Thanks Stephen for your leading – I must say we love the way you lead us to Jesus – your heart comes through, the musical choices, the thoughts. We are also glad you arrived on time this morning as well. All thanks to God.
So good morning church – thank for coming out in the cold, we trust you have had a God honouring morning so far. yes, it’s me again, some of our other usual speakers are enjoying their holidays so I get to fill in. As always a privilege to share with you all for the morning. Their loss my gain.
Colossians 3 is where we are at. Just the first four verses this morning,
Last week you had Carlos, speaking on Carlossians quick joke what do you call a person of Portuguese Origin who has just had his automobile stolen?
Carlos…
Carlos last week, in a shameless attempt to get our attention was flashing his money around – reminding us of the difference between things that are real and things that are fake.
How to evaluate something that is real – touch it, tilt it, look at it, look through it
A warning against counterfeit – fake – worship. Don’t be deceived by the things that look and sound like the real thing – don’t be deceived by fine sounding arguments – Carlossian 2:4
Just coz it says R100 buck – monopoly money doesn’t mean it is the real thing.
Fake worship to a set of fake rules, fake rituals, which are actually meaningless.
From Chapter 2 last week
23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
Don’t bother – flogging yourself. Don’t bother restraining your diet, yes, phew
SO, what now – Chapter 2 ends – full of what Not to do –
I have great news - Listen properly – it’s coming – today. In a few short moments – Scripture is going to tell us EXACTLY WHAT TO DO.
Who do you think you are Andrew, you can’t tell me what to do. Watch me. Ooh arrogance – that word has come up a few times in the past few weeks hey, did you notice – how arrogant of Believers to think that they are personally interacting and representing a God who is in charge, who is the ruling authority on all things. Let’s flip that on its head, friends – how arrogant of us humans, to think we know better – than the God who is in charge, who is the ruling authority on ALL THINGS.
And this morning - it’s so simple, it could be grasped by a child? You think the truths of God, hidden in scripture can’t be understood by a child? Tell that to Mikayla, tell that to Sam, tell that to Taytum, and all the others who have spent their week – telling children – young children – about Jesus.
We might find it hard to follow – maybe there are distractions in our way, other things that cloud our mind. It might be difficult to practice- usually because of something we’ve put in our own way…
But don’t tell me it’s too complicated.
Lets read. Colossians 3:1-4
Living as Those Made Alive in Christ
3 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[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Since then – therefore – so apologies for rehashing last weeks message – but it’s all built upon that. New Chapter and Verse, but the apostle Paul writing in his cell, in his chains – didn’t write in verses and chapters.
This is a direct continuation of what was directly before – therefore, since –
And I want you to do one thing for me especially this morning – pay attention to the tenses here, because a similar thing came up in Chapter one.
Pay close attention to what is past, what is present, and what is future. In just these four verses, you have several things that have happened in the past. You have things that are going to happen – and 2 thousand years later, they are still going to happen.
And then you have things that are true and ready for Christian action, right now. As demanded of the Believer, RIGHT NOW. I confuse myself most of the time, I hope I am being clear
And this is actually the weird order I would like to go through these things.
PAST
Future
And we will close with the here and now
Right, so straight off the bat Paul takes the Church in Colossae to their past. You died and you were raised with Christ. He is talking to believers. He is talking to the Church. He is talking to those who have placed the trust in him. He is talking to the converted, He is talking to the Born Again. He is talking to true Christian Believer. Who have been transformed by the power of the gospel. Bringing them out of death – Spiritual Death – Into Life – they are Born Again. They identify with Christ – Just as he died on the cross and rose again, they have been raised into new life. They are a new creation. The Holy Spirit is in them, they are spiritually awakened to the calling of God in their lives. They are able to know God, to see him, to pursue him , to enter into relationship with him.
Bit of a word overload – but the bible if full of ways to describe this happening. The purpose here isn’t to give the best definition, like the most all-encompassing picture of new life in Christ. The purpose here is simply to state – that that has ALREADY TAKEN PLACE – for the believer it is done – it is Finished. It is behind you.
