We'll turn back with me to Colossians
chapter 3. The church in Rocky Mount, where
Brother Paul Mahan is pastor, and the church in Kingsport,
Tennessee, where Brother Gabe is pastor, and the church up
in Montana in Great Falls, all send their blessings to you. They all send their greetings
to you. They're very much aware of this congregation and thankful
for it and pray for you as I hope you do for them. Meetings there
I thought was very profitable. They seem to rejoice in the gospel
and you can ask no more than that from anyone. This church at Colossi, let me
give you just a little bit of history behind it before I get
into the message. It was built on a major trade
route that run through there. And the city, their chief goods
that they sold was some kind of red dyed wool. And they were
famous for it, and merchants would come through there, and
it was a very prosperous city at the time. And it was built
in the Lycus River Valley in Asia Minor, and it'd be in the
southwest corner of modern-day Turkey. And the city was subject
to two earthquakes. The first earthquake was in AD
17 under the reign of Tiberius, was the ruler. And then again
in AD 60 under the reign of Nero, and both times the city was totally
destroyed. After the first time, they built
back. After the second time, they never regained their prominence. And it went to Laodicea, which
was the sister city, not very far away. The church that was
established there was established in about AD 54. So six years after the church
was established, God destroyed the city with an earthquake.
And we're not told by historians anymore about the church at Colossae. In Acts chapter 19 verse 10,
and here's another interesting fact about the church at Colossae,
these Colossians. This church wasn't established
by Paul. The Corinthians were, the Ephesians
were, Philippians were, but not at Colossae. In Acts chapter 19, verse 10,
it says that Paul taught in the school of one Tyrannus and continued
doing so for two years. So that all they that dwelt in
Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks,
all in that area. And most believe that out of
this teaching came Epaphras, who established the Colossian
Church and who served as their pastor. And the reason this letter
came about is that the church loved the Apostle Paul. And they
realized that through his influence, they had a pastor, they had a
church, they had an understanding. And they knew that Paul was in
prison for preaching the gospel. And so their pastor gathered
together a gift to minister to him, and he went down where Paul
was a prisoner, and he gave him this gift, introduced himself,
and told him about the work there in Colossae. And Paul, as soon
as he left, Paul sat down and penned this letter. under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and it's one of the best. I tell
you, between this and Ephesians, I just go back and forth. Its
doctrine is so clear, so simple, so easy to be understood, and
I quote from it so much. There are in every church men
and women who secretly go about to draw a question mark on their
pastor. It's in every church. I've never
known a church where this wasn't so. Somebody, somebody, generally
somebody thought to be a faithful member, somebody loved, somebody
you'd never suspect, and they go and they talk and they just
do it in such a way as to draw a question mark on that pastor. Most of what he says they'll
say is pretty good, but he's got a few flaws. He's got a few
flaws. His gospel's needful, but we
need a little law. We need a little discipline.
We need a little bite to keep things in line. Always picking, never benefiting. Every church has them. Every.
And so Paul commends his fellow servant. These men had began
to creep into this church at Colossae. And the pastor talks
to him about it. And Paul sits down and he pens
this letter. And the very first thing he does
is commend this pastor. He commends this pastor. He calls
him his fellow servant. He confirms him to be a faithful
minister of Christ in Colossians 1-7. He confirms his preaching. And
I'll tell you this, you won't pick at me, I've got plenty of
things to pick on. I'm easy, I'm easy. You won't have to look far, you
can find something. There are no perfect preachers,
only preachers who preach a perfect savior. You know the difference? Our words are never God-breathed,
but Paul and John and Peter, theirs was. My words aren't. Paul told Timothy, preach the
Word. The Word's inspired. The Word
is God-breathed, the Word. It's consistent, it's constant,
it never changes. It's powerful. I don't need special
gifts to read your heart. The Bible tells me what's on
your heart. I don't have to doubt it. It
tells me what's on my heart. It tells me what's on every heart.
It discerns the very thoughts and intents of the heart. The word. And this is why I give
you references in the Word of God or have you turn with me
to such and such a passage. I want you to see that this is
the teaching of the Word. And having laid the groundwork,
Paul begins to apply what he's been writing. So let me give you three or four
things here in Colossians chapter three as to the mind of Christ
in them that believe. Chapter two is, boy, I tell you,
it takes you from hearing the gospel all the way to the end.
I read it to you. And then chapter three tells
you something about the mind of Christ in us. So the first
thing I want you to see here is that he qualifies what he
is about to say as to whom it actually applies. He's not throwing
this out as some kind of general statement, but he's gonna tell
you to whom what he's writing applies. There is a particular
people, that's what God called them, his elect, blessed of God,
sent gifts of understanding, means to recover his banished. And that's who he's talking to.
