We're looking tonight at Colossians chapter 3 verses 1 through 4. Paul has just finished a section of his letter to the believers at Colossae. And if we could give him maybe an overall view of that, it would be who the Colossian believers are in Christ. And the focus has been on Christ. And now we're in the second part of the book, chapter three and chapter four. And this section answers the question for them and us, how are we to live? But that's what it always comes down to. On the basis of who we are, how are we to live on a daily, daily basis? And Paul was concerned about that. They're to be different. And that's one of the key things that we can say about how are we to live. We're to be different. We're to be different in the way we think, in the way we speak and in the way we act. So Paul is gonna deal about that. He's gonna start out by telling them that they are to be heavenly minded. And the first four verses dwell on that aspect. And then we come to verse five. It's going to start out like this. Put to death, therefore. And from that point on, till we get to about the middle of chapter four, Paul is gonna talk about specific ways we're to live. Let me read to you those four verses that we're going to look at tonight. Then I want to tell you the headings on how we're going to look at them. Those who have ears, let us hear the word of God. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Here are the headings. Be what you are. And that's found in the first verse. Something to seek, that is also found in the first verse about halfway through. And then verses two and three of chapter three, something to think about. And the last title is something to look forward to And that is verse four. Let's pray. Our Father God, we thank you for the truth that we're going to look at tonight. It is extremely important, God, truth that sets up what we're going to find in verse five of chapter three on to chapter four, verse six. So help us, Father, to gain truth tonight. Help me to be clear and accurate and also to be able to preach in the unction and power of the Holy Spirit. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Our first heading is Be What You Are. Let me read the part of verse one connected with that. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. One of the things that Paul wants to accomplish here in this opening verse is he wants them to realize that they are sojourners on this earth. There's a song that says, this world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. That is biblical, believe me. We're passing through. I'm at the stage of life, in the latter stages of life, and I have to say that the passing through has happened rather quickly. That's how in my mind I see it. But that's a critical thing for us to realize is the fact that we're here on earth. But that's not our identity. Our identity is heavenly. Heavenly. And this is because we have died with Christ, which we saw right there. Their spiritual birth, and I'm talking about the people of Colossae and us too, their spiritual birth means that they are true citizens of heaven. And the world, this world needs heavenly people, believe me. Christ said it this way in the Sermon on the Mount, be salt and light. And that's what we need to be every day of our life. Because if we're salt and light, we're going to be different in this world. The world thinks nothing about lying, nothing whatsoever. Because by a lying, they can maybe advance something in their life. But we know what scripture would have us to do. And sometimes telling the truth can be very, very painful. But we're to do it. So the message. And the passage to Christians is, be what you are, be what you are. There's a subheading here, and there's gonna be two subheadings. And I think what I'm going to do is, I'm gonna tell you some subheading under the one that I told you. Certain things follow from the fact that each believer has been raised with Christ. Now, notice how the word begin, begins there with the word if, and I told you last time that probably a better word is since. So let me read it. Since then you have been raised with Christ. Also last Sunday night, I emphasized the fact that we are in Christ. Let me read some statements connected with that. In the mind of God, the Christian is so identified with Christ that his standing, his destiny, and his identity, all of those things are linked directly to Christ. The person that the believer used to be died with Christ. no longer exists. So if you're a Christian, that old person is dead. There are two things related to that. The Christian is no longer under the dominion of sin. Secondly, nor is the Christian under control of the elemental powers that we looked at last Sunday. The Christian is a new creation. And 2 Corinthians 5.17 would say it in this way, old things have passed away. All things have become new. And you see, ultimately, we're told to look at fruit. And if you have known somebody who, and you knew him as a non-Christian, and now he's made a profession of faith, what should you expect? You should expect change. Because if someone is truly born of God, there will be change in their life. And that change does not just always go like this. It may be even, it may go down, it may go up or whatever, but there's definitely a change in their life. Craig Ross. He gave his testimony at a men's breakfast last week. There's one part, though, that he left out. There was a guy there that was witnessing to Ted all the time. I said Ted, didn't I? I'm thinking of Ted Walker. Greg. He witnessed to him all the time. After becoming a Christian, he went to work and he told that friend he had become a Christian. You know what that friend said to him? I knew it when I saw your face. Even that changed with Greg. I knew it when I saw your face. Now, why is chapter 3, verse 1 important? Because here in the opening verse, Paul adds another biblical truth, and that is, that the believers in Colossae are challenged to live as a heavenly people. They are to be what they are, and the world needs to see this. Now, what's the second heading? something to seek, and that's this part. Paul says, seek those things which are above. And by the way, only a Christian can do this. Only a Christian can seek the things which are above. You see, unbelievers do not seek after Christ. And one of the clearest passages that you can ever read that talks about the non-believer is Romans chapter three. God the Holy Spirit must