Colossians 3.1-4
Have you ever heard the expression ‘they’re so heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good’? The expression refers to people who float along through life with their heads in the heavens, and their feet two foot above the ground; they’re no help to anybody. But actually, when I think of people I know who, I would say, are ‘heavenly minded’, they are people who bring so much good and hope to the present.
Today’s passage, Colossians 3.1-4, is a call to lift our eyes above the immediate, the tangible, the visible and to seek the things that are above. Our lives and our futures have been utterly transformed by Christ and therefore we need a complete transformation of our mindset as well. If we have our eyes down and hearts set on earthly things, we will live as if this life is all there is. But if we have hearts and minds set on things above, this will inevitably shape the way we live in this life, as we’ll have our eyes fixed on a far truer reality.
This passage, although only four verses, is packed with truth, both about who we are, and who Jesus Christ is. I’m going to pick out four truths to focus in on from these verses:
Firstly, verse 1 opens with: ‘if you have been raised with Christ…’. Paul is saying that, as believers, we died with Christ and so, inexplicably, we have also been raised with Him. We are new creations. The old is gone and the new is here! We have received new life in Christ and have a hope of one day being resurrected at His return. And so Paul is encouraging the church in Colossae to remember this complete identity change they have undergone and to remember their resurrected reality with Christ.
Secondly, the second half of verse 1 tells us that Jesus has ascended and is now seated at the right hand of God. Jesus has been given the highest honour, praise and glory. He is our Lord, He is our King and He is seated on the throne and has all sovereignty and power. He rules, and he reigns and one day every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is Lord. And it is to this Christ that we are to lift our eyes and our hearts.
Thirdly, verses 2-3 say that we have died and our lives are hidden with Christ in God and therefore we are not to fix our eyes on earthly things. Our old selves have gone and we are now new creations in Christ. Our old lives are hidden, dealt with on the cross. And therefore it would be foolish to fix our eyes on that which is dead and wasting away. We have been raised with Christ and so we should fix our eyes on the things that are above.
Fourthly, Jesus will return. We don’t know when, but we do know that it will happen. But even more than Jesus returning, verse four says that we will be ‘revealed with Him in Glory’. Our hidden-ness will one day be over, Jesus, who is our life, will appear and we will reflect His glory. This truth should shape how we live our lives. This is our destiny, our reality and our future.
These four truths are magnificent, wonderful, awe-inspiring insights into the reality of our world. This is what is true. And yet, the immediate, visible world takes so much of our attention. There’s housework to be done, friends to catch up with, food to buy, Netflix to binge watch, Facebook to scroll down, news articles to read and bills to pay. These things are not all bad but they do trick us into thinking this is all there is.
‘Thought discipline’ comes up elsewhere in the New Testament. 2 Corinthians 10: 5 says ‘we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ’. Philippians 4:8 exhorts us to think about things which are pure, right and praiseworthy. And our passage today encourages us to ‘seek the things that are above’. This is not passive pondering, but active seeking. It takes effort, discipline and practice to learn to have a heavenly mindset.
But we don’t just screw up our fists and think really hard about these truths either. These are heavenly mysteries revealed to us only by the Holy Spirit opening our eyes to the reality of our world. And so we spend time in God’s presence, we spend time in His Word and with His people. We pursue these truths like the treasure that they are. For no matter how enticing our present world may be, the reality is that:
1. Christ has been raised and so will we.
2. Christ ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father
3. Our lives are hidden with Christ
4. He will one day come again in glory and we will be revealed with Him.
This is the reality. This is the truth. Let’s allow our lives, our minds, our actions and our thoughts to be shaped by this reality.
Let’s pray:
Father, we thank you that the truths packed in these four verses are the true reality of our world and our future. We’re sorry for the times when we have lived with our eyes downwards and hearts set on the things of this world. We lift our eyes to you again, we seek you Lord, we long for you. Fill our hearts and minds with your truth and help us to live each day with eyes fixed on our future destiny. In Jesus’ almighty name,
Amen.