Alright, thank you very much. Paul, we welcome
you back from a couple of weeks of vacation.
I'd like you to open your Bible with me please
to the book of Colossians and the third chapter.
I heard a story several years ago about a man
who decided to play a trick on four of his friends.
So he sent to each of them an anonymous note
that simply said, all is discovered, flee. Three
of the four left town immediately. Most people
fear the disclosure of the secrets of their lives.
Certainly in the day in which we're living, before
someone enters public service, he or she had
better consider that. But not all of the secrets
of our lives are bad and unhappy ones. Yesterday
I visited with one of our attendees who was in
the hospital, an elderly lady. And as we talked,
she recounted her first memory of church. She
was a little girl, three years old, and after
church, her mother and father had to practice
in the choir. And so her mother said to her,
I want you to go out and to sit on the front
steps of the church and wait until we're done
practicing and then we'll come out and get you
and we'll walk home. This was in Amery, Wisconsin,
many, many years ago. And so she did. And she
remembers sitting on those steps, listening to
the choir, and hearing her mother's voice, her
mother now long dead. Hearing her mother's voice,
I will sing of my Redeemer and His wondrous love
for me. What a wonderful memory to have your
mother's voice frozen in your mind from three
years of age, singing of Jesus. Well, life has
contained its troubles and its trials. for freedom.
And yesterday, at her advanced age, I saw her
lying there in a hospital bed. She may not ever
be back in a church service again. Only God knows.
But as she spoke to me of how she had grown in
the Lord under the ministry of Dr. W .B. Riley,
Dr. Moyer, at First Baptist Church in Minneapolis.
And as she recounted to me her experiences with
God in her recent years, it's very clear that
her focus and her gaze is upon something that's
beyond this world. She spoke of the return of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely, she said, the
Lord is going to return soon. Well, I believe
the same thing. Before he returns for all of
us, she knows that he may return for her and
take her home to be with herself. How do you
explain a woman who is advanced in age Facing
the reality of life being very short, death may
be soon at hand, we don't know. And doing that
with an attitude of optimism and hope, with a
smile on her face. I'll tell you how you can
explain it. It's because of the secrets of her
life. The Apostle Paul in our text, says to us
in essence, if you have Jesus Christ, you have
everything that you need. And in this paragraph
we're going to look at this morning, he talks
about three secrets of the life of the child
of God. If then, or better since then, you have
been raised up with Christ, Keep seeking the
things above, where Christ is seated at the right
hand of God. Set your mind on the things above,
not on the things that are on earth. For you
have died, and your life is hidden with Christ
in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed,
then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
The first secret of the believer's life that
I see in this text is the secret of the believer's
life's source. Everybody has some source for
their inner life. That energy within them that
enables them to function in this world on an
emotional, mental, and social level. Some find
their life's energy in ideas like self -realization
or self -actualization, the psychobabble terms
of self -esteem that are so prominent in our
day. Some find their life source in relationships
with family or friends. And when they're around
people, that's when they're really with it, you
know, and that energy exudes from them. Others
find their life source and energy in the church
or in their religion. Some find their energy
and vitality in their work that they do for the
community. Perhaps it's in social activism or
it's in political change or movements, but it's
in that sort of thing where they find the energy
for their lives. And perhaps none of these things
is wrong that I've talked about. But my question
is, is that really going to carry you through?
You see, the child of God has a source of inner
life that far exceeds any of these that we've
talked about. For the life source of the child
of God is his union with Jesus Christ. It is
that union, that connection with Christ Himself
that provides the energy, the power, and the
endurance to carry us through all life seasons
and into eternity. The life source that we have
in Christ is described in several ways. He says
you have died. Well, we died with Christ. He's
talked about that in earlier verses. He says
you've been raised up together with Christ. You
see, we have a union with Jesus. So that whatever
happened to Jesus 2 ,000 years ago happened to
us. And now whatever happens to us happens to
Him. When we rejoice, He rejoices. When we suffer,
He suffers. There is a life connection between
us and Christ because of our dying with Him and
being raised with Him. He describes this union
with these words, your life is hidden with Christ.
In that word, hidden, there is pictured the idea
of a spring that secretly provides water for
a city. Such as the spring of Gihon. It is the
spring that flows out of a mountainside in Israel.
