be spiritual renewal. Another word for spiritual renewal is sanctification.
“Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16).
• Spiritual renewal makes you more like CHRIST (“in the image of its Creator”).
The image of God in our lives was marred because of sin, but it’s God’s plan to restore His image in our lives.
• Spiritual renewal is a LIFELONG process (“is being renewed”).
We are all works in progress.
• Spiritual renewal is a work of GOD (“is being renewed” is in the passive voice).
Law codes (legalism) cannot produce love. A tree, for example, does not produce fruit by an act of Parliament. It is the nature of a good fruit tree to produce good fruit. In the same way, living according to the standard set by Christ will not come from any demands to live that way. It is the fruit of a new nature that God gives to us through Christ. That’s why Paul doesn’t give a detailed code of what constitutes proper and improper behavior. Living a life pleasing to God comes spontaneously when we put on Christ. Those who are being renewed in the image of Christ will produce Christlike conduct because that is now their new nature.
However, the new life is not something automatic, which occurs without any effort on our part.
• Spiritual renewal is a product of your knowledge of Christ (“in knowledge”).
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). The more we know and obey the will of Christ, the more we will be like Him.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom. 12:2).
Why do churches have interpersonal conflicts? People are not being renewed spiritually. We are not focused on others; we are focused on ourselves.
CHALLENGE
Each day this week, thank God for what He has done for you through Christ. Ask Him to give you a greater hatred for sin and a deeper longing to live like Christ. Don’t try to live the Christian life in your own strength. Realize that the Holy Spirit is your power source.
THE KEYS TO BECOMING
WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO BE
Colossians 3:1-10
3. THINK…
Think about the benefits of being spiritually connected to Christ.
D. Think about what Christ has done for you in the past: “You __________.”
Christ has given you a new __________.
E. Think about what Christ is doing for you in the present: “Your life is now ______________ with Christ in God.”
Christ has given you a new _________________.
F. Think about what Christ will do for you in the future: “You will also ______________ with him in glory.”
Christ has given you a new __________.
To set your heart and mind on things above” (vv. 1, 2) is to change your ___________________ on life. Christ is your life (v. 4), so His desires should be your desires. His desires for you are found in verses 5-10.
4. ACT…
Be in _________________________ what you are by _____________________.
C. Don’t act like the ____________________.
• Remember that every sin flows from the _____________.
• Remember what God thinks of sin (“the wrath of God”).
• Remember that sins of anger are just as wicked as sensual sins.
D. Act like the ____________________.
You are to “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (v. 10). Your daily goal should be spiritual renewal.
• Spiritual renewal makes you more like ____________ (“in the image of its Creator”).
• Spiritual renewal is a ________________ process (“is being renewed”).
• Spiritual renewal is a work of __________ (“is being renewed” is in the passive voice).
• Spiritual renewal is a product of your knowledge of Christ (“in knowledge”).
CHALLENGE
Each day this week, thank God for what He has done for you through Christ. Ask Him to give you a greater hatred for sin and a deeper longing to live like Christ. Don’t try to live the Christian life in your own strength. Realize that the Holy Spirit is your power source.
