MESSAGE
FROM THE
WORD
LIVING OUT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
Colossians 3:1-4
SERIES: Colossians Message # 14
Several years ago I was getting ready for church and turned on the television while I was having breakfast. A television ministry came on which featured some man of whom I had never heard. I learned that he always wore white clothes because he was so pure and then threw his under cloths away after he wore them so as to not be tainted by the soil. He then went over to a section of his church where he claimed the actual Holy of Holies was located. He said that Jesus had told him to build this Holy of Holies, because He would need a place to reside after the 2nd coming. He went on to say that he was in the process of purchasing some land out in the desert and he was going to be building a complete community which was going to be called “
As we continue our study in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we make a major transition with this message. As we enter into chapter 3, we now find ourselves past the “what do I believe” stage and into the “how do I behave” stage. This is a major issue in the church today. Some say that what is important is what you believe. Have you “invited Jesus into your heart”? Have you been “Born Again”? The other segment argues that what you believe is important, but how you behave is the key. Whether you believe Jesus is the Messiah or was raised from the dead may or may not be critical, the key is how you act. Do you live out “the spirit of Jesus”?
This brings out the very essence of what it means to be a Christian. Which is more important, what you believe or how you behave? The answer is that question is a false dichotomy. Neither Moses, David, the prophets, Jesus, the Apostles, or the early church separated what was believed from what was done. Let me give you just one example. As Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure He stated, JOHN 14:10-15 That verse expresses both belief and behavior. How does one know a true believer? Their theology is right and their behavior is righteous. The blessed hope must always become the holy life.
We have spent many weeks looking at our belief system. When boiled down to its essence, true faith can be summed up in this; Jesus is God in the flesh and God has communicated that in written form. There are obviously many other areas that are important, but that is the “Irreducible Minimum”. If you believe that Jesus is God in the flesh and that the Bible is the word of God, you are in the camp that would be called historic Christianity. There may then be many issues you happen to believe that are outside of mainstream Christian belief, but which would define you as a sect of Christianity, and not a cult or a false religion. A false religion is one that does not claim to believe Jesus is God in the flesh. A cult is a group which claims to be Christian, but whose teaching denies the unique place of Jesus as God in the flesh. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny Jesus is God, Mormons believe that Jesus was just one of many God’s who came in the flesh, and Christian Scientists believe that Jesus came only in spirit and not in the flesh. Those would be examples of cults and why.
As we come to Chapter 3, we come to the transition into our behavior. Because of a fear of becoming legalistic, many Christian organizations have taken the position that our actions have nothing to do with whether or not we are a Christian. I understand their concern, but to state that our works have nothing to do with our faith is just as extreme as those who say that works are our faith. Our actions do not make us Christians. Our works cannot save us. There is no amount of works that can make us right with God. However, James’ admonition that, “FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD…” is still a part of the New Testament. James is stating the obvious, one who claims to believe in God and has no “God Fruit” is faking it. Paul put it this way, TITUS 2:12-14 The one who is saved by grace will naturally begin to produce godly actions.
As we begin to look at the importance of our behavior, it is important that we understand our godly behavior must be a result of God working in our life. It cannot be artificial fruit. It cannot just being a nice person. We read, COL. 3:1-4 What does it mean to live out a Christian life? We will see.
FIRST, WE SEE THE BELIEVER’S FOUNDATION. Foundations are important. One of the reasons few people die during earthquakes in our nation is because of the strict guidelines on building foundations. If the foundation is weak, buildings collapse. Religions can be like that. Christianity is a historical religion. That is, it is based on historical events. If those events did not occur, the religion is false. Notice what Paul states as the foundation. He writes, “If YOU HAVE BEEN RAISED UP WITH CHRIST…” The word for “IF” can better be translated as “SINCE”. It is not a doubter’s question, but a statement of fact. The foundation of the believer is the resurrection of Christ. This is why there is so much hostility over the resurrection in some circles today. If that event can be disproved, Christianity crumbles. The Bible agrees with this. We read 1 COR. 15:13-17 The Christian faith cannot exist on just the teaching of Jesus. His teachings claimed that He would return from the dead. He claimed that His resurrection would prove He was God in the flesh. We read ROMANS 1:7 Apart from His resurrection, Jesus is just another teacher who made wild claims.
