Growing older to some is a time to rejoice. For some it is reason to fear. For us who are in Christ, there is always reason to rejoice with each new year. Because true life is more than just the beating of a heart and the ability to think and communicate. It is more than just a youthful body, quick senses and boundless pleasure. Let me read a passage for you and we’ll consider a couple of things about true life.
Col 3:1-4
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Two questions about this text: How do you define life? What are you living for?
Question #1 “How do you define life?
Many people define life by what they can see and feel. That which is physical is ultimately life. That is why we fight so hard in order to preserve that life. We exercise, eat right, wear makeup, have all sorts of tucks and lifts folds done to our body in order to stave of the coming death which all of us, unless the Lord returns in our lifetime will face. And we all face death of course, though we may fight it, because we have all sinned. And the penalty for sin is death. So we all get it.
Regardless of how people define life and how they try to preserve their life; the only opinion which really matters concerning the nature of life is God’s. After all, He made us. What most people don’t realize however, is that to God, most people in the world are already dead to Him. Dead to Him and separate from Him because of their sin. God is holy and righteous and just and will not tolerate sin in His presence. Anyone who does not understand this, is deceived by their own sin, and themselves will most likely face judgment unless they repent.
But for us who are in Christ, who have trusted in Him as Lord, we know that His shed blood and substitutionary death has brought us near to God and has brought us into close fellowship with Him. Never to be separate again. We have been given new birth into a holy and righteous relationship with God, through Christ and through Him only.
That is what this passage talks about when it says that our life is “hidden with Christ in God.” And when Christ returns, then our true life will emerge from these fallen wretched bodies just as a butterfly emerges from its cocoon into a new and glorious existence. Life is in Him. There is no life apart from Him and anyone who does not know Him, though he may walk around with a beating heart, with the same ability as you and I to think and communicate; is as a dead man to God.
Question # 2 “What are you living for?”
Earlier in the book Paul mentions the “empty deceit and philosophies of the world.” That is a broad category of things meant to represent anything of the world that is intended to take our attention off of Christ as the Ultimate end. By ultimate end, I mean the thing that we strive for above all other things. There are many subordinate ends that we may strive for but all of those should work in unison in order to attain to the ultimate end which is Christ. After all, it is God’s purpose that Christ come to have “first place in everything” according to ch 1:18 of Colossians. Therefore it should be our purpose and goal as well that in every aspect of our life, that Christ come to have first place.
So how do we do that? He says “keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God [and] to set your mind on the things above…” Matt 16:33 puts it this way “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…” What does this mean? Well, he describes it in the remaining 3 chapters of the book of Colossians. Here is a brief overview.
Concerning our relationship to others in the church he says that we should “put to death what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry…put aside anger, wrath, malice, slander and foul talk; [but] as God’s chosen one, holy and beloved, [to put on] compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness and patience, bearing one another and forgiving each other as God in Christ has forgiven us…”
Concerning our relationships to our families he says that “wives should be subject to their husbands as to the Lord and that husbands should love their wives and not to be harsh with them. Children should obey their parents in everything because this pleases the Lord.”
Concerning our relationships at work he says that we should “obey our masters/employers in fear of the Lord, serving the Lord and not men, knowing that we will receive our reward from Him.” And that masters/employers should “treat their slaves/employees justly knowing that they have a Master in heaven” who is the Lord.
Finally, concerning our relationships with those who do not know the Lord he says that we should “conduct ourselves wisely, letting our speech always be gracious, seasons with salt, so that we may know how to answer each one.”
And in case that didn’t cover every area of our life, he mentioned that “whatever we do, in word or deed, that we should do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Whatever you do, why do you do it? For your own benefit? To receive praise from others? To achieve a certain status or expectation? Do you covet another person’s possessions or life situation? A good test to see your own motives is to consider whether you often feel cheated when people don’t recognize things that you do. Or do you spend a great deal of time complaining? Maybe you don’t do these things outwardly but what about in your heart. Though others do not, the Lord certainly sees and knows.
We prove that we are seeking what is above as we truly seek to please God in all that we do. We prove that we have our minds set on the things above as we seek to honor the name of God and Christ in all that we do; regardless of how our names are made great. We are to never pursue our own honor, the honor of our own names and our own desires above that which Christ desires. We do this because we recognize that true life is in Christ and not apart from Him. We do this because we recognize that we mustn’t in life merely “set aside time for God.” The notion of that in and of itself shows a low view of God and the life which He has made. I say this because all of our time is from God and for God and true life is in Him and not apart from Him and therefore that whatever we do, we must do for His glory and not our own. And if there is any situation in this life in which we feel slighted or underprivileged; that we needn’t worry because our true life is hidden in Christ with God. And after we have served Him well, when He appears, then we will have great reason to glory, rejoice and to celebrate.
So again, family, I want to challenge you, how do you define life and what are you living for? Growing older is truly a reason to rejoice. Because each day, month and year brings us closer to understanding more fully what true life is. My prayer for you all is that you truly do have life in Christ and that you truly are seeking to bring honor to Him through it all.