He is NOT saying – oh, one day, when you die, then you will be resurrected with Christ. Oh, but only if you live a good enough life…. Only if you tick these boxes -
He is saying, spiritually, that death and new birth has already taken place. Nothing you do from now into an eternal future can change that past reality – it is fixed, it is locked in, it is sufficient – there’s a word that comes up again and again through the book – it is enough. It happened – and it was achieved by Him – not by you. The world says - you want to live a great life – do do do do and along the way you will earn enough rights to be called somebody.
The Gospel says – it has been done - so every thing you now go on and do, do as a response to that which has already been done. It has been done, so now go and do. The remaining things – the to does , follow the first thing that was done. Don’t get it in the wrong order.
And friends, if the first thing hasn’t taken place in your life – don’t bother with the rest.
Let me just raise my kids properly, let me just be a diligent worker, and let me just focus on my marriage first – and then, maybe when I’m older agh, I’ll find the time to go to church and get involved more – I’ll take my faith more seriously – I’ll give to God the leftovers…
Do the first things first – and its starts with Jesus. Let Jesus fix you first before you ask him to work in your marriage. We celebrated it once again this morning – Thank you Jesus for what YOU did - There is NONE like you - once and for all - on that cross.
It was finished upon the cross. Here is a truth we find hard to reconcile – it was finished already. Ah we look forward to Christs return. We look to reigning a thousand years - in full Glory – and these verse even mention those – future events. But, listen, as great as it will be in that time to come - it won’t only be finished then – Christ won’t be insufficient and incomplete until that future date.
It is finished now, already. He is enough right now.
Why wait? Anyone who is true believer will testify, what do you have to gain by delaying..
I can’t possibly imagine a believer honestly saying… well, I became a believer – Gave my life to the Lord when I was young, but you know I really should have waited. Lived it up a little more. Had a bit more fun, you know, before I joined the grumpy gang…. The frozen chosen.
Never. Your new life awaits – everything that needs to happen has already happen. Take it, receive it from God, today. Amazing, we don’t know what the future holds, really – Christ will return, we will come back with him, that’s what these verse say – I don’t have that much certainty – based on these verses alone about the rest of the details… but I have complete certainty of what has already taken place. And our new lives are built upon it, sure as the strongest foundation we could possibly imagine.
And so here we are.
Who are we? Existential questions – perfectly natural normal, question asked since the beginning of time.
Who are we – answered four times in four verses – Paul is so precise with his words
Verse 1, you are raised – WITH CHRIST
Verse 3 Your life is now hidden WITH CHRIST
Verse 4 When Christ who is YOUR LIFE appear
And finally then so shall you appear WITH HIM.
He is your life – you are WITH HIM – WITHIN HIM, Abiding in Him – your life is Hidden with Him.
There's a word – Hidden? Why would we be Hidden? Are we source of shame? Are we a blemish that needs to be covered up and concealed?
No, quite the opposite. In Him – With Him, Belonging to Him – our identity – IN HIM is something so valuable. A value so great – A church so loved John 3:16 that he gave his Son – that we would be welcomed into His Family – into himself. That we would be valued, and listen here – protected. Hidden away from attack - under his care so that no enemy would steal and grab. Safe in the palm of his hands, safe in him, belonging to him.
If you know your South African History – in the year, 19 hundred odd, The Anglo Boer War, some of my Ancestors were on the attack against some of your ancestors, and the retreating Boers under the command of Paul Kruger , the President of the South African Republic, and the man in charge of all its wealth – millions and million of Gold fresh out of the Goldfields mine
As the legend goes, so possessive of his own wealth, so, determined that he not let his prize fall into the hands of the evil British Empire, wait are we the bad guys?) – whatever – what does he do – he buries his wealth – he hides it away. To this day a source of speculation and mystery. That’s what my mind went to thinking of this verse.
Hidden in Christ is a picture of possession, so identity – belonging … and protection.
Our current identity – hidden in Christ, what the world may see in part now, will one day be fully known, will be fully revealed – Revelation, yes
When? I don’t know. You don’t know – we won’t know until it happens. It is amazing though how focused the world is right now – the whole world – on a relatively small piece of land in the middle East. For all the world – the whole planet is populated – developed and developing 8 billion people on the planet – but we’re looking at Israel – very interesting – no real comment on that this morning – that’s not what this passage about – let us finally get to the point here, and we’ve intentionally left it for last.
What now. The future is the future, this past is Gloriously locked - how do we live now – how do we wait. For now under his care and shelter. In his refuge. What must we do. These verses give us the answer.