regenerate them. Listen to what 311 says, part of it. No one seeks after God. And one of the key things in chapter three of Romans is the word no one. And when scripture says that, it means exactly what it says, no one. So even your children, who may come with parents every Sunday until God the Holy Spirit regenerates them. They're not going to seek after God. They're going to be sitting here, they're going to be hearing truth, and they need that. And I've said that before. That's why as a church, I believe that one of the key things that we need to pray for is for the salvation of kids raised in Christian homes. That can be a very dangerous place because children can think all is well with them spiritually. I did. I could never remember not going to church. My cousin and I, as little kids, used to sing in church. I wasn't a Christian. I didn't become a Christian until I was 12. And that's when God the Holy Spirit regenerated me. So Paul does not encourage believers, by the way, to seek those things within. That's a very dangerous thing to do, I will tell you that. Very strange things can happen to us because of remaining sin. And do you know Phil's message this morning really emphasized, I believe that. We can be unbelievably proud in a wrong sense. Not proud of who we are in Christ, but proud in the fact of just who we are And it's so easy to get there, to become that way. And that's for every person sitting here tonight. You can go from not being humble or you can go from being humble to not humble in a moment, in a moment. We needed to hear that message. I did. And I think our church did, too. because it's very easy to think we are really, really something. And God is very fortunate to have me as his servant. No, it's not how it works. And we need to remind ourselves of that. The first sub point is, what are we to seek? And I'm going to tell you three things we're to seek. The first one is this. We are to seek Christ. The message this morning focused on Christ. And we need to seek him every day of our life. The word seek. means that we're to do this continually and with determination and consistently. There are gonna be some days that you don't feel like seeking Christ. I will guarantee you that. But we're not to live our life on the basis of feelings. Maybe some of you didn't feel like coming here tonight, But you're here. And a lot of time as we move through life, it's just that way. We don't feel like it, but that's not the issue. It's what we are to do. Always. We must not allow our relationship to Christ to wane. That's not a word that you hear very often, is it? To wane simply means to become less and less. So in connection with we are to see Christ, we must keep in constant touch with him. It's impossible to keep in constant touch with him without being in this book. It's impossible. And that's why it's so critical that we're in this book and that we're praying also. The second thing, we are to seek what pleases Christ. And chapter 3 verse 1 through 4 verse 6 is going to tell us what pleases Christ. Listen, if we just take what we find in these verses, we have enough to keep you and I busy the rest of our lives. Really? Really? You see, what amazes me is how clear Scripture is. I mean, people talk about how Scripture is difficult, and that's true. Peter said that about Paul, but listen, you can understand. Everybody in this room can understand the plain teaching of Scripture. It's not something lofty out there. It's really, really clear. The third thing, we are to seek a living and reigning king. Notice what it says. Where Christ is seated, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. That's where he is right now. Seated at the right hand of God. He's the reigning sovereign, the King of King and Lord of Lords. I'm gonna read you this sentence because it's critical. He is enthroned in the place of victory, authority, and power. All of those words, victory. How did that come about? By the cross. That's how it came about. The victory is won. It's a done deal. It's a done deal. Tom Schreiner makes this statement. All things were fulfilled in Christ. And then he will go on to talk about the already and the not yet. And while the victory is won, Satan is still active. But you know, he knows, he knows that his days are numbered. He knows that. The next point, something to think about. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Paul's exhortation to the Colossian believers and his exhortation to us is this. is that they need to control their thoughts. Listen, I'm talking about something that is monumentally hard. Right now, you may be thinking about something radically different than what you're hearing. I've been praying to God at times and the most wicked thought has come into my mind. And those things can happen. You see what the believers at Colossae need and what we need to do is their thoughts need to be redirected. from the things that are on earth to the things that are above. That's what we all need. You know, one of the most amazing things about human being is their ability to think. It's mind, that's what separates humans from other life forms. We have the ability to think. To think. And what the world is trying to do is, as I mentioned, is the world is trying to press us into its mold. The world is trying to force us to think in worldly terms. but our powers of thought are intended to be used for his glory, for his glory. And one of the great things that you can do is you can be tootling along in your car and you can be praying at the same time. There's nothing that says you close your eyes when you pray. I remember going to a conference and the speaker happened to be, there are two messages that were unbelievable for me. One was this speaker, a young guy, I don't know if he was that young. He's probably in his 40s. He looked about 20. He's from the UK. The other was Sinclair Ferguson. Now, I have to admit, he was praying. He was praying just as I'm talking, just like I'm talking to you. Now, I had to be watching him to know that. But he just prayed that way. That's the way he prayed. And I noticed something else. When somebody else prayed, he was just like this. He just kept his eyes open. There's nothing that says you have to close your eyes to pray. Really. You can pray to God at any time. And that's one of the great things that we can do. But there are ways of thinking that are unbelievably detrimental to you and I as believers. Unbelievably detrimental. There's