Things Above

Seek the things that are above.

Colossians 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 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.

 

What are "things that are above"?

 

From these verses, they are:

• things that are "where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (v.1).
• "not things that are on earth" (v.2).

 

To set your affections on things on earth, would be to set them on temporal things: financial security, money, prestige, possessions, winning the game, having good health, etc.

 

The counterpart to this would be, setting your affections on spiritual and eternal things (things that do not burn up at the end of the world; things that you do not lose at death):

 

• The Kingdom of God (rather than a focus on meeting your own earthly needs):

 

          Matthew 6:31-33

          Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

• The righteousness of God (Matt.6:33 again).

• Treasures in Heaven (rather than seeking treasures on earth):

        Matthew 19:21

        Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

 

• Things that will have their reward in Heaven (rather than things that bring temporal pleasure here);

        Matthew 16:27

        For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

• God's will and priorities (rather than my own security or goals):

        Matthew 16:21-23

        From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

• The eternal state of your soul (rather than gaining this world):

        Matthew 16:24-26

        Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?"

• To gain your soul, you must gain Christ himself, at whatever cost (Matt.19:21):

        Matthew 13:45-46

        Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

 

        Philippians 3:8-9

        Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…

• The resurrection, the final rest (a striving to make sure to get safely to Heaven):

        Philippians 3:8b-11

        For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him… that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

 

        Hebrews 4:11

        Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

 

        Luke 13:24

        Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

 

        1 Timothy 6:12

        Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

 

        1 Corinthians 9:24-27

        Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

• The things of the Spirit (as opposed to the things of the flesh):

        Romans 8:5-9a

        For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit…

 

        (same words, "set the mind" as in Col.3:2 and Phil.3:19).  Rom.8 here tells us that those who set their affections on the flesh (the old man) are hostile to God and cannot please him.  But believers now live "according to the Spirit" and therefore set their affections on "the things of the Spirit."  We submit to God's law; we please him by faith in Christ and obedience to him.

 

        Galatians 5 tells us that the desires of the flesh are opposed to the desires of the Spirit:

 

        Galatians 5:17

        For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

 

        The works of the flesh are all kinds of sin, resulting from self-love rather than love for God and love for others:

 

        Galatians 5:19-21

        Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

        This would tell us that setting your mind on the Spirit (as opposed to on things of the flesh) involves a striving to live in love for God, and in Christ-like love for others, rather than in self-love. 

 

        Therefore: set your mind (affections, energies, interests) on ways to love God and to imitate the love of Christ toward others.

 

        Those who live with the mind "set on the Spirit" will have the fruit of the Spirit being produced in their lives:

 

        Galatians 5:22-23

        But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

 

        In order to fight the flesh (the old man), we must recognize it to be crucified with Christ; and we must then put to death everything related to the flesh's way of thinking:

 

        Galatians 5:24-25

        And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

 

        Colossians 3:5, 8-10

        Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. … now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that 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.

 

        And because we live by the Spirit now, and not by the flesh, we are to walk in the ways of the Spirit, putting on the qualities that are like Christ:

 

        Colossians 3:11b-14

        …Christ is all, and in all.  Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

 

You could summarize all these by saying, "To set your mind on things above means, to have your energies and affections and desires set toward bringing God glory in the world, by obeying him, trusting him to provide for you, and following Christ at all cost."

 

1 Corinthians 10:31

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

 

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

 

Judgment and Mercy

 Psalms 75:2, 8

“At the set time that I appoint

I will judge with equity." …

For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup

with foaming wine, well mixed,

and he pours out from it,

and all the wicked of the earth

shall drain it down to the dregs.

 

That is what I deserve -- to drink the cup of God's wrath and drain it down to the dregs.

 

For I have been these:

Psalms 75:4-5

"I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’

and to the wicked, Do not lift up your horn;

do not lift up your horn on high,

or speak with haughty neck.’”

 

I have been haughty toward others.

 

I have been wicked in every part of me, every faculty of my soul: my desires and will, my thoughts, words, and actions.

 

I have broken every one of God's commands:

 

I have worshipped other things, made idols for my heart, misrepresented the God I claim to serve, dishonored his day and used it for my pleasure, dishonored and disobeyed my parents, hated others, lusted after others, taken what was not mine, deceived, and coveted.

 

I have especially not loved my God with all my being, nor loved my neighbor as myself.

 

It is I who deserve to be included in the camp of the wicked who will drain the cup of God's wrath.

 

And yet God!

 

Romans 5:8

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

What kind of love is it, that would do this?

