Colossians 3:1-4
1Since,
then, you have been raised with
Christ, set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand
of God. 2Set your minds on things above,
not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:1-4
3For
you died, and your life is now hidden
with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is
your[a] life, appears, then you also will
appear with him in glory.
1Since, then, you
have been raised with Christ, set
your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated
at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things
above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your
life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ,
who is your life, appears, then you also will appear
with him in glory.
 Colossae was near Laodicea and in an area of today’s south-
central Turkey
 It is reasonable to conclude that Paul was imprisoned in
Rome when he wrote this letter (v4:18) and the letter is
considered one of the “prison epistles”
 It is clear that Paul had NOT been to Colossae (v2:1) and
his contact with the Christians was thru Epaphras
 The church may have been established in Colossae while
Paul was spending 3 years in Ephesus (Acts 19:10) on his
third missionary journey
 Paul recognizes the Colossians’ faith in Christ and love for
all the Saints (v1:4)
 The purpose of Paul’s letter is clearly revealed in 2:1-8
 He wanted to encourage the Colossians to come to a
complete understanding of what Christ has accomplished
for them, and to live a life rooted and built up in Christ
 He also wanted to warn them to avoid teachings based on
human traditions and worldly ideas which could carry
them away from a total focus on Christ
1Since, then, you
have been raised with Christ, set
your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated
at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things
above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your
life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ,
who is your life, appears, then you also will appear
with him in glory.
 Set their hearts and minds on things ABOVE, not on
earthly things (v1 and v2)
 Why? Because they have put on Christ and their
earthly life is now dead (v3)
 In fact, Christ now IS their life! (v4)
I wonder how we view this challenge today? How
would we measure up?
 Romans 12:1-2
1Therefore, I
urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing
to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not
conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good,
pleasing and perfect will.
 Not conform any more to the pattern of
the world
 Rather … be transformed
 He goes on in this chapter to describe how they
should be different in relationship to the body of
believers and in relation to society in general
 Titus 2:11-14
11For
the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all
people, 12training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in
the present age, 13waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing
of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14who
gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to
purify for himself a people for his own possession who are
zealous for good works.
 Refuse ungodliness and worldly passions
 Live self-controlled, upright, and Godly lives
 Desire good works
 Wait eagerly for our hope
 Because our Savior
 Redeemed us from all lawlessness
 Purified us for His possession
 Do we sometimes struggle for meaning in life
(Ecclesiastes 2:22-23)?
 Do we perceive our personal value based on worldly standards
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and people’s opinions instead of God’s love?
Do we worship at the feet of the idol of political correctness?
Do we worship at the feet of the idol of human knowledge
and/or human accomplishment?
Do we focus on “earning” economic success without recognizing
our dependence on God
Do we struggle with guilt and Satan’s war on our relationship
with God (Romans 7:21-24)?
12Put
on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate
hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another
and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord
has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of
Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.
And be thankful.
17And
whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
 1 John 2:15-17
15Do
not love the world or anything in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. 16For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful
man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has
and does – comes not from the Father but from the
world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man
who does the will of God lives forever.
 1 John 3:1-3
1How
great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that
we should be called children of God! And that is what we
are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did
not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God,
and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we
know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him
purifies himself, just as he is pure.
 Philippians 4:4-7
4Rejoice
in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let
your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not
be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
 Adopted by the glorious Creator of the Universe with hope
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of a future inheritance
A Savior who sacrificed himself that we can have adoption,
our perfect model for life
Sealed with the Holy Spirit, our guarantee of our future
inheritance and our helper to put to death the sinful nature
Revelation of our Father and the Gospel thru His word
Prayer to seek God’s will and place our requests before Him
Fellowship of Christ’s Church to encourage each other