So he qualifies what he's about to say. And he says, if you then
be risen with Christ, that's who I'm talking to. Those
who are risen with Christ. And everything that he's about
to say and all that he's already said is spoken to those who are
risen with Christ. Well, what's that mean? What's it mean to be risen with
Christ? How am I risen with Christ? Well, several things. First of
all, it means those chosen in Him before the foundation of
the world. He hadn't made the first man.
He hadn't created the first world. He hadn't created anything in
the world. And He raised you up, if you're His elect, He raised
you up from the rest of what He is going to create and He
set you on a pedestal of grace. He raised us up, put us into
union with His Son, made provision for us, predestinated us under
the adoption of children, made every provision, made a covenant Chose Christ as its surety. Gave to him offices. He's the
one mediator between men and God, the man Christ Jesus. Determined
that he would be the head, the federal head of his elect. They would stand or fall in him. He became their provision. their
representative, their substitute. And all the promises of God,
now listen, became dependent on him. Not on you, on him. When Jonathan and David, when
they come together and a covenant was made, it had nothing to do
with Mephibosheth. It had to do with David. He said,
now you promised me you're gonna show mercy. You're gonna show
mercy. And David did. David did. All of the terms and conditions
of the covenant rested on Christ. All on him. If anything fails
for any reason, it'll be to his shame and no one else's. He's
responsible. He's the steward. He's the surety. He's the covenant head. You understand
what I'm saying? Everything. Everything. He's responsible. Secondly, to
be risen with him has to do with our union with him as he died
and was buried and rose from the dead. He's our representative. He's our substitute. In Ephesians 2.6 it said, he
hath raised us up together with him. Wow. I wasn't born yet. I had no being as yet. But I was raised up with him,
Winston. That's what he says. Hath raised us up together, now
watch this, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ.
Victorious, victorious, has the prize in his hand. And he, turn with me to 1 Peter
1. We're talking about being raised
with Christ and what that means. He raised us above all creation. He took not on him the nature
of angels. They were more excellent in their
being than we. But he took not on him the nature
of angels, but the seed of Abraham. He raised us up, put us, Russell,
on a pedestal of grace before he ever created us. Look at this, 1 Peter 1, 3. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope,
that is a living hope. We're not talking about a creed. We're not talking about the mechanics
of religion. We're not talking about joining
a church. We're not talking about any of those things. We're talking
about a living hope, a person. And there's no hope apart from
Christ, and there's no hope if Christ is still in the grave.
Which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again
unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Our hope didn't stay in the tomb.
The stone was rolled back, the seal was broken, the guard was
silenced, and the Lord said up, and took his time and folded
up the death clothes and laid them neatly in a pile on the
rock, stood up and walked out of that town. And he stayed around
for 30 days so that all his elect could see him. Above 500 brethren
at one time saw him. And then he stepped onto a cloud
and he was received up into glory, and here it says we were with
him. I am right now seated with him
in glory. All our hope is pinned on him. And because it is, and he's raised
from the dead, we have a living hope, a lively hope. Salvation
is not a hope, a hope, a hope. It's hope in Christ. The victorious
Christ, my representative, one who died for my sins, was raised
again for my justification. And this person, there's a man
in glory. I love that message that man
preached. There's a man in glory. And if
there's one, might be two. Might be two. That's my assurance. Right there, that's my assurance.
And this person is alive and he's seated at the right hand
of God in full favor. And not only that, but before
he even went into heaven, he turned and looked at his disciples
and he said, all power is given unto me in heaven and earth.
Now you go preach. You go preach. I'll be right
there next to my father. Be right there. I'm gonna sit
on the throne. I'm gonna sit down. So you go
preach. You go preach. So there's a sense in which we
are risen with him as we're chosen in him, chosen in that land slain
before the foundation of the world. And we're risen with him
as God literally and physically raised him from the dead, from
his crucifixion. And then thirdly, we're risen
with him with Christ by faith. Look back one page from my text
to Colossians chapter two. Colossians two is showing us
that we're complete in Christ, who is the head of all principality
and power. Verse 11, in whom also you're
circumcised with a circumcision made without hands and putting
off the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Christ
was cut off. Circumcision was just a picture
of that. Christ was cut off. Cut off out of the land of the
living. That's how the prophet said it. Verse 12. Buried with him in
baptism. That's what baptism pictures.
Our burial with Christ. In union with him. Buried. And then raised from the dead.
