Keep seeking the things above! (1)
[Colossians 3:1-4]
Do you have the assurance that if you believe only in our Lord, you will receive salvation, eternal blessings, and the crown of life? John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." When we believe in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, we are reconciled with God and, led by the Holy Spirit, can have intimate communion with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 1:3). Through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, we partake in God's divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), becoming more like Jesus. In this process, we obey the commandments of Jesus, loving God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, and loving our neighbors as ourselves (Jn. 3:36; Mt. 22:37, 39). As citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), we experience the joy of heaven partially even while living on this earth, tasting the blessings of eternal life amid the unrest of the present world (2:12). Thus, despite living in a world without peace, we can experience God's peace, a part of the blessings of eternal life, while on this earth. Therefore, we can, with faith, offer praise to God as in hymn “When Peace, Like a River, Attendeth My Way,” verse 1 and chorus saying, “”When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, "It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well with my soul; It is well, it is well with my soul.”
In today's passage, Colossians 3:1 encourages us to "keep seeking the things above." Thus, I have chosen this verse as the sermon title and aim to meditate on Colossians 3:1-4, reflecting on the grace and teachings that God provides.
First, the Bible instructs us to "keep seeking the things above" (v. 1), and I would like us to reflect on the meaning of the phrase "keep seeking."
I vaguely recall playing a treasure hunt game during a picnic when I was young. Teachers would secretly fold and hide treasures on tree branches, in rock crevices, and various other places. When instructed to find the treasures, we, the students, would make an effort to locate them. Discovering a hidden treasure brought immense joy, and I'm reminded of the parable Jesus spoke in Matthew 13:44, concerning the kingdom of heaven: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." Ancient Jews used to bury precious treasures in the ground because, in those times, there were no banks, and they considered the ground the safest place. They believed that burying treasures in the ground would allow their descendants to retrieve them someday (Internet).
What are you fervently seeking with a heart of longing? At the very least, when we lose something valuable, we diligently make efforts to find it. Whether it's searching for lost keys, a phone, a wallet, or credit cards, we tirelessly work to recover the lost items. Moreover, when we lose something as significant as our health, we must exert great effort to regain it.
The familiar words from Matthew 7:7-8 come to mind: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened." Jesus encourages us to pray and seek just as we would knock on a door, and He mentions that our heavenly Father gives good things to those who ask (v. 11). Applying this to our lives, the question becomes, "With what earnest desire am I seeking, and what am I fervently praying to God for?" I explored this question in the context of the warning given by the apostle Paul in Colossians 2:8-23 to the Colossian and Laodicean saints about avoiding four "philosophies and empty deceit." Specifically, they were warned against seeking (1) asceticism (vv. 8-10), (2) legalism (vv. 11-17), (3) mysticism (vv. 18-19), and (4) asceticism (vv. 20-23). Applying this to us, we are cautioned not to seek (1) a false spiritual knowledge that denies Christ's incarnation, as seen in the pursuit of Gnostic teachings; (2) legalism that seeks salvation through human effort and adherence to the law, potentially leading us back to bondage; (3) mysticism that claims direct knowledge of God through angel worship or visionary experiences; or (4) asceticism that teaches spiritual purification through self-inflicted bodily discipline. The lesson is to avoid pursuing these misleading paths and, instead, seek the true knowledge and fellowship with God that comes through Christ.
In today's passage, Colossians 3:1, the original Greek term for 'to seek' is translated as "to pursue, to strive, to attempt," implying a fervent effort and pursuit with an earnest and anxious mindset (WSNTDICT). Reflecting on the meaning of seeking with an earnest and anxious effort, I am reminded of Colossians 3:2 - "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." In other words, to continually seek what is above, we must first set our minds on things above and avoid thinking about the "things on earth," as advised by the apostle Paul. What are the "things on earth" that we should not think about and seek? Colossians 3:5 provides the answer: "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Paul instructs believers to consciously strive to put to death the sins remaining in our earthly bodies—specifically, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, and covetousness. This is a conscious effort to eliminate the sinful nature still present in our bodies through the redemptive circumcision of Christ (MacArthur). In Colossians 2:11, 13, Paul has already emphasized that the Colossian and Laodicean saints were spiritually dead due to their former sins and uncircumcised fleshly desires. However, through Christ's circumcision, they were spiritually made alive and should, therefore, consider themselves dead to the old man and alive as a new creation in Christ (3:3). Therefore, they are exhorted not to think about the "things on earth" but rather to focus on the things above (2:2) and continue seeking those things (3:1).
When contemplating the word "seek" in the phrase "keep seeking the things above," I am reminded of Psalms 42:1: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God." The psalmist expresses a deep longing for God, comparing it to a deer's thirst for water. In a similar manner, even in the midst of despair and hopelessness on this earth, we should earnestly seek the Lord. Just as the psalmist turned his soul's thirst into an opportunity to seek God, I pray that both you and I, facing challenges in this world, would turn our crises into opportunities to seek the Lord with a thirsty spirit.