Set your hearts on things above
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things
Beautifully simple. There’s detail in the rest of the chapter about what those things above are, and what earthly things might be. It’s a long list, and an all too familiar list isn’t it?
And in stark contrast to sexual immorality (wow, first on the list), impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, lies…
You have
The heavenly mindset:
Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, Love.
But he gets to that later – he doesn’t start with – DON”T SWEAR. Or just - hey guys, BE gentle.
He starts with, the head and the heart – and like we said he actually starts with the finished work on the Cross – the new birth, the regeneration, the transformation, that opened your eyes, gives you access – at least gives you a shot and truly engaging with the heavenly things,
And from that knowledge and understanding acceptance of that salvation act – past – comes - see the sequence of events – comes a transformed mind, comes a new heart – Ezekiel – goodness, Ezekiel way back when prophesies – I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in You.
From that mind and heart, set on the right things, set on heavenly things your actions will follow.
You want to honour God with you actions, of course, we all do, its how we give Glory to God.
But your heart and mind must be right first. Get the first things right first – and what follows will be automatic.
Because if you just followed some blind action, in and of itself – might be good advice – but there’s an emptiness to it – a weird self-serving legalism to it.
Be humble – bible says i must be humble and in obedience, I’m gonna be the most humble dude anyone has ever met?
People are going to praise me for my humility. God is going to reward me in heaven – big pile of Gold crowns – well done Andrew you were the most humble – I’ll get a sign… and then I can be proud of how humble I am…no man, what kind of shallow false humility is that?
Be humble because I am humble Says Jesus.
Let your identity in him – so his Identity really - come out – put to death your old self – leave that prideful boastful man behind – and let Jesus Humility transform your mind and heart – and His Humility will work through you – that’s the idea here.
There's just one other thing that struck me as I went through this this week. So I always used to picture it like this – Oh, I need to be thinking of things above, so that means heavenly things, so in other words, my mind must just be focused – on when I get to heaven. The future. One day.
And you have those verses about storing up riches in heaven . – you know, saving up for later – investing for your future in a heavenly one day when I arrive at the pearly gates sense.
And certainly my typical worldly worldview encourages this – preparing yourself for the future – saving for your retirement. Getting your kids into the best schools so they can get good jobs… and pay for your retirement because along the way you wound up spending all your retirement savings on them…
All great, but I hope not at the exclusion of what is right in front of you now. To live in the moment, in the present – in tune with the work that God has prepared for you to do today.
Having a heavenly mindset isn’t putting off all things until when we get to heaven. Its bringing the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth now and living in the Kingdom of Jesus on earth – each and every day. One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess – lets do that today. Right here, right now.
So then – what are we talking about – a reorientation of our desires, a rethinking of our worldview, and a shift from earthly concerns to heavenly priorities. To see things through heavenly eyes, if you will, to see then as they truly are, to see bad for bad and good for good.
We are His – we are hidden in Him, we are part of his beautiful body, his precious bride, and we live by his command. We follow His instruction – not so we can earn his glorious salvation.
We follow his instruction because his glorious salvation has already been given to us.
We have a little habit at home, well not me, my wife does this, and its saved our bacon a few times over the years. And it’s simply this. Every time we receive something new in our house – a new appliance, TV, a phone or gadget, even a toy or whatever – we – she – takes the manual that comes with it, and files it away in a special set of folders in her filing cabinet.
Me, I could care less- I have never touched a manual and I don’t intend to start now. Because I can figure it out myself. True arrogance, what did we say.
So when I’m trying to reset the dishwasher, or figuring out that washing machines have these things called transportation bolts, or wondering how to setup our modem, Sarah can whisper gently into my ear (shout at full volume)
Did you read the manual? And there the answers are – made plain. Just do what it says.
Medway, did we read the manual?
There's even more detail – I expect you to join us next week – verses and verses on how to live – what to put to death in your lives, what to clothe yourself with instead. Lawrence, you’ve noticed, is a snappy dresser these days, since moving in with his kids and grand-kids has taken his drip (Lawrence drip means, your outfit) to the next level.
He’s gonna tell us – Lawrence, no not Lawrence – Scripture is gonna tell us exactly what to clothe ourselves with.
Lets pray.
