How to Keep Good Things from Becoming God Things | Colossians 3:1-4

Series: Colossians: Supreme!

Title: “How to keep good things from becoming God things”

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4

(Commentary helps listed at the end)

Bottom line: We keep good things from becoming God things when we set our hearts and minds on things above—where Christ sits. That is when we live in light of eternity.

Opening story:

This week we move from warnings (we had 4 last week) to coaching. Paul is coaching them in the direction that they should go.

Many of us had a coach growing up who was influential in our life. Through sport (or dance or some other extracurricular activity) we learned not only that sport but discipline, people skills, emotional skills and in some cases spiritual wisdom.

As a coach for our high school ultimate team, I’m now learning things from the other side of this relationship. One thing I know: coaching is essential for growing up into maturity. This is true in every area of life—not just the spiritual.

I’ve actually hired my first coach. I’ve had coaching in ministry before, but I’ve never actually hired someone to help me assess, diagnose, evaluate, strategize, and be held accountable to work through the things God is calling me to do. It’s humbling because you have to face your current reality with someone with nothing to lose in being totally honest with you. But it’s encouraging because that’s exactly what we need in life.

Parents, you’re not just a disciplinarian. You’re a coach too (among other things). You are there to teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteousness along with many other practical things in life. Do not take this lightly. And never stop learning. Leaders are learners. When we quit learning, we quit leading.

So Paul coaches the Colossians, the Laodiceans, and, well, us if we’re FAT Christians (F.A.T. = Faithful, Available, Teachable).

And what do coaches do? They call their team to greater heights. They train and inspire. They call us from the warnings in practice to the calling for the game. They call us to victory! Paul calls us to victory in Christ, the hope of glory!

But it’s natural for a player to wrestle with the flesh and fight against the training and discipline and yearn for the easy road to glory and gain. This tension is what Paul aims to empower us to overcome.

Paul is giving us the antidote(s) to a preoccupation with

  1. Materialism: Wealth, possessions

  2. Narcissism: Status, Achievements (professionally, academically, religiously)

  3. Hedonism: Sensuality, Pleasures, gratifications

A preoccupation with these good things making them God things leads to stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, depression, hopelessness, and the desire to just give up. Ever feel any of those? Well, if you have, you’ve made something temporary into something eternal that was never meant to be. This is a poisonous mindset. We need an antidote.

The antidote to making these good things God things is orienting your whole life around Christ Jesus as your Lord and King.

Outline:

In light of who Christ is, what he’s done and the warnings Paul has given, Paul calls/coaches the Christians in Colossae, Laodicea and beyond to:

I. What should they do? Focus on Christ’s priorities:

  1. Set your heart(s) (1)

    1. Feelings

    2. Passions

    3. Will

  2. On things above

    1. Heavenly agenda

    2. God’s agenda

    3. “Where Christ is”

    4. “Seated at the right hand of God” because he’s your King’s

  3. Set your mind(s)—What you think about and aim for (2)

  4. On things above (see above)

  5. Not on earthly things, like:

    1. Possessions, wealth

    2. Achievements

    3. Status

    4. Pleasures, gratifications

    5. Religiosity

II. Why do it? Because of who they are in light of Christ since they believed:

  1. Because you died with Christ (3)

      1. Crucified with Christ (CROSS)

    1. Justified

    2. Freed from the penalty of sin

  2. Because you are hidden with (in) Christ

    1. Concealed (BURIED)

    2. Identifying with (BAPTIZED)

    3. Safe (Show YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/LNZ-ZBsPpgk)

  3. Because you will be glorified with Christ

    1. Christ is your life

    2. He’ll appear here one day

    3. You’ll then appear there on that day

Conclusion

Bottom line: We keep good things from becoming God things when we set our hearts and minds on things above—where Christ sits. That is when we live in light of eternity.

Place our piece of paper with our name on it into our bible.

