Position

The Set Mind

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SO010707

THE SET MIND

Colossians 3:1-4

OUTLINE –

I. RAISED TO LIFE IN JESUS CHRIST (v. 1a).

II. GIVE YOUR ALL TO SEEKING THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE (v. 1b).

III. THE POSITION OF JESUS CHRIST (v. 1c).

IV. A SET AND REASONING MIND WILL BE ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO IT (v. 2).

V. BEING DEAD TO SELF, HIDDEN WITH JESUS CHRIST IN GOD (v. 3).

VI. THE APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST AND BEING WITH HIM (v. 4).

We have looked at the first two chapters and the apostle Paul dealt with the problems of the Gnostics who were involved and committed to teaching error. Denying the Deity of Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ was/is God incarnate [in flesh]; teaching and believing that they were more knowledgeable than even the apostles who had spent time with Jesus, witnessed His resurrection, etc..

Paul has already instilled in the readers of this short and marvelous letter that Jesus is the supreme one; He is our sustenance; He is our sufficiency. There is no mystical message that we need to hear. The message of the Word spoken to us by the apostles and the prophets is the message for God’s people. There is no ritual or religious practice we need do to be right with God. It is solely by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, His burial and His resurrection.

I. RAISED TO LIFE IN/WITH JESUS CHRIST (v. 1a).

A. Since we have died with Him we have also been resurrected with Him, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5).

1. We were dead in trespasses and sin, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…” (Eph. 2:1).
2. Before Jesus came in there was no way for us to acknowledge God, nor to be near Him.

B. There is no question as to the salvation of those to whom Paul is writing; it is clearly addressed to believers.

II. GIVING OUR ALL TO SEEK THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE (v. 1b).

A. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33).

1. Why is it that some sports fans do not mind paying out a couple of hundred dollars for a three hour football game, but will complain when it comes time to give a little to support the cause of Christ?
2. Why is it that vacationers will spend a few hundred dollars, even thousands of dollars, to go away for fun and relaxation, but will not spend a little to take a trip and spend time and money for the cause of Jesus Christ?

B. The answer to these questions is, “Their heart is in the sports, the vacations, etc.”, and not in the things which are above. “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34).
C. Think of the time spent in the ball games, the vacations; the dollars spent.

1. In 1991 there was 2 billion dollars spent on golf, and that same amount was spent on missions within all denominations.
2. Golf has increased in popularity since then I would guess that that dollar amount has quadrupled for golf; but has either decreased or increased very little for missions since that time.

III. NOTICE THE POSITION OF JESUS CHRIST (v. 1c).

A. He has been exalted to the right hand of the Father.

1. Where does Paul say that the believer is in relation to Christ?

a. With Christ.
b. Seated with Christ, “…And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus…” (Eph. 2:6).

2. Stephen the deacon/evangelist saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:55ff).

B. He has been given all things of the Father.

1. All power.
2. All glory.
3. All things.
4. Rule with a rod of iron.

C. Jesus Christ our sufficiency for all things; why should we be seeking anywhere else than those things which are above?

IV. THE SET AND REASONING MIND WILL BE SET ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO IT (v. 2).

A. We are commanded in verse 1 to ‘seek those things which are above’, and then, told here to “Set your affection on things above…”.

1. This answers the Gnostics approach to the physical, antinomian practice of loose living.
2. When the heart and mind are set on the eternal things, then the earthly things for living and life will be right as well.

B. Paul is not commanding something that is not possible.

1. It is possible by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit within all who are born again.
2. Any one who does not have the Holy Spirit does not belong to God – that is; is not born again – “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any one have not the Spirit of Christ, they are none of His” (Rom 8:9).

C. The things of earth are only temporary; the things above are eternal – So which is most valuable?

V. BEING DEAD TO SELF, HIDDEN WITH JESUS CHRIST IN GOD (v.3).

A. Some people have or get the mistaken idea that this life, salvation, eternity, glory, met needs, problems, sorrows, sickness, disease, and such is all about us.

1. It is not: it is about God, His power, His glory, His grace, His will.
2. Originally made to glorify God Adam fell short of God’s glory – He failed to glorify God, and passed that on to us.

B. Jesus died to restore that glory that was taken away because of disobedience and sin.
C. When we die to self we are “Hid with Christ in God”.

1. Since all sin has been judged by Jesus’s death on the cross, there is no sin that will condemn us.
2. Since Jesus died for our sins, we die with Him.
3. Since Jesus rose from the dead, we rise with Him.
4. Since we are hid with Him we are one with Him (1 Cor. 6:17), we are partakers of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), we have understanding (1 Cor. 2:14-16), and we are secure (1 Peter 1:4).

D. The greatest thing about what Jesus did is that we now walk in the glory of the Lord God who created us all.
E. There is certainly no need for the mystic teachings, the denials of the truths of Jesus and His identity as God in flesh for the true believer.

