If you would turn your Bible
to Colossians 3, Colossians 3. Hopefully I have some good news
for you this evening. We'll read the first four verses
of Colossians 3. If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, excuse me, when Christ, who is our life, shall
appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory. This current
world we live in is filled with agony, sadness, pain, evil, disease,
tears, distractions, and so on. Ultimately, it is sin. When a
body is stricken with cancer, that's sin. The distractions
of this world, politics, recreation, hobbies, sports, serpents, plentiful
fruit, and more could go on. All the things that take our
attention away from Christ. The title of this message is
Looking to Christ. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent
took the attention of God Almighty away from Adam and Eve with false
promises of ye shall be as gods. In and of ourselves, we want
to be gods. In the garden, all mankind died
in Adam, our first death. But when the Spirit of God sends
forth an effectual call of his saving grace to a sinner, that
sinner truly sees who and what they are, and they have no other
choice but to look to Christ. Christ is their all in all. Man sees what they are and who
Christ is, and what Christ has done for His elect, those the
Father gave to Him. The sinner is given a heart of
belief, a belief in Jesus Christ. Galatians 2.16 says, knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not
by the works of law. For by the works of law shall
no flesh be justified. When a sinner is made to believe,
it's not a decision the sinner made on their own. I don't have
the ability to bring myself to Christ. or believe in Christ. I need the Spirit of God to reach
down and place the grace of God in me. Show me who and what I
truly am. I am a speck, a tiny spot, and
I doeth no good. And I need a Savior to save me
from my sins. Tell you what, there is such
a one, and that's a capital O. There is one. His name is Jesus
Christ. He is the God-man mediator, the
son of the living God. His name is Jesus. That means
Savior. He shall save his people, the
Messiah, the anointed one. When the Lord brings trials and
tribulations, what say we? How will we respond? With anger? With sadness? With fig leaves? or with faith, not faith of ourselves,
but faith of Jesus Christ. In Hebrews, we see where the
Lord has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. If he
will never leave us, then why would we be of little faith?
If we look to Christ, the son of the living God, the beginning
and author, the finisher, what have we to be concerned with?
I have the strong arm of the trying God on my side, what have
I to worry of? I need to continue looking to
Christ and never take my eyes away, the same as when we enter
glory. some context of what I'm about
to say. Shortly after I became a believer, and I was a young
believer, and my great aunt Martha, she passed away. And Southern
Baptist, false religion, my entire, both sides of my family, mom,
dad in it. And the person leading that funeral,
we'll not call him a pastor, made this comment that I'm about
to say, but I am not going to meet up with my great aunt Martha
making banana pudding in heaven, no. My attention is gonna be
on my savior, my redeemer, my heavenly father, my creator,
praising his omnipotence. I will be singing victory, oh
victory in Jesus, my savior, forever. As we go to our text
in Colossians 3.1, I'm gonna break these down piece by piece.
It says, first off, if ye then be risen with Christ. Romans 6.5 says, for we have
been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall
be also in the likeness of his resurrection. When we believe
on and look to Christ and Christ alone, We are planted together,
just like soil and a plant, and you put it in there, it's fixed,
and you keep watering it, and it grows. We are planted together
in Christ, in Christ only. Colossians 2.12 says buried. with him in baptism, wherein
also are risen with him through the faith of the operation of
God, who hath raised him from the dead. The water baptism,
when a believer has made a profession of faith in Christ, is a representation
of all of our sins being buried with Christ. Christ died for
all his elect, all his sheep. and their sins then were buried. When he arose, all their sins
were left behind. Through faith in Christ Jesus,
we are able to see ourselves crucified, buried, and risen
with Christ. This is not just any faith. As
the verse says, it says, wherein also are risen with him through
the faith of the operation of God. This is through the faith
of the operation of God. Back to our text, it says, seek
those things which are above. Seek. If you look at the Blue
Letter Bible, it says seek is in order to find, aim at, to
crave. Seeking those things above. Many
people describe this book as history, and partially, but more
truly, Genesis 1 all the way to Revelation 22, it is his story. One of the widest publicized
books in the world, easily recognizable, probably easiest to get. You
can get it on a tablet. You can get it in book form, your phone. Why do more people seek him?
