Colossians 3:1-17- Reaching higher?

    Colossians 3:1-17

           Psalm 110

     Reaching higher?

Religion teaches us that if we work harder, we will reach higher.

The bible teaches us that if we know who we are in Jesus, we will bow lower.

Religion: work harder: reach higher

Jesus: rest in who you already are in Him: bow lower.

Buddhism is the classic religious system.

Buddhism teaches, that if you meditate long enough, rid yourself of all your thoughts, you can eventually reach that place of nirvana, that true inner peace, that true enlightenment.

If you think about it, religion such as Buddhism is quite selfish, it is all geared towards the individual’s peace and that peace is apparently achieved by sitting on your own on a mat, legs folded, contributing nothing to society.

The bible teaches, the opposite, the bible teaches that we already have peace with God in Christ, and when we know that truth, we live that truth out in our communities for the common good.

Religion teaches that if we work harder, we will reach higher.

The bible teaches us that is we know who we are in Jesus, we bow lower.

Just think upon the example of Jesus himself with his friends.

We can read from John 13, the time when Jesus washed his disciples feet.

Jesus had just enjoyed a meal with his friends, and then he took a towel, tied it around his waist, got on his hands and knees and started to wash the dirty, stinky feet of his friends: he even washed the feet of Judas, whom he knew was going to betray him.

But perhaps what was more remarkable than the act was what John wrote before Jesus did it.

Look at John 13:3 with me:

Jesus, knowing that the father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God…..washed his disciples feet

Jesus knew who he was. He knew where he was from, He knew where he was going, he knew that all authority in heaven and earth belonged to him, and so what did he do?

Sit on mat meditating to reach some higher state?

No, he couldn’t reach any higher…..no, he bowed lower and washed his disciples feet.

As we mentioned last week, there was some sort of weird false teaching that was happening in the local church in Colossae in the first century.

Chapter 2 verse 8 describes it as some sort of philosophy and empty deceit, some sort of human tradition, some sort of teaching of elemental spirits.

It was perhaps similar false teaching that was happening in the church at Corinth at the same time, which probably boiled down to what most religions teach- you had to work harder, meditate longer, perform more rituals if you wanted to reach the next spiritual level.

It was probably some sort of teaching that insisted you had to go through certain levels of spirituality before you reached nirvana.

And so to combat this false teaching, Paul told the church at Colossae, something which would have blown their minds.

Look at what Paul wrote in Colossians 3:1

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Paul told the local church at Colossae, that they have already been raised with Christ (past tense) and Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

In the scriptures and in particular- Psalm 110, whenever sitting at the right hand is mentioned, it is linked with authority, kingship, judgment and rule.

And so when Paul tells us that we have already been raised with Christ, he also means as he tells us in Ephesians 2:6, that we have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (past tense).

Now before we explore what that looks like for us, living in this world now and yet also seated with Christ in the heavenly places, it is really important we understand this point.

Since we have already been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, we have already reached the top of the spiritual ladder, we have already been given all the spiritual enlightenment we need and so we don’t need to work to reach a higher level- we are already there- we have been raised with Christ. There is no-one higher, there is no-one greater.

When Christ came down to this earth from heaven, he stepped off his throne in heaven and rescued us, he lifted us up to heaven.

We did not reach up to heaven, but heaven came down and lifted us up.

And how did Jesus do that?

Through his death and resurrection.

Look at verse 3 with me:

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God

Just as we have been raised with Christ into the heavenly realms, we also died to our sins.

So what does that mean- to have died in Christ and to be raised with Christ- notice it is all past tense.

It means this:

As Christians we are living in two realms at the same time.

In one sense our lives our hidden in Christ in the heavenly realm, and yet we also live in the earthly realm, where sin still reigns.

And so Paul reminds us that if we remember that we belong to the heavenly realm, even though we live in the earthly realm, then it will help us to live better in the earthly realm: that is why Paul encourages us set our minds on things above, not on things that are on earth (verse 2).

You may have heard the saying, “they are so heavenly minded- that they are of no earthly good”

What nonsense…..the truth is, the more heavenly minded you are- the more earthly good you will do.

Schools and hospitals were started by people who were heavenly minded.

Orphanages were started by people who were heavily minded.

The American slave trade was brought to a stop by people who were heavenly minded.

