SERMON GMT14-025
SERIES: Topical Messages:
New Year’s Message
SETTING: North Kelso Baptist Church
SERVICE: Sunday AM (Dec 28, 2014)
SUBTITLE: An Old Message for a New Year
SCRIPTURE: Colossians
3:1-4
SUBJECT: An old message for a new year – what is that old message?
SUMMARY: The resurrection of the believer demands the pursuit
of a new perspective of heart and mind
SCHEME: that believers change the focus of their perspective for earthly to heavenly
_____________________________________________________________
Our theme
is: An
old message for a new year
This
is a good reminder for us all that as 2015 approaches in just 3 days that you
examine the focus of your perspective making whatever changes are, in order not
to lose sight of the freshness of the New Year.
Proposition: The
resurrection of the believer demands the pursuit of a new perspective of heart
and mind
Interrogatory Sentence: What does Paul want us to know
about this new perspective that believers now have as a result of their
resurrection?
Transitional Sentence: The
passage before us identifies four (4) aspects of this new perspective. As we
develop our theme we will clearly understand…
1. Its foundation
2. It’s function
3. It’s format
Colossians 3:1-4
INTRODUCTION
My oldest grandson has
joined the United States Marine Corps on a delayed entry program. He graduates
from high school this spring and then he will leave for boot camp on July 15,
2015. The Marine Corps will ship him to the Marine Corp Recruit Depot at Paris
Island, South Carolina.
Those recruits who fly in or
bus in from around the eastern section of the country and the Midwest will be
picked up and bussed to the training depot. They will get off the bus and be ordered
to stand at attention on yellow foot prints painted on the ground.
From that moment on, they
are no longer civilians. They no longer belong to mom or dad, or wife or
girlfriend. They now belong to Uncle Sam. And from the moment the soles of
their shoes step on those yellow footprints Uncle Sam will be doing everything
in his power to break their will, emotions, ambitions, and perspective from
being a civilian in order to build new emotions, ambitions, and perspective
into them as United States Marines.
This is very similar to what
Paul desires to accomplish in this passage. Believers were once non-believers.
As non-believers, they possessed emotions, ambitions, and a perspective that
was in line with being a non-believer. But, when God, through the Holy Spirit
crushes a sinner, bringing a total awareness of sin, condemnation, and judgment
to the consciousness of a sinner, and through the HS reveals Christ as the only
means of salvation to the sinner, and causes the sinner to call out for
salvation, that sinner by being joined to Christ has new emotions, new
ambitions, and a new perspective.
Now, let’s stop for a minute
before we dive into our text and ask ourselves what makes a man who claims to
have been born again different from someone who has not been born again?
·
A new convert’s hair color doesn’t change
·
A new convert doesn’t automatically or instantly gain or lose weight
·
A new convert does not change his race – he is still black, white, or
brown
So, what changes? What is
different about a new believer?
The answer is simple – and
the answer is summarized for us in 2 Corinthians 5:17.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)
So, what is different? The
thoughts, the ambitions, the emotions, the affections, and the perspective of a
truly born again, or born from above sinner changes. And these things, the
thoughts, the ambitions, the emotions, the affections and the perspective of
the Christian is not set on spiritual things. The born again sinner is no
longer loving the philosophy and the material things of this world.
Our theme today is: An old message for a New
Year.
This
is a good reminder for us all that as 2015 approaches that you examine the
focus of your perspective making whatever changes are needed, in order not to
lose sight of the freshness of the New Year.
Proposition: The
resurrection of the believer demands the pursuit of a new perspective of heart
and mind in the genuinely born again person
Interrogatory Sentence: What does Paul want us to know
about this new perspective that believers now have as a result of their
resurrection?
Transitional Sentence: The
passage before us identifies four (4) aspects of this new perspective. As we
develop our theme we will clearly understand…
1. The Perspective’s Foundation
2. The Perspective’s Function
3. The Perspective’s Format
4. The Perspective’s Finish
And
so, we begin our examination of an old message for a new year. What is that old
message?
Believers
now have a new perspective; a heavenly or spiritual perspective and that new
perspective is only viable and vital when we understand…
1A …it’s Foundation – (the resurrection of the believer) (1a)
ei oun sunhgerqhte cristw, ta anw zhte, ou o xristos en
dezia
“If then you
were raised with Christ…” (Now, let’s
stop there for a minute.)