Why should the Lord drink the cup of wrath that I deserve, and be brought to death because of it?

 

Ephesians 2:4-7

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

 

Why did God show me this mercy? 

 

So that he might get the glory for his enormous grace toward me! (Eph.2:7).

 

So that I might boast in him and not in myself:

 

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

 

So that I might do good works as one who is in Christ:

 

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 

So that I might be called one of God's children and one day be like him:

 

1 John 3:1-2

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. … Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 

 

Because God's goal is to make me like Jesus, my goal must be to purify myself and turn away from sin:

 

1 John 3:3,5,8-9

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. … You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. … Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

 

Why has God saved me?

So that I might now rejoice in him through Christ:

 

Romans 5:11

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

 

O God! Teach me to rejoice in you! Cause me to live as one who DOES "rejoice in the Lord always" -- because it is such an undeserved mercy to be included in Christ my Lord!

 

Every spiritual blessing comes through my connection to Jesus (Eph.1:3).

 

Every temporal blessing is given because you are kind to me through Christ (James 1:17; 1Tim.6:17); and because of my being in Christ, those blessings are truly blessings, rather than becoming something for which your wrath is stored up for me due to how I use those blessings (Rom.2:5).

 

Every temporal hardship is turned into good for me, because you have put me in Christ; a difficulty is no longer an expression of your anger but instead of your love working out your better purposes in my life (Rom.8:28).

 

O Lord, how can I not rejoice?!  Make me a perpetually rejoicing person -- not because my life has become easy, but because Christ is precious and lovely and all that I need.

 

Though this life be difficult and only increasingly so, help me to be one who is "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing":

 

2 Corinthians 6:9-10

as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

 

The Cup of Wrath

Many times in the Bible, "drinking a cup" refers to the cup of wrath in the LORD's hand that he makes the wicked drink: 

Psalms 75:8
For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
 
Jeremiah 25:15-16
Thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.”

 
Jeremiah 51:6-8
“Flee from the midst of Babylon; let every one save his life! Be not cut off in her punishment, for this is the time of the LORD'S vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her. Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad. Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; wail for her!"
 
Isaiah 51:20-22
Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted, who are drunk, but not with wine: Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who pleads the cause of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more…"
 
Revelation 14:9-10
And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb."
 
Revelation 16:19
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.
 
Surely the reference to the "cup" in John 18 also refers to the cup of God's wrath, which Jesus was about to willingly drink from the Father's hand, the wine of God's fury poured out upon himself in place of his people who were wicked:
 
John 18:11
So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
 
The cup of the Lord's Table is his blood. Why? Because by drinking the cup of God's wrath, the Savior died. The cup we drink symbolizes the cup that Jesus drank for us. We remember the cup of wrath, from which we have been saved by his drinking of it. We remember that what it cost for him to save us from the "wrath to come" was his drinking it himself until the cup was drained.
 
Matthew 26:27-28
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
 
1 Corinthians 11:26
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
 
1 Corinthians 10:16
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
 
1 Thessalonians 1:10
…Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
 
---
Christ also speaks of the "cup he must drink", in Mark 10:37-40; there it seems to refer in general to a type of suffering which all of his disciples will share in if they will also share his glory (Rom.8:17). But the overall symbolism in the Bible refers to God's wrath against the wicked.

Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing

The American dream is contrary to the truth of the Bible.

"The American Dream is the idea that the government should protect each person's opportunity to pursue their idea of happiness." (https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-the-american-dream-quotes-and-history-3306009).

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." (Declaration of Independence).

American culture defines "liberty" as "the freedom to be self-directed and autonomous, to do what I want with no one telling me I shouldn't" (unless of course, someone else's liberty infringes on mine, in which case mine should win).

It defines "pursuit of happiness" as a goal which can be attained by economic prosperity. Having enough money will let me "pursue my dreams" which will bring me happiness. Happiness also comes by the liberty to do whatever I want without having negative consequences for it.

But what does Scripture describe as the truth, and as the reality of living in a fallen world?

1. You are not ever free to do as you like with no consequences. You are either a slave to sin or a slave to God.

2. God made you, and as Creator he has the complete right to tell you what to do. You do not have the "liberty" to be self-directed and autonomous from God. By nature, you are under his jurisdiction, irrevocably.

3. True joy is only found "at God's right hand," and the love of money leads to being "pierced through with many sorrows."

4. In this life, and in this body, we "groan".  All creation groans under the curse, and that includes every individual life. One should never expect to reach a point at which they will achieve a life without groaning in this age.

