Colossians Series
Where is Your Focus?
Colossians 3:1,2
Introduction
A former Monticello police officer once told me of an accident he was called out to; first, let me let you know that everyone was alright except for a few bumps and bruises. The woman who wrecked the car had put the car on cruise control and then turned around to talk to the people in the back seat. She found out quickly that cruise control is not auto pilot. She took her focus off of the road and it caused her to wreck. Life is like driving down a road. If we have a wrong focus in life, we will end up wrecking our lives. Well, today we are going to look at Colossians 3:1-2 to see where our focus is and how to keep from wrecking our lives. We will read verse 3, to keep our verses in context.
"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 the things of earth, for ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3
In the chapter prior to this one Paul showed the Colossians what they were not to follow after. The Christians at Colosse were barraged with false teachings like our modern day legalists and also Gnostic and mystical teachings. Paul corrects this by showing the supremacy of Jesus Christ and in this chapter Paul shows the duties of the Christian. As Christians they were to keep their hearts and minds focused on heavenly or holy ambitions which resulted in their actions. As Christians today we have the same duties as they did when Paul wrote this letter.
Proposition: Today I want to challenge you that we must change our focus from the things of this world that are temporary and will lead us to wreck our lives, to the things of heaven which are eternal. Let’s learn from this passage how to have a correct focus in life.
Today, I would like each of us to consider what is the focus of our life? Are we living our lives in light of eternity or are we living with our sight set on the things of this earth? Are we living for eternity or are we living for the here and now? Each of us should ask ourselves, "Where is my focus?" If our focus is on temporary earthly things, then I challenge you to change your focus to the things that really matter.
People cheer over many things. Some cheer when their football team wins, but how many cheer with the same enthusiasm when a person comes to know the Lord and is later baptized? How many times have we had this church stand up yelling, screaming, cheering, and clapping at a Baptism? Some may say we were Pentecostal if we did. We do those things for a football game that in the scope of eternity means nothing, but that person getting saved is eternal. So once again, "Where is our focus?"
Transition: In order to change our focus to a heavenly one we have the following three duties which are; first to be saved or start our journey to heaven, then to seek from our hearts on heavenly things, and finally, to set our minds on heavenly things. A different way to say that is let’s consider three duties we have, to focus on heavenly things: We need to 1. Get your life destined for heavenly things. 2. Get your heart defibrillated for heavenly things. 3. Get your mind rewired for heavenly things.
Since, a wrong focus results in a wreck while driving, let’s go to the church hospital to get our focus back where it needs to be.
I. Get your life destined to heavenly things.
The first step in getting a right focus for our lives is at the maternity ward. We must be born again! Colossians 3:1a
Explanation: What does it mean to be born again? The maternity ward is a place where babies are born. Why do we need to be born again? "If ye then be risen with Christ" The word translated "if" is different than our understanding of if. In the original language of the New Testament, the word is EI, which means if and it is true or we would say, since, it is true. ‘Since, we are risen with Christ.’ When we read these verses it is easy to say, since we are saved and move on without grasping the deeper meaning of the passage. We need to train our minds to ask what it means to be "risen with Christ." We normally just assume we know and keep on reading and we miss so much of the good stuff God has for us. Colossians 2:12,13 defines what it means to be risen with Christ.
"Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, Who raised Him from the dead. And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven all our transgressions." Colossians 2:12,13
To be risen with Christ is to be raised together with Christ. We are made alive with Christ. We are no longer dead in our trespasses and sins spiritually and someday physically we will be resurrected to spend eternity in heaven. We are no longer destined for hell based on our own sinful actions. We are now risen with Christ. So today, this message is for Christians. At salvation we are translated from earth as our home to heaven being our home. Our eternal destiny changes from hell to heaven. Our focus must also change to a heavenly one.
Application: For those who are not saved, you can be today. Jesus died in your place so that you might live. Our first duty in life is to receive the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ saves us, He gives a new birth. Without salvation we won’t ever be able to fulfill our purpose in life.
So if you are in Christ, if the God of heaven is your Lord and Savior, then you are able to fulfill the next two duties. If you have not repented of your sins and received Jesus as Lord and Savior, then you can do that right now by turning from your sins and to Jesus; pray and ask Him to save you. Only once saved can you fulfill these next two duties. These duties are not from obligation, but from our love for Jesus Who gave Himself for us. He died so that we might live. Today, if you are not saved you can start your journey to heavenly things by receiving the free gift of salvation.
Illustration: I am borrowing this illustration from a book by Bobby Welch, pastor at First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach. If you were going someplace, and someone told you to turn, what would they be telling you to do? The answer is obvious; they want you to change direction. Well when we come to Jesus Christ we have to turn from sin and self and turn to someone and His Name is Jesus. In order to have a heavenly destination for eternity we must repent of our sins and allow God to make us into a new person in Him. That is what it means to be born again. In order to leave the path we have of headed for hell due to our own sinful acts, we must turn from sin to Jesus Christ and receive His free gift of salvation. We must receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
We love Him, because He first loved us. Out of our love for Him we will do what He wants us to do. Only those with a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ can focus on heavenly things. The first duty is to be born into a new life with Christ. Once Jesus saves us from being headed for hell and gives us a new direction in life. Once our eternal destiny changes to heaven, we should have a new focus. Jesus paid for our sins in His own body at Calvary. From what He did we should love Him from the heart. If our hearts aren’t where they need to be, we might need to go to the cardiology department of the church and get our hearts defibrillated.