First
of all, this phrase springs from chapter 2 and verse 20, “Therefore, if you died with Christ…” Paul is not doubting the fact
that these believers have died to Christ no more than he is doubting they have
been raised from the dead with Christ. These verbs assume the fact in question
to be assumed as true. There is no doubt or question being thrown out here by the
Apostle Paul.
But
this brings to the forefront a very, very important principle; those sinners
who have been genuinely born again have been raised up or resurrected from the
dead with Jesus Christ.
This
verb is a very interesting word. It carries the idea “to assist some in getting up.” It also carries the idea of cause
someone to rise up or wake up by the help of someone else.
[For example…]
There
are times that I just don’t get wake up and I need the help of someone else to
wake me up. So, many times Irene will come out and say “It’s 5:00, or get up
you have a meeting today.” She assists me in getting up. We also see this idea
in Exodus 23:5
“If you see the donkey
of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping
it, you shall surely help him with it.” (Exodus 23:5, NKJV)
Picture
this would you, you are walking down a road and you see someone who happens to
hate you for some reason. Not only do you see this dude who hates you, you see
his donkey laying in the road with a pack on its back and it can’t stand up.
Your first thought is to ignore both of them and walk right on by. God says no!
Even if you think for a minute you aren’t going to help them, you are to help
this dude who hates you to get his donkey back up on its feet. In this scenario
you are assisting or helping someone to get up, to rise up.
Why
do I stress this point? Being assisted up from death by Christ is crucial. It
is crucial on two counts. First, it is crucial so as to be a possessor of
eternal life. Second, it is crucial because it is the necessary foundation in
order to have and develop a new perspective.
And
again, this is not creating doubt but assuming a fact to be true.
[For example…]
If
the water on the stove reaches 212 degrees, the water in the pot will boil.
There is no doubt that water will boil at 212 degrees, that is a provable
scientific fact. It is an assumed fact based on the rest of the sentence – the
water will boil.
So,
we see the certainty of the resurrection of the genuine believer. It is not
disputed nor doubted by the Apostle Paul.
Paul
says “…with Christ…” Here is the
cause of the resurrection of the genuine believer. The genuine believer is
raised up by the assistance of Jesus Christ when He arose from the dead.
Let’s
stop here for a minute and talk about this fact that is assumed to be true, the
fact that the genuine believer has been raised from the dead because he was
assisted by Christ.
The
reason that many if not most of the members of our evangelical/fundamental do
not display this new perspective is because they have never been raised up by
the assistance of Christ. We live in an age of easy believism and rampant
semi-pelagic Arminianism.
The
sad and tragic truth is that many people who claim to be believers are not truly
converted.
Matthew 7:21-23 warns us with great
solemnity that not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian. Matthew 13:1-9 illustrates the
reason for this tragic fact.
I
think there are several reasons for this, but I think we can boil them down to
at least two important truths:
First – conviction is not
conversion. Many people will feel bad about their sins, sometimes very bad
about specific sins. But merely being convicted is not enough. Remember when
Paul preached to King Agrippa in Acts 27? What did Agrippa say to Paul? “You almost persuade me to become a
Christian.”
Secondly, it is a miss-handling of
the gospel. In order to get as many “decisions,” “converts,” or “people into
heaven,” we have dumbed-down the gospel. We have done at least three things to
the gospel:
·
We have removed anything that might be offensive – such as repentance
·
We have used the gospel to make promises that aren’t true – wonderful plan
·
We have reduced the gospel to a set of minimal facts to believe
The
trouble with this is the gospel is an offense and is offensive to the sinner. Second, the demons believe these facts
and more, and they even tremble, but they are not redeemed.
Conversion
requires an awareness of one’s sin. Not just individual sins. A sinner must be
convinced of his internal sinful nature that holds him in absolute bondage. A
sinner must by the working of the HS feel the weight of that sin. Otherwise
there would be no conviction what would lead to repentance. There would be
nothing to be saved from,
In
order to be raised, assisted up in resurrection by Christ a sinner must die
first. They only way to day is when the absolute realization of sin bears down
on the sinner.
