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 fourth 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).
In this passage, we see a set of parallel statements related to two promises. A heavenly mindset involves an orientation to two things that are not seen, but are to be believed.
One promise relates to something that has already happened but is not visible. The other promise relates to what is yet to come. The first promise is found in verse 1, and the second is found in verse 4.
The First Promise
The first promise is in Colossians 3:1, “. . .where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” As we’ll see in a moment, this phrase follows the command to “seek those things that are above.” So, it is an explanation of what is “above” (i.e., Christ), and it relates to the rule and reign of Christ—to his enthronement.
The idea of Christ being seated at the right hand of God is an important theme throughout the New Testament, occurring three times in Paul’s letters (Rom. 8:34, Eph. 1:20, Col. 3:1), five times in Acts (2:25, 33, 34; 5:31; 7:55, 56), and five times in the book of Hebrews (1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2).
The promise that Christ is “seated at the right hand of God” highlights the powerful rule of Christ and emphasizes his victory over death and sin. It is a statement that speaks to the deity of Christ. Although we didn’t personally see him ascend into heaven, we are called to believe that he is there—even now—in victory. We are to seek “those things” which are related to this heavenly rule of Jesus.
The Second Promise
The second promise is this: “[W]hen Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:4). This is a future-oriented promise as it relates to the end of the ages. When Christ returns, the world will know who he really is.
Revelation 1:7 tells us that he will “com[e] with the clouds and every eye will see him.” He will come in glory. But believers will specifically share in his glory.
The promise here is simply that there is coming a day when what is true of a believer’s position in Christ will be completed, and we will perfectly live out our true identity. What is true about Christ now—that he is sitting in heaven in communion with the Father and Spirit—will be true about us then! We will appear with him in glory. We will be like him! In the same way that his identity is known, so too the believer’s real identity will be fully revealed.
The promise of Christ’s rule and the believer’s future glorification becomes another key aspect of a heavenly mindset. It establishes who is in charge of the universe, who deserves our complete allegiance, and who is the center of everything: Christ, who is our life!
What’s more, it promises that our present struggle with sin will not last forever, our grief with death has an end, and our cries of “How long, O Lord!” will not go unanswered.
A heavenly mindset is rooted in the promise of God regarding what is true about Christ now and what will be true about those who know Christ in the future.
Read the final article in this series, where we look at heaven and our faith in practice, or check out the sermon series Finally Home: What Heaven Means for Earth.
