“If then you have been raised with Christ”

The Appomattox Court House Presbyterian Church Pulpit
Rev. Cameron S. Smith
The Lord's Day, March 18, 2007
Colossians 3:1-17

"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 minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

     Many of you have already been baptized, either as an infant or an adult. For you, most of you here this morning, you have therefore been washed in the waters of baptism. This is a good thing, for the context of our Scripture this morning in Colossians 3 is that of the waters of baptism. More importantly, this passage is a description of who you are now in Jesus Christ.
     Paul begins with these words, "If then you have been raised with Christ…." The question raised from the start is, if then you have been united to Jesus Christ and cleansed in the waters of baptism, then that is who you are! "Seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."
     It seems that a word about who we are in Jesus is always necessary and timely. For these members of the church at Colossae, there was confusion about this very thing. Some false teachers within the church gained a sympathetic ear. Colossians 2 provides a backdrop of the kinds of teaching that was passing for the real deal in Colossae. Apparently, they were taught that if you wanted to be a good Christian, you had to abstain from certain kinds of food and drink. You must add extra special observances and festivals to the Lord. You must practice a brutal asceticism to earn holiness. You must worship the heavenly host to experience God's good pleasure.
     Paul responds simply by saying to them, "If with Christ you died…why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to [endless, baseless] regulations-- 'Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch' [Don't you realize that these are merely] human precepts and teachings?" In other words, "Why are you doing these things?" "Don't you know who you are?"
     It seems to me that we too walk in a minefield of various, competing ideas of what it means to be a true Christian.
     Perhaps that vision is to the political left: If you don't oppose the war in Iraq, then how could you possibly be a good, conscientious disciple? If you don't support social-justice programs, then you have not understood the prophetic call.
     But, this can happen on the political right as well, where the Faith seems to have been boiled down to a few social-ethical issues like abortion, euthanasia and homosexuality.
     Of course, there is also all manner of religious superstition out there which is fed by a reluctance to consider what God has actually required of us in His Word.

Yes, we need to hear this word just as much as the Colossians!

     There are within this passage, two exhortations aimed at us: In 3:5ff, we are told to "put to death" the "earthly" things in our life. Things like sexual immorality, anger, malice, slander and lying. These are the very things that ultimately bring down God's wrath through judgment.
     Dropping down to 3:12ff, the second exhortation is to "Put on" things like compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience and love. There is a nice touch here as we are exhorted to forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven us, letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.

     The point being made here is that in the waters of baptism, we have been washed thoroughly and this is our present reality. When you were washed in the waters of baptism, you were really washed! You were united to Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection.
     Because he was raised from the dead; you too have been raised to new life with Him. The remainder of your life will be -not could be or should be - It will be characterized by a slow, persistent, putting to death of the very things that bring eternal death and putting on, cultivating, nurturing heavenly virtues.

     Now, I don't know about you, but this sounds crazy! I don't sense this reality in my own life as often as I would like; and yet, it really is my reality in Christ.

     There are two important things to notice here that help us to comprehend this present reality.
     The first thing to make clear is that even though the language of putting on and putting off seems to be putting the emphasis back on our own efforts in this endeavor, it really isn't. I want you to notice some important qualifications within the text:

     Colossians 3:3 says "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Your life is hidden with Christ.
     Paul puts it this way in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." You are not the same person.
     2 Corinthians 5:17 proclaims this the same thing: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." Of course, this is shorthand for the power of the Holy Spirit who has been given to you.
     Finally, in John 14:16-20, just before Jesus ascended back into heaven, he was clear to his disciples: "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you."

     That this is primarily the work of God in you is clear from the heart of this passage in verses 9-10: "You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." God is working in you to enable you put on and put off.
     I recognize all too well that all illustrations eventually come up wanting if pressed too hard; and this one will not escape this limitation! Having said this, let me press an illustration: I think what we have here is kind of like the experience with a new computer! Let me see if I can unpack this, no pun intended...
     We just recently purchased a new home computer. Pretty cool, Windows Vista operating system, dual core processor - man, it's top notch! But, what I've discovered, and indeed, keep on discovering every day is just how much came in this package. I am constantly learning some new feature that came with the package. It's already there, just waiting for me to learn how to use it to make my work easier and more efficient. But, I have to work at it. Of course, sometimes I have to call Technical Support to find my way - but everything I need is already there!
     In the same way, we have to do that with the new life we have been given in Christ. We have to actively put on some things, putting them on by exercising the "divine features" that were gifts given in the promise felt in the waters of baptism! To press on even further, we oftentimes need the "Tech Support" of the Holy Spirit that's available through prayer.

     The idea of "Technical Support" is a good segue into the final thing that I want to point out this morning: "…You were called in[to] one body. [So,] let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
     You have the Holy Spirit within you to empower you, but we need each other. How does the word of Christ dwell richly in us? This comes through teaching and accountability. Worshipping with one another week after week is God's way of developing thankfulness and godliness. We never go it alone in this world.

     And so, as I close, I can truly commend these words to you, recognizing that you have everything you need to do this:
"Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."