Romans
7:9 says, “I was alive once without the
law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. (Romans 7:9,
NKJV)
The
law kills self- righteousness and brings deep conviction of sin which causes a
person to cry out as the crowd did when Peter preached in Acts 2:
“Now when they heard this,
they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,
‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’”
The
people in this crowd were convicted of their sin. They felt the weight of their
and the crush of their sin. This conviction caused them to ask, “What do we
do?”
Christ
was revealed to them, to their soul that He was the means of relief from the
crushing burden of their sin and conviction. This is necessary.
If
you ask someone if they are saved and how did they get saved and how do they
know they are saved, you will get some pretty odd answers. Most people will
tell you they prayed the sinner’s prayer, or they responded to an altar call,
or they asked Jesus into their hearts. None of these things are remotely
biblical.
If
you listen carefully to their answers you will find something missing – that is
the testimony of the fact that at some point, by the working of the HS, Christ
was or had been revealed to their soul as the only means of salvation.
It
is not just asking Jesus into your heart or even asking Jesus to save you that
saves you, it is God who makes you alive by His HS and convicts you of your sin
causing you to feel the weight of it, and it is God through His HS that reveals
Christ, His Son to you as the means of salvation.
That
was Christ’s who purpose for coming to this earth – it was to reveal God, to
reveal God the Father. God revealed Christ to Nicodemus when Nicodemus met with
Jesus.
When
Pilgrim carried his burden, his sin and guilt and became aware of its damming
propensity what did he finally acknowledge? That Christ had been revealed to
his soul.
There
is no power in the sinner’s prayer. There is no power or magic in asking Jesus
into your heart. Not to mention there is no biblical precedent for it. The
power is in the working of the HS as He brings soul crushing recognition a
sinner’s guilt and sin, and the power is in the revelation of Christ as the
only means of salvation or redemption.
When
a sinner has been brought to this point, when the sinner has been crushed by
his sin and guilt, and when the sinner cries out what do I do, and when Christ
has been revealed to his soul, then you can tell the sinner, ‘Repent and call
upon the name of the Lord. “For whoever
calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13, NKJV)
Not
when you walk an aisle, respond to an altar call, pray a sinner’s prayer, or
even ask Jesus in your heart, but when you, after conviction by the HS and the
revelation of Christ, cry out to God for forgiveness and repent, then there is
true conversion and your soul is safe in Christ. Then you have died with Christ
and have been assisted in rising up from the dead and that fact can be assumed
to be true.
“If then you
were raised with Christ…” That is the certainty
of your resurrection because the cause
of your resurrection is Christ and not some dumbed-down, inoffensive, set
of facts.
By
the way, this is why I don’t support most children’s ministries and I don’t
believe most children’s conversions are real. Most children cannot understand
and come to grip with sin, the sin nature, the wrath and condemnation of God on
the sinner and understanding the revelation of Christ to their soul as the
divine mediator.
I
think that most decisions kids make are induced and only serve to inoculate the
child from the gospel. I say most only because God can and does do miracles.
I
want to move on, but let me say two things at this point:
·
I do not want to upset or create doubt or fear in anyone concerning
their salvation
·
If your salvation experience doesn’t include this awareness of sin and
the revelation of Christ to your soul, you may not be converted.
So,
the foundation of our new perspective is the fact that you were raised up with
Christ.
Our theme today is: An old message for a New Year.
This
is a good reminder for us all that as 2015 approaches that you examine the
focus of your perspective making whatever changes are needed, in order not to
lose sight of the freshness of the New Year.
Proposition: The
resurrection of the believer demands the pursuit of a new perspective of heart
and mind in the genuinely born again person
Let’s continue to examine of an old message
for a new year. What is that old message?
Believers
now have a new perspective; a heavenly or spiritual perspective and that new
perspective is only viable and vital when we understand…
2A … It’s Function – (maintain the proper perspective) (1b-2)
There
seems to be at least two functions that serve to maintain the proper
perspective of a genuine believer. The first function enables us to:
To maintain our perspective
by the command to Seek
ta anw zhte, ou o xristos en dezia
“…seek above
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.”