Because they don't want to. This temporal world is more important.
Trying to knock the bucket list out, get as many likes as they
can. They just won't seek. In Isaiah 55, 6, it says, seek
ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is
near. Allow me, dear Lord, to seek
his story while he is near. Matthew 6, 31. Let's just turn
there together so we can read it together. I've got a couple
of verses. If I have one or two, I may not, but I know I like
to see it. This is a wonderful verse. I
mean, they all are. Matthew 6, 31. Therefore, take no thought, saying,
what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or wherewith
shall we be clothed? For after all these things did
the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness, his righteousness, and all these
things shall be added unto you. Seek, crave, aim first for the
kingdom of God. This has nothing to do with man's
works, but everything to do with looking to Christ. I need Christ
in my life, I am nothing without him. Back to our text, in verse one
it says, at the end, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of
God. At this very moment, Christ is
at the right hand of God. No matter what happens in this
world, changes in rulers, tragedy in a man's eyes, Christ is still
at the right hand of God. Remember, I will never leave
you nor forsake thee. There's a story I've heard several
times, and some of you may have heard it also. Brother Henry
Mahan had a son who died in Vietnam, and a person who hated the gospel
said to Brother Mahan, where was your God when your son died?
And he said, the same place where he was when his son died, seated
on the throne of God. In the lowest times of a parent,
losing a child, but faith, looking to Christ, not in himself, but
faith of Christ, Christ Jesus and his Heavenly Father. In Colossians
3, 2, it says, set your affection on things above. Not on things
of the earth, set. It's very similar to seek. When
I was looking at this, I was like, set, seek. They're close
to each other, but there's a little difference. Set is direct one's
mind to a thing, to seek. Similar, to strive for. Set your
affection or your mind on things above, not on things of the earth.
Any move away from Christ, any move is a downgrade. Any move
away from Christ is a spirit of apostasy. When I first heard
that, I was like, wow. That word, like, hmm. So I looked
it up. A spiritual influence that leads
people to abandon their faith. I pray that never happens. That's
the worst. Let's turn to Matthew 6. We'll
read a couple verses there. Once again, we're talking about
setting our affection on things above, not on things of the earth.
And we start in verse 19. of Matthew 6, and it says, lay
not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through
nor steal. For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also. Man's always seeking out some
type of treasure or reward in this pitiful world. However,
the believer, a child of God, has a treasure awaiting them
in their heavenly home in eternity. Christ is our treasure. He is
our heart. This world is not our reward.
Christ, Christ is our reward. In Colossians 3, 3 it says, I'll
give you a second to get back over there, my apologies. In Colossians 3, verse 3 it says,
four, Ye are dead, and your life is
hid with Christ in God. Four, because ye are dead, your
life is hid with Christ in God. What a beautiful verse. I know
without Christ, I am dead. He doesn't stop there, though.
He says, your life is hid with Christ in God. Galatians 2.20
says, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. In the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. Why do we love Christ? Because
he first loved us and gave himself for us. The Father sent the Son
to be crucified. His elect were crucified with
Him, yet they still live. My old man is still with me.
He will be with me until my very last breath in this world. But the life I live in the flesh
is lived by the faith of the Son of God." Faith of the Son
of God. You hear faith in Christ, faith
of, but I was talking to Brother Martin the other day as we were
going over my notes and things, and just of, faith of, of what
he accomplished, doing everything the Father sent him to do, taking
on the whole body of sin of his elect. He had the faith in his
father's will. He came to do his father's business,
and when it was done, he said, it is finished. There's nothing
else to do. Nothing for me. If I did it,
as my bonus dad said, if I did anything, I'd mess it all up.
