Sermon Tone Analysis

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Emotion
Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
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Analytical
Confident
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Social Tendencies
Openness
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Anger
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*Text*: Colossians 3:1-4
*Title*: Risen with Christ
*Theme of the book of Colossians: *Jesus Christ: The preeminent and all-sufficient Savior* \\ Theme of Text: * Since you have a risen life with Christ, you should fix your affections on the eternal, not the temporal.
*Proposition: *You must focus on the eternal, not the temporal.
*Introduction*
Many Christians have a problem with the Christian life.
After the passing of time, their faith seems to lose its attractiveness.
Their initial enthusiasm fades away and the excitement they had for Christ disappears.
Soon they begin to think that the life of a Christian is just merely following rules and a ridged statement of beliefs.
The joy in serving Christ that was present before is replaces with dissatisfaction.
At this point, a foolish teaching or doctrine draws many Christians away.
A false teaching or cult begins to meet their “needs.”
All of a sudden, the Bible looks boring compared to books like “28 minutes in hell” or “90 minutes in heaven” or teachings about “visions” and “tongues.”
In these false teachings, their “needs and feelings” are met.
A great experience is what they want!
Biblical truth becomes irrelevant compared to their feelings.
Feelings and desires become greater than biblical teaching.
Why is this situation the case for so many Christians?
It is because they have lost focus.
They have lost focus of Christ, they forget their new and risen life with their Savior, and they lose focus on things of eternal importance.
We don’t need our feelings and needs to be met; we need to have a renewed focus!
Focus on the eternal!
This passage is a transitional passage.
It is a transition from Paul’s direct teaching against the false teachers to a discourse on practical living in the Christian life.
These four verses contain both doctrinal and practical teaching.
These verses should be a great encouragement and reminder to believers.
Believers are exhorted to have their focus on things above (heavenly things), and believers are reminded that they have a new, eternal life with Christ!
The verses are specifically written to those that are believers.
For Paul, there was no reason for anyone to be “seeking the things above” if he had not been raised with Christ.
The road to heaven is through Christ, not through legalism, asceticism, or mysticism.
It is important for Christians to realize that their true home is in Heaven!
/Therefore, /*/you must focus on the eternal, not the temporal/*/./
*1.
**The Request for a Heavenly Focus  3:1-2*
In verse 1, Paul gives an exhortation to all those that have been “raised with Christ.”
A person that has accepted Christ as their Savior from sin, death, and hell is a person that has been “raised with Christ.”
A person that has not believed on Christ must do so before they can have a heavenly focus.
Without Christ, a heavenly focus is impossible.
Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 2:20
 
*/You must focus on the eternal, not the temporal./*
*a.
**The correct desire*
The first exhortation is to “seek those things which are above.”
The word “seek,” in this verse means, “To try to gain, to strive after, with the idea of earnestness and anxiety.”
The Greek word indicates a continual action.
You must “continue seeking” the things above.
One must seek with the intention to obtain.
Paul is saying that the Christian should be seeking the eternal rather than the temporal.
Believers must realize that our life should not be spent seeking after the worlds pleasures and goods, but we should spend our life seeking Christ and His righteousness.
Matthew 6:19-20; Romans 8:6;
 
*Application: *The question that needs to be asked here is obvious: what are you seeking?
What is your life spent doing?
Are you using your life to seek more education?
more money?
a better position or job?
Are you concerning your life with the temporal or are you concerning your life with the eternal?
Nothing done here on earth will last except what is done for Christ!
This is a reality check for me and it should be for everyone else here.
Our life must be spent focusing on the eternal, not the temporal!
*Illustration: *Most of us know about *Chien Ming Wang.
*He is the great Taiwanese pitcher for the Yankees.
I have seen his poster in so many places around Taiwan.
I see his face on billboards, bank signs, credit cards, commercials, and in the newspaper.
He is idolized here in Taiwan.
I do wonder though, what would you say he is seeking after, the temporal or the eternal?
When he comes before the throne of Christ, what will he say to our Savior?
“I was the best pitcher to ever come from Taiwan.
I won hundreds of baseball games for the best baseball team, the New York Yankees.
In fact, I was probably one of the best ever at throwing a ball 90 feet.”
Pretty sad huh!?!
 
When we put life in the perspective of eternity, things start to look a little clearer.
Paul has given a simple yet profound command: seek the things that are above!
Will you say to Christ that you spend your life seeking education, position, power, prestige, money, temporal happiness, fulfilling fleshly desires; or will you say to Christ that you spent your life, time, and your thoughts seeking things of eternal importance!
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
/Where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God./
The things we are to be seeking are above, which is exactly where we find our Savior.
Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.
He is in the privileged position of royalty and honor.
Our Savior’s work is completed.
He is not standing in heaven pacing back and forth thinking of what might happen.
No, instead our Savoir is in heaven sitting down with his work completed.
We are complete in Christ who has completed his work!
Our thought are to be focus on our Savior!
*/You must focus on the eternal, not the temporal./*
*b.
**The correct mindset*
The second exhortation is closely related to verse one.
These are parallel statements with a slight variation.
The first verse has the meaning of heavenly desires; verse two has the meaning of a /heavenly mindset/.
This is a critical verse for believers, for the mind is an intense battleground.
/A believer must win the battle of the mind before there is true victory over sin/.
Paul is advocating a heavenly mindset instead of an earthly mindset.
The focus of believer’s thoughts should be Christ and His eternal commands.
1 John 2:15-17
 
1.)   /The Importance of the Mind/
The area of the mind is probably the most difficult area for most Christians, yet it seems to be the least talked about.
If you go to the bookstore, you will not find many books dealing with the area of the mind.
No one wants to address the topic because everyone has such a struggle with the arena of the mind.
For the Christian, Christ must control our mind!
Our thoughts and meditations must be focus on the heavenly: the eternal, not the temporal.
*/Illustration: /*Listen to what Emerson had to say.
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