The
Word that Paul used for seek was used in various contexts. When it was used in
a “religious” context it denoted “seeking” of something that was lost, view a
view of saving it or retrieving it. The idea is related to a general search of
quest, or if this helps of investigation.
Interestingly
enough, this verb is related to prayer. Prayer in the sense of seeking God. We
can see this meaning portrayed in:
Pagans
who seek or search for food and clothing – FOR EXAMPLE
“Therefore do
not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What
shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek…” (Matt 6:31-32a)
Stop
and think about it for a moment how do pagans, or gentiles seek or search after
food, clothing, or something to drink? Relentlessly, with great energy and with
great ingenuity. They had to plant, hunt, fish, or spend great amount of time
and energy in seeking out food, clothes, and drink.
We
have another illustration of what Paul meant in Matthew 13:45-46
“Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he
found one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
How
do you think a merchant would seek or search for pearls?
My
wife and I got hooked on a Discovery channel reality show called Gold Rush. We
watch it most Friday nights. Even in 2014 it is backbreaking, nerve-wracking,
energy sapping work to get the gold out of the ground and to turn it into gold
dust which is then melted down into bars. It is excruciating work!
The
Gentiles seek, search, or investigate the procuring of food, clothes, and drink
many times under difficult circumstances. The merchants who seek, search, or
investigate after pearls do so under server circumstances.
Paul
tells the Colossian Christians to seek, search, and investigate with the view
of recovering any and all that we need under the most difficult circumstances.
So,
what is it that we are to seek after so diligently? “…those things which are above…”
In
a minute Paul is going to use another word. On the surface it might look like
he is saying the same thing. He really isn’t. Our word seek refers to emotion
or affections. We are not to set our emotions or our affections on the things
of this earth, but our affections, our deep seated emotions are to be placed on
the things of God.
First
of all – What are those things?
Look
at the phrase: “…where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.”
Paul
is using the image of Christ seated next to God where God is on His throne. The
right hand can refer to a couple of things. The first thing it can refer to is
“power.” The right hand of someone is a place of power.
It
can also be used to denote position or privilege of position. F. F. Bruce says,
“Because He has been
elevated to the position of the highest sovereignty over the universe, He
pervades the universe with his presence.” [1]
Paul
argues that Christ was the preeminent one over all natural creation. So the
idea that we take from this is that Christ is ruler of all things.
So
the command to seek the things above calls us to focus on the things that
related to the rule of Christ in this world. Since Jesus is sovereign, the
genuine Christian is to focus on the things that concern Jesus Christ.
Although
we live in this fallen world, the affairs, philosophies, and ideologies of this
world should not occupy our perspective, or our minds, or our thoughts. The
values of a genuine believer are different. So our energies are to be
concentrated on the things that pertain to the sovereign rule of Christ on this
earth.
Yes
it is true that Jesus Christ is sovereign. Yes it is true that he is working to
accomplish his eternal plans, but it is equally true that He uses believers to
accomplish those eternal plans,
Why wouldn’t we week those
things that pertain to Christ and His rule?
·
It may be that some who say they are Christians are not genuine
Christians
·
It may be spiritual immaturity, some Christians grow slower than others
·
It may be laziness –
·
It may be an attempt to have a divided mind, James calls it a
“two-souled person” or a “doubled minded man”,
a person who tries to have some thoughts in heaven and thoughts on this
earth
·
It could be some believers are entrapped in sin and need to deal with
it
So,
the first function that helps the genuine believer maintain a proper
perspective is to seek diligently and earnestly after the things that pertain
to the sovereign rule of God on this earth.
The
second function that helps the genuine believer maintain a proper perspective
is found in verse 2
ta anw froneite, mh ta epi ths ghs
“Set your mind
on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Paul
moves from the emotions or affections to our intellect or our mind, our
thinking process.
Our
word is a word that was used of and related to “diaphragm.” Remember the Greeks
considered the organs of the bowels to be the “set of emotions.” Primarily
because that is where we usually feel or experience our emotions, in our
stomach or inner organs.
What
does the diaphragm do and how does it relate to what Paul is telling the
Colossians? The diaphragm determines the strength and the nature of the breath.
Singers and speakers use the diaphragm in various ways to project sound or
speech. The strength and nature of the seat of our thoughts or thinking process
is controlled by the human spirit and emotions.