VI. THE APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST AND WE ARE WITH HIM (v. 4).

A. He is our life.

1. Jesus gives all life
2. Jesus gives eternal life.

B. Who or what is the center of your universe – your life? What does your world revolve around?

1. If it is not Jesus, and those things which are above, then you are lost, and headed the wrong direction.

C. Jesus is coming again; will you be with Him at His appearing, or will you be against Him?

SUMMARY –

I. RISEN WITH CHRIST GLORIFY HIM.

II. GLORIFY HIM BY CLINGING TO THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE.

III. REMEMBER YOUR POSITION IN RELATION TO CHRIST – WITH HIM.

IV. WHO, WHAT AND WHERE IS YOUR AFFECTIONS – YOUR HEART – IN RELATION TO JESUS CHRIST?

V. LIVING FOR SELF EQUALS DEATH – LIVING FOR CHRIST YOU ARE HIDDEN WITH HIM IN GOD.

VI. JESUS IS COMING AGAIN; WILL YOU BE WITH HIM, OR WILL YOU BE AGAINST HIM?

-Tim A. Blankenship

Religion Without Jesus

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Religion Without Faith

Romans 2:17-29

In our previous studies of chapter one and the first sixteen verses of chapter two it has been made abundantly clear that the pagan Gentile is vile, wicked, and evil.  In the last study we saw that even the religious Jews were wicked, vile, and evil. In our study of the rest of chapter two we see that there is no hope for the religious person who is wrapped up in their religion.

Let me say at the start here that religion is man’s attempt to gain God’s favor.  What religion actually does is exalt the religious, and steals the glory that belongs solely to the Maker of those who are religious.

Here is an outline of our study –

I. RELIGION HAS A FAULTY CONFIDENCE OF POSITION (vv. 17-20).

1. The Jews had their position in Abraham, loving the position, but despising the responsibility.
2. We all must understand that the law was given to ‘drive’ humankind to God’s grace. See Galations 3:24-25.
3. Overconfidence in the flesh is seen from the prophet Jeremiah’s words to a confident people who were about to go into captivity, “Trust ye not in lying words saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.” (Jeremiah 7:4).
4. They believed themselves to be secure because they were in the presence of the temple of God, and God would not destroy His temple – so they thought.
5. Just because one does good things, lives a good life, and possesses religious objects does not mean they are right with God.

II.  THE CONDEMNATION OF THE LAW (vv. 21-24).

1. The Hebrew religious leaders saw the importance of teaching the law, but did not live it themselves.  They were quick to condemn their people, but would not see their own sin.
2. They developed loopholes for themselves.  With these loopholes – they condemned the people who failed to keep them. You can see one loophole they had for themselves in Mark 7:10-11.
3. These teachers were “proud possessors of the law”.  They were not “doers of the law” (James 1:22-25).  They taught to “Abhor” (hate, despise) idols, but saw no problem with raiding pagan temples, taking the idols within and selling them at a profit, thus, committing sacrilege.  How do we as Christians do some thing which we may despise, yet make profit doing it?

III. RELIGION IS OF THE FLESH; GODLINESS IS OF THE HEART (vv. 25-29).

1. Jewish circumcision was a sign of God’s covenant people.  A mark of being God’s possession. The Jews were to worship and adore God alone, no other.
2. A Gentile who keeps the law has better standing before God – if indeed they could keep the law – than does the Jew who does not keep it.
3. This was a sign of sin which God was dealing with.  There is no salvation in circumcision.  There is, likewise, no salvation in baptism.  Any confidence in these to save is purely religion, and will condemn rather than save.
4. We become the people of God when our stony heart becomes soft and supple before Holy God.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Praying Always for You

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Praying Always For You
Colossians 1:1-8

I. WE ARE SAINTS BY POSITION (vv. 1-2).

A. What we do does not make us a saint, nor does an edict by some religious authority figure make us one.
B. We are placed in the position of saint by the pronouncement of God Himself.
C. It is our justification.

*1. Our sin has been placed to Christ’s account, on the cross;
*2. His righteousness was placed on us [to our account], by the pronouncement of God the Father. “…The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
D. Grace and peace are from God.
*1. If you have grace you can have peace;
*2. If you have real peace – peace with God – you have grace; God’s grace.

II. AS SAINTS WE GIVE THANKS AND PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER (v. 3).

A. As a saint we can go directly to the throne of God; “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
B. You or I need no go between who calls himself a priest – except or Great High Priest who is Jesus Himself.

*1. You and I are priests.
C. We, like Paul, are to give thanks, pray, glorify our Lord and Savior.
D. Pray always for one another.

III. SAINTS OF FAITH, LOVE AND HOPE (vv. 4-5).

J. Vernon McGee writes, “Here Paul links the trinity of graces for believers” (1) faith – past; (2) love – present; and (3) hope – future” (pg. 121).

A. Paul acknowledges the faith of this people – their faith in God and of Christ.

*1. He also acknowledges their “love” for their brothers and sisters in Christ.
B. The last of those attributes mentioned by Paul is “hope”.

*1. The had hope [the church at Colossae].
*2. This hope is the “Blessed hope” that is mentioned by Paul to Titus in chapter 2 verse 13, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ…” (Titus 2:13).

