Colossians 8 – Jesus Life Glorious Life

Since then, you have been raised with Christ… set your heart, your mind, and your life on things above.

Welcome. We are Redemption Church of Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt, andI am happy to serve as Lead Pastor here.

What kind of Church is Redemption Church? We are a church that believes in community. We believe thata if you say you love Jesus but don’t love the people around you that you are mistaken. We are called to love Jesus and love each other. Jesus commands us to love one another just as He loves us. The level of our love is the level of love Christ has shown us. THEREFORE we should live together in unity. We should do life together. Hang out. Bear each other’s burdens. Celebrate our successes together. I  invite all of you to go deeper in community with us.

Welcome to everyone online, and hello to everyone in the room. God bless ya’ll!

We are back in the book of Colossians. Turn to Colossians 3. We took a 5 week break to study belief and the great commission and now we are returning to this great book. If you missed any of the previous sermons in the Colossians series they can be found on our website redemption-church.com.

Does anyone remember what the theme of Colossians is?

Christ is Supreme

Colossians 3:1 (NIV2011) Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:2 (NIV2011) Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:3 (NIV2011) For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:4 (NIV2011) When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:5 (NIV2011) Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Colossians 3:6 (NIV2011) Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

Colossians 3:7 (NIV2011) You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

Colossians 3:8 (NIV2011) But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Colossians 3:9 (NIV2011) Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

Colossians 3:10 (NIV2011) and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Colossians 3:11 (NIV2011) Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

We touched on the first 3 verses but let me review… You have been raised with Christ, so set your heart, mind, and life above.

Verse 1 Set your heart on things above WHERE CHRIST IS. Wherever Christ is, that is where your heart is.

Verse 2 Set you mind on things above not on earthly things.

Verse 3 Your life is now hidden with Christ in God… the location of your life is above the things of this world.

If we have really been raised with Christ… then our hearts, minds, and lives ought to testify to that fact!

Colossians 3:4 (NIV2011) When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Jesus Life

When Christ who is your life… What a declaration. He could have said “Christ, who is a part of your life… Christ, who gave you life… Christ, who saved and blessed your life…” No Paul declares CHRIST IS YOUR LIFE.

Scripture declares that Jesus is life on many occasions.

John 11:25 (NIV2011) “I am the resurrection and the life…

John 14:6 (NIV2011) “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 1:4 (NIV2011) In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

Jesus didn’t just give us life when He created us… He didn’t just give us spiritual life when He saved us… He didn’t just give life and walk away… He is continually our life. We would do well to live like He is our life!

I refuse to wear a shirt that says “football is life,” “music is life,” “something else is life.” JESUS IS LIFE!

When I worshipped Him to today it felt like I came to life! When I hear His voice it’s like I come to life… because His words are Spirit and they are life! When I have close communion with Jesus I come to life… BECAUSE CHRIST IS MY LIFE.

Paul uses some word play here in these verses…

Colossians 3:3 (NIV2011) For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

KRYPTO – HIDDEN

Hidden – kryptō (krü’p-tō) to conceal… it is the word where we get Crypt from – which is the idea of a tomb or grave.

You died and what do you do with a dead life? You burry it! You hide it, conceal it, within the grave! You are hidden… buried with Christ in God… This burial is an allusion to baptism..

Paul told us in Colossians 2:12

Colossians 2:12 (NIV2011) having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

At the funeral there comes a moment where they close the casket and that body is concealed. Baptism is the moment in the life of a Christian where we close the casket on our old life. Your life in now hidden with Christ..

Colossians 3:4 (NIV2011) When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Phaneroo – Appear

When Christ who is your life APPEARS!

Appear – phaneroō (fä-ne-ro’-ō) to make manifest, to show.

Your sinful carnal life is kryptos hidden… the new life of Christ is phaneroo appearing…

When Christ appears… then you will appear with him in glory. It is not that you go away. It is not that you cease to have a personality and become a Christian robot or cookie cutter version of Christ. YOU WILL APPEAR but there is going to be a great change in you.

WITH HIM IN GLORY <img