The
inner part, our mind, our consciousness, our understanding is related to the
thought of the seat of spiritual/intellectual experiences. This concept was
meant to relate the intellectual activity and it came to be associated with
thinking.
Why
was this such an issue for Paul and why would it be important to us today?
Remember,
at the time Paul wrote this letter he is in prison. Colossae was a small town
in the Lycus Valley in Asia Minor. It neighbored Laodicea.
No
record of how this church began. While Paul ministered in Ephesus a number of
people were made Christians. Two of these people were Philemon and Epaphras.
The both seemed to be active in sharing the gospel that they had come to
believe.
Paul
never visited this church. But the little Church developed problem, especially
with false teachers. So Epaphras who probably started and pastored this church
traveled from Colossae to Rome to seek help from the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote
this letter in response to the report that Epaphras had made.
What were the problems?
The
main problem centered on one thing that several affects: syncretism. What is
syncretism? Syncretism is the mixing of ideas from philosophy, mythology, and
other religious systems with biblical truths.
Remember,
the church at Colossae had Greeks, Jews, Phrygia, and many other pagan people
who became Christians but brought their past ideas into the church.
These
believers tried to cling to their own ideas and wanted to incorporate them into
Christianity. Some of them tried to bring into the church and incorporate such
things as:
·
Circumcision
·
Jewish food laws
·
Angel philosophy and worship
·
Asceticism
·
Human wisdom
Paul’s
point is to take a fresh hold on Christ. Seek God’s sovereign will with great
affection and love for God and His position as sovereign. And set your thinking
process on the intellectual things of God.
·
You cannot compromise biblical truth with philosophy or legalism
·
You must reject ego-centric thinking for Christo-centric thinking
·
Christ is our life now as genuine believers and controls both our
emotions/affections and our thinking process
If
we do attempt to integrate biblical truths with philosophical, legalism,
mythology, and anything else it affects vital life issues such as:
·
The corruption of priorities and perspectives
·
Our union with Christ
·
The death and resurrection of the believer with all of its implications
·
Our attitude to the death of Christ and His subsequent resurrection
This
is what happened to the church at Rome by the way. The very church that Paul
wrote his greatest letter to, the letter that we will studying beginning next
week, was rendered useless by syncretism.
By
450 AD the church at Rome integrated Jewish theology, legalism, asceticism,
mythology with biblical truth and produced what is known today as Roman Catholicism.
Seven
Day Adventist is a result of mixing Jewish theology, legalism, and food laws
with some biblical truths.
All
false religions have done this. Every one of them!
Our theme today is: An old message for a New
Year.
This
is a good reminder for us all that as 2015 approaches that you examine the
focus of your perspective making whatever changes are needed, in order not to
lose sight of the freshness of the New Year.
Proposition: The
resurrection of the believer demands the pursuit of a new perspective of heart
and mind in the genuinely born again person
Believers
now have a new perspective; a heavenly or spiritual perspective and that new
perspective is only viable and vital when we understand…
It’s
foundation – the resurrection of the believer in Christ
It’s
function – seeking with the emotions and setting with the mind on the Christ
Now,
thirdly, that new perspective is only viable and vital when we understand…
3A …IT’S FORMAT (the union of the believer) (3)
The
format of our perspective is seen in two things, our passing or our death in
Christ, and in our position, hidden in Christ. Let’s look first at our passing.
appeqanete gar
“For you
died…”
The
sad truth is many if not most believers do not understand this principle.
The
old you died. What and who you were as a man of Adam died. This is the reason
that we are to refuse to love the world and to love the things of God and this
is why we are to reject the things of this world and to set our thinking
process on the things of God and not on the intellectual things of this world.
To
have died or to be dead is a strong expression by Paul to say that the world
and its philosophies have no influence on you, no forcible control.
For
example, a man that is dead in uninfluenced and unaffected by the things in
this world. Sadly, tragically, the two NYC cops that were murdered by
assignation are no longer influenced by any executive orders of their chief,
mayor, or President Obama. They are unaffected by lust, envy, anger, or desire.
Why? They are dead.
A
dead man is unaffected by sounds, tastes, pleasures, pain, business or
friendship. Sadly, when the family and friends of those two murdered cops file
past them they will not be affected by the grief, the tears, the wailing, the
anguish, or the words of any person passing by their casket.
