Living in Divine Perspective
by Pastor Bryan Coelho
Colossians 3:1-3
Col.3:1-3 - speaks of believer having a divine perspective. Many peoples’ lives are governed by needs of this world, without having an eternal perspective in life. A believer has an ascended life because of a love that descended.
When God created man, He put him in a place and even though it was a geographical place, man was given specific commandments, which determined whether he would have priorities according to this world or heaven. Genesis 2:16-17, God’s command was - out of the many trees, man will not eat of fruit of the one tree. God gives man a command. He set priorities for man and told him about the consequences of his priorities, whether man will accept spiritual death as a provision for his life.
Physical life is a biological life. There are 16 elements of the ground in the body. Genesis 2:7 - The essence of man is the spiritual body. But people spend so much time on the outside than on the inside when the real issue is inside, because he has spiritual death as a provision for life. He spends so much time on the outside than the inside in the sense that man is not going to have the spiritual, once he is deprived. Ephesians 2:1-3 says, all of us, before coming to the Lord, walked in worldly ways. Man can live in the institution without spiritual life because of living in the system of morality, which will protect national entity but I must be born again to be saved spiritually. What did Paul say in Ephesians 2:6? He said that he was going to take his place in Christ because he wanted to share Christ’s perspective in everything. When Christ died on the cross, priorities for man were completely reversed spiritually, so that I could be spiritual first. II Corinthians 5:21, Jesus Christ was spiritually alienated while He hung on the Cross so that I could have eternal life. The life that we have been given is not for us to live in spiritual death. Colossians 3:1 says, you have been raised up with Christ - Romans 6:3-4. There is a life incorporated because of his union with Jesus Christ. Romans 6:5-6 so he has died to his old life, which used to be his provision as he lived earlier without Christ. No matter how much he tried, he could not change in spite of morality and other things, he never came up with a solution, until Titus3:5. I Peter 1:23, the incorruptible seed is in me causing me to go through death. But this life has not yet started bearing fruit. Sower—seed—soil. Satan tries to make the soil furrow. Then people will have something, which is not in fullness. Why is it that some people never make it in Christianity? They have not given God an opportunity to put them in a place where they can grow into fullness. Instead, they accept self-preservation. This person doesn’t want God to take him ‘all the way’ so that he could be conformed to the image of Christ. Escapist generation reads security, prosperity and physical blessing as a blessing of God. We must remember that, when God gives us commands, He does not provide them with cushions. God does not call us to suffer outside of Him. Everything that happens to me happens to me in Christ and Christ is with me. When we are threatened in life through details and circumstances, instead of asking Him for His perspective, we ask Him to deflect. Colossians 3:1-3, we are told to seek the things that are above, meaning to have His perspective in life. Evil will be culminated one day in the lake of fire. Revelation 19-22.
Jesus’ own disciples often misunderstood the Cross that Jesus spoke. Some times all my dreams may never be realized. God lets it happen so that I can have His perspective in this life. In II Timothy 2:1-5, he understands what God’s commands are. If I don’t have spiritual, divine perspective in life, I will have spiritual death as my provision. The natural man is an earthling, he needs entertainment to pass his time, he is bored with life, the cares choke him, the poverty of life becomes his portion. The very thing that I want God to deliver me from, He will deliver me to it because God wants me to have priorities that are heavenly. II Peter 1:10; 2:3-9.
Colossians 3:3, we are dead-- it is a spiritual fact. Ephesians 4:1, if this is true, we have a heavenly walk. Walk worthy, meaning in direct proportion as if you are in heaven. Faith can translate the spiritual-intangible into tangible Hebrews 11:1-2 and this is given to us by grace through faith, I don’t need to merit it. I don’t need to backslide and see the other side of my life.
The Church has not understood its proper place in God’s timetable. A person need not live in a bungalow to live a happy life, he could be living in a hut and be the happiest person on the earth because he realizes that he is a stranger and pilgrim in this life. Why can’t I live my life like I’m seated above? What is my conversation when the other person does not meet my expectation? The way I communicate reveals whether I am living in spiritual life or death. All that God is interested to see is whether I have divine priorities. Christians get occupied in warfare with the devil.
II Corinthians 2:11, I John 3:8, He came to destroy the works of the devil; to make it inoperative. This is nullified because I understand my position in Christ. We are neither escapists nor conformists nor realists. We are people that simply live in faith, having a perspective that is godly, spiritual and full of faith.
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