When Christ Is All

Now, when I’m talking about setting your mind, setting your affections, I’m not talking about Oriental mystical meditation—no. That is just opening up your mind to all kinds of things. I’m surprised how many Baptists are caught up into Oriental meditation—yoga, and things like that. As a matter of fact, that’s taught in colleges today, and universities—state universities. They wouldn’t let us teach meditation on the Word of God. But, they will teach transcendental meditation, teach people how to relax and get some mantra, some thing—“ama, ama, ama”—to say over and over again—meditate on a dewdrop. And, people think that’s wonderful. They say, “Well, I’m just opening myself up.” You really are—you really are. Would you go home tonight, unlock all your doors, and throw all the windows open, and go to sleep to see what might come in? Would you do that? No. “Because,” you say, “well, I might make contact.” That’s right—you might make contact! You sure might! No. The Bible says, “Keep your mind with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Set your mind. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

C. Jesus Regulates My Actions

The first verb is seek. The second verb is set. The third verb is slay. Now, notice number three: Jesus is to regulate my actions. Jesus, who captivates my ambitions, Jesus, who dominates my attention, is the Jesus who is to regulate my actions.

Now, when I said before that will worship is wrong, that doesn’t mean that discipline is wrong. It’s a different kind of discipline. Notice, now, in chapter 3, verse 5: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: in the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:5–11).

Now, if Christ is my life, then I’m to live like Christ, if He is all and in all. This verb mortify means, “to put to death forcefully and immediately.” Why would you put something to death? Well, because you hate it. You see, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth”—these things are to be put to death. Did you know that, as a Christian, you need to learn to hate? Hmm? “Oh,” you say, “oh no, I don’t want to be convicted of a hate crime.” As a Christian, you have to learn to hate. You could not have love without hate, anymore than you could have high without low, or hot without cold, or in without out. If you love justice, you hate crime. If you love health, you hate disease. If you love purity, you hate pornography. If you love flowers, you hate weeds.