He finished it all. Turn to Romans six, please. In Romans six, beginning of verse
five, it says, I started this verse in the very beginning,
but it just goes with this entire passage. So I'm gonna read the
whole thing. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man
is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin, for he that is dead
is freed from sin. Now, if we be dead with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ
being raised from the dead, dieth no more. Death have no more dominion
over him. For in that he died, he died
unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. When Christ was crucified on
the cross, all men was crucified with him. That body of sin might
be destroyed is what it said. That might really caught my eye
because There's no maybes, there's no problems with God. It's all or nothing. And so, according to Vines, that
body of sin might be done away. It's not the material, the body,
but the body so far forth as it is an instrument of sin, that
the body may cease to be an instrument of sin. We should not serve sin. Sin is not our master. We are
not looking to our works, but to the works of Christ, what
Christ hath accomplished. If we be dead with Christ, we
believe that we also shall live with him. With Christ in God
is our true home. Turn to Ephesians 5, please. And it's just good to remind,
because I know this is a long study in here, but we are still
studying in depth in Colossians 3, 3, which is, for you are dead,
and your life is hid with Christ in God. I know as you get through all
these verses, you can just... get out there, so Ephesians 5,
we'll start in verse one. It says, be ye therefore followers
of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved
us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet-smelling savor. Sweet smelling savor. Turn from
there over to 2nd Corinthians. Back to 2nd Corinthians 5 or
excuse me 15. My apologies. 2nd Corinthians
2. There's no 15. And we'll read verses 15 to 17. For we are unto God a sweet savor
of Christ, in them that are saved and in them that perish. To the
one we are, the savor of death unto death, and to the other,
the savor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these
things? For we are not as many which
corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God,
in the sight of God, speak we in Christ. Savor, a sweet smell. Just need to put some perfume
on. It smells really good. It's got a great fragrance. It's
a sweet smelling savor. The elect of Christ are a sweet
smelling savor. unto God. Can you imagine that
this filthy, seriously, this filthy no-good sinner, flesh
of filthy rags, is a sweet savor to God? It's important to know
that a sweet savor of Christ, only in Christ, when God Almighty
smells the elect sinner, he doesn't smell these putrefying sores. He smells the sweet savor of
Christ. The sweet savor of Christ. Christ, the one who finishes
Father's work. I am dead. I want to be hid with
Christ in God. We get to our last verse here
in Colossians. Back in Colossians. And we'll
be here at verse four. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. There's a lot there. It's important
to note there that the translators put between when Christ in our
life, who is, and I think if you just take who is out and
you read that, there's that comma again. Actually, there's a comma
coming up and some are gonna read it, but it says when Christ,
our life. Man, that's just direct. Get
to the point, love it. We're gonna turn to John 11,
25. John 11, 25, it says, Jesus said
unto her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith
unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the
Son of God, which should come into the world. If you live,
then you have life. Believing in Christ, the Son
of God, his accomplishments, in his words which he hath spoken,
if I am made to believe and liveth, I shall never die. Continue on in verse four, it
says, shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3.4. Shall appear, then shall you
also appear with him in glory. We're gonna turn over to 1 John
3, and we're gonna be there for a little bit. I've got this,
there's a lot in John 3 too, so I've kind of made some parts
here. So 1 John 3. It says, beloved and beloved. I love, once again, that was
that comma I was telling you about, beloved. He just didn't
go beloved into what he had to say. He just had comma, because
it meant something. Beloved, esteemed, favorite, worthy of
love. Now are we the sons, the children
of God, and doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall
appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Hold your place in 1 John and
turn to Romans 8. In Romans 8, verse 16, it says,
the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God. And of children, then heirs of
God. Excuse me, and of children, then
heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. If so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us." Wow. It's truly unimaginable, first
and foremost. I think I talked about this in
our scripture reading either last week or time, about being
an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. Wow. And that we
suffer with Christ and that we may also be glorified together. I don't know about you, but that
makes me happy, being an heir of God and a joint heir of Christ.
