In this passage the apostle Paul is challenging the Colossian church to get her mind set right; getting your mind set right is a vital component of spiritual growth. Look at the text with me…

Colossians 3:1 – 4

1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not things that are on earth. 3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

One author said that “We must remember that our mind-set is a deliberate act of the will. We set our minds on taking a vacation. We set our minds on buying an object. We set our minds on finishing a project. [Therefore] We can set our minds on ‘the things that are above’ (v. 1). In addition, we need to hold loosely to the things below” whether those things are mere possessions or gross ungodly desires and behaviors.2

SCRIPTURE AND OBSERVATION

What are some observations from the text; what do I notice about the passage at hand? I notice that Paul is calling his listeners to set their minds on things above instead of earthly matters (v. 2).

Paul gives this challenge because if his listeners claim to have been raised with Christ (if they claim to be Christ-followers) then they are actually seated positionally with Christ at the right hand of God (v. 1).

Paul sees his listeners as being people who have trusted in the work of Christ at the cross and the empty tomb and are hoping in the promise of Heaven; this is why he reminds them that they have actually died with Christ, their lives are hidden in Christ, and they will be part of the glory of Christ when he returns at the end (vv. 3 – 4).

Why does this matter to you and me? This matters because, getting our mind set right is vital to spiritual growth. How do we get our minds set right then? The answer to that question is application!

APPLICATION

Application means to believe and obey. The best way I know how to shake up what we believe and obey is by asking questions that hopefully lead to action. Questions like:

  1. What on earth is distracting me from heaven? Where am I believing I will find heaven on earth instead of in heaven? Is it my marriage, my family, my career, my belongings, the new house I am dreaming about, or the spouse I am hoping to get? What on earth is distracting me from heaven? Where am I believing that I will find heaven on earth instead of in heaven?
  2. What do I need to kill and where have I been hiding from the presence of God? We find so many ways of hiding out just like Adam and Eve in their shame and guilt and fear. Late night internet binges, all day Netflix binges, substance addictions, game apps on mobile devices, YouTube videos, overworking, external performance and checklists. What do I need to kill and where have been hiding from the presence of God?
  3. Where am I longing for resurrection victory? Satan, Sin and Death were defeated in the crucified, risen and returning Christ. But Satan, Sin and Death still have a strong influence in the world we live in, especially the world of our desires and longings. We long to be completely loved, completely known, completely accepted, completely secure, completely wanted, and completely cherished. Which of those longings and desires do I need to confess to the Father right now and ask him to satisfy it?

PRAYER

As I close with prayer, I want to remind us that getting our mind set right is a vital component of spiritual growth. So, my prayer goes this way:

“Father, please give me a clearer vision of heaven. Renew my strength so that I might kill my sin and any other earthly habit that I try to hide from you in. Please renew within me, a sense of the resurrection – final victory that is mine in Christ Jesus over the specific longings and desires inside of me. Help me to rest assured of my sonship in Christ Jesus; that I am completely loved, known, accepted, secure, wanted, and cherished because of my crucified, risen and returning Savior. – Amen!”

1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).

2 R. Kent Hughes, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon: Preaching the Word Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2013), 297 – 298.