Colossians Series - Wanted: Dead and Alive

 Wanted : Dead and Alive

Dead towards Sin, Alive in Christ

Reward Eternal Life with Christ

Wanted: Dead and Alive 

Col. 3:1-14

Have you ever seen a wanted poster in the post office? People wanted for various offenses are staring blankly at you, but some with disgust or fear. The Apostle Paul would have been on a wanted poster in his days, but I can imagine his facial expression, a smile, or a confident countenance. God doesn’t put out wanted posters on us, but if He did I wonder what our facial features would tell about our inner life?

Now, Paul in writing to the young church in Colossae, now talks about being alive in Christ, not dead in our sinful lives. Let’s look at the text -”Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” vv.1-4

Paul gives three examples of what we must set our lives on: First, set your hearts on the things above, (not lusts of the heart). The Colossians were a struggling young church (began about AD.55) in the midst of earthquake damage in AD. 17 and AD. 60, as well as a down turn in their prosperous dyed wool jobs. They were giving into the struggles of life, and believing false teachings. Paul in chapter three was expressing the importance of Godly priorities in everyday life. It was easy for them to see the downside of rebuilding and loss of business to other cities along the Roman trade route. Paul told them to set (focus) their minds on God’s kingdom values and not on the world’s system that sets itself against God’s values. It was easy to let the lust of the heart for the things of the world, wedge out God’s principles for living a holy life. Second, Paul reminded them to “set your mind on things above,” (not lusts for the mindset of the world). Paul being in prison as he writes this letter, cannot go personally to attend to the spiritual mindset of believers in Colossae. The people’s minds became set on the world, and all the things that needed to be done in order to live a normal life. They need to be admonished about the lusts of the mind and the eyes as well. They may have heard about Jesus’ teaching on seeking first the Kingdom of God, and God would enable them to have the things that are needed in life.  (Matt. 6:33-34) Third, set your hope on Christ above, (not on the lostness of fear and doubt). Paul understood the distress of challenging times, and how important it was to set our hope on Christ alone. Fears and doubts must have creeped into the very fabric of the church in Colossae. They needed to be reminded that hope is in Jesus Christ, not in man, or anything man can build or do. The loss of jobs and rebuilding, as well as spiritual attacks could draw their minds and hope back to worldly principles and desires instead of the trusting in Christ. Paul reminded them that Jesus Christ is their life, and when he appears, they would be with him in glory.

    Application - Paul’s teachings are like manna from heaven for the mindset of the Church today. We all need to reset our minds while facing challenging times. We need to focus our hearts on Christ when facing a normal setup by the world’s system of values. We live in a time when the enemy of God has spread his lies among the believers to get them to trust in their own ways, to set their minds on all that the world believes is important and essential. He tries to get us to not focus on our blessed hope, Jesus’ return for his bride, the promise of Jesus to be with them and never to forsake them. Jesus is the King of Kings, whose authority knows no bounds, He sees us and desires to love and meet the needs of all who believe in Him. So today, if your world is falling apart and the challenges seem overwhelming, remember to set your minds on Christ, and His kingdom above. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matt. 6:33-34

Next, Paul addresses the importance of godly living. He reminds the church of where they had come from, what they had been delivered of, what they had put to death in their lives. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” vv.5-11

Paul, being incarcerated for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, had to remind this young church to stand against the fleshly nature of the gentile world. For their earthly nature had been put to death in Christ Jesus, with all the challenges of the enemy (spiritual forces). They needed to see that interacting with their godly nature was brought to them by Jesus, who saved them by His death on the cross. They had become new creations. “Therefore,if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor.5:17)

Among this young church were people of differing ethnicities and values. Of interest is the barbarians, Scythians. They were the gangs, thieves, bandits of their day. They had been saved from cannibalism and brutal killing methods, but to Paul and the church in Colossae, they were new believers, members in the body of Christ. Paul told them to quit these acts of the flesh. They were not to have even a hint of these detestable acts that God’s wrath was coming to destroy. 

    Application - The words in Colossians three are evident in our church world today. We are placed among people who live by the earthly nature and they try to influence God’s people to live in the debauchery of their sins. If we are honest, we have been tempted to slander things we don’t like, even get angry over the challenging times we call new normals, and even try to sanitize our words that have filth written all over them. Paul is pleading to the church of today, put to death this wickedness that has infiltrated the body of Christ. In 2 Chr. 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” We pray this and hold revival meetings on this verse, but if we don’t do this, we are not going to see forgiveness and the restoration by God’s promise.  We must turn from our wicked ways. We must be honest with ourselves, because God surely is honest in what He says and does. 

Last, Paul tells the church in Colossae to embrace, to put on, clothe themselves in the nature of the Holy Spirit. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Paul desires that all the Church would be compassionate, gentle, kind, humble, and patient not just with each other but will all those in the world around them. They were to be the examples of Christlikeness. Paul wanted them to bear up and seek forgiveness for their lapses into the sinful nature. There were probably many arguments and disgruntled expectations placed on brothers and sisters in the church. Paul knew that love was the only bond that would hold the church together in the midst of all the trials of life. Paul valued unity in the church, especially because the Godhead was the greatest example of unity. Jesus said that “I and the Father are one” Jn.10:30, and Paul stated “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 1 Cor. 8:6

Application - As the Church, there is only one thing that distinguishes us from the world, that is Christ in us. We are to be His chosen people, holy and dearly loved by God. We should be bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit listed by Paul in chapter three. If the world is going to see true love, it must be manifested by the body of Christ. Again, if we are honest, we lack in bearing with each other, especially if there are conflicts or grievances, or disagreements over the new norms of the present world cultures. We are commanded to love one another, and this is the only bond that will bind the Church to unity in Christ.

God gave us His Word, that we would know Him, His will and purpose. John wrote in his gospel account 17:3, that eternal life was knowing the one true God and the One whom Heb has sent. And He gave us his Word to instruct us on how to live a life pleasing to God. So this week, let’s be honest and like David, as God to search our hearts, to see if there are any sins in our hearts and minds. Ps. 139:23-24, Ps. 26:2. May God keep you and bless you, as we await his glorious return for His Church.

Until next week. In His Service, Mike Davis

 If you would like more lessons, check out pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com