Introduction: Our journey through the book of Colossians.
• The Apostle Paul has made a perfect case to the church in Colosse, why Jesus Christ is preeminent above all. He has dealt
with faith, doctrine, and salvation. In chapter 2 Paul addressed the enemy that was attacking the church, but encouraged the
saints to hold tightly to Christ, for He was their ally who would never let them down.
• Today, we will enter chapter 3. Chapter three and four deals with the application of chapters 1 & 2. It is one thing to say
Christ is #1 in my life, it is another to live that fact out in plain view. The last session is where the “rubber meets the road” in
the Christian life.
• Chapters 3 & 4 will encourage the believers to stand on the truth that Jesus Christ is all I need to live for, period! It is in
verses 1-4 that Paul begins to lay out what a Christians’ true purpose is in this world. Have you lost sight of your purpose?
Why are you here, on earth this morning? Ill: Dan Janson’s father’s advice, "Son, life is more than skating in circles."
Proposition: A Christian’s purpose for living should flow from a new nature, reminding us to always filter life through heavenly lenses.
III. Christ is All I Need to Live For. (key 3:17)
A. Living Life With Real Purpose
1. You have a new position. (3:1a,3-4)
• “if” is conditional; the following cannot be said of you if you are not saved (raised in Christ). “If any man be in
Christ he is a new creation…”
a. You are a dead man walking. “For you died”
• This is a past event; but it is an identification marker.
b. You are a new man hiding. “and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
• The word hidden speaks of our present.
• Hidden refers to three things: First, eternally security and protected. Hymn “He hidden my soul in the
cleft of the rocks….” Second, hidden from the world’s understanding; it does not make sense to the
world. Remember Jesus, “He came unto His own and His own did not even recognize Him.” Third,
believers share a common spiritual life with the Holy Trinity.
• Ill: When a man hires an attorney, he “hides” behind the attorney. The attorney will speak on behalf of
the man and his family.
c. You are a living man shining. “raised in Christ….who is your life…
• (3:1) raised means “co-resurrection”. I died with Christ, and I am raised by His power.
• (3:4) Our new life is not made by our own strength. Eternal life is not a mysterious substance that God
sprinkles on us. Eternal life is Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:12 – “He that hath the Son hath life….”
• Paul also includes a Christian’s hope of a glorious future with Jesus Christ. A Christian’s only reason for
living is because of Jesus Christ. We will stand with Him on day in his glory, and for His glory.
d. Application: Don’t forget your new position; great responsibility, but we do not stand in our own strength to live
a Christ-pleasing life.
2. You have a new mission. (3:1b)
a. Aim High! “seek those things which are above…”
• “Seek” is the word zeteo which means to look after or find. The word is in the present active voice, meaning it
is not a one time event.
• When we were lost in our old nature, our focus was only on ourselves. Having Christ’s nature moves us to live
in every way as Christ would live. “Don’t just shoot for the stars, morally, physically, emotionally, …but shoot
past the stars into the very throne room of God.”
b. Aim Heavenly! “where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.”
• Our mission in life is in everything we do to act as if that decision came from the very throne room of God.
c. Application: Ill: High Standards Key verse 3:17. Christ is the highest standard. What if the US military changed
their motto when trying to recruit? “Aim low!” “Be as mediocre as you can be” “We are looking for a few good
wimps to be Marines” “Give up on your life (Accelerate your life)
3. You have a new obligation (3:2)
a. Constantly discipline your mind.
• “Set” is the word phroneo meaning to think, to consider, to get to a place of understanding. Ill: Example of
constantly having to set my cruise control when I drive for all sort of reasons/obstacles. It takes spiritual
discipline to keep my mind focused on the heavenly purpose.
• Filter life against the backdrop of eternity!
b. Constantly discipline your eyes. “not on things of this earth.”
• Lot’s wife – Genesis 19
• Matthew 16:23 – “Get behind me Satan, you are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things
of God, but the things of men. Peter thought he was doing good, but his eyes were horizontal not vertical.
• (Personal) – am I pursuing this goal for myself or for heavenly reasons? (Family) – are we making this
purchase because it makes us feel good, or can it be used for the kingdom of God. (Church) – are we wanting
a fellowship hall for immediate needs or kingdom needs?
Conclusion:
• In order to effectively reach our world, we must know our place in this world as Christians.
• Believer, don’t just camp out with the mind of the trivial and temporal, look to life through the lenses of the heavenly kingdom.
• Believer, the center of your world is not yourself, but rather Jesus Christ.
• Seeking and setting are life- long disciplines.
• Have you forgotten your purpose? You cannot effectively reach this world if your eyes are not fixed to the lighthouse of our faith,
Christ Jesus.
• “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.
