Aiming Upward

Cody Hale

Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

Resurrection

Sanctification

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Introduction

Three years ago, we welcomed a German, short-hair pointer named CeeCee into our family. And, like any dog breed snob, I’ve already given you more information than you asked for. But, she’s really an incredible specimen. I’ve honestly never seen any creature that can run like she can. Before we moved, I used to take her out with the golf cart sometimes to let her run her energy out. I’d hold her on the leash beside the golf cart, and she’d run while I drove. And, for the entire time we rode, and we’re talking about a couple of miles, she was the one having to bridle back, even though I’d be driving the golf cart as fast as it would go. But, my favorite thing to do is to look out the window and catch her stalking after a bird. She can see a bird on the other side of the yard, and she will slow-walk and creep up to it. Every muscle in her body will be tense, and her head and tail will be flattened so that they are perfect alignment so that she looks like a walking arrow.

And, it’s amazing to me because she’s never been trained to do it, and she’s never been asked to do it. She just does it. We got her when she was 8 weeks old, and she would stalk her stuffed bird toys the day we brought her home. The truth is that she doesn’t even really know why she does it herself; it’s just instinctive. It’s been bred into her so that it’s her natural reaction whenever she sees a bird. She doesn’t point so that she’ll become a pointer. She points because she is a pointer. She is, and so she does. And, this is the point that Paul is making with the Colossian Christians in chapter three. There’s a particular shape that the Christian life is to take. We are to obey Christ and deny ourselves and live generously and serve sacrificially. But, we don’t do any of those things that we might be Christians; rather, we do those things because we are Christians. We are, and so we do. The gospel is the cause, and the works are the effects.

God’s Word

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Being and Doing

In Paul’s mind there is no concept more critical to living out the gospel than the relationship between being and doing. And, it’s because is the relationship of being and doing is the difference between the truth and a lie, life and death, the true gospel and false gospels. False gospels practically all relate to the Christian’s relationship with works and maturity. Some false gospels say that you must have grace plus works to be saved. That is, God must be good and you must be good. Other false gospels say that it doesn’t matter what you do because grace makes your works irrelevant. And, it’s the first of these that Paul is really trying to correct in his letter to the Colossians. And, that’s what we see in our text. How both being and doing matter in the gospel, but how it’s being that leads to doing.

I want us to see this morning how being leads to doing.

Our “identity” influences our “direction.”

v. 1 “If then you have been raised with Christ” v. 3 “For you have died...” The first observation I want you to make about the relationship of being and doing is that our “identity” influences our “direction.” Twice in our passage, Paul tells us what we’re supposed to do, but in both cases he anchors what we’re supposed to do in who it is that we are, in our identity. He says that we’re to ‘seek the things that are above’ (what we’re supposed to do) because we ‘have been raised with Christ’ (who we are). We’re to ‘set (our) minds on the things that are above’ (what to do) because we ‘have died’ and our ‘lives are hidden with Christ in God’ (who we are). So, the goal of this passage is not to become something different; rather, the goal in this passage is that you would become most fully, most truly who Christ has already made you to be. It’s to live out your identity more fully in every aspect of your life. And, what’s amazing is how Paul addresses every part of our identity — who we were (past), who we are (present), and who we will be (future). And, each aspect of your identity helps to clarify the direction and shape your life should take.

You’re somebody new.

v. 1,3 “you have been raised…you have died” Notice what he says about who you were in the past — before Christ. He says that you have died. That means, that the old person that you used to be has been put to death. That person had some dreams and some ambitions and impulses that were aimed at living for themselves and making the most this earth, and that person was nailed to Jesus’ cross. That person was buried in Jesus’ tomb. But, that person wasn’t just put to death, that person didn’t just identify with Jesus’ cross. That person was raised to life! When Jesus was raised, you were raised with him! You’re somebody new! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!” You were an orphan, and now you’re a son, a daughter! You were a slave, and now you’re set free. You were a peasant, and now you’re a prince. You were diseased, and now you’ve been delivered! You were dead, but now, you’re alive! So, live like it! What son would choose to be an orphan? What prince would choose to be a peasant? What free person would choose to be a slave? Who would be raised from the dead to live as though they were still in the grave? Who you are determines what you do! Being leads to doing! When you were dead, you acted dead. But now, you’re alive! And so, you don’t act like a child of God so that you might become a child of God. You act like a child of God because you are a child of God! You’ve been made new! You’re identity influences your direction.