When
God through His Holy Spirit made you alive and a Christian, in some way, you were
crucified and killed with Christ on the cross. As a man of Adam you died and
you re now a man of Christ.
The
question is how shall you, who have died, continue to love the world, the
things in the world, and to love its philosophies and ideologies? Yu are to be
abhorred by them.
So
what’s the problem? Paul also that we to consider, or reckon or bank on our
having died with Christ. The problem is much of the time we do not consider, or
reckon or bank on the reality that we have died to this world and all that is
in it when we died in Christ.
How
do we respond to and understand our new perspective? By understanding our
passing or our death. There is a second way, and that is seeing the second
portion of the format, and that is…
…in our position
kai h zwh umwn kekruptai sun tw cristw en tw qew
“…and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Our
life has been hidden in God with Christ. Hidden – “to lay one on another” “to
cover” “to conceal” When it was used in ancient times it carried the idea of
“to cover protectively.”
For
example:
When
Moses’ mother hid him in the little basket in the river she just didn’t throw
him in something and covered him up haphazardly. She carefully placed him in
the basket and concealed him with protective covering.
Hiding
can be for selfish reasons – we can hide something to keep others from finding
it.
Robbers
and thieves have caches, caves, secret places where they hide or conceal
treasure
Matthew
13:44 speaks of hiding treasure:
“Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and
hid: and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that
field.”
First
the treasure had been hidden and protected from everyone up to the point this
man found it. He re-hid it and then bought the field so he could keep the
treasure for himself.
Our
new life is hidden protectively in God with Jesus Christ. God is not going to
lose Christ, and God will not lose us. Our new perspective is shaped and
maintained by the fact that we have died to this world and are no longer
affected by it and the new life we have is safe and secure by Christ in God.
So,
because you are dead to this world and it has no effect on you and because you
are hidden in God with Christ in a very protective manner, seek with your
emotions – love the things of God, and set your thinking process on the things
of God.
Our theme today is: An old message for a New
Year.
This
is a good reminder for us all that as 2015 approaches that you examine the
focus of your perspective making whatever changes are needed, in order not to
lose sight of the freshness of the New Year.
Proposition: The
resurrection of the believer demands the pursuit of a new perspective of heart
and mind in the genuinely born again person
Let’s continue to examine of an old message
for a new year. What is that old message?
Believers
now have a new perspective; a heavenly or spiritual perspective and that new
perspective is only viable and vital when we understand…
4A …IT’S FINISH (our appearance in glory w/Christ (4)
otan o cristos fanerwqh h zwh hmwn
“When Christ who is our life appears…”
The
culmination of the finish line of having a proper perspective is the confidence
that we as believers have in the appearing of Christ a second time.
This
is important, isn’t it? It is important because this aspect of this old message
is the catalyst for our submission, service, and sacrifice in this Christian
life. We maintain the proper perspective because Christ is coming back. And he
will be holding us accountable.
Here
is the reason for a new set of values. This is why we set our emotions and our
mind on the things of God rather than this world. Christ is returning for those
who are genuine believers.
This
is why the things of this world, which we at one time thought of as so
important, are no longer worried about by believers. This is why the ambitions
of the world will not affect the genuine believer. Christ will appear a second
time to finally redeem His people.
The
genuine believer will use the things of the world and in a new way. But the
genuine believer is not dominated by them. Because we are motivated by the
promise of the returning Christ.
Christ
is the life of genuine believers. Remember what Paul said to the Philippians?
“For me to
live is Christ…” (Phil 1:21)
Prior
to writing to the Philippians, Paul had told the Galatians;
“It is no
longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)
We
can understand this right? We hear all the time people say, “Music is my life!”
or “Sports if my life!” or “He lives for his work.” Well, for the genuine
Christian, Christ is his life.
The
genuine Christian sets his mind and emotions (heart) on Godly things and not on
the things of this world, because the genuine Christian judges everything in
light of the Cross and in the light of the soon appearing of Jesus Christ.
It
is only natural then that the genuine believer looks up and not around. Christ’s
return is certain, we just don’t know when He will appear for us. Since we don’t
when His return will occur we need to constantly keep our mind and heart on
heavenly things.
