Taken from the sermon “Things Above” from the sermon series Finally Home: What Heaven Means for Earth by Mark Vroegop.
We’re walking through the subject of heaven with a handful of articles here on the College Park Church Resources site. This is the final installment. If you haven’t read the other articles, check them out and come back!
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 (Col. 3:1–4).
Paul’s third and final parallel in this passage relates to what he is calling believers to do. The previous two points and their parallel phrases bookend what Paul commands here. In fact, this is why Paul writes to these believers in the first place: He wants them to not only know something but to do something.
There are two commands in this text:
1. “. . . seek the things that are above” (v. 1)
2. “. . . set your minds on things that are above” (v. 2)
Both are saying nearly the same thing, but in slightly different ways. Both commands are present, active, imperative verbs, which means that “seeking” and “setting” need to be continually practiced.
Some commentators believe that Paul is addressing what we desire (v. 1) and what we think about (v. 2). That is why the NIV adds the word “heart” in verse 1: “set your heart on things above . . . set your minds on things above.” It is also why NLT translates these verses as “. . . set your sights on the realities of heaven . . . think about the things of heaven.” Both commands set the direction—of either affections or our thinking—on heaven.
The first command, “to seek,” means (1) to search for, (2) to try to get, or (3) to reach for something that is desired. It is the same word used in Matthew 6:33 in which Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God.” It is also used in reference to Jesus’s mission to “seek the lost” (Luke 19:10). The idea in Colossians 3 is that the orientation of the heart—what you love—has been set on another realm. That is why verse 1 says, “where Christ is . . .” Followers of Jesus have their hearts set on things that are above. They love another world.
The second command, “set your minds,” is another Greek word which means to direct one’s attention and thought to something. While the command to seek seems to be pointing toward something with regard to affection, “setting your mind” refers to what believers are to do with their minds. The text says that believers are to think about things related to heaven. Is that how you would describe what you think about? Do you think about heaven? Do you think about heavenly things?
You might not realize it, but references to a heavenly orientation are all over the New Testament:
- From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17).
- Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:10-12).
- Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matt. 6:19-20).
- And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matt. 16:18-19).
- For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling (2 Cor. 5:1-2 ).
- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places . . . making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth (Eph.1:3, 9-10).
- Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession (Heb. 3:1).
- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1 Pet. 1:3-4).
- The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen (2 Tim. 4:18).
Do you see how important heaven is? Do you see the connection between heaven and earth right now? Do you see how your affections and your thinking are to be shaped by another world?
My hope is that Christians would not lose sight of how a proper understanding of heaven impacts daily life. I want us to have our hearts and minds stirred for the realm and rule of Christ. This heavenly-oriented mindset allows for reflection on the believer’s inheritance in heavenly places—for the glory of God, for the gift of eternal perfection, and for the unending presence of our God.
And if you are not a Christian, my prayer is that you might be wooed to put your trust in Christ because of what you hear and learn about heaven.
What would happen if you began to ask, “If heaven is like that, how do I live now?”
For more, check out the sermon series Finally Home: What Heaven Means for Earth.