Let’s see how this plays out in the scriptures. We read, MATT. ; LUKE 24:44-47; ACTS 2:22,23; 3:13-15; -30; -32; 23:1-8 The resurrection was not a side issue, it was the only issue.
Here is the point I’m trying to make. The resurrection is the heart of the Christian faith, which by definition must include all that His death implied. Here is where we fit in. In order for us to be risen with Christ, we must also have died with Him. That is one of the purposes of our baptism, which is a picture of our dying in Christ. It is in that act that we are identified with Christ. We read, COLOSSIANS 2:10-14 Five times in those verses the phrase, “IN HIM” appears. In Colossians 3:1-4 the phrase “WITH HIM” appears three times. This is such a critical concept to grasp. The Christian life is not just believing some facts or living a good life. The Christian life is about identifying with Jesus Christ. That is the true definition of what it means to be a Christian; one who is identified with Jesus Christ. That is why Paul wrote COL. 1:27
SECOND, WE SEE THE BELIEVER’S FOCUS. Paul reminds us that the believer is to “KEEP SEEKING THE THINGS ABOVE”. This statement is in direct contradiction to what we saw in the previous passage. You will remember that chapter 2 addresses what we called alternatives to Christ. Our world is filled with examples of “it doesn’t matter what you believe, so long as you are sincere”. Let’s return for just a moment and look at the world’s view of being right with God. It can be accomplished by:
Great persuasive skills vs. 4
Philosophy vs. 8
Accepting the traditions of the past. vs. 8
Lining up with spiritual forces. vs. 8
Practicing the right dietary rules. vs. 16
Observing religious holidays. vs. 16
Keeping the Sabbath. vs. 16
Living a life of discipline. vs. 18
Worshipping spiritual beings. vs. 18
Having supernatural experiences. vs. 18
Denying your physical desires. vs. 18
Physical self-abasement vs. 23
Because we live in a world seeking to please God in whatever way it pleases, the true believer must make sure that they are faithful to God’s will, not whatever happens to be popular at the time. We must always remember that the standard for what is true worship rests in God’s hand, not our own. Worshipping God in our own way is called idolatry. This is the heart of the debate. The world says we can worship God in our own way. At its heart, that is the definition of false religion. The true believer asks what God has called us to do. This passage is as clear a definition of true religion as anywhere in the Bible. You may be wondering what you missed. You may think that you missed the verse dealing with worship. You didn’t. Paul writes VERSE 1 The definition of true worship is this. “Worship is the pursuit of all that God is through the means that God has established”. What are the means of which God has established to worship Him? Jesus told us when He stated JOHN We are to use our minds and our spirits to seek God. In other words, worship requires both intellectual and emotional means. We start by seeking Him. We don’t seek stuff, we don’t seek people; we seek Him. This is why I used the term focus. We must focus on Him. We read ISAIAH 26:3 We are to be like a guided missile having locked on to a target. Our desire should be total absorption with God.
Every once in a while we here about a celebrity who is being stalked by some crazed fan. What happens in that situation? An individual becomes so obsessed with another person that there is nothing else in their life that matters. We see that as a negative and have even passed laws to prevent it. However, there is a place in which that is appropriate. In our relationship with God, we should be “Spiritual Stalkers”. You might think that a strange thought, but let me put it into the words of the psalmist. He writes PSALM 42:1,2 Have you ever been really thirsty? Have you ever seen animals that had been deprived of water and then turned loose? There is nothing else that matters except to get to that water. Jesus put it this way MATTHEW -34 What is Jesus saying? The stuff of the world is important for a time, but don’t get wrapped up in them.