5. True "life" is only found in Jesus, who is "the way, the truth, and the life."  He is the bread from Heaven and the living water.  Only in him will a person ever find satisfaction for the soul.

Especially for the Christian, we can expect life to be difficult and full of sorrows:

2 Corinthians 4:6-10

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 5:2-4

For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Yet even with this in mind, Paul goes on to say:

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Knowing the groaning of this age does not mean we should be constantly depressed.  No - he says, "so we are always of good courage".  Why?  Not because life got better. But because our better life is promised to us after death.  The prospect of being with the Lord is to give us "good courage" as we walk in a life of daily groaning.

And then, what is to be the result of this hope that we have?

2 Corinthians 5:9-11

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.

We are to make it our aim, to please Christ.  

This is contrary to the American dream, which has as its aim, "liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Pleasing Christ will actually bring us true life, liberty, and happiness; but we can only gain those things by pursuing HIM, not by pursuing those things themselves.

And Paul, knowing that Judgement Day is coming, also makes it his aim to "persuade others" - to preach of sin, and judgement, and salvation, so that those around us who are pursuing all the fading pleasures of this life will be wakened to see the judgement to come and the Savior who is their only hope.

What is to be the Christian's purpose for living?

2 Corinthians 5:15

[Christ] died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

To live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

To live for Christ -- not for the American dream of pursuing liberty and happiness.

To sign up for the marine corp led by Christ, committing oneself to be "all in", with life revolving around the General's commands, and with everything else subservient to that.

So if one does this, what will his life in this world look like?

It will look like suffering servants of God, just like Jesus was:

2 Corinthians 6:3-10

We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

No wonder Paul says this:

1 Corinthians 15:19

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Why then is it worth living in the Christian marine corp?

Why is it worth looking like someone who is "most to be pitied"?

1 Corinthians 15:17, 20a

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. … But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.

In other words: in Christ, you are no longer in your sins; your faith is not futile. Your salvation is real, your reconciliation with God is accomplished, and your life in eternity will be full of joy and glory and satisfaction.

Matthew 13:44

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Jesus is the treasure in the field; he who embraces Christ as such is willing to pay whatever it costs to gain Him.

Mark 8:36-37

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?

The Christian has to live by faith in these things.  If he lives by sight, he will see all the things "most to be pitied". He will see the dying, the punishment, the sorrow, and the poverty that can be the lot of Christ's followers, without being able to see by faith, the life, the rejoicing, and the riches that are ours in Christ -- and that are promised in greater fullness after we finish this race of faith.

Christian -- be encouraged!

Not because some prosperity preacher promises "your best life now."

But because, though we groan daily in this life now, we are promised the truest and best life to come, with Christ forever!

Revelation 21:3-5

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” 

Revelation 22:3-7a

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. … And behold, I am coming soon."

Psalm 89

https://www.esv.org/Psalm+89/

Ethan (the psalmist here) has a problem: he knows with a certainty, who God is and what God is like. God is righteous. Just. Full of steadfast love and faithfulness. He rules nature. He rules the nations. 

Yet Ethan looks around and sees circumstances that seem to contradict God's faithfulness.  God had made an eternal covenant with David, promising that his sons' dynasty would last forever.  Yet Ethan sees the covenant nation destroyed by enemies, in ruins, plundered and mocked.  Where is God's faithfulness now? Where is his steadfast love toward his people?

Do we not do this? We so easily use our circumstances to interpret God's ways. "If God is a God of love, a God in control of everything, and a God who has power to do everything, why does he give me chronic pain?  Why did he let my loved one die?"

If Ethan could have time traveled several hundred years into the future, he could have seen and understood that God's covenant with David would indeed be fulfilled - in Christ. That God's faithfulness was always there. That God's plan was higher and greater than the physical well-being of the physical nation of Israel.  That the ultimate King - and Prophet - and Sacrifice - would come one day, from the line of David, not to bring political and societal peace and prosperity, but to deliver his people from their real bondage: sin and death.

O God! Give us faith to believe in YOU. In your character. Your perfect plan. Your promises. When we see circumstances that seem to contradict all those things, help us to live by faith, remembering Ethan and the Israelites' time of exile.  So many who went into exile would never see the end result, the ways that your faithfulness worked itself out in the nation of Israel.  They would have had to either give up their faith that you were who you said you were (merciful and gracious, full of steadfast love, faithful to your promises) -- or to believe that somehow, you were true and faithful, and that that would be evident one day, even though they could not imagine now, how it would work itself out.

Ethan ends with "Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen."

He holds his faith though he does not understand what God is doing.

May we say the same.