Well, we made it through the first half of the Book of Colossians. Can you talk your way through it? If not, go back to the first couple of chapters and reread. What was your favorite part? I think mine was when Paul burst out in praise “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God…” We looked at much truth in the first two chapters. We found the mystery: “Christ in you the hope of glory.” We learned what not to do. Now, Paul will begin to tell us what we should do! We will camp out in the first few verses of chapter three for at least a couple of weeks because it is sooooo important to our walk in Christ. Let’s begin with verse 1 of chapter 3 (NASB):
“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Before we talk about verse one of chapter 3, I want to take you back to Colossians 2:6-7 “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” As we have received Christ Jesus the Lord (by faith), so walk in Him (by faith). So, how do we walk in Him (by faith)? Well, the rest of chapter 2 told us how not to walk in Him (legalism, mysticism, asceticism). It was almost as if parentheses should be around chapter 2 verse 8 all the way through verse 23. So, it is as if our studied verses this morning should come right after “as you have received Christ Jesus, so walk in Him…” Paul is going to tell us how we walk by faith in Christ.
But before someone can walk in Christ, they have to be in Christ. This is why Paul starts chapter 3 with: “Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ.” Notice, we see the word “if” again. It is also a 1st class conditional clause (Greek grammar) meaning that it is assumed to be true. Paul is telling the believers in Colossae, they have been raised up with Christ. God raised them – just as Christ was raised from the dead physically, we are spiritually raised from the dead by faith in Christ. Paul said this in Ephesians 2:4-6: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved, 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Wow!!! The only other time that verb “raised” is used in the New Testament, besides the two times above, is in the middle of Colossians 2:12 where Paul said “in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God.” Notice, it says “through faith.” The only way that someone is in Christ is if God draws him or her to Himself through faith. So, if you are in Christ, how do you walk in Christ?
Paul commanded the believers to “keep seeking the things above.” The verb means that we are to actively continue to seek things above – it is a command! Paul would say it like this in Philippians 4: 8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” I have much more to say about Colossians 3:1, but we will have to get to it next week. I will leave you with this question: “What are you seeking?”