You’re somebody safe.

v. 3 “you life is hidden with Christ in God.” Now, see who you are now that you’ve been made new. “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Now, what does that mean — to be ‘hidden with Christ’? It means that you’re living for a King that others don’t know and a Kingdom that others can’t see. It means that you are living by faith and not by sight and that you’re faith is well-founded. You’re ‘with Christ’ because Christ has come to you and you’ve trusted his promise that He will never leave you or forsake you. The world can’t see it, but you know it! You are ‘in God’. You’re friends are scared and anxious and constantly trying to catch everyone’s eye, but you’re firmly in the hand of God where no one or no thing can pluck you out. The world can’t see it, but you know it! You’re hidden away, and so you live a life and lifestyle that doesn’t make sense to anyone around you because the Kingdom you’re living for is on a higher plane that a person can see with natural eyes. Why? You’re not just somebody new; You’re somebody safe! You’re secure in Christ and in who He has made you to be. You’re secure in the grip of the Father so you don’t have to fit in. It doesn’t matter if you’re parents don’t accept you or if nobody wants to date you or if your classmates would assume bully you as be your friend. You’re safe with Christ! You’re safe in God! Do you remember the story of the Ugly Duckling? This little bird is hanging out with all the little ducklings, but he’s big and awkward and a different color and couldn’t quack right. And, all of the other ducklings make fun of him and beat him down. And, it’s like the more he tries to fit in with the other ducklings the sadder and more miserable he is. Until one day, he’s grown up a bit, and he notices some swans. They immediately begin to talk about what a wonderful and beautiful swan he is so that now he swims with greater beauty and dignity than the most impressive duck. Man, that’s the picture! We’re here living in a land of ducklings and the harder we try to fit in the more miserable we’ll be, the more our souls will be disrupted. Christ, through the gospel, has made us into swans that we might live more nobly, more lovingly, more patiently, more kindly, more graciously. You won’t fit in, if you’re a child of God, because your life, your mission, your home is hidden from the world. It can only be seen with the eyes of faith. So, don’t fit in; fitting in is the death of biblical Christianity. Instead, lean into the secure grip of God and live a life nobody can understand apart from Christ — it’s your identity.

You’re somebody immortal.

v. 4 “you also will appear with him in glory” But, you see, what’s hidden won’t be hidden for long. That’s why you’re safe. Because who you are is just the beginning of who you will be. You’re hidden now. You’re hope is hidden now. You’re value and dignity is hidden for now. You’re spiritual family is hidden for now. But, soon, “you (you! an 8th grader that’s small for their age or a graduating senior that has no clue what’s next or a sophomore that’s always on the outside looking in), you also will appear with him in glory.” You’re hidden glory is going to be revealed. It’s going to become clear that you’re in the grip of the Father. Because you’re somebody new and because you’re somebody safe, you’re somebody immortal. In , Paul says that’s the day that the perishable puts on the imperishable, the mortal puts on immortality. You see, because we’re going to live forever, we can live differently than everyone else now. We can live in a way that’s foolish to everyone else. It’s to sacrifice your time or give of your money or to serve others you don’t even know or use your last summer break after high school to live on the mission field if you’ve only got 70 or 80 years. If that’s the case, you’re crazy if you don’t maximize the fun and indulgence you can have every second. But, it’s even crazier, even more foolish, if you’re going to live forever, to not take God at his word that everything sacrificed now will be gained for the next 800 billion years. What you believe about your identity will define your direction.