IV. SAINTS WORLDWIDE FRUIT (v. 6).

A. In Paul’s day Rome was “All the world”.

*1. By the time Paul had sent these letters by the hands of Epaphras and the others the gospel of Jesus Christ had spread to every area of the Roman Empire.
*2. It is believed by some that it may have even gone as far as into Great Britain.
B. The fruit of a Christian goes forth and bears more fruit.

V. SAINTS, PRAYING ALWAYS, WILL BE COMPLIMENTARY OF THOSE WHO PROCLAIM GOD’S WORD AND THE GOSPEL (vv. 7-8).

A. Paul credits Epaphras – remember he is probably the pastor of the Colossian church.

*1. He would have been the one God used to bring the gospel to Colossae and saw the bearing of much fruit.
*2. Epaphras is recognized as being a “faithful minister’ and, a “fellow servant”
*3. He is also credited for being the source of information for Paul of the church.

a. Learning from this we see that Epaphras brought nothing negative of the people, but we do know that he brought word of a creeping element of a deceiving, demonic teaching which could cause problems later.
B. Paul had heard the good things about the church.

*1. He commends the pastor/leader.
*2. It is a good lesson to learn – we ought to do no less.

SUMMARY –

I. WE ARE SAINTS BY POSITION NOT BY WORKS.

II. AS SAINTS WE GIVE THANKS.

III. WE ARE SAINTS OF FAITH, LOVE AND HOPE.

IV. AS SAINTS WE BRING FORTH WORLDWIDE FRUIT.

V. SAINTS WILL BE COMPLIMENTARY OF THOSE WHO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL AND PREACH THE WORD OF GOD.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The Preacher in Power With God

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The Man in the Wilderness

“And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.” Matthew 11:7-19 (KJV)

Jesus makes a declaration about the prophet who showed the way to Himself. Jesus’s word is that John was a prophet who stood, and was not swayed by the tide of public, or popular opinion. The “Reed” spoken of by Jesus was native to the country, and was easily bent in every slight breeze. He would not bend to the winds of conformity of the flesh. He would not win any elections. He would not even allow his name to be submitted to any office.

John was not a man who would attend the social events of the season (v. 8). He was not out to win any popularity contest. The people would not have gone to the wilderness to seek the finely dressed. He dressed in “camel’s hair” very similar to Elijah’s apparel. Not the garment of a popular individual, or one seeking popularity.

A prophet of great esteem, that esteem was from the Lord, not men. To be esteemed “the greatest” by the King Himself is certainly the highest of honors. The esteem of man is useless in eternal matters. Because John was the herald of a new covenant, a better way, those in the new are counted greater. John is counted only as a friend of the Bridegroom. Those in the new covenant are the Bride of the Bridegroom.

The people to whom John preached, and to whom Jesus preached were mostly a people who committed a Dereliction of duty. They heard the voice, but the words were of none effect. The nation neglected to heed the message of the prophet (v. 12). Their opinions were on equal ground with the Word of God. Their attitude was, “We will have the kingdom in our own way”. They hated the prophet and this eventually showed up in their hatred for the King. It seems that the message of all the prophets were despised by the nation (v. 13). John’s message is on equal footing with that of Elijah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah to Malachi. His persecution was on equal footing as well. Here are some similarities. 1) John was fearless before Herod – Elijah was fearless before Jezebel’s prophets; 2) John was locked in prison – Jeremiah was put in a pit; 3) John lost his head – Isaiah was probably sawn in two. John preached against the adultery of Herod; as pointed out earlier (14:1-12).

John would have been the one “In the spirit and power of Elijah” if he would have been received (vv. 14-15; Luke 1:16-17). His ministry would have been to turn the hearts of the people back to God. This was accomplished in a small way. There is yet to come another “In the spirit and power of Elijah” who will accomplish his task (Revelation 11:1-14). The message of the prophet is one people must hear and take heed.

This generation of people was likened to spoiled, uncooperative children (vv. 16-17). Likened to children playing wedding game, then others come into the picture, and declare they want to play the funeral game instead. They want to mourn at a time for rejoicing. They want to rejoice at the wrong time and weep at the time of rejoicing. John’s message was one that the Messiah has come, and the people refused to hear it, tearing their garments in grief. When it was declared to them the time for mourning, then they were rejoicing. There is a whole lot of that in the world of 2008.

It seems the religious leaders had no desire for hearing the truth of God’s message from His prophet John. When they did not want to hear they set out to find fault. The prophet because of his “self-control”, lack of fleshly desires, sometimes loud, and “rude” preaching is accused of being demon possessed. Jesus, because He sits and dines with “tax collectors and sinners” is accused of gluttony and drunkenness. By these accusations they are only endeavoring to cover their own sins that have been exposed for what they really are.

Truth always bears fruit. Lies also bear fruit, but none worth having. Truth reveals the good, and exposes the bad. The children of complainers and accusers continue complaining, accusing lives – to eternal condemnation. The children of wisdom are drawn to the Savior. If Jesus and John were the way of these accusations, then, why are lives changed by faith in Jesus. The resurrected, changed life is evidence that the claims of Jesus and John are true and not the claims of the complainants.

-by Tim A. Blankenship