The sufferings of this current time Think of all the trials
and tribulations that you have and that you are and that you
will experience. They cannot compare with the
glory which will be revealed in us. When such sufferings come,
keep looking at Christ. Keep your eyes fixed upon Him. That is the believer's destiny.
When this life of flesh ends and our eternal life begins,
our attention will be fixed upon Christ, our Savior, the Son of
God. In Ephesians 1.13 it says, in
whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that you believed,
you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. There's a
promise. When the sinner first hears the
word of truth, the gospel of their salvation, in of whom the
one he trusted, it's good news. It's the best news you've heard.
You were made to believe and are sealed by the Holy Spirit
of promise. Part two of shall appear, then
shall you also appear with him in glory. So, but we know that
when he shall appear, we shall be like him. On Romans 8 29,
it says, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren. whether it's at the second coming
of Christ or when the believer's last breath is taken and their
eyes to this world and their eyes open in eternity, he shall
appear and they will be made anew. The believer shall be like
Christ, perfectly justified before God because of the faith of Christ
in his finished work. Part three of our of shall appear,
and then shall ye also appear with him in glory of Colossians
3, 4. It says in 1 John 3, 2, for we shall see him as he is. Psalm 16, 11 says, that will
show me the path of life, and thy presence is fullness of joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures
forevermore. At the Second Coming, or when
our eyes open to eternity, faith in Christ's accomplished work
will become a realization. In Christ's presence, there is
fullness. That means satisfying abundance
of joy. gladness, a happy issue. The only true satisfaction ever
known to man in this world is that which Christ satisfied on
the cross when he was made sin for us, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him. In Christ's presence, there is
fullness of joy. This joy is the truest form of
happiness, the truest. People say, oh, how you doing?
Oh, I'm happy. Oh, I'm happy. We don't really know what happy
means. The truest joy of happiness is the joy in Christ. Pleasures
forevermore. And then at the very end of Colossians
3, 4, it says, in glory. and glory. Turn to 1 Corinthians
15, please. We'll start in verse 34. awake to righteousness, and sin
not. For some have not the knowledge
of God, I speak this to your shame. But some man will say,
how are the dead raised up, and with what body do they come?
Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou
sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain but bare grain,
it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain, but God giveth
it a body, as it has pleased him, and to every seed his own
body. All flesh is not the same flesh,
but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts,
another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial
bodies, and bodies terrestrial. But the glory of the celestial
is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There
is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another
glory of the stars. For one star differs from another
star in the glory. See also is the glory of the
sun. So also is the resurrection of
the dead. It is sown in corruption. It
is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor. It is
raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is
raised in power. It is sown in natural body. It
is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and
there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, the first
man, Adam, was made a living soul. The last Adam was made
a quickening spirit. How be it that was not first,
which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterward,
that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth,
earthy. The second man is the Lord from
heaven. And is the earthy, such are they
also that are earthy? And is the heavenly, such are
they also that are heavenly? And as we have borne the image
of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that
flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God. Neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet
shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. and
we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when
this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O
death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law.
But, But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord. For as much as ye know that your
labor is not in vain in the Lord. In glory we awake to righteousness,
And sin not. Can you imagine that? No sin. That's some really good news
to me. Raised in incorruption, raised in glory. We are planted,
born in weakness. Our vessels are weak, but we
are raised in glory, raised in power. So when we read that last
verse, second to last verse again, it says, but thanks be to God,
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. When I got to those verses, I
couldn't help but kind of think of that song, Victory in Jesus,
and the chorus is, oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever. He stopped me and bought me with
his redeeming blood. He loved me ere I knew Him, and
all my love is due Him. He plunged me to victory beneath
the cleansing flood. Brethren, we have victory in
our Lord Jesus Christ. Look unto Christ, seek Him, be
steadfast, for this world is not our home. Our home is above
with Jesus Christ and our God, our Heavenly Father. Amen.