The Hidden Life (Risen in Christ)
Colossians 3:1-8
Good Morning everyone, Glad that you have chosen to join us in the study of God’s Word-
Please turn to Colossians 3 and as you are turning, please bow your head for prayer.
Prayer-
Apostle Paul writing to the church in Colossae- (Modern Turkey)
Colossians 3:1-11
He writes to them guidelines for Holy Living- he talks about being risen with Christ and the difference that should make in our lives.
If then you were raised with Christ, set your hearts on the things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Have a mind that all your thoughts are fixed on the things which are above, not upon the things of earth.
For you died (spiritually) and your life is hidden in Christ.
Why would Paul start out so aggressive and use such strong words on how we should be living if we are indeed in Christ?
Because the church had lost its way… they were more earthy than Christ-like
Because for some they were not kingdom minded anymore, they were just waiting to punch their ticket to go to heaven.
Paul refers them back to their salvation experience and their baptism and the showing of their faith in Christ.
As the water of being baptized covered them and they were submerged under the water they were buried in death, and as they emerged out of the water, they were resurrected to new life-
Christians after conversion and acknowledged by being baptized…they were to be different people.
They were no longer to be concerned about the earthy things but about spiritual things in their life. They had to be in the world but not of this world.
He is telling them and he is telling us today that we have to live in this world and we are not to be sitting around doing nothing until Jesus takes us home but we are also not to be so attracted to this world that we are of no spiritual value for the kingdom of God.
Christians have to work, we are to be a part of the world but as Christians, we will view everything against the background of eternity and not live like this life is all that matters.
I said this week at Wednesday Bible study that I am concerned that most are living this life just the opposite- we are striving to be best in this world, and we are more concerned about having all the pleasures and things of this world rather than realizing that this world is just a dash in time compared to eternity.
We have to live in this world and we have to make a living and we have to raise a family but we do not have to live this life like this is all there is and we do not have to raise our children and grandchildren without letting them know that eternity with Jesus is more important than any temporary thing this world has to offer.
There is a new set of values and they are determined and monitored by Jesus instead of the world. We should not care what the world thinks if the world thinks different than what Jesus has said.
Values like giving rather than getting
Serving above ruling
Forgiving above revenging
How is this to be accomplished? Because our life as a believer is hidden in Christ! I am going to hit it hard this morning.
Remember we just talked about water baptism and the spiritual death and resurrection of a believer- the old sinful person going down and the new raised up believer coming up –
Paul fought the Greeks because they thought when they died they would be hidden in the earth- this is all there is. Dead to the dead dead!
Paul says no as a believer hidden in Christ you can experience new life now while you are on earth and new life in eternity because you are a believer.
This life is not all there is… those hidden in Christ will experience eternity with Christ and those without Christ will spend eternity separated from Christ.
I want you to catch this- past, present, future with Christ
Past- “You were raised with Christ”
Present- “ your life is hid in Christ”
Future- “ You shall appear with Him in glory”
All things come through union with Him
Raised from death/ hallelujah!
Hid in God/ it is no longer about you but all about Him
Revealed in glory/
Christian life-
Origin-raised in Christ (not about you)
Source- Jesus
Consummation- we get to be in glory because of what He has done for us.
The spiritual resurrection becomes the primary fact OF OUR NEW LIFE.
There is no living (spiritually) without Jesus being in your life.
There are too many people that think living is just breathing-
You are not spiritually living until you are one in Christ and Christ gives you life.
That is not religion and it is not just a lucky charm you keep in your pocket and it is not church membership without a relationship with Jesus.
Classes are given for membership to educate someone on what is expected to be a member but for most believers we fall short on what it means to be in Christ.
We have an active relationship with Him that goes far beyond wisdom.
We must be abiding in Him.
Connected to Him and desiring to be more like Him in every avenue of our lives.
“Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more” Romans 6:9 We do not either!
