WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.760
So if our identity is in Christ, if we are identifying as Christians, as Christ followers,

2
00:00:05.760 --> 00:00:12.480
then we are being raised with him. Have you been raised with Christ? Have you given your life

3
00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:18.480
to Jesus? Is Jesus on the throne of your life? Have you accepted his free gift of salvation?

4
00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:19.520
Have you been baptized?

5
00:00:19.520 --> 00:00:30.640
As we continue our study in the book of Colossians, we are now in chapter three. And as

6
00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:35.680
we begin chapter three, I want to start with a question. And the question is, where is your mind

7
00:00:35.680 --> 00:00:40.240
or where is your mind set? So I'm gonna start with a story. I've been wrestling. I've been

8
00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:43.200
a wrestler since I was seven years old. My dad asked me if I wanted to wrestle. I didn't know

9
00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:48.240
anything about the sport. Neither did he really. But I started wrestling and wrestled all the way

10
00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:53.200
through high school and I still coach wrestling. And one thing when I'm coaching wrestling,

11
00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:58.800
the hardest thing to coach is a wrestler's mindset. But I can't stress how important that is

12
00:00:59.680 --> 00:01:05.200
really in any sport, but especially in the sport of wrestling. And the reason I stress it to my

13
00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:09.840
wrestlers is because I tell them if they walk onto the wrestling mat thinking that they're

14
00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:14.400
gonna lose or there's a chance they're gonna lose, then they're gonna lose because your mindset is

15
00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:20.400
that important. And I know that and I'm able to coach that to students and stress that because

16
00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:24.560
I remember being a wrestler and that my mindset was terrible. And I really struggled with this,

17
00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:29.120
especially like in middle school and beginning in high school. And I would often determine the

18
00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:33.760
outcome of my wrestling match before I even stepped on the mat. Like I don't think I can

19
00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:38.400
beat this kid or I do think I can beat this kid. And the crazy thing about that is I was always

20
00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:42.240
right. Whether I thought I was gonna win or I thought I was gonna lose, that's usually what

21
00:01:42.240 --> 00:01:48.000
happened. And so now that's exactly what I try to coach and tell the wrestlers that I get to coach.

22
00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:54.240
And as I progressed through my wrestling career, I got better at this and I was able to kind of

23
00:01:54.240 --> 00:01:59.840
train my mind more and try to give myself a chance in wrestling matches. And now what I'm not saying

24
00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:05.280
is that's all it takes, right, is a decision in your mind of I can do this or I can't do this.

25
00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:12.400
But it does play a big role and there's power in positive thinking. And you've got to believe in

26
00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:17.680
yourself and have a positive mindset because I performed so much better as an athlete when I was

27
00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:23.520
confident and determined rather than scared and questioning my abilities. And so here's the point,

28
00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:29.600
your mind is powerful, your mindset is powerful, and positive thinking is powerful. So let's look

29
00:02:29.600 --> 00:02:34.240
at the first four verses of Colossians chapter three. Paul writes this,

30
00:02:55.200 --> 00:02:59.120
So in the rest of this passage, Paul's going to get more specific with what it means to

31
00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:04.160
focus on what is above, and he's going to list specific things. But in this episode, I want to

32
00:03:04.160 --> 00:03:10.240
focus on these four verses and talk more about this concept of where our minds are at. So the

33
00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:14.800
first thing Paul talks about here is he says being raised with Christ, if you've been raised with

34
00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:20.640
Christ. He's already used this type of language in this letter. If you look back at chapter two,

35
00:03:20.640 --> 00:03:23.120
let's look at Colossians 2 verse 12. Paul said,

36
00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:40.560
So this concept of being raised with Christ starts with Christ. Jesus Christ himself was raised

37
00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:46.080
from the dead, and even before that, he was raised out of the water symbolically when he was raised

38
00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:52.400
out of the Jordan River when he was baptized by John the Baptist. So if our identity is in Christ,

39
00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:58.400
if we are identifying as Christians, as Christ's followers, then we are being raised with him.