And thousands of years ago there was a people
that built a city around that spring. It was
called Jebus. The Jebusites. And it existed there
as a city in Palestine until David came along
and conquered it. Do you know how he conquered
it? The Jebusites in order to protect their fortress
city called Jebus had built a tunnel from the
city down to the water. Secretly there was a
tunnel that no one knew about except David and
his men found out and they went up through that
tunnel and captured the city. Later Solomon was
anointed the king. was coronated as king at that
very site, at the spring of Gihon. And 250 years
after Solomon Hezekiah, in a time of siege in
the city when Sennacherib and the enemy were
outside, he fortified and built an extended tunnel
down to that spring that the Assyrians never
found. And that spring provided life and water.
for the city of Jerusalem under siege. What is
the spring of the child of God that cannot be
seen by the world but which secretly nourishes
the soul? The answer is it is Jesus. Your life
is hidden with Christ. And when your life is
under siege and when illness attacks you and
you're lying on a bed wondering if you're going
to get out of the hospital. It is that spring,
my friend, that sees you through. The secret
of the believer's life's source. He says, third,
Christ is our life. Notice he doesn't say Christ
gives us life. He says Christ is our life. It
reminds me of what Jesus said, I am the vine,
you are the branches. You see, the vine gives
the life to the branches and extends himself
through the branches. And that's what Jesus does
in you and me. Norman Geisler said, life in this
world will be better if it is lived by a power
beyond this world. And that's what a Christian
has. I hope today you have this secret of a life's
source that goes outside of this world into eternity
and is found in the person of Jesus Christ. The
second secret that I see in this paragraph is
the secret of the believer's life's security.
This word hidden in verse 3. is one that also
implies being safe and secure. Notice that it
implies that we are doubly secured. It says your
life is hidden with Christ in God. With Christ
in God. Your life is hidden with Christ. If our
life is hidden with Christ, then where is Christ?
He tells us in verse 1, He is seated at the right
hand of God. That means, in the language of that
day, that Christ is in the place of acceptance
and equality with God the Father. And you and
I are hidden with Him who is seated there at
the right hand of God. The connection that we
have, the union that we have, goes right to the
one who is counted equal with God and who is
fully accepted by God. Romans 8 .34 says, Who
is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is he who
died. Yes, rather who was raised, who is at the
right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
You and I are as secure as the position of Jesus
Christ. If it were possible for Him to be removed
from the right hand of God, then we could fear
our security and wonder if we were safe. But
our life's security is based upon the one who
is at the right hand of God eternally. Your life
is hidden with Christ in God. And so what of
God? Well Romans 8 verses 31 to 33 gives us a
hint where Paul says if God is for us who is
against us? He who did not spare his own son
But delivered him up for us all How will he not
also with him? freely give us all things Who
will bring a charge against God's elect? God
is the one who justifies. Now if Jesus is at
the right hand of God, that means that God is
the one who's on the throne. He's the judge.
He is the one who has the right to condemn. Or
the one who has the right to say, you're innocent.
And that's exactly what Paul says. God who is
on the throne has already spoken. And he says,
I declare you believing in Jesus Christ to be
justified. That means our sins are forgiven,
we receive the righteousness of Christ, and God
sees no sin in us. We are as accepted by God
who sits on the throne. as fully as he accepts
his own son. There is nothing that can get your
life, get to your life, to destroy it or to damage
it. For you have been concealed with Christ in
God." Dr. A .T. Robertson wrote, so here we are
in Christ who is in God. And no burglar, not
even Satan himself, can separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus. The world cannot
understand that kind of confidence and assurance
that the Christian has. It's a secret. It belongs
to the believer to know that he's right with
God. There's a third secret that I see in our
text. It is the secret of the believer's life's
destiny. He says whenever Christ is revealed
then you also will be revealed. One day Christ
is going to be openly displayed to the world.
The picture here is like the lifting of a veil.
And I think of a bride at a wedding who comes
down the aisle veiled. Now the groom already
knows what's behind the veil, but he doesn't
see it at that moment. If he's smart, he knows
what's behind the veil. I mean, there are surprises,
and then there are surprises, and you don't want
that one. But there comes that moment in some
ceremonies still, when the father lifts the veil.
And what has been hidden to that point is shown
to the bridegroom. Well here it's the other way
around. Christ is the one who has veiled. We
don't see Him now. The world doesn't see Him
now. But there's coming a day when the veil is
going to be taken away. And the world will see
Him. But my friend, the secret of the believer
is on that day we also will be revealed with
Him. John says, we shall see Him as He is. Therefore,
he says, we shall be like Him. At the same time
that Paul wrote Colossians, he wrote Philippians.
And in Philippians chapter 3, verses 20 and 21,
he talks about what we're talking about here.
He says, our citizenship is in heaven, not in
this world. Our citizenship is in heaven, from
which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body
of our humble state. That is, a body that is
humbled by disease and weakness, and ultimately
death because of sin's effect on it. That body.
that humble body will be transformed into conformity
with the body of his glory by the exertion of
the power that he has even to subject all things
to himself. So in that moment when he is revealed
he is going to exert power and when he exerts
power his people in that instant are going to
be changed to be like him. Now that's a secret
that will sustain you for a while. When the question
comes to your mind, how ever can I go on? Or
when you wonder whether it's worth all of your
effort to be faithful to God. Or you're concerned
about what's going to happen in the future to
your kids, to your grandkids. with the world
degenerating as it is. Do you ever wonder that?
Listen, you have a secret that will sustain you.