Do you know people who are absorbed in stuff? They have to have the biggest house, newest technology, and fastest car. They are possessed with getting more stuff. When I was in college, I worked my way through school by working at a large department store. When I quit to go into the ministry full time, I had acquired six shares of stock. Every day I got up, looked at the market page and was joyful or sad, depending on the direction my stock went. When my wife and I married, I sold my stock and used it for our honeymoon. I rarely looked at the market page after that. I had no vested interest anymore. Lest you misunderstand what I am saying, we read 1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19 What is a Biblical attitude towards wealth? It is not “wealth is bad and we should be in poverty”. A Biblical attitude is make wealth honestly, provide for your loved ones, enjoy what it can do and invest it in eternal values.
Our focus is not on attaining wealth, it is on eternal values. We live our life on earth and are to work hard to provide for our loved ones and invest in eternity, but our passion is on eternal values. How does this affect such things as retirement plans, rental properties and life insurance? You put all of those into the mix. How much do I need in my retirement plan to provide for my family? If I buy rental property, what am I using the proceeds for? One of the mission organizations we support purchased a strip mall in our community and is using the profits to provide for their missionaries as they retire. That is a Biblical value. If you buy a home in a different neighborhood, are you doing so because it is safer, provides a larger room for home Bible Studies or has better schools; or because it adds to your prestige? When you apply for a job, is a higher salary at the expense of spending time with your family? Or is it to have fancier vacations, or to drive more expensive cars? Or is it so you can do more for the advancement of God’s Kingdom? All of these are questions that need to be discussed.
How do we go about this? Let me give you a thought on this. We read II TIM. 2:22 Did you notice those two words “flee” and “pursue”? Those are active verbs. They are not passive thoughts. They are filled with energy and effort. Let me give you a word study. We read ACTS 9:4,5 The word for “pursue” and the word for “persecuting” is the same word. How are we supposed to pursue the things of God? We do it as a cat pounces after a mouse. We see in our world a group of Islamic terrorists. As we look at what God’s word has to say, their actions are evil and wrong. But their actions are based on a simple belief. If Allah is dishonored, those who do it must be destroyed. How do they go about that task? They do it with total abandon. This, in a positive way, should be our pursuit for the things of God. We are to “KEEP SEEKING THE THINGS ABOVE” and “SET YOUR MIND ON THE THINGS ABOVE…” Focus on that which is eternal.
THIRD, WE SEE THE BELIEVER’S FUTURE. Most of us have the desire to have what we do mean something in the future. The reason you invest in a 401k is because it will provide for you in the future. Many have children because they believe they will take care of them in the future. Some have chosen not to have children because they fear the future. What is the future going to be like for the believer? We read VERSE 3, 4 Picture the greatest event of the year. It could be the Academy Awards, Presidential Inauguration, a celebrity wedding, pending Star Wars movie, or any other great event. Whatever the event might be, you are there at the right hand of the honored guest. Everyone wants to know who you are and what your place is. You are there for one reason, because the King of Kings has chosen to share His glory with you.
For many believers, this is a dichotomy. That is, they believe they will go to Heaven, but know they need to do godly acts now. Some accuse Christians of being so heavenly they are no good on Earth. While there are some who might be out of balance, most are not. We read MATT 25:35-40 This is the dichotomy. If we are to focus on Heaven and we are to spend eternity in Heaven, then why is the emphasis on doing good? There is a simple reason for this. We are to do good because it is consistent with God’s will. We read ACTS The Old Testament is filled with admonitions and commands to help people in need and to do good. The entire parable of the Good Samaritan demonstrates this point.
Look at our world and how this plays out. In Hindu
To believe that you are going to Heaven is a call to reject the materialistic drive in our nature. However, to believe you are going to Heaven is not a call to poverty and detachment. It is a call to earn a fair wage so you can use a portion of its fruit to help those in need. It is a call to the people of God to use the resources given by God to minister to those in need. It is a call to give a cup of cold water in His name.
This message is from the teaching ministry of Glen Jackson, pastor of Faith Christian Church in