II. Get your heart defibrillated for heavenly things.
At the Cardiology unit of the church, we have the defibrillator (better known as the Bible) to get our hearts beating for God and not the things of this world. Colossians 3:1b
Explanation: We are to seek those things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. The word above is explained as where Christ is seated at the right hand of God...We know that there is heaven, but what are the qualities that make heaven heaven? The Bible tells us of love, joy, and peace. There isn’t any sin in heaven, which is why there is true love, true joy, and true peace. Sin steals our joy and robs us of our peace. So we are to seek from our heart the things above which are the things of God. We need to have holy ambitions.
Christ who is the Anointed One of God is seated at the right hand or the place of honor and authority in heaven. We are joint heirs with Christ. As citizens of heaven, joint heirs with Christ we need to seek from our heart heavenly and holy things.
Proverbs 16:3 goes with Colossians 3:1b,2. "Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established" Proverbs 16:3
Our focus will change our actions. Some other verses to look up at home that reinforce this study are Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also." Matthew 6:33a, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;" A couple other verses to jot down are Psalms 37:4, 5 and Proverbs 3:4, 5. These verses back up what Paul says in Colossians 3.
As a citizen of heaven, we need to seek with our heart the things of heaven. "Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." Start seeking and keep on seeking, this is a continuous command. This isn’t something we are to do only on Sunday morning. It is something we need to start immediately and do until eternity. As Christians, we are citizens of heaven. We need to seek the things which matter to a heavanian.
Illustration: If we love something, then we spend time pursuing it, thinking about it, attending its events, and seeking it. For example, Gator Football! If we love Gator football, we look forward to football season. We think about it, we read newspaper articles about it, we watch the game, we buy Gator shirts, etc. Our love for Gator football changes how we live. The same is true of our love for God. If we seek Godly heavenly things from our heart, it will change how we live. Things like Gator football are but for a season, but heavenly things are eternal. Gator football is temporary, so that means there are things more important in life than football. For the women, there are things more important than shopping. Shopping is temporary, even though for us men waiting on you all it feels like it is eternal. We need to quit focusing on the temporary things in life like football and shopping and start focusing on the things that really matter. To quote Pastor Harley Schrock, "We need to live our lives in light of eternity."
Application: Remember when you were first saved? How you loved God and were on fire for Him? That love from the heart is called our first love. Are you like the church in Revelations that lost its first love? If we love God, we will seek heavenly things from our heart. So who has your heart today?
In eternity, will it matter if we got to work on time or will it matter that at work we showed Jesus Christ through our lives? In eternity, will it be more important to sleep in on Sunday morning or get up and go to Sunday school? In eternity, will it be remembered how hard we worked or how much money we made? Or will the number of souls we led to the Lord and the number of lives we touched matter? Seeking from the heart heavenly things makes a difference in how we live. Are we seeking temporary things or are we seeking eternal things? Where is our focus?
The way we get our spiritual heart defibrillated is by giving it back to the One Who gave Himself for us. Surrender your heart back to God, and He will change your focus.
Our next stop at the Church Hospital is the Neurology department to get our minds rewired.
III. Get your mind rewired for heavenly things.
At the church neurology department, we will learn how to change our thought life from worldly thinking to one that pleases God. We will change our way of thinking without a lobotomy. Heavenly thinking is proper thinking. God had a reason for choosing to have us seek from the heart first before changing our way of thinking. We must give our hearts to God before we will ever be able to have a Christ like thought life.
"Set your affection on things above, not on the things of earth" Colossians 3:2
Explanation: What we love we spend time thinking about, so as we seek heavenly things from our heart, we will spend time thinking about heavenly things. "Set your affections" or literally your set your mind or direct your mind "on the things above and not on the things of earth." As we seek from our heart heavenly things, our thought life must be purposely focused on heavenly things. To quote the pastor of another church in the area…there is a saying that some people are "so heavenly minded that they are not any earthly good. Well there are some people that are so earthly minded that they are no heavenly good." I challenge you that if you are truly heavenly minded you will be better than any earthly minded person. God instructs us to be heavenly minded.
Christian Psychologists Frank Minirth and Paul Meier wrote a book called Happiness is a Choice. The premise of the book is that we can control our happiness by taking control of our thoughts. Their idea is based in part on this Scripture passage. We can control what we think about. Sometimes, we may have to train ourselves, but we can control what we think about. "Take every thought captive unto the obedience of Jesus Christ." II Corinthians 10:5b Once again, the Bible proves we can control our thoughts. Pastor Dave Hamilton, suggests writing down what we think about when our mind strays as a way to get us to make a conscious effort to change what we think about. My father, the late Dr. Jerry Moore, suggested that the cure for 95% of all depression cases was by changing our thinking. The other 5% of the clinically depressed were chemically imbalanced and medication took care of the depression.