And this is the point Paul was making to the local church at Colossae.

The more you know who you are in Christ, the more earthly good you will do.

Just look at how “plain ordinary” Paul expects the saints to be.

Look at verse 12 and 13 with me:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another, and if one had a complaint about another, forgive each other as the Lord has forgiven you.

Paul doesn’t peddle the lie, that the saints have reached some nirvana, and that they should sit in a corner and meditate, and all is a bed of roses, NO… he assumes that because the saints still live in this earthly realm, then they are still going to deal with sin, relationships will still be hard, and this is why he tells them to bear with one another.

They have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms and so Paul tells them to forgive one another as they continue to sin against one another- either deliberately or not.

He was telling them- you know who you are in Christ- now bow lower.

When Paul told the church to bear with one another, he was probably talking about accepting each other’s differences. Differences which caused different groups to be separated in society, Paul urged them to look past those boundaries, since they have been united in Christ.

Look at verse 11 with me:

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Paul mentions groups of people that would be separated in society, in the earthly realm.

Jews did not mix with gentiles (or greeks) since they considered them unclean.

Circumcised did not mix with uncircumcised- this was just another way of expressing Jew and gentile. Barbarians were considered the low class of society that the higher class dis not associate with.  Salves and free people were separate.

These groups showed that in the realm of the world, people were separated and their value depended on class, or skin colour or status and yet in the heavenly realm, none of those categories define your place in the kingdom- only your connection with Jesus is what counts.

For the first time in history, Jews who had come to faith in Jesus, where worshipping God with gentiles. This was a momentous time in history.

Was it awkward, uncomfortable for some? May be- and this is why Paul urged them to bear with one another. Bear with one another’s differences.

When we know that we have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, it will help us to bow lower and bear one another’s burdens.

I must confess, I just don’t like the sound of a bagpipe- to me it sounds like a cat being strangled.

Although for some, the bagpipe may be their choice instrument for worship and so how should I respond? Knowing that I am already seated with Christ, I bear the bagpipes for the sake of my brothers and sisters.

I must confess, I find the whole kilt thing weird, men in dresses I just find weird. But for some, the kilt is the choice mode of dress.

How do I respond, bear the kilt for the sake of my brother.

And here is the amazing thing about bearing with one another.

As we come together and are united in Christ, it really is a powerful witness to the world.

When the first Jews and gentiles met together in Christ, it must have been a powerful witness to the world. As we gather together in this place, young and old, men and women, black and white, left and right, rich and poor, it must be a powerful witness to the world, it is a witness, that we have Christ as our head who binds us together.

By the way, this unity that we have in Christ as God’s people is not separate from the identity of God’s people that existed before Christ came down to this earth.

Just look again at how Paul described the local church at Colossae in verse 12

God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved…..

This is what God called the nation of Isreal- the chosen ones, chosen from all the nations of the earth, holy, set apart for him, beloved, his firstborn beloved son.

Friends, as we know the truth that we have been raised with Christ and have died in Christ, we will as Paul says, put to death things that are of this earthly realm like, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, jealousy and idolatry and we will put on kindness, humility and compassion to name just a few.

Or to put it another way, as we know the truth that we have been raised with Christ, we will become more and more like Jesus- the heavenly man.

This is what verse 10 tells us, Look at verse 9-10 with me:

9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self[d] with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 

There is a huge debate in our world at the moment, about what exactly “humanity” is.

What does it mean to be human?

Unfortunately some think that at the core of humanity is your sexuality.

It isn’t- sexuality is part of your humanity, but it’s not the core.

Unfortunately some people think that your skin colour is at the core of humanity.

It isn’t- your skin colour is part of humanity, but it’s not the core.

Friends, the bible tells us that the core of humanity is being made in the image of God.

God made us all in his image- male and female he made in his image and yet sadly our sin has broken that image but thankfully, praise be to God, we don’t have to work our way, of piecing that image back together, but Jesus, and only Jesus, has restored that image for us.

That image of our creator- Jesus is still veiled in this earthly life, and so our life is hidden in Christ, but one day, when Christ appears (verse 4) and we appear with Him in Glory, that perfect image of our creator will be fully revealed.

Friends, set your minds on that truth from above and God, and may it help us to bow lower in this earthly life.

Let us pray.