So we're buried with him in baptism. wherein also you're risen with
him, now watch this, through the faith of the operation of
God who hath raised him from the dead. In Ephesians chapter
one, he tells us there that the same power, the same authority,
the same righteous act that raised Christ from the dead is the same
thing. that he raises us from the dead
in regeneration. The same power, same power. You're not coming out of that
spiritual death without an act of God, a righteous act of God. Baptism is a public confession
of faith. It pictures our faith in Christ. In the act of baptism, faith
confesses our burial and resurrection in Christ. And it's the same
spirit and the same power that raised up Christ from the dead
that raises us up in faith or by faith to walk in newness of
life. What kind of newness of life?
What's he talking about? Well, we walk in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Don't we? Sure we do. I walk in his righteousness.
I walk in his justification. I've never done anything to justify
myself. One fellow said, how do you justify
your past? I said, how do you justify yours? I'm going to justify anything.
I'm walking in his justification. I'm walking in his righteousness. I'm walking in his reputation.
I don't have a reputation, but he does. He does. The new birth is not some kind
of fleshly supercharger. You get this new birth and the
spirit enters in and now you can keep the law. Now you can,
uh-uh. That's not what the new birth
is. What the new birth is is Christ
in you. You read it in the book of Peter.
He'll tell you what it is. You continue in this word, that's
what he said, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your
heart. Who's the day star? It's Christ.
Until Christ be formed in you. Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. He never talks about the Spirit
being some kind of supercharger. In fact, he talks about just
the opposite. That which is flesh is contrary
to the Spirit. And now what he says? It lusteth
after the things of the flesh, and the spirit after the things
of the spirit. And these are contrary, the one
to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would.
So how do we walk? Walk in Him. Walk in Him. Walk with the mind of Christ.
And the mind of Christ is that mind that understands that we're
complete in Him. My salvation is in Him, period. Now there'll come a day, there'll
come a day, when that sin in the earth gone forever, and I'll
be holy. I'll be holy. I'll be righteous. I'll know as I am known, coming
today. But that day ain't now. That
day ain't now. New birth lays hold of Christ.
It sees all of its hopes in Christ. He's our wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption. Have nothing else. What we see
in him is not carnal, but heavenly, majestic, glorious, eternal,
and wonderful. We see God's love in him. You
can't see God's love anywhere else. You see it in Christ. Well,
I know God loves me. I got a good bank account. That
ain't God's love. Might be his curse. Might be
a curse. Nah, his love's in Christ. See that dying man on the cross? See that one who was made sin
for you, that you might be made the righteousness of God in him?
See that man there bearing your sins and his own body on the
tree? That's God's love. God's love. His mercy to us. guilty sinners,
his grace toward us who were enemies in our mind by wicked
works. And I'll tell you something.
So how does a man walk? How does he do these things?
If he's got no law, if there's no teeth in it, there's no whip
in it, there's no punishment in it, how does a man walk? He
sees in Christ something better. Something better. just like that
little boy that had that piece of corn in that restaurant that
night. Kathy and I watched him, little two-year-old. He had corn,
and the one that buttered with a little stick in it, and boy,
he'd eat it down to the cob, and he was still chewing on it,
and everybody else was ready to go home. And it was wintertime,
and they said, now, you know, they tried to deal with him,
and just lay it down, and we'll get your coat on, and you can
have it back. He wouldn't let go of that corn for nobody. And
so they threatened him. Now, you're going to get a whooping.
And he just looked at it. Finally, the man that owned the
restaurant, he come over and he said, I see y'all having a
little trouble. He said, do you mind if I give
you a helping hand? I said, we tried everything.
He pulled out a Hershey bar. Boy, he dropped that corn, reached
for that Hershey bar. That's what happens when a man
finds Christ. He sees something better. He sees something more
glorious. He don't see this world anymore. He sees heavenly things, glorious
things, godly things, eternal things. What's this world got
to offer? My soul. Death? Pleasure for
a moment. Your life's just a vapor. Just
about time you think, boy, I'm getting to the good time. No,
no, now you got cancer, you're gonna die. Huh, what's this world
got to say? Ain't got nothing to offer. It's
all up there. You see what he's saying? If
you be risen with Christ, seek those things up there. What are
you looking around down here for? Heaven's your home. I go to prepare a place for you,
and if I go, I'll come again. and receive you unto myself.
But where I am. Where's he at? He's in heaven. There you may be also. That's
a good hope, isn't it? If you be risen with him. All
right, here's the second thing. A godly exhortation. Seek those
things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand
of God. Are you risen with Him? Huh? You looking up there? Well, seek
those things. If Christ is all, and the scripture
says He is, if Christ is my hope, Christ in you, the hope of glory,
if Christ is my joy and comfort, then why do I spend so much time
concerning earthly things? Why? Why do I make earthly things
cancel out spiritual things? Why do I do that? Seek those things which are above.