If Jesus tarries, these bodies might die, but are relationship with Christ does not die, we continue it in heaven… we will experience and have a resurrected body and spend eternity with Him as we have a relationship with Him now and forever.
It is more than just whatever treasures you can put together on this earth- we are not taking any of them with us.
Two prepositions in verse 3 “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
WITH CHRIST… ( Our identification)
Dead with Christ
Buried with Christ
Risen with Christ
Hid with/in Christ
IN CHRIST… (Position)
Saint in Christ
Reconciled in Christ
Redemption in Christ
Walk in Christ
COMPLETE IN CHRIST
The union with Christ is wonderful and exciting and never boring!
Your life is hid in Christ!
Did you realize that most things of value are hidden- if they weren’t there would be more people with them?
It works that way in the physical world too-
Precious metal Gold is deep in the earth and requires digging and mining to get it out.
Diamonds, most precious stone lays hidden and pressure makes a diamond a diamond.
Emeralds are hidden in a granite vein
Pearls are deep in the ocean and a sand irritation causes the oyster to produce a pearl.
Our mental state sometimes holds our deepest thought and emotions. We most of the time keep them deeply hid in our minds and don’t let just anyone see into those thoughts.
Our spiritual state
It is only after surrendering our life to Christ and trusting Him with everything that we are able to experience that new life.
We become united in Christ as we put our faith in the Son of God.
Our life really began the moment we went from doing it our way to accepting what He has done and surrendering our lives to Him.
The hidden Christ who we did not know became known to us because He revealed Himself to us and we trusted in Him. Now we are able to hide in Him because we have trusted Him for what He has done and what He will do to keep us walking in His way and in His light.
In Him we see that this life has nothing to offer us that would be of more value than spending eternity with Him!
There are things we put into our life to be in Christ and there are things we take out of our lives to remain in Christ.
(3) “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthy nature: Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”
(7)” you used to walk in these ways, in the life that you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
The Greek verb Apothesthe (a-poth-this) means to take off (clothing). It puts the burden of ridding on the believer.
We see by divine grace and a transformed life from sin that we receive this new life in Christ.
We rid ourselves of these things as we live out our new lives with God’s divine help.
These unacceptable things-rage, anger, malice, filthy talk, slander… are taken out, not in our strength but because we have set our hearts and mind on things above…THE LORD!
As we try to grab all these truths, please go back to verse 4
“When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with Him.”
If you are a person who accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and you by choice has decided to not do the things the world is doing, they will say that you are crazy, extreme, Holy Roller!
Why…would you become slave to things you cannot do because you follow Christ?
Apostle Paul is telling the church then and now…that we are not crazy!
Colossians 1:19-“For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”
Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
The world says your crazy but one day they will say that you were right!
Right now the world cannot see because it is blinded because they are full of themselves.
2 Corinthians 4:3-
“And even if the gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.”
Those who are in Christ see what it means to be in Christ and desire to walk and communicate with Him every day, one day the world will recognize what will are seeing now!
Colossians 2:3-
“In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
This world is not wanting Jesus because they are all about themselves and are blinded to their spiritual condition. They do not know Him and what He has done for each of us. But those who know Christ this should be a word of encouragement to hold unto what is precious to us.
You have to know the Lord and you have to study His word so that you know who you are in Him.
Don’t let the unsaved people tell you what you need- according to the traditions of men because they are on the wide road that lead to destruction.
A Christian by definition is a person has accepted what Christ has done and has Christ dwelling in them to lead them and guide them.
If you cannot say that Christ dwells in you then you need to take spiritual inventory to make sure that you are a follower of Christ.
I heard one expression this week that has stuck- know who you are in Christ and then sin doesn’t fit who you are.
Illustration as we close-
You are a person who has accepted Christ
Christ dwells in you
Scripture tells us we are hidden in Christ
Scripture tells us that we are hidden in God.
I would say that we are pretty secure when we are hidden in Christ
Amen
Prayer