The antidotes to materialism, narcissism, and hedonism is simply centering and focusing your life in Christ and his priorities. When you rest in Christ and what he’s doing, you’ll

  1. Serve others instead of seek to be served.

  2. Deny yourself and give instead of pursuing wealth at all costs.

  3. Live simply and give the rest away.

And you’ll do all of this in Christ’s name and by his power for his glory.

And when he appears here you’ll appear there with him hearing, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Enter into your glory.”

Pray

Lord’s Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-32

Other

Pace Outline: Title: Our faith in Christ raises us to new life (3:1-4)

Through our identity in and union with Christ, Jesus transforms our pursuits, perspective, and purpose in life by resetting our trajectory heavenward toward Christ Jesus. (Name on paper in the Bible illustration)

I. Jesus redirects life’s pursuits. (1) …from our worldly efforts for happiness to his heavenly presence in our hearts bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

  1. To redirect our pursuits requires us to recalibrate our hearts desires. How do my pursuits align with Christ’s kingdom, Christ’s mission, and building Christ’s church?

  2. Our hearts, captivated by Christ, will more naturally help us filter and evaluate our pursuits.

“Ultimately, our union with Christ should stir our affections for him and redirect our pursuits.” P. 79

II. Jesus reshapes life’s perspective. (2)…through the nenewing of our minds. Reshaping/renewing the mind is foundational to transformation. This is necessary for several reasons:

  1. Primarily, it “enables us to fulfill the great commission by loving God with our entire selves, including our minds.”

  2. “Also essentially because it protects us from the world’s influence as the world attempts to conform our thinking to its pattern. Through the constant renewing of our minds, we can experience God’s transformation in our lives (Rom 12:2).”

Fruit

  1. This renewed perspective also guards our hearts and minds with God’s peace as we dwell on things above.

    1. Phil 4:6-8

    2. Prov 4:23

  2. Also, by focusing on what’s eternal (above), we can renew our hope in the midst of temporary afflictions/trials.

    1. 2 Cor 4:16-18

    2. Rom 8:6-8

    3. 1 Cor 2:16

Therefore, Jesus redirects our life pursuits and reshapes our life perspective as we set our hearts and minds on things above—namely Christ and his priorities.

III. Jesus redefines life’s purpose. (3-4) Our identity in and union with Christ also redefines our purpose. So why are we to set our hearts and minds on things above?

  1. For you (we) died and

  2. Your (our) life is hidden in Christ.

The Flow

  1. Established past… “You (we) died” (crucified; justified; freed from penalty of sin) to

  2. The present… “Your (our) life is hidden” (buried; sanctified; freed from the power of sin) show videohere (https://youtu.be/LNZ-ZBsPpgk) to

  3. The future… “You (we) also will appear” (resurrected; glorified; freed from the presence of sin)

“We died with Christ, we were buried with Christ, and we have been raised with Christ and therefore will appear with Christ in glory.” -D Moo

How does this present reality (Identity and union with Christ) reset our trajectory towards things above (eternity):

Our hidden life in Christ:

  1. Signifies our personal relationship with Christ,

  2. Affirms our security of our salvation in Christ, and

  3. Certifies our glorious inheritance with Christ.

Therefore, both

  1. Our “hidden” life in Christ, and

  2. His indwelling “life” in us will be fully revealed when he returns “in glory” (1 John 3:2)

This future fulfillment of our current identity in Christ should redefine our purpose in multiple ways:

  1. The glory of Christ’s return reminds us of there temporal nature of this world and the fleeting value of it’s possessions and pleasures. Therefore, we shouldn’t be deceived by vain pursuit of earthly wealth, achievement, status, or gratification.

  2. The certainty of Christ’s return gives us assurance that allows us to live with confidence in a world filled with uncertainty. Therefore we can endure hardships and persevere by fixing our hope on the grace and glory tha twill be revealed at the coming of Christ.