The world cannot comprehend it. It doesn't understand
it. But you and I have a secret that says there's
a destiny waiting for the child of God, and it's
glory. Warren Wiersby wrote, the Christian life
is a hidden life. as far as the world is concerned,
because the world does not know Christ. Our sphere
of life is not this earth, but heaven, and the
things that attract us and excite us belong to
heaven, not earth. That's why the apostle exhorts
us as he does in this paragraph. Keep on seeking
the things above. Set your mind on the things
above, not the things that are on earth. Now
he's going to talk to us about some of the things
on earth as we continue on in chapter 3. And
most of those things would be considered sinful.
But not all things on the earth are sinful in
and of themselves. Possessing something, for
example. Is that sinful? No. What about playing?
Is there something sinful about playing? Some
Christians seem to think so. They don't play
much. But there isn't. What about resting? We
all need rest. But you see, any of those three
can be sinful. If we focus on them, set our minds
on them, if we set our affections on them, if
we seek them before the Kingdom of God, perhaps
the greatest threat to our obedience to these
commands today could be under the label amusements.
In the declining days of Rome, the people went
to the circus and that's where Americans are
going by the millions to the circus. As one writer
said some time ago, we are amusing ourselves
to death in this country with entertainment and
sports, video games and movies. and things to
do that are fun. And I say that those things,
while they may not be wrong in themselves, are
one of the greatest threats the Christians face
in our culture to setting our minds on things
above, not on the earth. How much time did you
spend last week watching television or going
to a movie or playing a video game? as compared
to the time that you spent really seeking the
things of God. The scripture says that we are
to set our minds on things above, that we're
to keep seeking the things above. The things
that we're called to. The place where our citizenship
is. Because those are the things that are going
to count in the end Most of you won't be able
to see this magazine that I'm holding up But
it's such a pretty picture. I thought I would
bring it and do a show -and -tell It's the magazine
of the biblical archaeology Society their review
magazine the most recent issue. I'm fascinating
fascinating with every issue, but this A particular
one caught my eye because of what's on the front
of it. That doesn't look like much, especially
to those of you in the back. But what this is
is a picture of a piece of clay called a bulla.
When ancients wanted to seal a document or seal
a scroll, they would take a piece of wax or clay
and they would apply a seal to it. The piece
of clay was called a bulla. B -U -L -L -A. This
is a picture of one. And here written in ancient
Hebrew on this particular ring, it says, Belonging
to Barakayu, the son of Nerahu, the scribe. Say,
so what? Well, that Hebrew is brought into our
English as Baruch, son of Neriah. the scribe.
And if you remember your Old Testament, this
is the man who was the secretary, the amanuensis,
the assistant to the prophet Jeremiah. He wrote
with his hand some of the book of Jeremiah that
Jeremiah told him to write. He was an assistant
and did chores and odd jobs for Jeremiah. And
this is the second one that exists. There's another
one that exists made from this very same seal
that they've found. But this particular one is
interesting because up here in this corner, none
of you can see it, even you Paul in the front
row, as good as your eyes are, there is a fingerprint.
And they believe that this is the fingerprint
of Baruch. The natural thing for him to touch
the clay as he put... the seal upon it 2600 years
ago. And I looked at that and I was greatly moved
by it. Realizing that two things struck me. First
of all that we are a part of a train, a parade
of people who have loved God and served God on
this earth. Sometimes we just see ourselves as
the faithful who live right now. But folks, we're
part of a parade. And this is our time on earth.
And there are many who've been a part of this
parade who are already in heaven. But this is
our time. Let's make the most of it. Let's set
our fixation on what's coming and not be distracted
by the things of the earth. But the second thing
that struck me was that He's been gone. thousands
of years. And how quickly life passes. And as
the scriptures say, as for man his days are like
grass, as a flower of the field so he flourishes.
When the wind has passed over it, it is no more.
And its place acknowledges it no longer. If you're
like me, you went out to your yard last summer
and you pulled up a dandelion or two. You know,
with roots about like this or... And it probably
left a hole in your lawn, but how long did it
take for that hole to fill up? And you didn't
even have the place. That's the way life is.
We think our roots are so deep and our place
is so broad and when we're gone, no one's going
to miss us. And yet when death plucks us up,
it is not any time at all before that place is
covered over and you're not remembered. It's
kind of a dismal thought, isn't it? And I was
praying about that this week. I said, Lord, this
is not real encouraging to me. And the Lord said,
what are you studying for Sunday? I said, oh,
your life is hidden with Christ in God. And when
Christ, who is our life, appears, you're going
to appear with Him in glory. Life has its meaning,
and it's not found in how long we live, but how
well we live. And how faithfully we seek the
things above, and don't allow ourselves to be
enticed and allured. by the things that are on
the earth that surely will pass away. Let's pray.
Father, I thank you for the challenge of this
text this morning and my prayer is that as we
come to the communion table, you will show to
us how we need to align our lives to live well.
And wherein we have allowed ourselves to become
focused and centered on the things of the earth,
show us. Please open our eyes so that however
long we have in this world, we will use that
time wisely. In Jesus' name, amen.