Christ who is our life!
Supremacy of Christ: Book of Colossians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 13:08
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Hinges
Hinges
(insert a picture of a hinge here; saved as hinges on computer already)
What do hinges do? They hold one thing together with another. Here in our passage tonight we have a hinge section that is attaching the doctrine section of chapters 1-2 to the application or practical section of chapters 3-4.
Hinges in the O.T. shadows of the N.T. Realities and fulfillment
Hinges of life before Christ and life in Christ who is our life
Hinges are important, and our passage today hinges around baptism
Our life hinges in our baptism, Paul tells us that our life is hidden in Christ and that happens in baptism. (Col2:12-13)
12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
It is by death we are added to the body, linked, hinged together with Christ, death by water (Rom6:3-4)
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Interesting fact I read that in the early church often the baptismal were made in the form of a tomb to represent true death, to make the baptism that much more graphic.
Our relationship with Christ that hinges on our baptism and it is what we are looking at today. Who we are because of our life hidden in Christ. It is vital we understand just as it was vital for them.
False teachers were:
Attacking the supremacy/sufficiency of Christ
They were claiming special revelation, spiritual enlightenment was needed
More rules, regulations on top of grace by faith was needed.
So before moving on, just a few verses to remind us what Paul has already told them, and in turn us 1:21, 22, 2:11-12, 14, 20)
Who we were
Who we are (1:22
21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
How we were (2:11-12)
Who we are
22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
What He did (2:14)
How we were
So that (2:20)
11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
What He
14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
So that (you know the application)
20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
You do not submit to the ways of this world, but to the ways of Christ who is your all in all!
I. Who are we in Christ
I. Who are we in Christ
Knowing who we helps us to know that Christ is our life
1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;
Who we are, we are raised up with Christ (v.1)
Past tense, this has already happen, but it has present application. This is the the raised up we find in 1Cor15 that we have our hope set on. This is the raised up from baptism to a life hidden in Christ now.
Our identity is found in Christ
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ro
While sinners, because Christ could relate to us having been tempted in all things, he was God’s perfect sacrifice and He died for us.
He was God’s substitution for us
Raised up with Him as mentioned in (2:12) we have identity with Him.
Raised up by the power of Holy Spirit , our sins forgiven (2:13)
Because we were raised up; we are dead to sin (Rom6:2); so we are dead and alive at the same time.
2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Who we are, dead in Christ and hidden with Christ in God (v.3)
Paul’s exhortation here in our passage today are based in a past reality, a present truth and a future expectation.
We are dead in Christ (2:20); we are dead to sin (Rom6:2) which means the powers of darkness that rule this world have no power over us.
A glance back shows us when we were hidden (in baptism); a glimpse now shows us we are hidden in Christ, we will get to the gaze ahead shortly.
The present reality of the resurrection, of Christ’s; of ours should produce in us a new motivation, leading to what we set our hearts and our minds to.
Where the false teachers were demoting Jesus; Paul preached the reality of the exalted Jesus seated at the right hand of God.
II. Our new motivation in Christ
II. Our new motivation in Christ
Knowing who we are in Christ, dead but alive, hidden in Christ, leads us to new ways, new motivation, new thinking (Col3:2; Php4:8)
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Our new motivation because of who we are brings about a new mind. Paul exhorts the believers to set their minds on the same things their heart is set on, the things above.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Ph
May we have the mindset of eternity, a perspective of our eternal life and not bogged down by the temporal things of this world. May our heavenly outlook capture our imagination, our emotions, our thoughts, our feelings, ideas and our actions, all the while being a shining light into the darkness of this world now.
But how do we seek the things above?
Set your affection (KJV)
Think about (NLT)
Keep your mind fixed (GNT)
Perspective gives us outlook and outlook brings about outcome.
Having the perspective of who we are in Christ it is gives us the outlook of what we have in Christ and giving us the hope of the outcome we have because of Christ.
A biblical example of having the right mindset is Joshua and Caleb who endured 40 years in the wilderness because of the unbelief of others, but they had the mindset on Canaan, and the promise that God had given, and if God gave the promise, God was able to deliver.
Our mindset needs to know, the promise given is a promise to be received. Know where you stand, starts with understanding where you are sitting (Eph2:6)
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Humbert Humphrey once said “ you must remember how you stand depends on where you sit” (expand on this; when you know where you sit you can stand against anything because you are hidden in Christ).
III. Know where you are now!
III. Know where you are now!
Knowing who we are, gives us the perspective and outlook on which we set our minds on and that brings us to the present position of where we are now (Col3:3)
3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
This short exhortation brings about; past reality, a present truth and a future expectation.
Glance back: We died; died to sin (Rom6:2)
Glimpse now: We are hidden with Christ with God (Col3:3; also used 1Jn3:1-2, Jn10:28-29; 1Jn1:7)
We know we died in baptism; we know we were hidden in baptism. You are in Christ and He is in you, you are hidden, meaning there are things we still do not know, we do not understand but we need to believe and walk by faith in. We can also know that the world does not understand us, for the things of the spirit are of foolishness to the world. May we remember (1Jn3:1-2)
1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
We don’t know what we will be, but we know it will be good and it will be like Him! (expand on this)
Look at this promise we have; A promise fulfilled in Christ Jesus!
28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
Our security is in our faith; our security is in where we sit and where we stand. We should rest assured as we walk in the light He will continue to cleanse us (1Jn1:7)
From the past: who we are, dead, but alive
To the present: the security, assurance of what we have in Christ
Now to the future: What is yet to come to the believer (v.4)
IV. Christ is our life!
IV. Christ is our life!
Eternal life is Christ and Christ in us; in turn Christ is our life!
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Someone once said “Life is what you are alive to.” - to a child maybe they come alive when you speak of ice cream on a hot day or going to the pool; to a teenager maybe it is mention of allowance or being allowed to use the car. To Paul, and to us, or at least it should be the same perspective and outlook.
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Now we know Christ is seated in the heavenlies (3:1; Eph1:3) but one day He is going to return for us and our future hope will be a present reality (1The4:13-18)
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Look again at what (v.4) says about when Christ is revealed
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
When He is revealed we will be revealed with Him in glory!
According to Paul we have already been glorified (Rom8:30)
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Your glory now is hidden in Christ but will be revealed with Christ one day.
In view of our identification with Christ and all we have looked at it is easier to set our minds on the things above (3:2) isn’t it!
Barclay says “Some day the verdicts of eternity will reverse the verdicts of time.”
In our time now, we may suffer, we may have worry, anxiety, we may face trials and tribulations, and we know we have to face death, but one day our present sufferings will be replaced by the heavenly glory!
For the believer, life isn’t merely activity, nor is it details; life isn’t acquisition or accomplishment. Life is Christ! May He be the focus of our aspirations and the reason for our existence. - I wish I could say I came up with such a good saying, but that comes from Max Anders in his commentary on Colossians.
Our series the supremacy of Christ is clearly seen in these 4 verse. Don’t let us forget what we have, who we are, and what is promised to us who are in Christ.
(Lead to invitation) - what are you hinged to?
(Add invitation slide)
(Add exit slide)