Set Your Affections Above | Colossians 3:1-4 | July 26 AM

Paul begins Colossians 3 by building on the foundational truth already laid down in chapters 1 and 2: Christ is enough. Christ is sufficient. Christ is the image of the invisible God, the creator, the sustainer, the head of the church, the one in whom all the fullness of God dwells bodily. Because believers are complete in Christ, nothing else has to be added, not human philosophy, not religious tradition, not mysticism, not man made religion.

Paul then moves from doctrine to practice, because Christian living should never be separated from Christian doctrine. The truth of who Christ is becomes the foundation for how those who belong to Christ should live. Obedience does not make anyone God’s child. Obedience flows from already belonging to him.

Paul calls believers to “seek those things which are above.” The risen life in Christ demands new pursuits. Baptism pictures death, burial, and resurrection, but the Christian life after that is not passive. Seeking above is continual, daily, intentional pursuit. Paul is not telling believers to ignore work, rent, family, or responsibilities. Paul is telling believers to let heaven’s reality govern life today.

Paul then moves from what believers seek to what believers love. “Set your affection on things above” means the mind, heart, outlook, and desires must be fixed on eternal things. What fills the mind shapes the outlook, and what shapes the outlook shapes the life. Earthly thinking produces earthly living, but heavenly thinking changes how earthly responsibilities are carried out.

Paul also calls believers to remember their identity. The old life is dead, and the new life is “hid with Christ in God.” Security is not based on performance. Performance should flow out of security. The world defines people by success, failure, possessions, popularity, and achievement, but God defines his children by their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Paul closes with the future hope of Christ’s appearing. Christ does not merely give life. Christ is life. When Christ appears, believers will appear with him in glory. That future hope is meant to create present faithfulness. Since no one knows the day or hour, the life of faith should not dabble too long in the pleasures of earth. Christ’s people are called to seek him, think on him, find identity in him, and live ready for his return.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Christ is enough and sufficient. Christ does not need man made systems added to him in order to complete the Christian life. Paul’s doctrine leaves no room for a faith that treats Jesus as one piece of a larger religious puzzle. When Christ is truly sufficient, the soul stops trying to decorate salvation with lesser things that only pretend to compete with him. [22:45]
• 2. Heaven’s reality governs earthly living. Seeking things above does not excuse neglect of ordinary responsibilities. Heaven changes the way earthly life is handled, not by removing work, bills, family, and duty, but by putting them under Christ’s rule. The believer lives today in light of eternity, instead of spending life like a child with money burning a hole in his pocket. [30:27]
• 3. The mind shapes the whole life. Paul’s call to set affections above shows that spiritual drift often begins in the thoughts long before it shows up in behavior. What consistently occupies the mind starts shaping the outlook, the words, the choices, and even the emotional reflexes of the heart. A life filled with earthly input should not be surprised when it produces earthly reactions. [33:18]
• 4. Identity rests hidden in Christ. The believer’s security is not hanging on the thin thread of daily performance. The life that is hid with Christ in God is safer than feelings, failures, reputations, or achievements can ever make it. Confidence in Christ produces steadier obedience than anxious striving ever could. [44:28]
• 5. Christ’s return creates present faithfulness. The appearing of Christ is not meant to be a distant doctrine tucked away for later. Christ’s coming gives weight to today’s choices, today’s work, and today’s integrity. The believer who lives ready does not need to scramble when the lights come down the driveway.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [21:48] - Colossians 3:1-4 and Prayer
• [22:45] - Christ Is Enough
• [24:04] - Doctrine Becomes Daily Practice
• [26:29] - Seek Things Above
• [29:13] - Continual Seeking, Not Passive Living
• [32:42] - Set Affections Above
• [37:30] - Christ Seen in Daily Life
• [43:33] - Remember the New Identity
• [44:28] - Security Hidden with Christ
• [51:25] - Live for Christ’s Appearing
• [54:18] - Raised With Christ, Living Ready
• [58:45] - Heavenly Minded Work and Integrity
• [61:02] - Prayer for New Birth and Faithfulness

Bible Reading

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.” [21:35]

Colossians 1:15-20
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Colossians 2:9-10
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”

Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Observation questions

1. In Colossians 3:1-4, what four commands or truths stand out about the believer’s life with Christ: what believers are to seek, what they are to set their minds on, what has happened to their old life, and what will happen when Christ appears? [21:35]
2. In Colossians 1:15-20 and 2:9-10, what descriptions of Jesus show that he is fully sufficient and needs nothing added to him?
3. What are some specific things named as rivals that try to compete with Christ, even though they cannot truly rival him? [23:36]
4. What kinds of everyday responsibilities are specifically mentioned as things believers are not supposed to neglect while still seeking the things above? [30:27]

Interpretation questions

1. If believers have been raised with Christ, what does it mean in practical terms to “seek the things that are above”? How is that different from simply being religious once in a while? [29:54]
2. Paul connects the mind, the heart, and the life. Why does setting the mind on earthly things eventually shape behavior, attitudes, and reactions? [33:18]
3. Colossians 3:3 says, “your life is hidden with Christ in God.” How does that truth change the way a believer thinks about failure, insecurity, and the pressure to prove himself? [44:48]
4. Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ who is your life appears.” What is the difference between saying Christ gives life and saying Christ is life? How would that affect the way a person orders work, family, and priorities? [52:39]

Application questions

1. Christ is enough. What are the things most likely to compete for first place in the heart right now—success, comfort, approval, routine, entertainment, fear, or something else? Where does it become clear that something good has started acting like a substitute for Christ? [22:45]
2. Seeking things above does not mean escaping daily responsibilities. In what part of life right now—job, school, parenting, finances, service, or relationships—is there a need for heaven’s reality to govern the way those responsibilities are being handled? [30:42]
3. What has been filling the mind lately? How has that been shaping outlook, tone, patience, or emotional reactions? Are there certain inputs that need to be reduced and certain truths from God’s Word that need to be pursued more intentionally? [34:24]
4. Identity hidden with Christ is stronger than identity built on performance. When the week goes badly, where does the heart usually look for security and worth? What would it look like to respond from security in Christ instead of striving to earn it? [49:51]
5. If people around a believer watched closely at work, at home, or under stress, what signs would show that the mind is really set on Christ? Where is there a need for greater integrity, steadiness, or Christlike conduct? [59:47]
6. Jesus is coming again, and no one knows the day or hour. If that truth were felt more deeply this week, what would probably change first—habits, priorities, use of time, unfinished obedience, or some area of compromise? [58:04]
7. Christ’s return gives present faithfulness. Is there any area where too much time has been spent dabbling in the pleasures of earth while putting off what ought to be done before the Lord? What would readiness look like in that area this week? [57:51]