something that our minds cannot do. Our minds cannot think of Christ and sin at the same time. You are either thinking biblically Okay, or you are not thinking biblically. Can't do both at the same time. Allowing our minds, and I have to tell you, I'll tell you about me. I allow my mind to go different places. I fantasize. I like sports, but I never really could stick with playing sports because this body just wouldn't take it. So sometimes I'll watch, this is football, right? Okay, so football. I could no more do that than fly to the moon, but I fantasize. Whoa, wouldn't that be something? Wouldn't that be something? So allowing our minds to dwell on things that are evil will drive out thoughts of the unsearchable riches of Christ. You know what we had the opportunity to do this morning? We had the opportunity as a body of believers to gather together and to have communion together. Our minds should have been centered on Christ, his person and work, in a very personal way. In a very personal way. That's because our true identity is with him. We are in Christ. But you know what? Even in a communion service, you may have to fight your thoughts to keep focused. You see, the true identity of a Christian has yet to be revealed to the world. You know, the world has no idea what's going to happen to us. Not the slightest. But it will be revealed. So in the meantime, the whole world, it says, waits eagerly, the whole creation eagerly waits to discover this glorious reality of what this Christian life is. To people who are not Christians, the whole thing is like a mystery. And that's not like a story we would think of a mystery. It's just, Because they're not believers, they don't get it. They don't get it. The third thing is the believer's life is secure from all harm. I broke my femur. That was harm. That was harm. But a hidden life is a safe life. Nothing can harm it. Nothing can change it. And the enemies of the gospel can torture this body of ours and destroy our bodies. But the life we have is hidden with Christ in God. hidden with Christ in God. Nothing, nothing can change that, ever. And there are some places in the world where people die because of their faith. Who we heard about tonight, this Indian young lady. Her life could be radically changed. She could be, as it were, pushed out of all relationship with her family. But as a believer, her life is hidden with Christ in God. And that is the safest place for you and I to be. The last point is something to look forward to. That's found in verse four. When Christ, who is your life, appears. Then you will also appear with him in glory. This is called the second coming of Christ. We don't know when that's going to be. All we know is it's going to be. It's going to be. And be very careful about somebody that will spout forth a date. No, come on. Come on. That's the essence of stupidity on my part. We don't know. We don't know. But we know, based upon what scripture says, that he's coming again. He's coming again. And believers are told that they will appear with him in glory. Let me read to you a summary by J. Philip Arthur about these four verses that open this section. We have in this passage at one and the same time a stiff challenge and a wonderful incentive. On the one hand, we are called to rein in our stubborn thought lives, to take control of the inner life, directing it away from all that is unworthy and focusing on Christ. I have to stop here. That inner life is just what it says. It's our inner thought life. You're the only one who knows that, but who else knows that? God. Every thought you and I think, He knows about it. We can hide it from others, but we cannot hide it from God. This is no easy matter, but in case we are tempted now, I'm gonna use two words here. I gotta tell you about these two words. The first one is quail. It's not a bird, okay? This man is from the UK. So evidently he used quail in a different way. And the other word is spur. Okay. I'm an ex-cowboy. I know all about spurs. It's not that. So with those two things, let me go back and continue reading. This is no easy matter, but in case we are tempted to quail, to recoil in fear. That's what it means. And I'm going to read it that way. This is no easy matter, but in case we are tempted to resist in fear at the challenge On the other hand, we have the spur, and that means the stimulus, of knowing that our spiritual status and our future will not allow us to settle for anything less. Listen, don't settle for anything less than what this book talks about. Don't do that. Don't settle for anything less. Whatever the location of your physical bodies, our real lives are there or where Christ is in safekeeping with a Savior beyond the reach of his foes. We also have a cast iron guarantee that when he returns to this world to make all things new, We also will appear with him in glory in view of what grace has made us and the certainty of a glorious future. What else can we do but seek those things which are above? What else can we do? but seek those things which are above. So let me ask two questions, both for me and for you. Are you seeking the things that are above right now in your Christian life? Are you seeking the things which are above? Secondly, Are you taking control of your thoughts? Are you taking control of your thoughts? Those are two extremely important questions. They are for me. So I'm going to give you a time to think about those two questions under God, and then I'll pray and then we'll have a closing hymn. Heavenly Father, these are huge questions for us to honestly face. Are we seeking the things above? Are we controlling our thoughts? Father, I just pray that the Holy Spirit would strengthen us strengthen us in both of those areas. Father, I just pray that as we go through the remainder of this book, 3-1 or 3-5 to 4-6, Father, we're going we're going to see what those things above are, how they manifest themselves in our lives. And Father, if we are going to be salt and light wherever we find ourselves, our lives are going to have to be characterized by what we're gonna look at. So Father, work in our lives. May we be faithful to you and may we live lives that please you. Father, thank you so much for the message that Phil preached this morning. God, may we, during the week, think about that. Think about that. And in Father, I pray that our life would be centered in Christ, that he would be our all in all, for we ask it in Christ's name. Amen.