40
00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:06.720
So the first question I have for yourself as you're reading this chapter is, is Colossians 3.1,

41
00:04:06.720 --> 00:04:14.320
is Colossians 2.12 describing you? Have you been raised with Christ? Have you given your life to

42
00:04:14.320 --> 00:04:20.320
Jesus? Is Jesus on the throne of your life? Have you accepted his free gift of salvation? Have you

43
00:04:20.320 --> 00:04:27.440
been baptized? Have you put your faith in a powerful working God? And if your answer is no

44
00:04:27.440 --> 00:04:31.920
to any of those questions, then I'm going to challenge you. And here's my challenge. Make that

45
00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:38.720
decision today. Give your life to Jesus Christ. Put him on the throne of your life. Surrender to

46
00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:45.280
him and walk in the newness of life and walk in freedom. And if you answered yes to those questions,

47
00:04:45.280 --> 00:04:49.600
then let's keep reading. If you have been raised with Christ, then let's keep reading. So if you've

48
00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:54.880
been raised with Christ, my next question is, what are you seeking? Paul writes,

49
00:04:54.880 --> 00:04:59.840
seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

50
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.240
So what are you all seeking? Because we're all seeking something, right? We're

51
00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:10.320
all seeking something. Are you seeking what is above? Where is your focus? And to

52
00:05:10.320 --> 00:05:13.040
answer that question, I think the best way to answer that question is to ask

53
00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:16.760
yourself, what are you doing with your time? Because what you're doing with your

54
00:05:16.760 --> 00:05:20.880
time is a direct reflection on where your focus is, where the focus of your

55
00:05:20.880 --> 00:05:25.640
life is. That's a good indicator, right? Back to the to the wrestling example, if

56
00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:31.200
I'm coaching a wrestler who wants to be a state champion wrestler, then how they

57
00:05:31.200 --> 00:05:35.040
are spending their time should reflect that goal, right? Are they spending time

58
00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:37.520
in the weight room? Are they spending time in the wrestling room? Are they

59
00:05:37.520 --> 00:05:42.160
working out? Are they focusing on that goal? And if they are, then that goal is

60
00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:46.520
achievable. If they're not, then it's not a realistic goal. How you're spending

61
00:05:46.520 --> 00:05:50.940
your time indicates where your focus is and where your goals are. So if you

62
00:05:50.940 --> 00:05:55.200
aren't sure what you're seeking, then look at how you're spending your time. If

63
00:05:55.200 --> 00:05:59.600
you are seeking the things that are above, if you are seeking God, if you are

64
00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:04.520
seeking Jesus, if you're seeking the kingdom of God, then you should be

65
00:06:04.520 --> 00:06:08.240
seeking things like righteousness, peace, and joy, right? If you want to be seeking

66
00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:12.520
those things, then you must be spending time with God. You must have an active

67
00:06:12.520 --> 00:06:18.480
prayer life. You must be in the Word. We must be spending time with the Lord and

68
00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:22.120
worship. Or it's just not possible, right? It's not possible to seek the kingdom if

69
00:06:22.400 --> 00:06:26.560
we're not doing those things. And it's hard because we're on earth and we're

70
00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:30.240
surrounded by the world and the things of this world. And it's hard to solely

71
00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:35.160
keep our focus on the kingdom when we're in the world, right? But again, the answer

72
00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:40.720
is spending time with God, being in the world and not of the world. And the way

73
00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:46.840
we can do that is by solidifying who we are. Because we can be in the world and

74
00:06:46.840 --> 00:06:51.440
not of the world if we know who we are. If our identity is

75
00:06:51.440 --> 00:06:58.080
firmly in Christ Jesus. James 1 talks about not being polluted by the world,

76
00:06:58.080 --> 00:07:02.560
right? That's what true religion is, being unstained and unpolluted by the world.

77
00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:07.360
Seeking what is above. So that's the first thing. If you've been raised with

78
00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:11.840
Christ, seek what is above. The next part is in verse 2. If you've been raised with

79
00:07:11.840 --> 00:07:16.320
Christ, set your minds on things that are above, not on things of this earth. So

80
00:07:16.320 --> 00:07:19.480
we're going deeper, next level, right? Because if you're going to be successful

81
00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:24.080
in the first thing, if you're going to successfully seek what is above, then you

82
00:07:24.080 --> 00:07:27.760
have to be thinking about those things, right? If your life's going to be a life

83
00:07:27.760 --> 00:07:31.240
where you are seeking the kingdom, then you better be thinking about the kingdom,

84
00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:34.840
right? If the actions have to follow where your thought process is too. So

85
00:07:34.840 --> 00:07:38.400
Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God. And how can you do that if your

86
00:07:38.400 --> 00:07:43.600
mindset's not fixed on his kingdom? Are you thinking about the things that are

87
00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:47.240
above? So again, that question, where's your mind? Where's your head at? Where's

88
00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:52.480
your mindset? What kind of thoughts occupy your head on a regular basis? On

89
00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:56.800
an average day, are you happy with the thoughts that bounce around in your head?