  3. The imminence of Christ’s return should motivate us to live with urgency.

    1. Christ brings hope and

    2. Christ brings judgment

Therefore

  1. We anticipate eternal union with Christ but

  2. We work urgently to lead others to come with us

Therefore

  1. We live as ambassadors of Christ as

  2. We rest in the comfort of our eternal future with Christ

Therefore

  1. We celebrate his presence

    1. Here and now

    2. Hereafter, but also

  2. We live as citizens of heaven full of

    1. Hope

    2. Urgency

“…we should collectively seek and set our minds on things above that we share in common with other believers. We should live with holy anticipation of Christ’s return as we celebrate our new life in him and devote ourselves to the mission of seeing others liberated from the bondage of sin to inherit the eternal promises of King Jesus!” P. 82

Hughes’ outline: Title: “The Seeking of Things Above”

I. Instructions (Coaching) regarding our fullness (1-2)

Seek is present (continuous) imperative (commanded). Therefore, a continuous command.

How do we seek Christ?

Kind of like you should seek your future husband or wife (not just a date):

  • Pray for opportunities to be together

  • Get to know them through conversation

  • Treat them as you wish to be treated; love as you want to be loved (lust ≠ love)

  • Serve them

  • Be honest with them

  • Listening >> talking, but to talk is to be vulnerable, approachable; conversation should be like tennis. Return a returnable ball. Too many people just answer the other person’s question. They rarely realize it’s their turn to return with a question. We have an amazing lack of interest in other people. Love inquires. Love listens. Love cares enough to inquire and listen.

  • Write and read love letters

  • Pray together

  • Make disciples together

  • Affirm God’s gifts in each other

  • Worship together

  • Introduce them to your parents and ask for their blessing before pursuing the relationship further (both guys and gals here)

II. The reasoning behind Paul’s instructions (Coaching). (3-4) There are at least 2:

  1. Past…

    1. “You died…”

    2. “Life hidden…” imperfect = ongoing effects of dying/continuous dying to self because we are in Christ and Christ is in God, we are inseparable and secure

    3. Paper with my name on it in the Bible = “in Christ”

    4. Christ’s fullness fills our emptiness apart from Christ

  2. Future…

    1. When he appears here

    2. We will appear there (in glory);

      1. We’ll join him there in our new bodies

      2. Phil 3:20-21

      3. Romans 8:29-31 (not written for unbelievers)

Therefore, “Let’s covenant to not fix our thoughts on the material and immaterial things of this world, but to 1) pray for minds set on things above, to 2) hold the scriptures close to our hearts, to 3) reflect on our past history, and to 4) rejoice in anticipation of our future in him.” P. 299

Application:

  1. Pray for minds set on things above,

  2. Hold the scriptures close to our hearts,

  3. Reflect on our past history, and

  4. Rejoice in anticipation of our future in Christ.

OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS:

Print this and cut this out to share with your people to insert into their own bibles.

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Name:

Understanding that, as a Christian, you are “in” Christ Jesus revolutionizes how you see yourself, your self-image, your identity and how you understand your value to God.

Write your name on a piece of paper. Take hold of your Bible to represent Christ. (John 1:1-18) Place the paper in the book and close it. You are in Christ. Where the book goes you go. Where the paper goes he goes. You are not part of the book, but you are now identified totally with the book.

Paul uses the expression, “In Christ Jesus”, over and over again. God has taken hold of you and placed you “in Christ.” In Christ, you have received “every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3). All of the blessings, including those that the Old Testament speaks about, are yours in Christ.” -Nicky Gumbel

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MAIN COMMENTARY HELP:

  • Exalting Jesus in Colossians by Scott Pace

  • Preaching the Word: Philippians, Colossians and Philemon commentary by R. Kent Hughes

  • ESV Global Study Bible

  • Bible in One Year by Nicky Gumbel

  • Bible Knowledge Commentary

  • The Outline Bible, Wilmington

  • Paul for Everyone, The Prison Letters, NT Wright’s commentary on Philippians and Colossians

  • Gospel Transformation Bible

  • NIV Study Bible

  • The Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren Wiersbe

Darien GabrielGrace Christian FellowshipBible-believing, non-denominational church, Ladson, SC, Grace Christian Fellowship, Darien Gabriel, Colossians 3, Supreme