RISEN WITH CHRIST

Colossians 3:1-4 (KJV) “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

Not a sweeter set of scripture appears in the Bible than these 4 verses. If these do not get that CHRISTIAN BLOOD pumping through our veins, then something is wrong in our lives and we need to go to JESUS and get things back right again. We need to get recharged with that power of the SPIRIT and begin to GLOW anew, because we are fizzling out. We need for the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD to rekindle the fire within us. The more GLOW with that type of fire, the more we SHOW the world that JESUS is REAL.

Paul starts this chapter out with a challenge, with a directive to those at Colossae and to anyone who reads it. He begins this chapter with the word if. Which when we read it, if we are not careful we will read right over it and keep on going, but the Greek word rendered here actually means “forasmuch as” or “since that you are”. We just got through seeing in my last 2 sermon blogs that there are 2 choices of commandments that can be followed, the COMMANDMENTS of GOD, or the commandments of men, and both of those choices are being taught and offered to us as we JOURNEY through this world on our way to eternity. WE MUST CHOOSE THE RIGHT ONE!! We also have seen that we are supposed to be dead to one of them, we have seen that we have DIED with CHRIST, and being dead with HIM we should nor allow the drawing of fleshly desires cause us to become wayward on our “SPIRITUAL JOURNEY” so the Apostle Paul is showing the Colossians and anyone else that is interested that “SINCE WE ARE DEAD TO THE WORLDLY DESIRES” that we should live “RISEN WITH CHRIST”. So!! How do we live the VICTORIOUS LIFE IN CHRIST. Well!! There is great news for us and Paul gives it to us right here. Listen please, to the 2nd verse of Chapter 3 here: “Set your affection on things above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of GOD.”  The word (Set) here means to be “very careful to place your interests in” it doesn’t come automatically but must be exercised, you don’t get a “STRONG BICEP” muscle just because you have an arm, you don’t get hand strength just because you have a hand or strong leg muscles just because GOD has given you legs. You have to “USE” them and the more you use them the stronger they get, and the more the muscles grow. It is the same way with your brain and with your spiritual power, the more you exercise the spiritual part of your brain is, by reading the “WORD OF GOD”, by using the “WORD OF GOD” in your everyday life, and by speaking the “WORD OF GOD”; by doing these the better you get at practicing it and the STRONGER it get’s. The GREEK word here (fro-nay’-oh) has the conotation with it “TO BE VERY OBEDIENT TO USE” to exercise your spiritual BRAIN every chance you get. As stubborn as most of us are, since we are Baptist, we should not have a problem to “SET OUR MIND” to something. So “SET OUR MINDS” “OUR AFFECTIONS” on things above, not on things on this earth. Sometimes we get that turned around and “OUR AFFECTIONS” are on the things that are in our worldly life instead of on our “SPIRITUAL JOURNEY” Listen, PLEASE, we are still in this world and must do some worldly “TASKS” but we have got to, we must, LIVE as CHRISTIANS as we complete those tasks down here, not the other way around.  “AFFECTIONS” are those things that we LOVE to be around, and LOVE to do, so we plan our lives around them and do the other things as we have to, not because we have “AFFECTIONS” for them but because they are the types of things that are necessary to support our families and help them be taken care of.

Are you ready? Have you been “BORN AGAIN”? HAVE you obeyed CHRIST?

The word Paul uses in the 1st verse “SEEK” means to “SEEK AFTER” or to “SEARCH FOR” to DIG around to find something. Do we remember the parables that JESUS told of the “TREASURE” and of the “PEARL” in the Gospel of Matthew? In Matthew 13:44 (KJV)JESUS said: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” and in Matthew 13:45,46 (KJV) “Again, the kinddom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Do we feel like that about our SALVATION, about our CHURCH, about our WITNESS for CHRIST? WE SHOULD!! Where is my heart today? Where is your heart today? In the book of Matthew again our SAVIOR JESUS said in the 6th chapter and verses 19 through 21 where we should be storing all of our treasures, so let’s read: Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV) “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: and we really need to take heed to this verse 21: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” So let’s keep everything in perspective while on our SPIRITUAL JOURNEY down here and “SET” “OUR AFFECTIONS” in proper order, put them where they should be. We are physically here in this world but according to Paul here in verse 3 of Colossians, Paul says OUR LIFE, OUR SOUL, “WHO WE REALLY ARE” is hid, is stowed away, concealed, with “CHRIST IN GOD” our souls are never in danger, WE ARE!!  SECURE.   WE, after that we are “BORN AGAIN” are already with CHRIST IN GOD. The HOLY SPIRIT has come within our HEARTS and SEALED us until the DAY OF REDEMPTION, so that when CHRIST APPEARS WE WILL APPEAR  WITH HIM IN GLORY. I am going to read you two last verses to compare and confirm what Paul just said. 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 (KJV)  I know that this is very familiar with you but I am going to read it anyway. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”