Now,
not only is Christ returning a major reason to maintain a proper perspective,
but we also see a need when we realize…
Genuine Believers will
appear with Christ and be glorified!
tote kai umeis sun autw fanerwqhsesqe en doxn
“…then you
will also will appear with Him in glory.”
One
day we will be glorified as Christ is glorified. Genuine believers have died
with Christ, they have been resurrected with Christ, and they ascended with
Christ. Genuine believers have a positional oneness with Christ.
On
that day the values, the goals, the objectives, and the sacrifice of separation
and holiness will be vindicated. The unbelievers will not that Jesus is Lord
and they will know that we correctly based our lives on true principles. They will see that genuine believers built
their lives on the correct foundation. They will see that the lives, ambitions,
and obedience of the genuine believer were energized by Christ through the HS.
Until
then the Christian life is hidden to them and the lost do not understand it.
The
day that Christ, who is our life, appears, they will also appear with Christ.
That means what we are position ally, which is hidden from the world, will be
revealed openly and we will be made known. This glory comes from the total
transformation of the person. This glorification will be made known by the
transformation of our bodies into the immortal and incorruptible body.
William
Hendriksen had this to say;
“Though the world will never
be able to see the closeness of the inner relationship between believers and
their Lord, the outward expression of this inner relationship the glory, will
one day become clear to all: When Christ who is our life is manifested, then
you will also will be manifested with him in glory. This cannot mean identity.
To say that our life is “the extension” of Christ’s life is ambiguous. Christ
and we are not the same in essence, as are the Father and the Son. The life of
Christ – hence, Christ himself – is, however, the Source and Pattern of our
life, Moreover, through the Holy Spirit and Spirit given faith, Christ is most
closely united with us, and we with him.” [2]
This
is why genuine believers seek heavenly things with their emotions and
affections and why they set their mind/intellect on heavenly things. Genuine
believers have a greater destiny than the lost, genuine believers will be
glorified one day when Christ, who is their life appears. We are being prepared
for eternity. Live like it!
“Then the
righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father…” (Matthew 13:43, NKJV)
“…and if
children, then heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer
with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:17, NKJV)
“”…who will
transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body,
according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to
Himself.” (Ph.
3:21, NKJV)
It
is not easy is it? Even though Paul preached so strenuously against loving this
world and living by its principles, it is still a challenge, this world tempts
us, our flesh tempts us, and people all around us tempt us.
So
the reward, the final result, the product, the finish of our maintaining a
proper perspective is that Christ is returning for us and we will be glorified
as He is glorified.
Our theme has been: An old message for a New
Year.
This
is to be a good reminder for us all that as 2015 approaches that you examine
the focus of your perspective making whatever changes are needed, in order not
to lose sight of the freshness of the New Year.
Proposition: The
resurrection of the believer demands the pursuit of a new perspective of heart
and mind in the genuinely born again person
Believers
now have a new perspective; a heavenly or spiritual perspective and that new
perspective is only viable and vital when we understand; its foundation, its
function, its format, and its finish.
[Well,
let’s wrap this up, shall we?]
CONCLUSION
As
we look toward 2015, we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks,
365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift
from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like
the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.
The gift of time is not ours alone. It is
given equally to each person. Rich and poor, educated and ignorant, strong and
weak—every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day.
Another important thing about time is that
you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it.
Time marches on.
And you cannot bring back time. Once it is
gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is
uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year’s block of time, but we really have
no guarantee that we will experience any of it.
Obviously, time is one of our most precious
possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on
ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God.
The
New Year is a block of time. How we use 2015 or whether we waste it or worry
over it or spend it on ourselves or invest it in spiritual things depends on
our perspective. I hope this old message for a new year helps you maintain a biblical
perspective.
[Exhortation…]
And So, I
exhort you as genuine believers grasp onto this old message for a new
year and maintain a biblical perspective of seeking with your affections the
things of God and setting your mind/intellect on spiritual things.
Remember
the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14…
“Brethren, I do not
count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind ad reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press
toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians
3:13, 14, NKJV)
Let’s
pray! J
Benediction Blessing:
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love
of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all! (2 Corinthians
13:14, NKJV)
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