All of this is said to show that we can purposefully set our minds on heavenly things. God would never instruct us to do anything, He wouldn’t make possible with His help. If you are having a hard time controlling your thoughts, then pray and ask God to help you. The call to control our thoughts is made repeatedly in the Bible. The Bible contrasts heavenly thinking with earthly thinking. So what is heavenly thinking? Thinking about things pleasing to the Lord,
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8
This passage shows some things that we are to think on. Instead of thinking on the negative things of earth, we need to have heavenly thoughts.
Illustration: To borrow another illustration from my father, what we fill our lives with spills over our lips. If you fill a cup with water, then water spills over the lip. If you fill a cup with milk, then milk spills over the lip. We talk about what we think about. So we can tell what we think about, as can others, by what we talk about. What is spilling over our lips? We can change what we think about by changing our inputs. Our text tells us to think about the things above and not the things of earth. When we need advice do we take it from the Bible or Dr. Phil’s new age mumbo jumbo? Do we ask a Christian friend for Godly advice or do we turn to Oprah? Do we seek our Pastor’s advice or do we turn to Jerry Springer? It may be funny to think that you get your advice from Jerry Springer, but when we fail to seek Godly sources, we might as well have. You know what we watch on TV influences what we think about. The inputs in our life turn into our outputs. Psalms 119 says "Thy Word have I hid in my heart so that I might not sin against Thee." By staying in the Word of God and being heavenly minded we avoid sinning which is caused by an earthly mind.
Application: Where is your focus?
Change what you put into your mind, if you want to change how you think. If we love God from our hearts, then we shouldn’t have a problem changing our inputs. Get your mind rewired for heavenly things through inputting the things of God. Leave your worldly thinking at the foot of the cross and take on heavenly thinking through the One Who died on the cross. Ask God to help you change the way you think. Do we spend more time thinking about what we are going to do in the day than how are we going to make a difference for eternity? Do we need to change our focus? Unless you are already focused on heavenly things, the answer is a resounding YES!
Conclusion
A wrong heart and mind focus will cause us to wreck our lives. If you have wrecked your life or your focus is on earthly things which means you are headed for a wreck. The doctor is in and His Name is Jesus. He is here to correct your focus.
Today I challenge you that we must change our focus from the things of this world that are temporary and will lead us to wreck, to the things of heaven which are eternal. Today, we learned three duties that we have: We have the duty to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our new birth, which starts our journey to heavenly things, we have the duty to get our hearts defibrillated which means to seek from the heart Godly holy heavenly things, and we have the duty to get our minds rewired and purposely set our minds on the things above. As we fulfill these three duties our lives will be changed. So the question is; are we fulfilling these duties? Where is your focus? Are we living our lives in light of eternity or are we living with our sight set on the things of this earth? Are we living for eternity or are we living for the here and now? I want you to ask yourself "Where is my focus?" If your focus is on temporary earthly things, then I challenge you to change your focus to the things that really matter.
First, have you ever come to the point where you realized you were a sinner, lost and headed for hell? If you never were there, then you never were saved. Only those who are lost ever see their need for the savior. Are you resting in something you have done like repeating a prayer after a preacher, walking a church aisle, being baptized or are you resting in what Jesus Christ did for you on the cross. If you are basing your salvation on something you did instead of placing your faith in what Jesus Christ did for you, then you need to be saved. If you haven’t ever repented of your sins and received Jesus as Lord and Savior, then when we have the invitation in a moment, I want you to step out and we will have several people here to show you from the Bible how to be saved, so you can start your journey to heavenly things and begin fulfilling God’s purpose for you in your life.
Next, for those who are saved, who has control of your heart? Do you seek heavenly things from the heart or have the cares of this world taken root and diverted your attention away from God? Revival is as simple as asking God to forgive you and returning to your first love. In a moment when we have the invitation if you need to rededicate your life and return to that first love, I want you to come forward and pray. We will have several people available to pray with you if you want them to. Once we return to our first love, then we can seek heavenly things again from our heart and fulfill our Christian duty to God.
Finally, if your thought life has not been pleasing to God, then give Him your heart. Make an intentional effort to control your thoughts and ask God to help you control them. Guard what you put into your mind and intentionally focus your thought life on heavenly things. If you are earthly minded and need to give your mind back to God, you might have guessed it, but if your thought life hasn’t been what it needs to be, then at the invitation please come forward and we will pray with you.
Coming forward isn’t something miraculous, giving your heart to God is what will create the miracle. The power is in applying the Word of God you heard today to your life. Dr. Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix mention that a sermon is not complete until it is lived out in the lives of those who hear it. Today, begin by responding to the call the Holy Spirit has placed on your heart. Then go home and apply the message. As the music plays step out and give God your heart.
Preached at Highland Baptist Church June 11, 2006
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