What things? First of all, Him. That's where
He's at. That's where He's at. Don't you
want to be with Him? My soul, He's done everything I hate to say that even, but
he done everything that God can do for you. Don't you wanna be
with him? Boy, I do. I wanna see him. I wanna know him. So that's first
thing, the victorious reigning, preeminent Christ himself. He's
not just a doctrine, not just a fact of Holy Scripture, he's
a person. He's a person. He's the covenant seed. Listen
to this. To Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as of
many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. Every
covenant promise he gave to Abraham, all of it depending on Christ.
He's the seed. And then secondly, those things
which are above are inclusive of your heavenly Father. If we'd be risen with Christ,
God is our father. He's our father. You think about
that. My father is God. Now I'm gonna tell you something. When
you go through problems and trials and sicknesses and all these
things, that'll be a comfort to you. That's my father. Does my father care for me more
than you'll ever know? He spared not his son. The Jews said, we have God, our
Father. And the Lord said, if God were
your Father, you'd love me. For I come forth from God. I
am God. I'm the Son of God. The Son of God has come and given
us an understanding that we may know Him that's true, that we're
in Him that's true, even in His Son. This is the true God in
eternal life. Because you're sons, God has
sent forth His Spirit, the Spirit of His Son, into your hearts,
crying, Abba, Father. Thomas said, we'd be satisfied
if you'd just show us the Father. Christ said, have you been so
long time with me, Thomas? Have you not seen the Father?
Have you not seen the Father? He's seen me, he's seen the Father.
I and the Father are one. We have in heaven a heavenly
Father, one that begets his children, plans their future, guides their
lives, chastises them in their disobedience, and lays up for
them a heavenly inheritance. What else is among these things
above? Oh, my soul, a high priest. A high priest who never sleeps,
who ever liveth to make intercession for you. Never a time when you
can't reach him. Never a time. I have a high priest,
a continual priest. Because he continueth ever, he's
able to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by him.
We have a high priest. And then we have all of these
things that he accomplished, a full and effectual redemption,
eternal justification, a reigning king who's head of all principality
and power. What else we got there? A place.
A place. I tell you what it says of unbelievers,
they've found no place for them. the part for me, you workers
of iniquity, I never knew you. But he said, I go to prepare
you a place. I wonder why I'm looking around
down here for a house. Just worrying and making myself
sick over a house or a car. My soul, look what you have at
the right hand of God. You reckon he gonna spare you
a car? He knows where you're at. A house? He gonna give you
a house? Why should we look? It's something
better. That's why. Something better. Oh, is there a place for me in
heaven? Old Brother Barnard said one
time he dreamed he died and his first recollection when he woke
is that they were singing. And he said it was the most beautiful
music he ever heard. And they were singing. Oh, he
said, I wanted to sing with them. They're singing unto the Lamb
and singing about the glory of God. And he said, as I looked
and began to see, he said there was a vast multitude, vast multitude. And they were all sitting. And
he said, oh, I wanted to go join in. And he said, I looked way
up yonder, way up there. in the top, and he said, I saw
an empty chair. And he said, I went scurrying
up the side, and excuse me, excuse me, and he just kept going across,
and he said, when he got there, on the chair, it says, Roth Barnard. Roth Barnard. Walter Whitey. Huh? A place. place in heaven. Oh, my soul. Everything you see
around you is going to be gone real soon. Nothing is going to
remain in eternity. Only those things which are above. Now, I know you need a car. I
know you need a house. I know you have children you
have to raise them. But I'm telling you, seek ye first the kingdom
of God. If you be risen with Christ,
seek those things. Seek those things. And then thirdly, he gives us
some solid reasoning. Colossians 3, verse 2. Set your
affection on things above, not on things of the earth. for or
because you're dead. You're dead. And your life is
hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory. What's he saying? He's saying
salvation is all or nothing, that's what he's saying. It's
all or nothing. I know it probably ain't the
best thing for a man to watch, but I like to watch, I don't
watch it during the year, but I love to watch the World Series
of Poker. It gets down to these five guys,
you know, and they're sitting around the table, and pretty
soon there's poker. And they got these big piles of money
in front of them, and they're looking, you know, all these
little moves and things. All of a sudden, one guy'll take
the whole pile, and he'll shove it in, and he'll say, I'm all
in. That's what Paul's talking about
here. If you've seen him, if you've been risen with him, and
you see him seated at the right hand of God, your savior, your
redeemer, your intercessor, your king, Your hope, he's seated. I'm all in. What about you? What about you? Thank you.