90
00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:01.720
Are they negative? Positive? Are they happy? Are they sad? Are your thoughts

91
00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:06.440
encouraging to yourself, to others? Are they empowering? Are they depressing? Are

92
00:08:06.440 --> 00:08:12.000
they anxious? Are they spiritual? Are they kingdom of God focused? Because guess

93
00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:16.680
what? You can actually change what's going on in your mind. And I don't know

94
00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:21.440
what's going on in your mind, but the Lord does. He created you. He wants more

95
00:08:21.440 --> 00:08:25.520
for you. He wants your thoughts to be on what is above. Your thoughts to be on

96
00:08:25.520 --> 00:08:31.120
what is holy, righteous, positive, encouraging. That's what he wants. And his

97
00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:35.559
word talks about it, right? Jesus said, seek first the kingdom. Matthew 6 33. He

98
00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:39.640
said, seek first the kingdom of God. And that verse comes in the middle of a

99
00:08:39.640 --> 00:08:44.120
section where he's talking about anxiety. He's talking about worry. He's talking

100
00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:48.480
about stress. And so that's his solution to those types of thoughts that

101
00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:51.640
occupy our mind. The anxious thoughts that will come on a daily basis. The

102
00:08:51.640 --> 00:08:55.840
stressful thoughts. Those thoughts come, they invade on a daily basis. And Jesus

103
00:08:55.840 --> 00:09:00.600
is saying, seek first the kingdom of God. Because the more you focus on heaven, the

104
00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:06.800
more you focus on Jesus, the more you focus on those things, the less you focus

105
00:09:06.800 --> 00:09:11.080
on everything else. And everything else will actually fade away when we're

106
00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:16.920
focused on Jesus and we're focused on his kingdom. So set your mind on what is

107
00:09:16.920 --> 00:09:21.520
above. Paul writes similarly in the book of Philippians. He writes about anxiety

108
00:09:21.520 --> 00:09:26.120
from a prison cell in chapter 4 of Philippians. He talks about trusting in

109
00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:31.120
God, bringing everything to him in prayer. And when you do that, the God of peace

110
00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:35.880
will protect you, right? His peace will invade and protect your hearts and your

111
00:09:35.880 --> 00:09:39.960
minds. I said at the beginning of this episode that your mind is a

112
00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:45.440
powerful thing. And that's true. Your mindset matters and there's power in

113
00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:50.320
positive thinking. And let me be careful and clarify and say your mind is not an

114
00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:56.520
all-powerful thing, right? God is. We are not. So focus on him and allow him to

115
00:09:56.520 --> 00:10:02.320
work in your life and help you and mold your mind and you dig

116
00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:04.760
your thoughts. Focus on what is above. And so I want to end with this back to the

117
00:10:04.760 --> 00:10:10.760
idea of being raised with Christ. Jesus was raised from the dead, right? He was

118
00:10:10.760 --> 00:10:15.160
raised from the dead. He walked out of that tomb and so we should treat our lives the

119
00:10:15.160 --> 00:10:18.880
same way, right? We have been raised with Christ so we shouldn't stay in the tomb

120
00:10:18.880 --> 00:10:24.000
either. We should leave what's behind behind, right? Our old sinful ways,

121
00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:27.720
our old thought patterns, the way we used to think about things or think about

122
00:10:27.720 --> 00:10:33.320
ourselves or think about other people, leave that behind and walk out of that

123
00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:37.040
tomb. Jesus didn't come back to that, come back to life and then stay in the tomb.

124
00:10:37.040 --> 00:10:41.840
He left, he walked out. So don't stay in a life of sin and chains and shame and

125
00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:46.200
regret and negative thinking because that's not who you are, right? That's not

126
00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:50.680
who we are. Walk in your identity as a child of the Most High God who's been

127
00:10:50.680 --> 00:10:55.760
raised with Christ. That is who we are, right? We are children of God who've been

128
00:10:55.760 --> 00:11:02.880
raised with Christ. So act like it, live like it, make a kingdom of God impact by

129
00:11:02.880 --> 00:11:09.600
focusing on his kingdom, by walking with him, by seeking him and setting our minds

130
00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:17.120
on him and what is above. And whatever you do, do it for him and his glory, not

131
00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:19.440
your own.