Our “desires” direct our “paths”.

v. 3b “seek the things that are above” So, it’s this identity, this concept of being that leads to the doing that Paul has in mind. You’ll do these things, not so that you’ll become somebody new or somebody safe or somebody immortal, but because you already are. You won’t do them so that God will love you; you will do them because of how much you love God. That is, you’ll obey God because you desire God. You’ll honor God because you desire to honor him. You’ll live in a way that shows him as being greater than every other reality in your life because it’s your desire, your passion, your delight. That’s what he’s talking about when he says, “seek the things that are above.” If you have an NIV, it says, “set your heart on the things that are above.” A literal translation would be, “Delight in the things that are above.” It’s an inward desire that is expressed through outward obedience. You see, our “desires” direct our “paths.” Our desires determine the target at which our lives are aimed.

Living Thirsty

Three years ago, my intestines ruptured while I was on a mission trip in Africa. As soon as I got back, I had to have emergency surgery to save my life. During the recovery, I had a drain that went through my nose and all the way into my stomach. Because of that drain, I wasn’t able to have even a sip of water for three days, which is probably one of the very worst experiences of my life. All I could think about was water. Everybody else is dreaming about a Hawaiian vacation, and I’m laying there fantasizing about a cup of ice chips. It was the only thing that I cared about so that I was asking the nurses and doctors every time they came in if I could have some water. I was trying to trick my wife into letting me have some. And, that’s the effect that our love for God is to have on our lives. We’re to live thirsty. It’s to have a passion for Christ so great that it directs every path to his glory. It is to set aside every other aspiration, every other ambition, every other appetite to go full bore into the wonder and greatness and majesty of God. It’s to have an insatiable thirst the directs every path toward the same target — Christ and his glory.

Seek First the Kingdom

The idea here is not to just seek, find, and be finished. It’s to seek and then to ‘keep on seeking.’ Your translation may even say, “Keeping seeking.” It’s to get a drink of water so sweet, so refreshing, so life-giving that it just makes you thirstier for more. It’s to realize that you’re in the presence of so great a King and living in so great a Kingdom, that all you really want to do is to live up to the Name that He has given to you. If we look at your life, what would your paths say about your desires? Paul is calling for us to consider how we aim our lives. If we looked at the paths of your life, what would it show that you love most? God or your boyfriend? Sports or Christ? Scholarships or the Kingdom? Fitting in or honoring Jesus? You see, it’s not even that boyfriends and sports and scholarships are bad; it’s just that they’re out of order. They’re terrible gods. Instead, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” When your path is aimed at Christ, Christ will take care of every other path.

Our “values” determine our “steps.”

v. 2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things of earth.” And, he gives a second way that our being will affect our doing. It won’t just affect the morals of our hearts; it will also affect the preoccupation of our minds. It doesn’t just affect our desires, but also our worldview, our perspective, our values. Who we are will change the way that we think and the values that we develop for decision-making. That’s what he means in verse 2 when he says, “Set your minds on the things that are above, not on things of earth.” Let your mind be so pre-occupied with the things of God that it sees everything in the light of his glory. Train your mind to see all of my life through God’s eyes. And, what you’ll find is that our “values” determine our “steps.” The preoccupation of our minds will instruct the steps that we take in our lives.

Your Resting Thoughts

What you do

The actions of your life are the products of your thoughts. They’re the overflow of your values spilling out in your life. There was a preacher that lived during the 1600’s, and he asked a simple question that I want you to consider: “What do you think about when you are not thinking about anything in particular?” That is, what is your resting thoughts? When your mind is free to roam, where does it go? That’s what you value. That’s what will shape your decision-making. That’s what will determine the steps of your life. The way that you think will determine the way that you act. So, if you’re to pray for your enemies and turn the other cheek, your mind better be drifting to the forgiveness you’ve received, not the revenge you want. If you’re to count others more significant than yourself and to deny yourself, your mind better be obsessed with all you have received from Jesus rather than all you hope to buy and obtain. If you’re to have a marriage that looks like the gospel, then your mind better find its default in Jesus’ patience with you and in your complete satisfaction in him.

I wonder today that if we were to see all of your desires and all of your thoughts and values what it would say about where you find your identity. What would they say about what you’re thirsty for and what you’re aimed at? What would they say about who you are?