Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

The Book of Colossians is relevant to study before and after the Easter season because it provides one of the fullest expressions of the the deity and supremacy of Christ.

It sets forth Jesus Christ as the image of the invisible God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe.

The crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus provides for us complete access to a Holy God.

Although, it is by grace we are saved (according to ) and are given that access, we still have the responsibility once we are saved, to act like it!

We are called by God to be different.

Being different means to do things that would set you apart.

1 Set Your Heart

How does one live out a Holy Life?

Even though by grace you are saved, there are some guidelines found in that give us the path to live out a Holy Life.

By using a beautiful description of the ordinance baptism, Paul uses references to death and resurrection to emphasize the old sins which are left behind and the death of the old nature which has been buried with Christ.

The new life in Christ is being raised with Him.

As we are raised, we set our hearts on things above.

Set Your Heart

Set Your Heart

The word “set” means to position in a specified place; to fix; to place or to seek or strive for earnestly.

The heart throughout the Bible refers to our affections, our love, our desires and our devotion.

So the words together mean to strive earnestly to place your heart.

Here, Paul is saying to set your heart on things above, specifically on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Now think about that location.

Seated next to God the Father.

What a Holy position that would be!

We need to let our earthy practice be worthy of our heavenly position!

The position of where we set our hearts need to be carefully guarded.

Psalm 27:4

Psalm 110:1

By the way, the Bible has many references to the Right Hand of God.

I encourage you to do a study on that including this verse from .

How do you set your heart on things above?

Some practical application might include first and foremost, making sure your heart is connected to the Heart of God.

Once you are connected, conclude that you are going to serve the Lord with all your heart.

Your conclusion is also going to include instruction.

After making that connection with the Lord and coming to the conclusion that you will serve Him with all you are, then conceal His word in your heart so that the word of God becomes the word for you.

After making that connection with the Lord and coming to the conclusion that you will serve Him with all you are, then conceal His word in your heart so that the word of God becomes the word for you.

Then Paul moves from your heart to your thought process in instructing us to set our minds on things above and not on earthy things.

Set Your Minds

The mind throughout scriptures covers your thinking, your attitude, the ability to ponder, how you hold a view of something or what you honor.

Take all that into consideration and realize that you become what you think!

James Allen’s masterpiece, As A Man Thinketh, published in 1903 still holds true with the idea that you control your thoughts.

He said,

you control your thoughts.

He said,

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

Just like that, by setting your mind on things above, you can change the course of your life!

So exactly how do you do that?

Again there are many applications.

First and foremost, you have to reevaluate what is happening with your heart.

The overflow of the heart makes you speak, and somewhere between the overflow and the speaking you hopefully are thinking.

By reevaluating constantly what you think, you are able to keep it fresh and sharp.

A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself concerning your thoughts is, “Does this thinking go along with what scripture teaches?

Does this honor God or contradict what He and His Word reveals?

If it does, you should reevaluate it and stop it in its tracks.

So you go through a reevaluation process then you renew the truths you have been taught.

Notice the

When you RENEW your mind, you are changing the way you think.

The word renew means to renovate.

Perhaps you like watching the HGTV where they have all these shows where they take an old house and modernize it with some frilly stuff to make it more appealing.

When you renew and renovate your mind, you are taking the old thought life and adding the refreshing, never changing, sensational Word of God and applying it to your life and allowing it to take root and bloom and blossom in your life.

As it does, it makes your life more beautiful!

God’s design for us is that we are fearfully and wonderfully made according to .

We are not designed to be creatures that belittle or bemoan what God has done.

We are to celebrate life and all it has for us.

When we renew our minds, we are reconstructing our thoughts to seek heavenly things.

To seek heavenly things means to be spiritually minded.

When we set our minds on things above, we will begin to see things from God’s perspective and this allows us to to reconstruct our thoughts which in turn renews us and helps us reevaluate what we are called to be and do.

You must not only seek heaven we must think heaven.

Philippians 3:19-20

We have to be sure that we are not thinking of earthly things.

What are earthly things as Paul mentions here?

Earthly things consist of physical appetites, social manipulation, and human tradition.

These things are contrary to what God has designed for us.

They are the things mentioned in .

It is the opposite of things above.

Heaven and earth are contrary to each other.

Our hearts and minds need to have a new focus and a new center.

Colossians 3:3

We are reminded that we died to the sinful life and we are hidden in Christ.

This means that Christ within us should be so evident, that His life becomes our life.

Our actions should be so Christ-like that one cannot tell which is of Christ and which is of you.

We so set our hearts and our minds, that our behavior becomes Christ-like.

I call this SYNCHRONIZING YOUR ACTIONS.

Synchronize Your Actions

Synchronize means “to cause to indicate the same, to move, operate, or work at the same rate together.”

When one synchronizes his or her actions as a result of setting hearts and minds on things above, they are able to show the fruit of doing so.

In other words, they are sowing seeds that will produce whatever is sown.

Your actions will be the direct result of where your have set your heart and your mind.

You can’t have your heart and mind set on things above and have actions that are contrary to what God has called you to be and do.

Your actions will show the truth of what you have your heart and mind set on as well.

So how do you synchronize your actions to that which you have set your heart and mind on?

First you need to base everything you do on Love.

Because you have purified yourselves, you are going to put to death what belongs to your earthly nature.

In fact, our text today states just that in and following.

Paul gives a list of at least 10 things to get rid of in verse 5 and verse 8.

He says, strongly, to put them to death.

Love does not have room for actions that go against what God has called us to be and do.

We are called to love in order that we may live.