Intro to Colossians 3:1-4

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/6/2017 11:17 PM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Intro to Colossians 3:1-4

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Colossians 3:1-4

            Message of the verses:  “1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

            John MacArthur entitles this chapter in his commentary on Colossians “Living the Risen Life.”  These are very important verse from the Word of God and as we look at the reason that Paul wrote them to the Colossians church we will find out that they indeed are necessary for us to walk with Christ in our lives today.

            We have been studying the book of John in my morning devotions and lately we spent close to two months looking at the 17^th chapter of John’s gospel, a chapter that is called “Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer,” and in that chapter we see the word world mentioned eighteen times, and in some of those times it is mentioned Jesus is praying for His disciples, and later on for us to go into the world to spread the good news, but not to be affected by the world system.  The Great Commission found in the 28^th chapter of Matthew says the same thing, believers going out into the world to preach the gospel.

            The thing about this is that if Christians are to reach the world then they cannot be of the world and this I realize is a paradox, but true.  Jesus Christ was certainly the best example of being in the world but not being of the world as it was impossible for Him to do that since it was impossible for Him to sin, and being attracted to the things of this world system is sinful as John points out “15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:15-17).”

            Our citizenship (believer’s citizenship) is not on this earth, but is in heaven.  We are actually aliens on this earth and our Lord Jesus Christ, our Head is in heaven praying for us as our High Priest, so we are to always answer to Him.

            John MacArthur concludes his introduction with the following, which will also give us an outline of where we will be going with these verses:

“It is only when we rise above the world that we can both appreciate the appalling spiritual poverty in which most people live and learn to fix our minds on heavenly realities.  Our blessings are in heaven (Eph. 1:3); the angels are there (Eph. 3:10); Christ is there (Eph. 1:20); and we, through our union with Him in His resurrection, exist in the heavenly the heavenly realm (Eph. 2:6).  Because the things most important to us are in heaven, we must not be entangled in this present world.  All those Scriptures provide the backdrop for Paul’s message in 3:1-4 as he moves to the practical side of the epistle.  He begins by calling the readers to that preoccupation with heavenly reality that is the hallmark of true spirituality, and the starting point of practical holiness.  Five features will help unfold the power of heavenly living on earth:  the reminder, the responsibility, the resource, the reason, and the revelation.”

4/6/2017 11:41 PM